Marketing

The Tapper v. The Listener

Stacey Rynders

coolcatHave you ever tried to tap out a song beat to a friend, then you have the friend guess what you are tapping? It seems so obvious to you what the song is, because the music is playing in your head. Your friend, however, only has the benefit of your tapping… and it turns out that only one in 40 can guess a tapped out tune correctly, at least according to dissertation research by Elizabeth Newton in 1990.

I think marketing experts and many business owners are often The Tappers in the scenario of building a brand message. Sometimes we forget to think about the end user. Recently, I was The Tapper with a client. I was so excited about a project and crafted some copy that featured good flow, strong page-to-page transitions and really elevated the brand level… or so I thought. I was out to impress the CEO of the company, my boss, any future judge for copywriting. Well, my boss liked the copy. The client reworked it… a lot. It is a very recent dagger to the heart, but a good reminder. When telling a story, especially a brand story, it is important to consider what it is like to be The Listener. It helps if you can paint the tune with your marketing message instead of just tapping out noise.

Here are some tips from Made To Stick on how to effectively develop your marketing or public relations message:
1. Keep it Simple.
2. Add the Unexpected.
3. Be Concrete.
4. Be Credible.
5. Be Emotional.
6. Make it a Good Story.

This is the example that the authors, Chip Heath and Dan Heath, provide in the book. When President John F. Kennedy spoke about traveling to the moon, he didn’t use his CEO voice and declare, “Our mission is to become the international leader in the space industry through maximum team-centered innovation and strategically targeted aerospace initiatives.” Not quite. President Kennedy kept it simple, and made a call to “put a man on the moon and return him safely by the end of the decade.” That’s not such a fancy statement. But it captivated a nation … and many beyond. That’s a successful message.

Internet: Too Much Free Speech?

Stacey Rynders

PhotobucketYesterday brought the news that Google was being forced by a Manhattan Supreme Court Justice to reveal the identity of an anonymous blogger, who was “talking trash,” about Canadian-born model Liskula Cohen on a blog called Skanks in NYC. The blog has since been taken down, but the samples I’ve seen of the copy were truly pure trash… upped by the ante of anonymity.

In the many discussions about the role of the Internet on how we as a society receive our news, there has been much discussion about accountability and reliability. As a communications strategist, I’ve talked to many clients about the need to be more aggressive about negative online commentary about their business. The Internet has changed the rules because it makes it so easy to publish anything – true or false.

In the case of Liskula Cohen, she argued that she should have the right to sue the blogger for defamation, because the blog posts undermined her credibility and made it more difficult to get jobs. I can see this as viable. Hollywood seems to run scared at the first sign at a little controversy. Note how Michael Phelps was dropped so quickly for possibly smoking marijuana.

The larger question, however, is how accountable should bloggers be? Frankly, I have to admit to being biased. I’m trained in journalism from the University of Missouri of Columbia where entire classes are dedicated to libel and slander. One wrong fact in a news story and your grade dropped a letter – this includes a wrong phone number. So, while I like the Internet’s ability to share so much information and to bring the world to your fingertips, I admit that I’m not so fond of the anger- or hate-motivated speech that happens on the Internet.

Where is the line? And how can it be adequately enforced? Share your thoughts!

Connect to Clients with Casual Video Clips

Stacey Rynders

A friend queried me on twitter about the video hosted at Thinkbigart.com. The friend is a photographer, so the 20-minute marketing promo for Over[Exposure], a company aimed at helping photographers market themselves, was particularly relevant. However, I found the information that the author provided to be solid tips for any aspiring entrepreneur. AND, I found the simplicity of this video, a great concept, for those looking to interact with their online audience.

The video, which I think is a bit long, encourages business owners to:
1. Focus on doing the thing you do best.
2. Do some soul searching into what makes your work unique.
3. Connect with your audience and keep the communication forum open … ALWAYS.

I agree with all these points. And to the third point, I think the ThinkBigArt video does a great job. The author is casually and specifically offering informational advice to his prospective audience. This can be done simply with your phone or a friend’s phone.

Check out the YouTube video my friend Emma made to promote her latest creation – Snap Stories. Emma’s demo provides a casual how-to that is driving sales with wholesale and retail vendors. And it cost her very little in production.

Now, if I had a fancy video-capable phone, I would have posted my own sample. But, it remains on my dream list. For all those out there with an IPhone – use it to promote your business and network with your clients. It’s a cost-effective way to stay connected with clients while building your online presence.

Make A New Media Strategy

Stacey Rynders

wikiI am a definite advocate for strategizing and planning your social media marketing before jumping head-first into these forums with your business at risk. For the most part, social media can be harmless, but it also puts your business and brand image online for a full exposure.

Janet Jennewein provided me with a great resource for helping clients define and determine an online strategy when she informed me about New Media and the Air Force at a recent GIMA event.

Here is my favorite list of guidelines:
1. Don’t Give Classified Info.
2. Stay In Your Lane (of expertise).
3. Don’t Lie.
4. Give Your Opinion!
5. Always Identify Yourself.
6. Safety.
7. Beware of the Image You Present.
8. Use Common Sense!
9. Don’t Be Afraid To Take Calculated Risks.
10. The Enemy Is Engaged.

These are great general guidelines to follow when developing your social media strategy. However, I also suggest that you determine which social media tools best meet your objectives and test a few sample postings with friends, vendors and clients before maximizing your Web site with SEO or sending links out to the twitterverse.

Please share any tips and tools you have for developing a new media strategy.

Twitter: Second Largest Web Site Traffic Driver

Stacey Rynders

twitterI’ve sat around at dinner parties debating whether or not Twitter is a passing fad that will be gone in a year or a social networking tool with some muscle. I’ve been arguing that it is great for directing people to Web sites… And yesterday, a TechCrunch tweet confirmed that I was right. Twitter is now second to Google in driving Web site traffic. The prediction is that by next year, Twitter will outpace Google in this category.

Currently, Twitter is growing at a rate of 30-40% per month. In the last year, the number of users has grown from 1.1 million to 32.1 million. I’d say that these are some stats with some muscle.

How do you feel about twitter?

Facebook- 8th largest country!

Stacey Rynders

facebookWhen it comes to social media marketing, I constantly hear clients say, “I just don’t get it. Who has time?”

Now, I admit that I came to social media with the same attitude, and for a long time, I ignored social media too because, like my clients, my days were crazy full with other details that didn’t include telling everyone about the minutia of my day. My days aren’t any less busy, but I have spent some time with twitter and facebook and other social media sites so that I could figure out what it was all about. I was converted in less than a week. Turns out that twitter and facebook provide a lot more info than I first expected.

Think of it this way. Social media is like word-of-mouth on speed. The viral element makes information spread at rapid-fire pace and has the potential to quickly deliver a message.

In a recent Fast Company article by Lon Safko, this bit of information provided a more tangible account of the potential of Facebook and Twitter.

Facebook has more than 150 million members with more than 80 billion page views each month. Facebook is represented in 170 countries & territories, every continent, even Antarctica, and is available in 35 different languages. More than 1 in 5 people who access the Internet visit Facebook. If Facebook were it’s own country, it would be the eighth most populated country in the world, just ahead of Japan, Russia, & Nigeria.

… MySpace, on the other hand, has more than 76 million users in the U.S. and 120 million people worldwide with an average age of 26 years old. 88.1% of its members are between 18 and 55 years old and the 35 to 54 year old demographic is at 32%.

…And finally, LinkedIn is used as a professional directory and has more than 27 million users with an average household income over $110,000. The gender distribution weighs heavily toward males at 65% and 35% Female with an average age of 41 years old.

There’s no ignoring these numbers.

Augmented Reality – pretty cool stuff

Stacey Rynders

Check out this YouTube on a GE Augmented Reality piece. Today at lunch, Todd Shasserre was talking vaguely about some augmented reality projects that he’s helping develop at Mozaic. My comment was a gross simplification – “It’s so Jetsons.” Imagine printing an image off your home computer, holding it up to your camera or an IPhone then a moving digital image literally emerges in front of you. Think of the marketing possibilities – an engaging consumer message that customers will want to show everyone! Talk about viral marketing. Imagine sitting in a restaurant where three or four people are using their IPhones to share an augmented reality message with friends – a bevy of digital pop-ups. It seems so surreal and utterly fascinating.

Now, there are some kinks still being worked out that involve making augmented reality interfaceable with so many different software platforms. But there will be campaigns rolling out in the next year. Mozaic is a company to watch! They are doing innovative, super-techie creative marketing.

Twitter Marketing: 15% one-day sales hike for pizza joint

Stacey Rynders

32-twitterlocal-051809Blogger Lisa Young Twittered about a recent Advertising Age article that gives a pretty compelling example of Twitter Marketing provided solid ROI.

“In a test run April 23, an exclusive-to-Twitter promotion brought in 15% of the day’s business.”

$0 for a Twitter account + Time to Manage (or outsource management) = 15% one-day growth

This is a hard ROI stat for print, radio and tv to combat. Of course, a lot depends on the message, culling a following and time to effectively manage a company’s tweeting. I know some businesses are still fighting the need for social media integration into their marketing plans; but it is time to join in or become obsolete.

If you are interested in this topic, check out and join the Social Media Club of St. Louis. There’s an event tonight (with a lot of RSVPs from local marketing gurus) at Atomic Cowboy at 6pm.

Only 1% of Web sites Mobile Ready?

Stacey Rynders

gima_logo1 Discussion at last night’s Gateway Interactive Marketing Association meeting was all about mobile technology. Mobile video. Mobile Marketing. M-Commerce. Is the mobile wave here yet?

The answer to that question was varied, but the one resounding statiistic tossed out for consideration is that only 1% of all Web sites are mobile ready. Compare that measly 1% to the 30 million I-Phone and Blackberry cellular users accessing the Web via their mobile.

Something seems a tad bit off about this number. Whether mobile marketing is here or not or whether your company needs an I-Phone app is not the problem; it’s whether your Web site translates to mobile applications without going crazy. Start with the basics; then experiment with your marketing campaign.

If you don’t know if your Web site translates to mobile technology, talk to my friend Barbara Hines with Anchor Mobile Marketing. She can help you find the answer.

SAVE THE DATE FOR THE NEXT GIMA EVENT – June 17: Business Speed Dating

Gender & Social Media Use

Stacey Rynders

gender-social-media2The Collective Thoughts blog writer Ryan provided an interesting supposition on his observations of the gender differences in the use of social media. Perhaps the most intriguing element for me is that the assertion is that women tend to discover the usefulness of social media and more adeptly integrate it into their lives instead of focusing on the DIGG voting competitions. Why do I think this is interesting? Well, it applies to me. My favorite thing about Twitter is not what other people are doing, but that it can be a constant news feed. I’m connected to favorite bloggers, favorite publications and industry-related posters (hence how I found the Collective Thoughts blog).

Whether you disagree or agree, I’m curious how you use social media … and whether or not you agree with Ryan’s admittedly “generalized” assertions on social media. Frankly, I think he’s onto something when it comes to considering the gender differences when strategizing your social media marketing plan.

Here’s a teaser clip:
“I think women put more emphasis, focus and time into their social media browsing than men. Men seem to be very ADHD with social media, jumping from news story to story, whereas I’ve noticed women take slow time and incorporate what they read more into their daily life and lifestyle planning.”
Loren Baker, Search Engine Journal

A great thing about social media marketing is that you literally get a first-rate, hands-on education in human anthropology. You learn what moves people. You learn what people want. You learn how to tug at heartstrings and drive emotions to their limit. You learn how different groups of people respond to different types of content. It’s simultaneously liberating and disillusioning to discover how predictable groups of people behave.

Read the entire article “Gender Differences in Social Media Participation.”