Prior to the CTF, I had made efforts to encourage staff to “talk up” major upcoming programs, largely by mentioning these programs at staff meetings and asking staff to tell patrons about them. However, these efforts had met with limited success. While developing the CTF, I was reading Building a Buzz: Libraries and Word-of-Mouth Marketing by Peggy Barber and Linda Wallace. The authors discussed the need to market new initiatives to staff as well as patrons and the community. I realized that in order to successfully market new programs, I first had to successfully market them to staff.

As a result, I changed my strategy and decided to take a new approach when talking about the mission of CTF to staff. I thought about what would make a CTF brief compelling to staff:

•  Staff had to feel like what they were talking about would have a direct, positive impact.
• Staff had to feel like their participation did not create a large additional workload.
• Staff had to feel like they had the right tools.

I took care not only to explain what the CTF briefs were, but also encouraged staff to raise questions and concerns and suggest ideas for future messages. This gave them a strong sense of involvement and excitement about our library’s messaging.

The first CTF brief coincided with a large publicity campaign for our community read Moby-Duck.  The book lent itself to lots of fun, duck-themed publicity, which generated enthusiasm among staff. Taking the above approach, the first CTF initiative got enthusiastic buy-in and participation. I was thrilled to see most of my colleagues talking up the message and hand-selling Moby-Duck to our patrons. We also had patrons say that they attended a program because staff had told them about it. Finally, because our staff had fun participating, they got into the habit of talking the message up. As we have moved on to new messages, staff interest and buy-in has remained high.

Several things helped to encourage staff buy-in. In contrast with previous attempts to get staff involved, the CTF is a structured initiative rather than an sporadic, casual request. Explaining the “why” of the CTF as well as the “what”, including giving compelling statistics that supported its likely effectiveness, gave the request more weight and helped staff understand how their participation fit into the bigger picture. Providing a succinct, easy-to-remember message supplemented by pointers to more information and tools such as phrasing suggestions made it easy for staff to participate. Finally, the value of expressing gratefulness and appreciation cannot be underestimated. At each staff meeting, I mention our current message and express my gratitude for staff’s important contribution to our marketing strategies. I want to be sure that my colleagues know that their continued efforts are valued and necessary.

Launching the CTF was a great learning experience for me. The success of this initiative not only taught me the value of staff buy-in, but the need to view staff as a core target audience when developing new marketing proposals.

Heather Backman is the Programming, Public Relations, and Outreach Coordinator at the Howe Library in Hanover, New Hampshire.

Now that I’m on the sales side of things, we have another hole to sell.  Our hole helps clients sell their own holes.  (Can I make a pun here? Thank you – “And you know there’s one thing about holes… Everyone’s got ‘em.”)

Ahem.  Anyway.

Something very interesting and forward-thinking is happening in my office.  I am honored to work with some very creative, talented, and client-focused sales people.  These amazing client-focused sales people are about to adjust their sales paradigm to also include being consumer-focused sales people.  Our job is to help our clients sell their holes and if we understand their consumers better we will be able to bring to the table better ideas that are more centric towards the actual people that hold our client’s checkbook, their customers!

As a media planner, I used to have to work with clients who kind of knew who their audience was, but it was my job to not just plan their media, but discover the hidden truths about their consumers’ lifestyles, buying patterns, AND their media consumption.  All of these go hand and hand.  Probably about 40% of my time in the media planning cycle was researching those consumers and trying to fill in the timeline of their day and figure out where my client’s message would best be seen and received.  And then I also worked with the creative team to help them formulate what this particular audience member wanted us to say to them.  Whew.

Also as a media planner, I was so happy when I had a sales rep come in and bring me more insights on my client’s customers.  I’m only one woman with a finite amount of time.  If they could bring me a golden nugget of consumer insight that they were able to discover through their company or just through research they had done to help me they would 1) gain a research nerd friend for life, and 2) gain an advocate to getting them on the media plan.  Of course, this was seen very few and far between.

Onto finding those golden nuggets! Yay!

But we need to get this ball rolling and populate the blog with interesting content.

And that is the topic of this post: CONTENT.

We live in a world where buzz words are constantly thrown at us, and for us Marketing professionals, we speak buzz fluently!

But content marketing is more than a fad. Never have we had such easy and immediate access to information. Does anyone remember the days when our only source of information was the 6 o’clock news and the whole family would sit in front of the telly to learn about what was going on in our local area?

As great as it is to have information at our fingertips, it has come with one big burden: content development. Almost every company now has a dedicated marketing professional whose sole function is to develop branded content and communicate it through various channels: blogs, Twitter, facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, Google +, LinkedIn and so forth.

Creating content on a regular basis ensures a consistent flow of traffic to .com with the ultimate goal to build engagement that will lead to customer loyalty.

Common sense, right? Right, I know most people already know this, so why am I wasting precious online time on the topic?

Because there is such a thing as inappropriate content.

And I’m not talking about R-rated material, rather, material that has nothing to do with A) the brand and B) the audience.

Content should be relevant and not always about your own brand. Remember, you want to connect with your audience and your audience has interests other than your brand.

A brand is a promise. It is built on values and a mission. Communicating those to your audience by exemplifying how other elements apply to your values and mission will likely earn you some brownie points.

Let’s take an example.

One of my favourite brands and former employer: Swatch.

Fun, colourful plastic watches. A functional product that tells time. Except we all use our mobile phones to look at the time. So how can a watch brand stay relevant? For obvious reasons I won’t go into detail, rather, look at the channels Swatch currently uses to communicate its message to the consumer.

So let’s take a look at how Swatch communicates and what they communicate.

First, there’s Swatch.com, the first port of call and where you can find anything in the Swatch world. But what I’ve always liked about Swatch isn’t just their products, but the lifestyle it represents.

As a teenager, I thought that by wearing a Swatch watch I would magically be cool and the other kids would look at me and think I was cool. PS: well done team Swatch circa 1998!

And while surfing on the Swatch website, you come across information about Swatch Club and my personal favourite: Swatch TV.

Swatch Club

Boom, all of a sudden, there’s a brand that isn’t just about watches, but has a personality also. By association, Swatch consumers are also into extreme sports, edgy fashion and modern art.

Swatch TV video thumbnails

And on Swatch TV, content is uploaded regularly to ensure return visits and each visit is an opportunity to convert. Those are qualified leads, people who are interested in the lifestyle that Swatch represents and one day, that will translate into a sale. Cannot imagine how frantic the team is in Switzerland sourcing and developing new content constantly – well done, team!

The content on Swatch TV isn’t a push message, a branded advertising. It is a representation of the personality of Swatch. It’s the athletes in their journeys, up and coming artists and art events, fashion that isn’t off of Vogue or Cosmopolitan. It introduces the consumer to a world of new knowledge. From all over the world. It brings the consumer closer to the brand, like a new friend, someone you have something in common with and want to spend more time getting to know one another.

And how do you engage with this new friend? By having it on your wrist day in day out.

And everyone who sees you wearing that Swatch watch will know what you are into and it may even start conversations and build new friendships with like minded people.

All through a watch brand.

It’s magic, isn’t it?

To my dear friends at Swatch Int’l and local markets, thank you so very much for the great times, the fun days and nights and above all, thank you for the knowledge shared. I have learned a lot from all of you.

In conclusion, content marketing ensures a brand engages with its customers, but content has to be relevant and of interest. Don’t push a branded message, focus on building a personality for your brand and become a friend, not a pushy salesperson.

Okay, okay, before you bite my head off, a disclaimer. Yes, although in some organizations, the design team and marketing will work in one glorious department [or the marketer is the designer], many times this is not the case. But at the end of the day, both teams, whether they live under a singular umbrella or two separate islands, the goal aims to create memorable, marketable content that will ultimate drive the uniquely-defined conversion.

It is our responsibility as marketers to assist those that we depend on so very much and vice versa. Without the other, campaigns are oftentimes incomplete, fall flat, do nothing, forgotten. And as an online marketer, the importance of sharing the benefits of certain initiatives, such as SEO [*hint, hint*], content marketing, social, etc, will make everyone’s jobs much easier.

Let’s return to my little SEO hint. I discovered at several of my past jobs that designers found SEO as a very foreign concept. Sure, they have heard about the idea but never put ideas into practice. WHAT? I was completely shocked. And I wrongfully assumed they knew the in’s and out’s of some of the very basic ideas that designers could implement. [face palm - double work resumes] But I was pleased to learn that several of the creatives wanted to know how to add this tool into their toolbox. Perfect. Here are a few quick ways in which Dev and Design can assist with the SEO process:

Michael Jordan was one of the most prolific, if not THEE most prolific basketball player of all time. Broke records, won championships and MVP’s multiple times throughout his career. But, the one thing everyone knows, but very few actually mention, was how his ability to play, made those around him standout as well. He scored. He scored A LOT! But, he won championships by passing the ball. John Paxson, Craig Hodges, Jon Kerr, just to name a few. It was players like these that helped the Bulls take home titles year after year. Michael alone could not do this. He needed a team, that was just as selfless as himself, that was also willing to “pass the rock” to who ever had the hot hand at the time. This mentality however, does not stop with professional sports. Behind any successful business, you will find a cast of supporting characters willing to “pass the rock” to who ever it is will help the team as a whole, WIN! And that concept doesn’t stop just because you are now using social media.

Almost 70% of small business can now be found on a social media platform of some kind. Most are free, so that only makes good business sense to try to maximize your exposure, while keeping monetary costs down. But, again, in the pursuit of caring for self, the same percentage of businesses that use social media more than other forms of marketing?…70% FAIL! Why? Because, most businesses are NOT doing their homework ahead of time. Again, people, SOCIAL MEDIA WAS BUILT FOR DISCOVERY & SHARING! I hate to yell this out at some of you, but you need to come to grips with the fact that you HAVE to share, in order to receive. Here are the main obstacles that have evolved over time with the increase in businesses on social media.

Again, by the numbers & facts…….

1. the formula doesn’t lie. (Riddle of Magic), only 16% of your fan base sees your posts in their news feed. And on average, for a business page to even say they are getting good results, is only 3% of their TOTAL likes!! This basically makes your likes, relatively useless. Again, read (The Riddle of Magic). The numbers don’t lie.
2. two, people like options (Statistically, a business that only provides more options of their products, fair less than businesses that offer more options of OTHER peoples products. In some cases, 100-to-1).
3. people go where others are looking. Going back to number two, people like options, and they will go where they feel the best options can be found
4. people on social media are about sharing and discovering. (Unless you have a limitless variety of products, fans will quickly become bored with your content, and move to a page that offers them more to see and do).
5. There are “favs” for most users. And not just pages on Facebook. There is also Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter, Blogs, and even sites like Polyvore. Users have options on what platforms they wish to stay on. And they are using each one for different reasons.
6. Those with proper marketing platforms and “campaigns”, are adept at taking people away from social media when they want to shop, and conditioning their fans that Facebook and others are just for inspiration.
7. MAYBE THE BIGGEST OBSTACLE, ABOVE THE REST ABOVE…….Business page’s haven’t mastered the art of sharing.

The obstacle’s above, for the most part, are out of the hands of most online businesses. But number 7 is the one you have direct control over. Sharing is caring people. It is the key to winning on ANY social media platform. The usual standard of practice is that you worry about yourself and your business. On social media however, that will NOT work. And, it’s more than just a share here or there. You have to share like you actually CARE! Let’s face it, with the formula the way it is on Facebook, and the multitudes of other social media, sharing will definitely take away from your ability to share your own content. That is evened out by the fact that, if you are sharing what they have, and they are doing the same for you, you are evening out the loss, and increasing your exposure in other markets. MOST importantly though, you are doing what users love to do…..discover! You are offering other places that they can discover. And if these other discovered places are ALSO sharing what you have, you will STILL be exposed to them. But again…..

By the facts….

• By sharing, you increase your collaborations chances of beating the 16% rule.
• People like options. You give them the options they want to have, while keeping it within your community.
• Collaborate. Build a community of equal interests. (This one ONLY works if you are willing to put aside your personal need to be in the spot light. (Even Michael knew when to “Pass the Rock” to the player that was “hot”.) If you are MORE concerned about what they share of you, than what you share of them?….then you STILL don’t get it social media, and you are doomed to be stuck, or worse. You need to start sharing pages and content that are NOT your own.)

Again, with social media, there is never one answer, and it is never as simple as “Do this, and it will work”. Every situation is different, and will require different approaches. (“Copy and Paste” success?) But, by sticking to the guidelines to what made social media platforms popular in the first place, you position yourself to have far greater results, than those who don’t.

For more info about social media marketing, read (Marketing vs Advertising), (The Art of War..Waging war)

For a free consultation on some of the tactics you can implement today, to get your social media profile on the right track, email us at shogan.skylincouture@gmail.com. Be sure to include business name and description along with link to page. That is all we will need to evaluate your social media profile and proficiency, and give tips on how to maximize your social foot print.

If you read my story above, then you KNOW the three key elements to his Magic trick. If you haven’t found them, read again, only pay more attention to the surroundings and what this “con” required.

Facebook. It is the LARGEST pound for pound social media platform in the world. They tout over 100,000,000 users everyday. It also happens to be the preferred platform for small businesses and aspiring entrepreneurs the world over. Something else you probably already know…in order for Facebook to make money, they HAVE to sell advertising. It is how they became so large, keep their people employed, pay for their company to stay online, etc. Good news is, Facebook is NOT a con. It is a fantastic social media platform that has connected me, and others with people that, without it,  may have never had the pleasure of getting to know. The bad news…for businesses, this platform is an illusion. But what makes me say that? Lets look at what Facebook has implemented over just the last year, and then do the numbers

• Promote page
• Sponsored story
• Pay to message non friend
• Gifts
• disabled “like” in order to view page
• limited fan page posts in news feeds to 16% of your fans
• aggressive advertising  banners (so you can advertise with THEM)
• Graph search (Beta testing)

Of all of these above, there should be ONE that should’ve stood out to you, and gave you a sense of angst. Only 16% of ALL your fans accumulated, will actually see your posts. 16%……..Now, of that 16%, How many do you think are actually TALKING about you? I did some searching and digging. Of TOTAL likes on a page, more than 85% of those pages had LESS that 3% even talking about them. What does that mean? Lets do some math. I will use a company that we personally have just begun to implement OUR marketing strategies for. Their like count, 504,000

1. Formula (504,000 X .16) Equals……80,640…That is the number of people they potentially reach with each post. Non-viral

Sounds good right? You wouldn’t say that!, unless you were just happy to even HAVE that potential. To our clients however, that is UNACCEPTABLE. And understandingly so… But, it gets worse…..

1. Formula (504,000 X .03) Equals……….15, 120…that is the number of people that should be talking about their page, IF, they are at or above the 3% margin. Guess what the number of people talking about is?…….23,495. So, what is THEIR true percentage? A little under 5% of their fans, are actually engaging on their page……

Now lets put that last number into perspective with the number of people that actually BUY what they see on Facebook, which on average is LESS than one percent, and you start to see a SERIOUS problem. So, what does this have to do with the riddle of magic, and what is the solution? First of all, the “play” was the false sense that what you are doing is amounting in TRUE results. We have used this platform, been told over and over about ‘The importance of likes” and how it can benefit your business. What we didn’t realize was that, once that was conditioned in our heads to believe, all they had to do was show a couple “winners”, get you to play, shuffle the board some (Dumb gimmicks that no one would really pay attention to) and cuff the foam ball. Done and done. Admit it, you and others have discussed at least one time how it seems like your page just isn’t getting the responses it once was. You don’t seem to be winning like some of these other pages. Maybe if you just work harder, it’ll turn around?………NO! It won’t turn around. Ad companies want their money, and big business wants your attention. Want the formula for THAT one?

1. Facebook + Advertising+Big Business -U= Get it?

Let’s be honest, most of you are not paying for marketing and advertising for one of two reasons. You either don’t have the kind of money it takes to be found where people are actually looking, OR, you still think it’s the good ole days and you can just do it yourself. Unfortunately, in both instances, those days are soon coming to an end. If you are NOT willing to pay for advertising, big or small, than you will HAVE to invest in either direct marketing of your company, or consulting on how to PROPERLY market. You are going to have to start looking at financial planners, business coaches, networking, promotional material, graphic and web design. Don’t think for a second that Big business didn’t have “New Years Resolutions” of their own. They want your attention, and media giants (On & Offline) want to get paid to do it.

So, what’s the solution?

There is another quote my wife often says when it’s time to just be real bout a decision. “This is a come to Jesus moment”. And, that quote, no matter your theology, is exactly what business owners need to do about the reality of the situation. Some of you have built your ENTIRE business off of social media. If they limited your exposure even another 4%, it would be DEVASTATING. And I don’t mean that lightly. Don’t believe me. Go back above, and do the numbers again. The reality is, if you are either stuck, not failing, but not really growing either, or worse, things are declining…..you have to bite the bullet and start actively investing in your business. There are services and markets that have accommodated, or have been built with the idea of resetting industry “standards” of price. We all know that very few of us can afford $10 a post. The way we post, that price would be well over $3,000 just to sponsor and advertise a year on Facebook. And, with the results you actually get from it? Why bother? Besides, who can afford to just throw one away like that simply to be seen?……. Big Business! To be effective, you first need to understand the difference between SOCIAL MEDIA ADVERTISING VS SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING. Their is a difference. Both should be utilized in some function. But, marketing above advertising is going to get you the results you are looking for. (Read; Content is King) At the end of the day, those willing pay, will be allowed to play. Those still trying to just do it themselves? Well, this is your “Come to Jesus Moment”. Next on the list….”Do you really like me?”

• the act of calling attention to a product or service. Traditionally, this was done in print, radio or television. There is no vested interest by the facilitator of the space. There sole purpose is to provide a platform on which you can be seen.
• Advertising tells a story about something to attract attention. Advertising is a step in the marketing process.

Marketing, by definition is

• the actual act, institution, and process of creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners, and society at large.
• In business, “marketing” is the planning of, and steps taken, to bring merchants and consumers together.

In simple language, a marketers job is to actively work along side you in presenting your product to the public. Now, there are advantages to both. However, they are not equal strength in relation to Online and Offline marketing and advertising. Offline (as well as online when it pertains to emails) you will find that traditional means of advertising still “rule the roost”. They are simply the most efficient way to be seen and heard by the masses in one shot. Advertising as it pertains to social media however, does NOT have the same effect. When it comes to social media, Content is KING! People want to read and discover and share. Ad space on social media is all but useless, usually overlooked in favor of their friends new picture or funny quote or status. Ads are impersonal, and rarely translate into an ROI of any value. Having said this, one must STILL advertise through social media as “even a rain drop can raise a lake a little”. But, in the world of social media, your money should be invested MORE in marketing, than in ad space and blasts.

So, what is this blurring that I’m speaking of? Simple. If my service is claiming to be a social media marketer, but I only offer email and twitter blasts? If my business consists of placing you in an environment where people can be found, nothing more? Then in reality, my business is in Social Media Advertising. If my business actively promotes and implements strategies to create, deliver, exchange, etc, on a consistent basis? And, if we provide a platform that is also NOT social media based? Then we are a Social Media Marketer. Those in Social Media Marketing are hands on. There is a vested interest in getting your name seen. Those in Social Media Advertising only hold responsibility for the growth of their fan base, REGARDLESS of the traffic you see or don’t see.

Social Media Marketing NECESSITIES!!;

In order for a business to truly be a social media marketer, they must have a presence that exists off of a social media platform. Otherwise, how can you provide the exclusivity that is necessary to truly be effective? They must provide a platform that allows your product or service to be seen, content that helps the consumer have a sense of knowledge , and a way for you to SHARE it to social media. If they can NOT provide these services, than they are not going to be as effective at Social Media Marketing as those who do.

Social Media Advertising NECESSITIES!!;

In order for a Social Media Advertising business to be truly effective, they too should have a platform that is not solely based on the same platform as their clients. Social media like Facebook should be leverage towards exposure, but not the sole leverage of your business. The key is to draw the consumer away from said platform to your clients. Not simply draw more masses to a platform that others are also using. By doing so, you are doing those who advertise with you a dis-service. Consumers tend to search around. And, if you are keeping them in an environment where searching and sharing is the theme, they will be more likely to move on, leaving your following, NO MATTER how large, hollow. Need an example? FACEBOOK!! Their ad space is useless. Why? Not because of the traffic or users. They are ineffective at advertising because social media is about sharing, not shopping. When looking for a business to help increase your social media presence, whether through advertising, consulting, or marketing, understanding just what should be expected of said business is paramount to you seeing any return, whether in likes, traffic or sales, BEFORE you sign that dotted line.

With creative marketing more than 400 tickets were given out to see the Avalon String Quartet at the West Chicago Public Library.

We’ve all been there.  Your library has a fabulous public event planned, and you’ve expended a great deal of time and money to make sure it will be one to remember.  But two weeks before the event, the majority of the tickets you expected to give away are still sitting at your public service desks.  Yikes!

It’s the stuff of any marketers’ nightmares!  Stepping back to review what we might have missed, we see the announcement in our newsletter, the web site postings, e-news flashes, flyers and posters strategically placed, the social media engagement, the displays – why are those tickets still sitting there?  Haven’t we covered all the bases?  In a word – NO!

These days, most of us in the field of library marketing and public relations are overwhelmed with the rate at which new technologies come flying at us, all promising to reach our patrons in new and better ways.  Not many of us can keep up with it all – Facebook, Twitter, GooglePlus, LinkedIn, FourSquare, Flickr, Pinterest, Slideshare, YouTube…and Hoot Suite just seems to add yet another level of stress needing to be dealt with “tout de suite!”

No matter what kind of technological bells and whistles we’ve got at our disposal, though, it’s times like this that we need to roll up our sleeves and simply get back to the basics.  At the end of the day, it’s all about communication.  If your patrons aren’t responding, no matter what tools you’ve used, your message just hasn’t been communicated.

So, what now?  Well, let me tell you what I did when I faced just such a nightmare scenario recently at my library.  First, with the encouragement of my administrator, I made just one more sign.  Then I put it on a table right in the middle of the lobby.  I got a chair and a stack of tickets, put a smile on my face, and started to talk to everyone who came in the door.

“Hi, how are you today?  Did you hear about our event?”  And, guess what?  Most people I talked to had no idea!  And my stack of tickets started to get a little smaller.  Not everyone was interested in the event I was promoting.  But almost everyone was interested in being greeted, in being acknowledged, in talking about something.

In my two weeks in the library lobby, I heard so many interesting stories and met so many wonderful people.  I gave directions, I helped a patron use the lobby copier, I made a crying child smile, I even learned a line dance step or two.  And, after a while, I started to recognize the faces of many of our regular patrons and, more importantly, they recognized me.

Curious staff members stopped to find out what in the world I was doing, and pretty soon I had a couple of recruits to cover the hours when I wasn’t working at the library.  In two weeks, we gave away over 500 tickets.  I think we were all a little amazed.  Not only had this simple strategy worked, it was surprisingly easy!

Now, I’m not suggesting that we all pick up shop and camp out in our lobbies.  But I did learn some important lessons from this experience.  First, there is no more powerful communication tool than the act of one person simply talking to another.  Second, our patrons really do want to talk to us.  And, most importantly for me as a marketer, the next time I really want to know what our patrons think, I’m going to skip the SurveyMonkey.  I’m heading to the lobby.  Who knows?  I might just learn another dance step or two!

Shelley Campbell is Public Relations Specialist at the West Chicago Public Library District.

“A distinctive name or trademark identifying a product or manufacturer.”

And, labels are a good thing! They help us also distinguish between well known brands, and NOT so well known brands. There is a familiarity that comes with certain labels, as well as an expectation of service. In fact, for some companies, name recognition alone, because of the service or quality of good they provide, sells more than any commercial or other form of paid advertising. So, why the need to eliminate labels when it comes to websites then?

I am NOT an I.T. person. I would never sit here and say, that because I built a couple Wix sites, a couple wordpress blogs, that I am now some expert on building websites. However, I can say that, learning how to master these platforms, and taking advantage of their low cost, to NO cost options is not just cost effective, it’s genius! But, what about the fact that, if you don’t pay, it will state wix, or wordpress? At this point in the game people, lets be serious. You know a Wix site the second it begins to load a page. And, EVERYONE is using one. So, unless you’re paying for the extra features, what are you actually paying for? To remove who you used? We ALL know you have a WIX site!! And for your blogs? What are you hiding? You are using one of the top five blogger sites. Big secret there! It would seem to me, that at this point, like other brands, having the label there for others to see, eh, who cares. It’s not being cheap, or somehow cheating, that you use wix, or joomla, or any other platform like them. It is cost effective, and, they are used by rich and poor alike. Because, they are solid platforms.

Now, I’m not saying that the labeling at the bottoms can’t be distracting. But, most people already know a WIX site or Joomla site, and there aren’t very many blog platforms worth using either.   So, before you rush off to drop a monthly or yearly payment for your site, make sure that it is for the right reason.

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The emergence of social media and search engines, also ushered in a new age of discovering and sharing. Let’s be honest! When was the last time you told a friend to go check out a place, based on their flashy banner ad? It NEVER, or very RARELY happens. Even when on sites, I click on banners that I already trust, or on the affiliate banners, to see who that particular business trusts. Never a faceless banner, that I’ve never heard of. And, I’m not talking theory here. Lets look at the FACTS!

• The problem is banner ads try to replace a dying ad medium of static ads. Print ads for example. When they first burst onto the Internet scene, they worked. Because nobody knew what they were. People clicked. This was great because you couldn’t click on your TV, radio, magazine or print ad. But of course, everyone becomes more educated over time and this sort of lazy advertising continues to lose effectiveness. The industry average is far less than .02% (according to Businessweek) for a click vs amount of people that see it (essentially impressions for those new to ad-speak) and continues to drop every year.

• We displayed banner ads on our sites for a few sponsors and affiliates. They were never what we sold, but sort of a bonus for folks that spent a lot of money with us (and some affiliates I liked). And I found the data to be similar even with our very targeted audience of business owners, entrepreneurs and marketers (We actually outperformed the industry average by 500% but still that is low compared to other ways of advertising).

Does this mean death to banner ads altogether? No. We openly admit to using Wix, for 3/4 of our sites. And our directory is actually created using wordpress. Both cost effective, and and more than adequate for most website needs these days. (Wix and wordpress, you are welcome!) Wix in particular is a PERFECT platform for banner ad space. If you have a business that wants to be seen, one can easily ad them. And, though banner ads are not nearly as effective as content ad space, people will be more likely to search through your banners, IF, you follow some basic guidelines;

1. trust with the audience. Trust is hard to gain and easy to lose. If you promote bad stuff, or do it in a distasteful way, you will lose trust. Bad.
2. Products and services you feel comfortable promoting. I wouldn’t place a business I wouldn’t either use, or possibly suggest to another. Sometimes, even if the money is offered, integrity of your business HAS to come first. Turning down money is not an easy affair. But at the cost of your business long run, something that must be done at times.
3. More of a partnership than a passive relationship. A partner is a friend, and both your interests are locked together. Simple, lazy advertising (meaning banner ads) doesn’t fall into the partnership category. The business paying you to have their banner added to your site wants to feel that you care about their business and what they wish to achieve. Our featured ad space is only ten dollars. BUT, that is still $10 they could’ve spent else where. Every business wants to know that you value their money, just as much as you value receiving their money. No two ways about it.
4. Openly plug a business from time to time. Don’t just promote the one that payed the most. Yes, they should get what they paid for, BUT, if you can attest to having driven greater traffic to their business, even if just by “two’s and fews”, not only will they be more likely to work with you in the future, but they will be more inclined to tell others how your business operates.

Substance over flash is the new standard for marketing, hands down. Even Google is re-evaluating their Adsense campaigns, for something of more “substance”. One mistake a lot of us in the business world make is….we ask each other what works, instead of the people actually doing the buying. They tell it like it is, every time.

Last example….Photo’s are ALL the craze now. “Like this Photo if…..”, “Look how cool this is……” All great ways to get attention to your page. On Skyline Couture, a shoe may reach 50 likes, on a page with only 390 fans. 7.8% engagement. Factor in that likes mean that they actually like the shoe, and that one photo just did 700 times more than a years worth of paid banner space. Sounds great right? Hold on! Now, place a photo that is a Banner ad in the same slot?, and that ration drops to one, or two likes. If that. %1 ratio. And when you throw in the fact that on a regular basis, the page may have anywhere from 1,000, to up to 3,000
+ people talking about it at any given time, that number gets even worse. People are tired of being advertised to, in places that are not suppose to be advertising platforms.

Social media is for discovering and sharing. And, if you peak their interest enough, THEN, and only then, will they shop with you as well. There aren’t enough banner ads in the world to do that, trust me. In this day and age, imaging will get them there, but content will KEEP them there.
 

1) Your Own Website.  Yes, it may seem obvious. But this is an easy one to miss… it’s too obvious! Go over your website with a fine-tooth comb. Read every page, check every reference to your company. Make sure that all text and links lead folks to your new site address.  Don’t forget to check your blog while you’re at it!

2) Social Media.  Just this past weekend, I was doing research for a new project and came across a company that looked to be out of business. Every reference that I could find for them on the web sent me to a dead website. Then I found them on Facebook and noticed they had posted within the last few days. “Great! I’ll follow the link on their info page.” Wrong! Dead link! I sent them a note telling them their website was down. They responded saying they checked into it,their site was functioning fine, and provided me with a link. Guess what? It was a different web address than was listed everywhere… including on their own Facebook page! I commented again so they would check their information link and they thanked me for catching the error. Again, most folks are not in the habit of reviewing their About, Profile or Information pages in social media. They are focused on interacting with folks, so this is a very easy one to miss. Be sure to check the profile of all of your social media accounts: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+,…

3) Online Ads.  If you advertise online, always be sure to check not only the contact information listed on your ad, but also where the ad links. This is also important if you have an ad linking to a particular page of your site. Always make sure that your ad is linking to an appropriate, live web page.

4) Online Business Directories.  Internet based business directories can be a great (often free) source of advertising for your business (examples: Yelp & GetToKnowKaty.com). But they do you no good if they link to the wrong web address. Every so often, go to a search engine and conduct a search for your business to make sure that the directories have you listed correctly.

5) Search Engine Local Listings.  All of the major search engines have local listings. Take some time to see how your company is listed in Google Places, Yahoo! Local and Bing Local.

6) Printed Materials.  Now that you’ve taken care of your online brand, don’t forget about your printed materials.  Take a look at everything that you send out via print media:  brochures, postcards, business cards, ads,… Make sure your website, all of your other contact information, and any dates/times are current and accurate.  For example, if you are a church, you don’t want folks showing up for a 9:30 service that has moved to 9:00.  Don’t forget about all of your “auto-pilot” ads… those ads that renew automatically each month, quarter or year.  Ask the publisher for a copy of your ad so you can make sure that everything is accurate.

These 6 steps may take a little bit of time, but they will go a long way in keeping your traffic flowing.  Good Luck!

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Right On The Money is a direct mail marketing company located in the Houston, TX Metro Area. Visit our website for information on non-profit mail, church mailers, business mail, political mail & online community resources.
Follow us on Twitter:  @ROTMMarketing

Often times Marketers think they know what their communities want. Soon though that snazzy content marketing strategy is prompting people to unfollow, unclick and or unsubscribe. I found a few reasons why so let’s break it down folks.

Too Many Updates.
You know the guy at work who says hi 40 times a day. Or the cousin you are fond of but they call you 3 times a day to repeat the same facts or update you on the facts from five minutes ago. My personal pet peeve is the facebook guy who posts all his food pics, plays 8 different Facebook games with those 80 accompanying updates. O-M-G. Facebook forced me to go groundhog. Well not Facebook, I won’t slander them. Its the medium of choice for over a billion people worldwide (a great place for recruiting, marketing, and plain old friendship).
The point is this: Too many updates pushes people away.. Good timing, concise posts will win over fans and create business. Less is more folks.

Inaccurately Representing your brand.
Everyone hates being tricked. Fact. Pure and simple. According to the study I consulted 22% of users felt betrayed by a brand forcing them to disconnect from said brand. That’s a large loss for the companies who cheat clients whether it be inadvertent or not. When you misrepresent your brand to grow your social media fan base you are building the proverbial house on sand. The social media community is quite savvy and when you cross em they are in the wind. And that’s if you’re lucky. Hopefully word won’t spread and burn you. See yelp results to see where I’m going with this. Be genuine. Be authentic with all your moves and you will be doubly successful.

There’s No Value in Maintaining Connection.
The people who like your fan page, follow you on Twitter and buy your products do so because a connection was made. They love your product. They believe your spiel isn’t rhetoric. And indeed it shouldn’t be. When it is you have failed from the get go. That’s a lesson for another article. Be more than products. Create Value.. Be a friend and be a provider of quality. Purveyors of greatness rarely are flawless but they are always real. People rally behind them. Be great.

One parting thought- 16% of the people in the survey I consulted listed other as the reason they ‘disengaged’ from a brand. This may not help but we can assume these are people who left twitter, facebook, stumbleupon, and the like. So that is a good metric even if indirectly so.

Lastly, what key strategies do you have in place to avoid losing members of your social media communities?

#thriveorsurvive.

“Better understated than overstated. Let people be surprised that it was more than you promised and easier than you said.”
-Jim Rohn

“It is the set of the sails, not the direction of the wind that determines which way we will go.”. -Jim Rohn

Thoughts? Concerns?
Questions? Think I’m wrong?
Let’s chat.
Need ideas?
Want to learn how to invite?
Let’s chat.
Want a mentor or maybe the guy who will bounce ideas back and forth with you?
Let’s chat-
Tony@Changeinadvance.com
@changeinadvance
http://www.changeinadvance.com
Or simply reply to this article.