5 Marketing Hits & Misses From 2011.

December 13, 2011

Not every trend turns out to be a hit, but even this "misses" can inspire. From Foursquare and Google+ to digital media and mobile money apps, 2011 was good for brands and marketers.

Deeper discounts, QR codes, web video. Many of the trends that emerged this year will continue to bewitch consumers and inspire marketers in 2012, while many we’ll be happy to take a break from (fingers crossed) in the coming weeks and new year. At the top of that list is Facebook, the social networking party that’s become so big it can no longer be described as one party, but rather several miniature mixers inside one gigantic rec room, albeit a virtual one. Google+ continues to attract consumer attention; Google boasts that its social media answer to Facebook attracted more followers this year than LinkedIn and Twitter combined, which sounds more impressive than it is. At press time, user numbers looked like this: Facebook: 800 million, Google+: 43.3 million (as of mid-October), LinkedIn: 135 million, and Twitter: 380 million. For my colleagues and me at Vertical Marketing Network, a little competition is a good thing, and no matter the social network, brands and businesses will continue to log on and engage. After all, it seems engagement is the marketing buzzword of the moment. Whether it’s in stores, online or via television, marketers are forever challenged to connect with their brand demographic in meaningful and authentic ways. And with so many tools at our disposal, we have plenty to look forward to.

Maybe I’m just blogging out loud, but it seems like yesterday’s micro trends are tomorrow’s everyday occurrences. Marketers can learn plenty from cultural hits and misses, and possibly influence a little sway.

Below, Blogging Out Loud’s Top 5 Marketing Hits & Misses from 2011 (OK, maybe not misses, but we’ve certainly had our fill):

Hit: Foursquare – The darling of the location-based social networking scene has redefined what is means to “check-in” and check businesses out. More than 10 million users can’t be wrong.

Miss: Google+ – No matter that they say (see above), the little social network that could has a long way to go before playing with the big boys.

Hit: Digital Media – Television may still be the preferred medium for old school adverts, but this year saw online advertising outnumber print for the first time ever. And it’s going to continue.

Miss: Augmented Reality – Not so much a miss, but rather: Let’s stop predicting its future and make AR what it’s going to be — not just the Next Big Thing, but the future.

Hit: Mobile Money – New mobile apps enable consumers to shop with ease and empower small businesses to operate like big ones with little to no cost. Will mobile money render the paper stuff a thing of the past?

Miss: Recession Marketing – Since we’re in the midst of the biggest holiday shopping season in recent memory, let’s stop talking “recession” and adopt a new and necessary sensitivity to the needs of average consumers.

Hit: QR Codes – Since we explored their potential a mere 3 months ago, Quick Response codes have gone from being “those bar code thing-ys” consumers barely understand, to stand-alone advertisements that connect brands and consumers on multiple levels, all with the help of a smartphone.

Miss: QR Codes – Still, has anyone seen a campaign that really truly works? And, more importantly, just how many consumers are using them?

Hit: Crowdsourcing — Thanks to the Internet and social media, never before have consumers had so much influence over brands and businesses. The trend will surely continue, but how will it shift?

Miss: Green Marketing – Everybody wants to save the planet, but we still have a long way to go in reducing media waste. Have any green campaigns caught your eye?

Blogging Out Loud will return Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2012. From our family to yours, happy holidays and best wishes for a safe and prosperous 2012.

Brought to you by Vertical Marketing Network, a Leading Integrated Marketing Agency.
Photo credit: Stock photo

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Posted by JJ Nelson

Back Talk: What Can We Learn From Small Business?

December 6, 2011

Many small businesses do things differently than big box retailers. Do marketers have something to learn from them? Chime in below in the comments section.

By all appearances, the holiday shopping season keeps getting bigger and better; by lunchtime on Cyber Monday, news of this year’s record sales numbers were circulating widely to the tune of “For the Love of Money.” But the Ghost of Christmas Future is singing another carol. It’s message: think small business. While the National Retail Federation was reporting a record $52.4 billion in spending over the four-day Thanksgiving weekend (that’s Thursday through Sunday), and Cyber Monday sales were up 15% over last year, the American Express-sponsored Small Business Saturday was celebrating its own tiny victories. This year’s event, which encourages consumers to shop local, saw the credit giant offering card members a $25 credit for any $25 spent at qualifying small businesses nationwide, and the event’s Facebook page boasted 2.6 million “likes,” more than double last year’s numbers. In the spirit of the season, leading software developer Intuit finally jumped on the e-commerce trend; yesterday, the company announced Intuit SimpleStore for Facebook, which allows small business owners to accept debit and credit payments via the social network, and perhaps more impressively, automatically syncs a merchant’s website with its Facebook page. In August, the company partnered with Verizon Wireless to sell its smartphone credit card reader GoPayment, another nod for small businesses.

Maybe I’m just blogging out loud, but it seems like Small is the new Big. With more ways for small businesses to engage consumers, marketers best take stock and adapt accordingly.

Which prompts the question: What can marketers learn from small businesses? Has a recent campaign or effort inspired your marketing mind?

Brought to you by Vertical Marketing Network, a Leading Integrated Marketing Agency.
Photo credit: Emily Carlin

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Posted by JJ Nelson

What Would a Marketer of the Year Say?

November 29, 2011

5 Questions For Bill Weintraub — industry veteran and visionary.

For Bill Weintraub, the strategy behind successful marketing has not changed much over time: know your product, know your audience and communicate effectively.

Our industry is teeming with great leaders and visionaries, people from whom we all have much to learn. Bill Weintraub is one such person. After all, he’s been BrandWeek magazine’s Marketer of the Year and was named Outstanding Chief Marketing Executive by Frohlinger’s Marketing Report. He’s served as Chief Marketing Officer at Tropicana and Coors Brewing, and prior to that, he managed brands for the Kellogg Company, where his leadership fostered new success for Kellogg brands and marketers alike, when he championed efforts to allow food products to make health claims and thus ushered in a new era in food marketing. Before that, he managed iconic brands such as Scope, Prell, Sure and Crest for Procter & Gamble. Bill is currently a faculty member at the University of Colorado and an executive mentor to M.B.A. students at the University of Denver. We caught up with Bill last week and — not surprisingly — he had plenty of knowledge to share from his own storied and successful career in marketing and how it relates to current trends in marketing and popular culture.

Blogging Out Loud: You’ve seen a lot of changes over the years. How do you identify passing fads from lasting trends? Is there a secret?

Bill Weintraub: I really don’t think the underlying principles of communication and persuasion have changed that much since the times of Aristotle. Too many people — in the media, especially — get hung up on fads. Fads, or fashions, they come and go. For me, it’s the underlying principles of communications and strategy that matter:

– Understanding your product and/or service
– Identifying the consumer group for which its benefits are important
– Utilizing communication to demonstrate that

Some people don’t understand these basic principles. They get hung up on the fad.

BOL: What are your go-to resources — whether they are on the streets, in print or online — for keeping up on trends?

BW: I’m a big believer in magazines, whether I’m reading them on my iPad or physically. I read AdAge, Adweek, Business Week and Fortune. But I’m also a big believer of keeping track of pop culture, by reading magazines like People and US Weekly. That’s what people are interested in, so for me, it’s more important to keep in touch with pop culture.

BOL: When teaching, how do you balance new platforms, such as social media, against tried and true tricks of the trade?

BW: I don’t think social media — or, any one medium — is that important. Social media may work for some brands, and it may not for others. Television is still the dominant medium of our time — it accounts for two-thirds of spending among major advertisers — and the reason why is you can tell a story and dramatize something on television that you can’t in other mediums. That’s not to say social media, outdoor media, radio, and newspapers don’t have a place.

The key point is what advertising causes you — as a consumer — to switch to another brand from your current brand. That’s what effective marketing is about; it’s no more difficult than that. What causes brand switching? Does that advertising give the consumer some inclination to say, “You know what, I’m going to switch…” Does it provide some motivation? It’s mundane stuff. You have to understand pop culture, and a little bit of psychology. Think out how real people act. That’s how people make decisions.

BOL: What social media platform do you find most exciting and why?

BW: I go on Facebook and I follow some Twitter [feeds], but I don’t think it’s that important. If there’s a strategy that communicates some advantage to some group of consumers for whom that message resonates — that’s what important. Being cool isn’t that important. Look at what Pepsi did last year when they tried to be “cool” and shifted monies from television to social media; they really screwed up…

BOL: What marketing and promotional campaigns/tools are you excited about now?

BW: I don’t consider myself a dilettante of what’s good. If it builds business, it’s good. For you or I to judge advertising before we know the results, it’s very risky. There’s no correlation between what consumers like and effective advertising. It might be a little different in terms of promotions because you have the element of price, particularly in this economy, when people are more concerned about price. I think PR works the same way. In a sense, social media can be a vehicle for good PR, as long as there’s a strategy.

“5 Questions For” is a new and occasional feature in which Blogging Out Loud interviews influential industry leaders on current and future marketing trends.

Brought to you by Vertical Marketing Network, a Leading Integrated Marketing Agency.
Photo credit: Stock photo

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Posted by JJ Nelson

5 Social Media Platforms Worth Thanksgiving.

November 15, 2011

Top brands go online to promote their name, spirit of the season.

The Thanksgiving "place mat" of social media platforms is as varied as our celebrations. Below, Blogging Out Loud shares 5 platforms worthy of Thanksgiving and your marketing consideration.

For the next 10 days, many U.S. consumers will forgo visions of sugar plums in favor of Thanksgiving, that delicious kick off to the holiday season’s biggest shopping events — Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Both in stores and online, social media is proving to be Santa’s preferred little helper, with smart brands promoting coupons, incentives and sales via Facebook and Twitter. According to a recent study by the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth Center for Marketing Research, 58% of Fortune 500 companies have an active Facebook presence and 62% are utilizing Twitter. Still, some surprising brands are turning to social media to promote both their name and the spirit of the season. John Deere, long associated with farming and, in recent years, trucker caps sporting their iconic green and gold logo, has used social media to launch Project Can Do, a food drive of sorts in which 300,000 cans of food will be used to construct a model of a John Deere tractor before turning to stock a food bank in Illinois. The campaign — designed to raise awareness of the role farmers and ranchers play in producing healthy food for the growing population — largely uses Facebook to engage both consumers and the agriculture businesses it celebrates. The brand’s Facebook page features a “design a can app” and other features such as live streaming, photos and forums to engage farmers, who John Deere notes, are eager to engage consumers in new ways. That “can-do” attitude inspired my Vertical Marketing Network coworkers and me to consider other social media platforms that celebrate the season’s most social holiday.

Maybe I’m just blogging out loud, but it seems like the potential of social media is as diverse as the brands the consumers who use them. A greater number of platforms can only mean more ways to inspire and engage.

Below, 5 social media platforms worthy of your Thanksgiving and marketing consideration:

1. The Ever-Expanding Twitter-sphere – Social media’s equivalent of a chat room has reached more than 100 million global active followers, with an additional 400 million unique monthly browsers, up 70% since the beginning of the year. Just as impressive, 55% of Twitter’s active users rely on cell phones to engage.

 2. Tumblr, minus the “e” – The micro-blogging site is said to be the best thing since WordPress, and millions of users agree. Brands are starting to jump on board, too.

3. Sonar Power – Our favorite new mobile app  shows hidden connections we share with strangers nearby. Whether they be friends, friends of friends or like-minded strangers, Sonar connects consumers using shared connections, such as mutual Facebook friends and fan pages, common Twitter interests and more.

4. The Plus-side of Google+ – Social media’s NBT hasn’t proved to be quite that, logging 40 million users to Facebook’s 800 million. Still, Google+ and its +1 feature are maintaining interest and redefining the ways consumers talk about media contact. No wonder experts say the battle’s not over.

5. Vimeo, for other video – Just like Google+ is no Facebook, Vimeo is no YouTube. Last week, the video-sharing website reported 150,000 paid subscribers, making it the 13th online video destination according to comScore. Still, the platform continues to draw a highbrow creative audience who share an interest in both video making and community.

Now that’s something marketers should be thankful for.

Brought to you by Vertical Marketing Network, a Leading Integrated Marketing Agency.
Photo credit: Care Networks

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Posted by JJ Nelson

Marketing’s Brave New Dimension.

November 1, 2011

Augmented Reality apps create virtual worlds on top of real ones.

The line between reality and illusion is getting thinner. Augmented Reality mobile apps use built-in smartphone features such as cameras, compasses and GPS to build virtual worlds -- entertaining and helpful -- atop real ones.

It was Albert Einstein who famously observed that “reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one.” Imagine what he would’ve thought of Augmented Reality. Just how common is Augmented Reality (AR)? Think about football broadcasts where the yellow first-down marker is seen on every play? Or, consider Olympic broadcasts where the current position of the race leader is projected on the challenger, from swimming races to downhill skiing. Apply AR to the world of smartphones and mobile apps and you have a dimensional revolution. With Gartner estimating that U.S. sales of smartphones will increase from 67 million in 2010 to 95 million by year’s end (making it the highest-selling consumer electronic device category), and Nielsen reporting that more than half of U.S. adult consumers will be smartphone savvy by December, the modern marketplace would seem — to Einstein, anyway — almost a delusion. But marketers know better. Reality has never held so much potential for illusion. Take, for example, AR mobile apps. While AR is far from new — brands ranging from BMW and Toyota to Doritos and Wrigley have been using AR for years to engage consumers online — the implementation of AR technology in mobile apps is only now causing electronic waves. With smartphone sales rising, consumers are no longer confined to their home computers and webcams. Using smartphones and built-in technologies such as compasses, GPS and gyroscopes, consumers can use mobile apps to create virtual worlds atop the real one. It’s no wonder ABI Research is expecting the market for AR to top  $350 million by 2014. The illusion is very real, indeed, and for marketers, the possibilities are as exciting as they are endless.

Maybe I’m just blogging out loud, but it seems AR technology creates an inspiring picture of the present and future. Marketers should Applaud and Respond to the changes AR creates in products, consumer expectations and marketing itself.

Used correctly, AR technology can offer entertainment, engage a wider audience and amplify the kind of consumer experience a brand hopes to impart. One of the first mobile apps to successfully implement AR was ARSoccer, which helps consumers to better their ball skills by aiming their smartphone camera to the floor, where the app then projects a soccer ball onto the smartphone screen to be kicked around and then some. Since then, AR technology has expanded to include mobile apps such as AR: Augmented Car Finder, which does exactly what it claims to do, Metro AR Pro, which identifies subway and metro stations in major cities, and Wikitude, which allows users to explore their surroundings by producing — again via the smartphone camera — icons and Wikipedia articles for nearby places of interest. And now that Apple is in on the mapping game, these features are sure to increase. But AR technology doesn’t stop at games and geography. Real Estate agents in 25 major U.S. markets can benefit from mobile apps such as ZipReality Real Estate, and businesses ranging from big to small are being discovered with the Yelp app’s AR features. Last year, in an effort to appeal to the twentysomething demographic, Kia Motors created an AR game for its Facebook fans. And retailers such as H&M and J.C. Penny have used AR tricks such as virtual mirrors to engage consumers with “illusions of grandeur.”

After all, isn’t our modern-day reality just that: grand and vast and not an illusion, but a glimpse of future potential?

Brought to you by Vertical Marketing Network, a Leading Integrated Marketing Agency.
Photo credit: turkletom

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Posted by JJ Nelson

5 Marketing Tips For Your Brand’s X-Factor.

September 27, 2011

New show engages consumers on all levels; marketers can, too.

Television's newest show it ripe with marketing lessons. Brands can -- and should -- unlock their own x-factor.

Simon Cowell was back last week with the much-hyped premiere of The X-Factor and while ratings might not have been as high as he wanted, there’s no denying that the creative minds behind the latest singing-competition show are breathing new life into what increasingly feels like an old genre. The X-Factor could reshape the ways consumers engage with a brand on multiple levels. The X-Factor goes beyond “the American Idol effect” in that it is not just about the singing voices of a few; the show is giving fans voice, too, especially online. Marketers can learn a lot by “tuning in.” Head over to the show’s website, and you’ll see that fans of The X-Factor are getting almost as much screen time as the show’s celebrity judges and budding stars. The X-Factor Community presented by Pepsi is essentially a loyalty rewards program that encourages fans of the show to join in and earn points for tasks as simple as daily logins and connecting to the show on Facebook and Twitter. Although the points have no actual value, some 3.5 million fans have connected to the show via Facebook and the “newsfeed” of fan activity on the show’s website indicates a little healthy competition can go a long way. Beyond existing social networks, fans can use The X-Factor Community itself to connect with other fans and actual friends. It’s a show-specific social network, and consumers are using it. PepsiCo hopes their also picking up cans of its namesake soda. The brand has partnered with FOX to promote the show and is running a campaign that uses image recognition and SMS. Just when my Vertical Marketing Network colleagues and I were debating the potential of QR codes, a PepsiCo executive tells Mobile Marketer the decision was based on research that shows more people have SMS and camera phones than QR code reader apps. Either way, the reward for the Pepsi campaign will likely fuel competition and participation: Pepsi is giving away grand prize trips for two to L.A. to watch a taping of The X-Factor each day though Oct. 29. That’s a lot of soda…

Maybe I’m just blogging out loud, but it seems like marketers have a ‘x-factor’, too. In our increasingly technology driven world, winning campaigns seek to engage consumers on all levels.

Successful marketing campaigns create buzz and excitement; sometimes, they’ll even drum up a little healthy competition. Below, 5 marketing takeaways from The X-Factor:

1. Consumers like rewards, even virtual ones. Witness the aforementioned “fan-feed” as proof.

2. Social media is a tool marketers can use to fuel healthy competition and –repeatedly — bring attention full-circle, back to the brand.

3. Successful partnership marketing is mutually beneficial.

4. Brands can — and should — engage consumers online in new and interesting ways.

5. The cell phone isn’t just the ultimate accessory; for marketers, it’s a gateway — to consumers, to technology and to the allusive, yet essential, Factor X.

With increasing ways to activate your brand’s potential, marketers are wise to give voice to their own X-Factor.

Brought to you by Vertical Marketing Network, a Leading Integrated Marketing Agency.
Photo credit: Leif Carlsen

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Posted by JJ Nelson

On The Funny Side Of The Marketing Street.

August 16, 2011

3 rules for engaging humor when promoting your brand’s image.

Juggling humor and honesty is no easy task, and marketers are wise to be cautious in doing so. Still, surveys show online consumers respond well to campaigns that encourage laughs.

Ask most industry professionals about effectively using humor in marketing, and their answer will turn gravely serious: don’t do it. Humor, they’ll opine, is risky business; then they’ll spout the oft-quoted Claude Hopkins: “People don’t buy from clowns.” Historically, that might true, but a recent report from Marketing Sherpa suggests a little laughter goes a long way in attracting the almighty friends, fans and followers. According to the study, while more than 60% of social media users connect with brands to learn about new products, features and services, 35% of respondents respond well to campaigns seen as entertaining, funny or insightful, where less than 30% are drawn to campaigns focused on company culture, environmental responsibility and boring things like company policies. With recent surveys revealing more than half of all social media users take their Facebook, Twitter and Google+ habits with them on vacation, numbers like these prove to be no laughing matter. The challenge for marketers is that humor, like beauty, lies in the eye of the beholder. And while some will argue that effective humor is attention-getting, engaging and creates word-of-mouth, one bad joke can alienate an entire demographic. That’s seriously funny business, indeed.

Maybe I’m just blogging out loud, but it seems like marketing laughter is a medicine best served O.T.C. — that’s off the cuff, but not out of control.

We often see bold, edgy and totally spot-on campaigns that employ humor to attract consumers. A recent Jose Cuervo campaign made me and my Vertical Marketing Network coworkers chuckle. Through the brand’s Facebook page, consumers are challenged to admit they “suck at making margaritas” to receive a coupon for the brand’s pre-made margarita mix. Users start by clicking the “OK, I admit it” tab, a sort of self-deprecating resignation that likely inspires many a tequila drinker to LOL at the ad and, perhaps, themselves. It reminded me of a Vertical Marketing Network campaign from years ago, in which the agency literally steamrolled hundreds of that most-dreaded of holiday treats — the fruitcake — in a humorous and buzz-worthy promotional effort for client Kahlua to announce the brand’s own holiday baked good and gift with purchase, the Kahlua brownie. Writing independently about marketing to the Hispanic/Latino consumer, an industry insider writes about an effective radio spot in which humor was used to get the listener’s attention but ultimately, and more importantly, built brand loyalty by making an emotional connection with the target demographic. Humor, it seems, is more versatile than thought. Keeping this in mind, some rules of engagement:

1. Know your audience, and don’t offend them. This is the umbrella rule for being politically correct and socially sensitive. Not all humor needs a specific target, and the best jokes often don’t.

2. Keep it light, keep it bright. This could be the reason jokesters thrive on social media forums such as Twitter, where brevity and wit are celebrated.

3. Remember your point. It’s the brand, and/or product, that ultimately needs to benefit from any funny business. If the message is not first true to them, and second not appealing to your target audience, there’s little appeal. And that’s no joke.

Brought to you by Vertical Marketing Network, a Leading Integrated Marketing Agency.
Photo credit: Michael David Pederson

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Posted by JJ Nelson

Back Talk: How Will Brands Maximize Social Media?

August 9, 2011

In the increasingly crowded party of social networking, marketers are being forced to decide how to spend valuable time and money. What influences you in making these decisions?

Will your brand take advantage of Google+? Multiple studies released last week confirm the new social network from Internet powerhouse Google is here to stay. In its quarterly survey of mobile developers, IDC discovered two-thirds of the 2,000-plus respondents believe Google+ can — and will — catch up to Facebook. Having accumulated more than 25 million users in five weeks, Google+ is following a trajectory similar to Facebook’s, although the pace is much faster, and therefore more formidable. Despite this, responding last week to Vertical Marketing Network’s analysis of Google+, several industry insiders suggested the new medium is cumbersome and potentially unnecessary for certain brands, especially since Google+ has yet to open its doors for business, so to speak.

Maybe I’m just blogging out loud, but it seems like we need to emphasize the “social” in social media. As the party gets more crowded, marketers will have to budget their time, energy and creativity in calculated ways, but that shouldn’t discourage a positive R.S.V.P.

This, then, forces marketers to consider how — and where — they will spend valuable energy and resources. How will you make these decisions? How does a brand choose which social media forums are right for them?

We want to hear your thoughts!

Brought to you by Vertical Marketing Network, a Leading Integrated Marketing Agency.
Photo credit: Shopseal

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Posted by JJ Nelson

The Fuss Over Google+.

August 2, 2011

Social networks give marketers new ideas, ways to communicate.

First there were friends, fans and followers. Now, we have circles. The recent launch of Google+ brings with it new ways for consumers to define their relationships to people and brands. Savvy marketers take note.

In the vast sea of social networking, how a brand decides to spend precious time and resources is both a concern and priority. Besides the 800-pound gorilla — aka Facebook — there are hundreds of active social networks around the globe; now there’s one more — Google+ — and its arrival provides an astute lesson on timing and jumping on board the Next Big Thing. For the past month, Google+ has been the topic on the tip of every electronic tongue. Since the launch of its trial phase on June 28, Google+ has amassed over 20 million users. So far, more than 60% of Google+ users are men, and 38% of them are between the ages of 18 and 34. Equally compelling is that the rise of Google+ happened exclusively; not just anyone can sign up for a Google+ account, although Gmail users have instant access to the network, and invites have gone out to Hotmail and Yahoo! users, as well. It makes sense, then, that the majority of the early users are engineers, developers, designers and software engineers — the same people who historically shape Internet trends. It also explains how — impressively and intentionally — Google is launching its Google+ brand without the help of Facebook, the now 750 million strong monster and current Queen Bee of social networking. Google has made no secret of its desire to compete with Facebook (while Facebook has made no secret of its boycott of Google+), and if any social network could, one backed by Google certainly seems poised to do so. But as more statistics are published on Google+, and as Google reveals its supreme vision for the network, marketers will be forced to ask themselves some tough questions.

Maybe I’m just blogging out loud, but it seems like timing is everything, and brands that engage in emerging media selections early can win big. The future of marketing depends upon new ideas and the opportunities they can provide.

For now, brands need not get too worked up over Google+, mainly because they can’t. A few major brands — including Ford Motors and MTV — were part of the trial process, and the social network did offer a brief application process to brands and businesses seeking involvement that is now closed. In an interview with Ad Age, a lead product manager for social advertising at Google revealed the company eventually plans “to include everything from small businesses to individual contractors all the way up to the largest brand names in the world.” But there is currently no ad content on Google+. Then there’s this: “What we’re really looking for is companies that on the one hand have a real rich history of being active in the social sphere, brands that have strong, loyal audiences and are proactive and engaging and who want to spread it out a little more.” Spread it out a little more. In a world where a handful of players dominate the social networking landscape and have come to define the ways in which we talk about what it means to “like” something, it’s an interesting idea, and it could prove challenging — both conceptually and creatively — for brands and marketers in the future. But it’s also — in a way — a call for brands to think about the ways in which they engage with consumers online, and it’s a sign of where that engagement could land them.

Little will be seen until Google+ opens its virtual doors a little wider, but we can surf assured: Google+ is causing a fuss for good reason. My colleagues and I at Vertical Marketing Network will certainly ready to advantage of what comes next.

Brought to you by Vertical Marketing Network, a Leading Integrated Marketing Agency.
Photo credit: Creative Commons

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Posted by JJ Nelson

5 Tips To Harness A Brand’s Secret Weapon.

June 28, 2011

Apps and websites help consumers explore products and connect.

We're no longer living in the Age of Aquarius. It's the Age of Apple, Facebook and Quora. Consumers are adapting and reacting; marketers should, too.

True or false: On the Internet, consumers are guaranteed friends and forums to engage with said friends, be they real, imagined, or somewhere in between. If you answered “false,” you’re either living in the original “Age of Aquarius,” or well, you don’t get out much — virtually speaking, of course. This is the Age of Apple and Facebook and Quora, and believe you me: friends are abundant in places low and high. Last month, Trendwatching.com published a brief dedicated to what it christened the “F-Factor,” or that not so little ability modern consumers have to tap into their online networks — and the friends, fans and followers those networks create — to discover new brands and the goods and services they provide. At Vertical Marketing Network and Blogging Out Loud, we’ve spent a good deal of time over the past year counseling marketers on the myriad reasons why engaging in social media is not only relevant but also necessary to compete in today’s marketplace. The benefits of social media simply cannot be denied. But if we take ourselves — marketers — out of the equation and examine the consumer trends that are developing outside of our influence, the market landscape proves to be a little more challenging and a lot more varied. What Trendwatching.com calls the F-Factor, we like to think of as the Power of One, or the ability one consumer voice has to create positive word-of-mouth campaigns and launch new business opportunities for brands looking to compete in today’s fast-paced, competitive world. The Power of One is about more than engaging consumers on Facebook and Twitter; it’s about first creating product lines that inspire consumer conversation, then empowering shoppers to share their knowledge with the people they seek to connect with online in the first place — family and friends, followers, and depending on the consumer, yes, even fans. According to a June 2010 Cone Inc. study, 63 percent of consumers trust family members for product recommendations; 31 percent trust friends. Beyond that, 81 percent of U.S. consumers do additional online research when exploring brands and products, with 55 percent looking at user reviews (such as those offered on sites such as amazon.com, tripadvisor.com and Yelp) and 10 percent going straight to their social networks for advice. Among consumers ages 25-34, this last number jumps to 23 percent. The Power of One is real alright, and marketers must harness it to let a new kind of sunshine in.

Maybe I’m just blogging out loud, but it seems like The Power of One can be a brand’s secret weapon. Brands that give consumers incentive to advocate on their behalf, while providing the tools to do so, are prime for prosperity.

The number of websites and mobile applications that have emerged for consumers to share their opinions is dizzying. Beyond the major social media players and commerce websites, there’s now sites that solely encourage consumer curation (Pinterest, Polyvore) and — more importantly to marketers — personalization. The fashion industry is especially making out big, with websites like boutiques.com, thefind.com and kaboodle.com, among others, enabling consumers to connect with existing contacts and make new ones — all with a common goal. But The Power of One isn’t all jumpers and tricked-out shoes. No matter the industry, savvy marketers can gain advocates and increase their power by following five tips:

1. To Each His Own — You know what they say about opinions…Everybody’s got one. Does that mean consumers should be free to bash brands they dislike as much as they praise the ones they do? No, but they will. Brands and marketers should be considerate of opinions that differ from theirs, and address them in a proactive way. Engage with disgruntled consumers online in a way that suggests you do care and you do want their business.

2. Share And Share Alike – Don’t just let consumers have all the fun, marketers, too, should be using their personal networks to tout not just their brands but other brands they like. For most consumers, less isn’t more, more is more. And the more ideas and products that come their way means the better chance your brand will have of being noticed (yours is the best product, right?). Channel your inner Joe Girard, the Guinness Book of Records “World’s Best Salesperson” and sell!

3. Take It Personally – Nothing makes a statement like a heartfelt response. Happen upon a great review online? A favorable tweet? Say thank you, and make it public! Reward has always driven an emotional response, and a quick “danke shoen” will inspire consumer loyalty in both the recipient and onlookers.

4. But Not Too Personally – Let’s face it, not every brand or product is for everyone. Know your target demographic and be true it. There’s no sense in barking up the wrong tree, or for distracting yourself from more important matters (i.e. the friends, fans and followers you do have).

5. Keep New Ideas Coming – Variety is, after all, the spice of life, and the secret to holding consumer attention. Not only should brands be on the lookout for new ways to engage consumers, they should also consider implementing programs in which consumers can interact with each other. Be fresh, be inspiring, be original and — most of all — be true to your brand, and consumers will respond.

It’s summer — harness the power and let some sunshine in.

Brought to you by Vertical Marketing Network, a Leading Integrated Marketing Agency.
Photo credit: daveeza

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Posted by JJ Nelson

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