2014 December 03 Archive - EXEIdeas

Where is marketing headed in the next year or so? The obvious answer is “digital.” Traditional print marketing or marketing on the radio is not as effective as email or social media. Email is less expensive, but is much more likely to end up deleted as spam. Social media gives advertisers the opportunity not only to brand their products, or even themselves, but to target their markets and to attract followers (a trend that has been dubbed “product evangelism” because people spread the word about services and products they like.)Be A Brand:Branding is a concept that cannot be over-rated. Businesses want to be seen not only as the best place to get a product, but the only place. Product branding involves creating an image that is trusted and perceived as efficient and valuable. Inevitably, however, product branding ties closely to business professional branding.People will not see a tax preparation company as the “best and only” if the CEO is not viewed as trustworthy and knowledgeable. That’s where social media comes in. Through thoughtful and experienced use of SEO people are brought to the page or to the website of the professional.Social Media For Marketing:The resultant audience is not a group of “drive-bys” but people who come researching an idea or a product, wanting to know more about it.In addition, advertising on social media brings the opportunity to offer customers services that will make them return to the site for more. For instance, advertisers can link to content about how consumers can organize their information before taking it to a tax preparer, and link to sites with content about the professional at the helm of the business, his education and charitable efforts.The trend of offering a “gift” like the tax organization information results in in-bound marketing which is highly effective because customers are seeking out the business or the professional, not just clicking on an ad which may or may not cause them to respond. In-bound marketing is definitely the future of social marketing.Is Social Media For Marketing Good At All?A major drawback to social media advertising is that it is expensive. Facebook charges range from about 50 cents per engagement (or a minimum of $10 a day) to thousands of dollars for an exclusive limited-run ad. Twitter, Pinterest and LinkedIn also have launched advertising products at comparable costs. That cost means that advertisers must be savvy about how to word the ads, making prime use of SEO so that the campaigns will be cost-effective. Images are important too because research has shown them to be highly productive in leading consumers to click on a link (engagement).While branding your product, or even yourself, to millions of people is possible through social media marketing, a study of sites like Facebook shows a complication. The sheer number of people who post in the sites means that individual posts are soon buried under mountains of newer content. Ads must invite comments or re-posts to keep swimming up in the queue.People like professional Brent Franson have built companies upon their knowledge and skill in creating advertising that makes the best use of the forums. Turning to trusted and proven companies such as Franson’s “Reputation.com Inc.” can result in cost-effective branding of your product or yourself in a way that creates a following.