Social Media’s Effect on Brand Transparency

The public’s call for brand transparency is as old as snake oil salesmen. As the most highly-evolved creatures on the planet, we’re none too happy when we allow ourselves to be deceived. And if there’s one industry that has mastered the art of deception since the beginning, it’s advertising. Too-good-to-be-true claims, a low, low price simply too good to pass up and ultra-steamy sex appeal are like the magic fairy dust of ad campaigns. We’re momentarily blinded by that ‘gotta have it!’ feeling that has those purses and wallets open faster than you can say, “ShamWhat?!”

But alas…you get it home and that super cool gadget that the screaming dude was selling – which really worked well on the commercial - doesn’t work nearly as well in my house. Could it be me? Maybe I’m doing it wrong. Or was I…oh crap…duped. Damnit!

Something interesting is happening, though. Social media and an overall higher level of product knowledge made possible by the availability of information is making us all smarter consumers. Or at least it should be.

Now, when someone is dissatisfied with a product, instead of stopping at “Damnit!”, they hit the internet. They write product reviews. They tweet about it. They tell their friends and family on Facebook. Hell, they may even create a blog about it and invite others to chime in. The result? Bad publicity and readily-available information so the next time a savvy consumer goes online to do their research BEFORE opening that wallet, the same mistake won’t be made again. And no matter what your brand or advertising budget, enough of those and you’re out of business.

This phenomenon is forcing companies to re-examine their products and their brands and find the honest attributes that will make them sell. Or at least it should be. Sex may still serve us well to spike sales temporarily (hello Old Spice ads!) but without quality and customer satisfaction to back it up, that spike will be short-lived.

An honest approach to branding and brand advertising is called brand transparency. What you see is what you get. Are agencies ready for it? Are the companies that create the products we use ready for it? They’d better be. Because trying to pull a fast one on the internet-savvy, social media toting consumers of today is dangerous business.

It reminds me of the movie from the 80’s where Dudley Moore was an ad exec and spent some time in a mental hospital after a breakdown. Remember that? It was called Crazy People, I think. He had this epiphany that truth in advertising just may work. “Volvo. They’re Boxy, but They’re Good!”

I recently caught a campaign that is a perfect example of brand transparency. It's a Miracle Whip television spot where people actually said they hated Miracle Whip. What was that agency thinking?! Well, I believe they were thinking pretty clearly. I envision the brainstorming session going something like this… "Ok team, so what is it about Miracle Whip that will sell?" "Well, it’s creamy and tastes good with ham." "Are you kidding me? That stuff is awful!" "Well I like it." "Well I don’t." And so the “Miracle Whip -love or you hate it” campaign was born.

We see Domino’s Pizza doing the same thing. They were getting a bad reputation and sales were slipping. So what did they do? They hit the airwaves with an in-your-face, ‘We suck, but we’re fixing it!’ campaign that is quite refreshing.

Can you imagine if every brand was forced to either make their numbers by being honest, or change their product so they could be?

It’s the Crazy People approach, and personally, I love it.

Will this approach sell? I think the jury is still out on both of the campaigns above. But as consumers, we should appreciate the transparency, and insist on more of it.

Is Inconsistency Killing Your Brand?

If there is one marketing problem that plagues small businesses it’s developing brand awareness on a shoestring budget. The bigger your budget, the easier it is to create brand awareness in a short amount of time. Hitting the airwaves with TV and radio spots, saturating local media with print ads, and dominating the search engines with top-spot pay-per-click ads and web banner advertising can quickly get your brand in front of your target audience. But when trying to build your brand with a small business budget, and a ‘slow and steady wins the race’ approach, you’d better be sure of one thing - consistency.

The Problem

Small business owners trying to save money on marketing often piece out their marketing activities to multiple sources. Some trade out services with friends, or they rely on friends and family members to help out. All fine, if those resources are good at what they do, but all too often, these different activities done by different people result in brand inconsistency. Bob, who does the website, is doing it as a favor, so you kind of let him do what he wants, and you’re afraid to give him much direction - he is doing it for free, sooo… Then there’s the coupon mailer that you were convinced to do by that pesky sales person who offered to handle all of the artwork and creative for you at no charge. And finally there is your client who agreed to do your company brochure as a trade for services. As far as saving money on your stuff, you’re doing great. But here’s what can happen…

Without proper direction on messaging, proper logo usage, standard colors, standard fonts, and a guide to using URLs and phone numbers in your advertising, each of these nice people re likely create your materials in their style and their voice. And none of them will look or sound like the next.

From your customers and potential customers’ perspectives, you may actually end up looking like several different companies. And if that happens, you’re missing the boat on brand awareness altogether.

The Solution

Invest some time and a little money in having your brand sharply defined, and have a formal Marketing Style Guide created. Settle firmly on a logo and your colors. Your Marketing Style Guide will be the branding bible from which each of your vendors (friends, family members, or whoever is doing marketing for you) will live by. Consider it the roots of your brand from which each of your brand activities will grow! Your Style Guide should be available to your providers in a PDF format with links to art files whenever possible. If that is not feasible, create the PDF of the guide, and include it on a flash drive or CD that includes your approved art files.

Your Marketing Style Guide PDF and files/links should include:

Logo - Include vector (EPS), and high resolution jpeg (RGB) and tiff (CMYK) versions that can easily be used for signage, print, and the web. Include the proper PMS, CMYK and RBG colors in the art files so that when your logo is printed, the colors are the same everywhere. Don’t worry if you don’t understand these acronyms - your Marketing Style Guide creator will. (If not…find someone else to do your Style Guide!) Include color, black and white, and reversed versions of your logo also.

Tag Line - If your business uses a consistent tag line, be sure to include this in your Marketing Style Guide. This is generally used in conjunction with your logo, and should be used consistently. Limit yourself to just one tagline. Other messages about your brand or business can be used as Key Marketing Messages, which we will get to in a moment.

Approved Fonts - Outside of proper logo and color usage, one of the most important elements in making sure your marketing materials look similar is choosing one or two approved fonts that can be used for ad/website headlines, sub-headlines and body copy. These fonts should go well with your logo.

Your ‘Who Is’ Statement - Every business owner should be able, in one or two sentences, to quickly and accurately describe his or her business. Sometimes called the ‘30-second elevator speech’, we’re calling this your ‘who is’ statement. For example: Who is Joe’s Landscaping? Joe’s Landscaping provides residential landscape design, water feature design and lawn mowing services to homeowners in Buck’s County. Your ‘who is’ statement sound simple, but you’d be surprised at how difficult it can be for a business own to define his or her business in such a short and concise way. But that’s exactly how it must be defined for marketing purposes. In marketing, we have just a few seconds to tell your story. When used consistently, your ‘who is’ statement can help potential customers get to know you.

Mission / Vision / Philosophy - Most companies have their company mission statement laid out. Whether it’s called your Mission, Vision, or Philosophy, it is helpful for your marketing materials providers to know what’s at the heart of your company. Knowing what you do, why you do it, and who you do it for are all items that should be included in your mission statement and in your Marketing Style Guide. While it may not be used verbatim (or at all) in ad copy, it can help flavor the overall direction.

Key Marketing Messages - Key marketing messages are similar to tag lines, and can be used to define certain segments of your business for individually-targeted marketing items. For instance, if Joe’s Landscaping does an e-mail focused on water features, they may choose a key marketing message such as ‘From small, relaxing Koi ponds to quarter-acre duck ponds and waterfalls, let the experts at Joe’s Landscaping create the water feature of your dreams.’ Key marketing messages are great ways to provide direction to your marketing materials provider, and can be used as the starting point for developing ad or web content.

Contact Information - Each of your marketing items should contain multiple ways for customers to contact us. Your marketing materials providers should be given your website ULR, phone number and an e-mail address to include on all materials.

Licenses, Awards & Certifications - Often businesses are required by law to include license numbers in their advertising. Be sure that your Marketing Style Guide includes any required license numbers. Additionally, many businesses find it useful to promote awards, ratings and certifications. If beneficial to your business, make sure your Marketing Style Guide includes the art files for any logos that should be included in your advertising. A good example of this is the Better Business Bureau logo - many companies who have received an A+ BBB Rating like to use that logo in their advertising.

Images or Image Direction - Your business should have a distinct look and feel. Along with the items above, brand consistency can be achieved through the use of approved photos. If you do not have photos that are used regularly on your materials, be sure that your marketing materials providers have some direction on what types of photos to use. For example, if Joe’s Landscaping targets homeowners with larger homes, it is beneficial for their marketing material provider to know not to use small homes on their materials.

A lack of brand consistency can dramatically slow brand awareness, and even confuse customers and prospects. But with a little bit of leg work, your Marketing Style Guide can save you and your marketing providers time and headaches, and help your business grow.

Groupons, Living Social & Other Group Coupons – Good or Bad for Business?

As consumer’s in today’s tough economy, we are on a constant search for deals. Searching for sales and coupons has become a way of life. So it stands to reason that the companies providing coupon deals are doing well. Some of them very well. Take the most popular one today – Groupon. The concept of group coupons – those that go into effect when a group of people agree to take advantage of them – has revolutionized the way consumers search for and redeem deals. And it has quickly made Groupon worth billions. There is no doubt that for consumers, it’s a huge hit. But for retailers, maybe not so much. It all depends. To determine whether or not to take the group coupon plunge, first you need to make sure you get all the facts.

Group Coupons – The Good, The Bad and the Ugly

Doing business in this economy is tough no matter how you slice it. Consumer spending is down, and competition is fierce. Retailers in particular are pulling out all the stops to get customers to spend a few of their hard-earned dollars with them instead of their competitor down the street. Group coupons are one way a business can divert business their way – at least momentarily. Here we break down the good, the bad and the ugly sides of group coupon sites like Groupon and Living Social.

The Good

For a business that needs to drive in new traffic – and lots of it – group coupons will most certainly do the trick. A restaurant that normally sees a modest weekday crowd can increase their customers tenfold (or more) by offering a $25 for $50 worth of food and drink coupon Monday through Thursday, for example. A nail salon that normally books 10 appointments a day can literally have thousands of new customers calling to book. If you’re ready for it (and you’d better be ready for it) offering a group coupon will increase your traffic.

Group coupons can also help your business get noticed. Many small businesses don’t have the advertising dollars to tell the world who they are, where they are, and what makes them worth a visit. They also don’t have the benefit of having an opt-in e-mail list thousands strong. Offer a Groupon, though, and suddenly your small business is smack in front of thousands of potential customers. Whether they take advantage of the deal or not, you’ve received tremendous brand exposure. And you have the opportunity to become a regular for customers who may have never found you before.

The Bad

While driving a tremendous amount of traffic to your location may sound like one of those problems that you’d like to have, it may actually backfire if you’re not prepared. Take for example Crystal Nails in Chicago. Their $28 mani pedi deal actually did some harm to their business. It drove so much traffic – over 5,000 Groupons were sold – that some customers were forced to wait for up to 6 months to take advantage of their deal. And on top of that, for every day of those six months it was jam-packed with back-to-back appointments. Customers were forced to wait for long periods of time for their scheduled appointment, and the staff was stressed out to say the least. It’s a classic case of ‘be careful what you wish for!’

Another problem with offering a too-good-to-be-true deal to your patrons is that it makes them question if what they would normally is too much. If you can offer $50 worth of food for $25 today, why not do that all the time? Now, most consumers aren’t really that naïve, but offering over-the-top deals can devalue your products and services. If you do decide to do a group coupon, your best bet is to remind your customers that this is a one-time only deal, and assure them that still-valuable offers will come their way should they become loyal customers.

Finally, the worst part about group coupons is that for all of the traffic and all of the leg work involved in making sure that you’re properly prepared for it, it’s not profitable for most. Unless your margins are very high, or you have the ability to make up the money lost in add-on sales (such as alcohol if you’re a restaurant), you may actually lose money during your group coupon run. You may decide that the gamble, and potential loss is worth it to secure new customers long-term, but your business needs to be prepared to do a whole lot of work for not a whole lot of profit. Most group coupons sites requires that your offer be deeply discounted, and they take 30-50% of that. So, your $25 food gift certificate worth $50 when redeemed could actually yield you a mere $12.50.

The Ugly

Those that argue against the group coupon movement say that this method of devaluation of goods and services is ultimately very bad for business – whether they participate or not. They say that consumers who live their lives via these deals will not be loyal, but will instead be quite the opposite – utterly disloyal, on a never-ending search for the next big deal.

The bottom line is that only you know whether or not taking the group coupon plunge is worth the risk. Our short checklist of questions to ask yourself can help. Also, ask the businesses who you know have done Groupon, Living Social or other group coupon offers about their experience and their return. Ask them during the deal, then again 6 months later and see if their story is the same.

Things to Consider Before Doing Groupon or Living Social

·         Is my business and staff set up to take the sudden increase in traffic?

·         Are my margins substantial enough to sustain a 75% or more cut, or will the add-on sales make up for the loss?

·         Is the potential devaluation of my goods and services worth the immediate return?

·         Do I believe that the effort will generate repeat or long-term customers?

If you answered ‘No’ to one or more of these, only enter into a group coupon eyes wide open, and know that there is a risk of a down side. If you answered ‘Yes’ to all or most, and are ready to take the group coupon plunge, consider working with a marketing firm to help make the most of your effort. A marketing pro can help work with the coupon provider to craft the best offer for your customers and long-term goals, and can help you do other items to make the most of your group coupon experience.

Making Group Coupons Work

In addition to doing some leg work up front to craft your best offer – the one that will not only get you the increase in business you want, but be beneficial long-term – there are things you can do to make the group coupon experience last. For example, for those taking advantage of the offer, keep track of them and do your best to get follow-up contact information (e-mail is best). This way, you can offer them deals directly in the future, and save the hefty fees. Also consider offering a loyalty program to your group coupon redeemers to entice them to return. You can also gain more exposure for your company and help stay connected with customers on social media sites like Facebook and Twitter. In addition to having the group coupon site send your offer, post it to your own social media sites and get people to pass it along. Bring them back to your Facebook page to ‘Like’ you, for example, and you’re on your way to building a nice following online.

Are You Ready to Do Groupon, Living Social or Another Group Coupon Offer?

Let Digidaze be your guide to group coupon specials. Call us at 1-855-digidaze (344-4329) or visit on the web at www.digidaze.com.

Home Improvement Marketing - What Works, What Doesn't, What Might...and Why

Home improvement companies large and small know that getting their message heard by homeowners in need isn’t easy. Home improvement contractors are everywhere, and each is vying for attention. Open any given value pack mailer or local coupon publication and you will see page after page of home improvement ads. From lawn services, landscapers, deck, pool & patio contractors to roofing, siding and windows, carpet, bathroom, sunroom and basement remodelers, the list goes on and on.

So as a contractor, how do you get your message heard? What marketing works, what doesn’t, and what aren’t we sure about? The answers depend somewhat on your local market and your budget, but here I provide some sure things that can be done no matter what your market or budget, and some tips on making the most of all of your home improvement marketing efforts.

What Works
When I say ‘What Works’, I am talking about items that I have personally used to market my clients that I wouldn’t hesitate to employ for any home improvement company. These are methods that have proven time and time again to be worth the investment. There are very few ‘sure things’ in marketing, but I’ll bet on these methods every time.

Website – Now more than ever, the standout method of marketing that continues to show solid return on investment (ROI) is your website. Day after day, night after night, your website – if done right – can generate lead after lead. I’ve seen home improvement companies that do ZERO cold-calling and canvassing, and still generate millions of dollars in revenue due in part to their investment in a well-done, highly-optimized website. The key, however, is the ‘well-done’ part. Frankly, any jackleg contractor can get a website – maybe even an attractive one. But without the proper construction and search engine optimization techniques, it will serve as little more than an online brochure. Do yourself a favor and find a search engine pro that can analyze your site and help make changes that will get it working to generate quality leads.

Pay-per-click (Google) Advertising – Your website, as well-optimized as it may be – can’t possibly achieve top ranking for all of the key words and phrases that you need to reach your audience. Today’s searchers in many cases are using broad terms like ‘lawn service’ to find what they need. And at last check, on Google the term ‘lawn service’ yielded 9,400,000 results. If you’re part of one of the large franchises, you have a chance of being found. But if you’re Joe’s local lawn service, fagettaboutit. Your only hope in that broad search is to have your site pop up in the Sponsored Listings, or pay-per-clicks. Setting up Google pay-per-click advertising takes a little know-how, but is certainly available to anyone.

Signage – Contractors are on the road and in neighborhoods far more than they are in any office. They are out and about, all over their covered area day after day. Outfit those trucks – whether they are pick-up trucks, step vans or large vehicles – with nicely done signs, and you have yourself a rolling billboard. Forget the subtle vinyl lettering or magnetic sign – spend a little more on a colorful wrap (no need to wrap the whole thing –doors, the back window, and/or tailgate will do) and you will surely get noticed. In addition to vehicle signs, be sure to put a yard sign at every single installment. A yard sign is as good as a personal referral. And in today’s busy society when time spent talking to your neighbors can be few a far between, it allows the opportunity to broadcast to an entire neighborhood that one of their own has put their trust in you for their latest project. I’ve even seen home improvement companies provide incentives to homeowners for keeping the signs in their yard for extended periods of time. Well worth it.

Ratings-based Organizations – Organizations like the Better Business Bureau and Angie’s List allow their members and/or the general public to rate their experiences with contractors. And while many contractors shy away from these organizations for fear of bad ratings, my experience has been positive with these services. That is, of course, if you are reputable contractor. If you’re a successful contractor who has built a business based on referrals and quality workmanship, these services will speak for themselves. And when you do get you’re A+ rating, use it. Post it on your website and in ads, and it too can serve as a virtual referral.

Social Media Marketing – While the jury is still out on exactly how to track the direct return on your social media marketing investment, I wouldn’t hesitate to set aside a small amount of time and marketing budget for social media marketing. Why? Well for one, it’s about as low cost as you can get. It has the potential to be viral, and strong testimonial/referral benefits are there as well. It also tells the world that you are on top of things – you’re progressive and stand out as a leader in your field. I don’t recommend spending 2 hours a day tweeting, but spending 10 minutes a day to post an item or two to your Facebook business page and Twitter account can have great benefits.

PR – Getting into a regular routine of doing press releases about anything you can think of that might catch the attention of the local press is worthwhile. After a while, regular releases containing good information will catch the attention of the local media. You may even become their go-to people for home improvement information. Invest a little time in putting together a press-kit with your leaders’ biographies, a one-sheet about your company, and any articles, guides, or content you have is worth doing once a year. Then, be on the lookout for news worthy things to write about – significant new hires, a government regulation that affects your industry or homeowners, new products and services can all be spun into information that reporters will look out for.

Sales Support – One often overlooked area of marketing is sales support, however when done right, it can have an amazing return. Companies hire a guy, hand him some business card, send him on his way and expect great returns. Your sales team is the face of your business to customers, and you no doubt spend time agonizing over who to hire. So when you have a good team in place, do the right thing and arm them with the proper tools to make the sale more quickly. Online presentations and demos, e-mailable resource links, business cards, and leave-behinds should all be high on the list of items that your team has in their sales toolbox.

What Doesn’t Work
‘What Doesn’t Work’ is based on experience, and consists of items that you’d have to hold me down and force me to spend money on. That’s not to say that in some cases, some markets they don’t work, but at best, I consider these items to be hit or miss.

Large Phone Book Advertising – When I say ‘large phone book’ I am talking about the big yellow pages books. It’s no secret that these directories – in print – are dying. With internet availability everywhere and a strong push toward environmental responsibility, directory companies are scrambling to stay alive by offering online options. Unless you’re tracking your phone book response diligently and seeing a return, my advice would be to get out. Or at least reduce to in-column listings.

Pay-per-lead Services – For the contractor who has no other method of getting leads, this might be a source to get started, but in my experience, pay-per-lead services don’t work. Typically they are pricey, and they sell the leads they get to multiple contractors. Even the ones that promise exclusivity have turned out to be duds. Whether they are the major players or the smaller ones, all have had the same results. Very low quality leads and at a cost far too high.

Value Pack Mailers – Coupon-based value pack mailers are the definition of hit or miss. If you catch a home who opens the pack, and if he or she has an immediate need for what you’re selling and if he or she is attracted by the ad or offer, you might get some action. That’s a lot of if’s. In my experience, these packs are not cheap, and they are loaded with home improvement companies. In fact, during the writing of this article I received one in the mail. Out of the 45 ads in the pack, 22 of them – nearly 50% - were from home improvement companies. Can I possibly stand out in a crowd like this, and hit the homeowner at the exact right moment? Hmmmm…not really liking those odds.

Pricey Print Advertising – While some may argue that a flashy ad in a magazine has branding appeal, I have seen very little direct return on this type of investment. To get into the magazines, your money would be better spent doing PR that will get you a text mention or even an article.

What Might Work
The items that fall under the category of ‘What Might Work’ are items that are hit or miss, but have the added intangible value of branding. So while we can’t necessarily measure all of the effectiveness of these efforts, we have a sense that they do have some value. The recommendation on these would be to keep the dollars spent in check, but give the activities that fit your budget a shot.

Broadcast Advertising – Broadcast advertising is great for getting your name out there, but can be really expensive. A savvy marketer can find some diamonds in the rough – broadcast efforts that have a decent reach and a decent price tag – but they are hard to find. If broadcast is a part of your mix, try your best to track your efforts. Put landing page URL’s on your ads, whether they are radio or television ads, and a tracking phone number. Create an offer that is unique to the spot for additional tracking. And by all means, with this and every other marketing effort, talk to your customers about how they heard about you initially. If you hear ‘I heard/saw your commercial’ over and over, you will have a sense that it is working.

Event Marketing – Events range in size and price from affordable local events like street festivals and school-sponsored events to large home and garden shows, wine festivals, etc. The large shows can be tough to see a big return on – they are expensive to secure space, and expensive to haul your stuff and staff – and you can get lost in the noise of dozens of other companies just like yours. Smaller, more localized events, though, can have a nice return. While you won’t be getting a huge quantity of leads, you will likely have more time to spend with the people you do meet, and you won’t be competing with too many other companies like yours.

Direct Mail – The options for direct mail vary from mass mailers that can cost a fortune for printing and postage, to smaller, more cost-effective efforts. In my experience, stay away from mass mailings. The return is very low. However, neighborhood mailers from companies like Quantum Digital can have a decent return. When you are able to choose a select set of streets to mail to, you can keep your cost down by doing small runs, and you can piggyback on other efforts. For example, if Joe’s Roofing is doing a nice roof on Maple Street, Joe’s team knows when the install is happening. If they have their marketing efforts in sync, they can log into the mailer system, and choose Maple Street and its surrounding streets to mail to. Then, while his crew is there with their trucks (that have great signage) and there’s a nice job sign in the yard, the neighbors will receive a “We’re working in your neighborhood!” mailer. Bam! You have 3 solid hits to an entire neighborhood with very little cost.

Low-cost Print Advertising – It is tough to cut through the clutter with print advertising, but I have seen some success in choosing specialized, low-cost publications. School papers, and local papers with classified ads or event listings, can provide the benefit of showing community support, can showcase your branding, and may even get you a few leads.

OK, so now that you have an idea of what can work for you, let me give you the single best piece of advice that I can give for making it all work. It’s the same advice I give to young parents who want their kids to stay in line. One little word with big consequences when not followed... Consistency.

When you are inconsistent with your efforts, it’s advertising sabotage. When things look and sound different across each marketing effort, you are missing the opportunity to plant yourself in the brain of your target audience. I see contractors who use their logo five different ways. I see those who have really nicely designed ads in one location, and really lousy looking ones elsewhere. Invest the time and money into having a pro establish your brand’s look and feel. Everything from your logo, colors, style and your key marketing messages, to brand tone and personality should carry through all of your efforts.

The Experts at Digidaze Know Home Improvement
Need help with your home improvement marketing? Digidaze’s founder, Kris McCurry, can put her home improvement marketing expertise to work for you. Contact us by phone at 1-855-digidaze, or visit us online at http://www.digidaze.com/. You can also connect with us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/digidaze.

The Top 5 Businesses that Should Be All Over Facebook..and Why

As businesses in every sector rush to keep up with the addition of social media as a part of their overall marketing strategy, many are struggling to see the value. The truth is, not every business will see a huge return from investing heavily in social media marketing. There are compelling reasons for every business to be there – it’s free, you can reach a wide audience with very little time and effort, and your message has the potential to get passed around – but there are a few businesses that I would say HAVE TO be there. And not just be there, but be aaaaaaallll over it. Here’s a look at the Top 5 Businesses that Should Be All Over Facebook…and Why.

Sellers & Retailers

Yes, this is a broad stroke, but it’s true. If you sell stuff – whether you’re online seller or brick-and-mortar store – you should have a Facebook fan site. People buy stuff. People like to buy stuff. And people talk about the stuff they buy with other people. Social networks have become one of the top places that people share information about what they buy. They seek out and ‘Like’ their favorite brands. They look for coupons, special offers and new products. And if they find something they like, they share it. So, no matter what you happen to sell, it makes perfect sense for you to promote it on Facebook.

Salons & Spas

We love life’s luxuries, don’t we, ladies? And spending time being pampered at a salon or spa is right up there at the top. Facials, massages, manicures, pedicures, haircuts & highlights – we love the stuff that makes us feel fabulous! Not only do we like this pampering, we like to talk about it. Often, we like to partake in these luxuries with our friends, too. And more than anything at all, we like being able to partake in these luxuries at a discount. Salons, day spas, and medspas are using Facebook to maximize their best form of new business – referrals. They’re posting special offers, promoting events, and talking about the latest and greatest products. And if I’m a fan, at some point I will see something I like and share it. Your salon Facebook site can not only serve as a regular reminder to your existing clientele that you're there to pamper them, it can be an excellent referral tool as well.

Travel & Hospitality

I would dare to say that not a day goes by that when, as I sit behind my computer screen bleary-eyed from words and code, I don’t take a moment to dream of a place far, far away. In that moment, as I glance at my Facebook page, I’m lured in by a picture of an umbrella drink sitting alongside a crystal blue pool. Click! I’m checking out the airfare to Bermuda. The travel and hospitality industry – from travel companies and agents to resort destinations, family destinations, parks, and departments of tourism – is a perfect fit for Facebook. What we did and where we went last weekend, or where we’re headed – from family trips to romantic getaways – is one of the most widely talked about subjects on Facebook. Destination locations of all types – from petting zoos to 5-star resorts – are a natural for Facebook. Staying in front of your fans and their friends with special offersor simply new and interesting information will no doubt drive keep your existing fans coming back, but help you reach new ones as well.

Events & Entertainment

Akin to travel and hospitality, promoting events and entertainment on Facebook is a must. Check the stats and you will see that the pages with the most fans are dominated by entertainment. From Eminem to The Simpsons, millions of people opt-in to keep up with their favorite ways to stay amused. With a single wall post, Eminem, for example, can reach nearly 30 million fans…every day…for free. You’re not Eminem? No worries. Even local bands, entertainers, and events see huge benefits from spending a little time setting up and maintaining a Facebook site. I’m a fan of a local band who I know not many people have heard of, and even they have over 1,300 Facebook fans. That means that every time they have a gig, it takes 2 minutes (and no money) to promote it to more than 1,300 people. It’s really a no–brainer. Events and entertainment need not be limited to concerts and celebrities. Local theater, festivals, museums, art galleries – any form of recreation is perfect to promote on Facebook.

Food & Drink

There’s little else in this world that pleases us more than good food and drink. Much like we enjoy sharing details about our trips and outings with our friends, we share information about food. From restaurants and bars to recipes and grocery coupons, we readily share information about what we like to eat and drink and we look for and 'Like' the ones we like the most. Starbucks has more than 7 million Facebook fans. With an investment of 30 seconds of their time, they have the ability to announce a new product, distribute a coupon or promote a cause to more than 7 million people - incredible! And while you probably shouldn't get your hopes up for a fan base 7 million strong, it does go to show you that Facebookers are bigtime fans of food and drink. I often see posts from my friends discussing recipes, others about evenings out at a restaurant, and I get coupons passed along to me. So it makes sense that food and drink providers of all types be on Facebook.

So that’s the 'who' and the 'why'. What about the 'how'? Getting on Facebook is easy. But taking full advantage of what Facebook has to offer is a little more complex. Facebook allows you to create your own website within Facebook, complete with animations, navigation, video and more. New features just introduced this month (March, 2011) allow for incredibly robust applications. If your business falls into one of these categories, a small investment up front in getting your Facebook site set up and working for you will certainly pay off. If you need help getting set up, give us a shout.

While this Top 5 list is not the be-all, end-all list of who should be on Facebook, it gives you an idea of who is seeing the most benefit. Is your business thriving on Facebook? Tell us about it. We’d love to write a case study!

E-mail us at marketing@digidaze.com or hit us up on Facebook at www.facebook.com/digidaze

Forget B2B. Forget B2C. Today’s Business is P2P.

It is not without a good bit of irony that the cold hard world of technology has completely morphed marketing and sales from being Business to Business (B2B) and Business to Consumer (B2C) into Person to Person, or Peer to Peer (P2P). Instead of replacing humans and ruling the world, technology has instead connected humans in ways perhaps no one could have predicted.

Technology - and the swift infiltration of social media in particular - has enabled people from all walks of life to meet, converse and share information and ideas. It is breaking down geographic and cultural differences, and allowing us to interact on a much deeper and more meaningful level.

Think about it. As I engage in an online discussion about marketing, for instance, I don’t know where the person I am interacting with is, what they look like, the color of their skin, their religious or political affiliation. All I know is if they share my viewpoints, know what they’re talking about and are worthwhile to add as one of my connections. If I value what they have to say, I will choose to stay connected. If not, I will be moving on.

The way consumers interact with those they choose to spend money with is much the same. If they value what is being offered, if they find spending time there worthwhile, they will choose to connect and stay connected. Hell, they may even tell their friends to do the same.

As a marketer who is all about the never-ending game of figuring out what makes humans tick (and more importantly, what makes them buy) the concept of P2P marketing is intriguing.  It’s not a new concept - the chatter has been around in the industry for years - but the meteoric rise and buzz about social media marketing is bringing it to the forefront.

There was a time not long ago (it may have been last week) where marketing and advertising teams pondered how one business should speak to another business - B2B. You stepped outside of your human skin and took on the persona of ‘the company’ on either side. “How do we - Accounting Software Company X - speak with our target market - Mid-Size Manufacturer Y?” We spoke in the third person, and used terms like ‘the industry leader’ and ‘enterprise-wide’. And we wondered why these message - so expertly well thought-out and crafted - fell flat.

B2C was a little better, but not much. We spoke to humans and really tried to care about and address their issues, but again, we approached it from a Business to Consumer perspective. “How do we - Household Cleaner Company A - speaking with our target - Homeowner B?”

The influx of human conversation, painfully honest feedback, and spontaneous word of mouth marketing brought on by the internet and social media marketing is changing all of that. Now we are FINALLY realizing that business is done by people. At the end of the day, every purchase, every decision is not made by ‘the business’, it’s made by a person who just happens to represent ‘the business’. Simple logic tell us that our message, therefore, must be to a person, by a person.

So how does the ‘the business’ become ‘the people behind the business’? 

I believe the transformation starts from within. Subtle changes in the way a company communicates both internally and externally can make a big difference. Take third person speak, for example. Let’s say we have a marketing firm specializing in manufacturing called PlanNine Marketing. And let’s say we’re writing our ‘who is’ statement.

We could say…

PlanNine Marketing Offers Manufacturing Marketing Services to Move Small Businesses Forward

Or we could say…

Trust the Team at PlanNine Marketing to Help Move Your Manufacturing Business Forward

The shift from referring in the third person as ‘the company’ helping ‘the business’, to emphasizing ‘the team’ behind the company helping ‘the business owner’ is subtle, but powerful.

We soft and squishy humans want and need to know that we will be cared for. It’s instinctual. Try as we might to toughen that exterior, our basic instinct drives us to those that will look after us, protect us, care for us. Can ‘the business’ shake or even hold my hand and ensure me that I’ve made the right choice? No. It doesn’t have hands. But the team inside the business does. They have lots of hands for shaking and holding, and that makes me happy.

What else can be done?

Because all business is done by people, consider having some trusted members of your team become involved in public communications with customers. Blogs and social media outlets like LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter, allow for virtual face-to-face interaction, with the added bonus of instant word-of-mouth marketing. Making connections takes a little up-front work, but once that is done, the base is established for having meaningful interactions with customers and prospects.

Webinars are other ways companies are using their in-house talent to connect with customers and prospects. Setting up and marketing a webinar, for example, is a miniscule investment. Develop a hot topic in your field of expertise, promote it through e-mail, the internet and social media marketing, and you not only have the chance to draw in new customers, but for your existing ones, you are reassuring them that you are, in fact, the leaders in your field.

Through all of this technology, let’s not also forget REAL face to face interaction. Meet and greet events, trade shows and conferences, in-house seminars and even social events are a great way to truly connect with clients and prospects. Although the time and monetary investment is no doubt greater, sometimes there just is no replacing the soft and squishy handshake.

What are you doing to reach clients and prospects? We’d love to hear how you’re putting P2P marketing to the test, and the results you’re seeing. Comment, or connect with us on Facebook and share your thoughts at www.facebook.com/digidaze

Social Media for Corporate Leaders

The Top 5 Excuses Keeping You from Being There…and How to Get Over Them.

If you are in a leadership position in a corporation and you're not tweeting, blogging or connecting with clients and colleagues via Twitter, LinkedIn or Facebook, what are you waiting for?

Wait...let me guess...

• "I don't have time for that nonsense."
• "My tweets would only get me - and my company - in trouble."
• "I really don't have much to say, and besides, who will listen?"
• "I'd prefer to keep my social network and my corporate network separate."
• "I fail to see the benefit of chirping about my life."

Now...let me address these one by one...

"I don't have time for that nonsense."
If you have time to read the news over morning coffee, on the train, or at your desk, you have time for social media. While getting started on social media does require some time and effort up front, keeping up with it can be as quick and easy as your morning latte.

If you're like most, you are getting your news online. You browse to your favorite news site, jump to the news topics that interest you, scan the headlines for what you need, and read the articles. Add just one step to that process, and you're engaged in social media marketing.

Say you're the leader of a window manufacturing plant in Minnesota. Your daily scan of online news revealed breaking news about new tax credits for energy efficient home products, including windows. Great news for you! This could well mean that demand for your product will be on the rise. Now, instead of simply reading that article, smiling and going about your day, why not use social media to help spread the word?

The article that you just read most likely had a few little icons for sharing it with the world next to it. If you have a Facebook or Twitter account, sharing that news is seriously as easy as clicking those buttons. Instantly, your Facebook wall or your Twitter 'What's happening?' box is populated with the article headline and a link to that article. Add your two cents, click your Share or Tweet button, and voila! You've just engaged with customers, colleagues and friends with news about your industry.

"My tweets would only get me - and my company - in trouble."
While we hear news stories almost daily about loose-lipped celebrities, athletes or politicians releasing confidential or controversial information through social media, there’s a way to take care of that. Use your head! You are 100% in control of what you broadcast to the world on social media. Social media posts should be released with the same scrutiny as you would an e-mail or any other form of communication that is permanent record.

"I really don't have much to say, and besides, who will listen?"
If you’re a corporate leader, you should have lots to say. You’ve worked your way to where you are today by exhibiting high-level knowledge and thought leadership in some way, shape or form. You may not have shown it in writing, but you’ve shown it. Your thoughts and ideas have the ability to move business forward. By sharing them with others, you’re exhibiting superior expertise in your field of work, and you’re being recognized by others as industry expert.

So who’s listening? Who isn’t listening. If you’ve done your up-front work to gain followers and connect with clients and colleagues, they’re listening. And after they listen, if they like what they heard, they’re sharing. The viral legs that your thought leadership on social media can have is tremendous!

"I'd prefer to keep my social network and my corporate network separate."
That ship, my friend, has sailed. The days of 9 to 5 and ‘work/life balance’ have been replaced simply by ‘life’. Life is work. Work is life. News is everywhere all the time, and conversations with friends, family and colleagues are a mix of business and personal. We share with our families what’s happening at work, and we share with our colleagues what’s happening outside of the office.

While you may choose to have separate Facebook or Twitter accounts for business and personal, it shouldn’t mean that you keep all social media activities personal, and opt-out of using it for business.

"I fail to see the benefit of chirping about my life."
For each individual, the benefits of communicating via social media are different. For the corporate leader, here are just a few.

The first is relevancy. In order for you to remain relevant – with your customers, your employees and your colleagues – you must exhibit a mastery of how business is done today. To resist forward movement, technology or change is a sure-fire way to quickly become irrelevant…dare I say ‘old’. Yikes!

Next is exposure. For companies and individuals alike, corporate leaders have become brands in and of themselves. CEOs are often in front of cameras and featured in news articles. The public wants and needs to hear what they have to say. By exhibiting your keen industry and business knowledge through social media, you have the opportunity to build your personal brand. Not only does this help your company stay relevant in the eyes of customers and stockholders, it helps your own personal marketability. And you never know when or where your next big opportunity lies.

Connecting with customers on a deeper level is probably the most important benefit in engaging in social media for business. If you’ve ever watched ‘Undercover Boss’ you can see how corporate leaders easily become disconnected from their customers and employees. Ten hours a day in a corner office crunching numbers and planning the next big thing has a tendency to isolate you from the very things that make your business thrive. The use of social media to connect with people, listen to their feedback and engage in dialogue on a regular basis should be of critical importance to you.
Ok. You’re convinced. You need to be there. Now what?

A corporate leader’s dive into social media should be done methodically. You need a plan for getting there and for keeping it going. Depending on the size and scope of your organization, you should consider developing a social media plan with a social media consultant. You don’t do your company marketing and advertising without a plan, so why should social media be any different?

Digidaze helps companies and corporate leaders use social media to drive business forward.

Connect with us today:
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marketing@digidaze.com  1-855-digidaze