2010 by admin.

When it comes to considering social media as part of a marketing strategy, most business people are of the same mind: it sounds like a good idea, but the specifics about its utility are vague. Is YouTube for you? Should you flirt with Flickr? And what in the world is Twitter?

Social media are marketing tools that use the internet to disseminate messages. These media are comprised of various online communities that, once you join, allow you to shift back and forth from being the audience to the author. Here are brief descriptions of a few of these social media outlets:
Blog – A personal online diary.
Flickr – Upload, share and view photos.
YouTube – Upload, share and view short videos.
FaceBook – eDirectory that allows you to create, view and share a personal info page.
Twitter – Mass text messaging of up to 140 characters
LinkedIn – Business networking site that allows registered users to maintain a list of contact details of people they know and trust in business.
Digg – Discover, share and view content  from anywhere on the Internet.
- Amy Biemiller

Posted in Customer Communications, Advertising | No Comments »

2010 by admin.

There are so many ways to spend your advertising budget, aren’t there? But before you commit one dollar to the activity of promoting your product or service, understand the three most important things about effective advertising.
1. What should you say? There are plenty of cute, clever, creative ads out there. These win awards for many advertising agencies. But what, exactly, do these ads say about the product or service? Before you go the way of ‘clever, cute or creative,’ ask if the message will tell your prospect, the person who should be buying from you, what your product or service does for them, why they should buy it, and why it is different from any similar product or service. And be sure to tell all that believably.
2. Who should you say it to, and how often? Is it better to say what you have to say to a whole bunch of people once, or a few people a number of times? You absolutely want to repeat your message to your prospect a number of times, in order to establish your product or brand in the minds of your audience. Look to maximize your budget with reach (who you advertise to) as well as frequency (how often you say it).
3. Where should you say it? You should exercise advertising options in both intrusive and passive media. Intrusive media is sound-based and includes radio and TV. Intrusive advertising does not require the prospect to process your message, rather, it intrudes into the prospect’s consciousness. These ads reach your prospects before they are ready for your product or service. A good follow up to intrusive advertising is passive advertising, and includes phone book ads, print ads, direct mail and billboards. These are points of reference that require the prospect to read and process information. Typically, these ads are used by a prospect who is already looking for your service.

by Amy Biemiller

Posted in Advertising | No Comments »