All posts by Mike Cerra

Business, Economy, Marketing

Social Media: You’re Personal Branding Every Minute Of Everyday

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What if I told you that at this very minute your personal brand and future career is being shaped? That every tweet, every status, every Instagram photo, and Snapchat picture you post today has an effect on how others perceive you tomorrow. I’m not just talking about your peers, but also employers, bosses, CEO’s, innovators, and big-time influencers. Your tweets are reaching someone, no matter how informative or silly they are, someone is reading them, and they’re not one of your followers. This is what at times is very hard for the mind to rap around, but social media can be your greatest asset, or the tool that gets you fired from your job, and possibly destroys your career.

Most of you have probably heard or read of someone getting fired for what they’ve said online. Last month, a teenage girl was fired from a job she hadn’t even started working at yet because she tweeted her disgust about working at the pizza shop. What you say can have dire consequences, which is why social media in most cases should be used with discretion and a sense of professionalism in mind. We’re living in a time in which everything we say on the Internet is documented and held under a microscope, and it’s time we start using social media the way it was intended.

Because trolls and childish commenters don’t deserve the light of day on a professional matter such as personal branding, I’m going to focus on how it’s essential to post mature and valuable content that will be worth reading and responding to. If you’re someone who takes professionalism and your career seriously, you’re going to prosper on social media because very few millennials are taking advantage of such a powerful tool that could change their lives around.

Companies and businesses are constantly searching on Twitter for content to respond to, retweet, and acquire clients and customers. Are you one of those tweeters who continues to write good and valuable content? Well keep it up because you will get noticed eventually. Take advantage of the voice social media has given to you and show the world (literally) what you know. Your tweets are reaching people across the country and in your own back yard.

When it comes to Facebook, are you engaging with your favorite fan page when they post content? Are you offering any valuable advice in the comment section, or giving a worthy response with your opinion that could change other’s perceptions? If not, start now. You can become an influencer just by consistently engaging on these pages, and who knows, maybe the social media department of these magazines or companies will take notice. Great content is never overshadowed because people will read it. Sometimes the responses aren’t aligned with your opinions, but you’re creating buzz and traffic for that fan page, and that’s important. Engagement and traffic is just as good as money for these social media pages, and if you’re bringing that in the right way, you have no idea where that might lead you.

There was once a time in which you had to apply for a job, seek out openings, and hope you offered more than the other applicants. Today, it’s the opposite. Companies and businesses seek you out. They want talent and young professionals who are ready for the work force. Admirable characteristics have become a lost art these days, but for those who still carry themselves like the people and professionals who came before them, they will find jobs and attract businesses and influencers to them and in essence, they also become influencers themselves.

It’s 2015. Millennials need to understand that every tweet, status, or blog post is their personal brand. We’re not Generation X or the Baby Boomers, our personal brand isn’t created the minute we step into the work force, it’s being built right now.

Twitter is an extremely powerful platform that could make anything we say go viral or reach people of importance. That’s why I recommend making accounts private if you have no regard for your own image and brand. The things I see people my age sharing on Twitter is outrageous and downright embarrassing. On the flip side, I see many people who are gifted with great talent and ability, but never use Twitter to their advantage or completely misuse it.

Social media, if used right, can propel your career to levels that people our age 20 years ago could only dream of experiencing. Our career’s fate could be sealed by one tweet or status, and that’s why Twitter should be used with discretion and professionalism.

Blogging, Business, Marketing

Lack Of Value Given In Blog Posts By Companies Is Absolutely Shocking

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Blogging was once used exclusively by many people to get their voices heard and to give their 2 cents on any subject, business, product or sports team. Today with the continuous evolution of social media and the Internet, businesses of all sorts have hopped online to start distributing content of their own to either reach out to customers or inform them about the company, product, or industry news. What’s surprising is that 15 years into the new millennium, businesses of all shapes and sizes are still not putting out content that adds value to the consumer, nor does it draw them into buying the product they’re selling.

On numerous occasions I’ve seen company’s blogs either being used as a voice for an individual who works for the company, or they use blogs as a platform to distribute content that would have once been in a magazine that no one ever read. I might be coming across as harsh, but this is business, and without valuable and informative content that draws interest from consumers, there are no sales.

It’s shocking to see content being posted that is completely irrelevant to the current product these companies are selling. One article could have easily been written by an independent blogger, but I highly doubt they would have wasted the time to put out content that wouldn’t drive any sales, views, or subscribers. That’s what is so dangerous about lackluster content from all platforms by these companies. As a consumer, I see no value, and therefore I skim over it and continue scrolling down my Twitter or Facebook timeline.

Most people think it’s just Facebook ads, Google Adwords, or throwing money into some other Internet marketing tool that drives sales. In today’s economy people want something with substance, information they can believe in and trust, that assures them that they are making the right decision. It’s amazing to see that the leaders who oversee the distribution of content by these companies don’t see that. Independent bloggers who are close to the product, the company, or have a passion for the industry the business is in, are more likely to post quality content that brings value, than if these companies found somebody in-house. They may also know more about the product in some cases.

Whether it’s Facebook statuses, tweets, or blog posts, businesses and stores need to start putting out better content. Most are doing a great job, but in some industries there aren’t many who are outshining the competition. It would also be wise for these companies to start following and building some form of a relationship with the bloggers who are in someway driving sales and traffic to their websites. These bloggers have an extensive knowledge of these products, and their reviews and content that go along with that knowledge is invaluable.

Also in the age of social media, blogs and the influence that they have on their followers could lead to sales directly to the company because they’ve built trust. Businesses have a harder time building that trust, whereas content from fellow consumers is easier to believe and sympathize with.

It’s 2015. It’s time to start marketing and distributing content like the year we’re living in.

Red Volvo S60 Polestar
Business, Economy, Marketing

Automotive Consumer Demographics Are Proven To Be Right In Car Shows

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Red Volvo S60 Polestar

Volvo S60 Polestar

If you’re a car enthusiast, a follower of Car & Driver, Top Gear, or other car magazines on Facebook, you’ve probably read or been a part of conversations on which car is better. You’ve also most likely had to defend your position numerous times as you believe that the car you like is indeed better. Well, you’re not alone. This happens on a daily basis between car enthusiasts, but what do market and consumer demographics have to say about brand’s perceptions, build quality, and overall popularity?

Auto shows are a great way to find out which car you like, but from a business and marketing standpoint, you find out who is actually buying what brands, their age, gender, relationship status, and where they stand in financial stature. The beautiful women who are employees of the car brands are always around at the desks to either answer questions, or in my experiences the past two years, to ask questions on what I think of the car and what could be improved. These employees are survey takers, and are also marketers as well. The knowledge of the consumer demographics are beyond what I know, but after really taking a good long look at the cars and crowds, it’s clear that there is a dramatic difference between consumers of certain brands.

“Cadillac Is An Old Person’s Car”

Being a college aged adult, Cadillacs are beyond my financial reach to begin with, but with a resurgence taking place within the company, many younger adults are beginning to look at the luxury GM brand a bit differently. Some have emphatically defended Cadillacs over the German competitors, and on occasion insult those who disagree that the American automaker is an old person’s car and make vehicles car companies used too make. Last weekend, that perception held strong.

To humor myself I wanted to sit in the new ATS and other models Cadillac is introducing and selling. Each time I made an attempt, 65 year olds and retirees were the ones looking at those cars, spending much time in the driver seats, making it appear that they do intend on owning one in the near or distant future. The cars that were present didn’t draw in younger people, and there were very few middle-aged adults taking good long looks at the Cadillacs. Right now the luxury car maker is trying to compete with Audi, BMW, and Mercedes Benz, and currently they’re not drawing anywhere near the same crowd.

Mercedes Benz Is Trying to Be The Car Of The People

It’s absolutely incredible what Mercedes Benz has done with their lineup. They have a car for almost every market in the automotive world. From small compact sedans, to full-sized SUV’s, Mercedes has by far made the biggest impact in the automotive industry and consumers are taking notice. Having gone to the auto show in Boston two days over last weekend, the results were the same. There were dozens of people swarming over the Mercedes Benz’s, and with an array of different models, people were spending close to 10-15 minutes talking about the cars, taking photos, and sitting in the driver seats.

It’s clear that Mercedes Benz wants to be in every single market. They recently began marketing the new B-Class which runs on electricity, a market that is growing every month, as Tesla’s success is putting pressure on other manufacturers to begin producing cars that run on electricity.

Volvo: The Family Car For The Family Oriented Adults

As a Volvo owner myself, I know the perception of the Swedish automaker to be safe and for the middle class adult who has a family. I’m happy to say that’s the complete and honest truth. Families with young children were surrounding the Volvos, especially the XC60 and V60, one being a crossover SUV the other being more of a traditional station wagon. Cargo space and comfort appeared to be the most important aspects of the cars themselves for the families looking at them, and having foresight of their demographics, Volvo even set up comfortable chairs to sit in within their section of the auto show so kids could have a place to rest.

However, the Volvo that was attracting many young adults was the S60 Polestar. A turbocharged 6 cylinder engine putting out 325 hp would get anyone excited. This car was by far the most popular attraction for Volvo in terms of reaching consumers of multiple demographics.

Right now car companies are competing for a strong stake in the automotive market. At times it appears that some of the auto brands are going away from their identity to attract consumers who weren’t originally part of the specific market that bought those cars. For Cadillac, they’re in a Catch 22 because they can’t look back, but they’re also having great difficulty in moving forward because the Germans are always one step ahead. At the end of the day, the demographics reveal all about who is buying what. Auto shows are the best way for these companies to get a feel for the market and who they’re attracting, and for some brands, they have a lot of work to do before they begin to compete with Mercedes Benz, Audi, and BMW.

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Blogging, Business, Economy, Marketing

Effective Social Media Marketing Starts With the Person Behind the Account

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Effective social media marketing all comes down to the level of intensity, passion, and love for the product, business, or service your company is offering. If you don’t believe in the product, are unsure whether it will sell, or have very little interest in what you’re selling, I can guarantee you will not see the results you are hoping for. A business owner, Youtube vlogger, blogger, or social media manager’s passion for what they’re selling, talking, or writing about is present in their work. If they love what they’re doing, it will be shown through the quality of their work.

The person behind the social media accounts, whether they’re the marketer or the business owner, take on the business’, blog’s, or website’s brand. That brand is constantly being shared through the statuses, pictures, and tweets, and the passion that the social media manger has for whatever is being sold or shared will ignite others to respond and take a closer look at what your company does or what your website talks about. Social media has become the face of the company’s brand. While you, along with what you post, is the heart and soul. If you write or share content that comes directly from the passion you have for the subject, you will get noticed.

This coincides with the amount of times you should post on your social media pages. People always ask, “How many times per day should I post content on my accounts?” My answer is, if you truly love and believe in what you’re selling, the number of times you post no longer becomes an issue because you’ll always find interesting content to share with your followers.

On Twitter, why are some entrepreneurs better at maintaining their large group of followers while others become the occasional tweeter who just shares content but nothing more valuable? Some would say lack of time, but if you truly love your business you most likely want to talk about it to anyone who wants to engage in a conversation. Who knows, you could learn something from your followers by listening to them and engaging in two way conversations.

Social media marketing really does come down to the passion you have for your business, service, or product. Being apprehensive and shy towards reaching out to potential clients and customers becomes less of a problem when your truly believe in what you’re offering to make their lives and businesses better. Just as when we were in school, we never put in the effort to do better in the subjects we hated or had no interest in. But those classes that made us think, be creative, and formulate new ideas were what got us through school.

Whether it’s a hobby or the line of work you do, social media is the tool that helps us reach out to like-minded individuals, clients, and customers who will walk into your store’s doors or buy your products online. It’s imperative that we use social media to our advantage and see a ROI that you’ll never get from traditional forms of marketing.

Chrysler 200
Economy

Pricing In The Automotive World Is All Wrong

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Chrysler 200

The Chrysler 200 at the New England International Auto Show

This weekend the New England International Auto Show came to Boston, which if you haven’t attended, make a note of it for next year because it’s great for the entire family and well worth the experience. Auto shows give the consumer access to cars from an array of different brands so they can compare them in terms of price, comfort, and options in real time and in person instead of comparing them online. As a student of business and marketing, and also being financially aware, I took notes on the prices of some of the cars and their brands. Needless to say I was stunned at the findings.

When it comes to buying a Hi-Definition television, you’re already aware of the fact that you’ll be spending more when you look at bigger screens. With furniture, you know that leather seats will cost more than other materials. You also know that if you want a powerful gaming computer or laptop, you’ll be spending top dollar as opposed to the typical laptop that comes with standard specifications and options. So then why can’t the auto industry be like the rest of the product related markets?

High quality brands sell, that’s just fact. People are going to buy cars from Mercedes Benz, Audi, and BMW before others. So why is a fully loaded Chrysler 200 the same price as Mercedes Benz CLA or well equipped Audi A3? We can argue that some consumers have certain preferences and tastes, but to buy a car that’s priced as a luxury car that really isn’t will undercut sales for these companies in the long run. I’m sorry, but Chrysler and Buick are just not going to compete with the Germans, they can’t. The sales figures are overwhelmingly pointing to consumers choosing foreign cars over domestics, but still American brands continue to fight an uphill battle.

While there are companies like Chrysler and Buick who are trying to be something they’re not, Infiniti and Lexus are paving their own path that separate themselves from the Mercedes Benz’s of the world and continue to march to the beat of their own drum. While their prices are in the range of Audi and BMW, their cars don’t resemble what’s coming out of Germany.

In the hatchback market, Volkswagen continues to thrive off their Golf and GTI line, but consumers have other choices that are more affordable and practical. A fully equipped GTI will set you back close to $32,000, while a fully loaded Kia Forte Hatchback is priced at $25,000. Most consumers will buy based off horsepower and performance, but when it comes to legroom and comfort, the Forte gets the point.

The last observation from the car show is GM’s brands competing against each other, which is something Buick is trying to end by introducing cars made by the German automaker Opel. Chevrolet always seems to take a model from Buick or had taken similar concepts from other GM’s subsidiaries and sold them cheaper, undercutting Buick’s, Pontiac’s, GMC’s and Saturn’s sales. Cadillac is moving in their own direction, and by moving headquarters to New York they’ve separated themselves from Detroit and GM.

In the final analysis, all the car companies are manufacturing top quality cars for every type of consumer. Unfortunately because of that, most car brands are all competing for the same market instead of dominating a market that they’re good at and can sell many cars without much competition.

Economy, Marketing

It May Be A Great Product, But What Do The Sales Figures Say?

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Walkman
muadib.ar / Foter / CC BY-SA

Whether you’re selling candy, clothes, automobiles, tech gadgets, or any other products you can think of, everything you do behind the scenes and in your marketing strategy mean nothing unless the sales figures reflect the day-to-day operations and processes. The product may be great, it may look cool, and you may think it sells, but if there are no buyers and sales figures are down, changes have to be made to create a desire and want for the product you’re trying to sell. When it comes to products, there is so much to selling and marketing than what you, or your friends think, and what may seem popular in one clique, could be completely irrelevant to a broader customer base and bigger target markets.

At the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Sony unveiled their new Walkman (I know, we’ve suddenly taken a trip to the past). It will be on sale for a mere $1200 this Spring. While Generation X can have their flashbacks down memory lane, the issue comes down to what we should expect in terms of sales figures. Taking on Apple where they’ve dominated since the beginning of the millennium is a very bold strategy. Most MP3 players have failed against the iPod, why should the Walkman expect to steal market share away from Apple?

At $1200, are consumers really going to buy that over the traditional iPod? As a consumer and student of business, these questions have to be raised. We’ll find out soon enough, but let’s move our attention to automobiles that are selling, and in particular Cadillac.

Over the past 6 months all you’ve heard from Cadillac is how they’re going to take on BMW, Audi, and Mercedes Benz. ‘The reign of the German Big Three is coming to a close because they’re not making cars like Cadillac’, is essentially what the leaders of the American luxury brand has bragged. Well, the annual sales figures have been released, and it’s time to see who has ended up with egg on their face.

According to goodcarbadcar.net here are the statistics.

Audi: Sales up 15.2% in 2014 from the previous year.
BMW: Sales up 9.8% in 2014 from the previous year.
Mercedes Benz: Sales up 6.5% in 2014 from the previous year

And then there’s Cadillac.

Sales figures down 6.5% in 2015 from the previous year.

Cadillac is improving from what they’ve produced over the past few years, the problem however is the very strong perception that Cadillacs are still owned by older folks, and even worse they’re still a branch of GM. Once again, the product can look great and may be a better option, but the sales figures don’t show that.

Another example is coming from a different side of the business spectrum, the branding, marketing, and advertising branch of business. Entrepreneur Magazine shared an article discussing 10 of the worst new logos for big companies in 2014. While a few are clearly bad, others were an improvement and further developed the brand and direction the company is moving in. Whether these logos were bad or not, what do the sales figures have to say?

Personal opinion is what blinds us all from seeing the truth, and in this instance I’m talking about business, and this can be from the owner or the consumer. Sales figures show no bias, they have no favorites, they reflect the changes that really matter, positive or negative. Sony’s Walkman could be a huge bust or a success, but at $1200 let’s see how long that price lasts when consumers can buy an iPod for much less. Cadillac is being aggressive, attacking the German auto brands and trying to compete against the most popular car companies in the world. In 2014 they failed to live up to the hype. Lastly, personal opinion that fails to see what the sales figures really say, loses all credibility.

In business there are two things you must be aware of, listen to, and learn from. Sales figures and the consumer. These two aspects tell the truth. The customer is always right, and sales figures are never wrong.

Marketing

Marketing Your Business Or Product Through Storytelling

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BuzzFeed
Scott Beale / iWoman / CC BY-NC-ND

In this day and age, the last thing you probably want to see from companies is an annoying ad that jumps on your screen that slows you down from watching a video or reading an important article. We’re now living in a time where businesses don’t have to waste money marketing with written ads, TV commercials, outdoor marketing, or even email marketing, which has seen a decline in effectiveness since social media’s emergence. With that being said, these same businesses can make a two minute video that captures your attention and emotions towards a particular product and make those two minutes worth your time. However, businesses don’t capitalize on storytelling, despite the fact that they have all the tools at their disposal.

Toyota paired up with Buzzfeed to create a funny two minute video comparing your first car, which was probably a lemon, and your real first car that’s new, clean, and cool to look at. By comparing how we treat both cars, any driver can relate. My first car had no power windows, no power locks, and a horrible sound system. I didn’t care if was clean on the outside, all that mattered was that it drove. But when the new car came around, you can believe that there were strict rules about eating and drinking in the car. This video was promotion for a Toyota Corolla, and by creating that emotional connection, viewers could easily relate. Plain and simple this was a car ad masked by using Buzzfeed to help promote the car by telling a story.

The question that I’ve asked myself is why aren’t other car companies or even businesses doing this? It’s one thing to create a cute 30 second TV commercial, but it’s quite another to get a reaction to a longer, well thought out video that gets immediate results. I’m not interested in a Corolla, but for 20 somethings who are in need of a car, they may consider buying the Toyota because of Buzzfeed’s marketing and storytelling that got the viewer thinking and made them reminisce about the old days.

As a business owner of a web design company, BostonWebWorx, I know the difficulties of trying to create a website by yourself. It’s not easy, and most web design books don’t help because they assume that you have some understanding of the basics, which we all know we weren’t taught in school. By once being that teenager trying to create his first blog and spending more time on the appearance than the content, I know that feeling and frustration. With my business and team I’ve assembled, web design has become very simple, and best of all, because we use WordPress designs, there’s less hassle and no headaches for you. Google analytics and SEO are already taken care of, and if you want to change the content a few months later you can easily do so when you log into your account.

Because I can relate to the customers, I know where they’re coming from, I understand their frustration, and I can offer them a website they’ll be excited about. Just as the Toyota Corolla ad through Buzzfeed, they knew who they were targeting, understood their frustration, and offered a solution by showing off their Corolla to the audience they know are in need of a car. That’s how you market through storytelling. Most ads that you see on TV don’t create any connection which is why they don’t see a strong ROI. You need to tell a story, and with social media and Youtube you can accomplish that.