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Archives for June 2011

Social media’s present and future influence on marketers and media, an OMMA Social keynote presentation

Let’s start with a couple social media stats

  • Twitter has more than 175 million user accounts
  • Facebook has about 650 million users.
  • And LinkedIn has over 100 million professionals signed up.

Judging from the statistics of only three of the many social media venues, I think we can make the safe assumption that social media use is BIG. More staggering social media statistics

So, is social media impacting the way marketing and media outlets work?  If it is, how should marketers and agencies react to this development?  Or, is social media an over-hyped trend that will soon be outdated?

OMMA Social keynote, Antony Young, CEO of Optimedia International US and author of the book Brand Media Strategy, shares his perspectives on social media during his presentation, “Is social media in a bubble?”

Social media success tips

  • “Social matters to brands because of advocacy.”
  • If you’re not getting the results from social media, it’s probably the way you’re implementing it
    • A ‘Liked’ ad is 300% more likely to solicit a buy.
  • Social media is starting to make us think about reaching the heavy influencers instead of the heavy users.
  • There is no real text book on social. You need to immerse yourself; part of it is to have curiosity.
  • Social is not just digital … And perhaps even becoming less digital in certain ways?

Influencers

  • Advocates
  • Detractors
    • Detractors talk about your brand 4x more than anyone

Branding

  • Reputation management is what it’s all about
  • Perfect for social space
  • Add the following to all idea briefs “what can we say about the brand that will drive talkability”

Earned media ingredients

  • Anti-ads, unpaid mentions, bloggers
    • Needs to be useful, real, true

Social media is a powerful force for marketers and agencies, do not write it off as a trend.

Bill Gates once said, “we always overestimate the change that will occur in the next two years and underestimate the change that will occur in the next 10.”  Do not underestimate social media: Its use is growing; it is a wise move for marketers and agencies to study its impact to leverage its use for their business incentives.  Be smart and incorporate social media into your campaign.

View slides from the presentation here

Thanks for sharing your insights @antonyyoung, @MelCarson, @AmandaDeVito, @MikeDeichmiller, @JasonHeller, @URInews, @gavinthomas11

Direct mail… What is that again? Highlights from NEDMA 2011

Snail mail, the United States Postal Service, stamps: The “old-fashioned” way of communicating is still around!

If you have forgotten about it, here are some pointers of how to communicate when using direct mail from the NEDMA 2011 conference.  Use these in your direct marketing practices.

People are more motivated by the avoidance of pain.

  • Consider using fear in direct marketing

To persuade people

  • Choose an easy-to-read font
  • Consider a neatly-written post-it note
  • “Give people a reason to believe.”
    • People are natural skeptics, so putting the reason into context for customers
  • The word “because” is used as a compliance trigger.
    • People assume the reason is going to be a good one.

Mailboxes aren’t around just for kids t0 smash; snail mail is still a great way to send messages.  Use these tips in your direct mail marketing practices to obtain the best  results.