May 24th, 2010
We added video to our marketing mix this year and we are happy to report it is doing it’s job as a solid marketing tactic for us. So much so that this week we have set aside a couple hours to really nail down a video strategy. Here are some things to consider for determining how to use video in your marketing mix.
- If you recall our post on the Social Media Landscape, you may remember that handy guide that lists out the top social media mediums and what they do best. YouTube had three green boxes, meaning it was a very good medium for customer communication, brand exposure and SEO.
- Have some fun! Video is by far one of the more easy ways to add some fun to your marketing. Our video of me doing 25 push ups is our most viewed video. That obviously has nothing to do with marketing and a lot to do with fun. Clay’s April 1st video still has people laughing and talking. Fun is good.
- Shoot for a “B”. When you’re starting out with a new medium, don’t set expectations that you’ll be perfect. Especially today and with video use. It’s totally acceptable to jump out of the gate with some less than professional production. Have a purpose and start your video. Accept that you will learn as you go.
- Do buy the basics. We have learned that a camera with a mic is probably necessary for what we want to do with video. In the beginning, we just bought a flip and started out. We have learned a Flip works pretty well for the basic stuff, but if you want to interview others like we do on our Intimate Invasions, you’ll want to have an external mic to help boost sound.
- Make friends, subscribe to others on YouTube and stay up on the new features YouTube has added to get the most out of your videos. This means checking in a few times a year at minimum, not that you have to commit to daily use. Just make sure you’re keeping up.
May 21st, 2010
We get this question a lot… why should I have a Facebook page when I have a website? Do I really need them both? Yes, yes you do.
Facebook gives you an extra reach you don’t get with your website. That is one of the most general but true elements of why you would want to have a Facebook page. People that connect with you on your Facebook pages have a reach to others that you just don’t. If you want to have that kind of reach, you need to be where all those people are.
Creating your Facebook page is easier than you think. One of the things Facebook does well, that has allowed them to have the reach that they do, is they make a good majority of the things you want to do on there easy, i.e. setting up your facebook page. As you can see from the page below, they take you step-by-step on how to set up your page, even how to start advertising to reach more people who like you.
Now that you have your page set up, invite and share your page with those in your personal profile. Make sure you let everyone know through your regular channels too, like your monthly newsletter or in your email signature. Go really crazy and launch an advertising campaign!
Need help on what to put on your Facebook page? Read this guide from Clay on What’s on Your Facebook Page or check out our social media strategy services.
September 20th, 2009
This isn’t going to be rocket science, but it will be easy peasy. It will be so easy you’re possibly already doing it, but not realizing it’s a marketing activity that helps you build readership to your blog/site. I’m going to use the three most popular mediums I know this blog’s audience uses, but you can just about mix and match any medium to push content out and about.
- Tweet It. Yes, get yourself a Twitter account if you don’t just yet, but it’s a great way to gather readers and build followers of your content and company. Use a service like Bitly to shorten your links and track how many people are visiting that link. I recently showed a client how one Tweet sent 121 people to his website; he had no idea you could track links like that. Be sure to send people to the link you’re talking about, though, not a homepage unless that information lives there or there is another reason people cannot get to that information, like a membership subscription.
- Status Updates (Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook). If you’re working on a blog post, tell people about it and link to your blog. Maybe they didn’t even know you had a blog! Maybe the new topic you share is just the thing someone has been trying to learn more about. We often release how-tos on our blog (Thanks, Clay) and the Facebook icon for sharing links was just the information someone needed. You never know who you may reach.
- Roundup. In your email newsletter (yes, you need to have one at least quarterly if not monthly), add links to your most popular blogs in a blog roundup. If you’re not sure what this is about, check out our newsletter. We often use this roundup feature to remind our newsletter readers of our blog and share our most clicked-on topics.
August 26th, 2009
We have been working with Nicole Bickett from Vision Bridge to help with build processes for our business. The value, motivation and energy our entire team has received from this experience is overwhelming. Who knew establishing processes for Silver Square could have such the impact it’s had. I knew it would be worth our time, knew it would benefit us all, but the bonus in the experience has been the excitment and renewed path Silver Square is developing.
Marketing as a Process by Nicole Bickett
Marketing is exciting. It is the part of our business that allows us to let our creative juices to flow and brings us hope about all of the new sales we will receive from our efforts. But as energizing and exciting as marketing is, just like anything else, marketing is most successful when it follows a systematized process.
Many of us try the newest latest and greatest in hopes that a new marketing tactic will be the answer, but marketing usually isn’t about one tactic or idea that becomes a smash hit. On average, a customer must hear, see, or experience your product seven times before they make a purchase. In order to get the most out of your marketing efforts, it must consist of regular, consistent communication over time. In other words, you must create a system that delivers to your target market on a regular basis.
Here are some ideas to get started:
- Team. Gather your team in a room and reevaluate your target market and where they spend their time. Who is buying your product or service? What websites do they visit? What periodicals do they read? What blogs do they follow? Include recent surveys from customers that ask how they learned about your company.
- Whiteboard. Write out each of the ways you can think of that prospects and customers have heard about you. Are there other ways they could learn more about your company that you haven’t explored? Brainstorm new ideas based on the information you learned about your target market. If you feel lost, marketing gurus (like the brainiacs at Silver Square) can help. Here’s a start: 91 ways… (ed: a recent edition of the Silver Square newsletter included a feature called 91 Ways to Revitalize Your Marketing)
- Strategy. Pick the ideas that will give you the most bang for your buck. Note that you may not know what those are yet! You will want to be sure that you complete the activities for a specified amount of time (more than once!) and track their success. Start by using a marketing calendar. Take your variety of ideas and put them into regular intervals on the calendar. Here’s a link to a free one you can download for 2009: http://www.brandeo.com/node/1135.
- Document. Don’t reinvent the wheel each time you complete a marketing tactic. Write down the steps it takes to complete it and, if you can, delegate it to someone else to continue the activity regularly. This allows you to focus on other high value efforts.
- Track! This is the most important part of the process. You cannot know the success of your efforts unless you track them. E-mail marketing makes this easy as you can watch open and click-through rates. Set up a system where your salespeople consistently ask each new prospect how they heard about your company. Track the information on a spreadsheet (or other method such as your CRM) and evaluate the marketing efforts with the highest success. Then add and delete tactics based on this evaluation.
By looking at marketing as a process, you will stop wasting money on hit or miss activities and start spending your valuable time and money where it matters most. Good luck!
July 28th, 2009
This one is going to be short and sweet – but the message is as solid as they come:
Tearing others down is never as helpful to a movement as building your followers up. – Seth Godin in Tribes
We have been working on a book for a client and thinking of an array of subtitles; some good, some really bad, some jabbing fun and some very matter-of-fact. I think I must be more sensitive than I let on, because when I read about bad things, even when they are suppose to be funny or trendy, I just cannot feel good about them. Something in my core says woah, that just isn’t nice and therefore it never sits well.
Next time you’re brainstorming a message, copywriting or theme for a project, remember that statement. It will work in your favor and sustain your efforts far beyond a quick-jabbing line.
May 6th, 2009
I recently had coffee with a couple people from VISTAGE, Mike Donahue, who is one of their coaches, and Chris Bittinger, who is a consultant at Benefit Associates and a member of VISTAGE. They are both sharp guys so I decided to check out the site to learn more. In their content library, I found a nice list of articles relevant to our business owner audience at Silver Square. Below is one of the articles I found useful and wanted to share. Enjoy the list.
Ninety Ideas to Cut Costs and Increase Cash Flow
Excerpted from the book All About Earnings: 100 Ways to Profit in Any Economy by Barry Schimel and Gary Kravitz
When cash gets tight and you need to cut costs or find ways to increase cash flow always remember that your fellow Vistage group members offer a wealth of good ideas to get your company back on track.
