Anyone with a bit of tech savvy can set up Facebook and Twitter accounts and begin posting updates. . But can they accomplish the needs of a business in this digital age? Can a tech savvy youth create competitive advantage, the key for businesses in meeting their goals?
For most small businesses the answer is NO! They will contribute to the plethora of un-optimized, under-utilized social media accounts. The result —
many small businesses “try out social media” and contend “it doesn’t work!”
There is an alternative approach- Digital Marketing Optimization (DMO). DMO leverages the power of each media platform and integrates them to drive traffic to your online environment, while achieving your business goals.
DMO designs an online environment that easily connects to other social communities, expanding the reach and exposure of your site. It increases “socially referred traffic” as unique users can easily share comments through audio, video and text links.
Here are six keys to make Digital Media work for small businesses:
- Design a Step-by-Step Digital Strategy Read More »
Digital Marketing synergizes social media with other media channels to realize ROI. Many companies launch into social and mobile media without creating a strategy.
The old school marketers are transaction oriented. Their strategy is to buy more media eyeballs, potentially creating “buzz” and sales. The new media marketers are customer focused, generating interactivity and relationships.
The five phase Digital Marketing Strategy is comprehensive, customer-centered, and focused on delivering ROI.
Five Phases
- Assessment
- Strategic Branding
- Online Hub
- Integrated Media Marketing
- Monitoring/Evaluating Read More »
Clients generally have unrealistic expectations of a integrated digital marketing strategy. They expect results immediately or within the first 3-6 months. We prepare our clients for real expectations by reviewing a Digital Marketing Timeline.
An Integrated Digital Marketing strategy has five stages during a 27+ month period. (note: the timeline can be collapsed to 6+ months depending on the relevancy and the timeliness of the promotion) During each stage the number of touchpoints, client marketing efforts that touch the customer, are expanded. These touchpoints build on each other and grow exponentially. As your network expands the media (traditional advertising, PR, online, social) begin to synergize with each other. In the future a successful strategy will be self generating and grow virally. The goal is to convert your network of touchpoints to actions that support your strategic objectives. Here are the expectations projected for the five stages of the Digital Marketing Timeline Strategy.
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‘Prove to me social media works!’
That is the cry of many businesspeople when challenged by the hype of Twitter and Facebook. The answer will not come simply from growing social media followers. Rather, it will come from the effect social media has on expanding and converting your company’s touchpoints. The marketing strategy of every company is to touch their customers, engage them, and move them to a targeted action. But most companies are not aware of their touchpoints, their effectiveness and why they work. “Touchpoint Optimization Strategy ” is a 5-step process that tracks the conversion from a one way touchpoint to an “action point” in the customer relationship lifecycle.
Step 1: Listening
Many companies view their touchpoints as one-way, passive listening posts to the voice of the consumer or feedback on the effectiveness of traditional marketing efforts. Sales and consumer insights measures include surveys, ad test, awareness tracking, contact centers, media tests, customer satisfaction studies, and brand tracking. However, these listening posts often provided measures that are “time challenged”, needing to wait for the end of a marketing effort before being able to “listen” to the results and gain feedback. Read More »
The vast changes in media have triggered a revolution in marketing. Rupert Murdoch noted it in 2006.
“To find something comparable, you would have to go back 500 years to the printing press or the birth of mass media… Technology is shifting power away from the editors, the publishers, the establishment, the media elite. Now, it’s the people who are taking control.”
Business Response
Business is quick to acknowledge the changes but their response is varied. In a recent survey of small business owners
“67% agreed that social media is a good way to increase business, yet 39% did not plan to use social networking in their marketing plan in 2010.”
79% of the Fortune Global 100 are using at least one social media platform. Most of the companies have had success with social media. Read More »
Strategy! Strategy! Strategy! - the key to successfully integrating social media into your marketing mix. Business Week points out that companies are moving from Discovery to Experimentation and finally to Adoption in their social media experience.
With this growing expertise, experts agree that 2010 is the year for Developing Strategy, Integrating Media and Designing Metrics.
As Social Media Marketing is becoming more strategic, Read More »
many small businesses “try out social media” and contend “it doesn’t work!”
