Tag Archives: Advertising

Business, Economy, Marketing

Not Marketing On Social Media? You’re Playing With Fire

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On my other website, Boston Auto Blog, I’ve discussed the importance of having a sound social media marketing strategy for car dealerships, but it’s essential for any industry. Over the past three months I’ve spent much time looking over companies’ social media strategies, while also taking notes on the businesses who aren’t taking social media platforms seriously. The findings were alarming for the businesses who weren’t consistently posting content, engaging with followers, or didn’t have any social media presence. We are now living in a time where marketing on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter are vital, similar to when big conglomerates moved to neighborhoods, killing the small businesses off in the process.

As in the early days of the shopping mall and companies who could market, advertise, and mass produce products on a grand scale, new businesses who have the foresight of marketing on social media are stealing market share away from local perennial powerhouses. In 2015, it’s a friendly environment for young startups because they can use social media to their advantage as the virtual word of mouth. They can engage with followers even before their doors open, update their future customers on news regarding their startup, and already make an impact before their grand opening. The local stores with a strong tradition of being a great place to shop at is no longer good enough, especially if they’re not using Facebook or any other platform.

This year, there has been a new car dealership that’s moved into the local area. Months ahead of time they were posting updates and promoting their dealership with Facebook ads, so when the doors were finally ready to open, they had immediate customers. In turn, some dealerships in the area started scrambling and began promoting their Facebook fan page, but it was too late. The new dealership was not only promoting, they were also posting native content of their showroom, cars, nail salon, and memorabilia store. So far after 6 months since their grand opening, they’re by far the most popular dealership and have a following of over 8,500 fans on Facebook, which is more than dealerships who have been open for decades.

Traditional businesses who operate the old-fashioned way are playing a very dangerous game. By not going digital and updating their marketing strategy, they’ll get beat by the companies who are primarily marketing on social media. In fact, I haven’t seen one commercial from that dealership. Their popularity arose from word of mouth, social media marketing on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, and engaging with the local community. They were already a member of the neighborhood before the store even opened, and no one can deny that it had an impact on the local area.

Social media marketing will continue to help grow the companies who use Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter effectively, and will kill off the businesses who don’t take social media seriously. It’s already become apparent that this new dealership is taking business away from other showrooms in the area. For any company out there, the new kid on the block who is reaching out to the community should be putting fear in the hearts of the hometown boys who’ve owned the local turf for decades. You either update your marketing strategy, or you’ll be forgotten like the town diners and local stores that were eaten up by companies who could advertise on a mass scale.

Marketing on social media is serious. Without a sense of urgency, and not putting in the time and dedication to grow your Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram followings, you’ll be opening the door for others businesses who understand the importance of online marketing, and they’ll gladly take your customers away from you.

Business, Marketing

Instagram And Pinterest Will Change How We Shop

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Remember the days when you’d get a catalog in the mail, or you subscribed to a store and received online catalogs which influenced your buying decisions? With the existence of social media, and platforms such as Instagram and Pinterest, that’s all beginning to change. Pinterest, more than Instagram, has become the social media outlet where 32% of users plan to go buy what they pinned, while 30% said they’d take the next step in the buying process and purchase what they viewed on an online store, according to a recent study done by Millward Brown Digital. We’re slowly beginning to see changes in buying habits and behaviors, and it all starts with visualization.

Why are Instagram and Pinterest so compelling from a consumer’s standpoint? For industries such as home improvement, home decor, and clothing, visualization has become key to online marketing success. People who need new bath or kitchen fixtures no longer have to look through a catalog and find what looks good. On Pinterest, people can now see what those products look like in a bath or kitchen setting. They can visualize and see themselves in that room instead of being given a photo of the product with a white backdrop.

As the old saying goes, “A picture is worth a thousand words” and it can’t be more true for marketers and businesses on social media in 2015. The reason why Instagram is successful is because of the editing and filters done by users to make pictures really stand out. Not only are they great to look at, but they’re beginning to influence consumers in multiple industries. You’ve probably seen Millennials on Twitter sharing photos of cars, houses, and pictures of happy couples with the caption, “Life goals”. When did this all come about? Nice cars, houses with luxury interiors, and happy couples could always be found on television, in a magazine, or through a search engine. Why now has every 20-35 year old become enamored with pictures displaying luxury and happiness?

Pinterest, Instagram, and to an extent Youtube is where this craze for virtual visualization has come from. Similar to the days of the first movie with sound or first television that brought color to screens, people want more. Back in the early to mid 20th century people wanted sound and color to help make movies and television shows more appealing and easier to watch. Today Instagram and Pinterest have given consumers pictures with real life settings where they can see themselves owning that car, living in that house, or being happy with their significant other. That’s why Pinterest is seeing a combined 62% of users making buying decisions online, or being influenced to buy a product in the store. Those pictures are almost a trial version for consumers, where they can see what looks good in their house and if it’s worth purchasing to make their homes look the same as the one in the picture.

With all this being said, Pinterest and Instagram are opening the door for virtual reality and point of view videos. Instead of seeing someone in front a camera reviewing a product, first person videos is where the imagination of consumers goes one step further. If you’re interested in buying a car, you can find multiple car reviews on Youtube, with similar presenters all saying the exact same thing, with the same camera angles, and none of them can find a way to be different in any way.

However, Winding Road Magazine offers viewers point of view videos with a first person look behind the wheel. The sound systems they use make it possible for people to hear exactly what the driver is. Since the cameraman doesn’t say a word, viewers can put themselves in his shoes and imagine themselves in that car. With over 150,000 subscribers and over 50,000,000 views, Winding Road Magazine is well ahead of the curve when it comes to the next era of technology and social media marketing.

Visualization is becoming a major factor in buying decisions. If you’re posting pictures of your products with white backdrops, your content may not be as effective as the company who is using photos of their product in a real life setting, such as a living room or kitchen. Virtual reality will be made possible thanks to GoPro cameras and technology coming out next decade. More importantly though, right now in 2015, you must use Pinterest and Instagram to your advantage and give your customers exactly what they want; a visualization of your products.

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.

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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.

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.

Business, Economy, Marketing

Is Social Media Becoming The Digital Golf Course For Business?

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Golf Course: West Virginia

Golf Course: West Virginia

The Internet and social media have changed how we do business, connect with other professionals, and communicate within the digital world that has been created and continues to evolve today. Prior to Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin’s existences, business was conducted through multiple avenues that required one to either travel, visit an office, play on a golf course, or have lengthy discussions on the phone or in person. Today, business decisions can be made with a click of a button, instant messaging, talking back and forth on social media platforms, and video conference calls. While many still do business as if it was 2003, heading into 2015 there are more time and cost efficient ways that can close deals within minutes.

Marketing isn’t what it used to be. What was once a “push and sell” philosophy has become more personalized and down to earth where both sides of a deal need to be familiar with each other and create a business relationship. That wasn’t completely necessary in years past. We live in the social media age where everything has become “social”. You can connect and follow a CEO who runs a business a few blocks down the street from where you live, and almost instantly create some form of a friendship through mutual interests if communication takes place.

Yes, this seems like something out of elementary school, but as Gary Vaynerchuk, who is the founder of Vayner Media and turned his father’s $3 mil wine business into $60 mil, has said repeatedly over the years that we’re seeing a youth movement in our society. A 40 year old man twenty or thirty years ago acted much older than a 40 year old in 2014. When adults are texting “LOL” and “OMG”, using hashtags, and talking about their favorite athlete or sports team on social media, you realize that how we socialize today can also shift how we market to multiple generations tomorrow.

The beginning stages of conducting business have been made on social media in the past, whether that’s B2C or B2B. When a 21 year old can talk to a 35-40 year old business owner on Twitter or Facebook, the foundation for a virtual interview is there. When that 21 year old who is an aspiring or current business owner starts talking with that experienced entrepreneur, a business connection can be made and it could lead to business transactions or a possible interview for an internship or job.

We are living in an amazing time. While you’ll say, “That doesn’t happen in business” it already has and will continue. Even in B2C marketing, Twitter has become the platform for businesses to offer their services to customers who might need it. I’ve seen business card offers, web design, SEO, advertising, and marketing pitches on social media, not just Twitter. Thinking that business can only be conducted the way it’s been for the past 100+ years in backwards thinking; we’re now heading into 2015.

The sooner we see the endless possibilities social media has, the sooner we can start advancing ahead in our careers, begin to build business relationships with people we may never have met, and grow strong business connections that not only benefit those your business’ services can help, but also get you loyal and lifelong customers and clients.