5 Corporate Marketing Efforts That Backfired | Business News Daily

September 16, 2015 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

There’s a good reason companies are willing to spend big bucks on marketing and advertising: Wide-reaching campaigns on social media, radio, television and other channels can be a highly effective way to drum up a lot of attention for your company. But be warned — it may not always be the kind of attention you bargained for.

Despite their large marketing and social media teams, corporations will occasionally miss the mark in their ad campaigns, resulting in confusion at best and an offended, irate consumer base at worst. These marketing gaffes are even further amplified in an age of instant communication, viral social media posts and Internet archives, which means a company’s error can live on long after the tweet has been deleted or the TV spot has been pulled.

5 Ways Any Business Can Survive (and Thrive) Against Amazon | All Business

September 14, 2015 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

The last twenty years has seen a dramatic shift in the retail landscape ever since Amazon burst onto the scene. Offering a vast selection and ever-shorter shipping times, Amazon came to dominate retail sales, starting with books and quickly expanding to other categories.

Yet for all of Amazon’s disruption, the online giant is not invincible. Many retailers and etailers have built significant businesses by refusing to accept the status quo. Any business can learn to beat Amazon by incorporating these five easy tips:

1. Create a unique voice.

Many businesses believe they are unique when they really do not have anything that truly sets them apart. In order for a brand to stand out, it must have a story that aligns with both their business values and personal values.

Aziz Ansari: 4 Marketing Lessons from Online Dating | Inc.com

September 11, 2015 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

What’s love got to do with marketing?

More than you might have guessed, according to some recent research from comedian Aziz Ansari and NYU sociologist Eric Klinenberg. With the June publication of Modern Romance: An Investigation, the co-authors shared their findings from a serious research project–including extensive interviews and focus groups–asking men and women of all ages, all over the world, about their communications experiences in the realm of romance.

On Thursday, at HubSpot’s INBOUND conference in Boston, Ansari and Klinenberg took the stage to present their findings to a crowd of more than 14,000 attendees. Here are four highlights:

1. Age has a lot to do with preferred modes of communication.

One topic Ansari and Klinenberg explored in their book was a common dating question: If you meet someone at a bar and get their contact info, what’s the best way to follow up? Should you call or should you text?

How to Market to Gen Z? – The Consumer | THE BETA GENERATION

September 4, 2015 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

The personal computer (and now the smartphone, tablet, smartwatch, you get the picture) have allowed our generation to look at purchasing in a new light. We no longer only see products on TV, we can find and buy the products we love, the best ones at that, without leaving the comfort of our own home. This makes marketing to Gen Z a different game. We can find any product we need, so having advertisements shoved down our throat is unappealing. Buying the product is no longer the satisfaction of the purchase, but rather finding the product to begin with

Picture this: You’re in a clothing store and the size you try on doesn’t fit right. You give the item to a store clerk and ask them for the next size up. The store is all out of that size so she brings you a similar item in your size. You try it on and it fits like a glove.

Why Local Reviews Are Becoming a Best Online Marketing Strategy for Small Businesses | All Business

July 29, 2015 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Among the relatively newer tactics to emerge in the online marketing world are ones that work on both an SEO and a social level—all while promising their own, independent benefits.

Local reviews are exactly what they sound like—reviews of your business written and posted by real customers on third-party directory or review sites like Yelp or TripAdvisor. Cultivating these local reviews by giving stellar service and making your presence on these review sites known (as directly soliciting reviews is a violation of most directory sites’ terms of service) holds numerous benefits for your business, and is becoming one of the most successful and most important online marketing strategies today.

So what is it that makes local reviews such an important and useful strategy?

How to Create an Effective Business Marketing Plan | Business News Daily

July 2, 2015 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

A marketing plan may not be at the top of every new business owner’s to-do list, but it should be. While a business plan helps map the direction for your company, a marketing plan helps your company understand how to get there by detailing important steps on the road to creating customer relationships.

“The single most important thing for a small business to include in its marketing plan is a very clear understanding of its customers and its competitors,” said Robert Thomas, professor of marketing at the McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University.

Though a marketing plan can be formal or informal, at a minimum it describes who your customers are, where they get information, and how you are going to reach them. Thomas said the development of a marketing plan requires four specific tasks:

Google and Red Robin Made a Terminator Banner Ad That’s Cool | Adweek

June 26, 2015 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Banner ads are pretty much the bane of every digital consumer’s existence. So, it’s no small measure that Red Robin just launched—through a partnership with Google—an interactive display campaign that could actually turn sci-fi fans into patrons of the fast-casual burger chain.

The brand worked with Google and its digital agency, Vitro, to create immersive video promos for Red Robin’s Terminator Genisys campaign, which also includes TV spots and signage in the company’s restaurants. The ads let viewers see Red Robin pitchwoman “Melanie” as a Terminator character would. They can use their smartphones to add another digital layer to the experience or watch on their desktops for a simpler view.

Check out the demo below to better understand the marketer’s take on Terminator:

Here Are the 12 Best Facebook Marketing Campaigns From the Past Year | Adweek

June 16, 2015 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

The Ice Bucket Challenge was the past year’s best use of Facebook marketing, according to the social network, which just announced its ad award winners. It’s no surprise the viral campaign got so much praise—Mark Zuckerberg even participated.

Zuckerberg was one of the millions of people to douse themselves in ice water to raise awareness for ALS in what became a powerful moment for online marketing. The best part was that it cost the ALS Association no money to generate all that attention—440 million people saw the videos.

The lesson was not lost on Facebook, which is holding it up as an example of how to use the platform for maximum impact.

This year marked the fourth Facebook Awards, which are timed to coincide with the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity—starting next week—where the ad world assembles to honor its top creative work.

5 Things to Know Before Using Wikipedia as a Marketing Tool | All Business

June 15, 2015 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Wikipedia has been, and will continue to be, one of the best marketing tools for your business. Having a Wikipedia page will not only help lift your brand to the first page of Google, it will also help increase the page rank of your website after it’s linked to your Wikipedia page.

Marketers have been using Wikipedia for years to help clients climb in rank. After all, Google gives quite a bit of authority to Wikipedia; even having a simple link will help with your marketing efforts.

I make my living editing Wikipedia, spending countless hours each day creating and cleaning up entries for various clients. Throughout my time, I have run into the dangers of using Wikipedia as a marketing tool. If not done properly, a page can cause more harm than you can imagine.

Before you jump into editing Wikipedia for yourself or a client, there are a few things that you should familiarize yourself with:

Why Don’t People Buy From Me? | Getentrepreneurial.com

May 19, 2015 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

The Biggest Marketing Challenge WE All Face

The biggest challenge we’re dealing with today is change. Things are changing so fast. As a result of this rapid pace of change people do not know who to trust!

There are six questions your prospects want answered before they will buy from you. These questions are designed to allow you to think like your buyer and speak with them so they know you are the right and safe choice.

Why the Six Questions are Important

When I started my business back in 2001, I lacked trust. What I really mean is that I did not know who could help me get clear on my ideal client. Every time I ask someone they said things I did not understand. I was confused and a confused mind does not take action. This is what we’re dealing with.

Stick with me as I talk about things you may not have thought about before. Keep an open mind because, to grow your business, you need to find someone you can trust.

Remember we stated earlier that “trust” is the biggest marketing issue we need to address. This is what marketing is about – helping our prospects to trust us so we can start the sales process.

Let’s jump right in.