Tag Archive for: digital marketing

Stand By Your Brand

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Key Takeaways

  • Be Authentic and Clear: Brands must clearly define who they are, what they stand for, and who their target audience is. Authenticity in messaging is crucial; bland or generic content leads to uninspired engagement.

  • Embrace Risk and Creativity: Taking calculated risks in messaging can spark interest and conversation. Brands should be willing to stand by their values and their customers, even in the face of criticism, rather than retreating into safe, risk-averse communication.

  • Focus on Engaging with Your Community: Brands should engage with their audience and foster a fun, dynamic atmosphere, especially in social media interactions. Instead of succumbing to negative feedback, they should embrace the opportunity to reinforce their brand identity and connection with their supporters.

The Dave and Busters Tweet Lesson: Stand By Your Brand

This week, with the Dave and Busters “Juan” tweet yet another social media gaffe made it’s what into the collective conversation. It sparked furious cries of racism. It sparked snickers. It sparked the “holier than thou” media to earn mega points for traffic.

Imagine for a moment, the alternative tweet: “I hate tacos” said no one ever. #tacotuesday.

Imagine what THAT would have caused: crickets.

Which of those two messages was more brand consistent, more interesting, more compelling and took more courage?

Branding is like getting a tattoo: it takes guts and commitment.

Tweet: Branding is like getting a tattoo: it takes guts and commitment.

This is why brands and businesses must be crystal clear on who they are, what they stand for and who their target customer is. I’m not suggesting that every brand and business rush to the edge of every cultural controversy and insensitivity in order to create some reaction to their message. But in order to make it interesting they HAVE to know where the line is on risk taking. Brands and businesses have to accept that people who AREN’T their customers aren’t going to “get” it and they have to stand with their customers who DO.  If you insist on completely bland copy, messaging and creative, you will get some bland results.

Tweet: If you insist on completely bland copy, messaging and creative, you will get some bland results.

Tweet: Brands and businesses have to stand with their customers who DO “get it”.

I’m actually disappointed Dave and Busters didn’t fire back to the haters with another pun. Dave and Busters is a GAMING VENUE for grown-ups. It isn’t a financial company, it isn’t a children’s nonprofit, it isn’t a government agency, it isn’t a church. It’s supposed to be FUN. Taco Tuesdays are supposed to be FUN. I don’t know about you – but I could use a little fun in my tweet stream.

So here’s where we’re at with a collective lack of spine in the social, marketing and advertising world: be creative, be dynamic, create conversation and excitement, but DO NOT, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES TAKE RISKS. Does the marketing and advertising world really want to be known as the analysis paralysis industry whose signature color is beige?

Tweet: Does the marketing and advertising world really want to be known as the analysis paralysis industry whose signature color is beige?

Yes, let’s think through things. Yes, let’s consider the context. But let’s stop freaking out the minute someone with 2,000 followers takes issue with an edgy statement. Let’s understand our brands, their purpose, their customers and values and let’s stand by those values even when everyone else doesn’t get it. It’s OK. If your brand is truly defined, not everyone will.

Yes, the pain of nasty-gram tweets and email is piercing, they don’t last forever, in fact, in most cases, those very same people are off on an entirely different tangent tomorrow.  Being a wishy-washy brand isn’t good for anyone, except dish soap – and those consequences are far longer reaching.

Tweet: Being a wishy-washy brand isn’t good for anyone, except dish soap – and those consequences are far longer reaching. 
Stand tall. Take smart risks. Stand by your customers. Have some brand confidence. Stand by your brand.

 

 

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Social Media Marketing or Advertising? What’s Better For Your Budget?

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Key Takeaways

  • Focus on Building Trust: Utilize social media to establish credibility and foster trust among your audience. Understanding the motivations behind consumer actions can help tailor your approach for better engagement.
  • Leverage Word of Mouth: Encourage your community to share your content, as recommendations from trusted sources significantly impact consumer decisions. Recognizing what motivates sharing can enhance your outreach and credibility.
  • Be Purposeful with Messaging: Each post should have a clear objective, whether it’s to build trust or prompt action. Being intentional about your messaging can make your social media presence more relatable and effective.

Bet your starting to think about next year’s social media marketing plan. And as importantly, where will social media marketing fall into the mix? Will there be more? Less? The latest Advertising Trust report from Neilsen may offer some insights to help you in your planning process.

One of the strongest reasons to increase your social media is the the number one source of consumer trust and action is “Recommendations from people I know”.  Trust and action are often hand in hand, and we can’t discount the value of trust, but its also hard to measure. However, what creates trust and what creates action can be different. For example, consumers report that humorous ads resonate most with them. We know that humor is a powerful tool, especially in social media. It might be more powerful than cats, dare I say (GASP). However, humor is rarely what makes people take ACTION.

The action taking piece is the one I’m always most interested in looking at more closely. And its really no surprise that word of mouth leads the pack. Ads on social networks have a lower trust score than they do action score. That’s actually true for several advertising types. With respect to social media, there are two key take aways:
1)  Use social to build trust and be very aware of what motivations exist for taking action.
2) The power of your tribe: when they share what you’ve got, its a more credible source. So be very aware of what and why people share on social. Tribes deeply impact our actions.

Now, the challenge with a report like this is that these results are all self-reported. The challenge with self-reporting is that people don’t always really know why they do what they do. I know, YOU always know why you do what you do. Or do you? Your motivations may not always be clear even to you. That’s why I started Captivation Motivation Training. 

Just remember, what type of message you use impacts trust and action. Decide what you’re trying to establish in every single post. Be purposeful in your social media practice and you’ll find that you can actually be more human.

 

 

 

PS: If you’d like to download the Neilsen Report for yourself: click here

This post originally appeared on Akamai Marketing

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Your Social Media Marketing Plan – Is The Goal Trust or Action?

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Key Takeaways

  • Build Trust Through Authenticity: Utilize social media to cultivate trust among your audience by sharing genuine content that resonates with their values and interests, while being mindful of the motivations that drive them to take action.
  • Leverage Word of Mouth: Encourage sharing among your community, as recommendations from trusted sources significantly influence consumer behavior. Understanding what prompts people to share is crucial for maximizing your reach and credibility.
  • Be Purposeful in Messaging: Every social media post should have a clear objective—whether it’s to build trust or inspire action. Tailor your content accordingly to enhance engagement and effectively meet your marketing goals.

Bet your starting to think about next year’s social media marketing plan. And as importantly, where will social media marketing fall into the mix? Will there be more? Less? The latest Advertising Trust report from Neilsen may offer some insights to help you in your planning process.

One of the strongest reasons to increase your social media is the the number one source of consumer trust and action is “Recommendations from people I know”.  Trust and action are often hand in hand, and we can’t discount the value of trust, but its also hard to measure. However, what creates trust and what creates action can be different. For example, consumers report that humorous ads resonate most with them. We know that humor is a powerful tool, especially in social media. It might be more powerful than cats, dare I say <GASP>. However, humor is rarely what makes people take ACTION.

The action taking piece is the one I’m always most interested in looking at more closely. And its really no surprise that word of mouth leads the pack. Ads on social networks have a lower trust score than they do action score. That’s actually true for several advertising types. With respect to social media, there are two key take aways:
1)  Use social to build trust and be very aware of what motivations exist for taking action.
2) The power of your tribe: when they share what you’ve got, its a more credible source. So be very aware of what and why people share on social. Tribes deeply impact our actions.

Now, the challenge with a report like this is that these results are all self-reported. The challenge with self-reporting is that people don’t always really know why they do what they do. I know, YOU always know why you do what you do. Or do you? Your motivations may not always be clear even to you. That’s why I started Captivation Motivation Training. 

Just remember, what type of message you use impacts trust and action. Decide what you’re trying to establish in every single post. Be purposeful in your social media practice and you’ll find that you can actually be more human.

 

 

 

PS: If you’d like to download the Neilsen Report for yourself: click here

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Word of Mouth Still Leads in Trust & Action

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Key Takeaways

  • Word of Mouth is Key: Recommendations from people we know are the most trusted source for driving both brand trust and consumer action, highlighting the enduring power of personal connections over other forms of advertising.
  • Social Media as a Trust Builder: Brands should leverage social media to build trust, while being mindful of the motivations that lead consumers to take action. Understanding what prompts sharing can enhance credibility and influence.
  • Message Impact Matters: The type of message used in social media directly affects trust and action. Brands need to be intentional with their messaging, ensuring each post serves a clear purpose to foster genuine connections with their audience.

The latest Advertising Trust report from Neilsen reveals some surprises, but least surprising is the fact that “Recommendations from people I know” is the single most powerful driver to product and brand trust AND more importantly, action taking. It’s true that trust and action are often hand in hand, and we can’t discount the value of trust, but its also hard to measure. However, what creates trust and what creates action can be different. For example, consumers report that humorous ads resonate most with them. We know that humor is a powerful tool, especially in social media. It might be more powerful than cats, dare I say . However, humor is rarely what makes people take ACTION.

The action taking piece is the one I’m always most interested in looking at more closely. And its really no surprise that word of mouth leads the pack. Ads on social networks have a lower trust score than they do action score. That’s actually true for several advertising types. With respect to social media, there are two key take aways:
1) Use social to build trust and be very aware of what motivations exist for taking action.
2) The power of your tribe: when they share what you’ve got, its a more credible source. So be very aware of what and why people share on social.

Now, the challenge with a report like this is that these results are all self-reported. The challenge with self-reporting is that people don’t always really know why they do what they do. I know, YOU always know why you do what you do. Or do you? Your motivations may not always be clear even to you.

Just remember, what type of message you use impacts trust and action. Decide what you’re trying to establish in every single post. Be purposeful in your social media practice and you’ll find that you can actually be more human.

PS: If you’d like to download the Neilsen Report for yourself: click here

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Creating Great Content: The Viral Marketing Virus

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Key Takeaways

  • Focus on Quality, Not Virality: The article emphasizes that while going viral can be a benefit of great content, it should not be the primary goal. Instead, marketers should prioritize creating high-quality, emotionally resonant content that tells a story and engages the audience meaningfully.
  • Embrace Purposeful Content Creation: In today’s crowded media landscape, content should be purposeful and relevant. Marketers need to think strategically about their audience, distribution plans, and the cultural context to ensure their content stands out and resonates with viewers.
  • Understand the Role of Storytelling: Effective storytelling is essential for content creation. Whether planned or spontaneous, successful content often strikes an emotional chord with its audience. Marketers are encouraged to craft unique narratives that integrate their brand naturally, rather than forcing the product into the spotlight.

Listen up: Going viral is a benefit to creating great content, not the goal.

But if you’re really committed to creating great content, a viral marketing campaign:

Creating viral content is this easy.
And this difficult.
Here’s my fool-proof 3-step process.

  1. Create content that strikes an emotional cord (funny, sad, inspirational) and is distinctly unique and you’re one step closer to viral.
  2. Create content that tells a story, not a tagline, and you’re one step closer to going viral. 
  3. If you’re branding it, make the product part of the story, not THE story.

Not all that helpful, right? Truly the devil is in the details. Storytelling. More art than science. That’s why there is no Einstein-esque formula for viral. If only “viral” were as simple as math. It takes time to create and make a story. Songwriters, ad professionals, photographers, marketers, movie makers, writers, videographers, graphic designers.  Storytellers. And once in a while, a storyteller also gets lucky. And viral happens. Think of all the stories out there today. Not too many go viral, but does that make them not worth making? Of course not.

Update 2024:

Today we’re reaching into the archives to update a post I authored in 2008. 

Looking through this article (full text below), which originally appeared in 2002, I was struck by how much has changed and how much hasn’t. 

Going viral has changed a bit, and it happens faster than ever, thanks to platforms like TikTok, which we couldn’t even conceive of in 2010. 

On the other hand, content serves us differently now, and we have a lot more at our disposal. 

It’s interesting to look back through the time machine and compare content then vs. now. 

What’s changed?

We have more channels of distraction than ever. 

More isn’t always better, and that’s where we are today.Today, everyone is a creator—from influencers to publicists and marketers, even your neighbor next door. We have more channels competing for our time and attention. A lot has changed since the halcyon days of social media. The competition for eyeballs is great. It’s better to niche down and create content for a very specific audience, but don’t even try to please everyone. Of course, that’s not a license to be offensive, which brings me to my next point.

It means that creating great content must be purposeful and relevant. More than ever, you must think like a movie studio; if you’re going to spend the effort to create great content, what’s the distribution plan? What’s the marketing plan? Is there something newsworthy about it?

Cancel Culture Thrives on Viral Viruses

In today’s world, a very real question brands have to ask themselves: is viral content worth the risk? We live in a very divided time, and often, what strikes a cord is something that’s divisive to others (see: Budlight Controversy) . It’s easy for brands, be they purpose-driven or otherwise, to respond to the cancel culture with bland content to avoid a PR crisis.

Creating great content that goes viral in the best way, without offending a person or a group really requires diversity of perspectives at the content creation table.

We’re All Just Living in This Moment Together

Remember that moment during the COVID pandemic when we were all doing the exact same thing? There was a second there when the world felt very united. We had a common enemy: the virus. A common enemy is a great storytelling level, and lots of brands jumped to be part of the most important cultural moment of our lifetimes. That moment has passed, and it seems we’ve gone from one crisis to another for years now.

Even as I write this, in an election year, there are still things that unite us–your customers. Animals, from dogs and cats to sheep and donkeys, unite us. Rollercoasters (people love them or hate them) are divisive, but they still unite us. Simple pleasures like swimming in a lake or taking a nap under the dappled sun of a big shade tree are a shared experience. Nostalgia is a great uniter.

It’s more important than ever to tap into the zeitgeist of the time, know your audience very well, and be alongside them on their journey. It’s often a surprise when a beautifully created, well-crafted, branded, but bland video doesn’t go viral. I’m often left wondering—what would make it go viral? What planning went behind the distribution of the video? Was there something a viewer could really get emotional about? What was the plan to get people to view it?

So what’s stayed the same?

Create the best, most memorable content you can create.

Today: decide on your overall content strategy, put the time and effort into greatness, think like a movie studio, and create a plan.

Original Post: 2010

So, in honor of The Story, let me tell you one. About 4 years ago, I talked with Judson Laipply, whose own viral video in 2006, “Evolution of Dance,” received 70 million views in under 8 months. At the time, it was the #1 most viewed video of all time on YouTube (way before Gangnam Style). Judson’s performance tells a great story in an entertaining, unique way. When I asked him about his own viral video, he said that he put it up on YouTube as a fluke and that, in fact, someone in the audience recorded it and sent it to him. Judson was as surprised as anyone at the response; he wasn’t already famous (like some other viral video creators) Â, and he didn’t have a huge social media following at the time.  Since then, he’s done several follow-ups but none so successful as the original. Today, Judson is a working motivational speaker. The point is completely of the moment. Yep. Complete accident? Yep. Repeatable? Probably not. With all due respect to Judson, we’ve all been there and done that.

It’s pretty rare that branded material go viral. If you look at the most popular YouTube videos of all time (YouTube Charts), not a single one is a branded video. Almost all of them are music videos (YouTube being to this generation what MTV was to mine). Coincidence? No.  Does that mean that branded content can’t still be powerful? No. Check out the videos in particular categories. The all-time #1 video in the auto & vehicles segment is a COMMERCIAL. The Volkswagen/Darth Vadar commercial originally aired during the Superbowl 2011 (you don’t even have to go find it, do you? You remember it). Notably, none of the other Superbowl ads from that year or this year can claim the number one spot in any category. There were some great branded viral videos in 2012; my personal favorite was the Dollar Shave Club, which appears deceptively simple, but once you break it down, you realize it’s the product of a lot of talent and planning.

There is a theme here: either viral is completely planned, thought out, and scripted, or it’s completely of the moment, off-the-cuff. One is time-consuming, expensive, and lucky, and one is JUST lucky.  Which are you?

So go forth, my marketing compadres. Create amazing content in whatever medium you wish. Please. But create amazing content because it’s the right thing to do if you’re going to create content at all. By creating content, you’re saying something about your brand, whether 1,000 people see it or 1 billion people see it. Create the best, most memorable content you can create. And move on. And remember, sometimes it’s about quality over quantity.

 

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What Makes a Social Media Expert Any Different From a Unicorn?

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Key Takeaways

  • Continuous Learning and Sharing: True experts are committed to lifelong learning, actively seeking out new knowledge and sharing it through various platforms. They engage in conversations that help them refine their ideas and skills.
  • Valuable Learning Experiences: Experts embrace failures as opportunities for growth, reflecting on their past experiences to extract valuable lessons. This willingness to discuss challenges and learnings distinguishes them from novices.
  • Probing Questions and Efficient Use of Time: Experts prioritize understanding their clients’ needs by asking insightful, deep questions. They value both their time and that of their clients, focusing on effective solutions rather than casual meetings.

Its amazing, there are literally thousands of self proclaimed experts, but actually finding one in the wild is about as exciting as spotting a unicorn.  While unicorns are fairly easy to identify when you see one, this isn’t really the case with experts. In a world of so-called experts, how do you define an expert? How do you know if the person your thinking of working with is a hack or really able to be an expert for you?

Its not an easy question to answer, but I thought it would be worthy to discuss what makes an expert so special and how they differ from other professionals in their field. While I typically discuss social media, and these expert requirements certainly apply to finding a social media expert, they aren’t limited to social media experts. If you’re looking to talk to an expert, think about these things before moving forward.

An expert never stops learning:

To be an expert is to be an outstanding student, a natural curiosity. They actively spend time reading and thinking. That means that an expert invests time to improve his/her own skill set to benefit his/her projects, programs and clients. Its worth asking an expert how they keep up with changes, how much time they spend learning. But its even more than that, an expert shares. Why is this important? Because when a person learns information, the single best way to incorporate that knowledge is to share it. That’s why so many people who are considered experts are also speakers and bloggers, writers.  They know the secret to continued thought leadership is to share. They also know that by sharing, they engender conversations, comments and ideas which help them flesh out their ideas and opinions, which takes us back to the fact that most experts are outstanding students.

An expert has had learning experiences and even (gasp!) failures.

If you aren’t taking chances, then you’ve never had a failure. Experts take a risk now and then and they learn from the experience. Finding an expert means finding someone who will discuss what they’ve learned and what they would do differently next time. While experts may not use the language of “failure”, they certainly use the language of “learning lessons”. Show me someone who has never failed and I’ll show you either a noob or a boob.  No expert is perfect and if they can’t find learning lessons in past programs or clients, then they really aren’t asking the right questions.

Experts will ask probing questions.

Asking questions is the very basis to success. Some of those questions will require the client to dig deep to find the most honest answer. Asking questions about your business, your clients, your goals, these are all the kinds of questions that an expert should ask. But if your expert isn’t asking you deep questions, then you’re probably not dealing with an expert. Its the job of the expert to ask these questions so he/she knows how they can help you.  If you aren’t comfortable sharing the answers with your expert, ask them to sign an NDA, an expert won’t mind. An expert will want to get to the deepest part of the challenge and will want to do so quickly.

Experts value your time. And theirs.

An expert isn’t likely to ask you to go to coffee just to chat, and you shouldn’t ask an expert to do that either. Experts are busy people because the business of learning and sharing never stops. While that doesn’t mean an expert doesn’t have a life outside of work, its unlikely that an expert will spend his working hours lounging around at a Starbucks. An expert has typically spent hours honing their craft and you can’t learn everything they know simply by having a cup of coffee with them anyway. An expert won’t waste your time talking about him/herself on an intro meeting instead an expert will spend the time getting to know you, your business challenges and goals.  But more than that, an expert will be able to ask you the right questions and propose a solution efficiently. They also won’t be the cheapest person you speak with and that’s because they invest in you, your project and outcomes. You can hire less expensive people, but you can also go to a horse ranch if you want to see a horse. The unicorn is a rare breed and so is the expert. Working with them will save you frustration and time.

Photo: Creative Commons

Psst: while we’re at it, here’s an article I wrote earlier this year about outsourcing that still holds true: What you should and shouldn’t outsource.

 

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