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Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Bagaimana twitter Mengubah Dunia PR

Hadirnya Facebook dan Twitter mampu mengubah pandangan tentang Public Relations.  Bagaimana Twitter,  media micro-blogging dengan keterbatasan 140 karakternya bisa efektif digunakan untuk aktivitas public relations? Berikut bahasannya.

Sejak kehadirannya,  social media dianggap sebagai kompetitor bagi teknik-teknik PR konvensional. Hingga, para social media analis sempat memprediksi bahwa dunia PR sudah mati yang kemudian disanggah dengan pendapat bahwa sebenarnya social media tak cocok untuk hal-hal  ke-PR-an. Seakan PR konvensional bermusuhan dengan PR berbasis Social Media. 

Lalu muncullah Twitter. Yang seiring dengan pupularitasnya, bisa mengurangi “jarak” antara social media dan dunia PR. Dan kini, kita bisa mendengar ribuan cerita tentang keberhasilan PR melalui Twitter. Hingga kini Twitter dikenal luas sebagai teknik PR terbaik di era Web 2.0.

PR konvensional mati?
Lalu apakah PR konvensional sudah mati? Tentu saja tidak! Twitter adalah cara yang mengagumkan dalam menambah kemampuan PR organisasi Anda. Twitter bukanlah alat untuk menggantikan teknik PR yang sudah ada tapi melainkan alat bantu untuk memperluas daya sebar “pesan” ke audience yang lebih luas. Anda bisa mentweet press release tentang sebuah acara untuk organisasi Anda dan bisa Anda lihat bagaimana ia menyebar di Twitterverse.

Nilai tambah Twitter
Memiliki layanan yang baik sangatlah penting bagi sebuah organisasi untuk mendapatkan publikasi yang baik. Untuk hal itu Twitter memiliki kelebihan yang belum bisa tertandingi berkaitan dengan kemampuan layanan instan dan real-time. Pertanyaan bisa langsung dijawab dan pesan bisa tersebar dengan sangat cepat. Banyak perusahaan sudah menyadari bahwa Twitter tidak hanya alat yang baik untuk membantu kebutuhan marketing tapi juga media yang unik untuk membantu kebutuhan customer service, yang akhirnya bisa mengarahkan pada pencapaian reputasi yang baik di masyarakat dan ke-PR-an yang kuat.

Twitter juga tempat yang tepat untuk memonitor reputasi brand Anda di dunia online. Anda akan bisa mengetahui apa yang dibicarakan oleh orang-orang tentang brand Anda. Andapun bisa mencari orang-orang yang memiliki potensi bakal menyukai brand Anda. Bahkan dengan menggunakan fungsi advanced search yang dimiliki Twitter serta beberapa produk pihak ketiga, Anda bisa menetapkan apakah brand Anda kehilangan daya tarik diantara para pengguna dan dengan itu Anda bisa melakukan hal-hal yang dibutuhkan untuk segera memperbaikinya.

Dunia PR berkembang dengan pengetahuan, dan ini bisa didapat dengan mudah pada Twitter. Begitu Anda memfollow dan beinteraksi dengan banyak orang, Anda akan mendapatkan pengetahuan. Anda bisa menjadi rekan, sebagai kompetitor ataupun klien, mengikuti mereka di Twitter menjadi sebuah langkah yang masuk akal mengingat Anda akan bisa mendapatkan pengetahuan yang lebih mendalam tentang opini mereka.

Twitter tidak pernah “tidur” karena akan selalu terjadi sesi berbagi ataupun percakapan selama 24 jam, 7 hari dalam seminggu, tentunya dengan orang-orang yang berpengetahuan banyak dan juga bijaksana, jadi tidak ada ruginya jika kita ikut mengambil manfaat dari kehadiran Twitter ini. (http://kenapaharuspr.com)

Monday, January 30, 2012

It’s Not What You Sell - It’s How You Sell It


It’s Not What You Sell - It’s How You SellIn a world that has gone global, there has never been such stiff competition. Many companies are finding themselves in a much commoditized market place. Even those companies that may have a differentiated product are finding themselves in a commodity buy, because that is how  prospects or customers view their purchase decision.  It’s no longer about what you sell - as much as it is about how you sell - that will dictate you chances of success.

Think about it.  We have all been through a “purchase experience” that was anything but pleasant.  For some, it was purchasing a car from a stereotypical “used car salesman” or an over-the-top pushy life insurance salesperson.  For most of us, it was not the features or the uniqueness of the product/service that lead to purchasing (or not purchasing) as it was the experience of the process.  It is a well-known fact that companies who create a superior purchase experience are able to truly differentiate themselves in the marketplace.

According to Sales Executive Council, research of over 5,000 business owners, C-suite executives to end users, purchase influencers, procurement officers, and even third-party consultants, revealed that only 38% of customer loyalty is attributed to the effect of your brand, product, or service.  That is much lower than most would expect.  The surprising part is that 53% of  customer loyalty was attributed to the purchase experience.
 Precentage of Contribution to Customer Loyalty
When you consider that 70% of customer’s purchase experiences are completed before the first contact with a salesperson is made (Sirius Decisions),  how you engage your audience online will be the biggest differentiator your company will have against the competition.  How you optimize your customers’ experiences on your website, lead nurturing and on social media, sites to create an online connection socially, emotionally, and visually will ultimately lead to your success and differentiate you in your prospects’ minds. Also consider that many companies have spent a great deal of time and energy focusing on building their brand, product and value to a point where only 15% of the benefits companies tout are seen as unique or relevant by their prospects and customers.  It really only leaves the purchase experiences as your competitive advantage.

In the past, companies competed based on things like manufacturing and distribution strength, the power of information.  Today these factors are non-existent.  Empowered customers are changing every industry.  The successful companies will be customer-obsessed, like Facebook, Best Buy, Apple, and Amazon.com.  In the digital work, there no longer are barriers to potential entrants or substitutes - competition can come from anywhere.  Customers have real-time information about pricing, product features, and competitors.  They hold all the advantages.  The only sustainable and defensible source of competitive advantage is to concentrate on knowledge of, and engagement with, your customers. In essence, building your unique purchase experience.

Executives must become customer-obsessed and pull budget dollars from areas that traditionally created dominance — brand advertising, distribution lockup, mergers for scale, and supplier relationships — and invest in such areas as real-time customer intelligence, customer experience and customer service, sales channels that deliver customer intelligence, and useful content and interactive marketing.  Those that master the customer data flow and improve frontline customer staff will have the edge. In order to achieve this, consider the experience your prospects receive when they looking to buy the product or service you sell.  Did you grab their attention by fully answering their questions as they go through their purchase experience?  Did you make an emotional connection with them?  If you can’t answer “yes” to these questions, think of your own purchase experiences and which, if any, stand out as being superior.  Facilitating great purchase experiences for your customers may be the most sustainable competitive advantage that you can hope for.

When done correctly, creating a unique purchase experience for your customer base will be difficult for your competitors to imitate.  This will create a tremendous value for your brand.  That’s because in order to be done correctly, you need to share the true essence of your company’s culture, combined with how you can assist customers through their personal purchase experiences.  That means that no two companies will have the exact same tactics.  While their customer’s purchase processes may be similar, it’s the company that maps that process and shares of itself and it’s culture that will come out on top.  Not the ones that copy their competitor’s strategy.

In reality, creating a positive purchase experience will make your marketing much easier because you will be speaking from the heart and help solve their prospects’ problems.  Taking these steps will lead to long lasting relationships with customers as well as make your company a very desirable place to work as both your customers and employees form an emotional connection.  That’s because you will connect with them at their points of emotional escalation and facilitate trust with your company.  Remember, it’s starts and ends with your customers.  If you can create a process, culture, and a system for consistently delivering great purchase experiences, your company will be both unforgettable and unbeatable.
http://sbinfocanada.about.com/od/socialmedia/g/socmedmarketing.htm
http://www.strategycentral.org/2011/06/its-not-what-you-sell-its-what-you-stand-for.html

Social Media Accounts and Conversations on the Rise

Program managers are overseeing more social media accounts and developing methods to handle increased social conversations

Companies often have several different accounts or pages on social networks like Facebook and Twitter. As these accounts and the interactions with customers on social media increase, program managers must learn to balance the influx and continue to interact with fans.

The Altimeter Group surveyed social media program managers in Q2 2011 and found that, on average, companies owned 178 total social media accounts, not including individual employee accounts. This includes an average of 39.2 Twitter accounts, 31.9 blogs and 29.9 Facebook accounts. Forums and message boards were more popular than YouTube, with an average of 23.4 accounts per company, compared to YouTube’s 9.4.

Average Number of Social Media Accounts Owned by Their Company According to Corporate Social Media Program Managers Worldwide, by Platform, Q2 2011

This can be a challenge for a company, as it is harder to oversee and manage that many accounts throughout the enterprise. Companies often have different accounts or blogs for different departments or regions, and integrating their outreach with the same style, tone and guidelines is difficult.

Another challenge is how companies will manage the increase in customer conversations taking place on these various platforms, as users turn more often to social media for brand connections. Monitoring several social networks, different accounts and pages, and responding to comments take time and resources.

Of the social media program managers surveyed, 59% said they will streamline the internal processes for handling social media conversations, 44% want to empower the crowd to respond to each other and 33% will streamline with new technologies. But nearly as many did not know how they would respond to an increase in customer conversations online.

Ways that Their Company Will Manage the Increase in the Number of Customer Conversations on Social Media According to Corporate Social Media Program Managers Worldwide, Q2 2011 (% of respondents)

Coordinating across various social media accounts is important for a company, as it allows a team or individual to manage, simplify and improve the social media process. Additionally, educating employees and developing internal processes and guidelines are also helpful.
http://www.emarketer.com/Article.aspx?R=1008784

Friday, January 27, 2012

Brilliant and Clever Food Advertisements

Every day, people choose to eat certain foods. Sometimes we choose something because it tastes better than anything else, but other times, we consider factors such as healthiness, cost, and the company that made it.  Some people swear by certain brands, whereas other people always go for the least expensive option. Food advertisements are featured everywhere from TV to billboards, city buses and magazines, and are designed to convince you that a given food product is the best choice.

There are a variety of way that food advertisements try to influence you, and food advertising is generally based around the factors mentioned previously.  Here you’ll find a collection of brilliant and clever food ads that will be sure to make you look twice and admire the creativity.

Miracle Whip
Pampaverde Burger
Allbran Taco
McCormick Chicken
Duet Ice Cream
Chef Boyardee
Burger King
McDonalds
South Sea Seafood
Kraft Easy Mac
Panda Express
Spoleto
Domino’s Pizza
Nutrella
http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/2airId/creativefan.com/brilliant-and-clever-food-advertisements/

The Why and How of Search Engine Marketing

Search engine marketing is vital for any small or large business structure. To be honest, your online presence will depend on the type of marketing you choose, and every business will need to have search engine marketing in their marketing toolbox. To understand more about why this is important, you will need to know the why and how of search engine marketing. Studies have shown that 90% of the traffic your web presence will experience comes from Google, Yahoo, MSN, and various other search engines.

The rest of the traffic your site receives comes from people that know about your brand and visit your site or send others to do so. Because of the large number of visitors that come from search engines, you will need to focus a good portion of your attention on a search engine marketing strategy. Now, it’s important to realize that this is much more than choosing a domain name, setting up a website, adding some products and services, and choosing a few selected keywords.

Effective search engine marketing is performed by creating a strategy, performing market research, knowing your competitors, understanding your market, finding your audience, and using all of this information to achieve higher rankings in each of the search engines. Each of the tasks listed will take an extreme amount of focus as well as a considerable amount of time. But the end result is higher rankings, targeted traffic, and more products and services sold.

It’s also important to realize that search engine marketing is not new. It has been around since search engines were found to provide massive traffic for free. Over time people have developed strategies in which to take advantage of this form of marketing, and as a result – the search engines have changed the way websites are ranked and indexed. For a small or large business owner, it can be overwhelming to stay on top of all the changes, as well as what it takes to use search engine marketing effectively.

For this reason, it’s important to utilize the services provided by a search engine marketing specialist to handle these processes for you. When this method of marketing works effectively, you will not only see and increase in traffic, but you will find more targeted traffic coming your way which results in more sales, and ultimately more business growth.
http://www.virtualsocialmedia.com/the-why-and-how-of-search-engine-marketing/

Thursday, January 26, 2012

Differences of Sales and Marketing

Whеn аѕkеd “whether thе sales аnd marketing thаt’s different?” Mοѕt people wουld hаνе responded thаt thеѕе two things together.Whеn іn fact thе two terms аrе very different. Hοwеνеr, people οftеn blame mean thаt sales аnd marketing hаνе thе same meaning, ie selling thе product.

Actually, thе meaning οf marketing іѕ thе entire system οf business activities aimed аt product рlаnnіng, pricing, promoting аnd distributing goods product thаt aims tο satisfy consumers. Whіlе sales іѕ аn activity thаt οnlу focus οn selling products, аnd aims tο increase product sales alone.

From thе notion thаt existed, іt wаѕ clear thаt thе marketing process іѕ longer аnd more complex whеn compared wіth thе sales process. In marketing strategy, thеrе аrе 4P even add up tο 7P, whісh consists οf product (product), price (thе price), рlасе (рlасе), promotion (promotion), process (process), people (people), Physical Evidence (evidence physical). Whіlе sales tο bе οnlу one раrt οf thе promotion (promotion), ѕο іt dοеѕ nοt consider οthеr factors thаt саn support marketing.

Subsequent differences іn marketing strategy, thе marketer οr marketers always keep thе brand image οf product. Sο thаt consumer dесіdе tο bυу a product bесаυѕе іt already knows thе quality οf thе product аnd thе product brand image. Whіlе thе sales strategy іѕ thаt thеу аrе nοt concerned tο maintain thе brand image οf products, bυt mοѕt importantly thеу offer tο thе market bу way οf informing thе excess products, fοr consumers interested іn аnd bυу thеіr products. And more іntеrеѕtіng іѕ thе salesman never thουght about whether consumers satisfied οr nοt, thе targets аrе met.

Even ѕο, thеrе аrе several companies thаt mаkе sales аѕ раrt οf marketing, bυt still distinguish thеіr work assignments. If thе marketing focus οn product marketing strategy рlаnnіng іn accordance wіth 4P οr 7P раrt οf thе marketing mix, thеn sales wіll bеgіn work аftеr thе product іѕ ready fοr thе market. Sο sort οf marketing іѕ a team making іtѕ marketing strategy, whіlе sales іѕ thе executing team.

Another dіffеrеnсе іѕ thе sales аnd marketing, thе sales relationship wіth customers οnlу until thе process οf buying οr selling, аftеr sales nο longer responsible fοr maintaining gοοd relations wіth customers. Meanwhile, marketing аnd customer relations ѕhουld remain intact frοm start prior tο thе transaction, until аftеr thе transaction tο maintain customer loyalty.

A company саn nοt successfully win thе competition іf уου јυѕt rely οn thе sales market. And sales wіll nοt bе сrеаtеd wіth thе best іf nοt supported bу gοοd marketing strategy. Anу company саn mаkе sales, bυt nοt necessarily еνеrу company іѕ аblе tο рlаn marketing strategies capable οf satisfying thе needs аnd desires οf consumers.

http://debbielaskey.blogspot.com/2011/05/next-generation-of-sales-and-marketing.html
http://smallbusinessandmedium.com/differences-of-sales-and-marketing.html

Marketers to better integrate print and digital marketing in 2012

Nearly three quarters of marketers use print to get audiences interested in additional digital content, but many are failing to use the most sophisticated tools to do this, according to a recent study by marketing production specialist, Charterhouse.
printDespite the existence of handy QR codes, which can be used in printed marketing material to direct audiences to online content, most marketers are still printing standard web URLs instead forcing consumers to memorise the web address or enter it manually into their device, or miss out on the digital content.

The study by Charterhouse reveals that the most common objective, stated by 61% of marketers, is to use print to increase traffic to a brand’s website with no respondents reporting that they use print to drive people towards mobile content, and just 2% using it to attract audiences to social media-based content.

While 59% of marketers say at least one in two of their campaigns integrate print and digital, a URL is most commonly employed (used by 83% of marketers). More advanced tools such as QR codes (26%) and augmented reality (5%) are used far less frequently. This appears to be due to a lack of confidence in the value of such tools, with 32% of marketers admitting that they are not sure about the potential of QR codes in enhancing their marketing campaigns; more than half (51%) saying the same about augmented reality; 34% about linking to mobile sites; and 32% about linking directly to social media properties from printed material.
Despite these figures, almost half (46%) still believe that print is vital to driving interest in digital content and campaigns.

“Marketers are clearly thinking about how these technologies can enhance their activities. But they shouldn’t be thought of as the end-result – they are a means to an end,” says Ivan Skoric, head of digital services at Charterhouse. “Simply sticking a QR code or digital watermark on print marketing to drive interest to your homepage is not going to achieve results. The objective of linking print and digital should be to engage audiences with sticky online content as part of a broader experience.”

On a positive note, the study also revealed that marketers are planning to experiment more with integrating print and digital in 2012. More than half (51%) are planning to use QR codes over the next year, and nearly two thirds (59%) plan to link to social media content rather than their own websites. A minority (7%) even indicated that they plan to integrate print and augmented reality in their 2012 marketing campaigns.
http://www.fourthsource.com/news/marketers-to-better-integrate-print-and-digital-marketing-in-2012-6053

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Measuring the Business Impact of Social Media [INFOGRAPHIC]

Social media is no longer a stop-and-go investment, but rather a long term strategic channel that, when integrated with other marketing efforts, allows brands to connect with users over time. Results of a recent survey we conducted find social media efforts valuable in their ability to grow brand awareness and increase dialogue with customers. In addition to spending more time thinking about how to engage audiences, marketers will soon begin to measure social media’s impact on the business through a more traditional ROI definition: attributable sales and costs.

 
 http://blog.wildfireapp.com/2012/01/19/measuring-the-business-impact-of-social-media-infographic/

Marketers Follow Users To More Social Sites

Marketing efforts spreading beyond Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
Social media sites beyond Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn are seeing significant boosts in usage, both in the US and elsewhere in the world. And where users go, marketers will follow. Research from social marketing software firm Awareness Inc. indicates US marketers plan to do just that this year.

The December 2011 survey found that the leading area for new social media marketing investments in 2012 would be increasing marketer presence across platforms, cited by 70% of respondents.

Image

For some marketers, that will mean a new presence on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn. While the vast majority of US marketers already use these sites for marketing, some laggards plan to join them there this year.

But smaller social sites with less current marketer usage will benefit even more. Nearly one in five respondents said they would begin marketing on YouTube in 2012. And though just 10% of marketers said they would have a new presence on Tumblr, that is on top of only 15% already using it, for an increase of more than 66%. Proportionally, usage of SlideShare and online forums would increase even more than that.

Image

By number of marketers, blogs will be the greatest beneficiary of new efforts, with 28% of respondents saying they were not currently using them but would this year. Among the most experienced social media marketers surveyed, 91% said they planned to increase their use of blogs.
http://www.marketresearchworld.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4565&Itemid=76

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

How To Choose Marketing Tactics That Work

The web is full of helpful cookbook recipes on marketing your small business. These guides are valuable, and will help you improve your business, if you follow them. But which ones should you use? The problem is, you only have so much time in the day. To become adept in every tactic, you’d have to become a marketing expert and stop working on your business.

Everywhere you look, you can find guides for networking using Twitter, driving quality traffic with Stumbleupon, sending yourself viral on YouTube, and getting on the front page of Digg. There is plenty of instruction on how to use offline marketing, too, whether to distribute a press release or get in the mainstream media.

It’s simple to find guidance on “how to”, but not as much about “which to”. Read on to learn how to determine which marketing tactics are right for you. Choosing which marketing tactics to use, and how, is called marketing strategy. To get technical for a moment, marketing strategy is the process of allocating limited resources to maximize sales and create a sustainable competitive advantage.

In other words, marketing strategy is figuring out how to convert your limited amount of time and money into the largest business success. It’s just as much about what you don’t do as it is about what you do do. Looking at your marketing plan in a strategic way allows you to pick your battles. It’s a necessary part of the marketing process. Otherwise, you’ll spin your wheels on the unimportant tactics instead of going straight for the most effective solution. In an ideal world, you’d have an infinite amount of money to devote to marketing, and you’d reach your customer everywhere. But in the real world, you need a marketing strategy.

 

How To Develop a Marketing Strategy

A strong marketing strategy should cover three broad topics: customer insights, the competitive landscape, and your unique value proposition. In business school, they teach you various models for developing strategies, but they always come back to an understanding of your customer, your competitors, and yourself.
Developing your customer insights can happen in a lot of different ways. Sometimes you can use published research, run customer focus groups, distribute surveys, or otherwise collect information from your actual customers. Most times, you have to play at psychology, analyzing the way the your customers think (recommended reading: Influence, The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert Cialdini, PhD.)

Whatever your methodology, the end result is a good picture of what your customers’ underlying motivations are, where they spend their time and money, and what their big problem is that you’re trying to solve. If you can’t find your customer’s problem, you won’t be able to sell them the solution. The competitive landscape is straightforward. Who are your competitors, how do they compare to you and each other, what makes their offering unique, valuable, and compelling, and where do they fall short? You should also consider competitors to your industry at large, particularly when developing a long term strategy. After all, when you’re competing for a customer’s attention, you’re competing with everything.

Lastly, what is your unique value proposition? Maybe you can answer the question of why your customer needs what you make, but you also have to be able to say why your customer needs what you make more than they need what your competitors make. Can that difference be conveyed simply and quickly? Once you know about your customers, competitors, and yourself, you can begin to choose between the marketing tactics that lend themselves best to your strategy.

 

Test, Measure, Optimize, Repeat

The key to finding the perfect marketing tactics is to experiment. Spend a little money and a little time on the different marketing tactics that match your strategy, and measure the response.

Metrics are a cornerstone of marketing strategy. It’s the only sure fire way to see what works and what doesn’t. For all the marketing strategy you can develop upfront, nothing beats the reality of success and failure in the market.

If you already have a website live, you have your own market research platform. By altering your pages and studying changes in your web metrics, you can figure out whether the picture of your model looking left or right sells better, whether the glory shot of the watch sells more if it has a border or not, and whether more of your customers will subscribe to your newsletter if you put the subscription box in the top right.

Your website is the center of your digital marketing universe, even if the website is your product. Every page needs to market the action you want your visitor to take, whether it’s to buy a product or to read the next article.

Coupling the free Google Analytics and Google Website Optimizer, there is no reason you shouldn’t be testing, measuring, and optimizing every page on your site. Search advertising is another example of an easily testable tactic. You’re never going to write the perfect ad on the first try, so write a dozen different ads and rotate them to see which converts the best. Keep the best and drop the worst, then do the whole thing again.

This is the great lesson the world of direct marketing brought to the discipline at large. Like the famous line from Glengarry Glen Ross, “Always Be Optimizing”. Try what you think would work intuitively, and try doing some things that make no sense at all. It’s the only real way to learn – the market doesn’t lie.

More US Consumers Choosing Smartphones as Apple Closes the Gap on Android

According to the latest research from Nielsen, the high-profile launch of Apple’s iPhone 4S in the Fall had an enormous impact on the proportion of smartphone owners who chose an Apple iPhone. Among recent acquirers, meaning those who said they got a new device within the past three months, 44.5 percent of those surveyed in December said they chose an iPhone, compared to just 25.1 percent in October. Furthermore, 57 percent of new iPhone owners surveyed in December said they got an iPhone 4S.

Android continues to hold the lead among all smartphone users, with 46.3 percent of all smartphone owners surveyed in Q42011 reporting they have an Android-based mobile phone.

As of Q42011, 46 percent of US mobile consumers had smartphones, and that figure is growing quickly. In fact, 60 percent of those who said they got a new device within the last three months chose a smartphone over a feature phone.

smartphone-os-share
smartphone-penetration
smartphone-recent
http://blog.nielsen.com/nielsenwire/consumer/more-us-consumers-choosing-smartphones-as-apple-closes-the-gap-on-android/

Friday, January 20, 2012

Do Social Media Postings Always Require a Brand Response?

A response from a consumer brand advocate is not always enough

Not all social media users are convinced that connecting with companies on social sites will be more than a passing fad, according to research from Conversocial, but those that do seem to expect that the connection will be two-way.
 

The social media customer service software provider asked about user attitudes toward companies that left their questions on Facebook and Twitter unanswered; most said they would be at least a little bit angry, including over a quarter who would no longer do business with the company. At the same time, nearly 28% said they understood that companies don’t have time to respond to each consumer.

Brands may run into an even bigger problem, however, if potential customers see others’ questions going unanswered: just 11.7% said they wouldn’t care if they noticed this on a social media page, while the rest would be at least somewhat put off about buying from a company that ignores its customers.

US Social Media Users

Social customer service firm InboxQ similarly found that Twitter users want businesses to answer their questions, and doing so can boost purchase intent.

Conversocial also asked US social media users about the importance of different company communications via social media. Although consumers often say the biggest reason they follow a brand to begin with is to stay up-to-date on deals and discounts, they still considered customer service more important.

Level of Importance of Company

Brands with social media experience know they don’t need to respond to every ounce of negative buzz in the social sphere; often, letting consumer brand advocates do it for them can address the problem while also showing how loyal some customers are to the company. At the same time, however, leaving genuine questions, problems and complaints unanswered could leave customers feeling out in the cold—on a medium that is supposed to be all about dialogue.
http://www.emarketer.com/Article.aspx?R=1008770&ecid=a6506033675d47f881651943c21c5ed4

Advertising Vs. Public Relations

Looking to enter the world of public relations? Get ready to shatter some popular myths.

Many people (maybe even your boss) don't know the difference between advertising and PR. In advertising, you can use a lot of over the edge techniques. But PR requires a little more restraint.Think of advertising as your brother. He's a party animal and everyone thinks he's cool.

On the other hand, you're more refined. You don't stay out late and hardly ever deviate from the norm. Part of the problem is that advertisements can pretty much say what they want. The company is paying for the ad space.

As a PR professional, your job is to get free publicity. You're responsible for getting the company's name out there with no hype, just news.
The challenge is clear but once you take the field, you're ready to tackle an exciting career in PR. And you won't be bored either.

You'll be writing press releases, organizing news conferences and producing company newsletters. You'll even be a liaison between the media and your company.

PR doesn't stop there. There's a whole list of functions you'll be taking on, such as: public speaking, being interviewed on radio/TV, attending conferences, exhibitions and trade shows, arranging press launches, organizing opening days or visits to the plant and premises, coordinating studio and location photography and acting as the client's spokesperson.

As you can see, you have to be a jack-of-all trades. So make sure you are suited for PR. You need to be a sponge. Make the most of your time and on-the-job training. Listen, observe and learn everything you can.

Be a grasshopper. You'll be handling several different projects at once so you have to be multi-task oriented. You have to give each project 100 percent of your attention without neglecting the other projects. Show your colors. Be a chameleon. You better like people. You'll be dealing with them a lot. And you have to adapt to any situation and be open-minded at all times.

Learn how to dance. No, not literally. You must have energy and stamina. There will be many nights you're rundown and burning the midnight oil but you'll still have to keep that smile on your face.
Long live the king! You're the court jester. Nobody's calling you a fool, but you'll be the one generating ideas so be prepared to advise the king.
 
You don't need all of these traits but a little bit of each will be helpful. Once you organize your first press conference or speak to a TV reporter about your new product, you'll know you made the right decision when you entered PR. 
http://advertising.about.com/lr/advertising_agencies/65433/2/  

Thursday, January 19, 2012

CMO.com's 2012 Digital Marketing Landscape

What words come to mind when thinking about the digital marketing landscape? Complicated? A deep morass? Or a land of opportunity?

No doubt, digital marketing has experienced a huge uptick in the number of channels and devices at its disposal, further underscoring the need for marketers to determine the best allocation of their budgets. Shifting priorities and increased competition have not made life any easier.

That's why CMO.com developed this infographic: to help you navigate through the complexity by illustrating some of the main trends, such as the forecast for tablet computers and smartphone penetration. Couple that with common key objectives marketing leaders must meet, as well as a quick guide of five simple rules on how to take advantage of the digital Wild West.

The result? A snapshot of the opportunities digital marketers have in 2012--and beyond--plus how to capitalize on these trends and shifts.

http://www.cmo.com/trends/cmocoms-2012-digital-marketing-landscape?cmpid=TT124

Smartphone Users Around the World - Statistics and Facts [Infographic]

The smartphone world is expanding at a rapid pace. There are already more than 1.08 billion smartphone users in the world, out of which, 91.4 million are from the United States. To help you understand the world of smartphone users in a better way, we have compiled some interesting data in our infographic "Smartphone Users Statistics and Facts "


Smartphone Users Statistics and Facts
http://www.go-gulf.com/blog/smartphone

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Most Creative Ads Around the World

As the economy develops, our world has been thick with commercials and advertisements. However, not all the advertisements have worked as well as what the advertisers thought. After all, no one wants to read a boring paragraph or a long list about the promoted product. It’s the creativity in the ads that can capture the attention of an audience.

Here’s a collection of stunning and creative advertisements found at the Creative Ad Awards – a new ads collecting website that features the most creative ads from the world.

A Brown So Natural – Brown Hair

creative ads


Designer Ice Cream

creative ads

Electric Torch Bait

creative ads

The Softness of Surf

creative ads

 

Careful What You Think

creative ads

Tetris Returns

creative ads

 We Put Anything On Paper

creative ads

Dog Training Lessons

creative ads

Pour Into Cup

creative ads

Lst Lhr Stromanbieter Auch Zu Gierig

creative ads

Read A Book On The Bus And Be Miles Away

creative ads

Mr Muscle

creative ads

Do You Know How Much You Really Spend On Cigarettes?

creative ads
http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/4c7kqS/webdesignledger.com/inspiration/most-creative-ads-around-the-world/

Consumers OK with Ads… if the Apps are Free

January 9, 2012
Advertisers and those aiming to reach smartphone and tablet users on their devices should consider the power of free apps. According to Nielsen’s State of the Media: Consumer Usage Report, 51 percent of consumers say that they are okay with advertising on their devices if it means they can access content for free. Free apps are preferred by mobile consumers, though many opt for a combination of both free and paid apps to include in their collection, which usually averages 33 apps total.

Among tablet and smartphone users who downloaded only free apps in the past month, 33 percent chose games, 20 percent chose social networking and 18 percent chose music. However, app downloaders are willing to shell out money. Consumers who downloaded just paid apps or a combination of free and paid apps invested the most in games (35%), maps/navigation (29%) and music (27%).

top-app-categories
http://blog.nielsen.com/nielsenwire/consumer/consumers-ok-with-ads-if-the-apps-are-free/

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Rebranding atau Repositioning ?

Dalam dunia pemasaran, kita sering menjumpai istilah rebranding dan repositioning. Apa sebenarnya masing-masing tersebut ?

Rebranding
Rebranding secara definisi berarti proses pemberian nama brand baru atau identitas baru pada produk atau jasa yang sudah ada tanpa perubahan berarti dari benefit yang ditawarkan oleh produk.
Ada dua tipe rebranding, yang pertama adalah apabila sama sekali ganti merek (misalnya dari Bell Atlantic menjadi Verizon; Cellular One menjadi Cingular Wireless).
 
Yang kedua, rebranding sebagai hasil modifikasi dari merek yang sudah mapan (produk sereal Coco Krispies menjadi Coco Pops, produk pembersih Jif menjadi Cif, produk minuman Nestle Quik menjadi Nesquik).

Faktor Pendorong Rebranding
Faktor yang umumnya mendasari rebranding berkisar pada tekanan eksternal seperti regulasi, konsekuensi penjualan/pembelian merek, merger antar perusahaan, proses harmonisasi merek di tingkat global, dll. Contoh popular adalah rebranding yang dialami oleh salah satu produk P&G. Pada tahun 1999, diputuskan untuk menyatukan nama brand produk pelembab yang dikenal dengan beberapa nama : Oil of Ulan, Oil of Ulay, Oil of Olaz menjadi Olay. Di tingkat global, nama Olay lah yang sekarang dipromosikan secara terintegrasi, kecuali di Jerman, Austria dan Swiss dimana masih dipasarkan dengan nama Oil of Olaz, dan di Belanda dengan nama Olaz.

Brand Repositioning
Brand repositioning punya arti yang berbeda. Istilah ini lebih tepat apabila kegiatannya mengarah pada pemberian posisi atau makna baru pada brand yang sudah ada, dengan cara memperbaiki produk atau jasa yang ditawarkan, tanpa merubah nama brand.
 
Salah satu contoh brand repositioning adalah proses mengubah citra brand Samsung menjadi global brand. Beberapa tahun yang lalu, Samsung masih dikenal dan diasosiasikan sebagai produk buatan Korea dan konservatif. Saat ini, dengan tetap menggunakan nama Samsung, setelah melalui proses brand repositioning yang menyeluruh, citranya berubah menjadi brand global yang inovatif dan modern.

Faktor Pendorong Repositioning
Banyak pemasar yang mempertimbangkan brand repositioning sebagai respon dari perubahan selera konsumen, tekanan kompetisi, tekanan dari channel/distribusi, dll.
 
Mengapa kedua istilah ini sering digunakan bersamaan atau secara bergantian adalah karena umumnya pada saat melakukan rebranding, perusahaan juga sekaligus menggunakan kesempatan ini untuk brand repositioning. Contohnya, rebranding dari Andersen Consulting menjadi Accenture di tahun 2000 yang tidak hanya rebranding murni, tetapi juga membawa perusahaan ke posisi yang baru, yang merefleksikan perkembangan perusahaan. Dengan nama baru Accenture, lingkup kecakapan perusahaan di bidang consulting menjadi bertambah luas. (wf)

When Will Social Media Measurement Mature?

Marketers have a chance to establish metrics that matter

Marketers know that counting fans, “likes” and followers is not the best way to measure success in social media marketing. Yet these metrics are often the top benchmarks for performance. It’s not surprising, then, that marketers consider calculating return on investment to be the biggest challenge of using social media, and that a majority of them believe they cannot measure social media campaigns effectively. “Marketers often think of social media measurement as listening and monitoring. But that is only one part of a fragmented process, which has contributed to a lack of focus for both marketers and vendors,” said Debra Aho Williamson, eMarketer principal analyst and author of the new report, “Social Media Measurement: Getting to the Metrics that Matter.” “It has also created a culture of data overload, in which metrics that do not have much business value have more importance than those that contribute to the bottom line.”

Research from Chief Marketer found that two in five marketers have little confidence in the effectiveness of their ability to measure social media campaigns.

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Social media measurement has evolved significantly in its short history, but the need to prove effectiveness is more important than ever. As top marketing executives plan how much to invest in social media and whether to shift funds from other marketing channels, they need metrics that show not only that their brands have a lot of friends but that those friends actually affect the bottom line.

MarketingSherpa found that measurement effectiveness correlated with experience with social media and how strategic marketers were in their social marketing implementations.

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“Marketers must apply business-level analysis to social media measurement to determine its true impact,” said Williamson. “Going beyond brand metrics to understand social media’s effect on a company’s bottom line is critical. And it’s getting easier to consider the relative influence of social media on lead generation and sales.”

Marketers also need to understand how well social media performs relative to other types of marketing. Integrating social media analytics into other business analytics will help, as will developing ways to show how social media helps make other marketing more efficient.
http://www.marketresearchworld.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4516&Itemid=76