The Great Debacle Over Social Media Managment

Who should be in charge of Social Media Management in an organization? According to eMarketer's June 24 article What Makes Up a Social Marketing Strategy, marketing should be in charge of creation and maintenance. eMarketer took survey results from Digital Brand Expression, which found that 71% of respondents thought marketing should managing social media for a company and Corporate Communication coming in with 29% of the votes. Building strategy and brand recognition is the focus of a Marketing department so managing Social Media seems obvious but the article also states that respondents felt sales, HR and customer service should also be involved in social media management.

Customer service is on the front lines when it come to interacting with the public and they should be included in the strategy. They hear directly how their services are impacting the customer and can contribute to messages and posts that are being sent through the social media channels. HR can assist with responding to criticism and sales can use the social media tools to build recognition and stay on top of trends. Social Media management should involve more than just the Marketing Department and include responses from those departments that work directly with the customer.

How my employer optimizes Social Media

Banks reputations have been hit hard by scandal and poor lending habits over the past two years. Maintaining and building a positive reputation in the public eye can be a challenge when the media continues to report abuse in the banking system. Social Media can assist in building positive reputation if the correct tools are used and most importantly the tools are maintained. I did some research on how my employer uses social media and found some astonishing results.
First of all, the bank I work for has a Twitter account but only 49 followers and following 0 people. Clearly, they are not optimizing this area of social media. Dan Zarrella (2010) states, "Twitter is all about two-way conversations; engage with people, don't just broadcast" (pg. 52). For a large and well known bank, I found it disheartening that they are not using Twitter to their full advantage. Dan also states, "It's not a bad idea for those on corporate accounts to follow everyone who follows you; to do otherwise may make your brand appear aloof"(pg.39). I completely agree with Dan and it would benefit my company to follow their followers to see what trending topics are of interest and what is being said about them and their industry.
My organization also has a Facebook page with 3,022 fans but they have no wall posts or any other attention grabbing information. Their Facebook page was void of any useful topics and I was not persuaded to become a fan.
I had a hard time locating a blog for my company. What I did find interesting was that our CEO put together a panel of twenty somethings to work with his direct reports to provide feedback on how to better run the company (in terms of optimizing social media: Facebook & Twitter). He stated in the April 8th addition of Northwestern Financial Review, "The company is run by a bunch of 50 somethings and it takes many years to get to the distinction, yet we are the wrong people to decide what the next generation is going to want. So I don't tweet, I don't use Facebook, but I do have people who do those things and who have a voice as loud and clear as anyone who reports directly to me". My CEO had good intentions in developing the panel but they have failed in executing the tools. My advice to my organization would to manage their tools because poorly run social media outlets can impact an organization just as much as well ran tools.

What will the future hold?

What will the future of outbound marketing be? The old marketing techniques involved traveling to tradeshows and spending boat loads of cash on advertisements. Will the new marketing methods overtake tradeshows and print advertisements in the near future? According to eMarketer's June 16th article, "As marketers look to engage their audience with relevant, trustworthy messages, that means smaller shares of marketing budget going to traditional forms of advertisements". Media spending will increase to over 20% in 2014 or about 11 million within the next four years, which could mean that tradeshows will be taken over my webinars and print ads will be replace by web advertisements. Personally, I've seen travel budgets in my organization limited and more online communication taking place. There really is no doubt in my mind that outbound marketing techniques will be taken over by SEO, blogs and PPC because of the customization of the target audience and value it brings to the organization.

Practice makes perfect!

My brother has been talking about starting his own painting business for the last six months and up until recently I haven't asked him about the details. He is a huge MN T-Wolves fan and with his die-hard basketball loving heart, did not missed a game all season (season ticket holder). I can guess what some of you are thinking....who would want season tickets to the T-Wolves! My brother loves b-ball and because of his love for them, has formed friendships with the players and just about everyone at the Target Center. Fellow season ticket holders, bodyguards, sales people, and concession workers are a few of the people that know him by name. My brother has been in the painting business for 6 years and has is continually laid him off. He is a hard and honest worker who is ready to start working for himself!

Here is where I come in! I asked my brother, "how do you plan on marketing yourself?" He didn't really have an answer. So I then ask, "do you plan on having a website?" He said, "I'm not sure." I couldn't hold my excitement and I start explaining how amazing Google is and SEO techniques and told him we need to develope a website and use Michael H. Fleischner's techniques.

I briefly told him about the importance of keywords and page ranking but since our last assignment was to read off page Optimization; I spoke more to that. The importance of link requests, article marketing and blogging ideas came flying out of my mouth. According to Fleischner (2008), "Off-page optimization is the most important SEO strategy for those seeking #1 placement on Google" (pg.52). My brother of course was overwhelmed but very excited and we decided to get together to talk more about the website next week. He did mention a company called servicemagic, which is a online service that contractors can pay to be a part of and helps connect clients with pre-screened contractors. I believe this is an expensive company to belong to and I will need to do more research to determine how competitive they will be with my brothers company. Fleischner did mention that Google has begun to penalize "paid Link".

So you may be asking,"How does my brother's love of basketball play into starting his new business". By golly, he already has some interested "wealthy" clients he knows from the Target Center! If I help him establish a professional well managed website combined with my SEO knowledge and his contacts, hopefully I can assist him be a successful business owner. Wish me luck!!

I missed my favorite TV show! No problem, off to the internet I go!

Working and going to school full time has definitely impacted my much loved television viewership...that is until I figured out I can watch that same episodes online a few days after they air. Networks are loading their full length programs onto their website for viewing which fits into my busy schedule. There is also Hulu, which is another online source people can stream long-form video. What I like about this available technology is I can watch the programs when and where I want and zip through the commercials. An eMarketer June 14th article reads "eMarketer estimates that 33% of online adults in the US, or 58.9 million people, will watch full-length television shows online this year on a monthly basis. Among adults who already watch video regularly online, the rate is even higher, at 50%" (Jenks, 2010). What impact will this trend have on television programming and how will it impact the viewers. Will we have to buy subscription online to watch our shows? I enjoy the free service (other than the cost of my broadband) and the flexibility of the programming. Currently, we can view our programs online for free but based on the trend of online viewership, advertisers and networks are taking noticing and hashing out compensation that has yet to impact the viewers.

Six Fundamentals to Business Blogging

HubSpot's June 14th blog posting focused on creating a successful business blog. The six steps HubSpot's focused on are:
1. Gain visibility as thought leader, each thought on your blog is public demonstration of your thought leadership personal integrity, humor, and professional insights.
2. Engage in customer dialogue, if blogging use a solid blogging engine, readers will have the option to comment on each article.
3. Every blog article is a SEO opportunity, the much discussed "long tail" of search refers to highly specialized, low-traffic search terms that represent a significant amount of total searches.
4.Blogs are link bait, a good blog article is an industry specific insight or thoughtful critique and not a corporate sales pitch.
5. Humanize your brand, blogs are an opportunity give your subscribers a view of people, culture, and vision.
6. Fresh content=Better Website, Google will periodically crawl websites looking for new and updated content. New updates mean more Google crawling, which equals more subscribers.

Many of these steps reflect what Micheal H. Fleischner talked about in his SEO Made Simple. For example, the 4th step, blogs are link bait, refers to increasing your page rank by having links on your blog. Fleischner (2009) states, "Off-page optimization is the most important SEO strategy for those seeking #1 placement on Google"(pg.52). If the blogger can reel the readers in by writing interesting and useful content, they can increase their links thus increase their page rank.
Most people hate spiders crawling on them but when it comes to web content and visibility spiders are welcome with open arms. Fresh content can encourage Google to crawl all over your blog and increase your search results. The six fundamental step to business blogging are basic but relevant and solid tool to follow when starting a business blog.

Store Fronts, Catalogue, Websites..now mobile phones!

Saturday, I was shopping in a retail store and I saw an advertisement to text 55566 to this number and recieve 10% off your purchase instantly. I thought "wow, this store is aware of their target market (young adults who have their cell phone in their hands 24/7) and is adapting to wireless marketing". The June 4th article on eMarketer.com titled Why Retailers Need an In-Store Mobile Strategy, reminded me off my recent in-store experience. Retailers now have a new channel of marketing to focus on, mobile phones! Dave Sikora, founder and CEO of Digby quotes interviewed for article states " Our premise is that retailers have three channels: catalogues, the physical store front, and their website. We believe that mobile phones is not only the the fourth channel, it's the unique channel". Marketing to consumer through their mobile phones is a sign of marketing in the 21st century and being used by small and large retailers.

New apps, such as bar codes, are available for download which allows customer to price check and compare prices on almost every items in a store. Some retailers may view this app as a threat but Sikora stated, "You have to have an in-store mobile strategy that's application based. You have to have a mobile strategy that provides significant values over and above what people can do just by walking into your store and doing a price check". Once again, I see the word "value" and can't help but think back to the beginning of our text book that covered how important value added services are to Internet marketing.

DRIVER'S START YOUR ENGINES

Bumping and rubbing is part of racing and NASCAR has proven themselves to win both on the track and online. NASCAR.com website rating is 98 per Hubspot.com. It is a difficult to critique near perfection but I did find a few areas on their website that could be improved. The website is very busy and crowded, unless you are familiar with the racing culture, the user could be overwhelmed and exit the website before they dig deeper into the content. My first recommendation would be to de-clutter the homepage. The homepage is the user's first impression and they cannot view the entire page without scrolling down.

Sponsors advertisements, surveys, and YouTube links danced in front of my eyes and focusing on one area of the website took dedication. NASCAR.com's homepage is difficult to navigate and the objective is hard to determine. Roberts(2008) states, " there must be a coherent structure to the content of the site, usually one that is hierarchical in nature. This enables visitors to move around the site in a manner that fits each person 's individual need to merely examine summary information or to drill deeper into the site in search of detailed information about a specific topic"(p.256). My second recommendation would be to take away or move the images to appropriate tabs. There are too many active links and small images that are not well represented because they are lost among larger content. NASCAR should restructure the homepage and move these images and links to appropriate pages to better serve their purpose. My third recommendation would be create seamless navigation. Currently, if you click on the shop tab a new web page opens up. This page takes time to load and potentially a loss of viewership. Also, if you want to go back to the homepage, another web page opens up. Opening up all these tabs slows down my computer. NASCAR.com has a lot to offer but I feel their valued added services are lost by cramming all the content onto the homepage.

Please Please Target Me

Each morning when I open my email I have multiple messages from Amazon.com, Express, Bath and Body Works, and Gap advertising their daily or weekly deals. These deals are anywhere from free shipping to discounts on purchases. eMarketer's May 14, 2010 article discussed how a majority of women welcome being targeted. eMarketer stated, "The vast majority of female Internet users surveyed wanted more targeted offers from trusted brands. Nearly two-thirds of those polled said they thought it was "cool" when they saw an online ad that was tailored to their interests, compared with only 10.8% who thought it was weird." I personally like receiving emails from my favorite stores and don't mind being targeted based of my past purchases. The targeting actually works on me because I always open the email and browse the online store. I have actually purchased items this week from two different stores based of off targeted ads. The two main reasons I did this was because free shipping was offered and I didn't have time to run to the actual store. eMarketer states my reason perfectly in their article, "The top way to win a good relationship with women was to give them things such as deals, following by getting to know them and providing them with valuable information. Discounts are a major reason people appreciate advertising in general, targeted or otherwise." It has taken me awhile to feel comfortable purchasing items online but once you are familiar with sizing and start receiving great discounts, online shopping is a blast!

SPAM won WWII?

In honor of Memorial Day, I decided to blog about SPAM and what some say won WWII. Speculation of course, but since SPAM is made in Austin, MN I would like to think the great state of Minnesota helped win the war:) SPAM'S website is bright, fun and interactive. True to many websites, a pop-up met my eyes as soon as the website loaded. This pop-up was advertising SPAM'S receipt exchange, which is a new campaign to grow the use of SPAM in meals. Th user can upload SPAM receipts and print coupons, which I thought was neat and a clever way for customers to interact with each other. (Keep in mind everyone, I have never tired SPAM and not sure what it tastes like) I made the observation that SPAM is pushing receipts and trying to revive the brand. I came to this conclusion based off of the pop-up and home page. Receipts based on different foods, such as tomato's, macaroni, and potato's were the first item on the page. The user clicks and drags a can of SPAM over images of these foods to find receipts. Over all, this site is very interactive and entertaining. One of the highlights was the SPAMALOT game where you can catapult cows and toss coconuts in effort to defend your castle. Unfortunately, the game did not work on my computer:( This game is somehow connected to play or show I think...not really sure how the game connects in with anything but very funny.

I wanted to stay on task so I checked out the contact tab to see how SPAM handles customer service. The options that were presented to me were, General Inquiries, Return Policy, Shipping rates and mail/fax order forms. The general inquiry link had a form the customer can fill out and also how SPAM can contact them. They also provided a phone number and address for customers to contact them; very basic customer service connections. I think the receipt exchange and interactivity of this site is what will draw customers to SPAM. SPAM does have an online store but a majority of the merchandise is novelty and I don't see customer returning to SPAM.com to make repeat purchases on a regular basis. Building loyalty by allowing customers to interact with each other by uploading and sharing receipts creates a connection to SPAM and will draw users to this site. SPAM.com does a great job creating value for the customer.

Video Killed the Radio Star

Video e-commerce is kinda a big deal....so says retailers. eMarketer blogs post on May 21, 2010 reads, "Retailers are responding to the growing consumer appetite for online videos by adding them to their websites both to differentiate themselves from competition and to keep up with what consumers expect from their online shopping experience". My own personal opinion on videos is that of annoyance. They slow up my shopping experience because the video needs to load and half the time they are not advertising anything I am interested in. eMarketer blogs also reads, " Retailers find that videos boost sales conversions rates and reduce abandoned shopping cart and product return rates". I wonder if I should start watching these videos to see if my abandoned shopping cart rate decreases?
My shopping habits are a mixture of goal oriented and experiential and I can see the video's having a higher impact on those people who experiential. Experiential shoppers are letting their search guide their shopping behavior, which means they can be easily marketed too if they have no strong opinion on what they are looking for. Let the video wars begin:)

Stain Stain go away

Laundry detergent is expensive! The name brand detergents are priced anywhere from $9-$15 dollars depending on the bottle size. I typically buy the cheapest detergent on the shelf regardless of the reputation. I do not have a lot of confidence in the marketing of detergent because I have found that when I used and tested Era and Tide detergents they are equally as effective at getting out stains......While reviewing the Tide website, they are advertising their volunteer work in Nashville through their Tide Loads of Hope campaign. They are trying to set themselves apart from the competition by being socially responsible and building a brand image that sticks with people. From a marketers perspective they do a good job at building awareness of their Tide Loads of Hope campiagn by listing the current locations of the campaign and opportunities the viewer can assist with the campaign. What I want to focus on was the Shop Now tab. I wanted to see if their marketing and offers could entice me to actually purchase from the website versus a retail store. I noticed that Tide offers products that I haven't seen in retail stores, such as Swash, washing machine cleaner, and scented lint rollers. Could it be that I don't notice these products when they are amongst many different brands or does Tide only offer certain products online? I continue to search for products that interested me; unfortunately the products I would be interested in buying were not available for online purchase. I liked the items that I did not see on the stores shelves and to my disappointment I could not purchase them online. If Tide wants to build a relationship with me they need to offer different products other than detergent online and on the store shelves. "A successful outcome from the marketer's perspective is not achieved until the user becomes a repeat user or, better, a loyal customer" (Roberts, 2008, pg. 117). Currently, I will continue to buy the cheapest detergent until Tide offers more value for my buck!

Interactive Jeep Experience

While reviewing Jeep website I noticed that the shape has not changed significantly throughout the years. The models have the same boxy body and the headlights are still round. I have always thought Jeep's were for people who like to go mudding or live in the mountains or drive up steep hills (ex: Duluth). After reviewing the website, my assumptions were correct but Jeep is also marketing their vehicles to customers who just want to drive them on the highway. This website offers vehicle lineup, build your own jeep, shopping tools and Jeep experience. They offer a variety of information including vehicle price quotes and find your local dealer. This site creates value for the customer by offering a shopping experience similar to what they would receive if they walked into a dealership. From a marketer's perspective, the Website is interactive, fresh, and informative. I noticed that Jeep has used some Hierarchy Strategies. They have used interactivity, which "engages the visitor's attention and provides reasons for the visitor to return, "(Roberts, 2008, pg. 103). It was fun to personalization a jeep by adding color and interior items. From a marketer's perspective, the personlization added to the customer experience. This website also offers customer's to shop, which is another tier on the Hierarchy of marketing strategies. Allowing transactions on a website is a huge commitment by IT standards but creates revenue for the company and value to the customer. "Transactional sites require specialized technology such as shopping carts and they require the integration of back-end-data inventory databases for in-stock." Overall, Jeep does a great job at having interactive technology, which creates stickiness and kept me on the site longer.

Take me out to the ball game, Take me out with the crowd, Buy me some peanuts and cracker jacks....

I have reviewed the Twins website a couple times and I am itching to watch a game at the new field! The first thing I noticed when clicking through the site is that MLB.com is using software based services. When clicking on the other team's website, they have similar layouts and basically identical pages except for the logos and players. This tells me that the Oracle owns and maintains the software for MLB.com. I was slightly sad about this because I have a biased opinion and feel and view the Minnesota Twins baseball team as unique and one of a kind franchise. The Twins should have their own amazing webpage, not a cookie cutter team without any real online identity. Okay, back to reality. From a marketer's perspective, MLB.com made a great choice by using Oracle to be their software servicer. MLB.com does not have to purchasing software and hopefully reduces development and administrative costs.

The texts states, "Data can be obtained and used to understand both target customer and organizational capabilities, making developing a value proposition an information-driven marketing activity"(Roberts, 2088, p.55). I was looking for areas online where they would ask for my information or let me leave feedback, which I found once I logged into MLB.com. I created a account and once I was logged in I could choose my favorite team and least favorite team; I could also enter my hometown and favorite active player. They also wanted my birthday and address (maybe free stuff for my birthday?!?! doubt it) and email address. Clearly, this is the area where they capture people's information to create the value proposition. I enjoyed the site and donated my information in hopes they will create a value proposition geared towards my likes and dislikes:)

The Big Red Bullseye

Does anyone else find it hard to leave Target without at LEAST spending $20? Geesh, I know I can't. The Target website is not new to me, I visit the site regularly to see what new designer they are spot lighting and new merchandise. It was hard to concentrate on the task at hand while clicking through tabs but I buckled down and reviewed the site through the eyes of a marketer.

The tab I found the most interesting was the Pharmacy tab. A customer can, transfer prescriptions, refill prescriptions, and set up auto refill through Target's website. The webpage has crammed a lot of information on its page which made me feel overwhelmed. For example, links and tabs on prescriptions and health related issues were everywhere. There was a flashplayer with recurring advertisements, targeted at mother's, with answers to funny questions, such as "why can't medicine taste like chocolate banana pie"? Target does a good job at blending humor with serious health issues. The site also has links to items that are over the counter purchases, such as hot and cold pads, thermometers, baby health and safety items. The website throws a lot of information at the customer but if the customer's knows what they are looking for, finding the item or link is easy.

This website incorporated all four V's of business integration: Velocity, Visibility, Variability, and Volume(Roberts, p. 49). The customer can request and receive their prescription fast by having the option to request refills online. The website improves customer satisfaction by saving the customer time by allowing them to transfer prescriptions and/or get a refill online. The auto refill creates variability because the customer no longer has to remember to request refills but allows the pharmacy to do all the work. Also, the other links and health information allows the customer to shop for other needed items while they are requesting a refill or transferring prescriptions. Target is marketing to customer's individual needs by offering more than one option to choose from when it comes to their health care needs.

EMarketer May 4, 2010 Article found that over one-half of Internet users research online before making any type of purchases on the web, in store or through any other method. This saved the customer time and made them more confident about their purchases. This research does not surprise me because I am in the over one-half category. I always read reviews and compare items when I know I am making a large purchase. My first impression of the product is how the website is setup. If I am having trouble finding the product I am researching I most likely will not purchase it from that store. For example, I was looking for a new winter jacket and was researching Sports Authority and Dicks Sportings good. I had trouble finding what I wanted at Sports Authority and found the brand and woment's coats section very easily on Dicks online store. I look for convenience and great reviews when I am shopping online.

Hog Wild

From a marketer's perspective, Harley Davidson (HD) does extremely well in creating value for their brand. The website markets the obvious items, such as motorcycles, clothing, and parts but HD takes their marketing up a notch by adding culture and rider experience to their site. Roberts (2008) found that, "Many internet businesses have been built on the concept of using information to provide great customer satisfaction" (p.16). HD has not boxed themselves into selling motorcycles to rough and tumble men but instead has created a lifestyle that fits almost any type of person that is interested in buying a Harley. What I liked about this website is HD has altered their brand image over the years without forgetting what they do. They still manufacture American made motorcycles, this is obvious from their home page, but they are also inviting you into their family. Information on women bike clubs, military and vetern riders, and Harlistas (Latin American Harley riders) are all available for vewing on their website. This website creates excitement and enthusiasm and focuses on creating value through information. HD may sell you a bike but they also want to throw in a new lifestyle with your purchase. Wow, I feel as if I should go buy a bike now! Is this what good marketing does?!?!