Successfully integrate a marketing campaign

Why choose integrated marketing campaign (IMC)?

Cost efficiency. As compared to TV commercial and out-of-home, it is a more wallet friendly approach. With the current trend of mobile usage, the amount of reach can be compared to the result of traditional media.

How to achieve?

1)  Set an objective

Ask yourself, what do you want to achieve before creating a campaign. Increase an amount of followers? Increase brand awareness of your upcoming product? Be specific of your goal, make sure it is attainable, relevant and timely.

2) Select your target audiences

Who do you want to target? Millennial? Gen X? Do research, understand your audience preference. This can be done through surveys, interview and etc.

3) Decide a platform

Where do you want this campaign to be place at ? Digital? — But which one? You can integrate multiple if you want to. But remember, it must be based  on your previous research.

4) CONSISTENCY CONSISTENCY CONSISTENCY

Can’t emphasis more than enough. Your content and message must be consistent. The publishing dates must be consistent. Keep yourself on track and be relevant to what you are promoting.

5) Engagement

What is the point of wanting to create a viral campaign if you don’t engage. It’s social media! Be active and interact with them to build up brand awareness and fun + positive images to the audiences!

6) Measure results + Constantly adjusting and adapting

After the campaign ends, your work don’t stop there. In fact, pull out all the data and information you can gathered. Measure the results and analyse threads. These important data are going to be used in your business to properly develop a product / service strategy. Learn from the campaign what could have done to improve in the next one. Understand that the needs and wants from target audiences are constantly changing. It is your duty to adjust and adapt towards them.

 

Do you have other tips you want to share of how to create a viral campaign? Let me know at the comments below!

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SEO; White vs Black

SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) is part of SEM (Search Engine Marketing). It is a marketing strategy that will boost their website by the process of generating traffic. This works by search engine web have this algorithm to scan into the characteristic of the website such as their URL, content, keywords, external and internal links after which it displays the relevant results to user.

The co-relationship between the result and keywords search are relatively high. Your website content must consist of relevant keywords with high quality content and the interface and layout of the website is easy to navigate in order for the search engine to correctly identify you and display your website in the search results. This criteria is important because the 91.5% of the traffic are found in the first page of a search engine, and usually most users will just refer to the first page.

Which brings us to the next topic; White vs Black

Decision between using the white or black hat strategies determine your website future traffic flows.

White Hat

This practice enhance the search ranking on the result page in the search engine. In order to maintain at the top few position in the result page, you have to follow the guideline that are lay out by the search engines. By upholding your moral of the website, you are actually paving a long term path in future search.

How do you do it?

1) Using proper and relevant keywords.

Maintain your keywords within your product category. For example if your website is in automobile category, identify effective words such as “cars” “engines” “insurance” “test drive” and avoid keywords that might confuse users.

2) Website navigation

Keep it simple and clean. Navigation bars are visible and to be place where users can easily see. Include a search bar to optimise the searching process for users. Colour scheme used for the website should be mild tone and soothing for user experiences and avoid more than 1 pop-ups to reduce frustration during browsing process.

3) Quality

Share what is worth, and keep the content straight to the point + short and simple. This decrease search time and improve productivity.

Black hat

This practice also increase search ranking on result page, however using a more dishonest way to cheat the algorithm. This is used for short-term strategy among marketers.

Here are some example of what black hat strategy does:

1) Overusing of keywords

Dumping more than 1 keywords in a paragraph is a keyword stuffing. It is used at places which are irrelevant by shoving it in tags and content.

2) Bot

Using automated bot to generate senseless content to boost ranking. This method bypass the search engine algorithm and allow the website to display on the first page of search engine.

 

I personally recommend the white hat technique instead of the black hat because when your company is just started, it will advisable to maintain its integrity and demonstrate its brand reputation. Although it takes longer to build up traffic but the focus is more beneficial in long term.

What do you think of the white and black hat strategies? Tell me in the comment below!

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BIG data and Internet of Things

Big data and internet of things (IoT)are codependent. Those unstructured and raw data were collected around, stored and analyse for information that able to assist organisations to have better understanding of the market and audiences. With that in mind, they are able to create new products or improve current services to cater to consumers’ needs and wants.

This innovation has sparks many new ideas that are put to work. Example; this health tracker system helps hospital to collect and analyse result of the patients and data is used to determine their the conditions before treatment or operations.

Advantages:

1: Customer relationships

It helps marketers to better understand customers and enable to build relationship earlier. As it is a more interpersonal type of relationship, by accessing to the data they can better communicate with customers.

2: Improve marketing mix

Marketers could easily adjust their product marketing mix to meet the constant change of customers’ needs. This creates strong brand equity and competitive advantage from competitors as they have an advantage to accessing the data to create promotion and be the first in the market to launch.

3. Brand loyalty

With these data, marketers can easily grasp the buyers’ behaviour, pattern to better predict future plan and create strategies to retain current customer loyalty. As it cost lesser to retain loyalty than expand new target market.

However apart from the sweet treats that were received. There were also backlashes.  With more data being transferred through, security is at breach. Users’ privacy, information are bound to leak. These sensitive data are main assets for companies, but with issues like this surfaces it will slow down the process of IoT.

 

Do you think there are more advantages or disadvantages of using big data? And what organisation could do to protect users’ sensitive information being leak? Will there also be an ethical issues as well? Let me know in the comments below!

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Fourth Screen in the First World

Have the entire world under your fingertips with just a simple “touch”

It’s not an exaggeration that literally anything and everything can be done through mobile. By integrating mobile marketing into business will expand the range of targeted audiences.

We have Short-Message-Service (SMS) marketing, Mobile image ads, Mobile search ads, Location-based marketing, In-game mobile marketing, QR codes, and App-based marketing to consider which platform best suits your product/ services.

Short-Message-Service (SMS) marketing:

2000s’ ideal digital marketing platform. As usage of mobile phone rapidly increasing, this captivates audiences’ attention. The downside of this platform is the tedious process of collecting target audiences’ data and cost.

Mobile image ad:

Great exposure (but annoying, so beware of the usage), this stimulates audience purchasing desire. Consumer may not purchase on the first look, but when a thought of purchasing impulse occurs, your brand will be the first that will pop in their mind.

Mobile search ads:

First few to pop out in search. This approach is time saving by paying an amount of fee to the search engine (e.g. Google) and they will place your website as the top few search results. Ideal for short-term use; Promotion.

Location-based marketing:

This works when targeted audience are within a specific radius. Also ideal for short-term marketing.

In-game mobile marketing:

2010’s favourite spot of marketing. Smartphones were launched worldwide and multiple mobile games went viral (e.g. Angry bird). Audience were caged within the screen and while playing audience’s attention may frequently brought to either bottom or top of the screen. This result may arose audiences’ interest and will click on the advertisement to find out more information.

QR codes

This usually integrate traditional and digital platform. For example, company is having a promotion. They could place the QR code on the traditional media and encourage users to scan it to find out more information and utilise the promotion.

App-based marketing

Incorporating advertisement in social media app (e.g. Facebook). With an exponential growth of social media users, it is the most ideal platform to place advertisement there. Social media platform blends posted advertisement so smooth that users did not realise they were looking at one.

 

So, which digital media platform will you integrate your marketing plan at? Share with me in the comment below!

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STEPPS up your game to go viral

—Nope, not a spelling mistake. 

There are plenty of content lurking around the internet. However not all of them will get pick up and be shared.

This chart shows what type of content are most likely to be shared on social media.

So, why do people share certain things online? These are the few reasons that drive them to share:

• To connect with their social circles
• Promoting a product / service they feel is useful to others
• To feel involved in current events
• To illustrate their knowledge on the subject

If you are wondering how to make your campaign go viral, you can consider using “STEPPS”:

1.Social Currency

Before people start talking about your product / service, you must first have a remarkable product / service for them to “show-off”. Being remarkable could be having the latest technology in your product (e.g. Face recognition software). This would allow people using your product as a leverage when they are sharing it and it makes them feel equally remarkable.

Or your product has a leveraging game mechanism. Is a human tendency that people will tends to share their achievement on social media. So by having a game mechanism, it triggers inner competitiveness against friends to unlock many achievement as a leverage of bragging rights.

Make people feel like insider. This gives them a sense of exclusiveness and makes them feel superior (e.g. membership)

2. Triggers

I would recommend this if your brand is well-established in the product category. Reason being, people would talk about your product when it is in the top of their mind. People tends to draw natural connections between product category and brand equity. For example when people talks about fast food chain restaurant, McDonald would be the first associated brand that links to fast food.

3. Emotion

The level of physiological arousal determine the amount of “shares” — the higher the better. You want to get people to be excited and not just contented with message of your campaign. Only by triggering the top tier of the hierarchy of emotions, it will motivate people to act upon the stimulus.

4. Public

Another human tendency traits that people wants to get conformity in everything they do / said — social proof. When people sees their peers possess an item to prove their social status, this trigger them to obtain the same item to feel the approval of others.

5. Practical Value

When using this pointer as your campaign message, make sure to only highlight the useful, relevant key points and make it brief. This will make sure that message will get thru to the targeted audiences.

6. Stories

This is the most classic WOM method. You can choose to share a story of the brand consumption instead of the brand of your company. Stories are usually more entertaining than facts and people enjoy listening to things that were spiced up. But remember, the context must be relevant and complete.

Here are all the tips! It’s not necessary to use all of the principles. You could do a combinations of a few.

Do you know any other methods that could help to boost a campaign awareness? Let me know in the comment below!

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If you don’t SHIFT you’re OUT!

“Old is gold” — only if you belongs to the museum

Mati Greenspan

The world we are living in are experiencing an exponential growth of digital media. With more consumers “migrating” to the digital world, marketing in general are shifting online.

Change is inevitable. Enterprise have to be up-to-date to prevent losing out to competitors. In retrospective to traditional media, digital media has no boundaries nor limits to market their product or service.

Enterprise now have to incorporate the web into their business model which can be categorised into the following:

1. Brokerage 

A platform for business-to-business (B2B), business-to-consumer (B2C), or consumer-to-consumer (C2C) transaction to take place for exchanging goods & services.

Example:

Transaction has never been easier with these platforms. Rent-free hassle, you will not have to be panic about overstocking your products.

2. Advertising 

A platform to provide free or cheap content

Example:

3. Subscription

A paid to provide access to software-based service platform

Example:

4. Merchant 

Also known as “click & mortar” or “e-tailer”, it is a combination of physical and online component store.

Example:

Why stick to one source of income when you could have both? An integration of brick & mortar and online shop can access to wider consumer range market, increase consumers’ trust and also provide a better post-sales service.

5. Infomediary

An intermediary that capture and analyse applications and distribute the information

Example:

6. Community 

Free content produced by volunteers

Example:

7. Affiliate, 8. Manufacturer (Direct), 9. Utility

Such incorporation not only brought ease to consumers but also enable enterprise to establish positive relationships as well as to build up brand image and awareness to public. The aspects of the web has so much potential for business to seek opportunities online for expansion or develop new ideas.

Not only the business model have to be adjust, enterprise would have to reevaluate their customer value and value proposition to properly fit into scheme.

Do you think there could be a hybrid business model? Let me know about your thoughts in the comment below!

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How to select right tool for the right job?

Wonder how to get your small-medium enterprise to gain publicity but also not overspending your budget?

Solution — Social Media Platforms (obviously)

A successful enterprise wouldn’t heavily whack their product/service in all social media platforms, but cleverly and carefully approach the most ideal one to advertise to achieve the goal and objective.

4.80 million of Singaporeans are active social media users with an average time spend of 7 hours per day. They are so actively immersed with the internet that 93% uses it daily.

In the uprising of digital age, consumers data are easily collected and used. By paying a small amount to social media platforms, you are able to conveniently placed your product/service onto the targeted audience’s news feed and also subconsciously implant a brand association onto their mind.

Graphic by: Justin Aucoin

87% users believe that data privacy and protection are important, by over exploiting usage of such platforms to advertise might received backlashes. It is a ongoing battle between monetary and ethical issues.

Striking a balance of an appropriate amount of publicity and the ideal platform is tricky but here are a few pointers you could take into consideration.

TIPS for selecting the right media

1. Understand your product/service’s users fall on which social media platform
2. Select the application (if none appeals, create your own)
3. List out the goal and objective to achieve for every employee to follow
4. Implement media plan
5. All employees are able to access and participate

Starting on these platforms are easy but maintaining them sure need effort! Do remember to:

1. Stay active — post regularly to build relationship with users
2. Be interesting — able to engage with users
3. Remain humble — never stop learning
4. Casual — social media is a fun place, ditch the usual strict regiments
5. Honest — be honest about your product/service

Never underestimate how powerful social media platforms are, it will either make or break you ~

Did I missed out any pointers or is there anything you would like to add on? Do let me know in the comments below!

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