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Tech Companies Realize the Power of Social Marketing

 When busy professionals invest in a gadget or software that makes their lives easier, they’re so ingratiated that they want to tell everyone about it. That’s exactly what the tech industry hopes that you will do.

Social media sites like FaceBook, Twitter, MySpace and others have finally gotten the attention of some Tech companies who are looking to increase their customer base by using these outlets. Although these media channels have long been thought of as simply ways to meet people who are interested in personal relationships, the shift towards marketing and media relations has been gradually shifting and allowing companies the chance to get on board an absolutely savvy marketing idea that’s good for all interested parties. [Read more…] about Tech Companies Realize the Power of Social Marketing

Embarrassing Media Moments: What We Can Learn From Sarah Palin’s Conversation with President Sarkozy

Business people have a lot of responsibilities to take care of on a day-to-day basis, but also in many cases have assistants to help them get everything accomplished. But even with so many things to do and always seemingly in a hurry to get them done, inevitably something will fall through the cracks and fail. Although it may sound and seem like a grandiose, self-inflating thing to do, it is a wise piece of advice for any person in business:

Always have your phone calls screened.

No matter what level of business or type of industry you’re in, it is a wise thing to always be careful and mindful of the things you say and the people to whom you say them. In this digital age that we live in, there is always the unfortunate chance that the things you say, email, post and vlog can come back to get you.

This past weekend was one such case of embarrassment, humiliation and regret having not properly screened a phone call or double-checked to make sure that the person is in fact who they said they were. The United States Vice-Presidential nominee, Sarah Palin (R-AK) received a “supposed” telephone call from the French President Nicolas Sarkozy, when in fact she was being pranked by two Canadian comedians. The phone call lasted for about six minutes, just long enough for Governor Palin to say and hear some embarrassing and regretful things about animal killing, Sarkozy’s sexy wife and a pornography tape made (without consent) about Palin. Governor Palin during the conversation never corrected or questioned President Sarkozy. She really thought that she was speaking to the French President himself.

Unfortunately, the phone call was six minutes of conversation that could potentially hurt the McCain campaign and further shed a despairingly negative light about the already controversial and questionable Sarah Palin. For instance, if in fact that had really been French President Sarkozy, would he have really been discussing his wife and their intimate bedroom life? Would he have in fact said “I can see Belgium from my house!”, or, “I love killing animals, mmmm.” These are things that make you take pause and wonder before you respond, or at least you should.

But in Governor Palin’s defense, I’m sure that she was 1.) absolutely flattered that a country’s president was calling her, 2.) again flattered that said president of a country was calling her this close to the election, perhaps to wish her well, 3.)  again, flattered that he called her on her cell phone, while she out on the campaign trail. In any event, Governor Palin I’m sure today is regretting that she ever took that call and remorseful about some of the things she said and discussed.

Often in business, we’re more than eager to satisfy the customer and give them what they want. Maybe we don’t want to offend anyone or come across as unfriendly or out of touch, so we laugh nervously at their jokes or if there is something said uncomfortably, we just ignore it or pretend we didn’t hear it.

Most of us in everyday business won’t have to necessarily worry about our words becoming publicly accessed and ridiculed, but we still all need to be mindful of what we say and to whom we say it. Aside from pranksters, the media is a powerful news outlet and has the strength to sway notions and opinions in the general population. While much blame can be assigned to the media in making this prank a matter of public ridicule, what can you do to avoid embarrassment for your company?

  1. Ensure that the proper personnel have sufficient knowledge and resources to protect the company’s reputation. Is everyone on a “need-to-know” status? Does any and everyone who asks to speak to you get through?
  2. Become familiar enough with the local and national media sources to see how they typically highlight business owners and deliver information. Learn (or make note of) names , positions and reporting styles within media outlets. This includes blogs, newspapers and radio.
  3. Be consistent in the information that you share with the media. Don’t say one thing to a blog writer and another thing to a reporter interviewer. Be assured that stories will get compared and differences will be magnified.

Is it really necessary to overthink everything that you do and say to the media or by way of conducting business? Probably not, but what is suggested is to be careful and focused on the things that you do choose to share that relate to your company. It may not be that your company ends up in the news in an embarrassing situation, but why take chances? 

Video Blogging: The New Corporate Media Part III – One Company’s Example

Do you think your company can benefit from the splash that vlogging has made in the media industry? Strides have been made by large companies in the throes of making vlogging their choice of marketing towards consumers. One such company that has done so successfully is Mahalo.

Mahalo.com is currently running a fun and inviting contest called Mahalo VLOGIdol. They are trying to choose another host for the site and are “auditioning” potentials to see if there are any good fits. This is such a good public relation idea because:

 

1. It gives the editors at Mahalo a chance to see the candidates “live” and get a feel for their personalities and style.

2. It’s good exposure for Mahalo because attention of this type draws in crowds and readers. People anticipate who’s “next” in the round of cuts and comments.

3. It gives a fair shot to anyone who’s interested in trying out for a host assignment with large online presence. If you can convince the editors that you’re the right candidate for the job, you’re in.

With contests like the one Mahalo is offering, companies can take a queue from them and use this same type of strategy in developing a vlog of their own. Maybe there won’t be contests or prize give-a-ways, but the idea here is to maximize the vlogging platform to bring your business as much exposure as possible. Find ways to appeal to your customer base and give the customers what they want!

Taking another cue from the Mahalo folks, Jason Calacanis, the CEO of Mahalo shares in this blog post  what his idea on the future of vlogging is for the media world. To reiterate, this entrepreneur has taken an idea and evolved it into a traffic-drawing magnet for the Mahalo blog and his online business. Capitalize on the presence that your company has online and make it work for you. Here is an excerpt from Jason’s post on the things that he wants to achieve with the online presence.

  1. Entertain people
  2. Inform people
  3. Represent and build the Mahalo brand
  4. Be a creative outlet for the Mahalo team

Although all four of these items are essential, pay special attention to #4. Represent and build the Mahalo brand. Isn’t that exactly what you want to do for your company? Of course!

What would you like for your company to mimic from Mahalo? How soon can you start a vlogging campaign for your corporation? Do you think it would be beneficial?

Projecting a Solid Corporate Image

Is your company is in the spotlight, at the forefront of business developments or in the news? Perhaps your company struggles with ways to project a solid, impressionable image that speaks to the public and their customer base and conveys the message that

YOU CARE.

Companies have tried for years, some successfully and others unsuccessfully in conveying an impressive corporate image in their public relations efforts, in the media and even within their own corporate structure. Finding that balance can be a challenge while they stay faithful to their company’s goals and still give the customer’s what they want.

A good corporate image will take into account many variables before deciding what will and what will not work for different companies. Since projecting a solid, positive image is likely for most customer-based companies, here are some things that corporations can do to ensure just that:

Monitor Employee Turnover

Be cognizant of the employee turnover rate in your organization. Too frequent turnover sends the message of the company’s instability and lack of professional management abilities. An employee revolving door makes customers uneasy and the public question the organization’s soundness. Whatever the reason for the high turnover must be addressed and eliminated so as to assuage any image of instability or any questionable company practices.

Monitor Customer Turnover

Discovering a mass exodus of customers from your organization is not a good sign of corporate image. Sure, there will be expected customer losses due to changes in pricing structures, product redesign or elimination. Even changes that are beyond your control like the economy or an increase from your vendors can lead to customer dissatisfaction. Aside from these factors, minimize as much as possible the customer attrition in your organization with solid customer service and proactive customer service. Listen to customer feedback on service issues and equip your organization with corporate representatives who can effectively and adequately address any customer needs and/or complaints effectively.

Publicly Address Issues

When a corporation addresses issues and problems within their organization immediately and thoroughly, they send a message that they are interested in and care about their company, their customers and their longevity in their industry. Usually corporations that take a proactive approach in their public image are far less likely to let situations get out of control that could potentially cause a negative mark in their customers’ eyes. Being proactive is the key.

Observe Social Responsibility

The public’s expectation of corporations has evolved significantly over the years. Whereas social responsibility used to be something that was considered impressive to do, has now become a preferred action for corporations. Why? Because the public is now more demanding in relation to products and services and are more demanding of the companies who offer them. Customers want and demand accountability in all areas and hold organizations to high standards when it comes to their social responsibility in general.

Create Tangible Management

How can you do this? By placing key office holders such as CEO’s, CFO’s, top management executives and advisors out front with the customer’s and clients. Show that your company is “in touch” with the people and have their best interest in mind. This is especially crucial when dealing with sensitive issues, public issues or questions that need to be addressed by the corporation. Management plays a crucial role in developing a corporation’s image, especially positive, so therefore great care should be taken in addressing the public in whatever mediums the corporation so chooses. Through the use of blogs, websites, press releases and newsletters, a company can develop a positive image and impact through their management’s presentation. Let the CEO of the company address customer’s via the company’s newsletter. Give the CFO a chance to numerate the company’s financial health via a monthly or quarterly blog entry. Go a step further and have the public relations officer give a press release about any news and developments within the company that directly affect the customer. The customers will both appreciate it and be impressed by it.

Take the time to develop a solid image relation campaign for your corporation or business. Assess where the needs are, meet them and be proactive in their development. Corporations can change their image in public structure with a few adjustments and attention to business detail.

Image Source (sxc.hu)

Video Blogging: The New Corporate Media – Part II

What Ways Can My Company Benefit From Vlogging?

Vlogging is a combination of video plus blogging and is not a new concept to the business world. Although it’s not new, it’s use of it in online businesses to grow businesses is a concept that is still catching on and making headway in many corporate media sectors. Large companies, both online and offline use the idea of vlogging to bring their business concepts to the forefront of mainstream industries and to give their financial health a much-needed boost in their bank accounts. It is a concept that if properly utilized and strategically marketed, can be a phenomenal addition to media relations and marketing strategies for any business.

Companies can benefit in a myriad of ways, the least of which include a level of branding for the company and any products or services that has the potential to make them a household name. Since branding and brand awareness is an integral part of any business’s model and structure, it is highly preferable to have a video blogging marketing strategy that establishes the company firmly in its niche area. When a corporation is in the blogosphere on a regular basis, their name(s) become synonymous with their product or service. Couple that exposure with video and the company has the (potential) base to explode their sales and service quotas. Vlogging can be a significant boost to any company’s arsenal of marketing power.

Some of the venues that corporations and small businesses alike can use in their vlogging quests are popular social sites like MySpace, YouTube and Yahoo! Video. There are numerous others, but these social networking sites are more frequently accessed and have more general exposure to corporations and online businesses targeted towards consumer and business markets. As a matter-of-fact, many businesses use these sites exclusively to promote their product or service and to publicly announce new product lines and changes in their business offerings.

Tangible Vlogging Benefits

Here are some other areas of benefits where companies can make an impact in the business industry with vlogging:

Exposure

This is undoubtedly one of the major benefits of vlogging for businesses. The exposure that video blogging can bring to any business can be hard to quantify without trackable resources. However, one way to definitely place tracking on this marketing technique is by the number of clicks and comments, if any, left by those that view your video uploads.

Image

Video blogging can be wondrous for a company’s image, no matter what the industry, product or service may be. When customers see the business in action, hear the CEO discuss plans or developments in their niche and get an idea of what direction the company is headed, customer confidence increases and sales likely follow. It also instills good will in customers and exuberates an air of stability and responsibility on behalf of the company.

Confidence

As touched on in Image, consumer confidence is also a potential beneficial increase as a result of video blogging. Economic crises that plague various industries can be attributed to consumer confidence, or, the lack thereof. Instilling or reinforcing that confidence through vlogging can be a plus for large corporations. 

Increased Sales

Finally, what company would not enjoy an increase of sales or an influx of new customers for their business? Video blogging is NOT guaranteed to give the business that, but does offer a leg of potential sales increase by being in front of the consumer on a regular basis.

What other benefits of vlogging can you offer that you think adds to a company’s marketing strategy? Does your compnay vlog? Has it worked well for your industry?

Texting: The New Corporate Communications

What is the next best most effective form of communication for corporate businesses?

Newsletters allow businesses to disseminate their information on a regular basis. Whether that’s weekly, bi-weekly, monthly or quarterly, corporate communications via newsletters has been a preferred method of communications for years. They can be managed online and offline, which can increase its marketability and effectiveness.

Blogging is another very popular form of corporate communications that has become an effective strategy for communicating with clients in most any business industry. It has taken the Internet by storm and allowed corporations and organizations to blossom within their niche and attract new customers. Some companies attribute blogging for increased sales and growing customer bases. As new business blogs are being added to the blogoshpere on a daily basis, the potential for any business’ growth is exponentially increased within each of their target markets.

But there is now a newer (although not new) form of communication that will soon prove to be the next “in” thing to do to communicate with customers: Text Messaging

Text messaging allows you to send short messages of 140-characters or less via a wireless instrument like your cell phone or Blackerry. Most any type of marketing message can be sent through text messaging and allow you to market and/or communicate more efficiently with customers. New technology allows businesses to send out short quips to their customer base about a myriad of topics; news, developments, product sales and product reviews. Customers enjoy texting because they’re able to get certain business information before it becomes available to the public. So how can text messaging help your media relations?

Standard blogging usually requires a full-time blogger and/or researcher to compile articles and posts and make them available to the public. This arrangement works well for some companies, but in other industries, a full-time blogger or writer can be an overkill, a bad match or economically unfeasible. In cases like these, it is more than appropriate and even suggested to do things that will reach as many people as possible and save money in the process. Text messaging could be the answer.

How Can Your Company Use Text Messaging Effectively ?

* If possible, assign a person to the task of texting your customers. Inform customers of sales, specials and discounts through this medium and always ask for their comments and opinions. This increases sales and your sites networking abilities.

* Communicate on a frequent basis with your clients.  Create brand identity and branding through communication and with customers.

* Send frequent text message updates to your customer data base to keep them alert on company developments and change.

What are some things that your company can do to make text messaging more effective? Can any industry benefit from texting? Can it be counter-productive for any business?