Archive for the ‘marketing’ Category

6 Ways to Generate buzz about Your business

buzz marketing efforts strive to generate publicity about your business.  Generally speaking, they don’t have any specific message as its goal is to just draw attention to your business.  This type of strategy can be used with a variety of media formats including blogs, podcasts and videos.  Here are some ideas to generate buzz for your business.

1. Incorporate something considered to be taboo in your message.  Oprah’s use of the “vajayjay” word on mainstream television is considered taboo for many people.  Even Oprah was wondering if she could even use that word on the air.  One thing to note is to not confuse taboo with offensive.

2. Incorporate something unusual in your message.  This still has to stand out as unusual.  Just because it’s different doesn’t mean it’ll generate the buzz you desire.  The video clip “battle at Krueger” showed a lion attacking some buffalo only to end up becoming the attacked later on.  That was unusual not to mention that feelings of justice being served arose in viewers.
3. Incorporate something outrageous.  Watching people stuff hot dogs down their mouth is definitely unusual – not to mention just plain gross!
4. Incorporate something hilarious.  Some things are just hilarious to watch like seeing people doing stupid stuff.  Other things that might seem hilarious are watching people get hurt – fall down or get nailed by a bat.  Flamboyant actions are somewhat hilarious because it’s so ridiculous.
5. Incorporate something remarkable.  The video clip “Free Hugs” was remarkable to view and inspired many people to do the same thing.  being remarkable often lends itself to being inspiring.  Feelings of wholesomeness and goodness just flood people’s hearts and they are compelled to do good. Truth be told, this video actually made me tear up. Very powerful. I bought the t-shirt…
6. Incorporate something secret.  The movie “The Secret” honed in on just that idea.  They took an age old theory and repackaged the Law of attraction into something new.  The theory of the law of attraction has been around for a long time but has not been shown in the way that the producers of “The Secret” have shown it.

Generating buzz means getting creative with presenting new ideas.  While you don’t have to only stick to these concepts about buzz marketing, there are many other ideas that will work as well.  Generating buzz about your business is a fun experience for both you and your audience.  Potentially, it’s a means of having your audience connect with you as they realize that businesses are not just a bunch of stuffed shirts!

Photo credit: buzzIsMedia

6 Ways to Generate buzz about Your business

buzz marketing efforts strive to generate publicity about your business.  Generally speaking, they don’t have any specific message as its goal is to just draw attention to your business.  This type of strategy can be used with a variety of media formats including blogs, podcasts and videos.  Here are some ideas to generate buzz for your business.

1. Incorporate something considered to be taboo in your message.  Oprah’s use of the “vajayjay” word on mainstream television is considered taboo for many people.  Even Oprah was wondering if she could even use that word on the air.  One thing to note is to not confuse taboo with offensive.

2. Incorporate something unusual in your message.  This still has to stand out as unusual.  Just because it’s different doesn’t mean it’ll generate the buzz you desire.  The video clip “battle at Krueger” showed a lion attacking some buffalo only to end up becoming the attacked later on.  That was unusual not to mention that feelings of justice being served arose in viewers.
3. Incorporate something outrageous.  Watching people stuff hot dogs down their mouth is definitely unusual – not to mention just plain gross!
4. Incorporate something hilarious.  Some things are just hilarious to watch like seeing people doing stupid stuff.  Other things that might seem hilarious are watching people get hurt – fall down or get nailed by a bat.  Flamboyant actions are somewhat hilarious because it’s so ridiculous.
5. Incorporate something remarkable.  The video clip “Free Hugs” was remarkable to view and inspired many people to do the same thing.  being remarkable often lends itself to being inspiring.  Feelings of wholesomeness and goodness just flood people’s hearts and they are compelled to do good. Truth be told, this video actually made me tear up. Very powerful. I bought the t-shirt…
6. Incorporate something secret.  The movie “The Secret” honed in on just that idea.  They took an age old theory and repackaged the Law of attraction into something new.  The theory of the law of attraction has been around for a long time but has not been shown in the way that the producers of “The Secret” have shown it.

Generating buzz means getting creative with presenting new ideas.  While you don’t have to only stick to these concepts about buzz marketing, there are many other ideas that will work as well.  Generating buzz about your business is a fun experience for both you and your audience.  Potentially, it’s a means of having your audience connect with you as they realize that businesses are not just a bunch of stuffed shirts!

Photo credit: buzzIsMedia

a2Z Pilot – Tip 1- bETa

This is the beginning of a journey anthony will be taking the brave new world of social media. He's got a fancy Mac laptop and just discovered iMovie! as he produces more and more episodes, we'll be working with him on setup, lighting, acoustics, and scripting to show first-hand how one develops their skills in social media. Join us as we watch him grow into a social media darling.

In this first video, anthony tells us about what he's learned through the years regarding picking an agency in the a pilot of a2Z Marketing Tip.

a2Z Pilot – Tip 1- bETa

This is the beginning of a journey anthony will be taking the brave new world of social media. He’s got a fancy Mac laptop and just discovered iMovie! as he produces more and more episodes, we’ll be working with him on setup, lighting, acoustics, and scripting to show first-hand how one develops their skills in social media. Join us as we watch him grow into a social media darling.

In this first video, anthony tells us about what he’s learned through the years regarding picking an agency in the a pilot of a2Z Marketing Tip.

What are automatic Pings?

Most blogging services have automatic pinging integrated in to their platforms. However, they are not fully configured "out of the box." Typepad, the service we use at DexterityMedia, comes pre-configured to ping a few of the most popular services and directories as soon as a new blog is set up. and you can add a many more pinging services as you like.

That's all fine and good…but WHaT is a ping?

In social media (podcasting, blogging and RSS supported sites) getting publicity means notifying other sites, search engines and directories when you have new content posted to the site. The most efficient way to accomplish this is to have a mechanism on the site that automatically notifies others of the new content. We call this mechanism a ping. It's that simple.

There are other times when getting the word out requires some individual effort. While using the automatic method is preferable simply because it's …well… automatic the manual methods are well worth the effort. Listing your site and each post is critical to building your audience and keeping the reader engaged. We'll cover those situations in a later post.

Now…back to the ping. The ping works like a signal sent via telegraph with the listing site, search engine or directory as the receiver on the other end of the telephone line receiving your telegraph message. The ping itself carries a minimal amount of information. It's basically a tap on the shoulder and a wave of the finger signaling to "look at me."

When you send out a ping, you are telling the recipient that there's something new at your site. You are asking the receiver to come have a look so the search engine or directory can update its info about your site. Sometimes the ping will have the information the receiving site needs to update its info about your site. Other times, the site receiving the ping will send out an agent or spider (a web program) to visit your site and grab the new info itself.

Now, while a ping itself will do noting to get you new users, they are critical in the buzz marketing ecosystem when it comes to letting potential readers know you exist and current readers know you have new content for them to enjoy.

Photo credit: Marc F via Flickr

What are automatic Pings?

Most blogging services have automatic pinging integrated in to their platforms. However, they are not fully configured "out of the box." Typepad, the service we use at DexterityMedia, comes pre-configured to ping a few of the most popular services and directories as soon as a new blog is set up. and you can add a many more pinging services as you like.

That’s all fine and good…but WHaT is a ping?

In social media (podcasting, blogging and RSS supported sites) getting publicity means notifying other sites, search engines and directories when you have new content posted to the site. The most efficient way to accomplish this is to have a mechanism on the site that automatically notifies others of the new content. We call this mechanism a ping. It’s that simple.

There are other times when getting the word out requires some individual effort. While using the automatic method is preferable simply because it’s …well… automatic the manual methods are well worth the effort. Listing your site and each post is critical to building your audience and keeping the reader engaged. We’ll cover those situations in a later post.

Now…back to the ping. The ping works like a signal sent via telegraph with the listing site, search engine or directory as the receiver on the other end of the telephone line receiving your telegraph message. The ping itself carries a minimal amount of information. It’s basically a tap on the shoulder and a wave of the finger signaling to "look at me."

When you send out a ping, you are telling the recipient that there’s something new at your site. You are asking the receiver to come have a look so the search engine or directory can update its info about your site. Sometimes the ping will have the information the receiving site needs to update its info about your site. Other times, the site receiving the ping will send out an agent or spider (a web program) to visit your site and grab the new info itself.

Now, while a ping itself will do noting to get you new users, they are critical in the buzz marketing ecosystem when it comes to letting potential readers know you exist and current readers know you have new content for them to enjoy.

Photo credit: Marc F via Flickr

blending Your SEO Practices with Social Media

I had a discussion this afternoon that made me think about how much I use basic SEO practices in our social media promotion campaigns. Social media has changed the face of internet marketing. at the same time, SEO techniques still must be employed to give your site a proper foundation. One of the questions that may arise is how can SEO techniques be adaptable to this new marketing phenomena? SEO will have to change as social media develops.

One of the things that will happen is that linking strategies will become more social in nature. The benefits of buying and trading links is already in dispute industry-wide. This practice will become a thing of the past sooner rather than later. buying links and reciprocal linking strategies will fade because using social media strategies delivers a higher quantity of links and in some cases higher quality links than buying and/or trading links never could have delivered. "Traditional" methods of acquiring backlinks just can't compete from an ROI standpoint with getting them via social media promotion and social networking.

adding to the demise of these linking strategies that are soooo 2006: they just look spammy and social networking (apart from social media promotion techniques) will provide for adequate links because of the process itself. Either way, linkages will be made through a site’s content and through comments and blog roll sections.

Pay-per-click sites will find a way to sell top bookmark and tag rankings to social media users. PPC companies will need to learn how to manipulate these rankings in order to monetize it.

Social media sites currently leave no room for direct sales of PPC as we know it. However, some of the top ones plan to take advantage of PPC programs from Google, Yahoo & Microsoft-MSN-Live.com. Will this put them out of business if they can't drive enough revenue via these advertising platforms? Not necessairly. They will have to adapt and find a dependable method to monetize their services in order to keep their virtual doors open though. Let's face it, at some point the stupid money coming out of the bay-area has to dry up.

Network sites have become mini hubs for niche marketing thus, making targeting a specific audience easier to do. as advertisers begin to capitalize on the social networks, we will begin to see conversational advertising and marketing strategies gain consumer support. While targeting the audience will be easier to do, engaging the audience by keeping the interactive marketing approach fresh and appealing will be a must do for any business to survive long term.

Keyword and targeted keyword phrase strategies remain a premiere way to achieve top rankings and drive traffic with SEO and SMO. Content remains as one of the primary ways to keep and maintain a site's rankings both with SEO and SMO strategies. Keyword stuffing won't be as prevalent, necessary or effective in the future. Creative and appealing content along with interacting with the consumer has become increasingly needed. Web marketers should still focus on developing content that is geared towards retaining audience members and obtaining new ones. In addition, features need to be built into company and organizational internet properties that allow consumers and clients to interact directly with a organization's online presence. as these strategies are employed we'll see web sites develop a more stable and loyal audience base as long as they are able to engage effectively and transparently with their visitors and provide what the consumer wants.

Natural SEO practices are here to stay, but they will change in light of social media and will get shiny new acronyms. Strategies and tactics that were once must-dos for any site will become second nature and will incorporate social media practices as online marketing and advertising evolves. Learn to blend and balance your SEO strategies with your social media strategies to obtain the best results.

Photo Credit: altogether Digital.

blending Your SEO Practices with Social Media

I had a discussion this afternoon that made me think about how much I use basic SEO practices in our social media promotion campaigns. Social media has changed the face of internet marketing. at the same time, SEO techniques still must be employed to give your site a proper foundation. One of the questions that may arise is how can SEO techniques be adaptable to this new marketing phenomena? SEO will have to change as social media develops.

One of the things that will happen is that linking strategies will become more social in nature. The benefits of buying and trading links is already in dispute industry-wide. This practice will become a thing of the past sooner rather than later. buying links and reciprocal linking strategies will fade because using social media strategies delivers a higher quantity of links and in some cases higher quality links than buying and/or trading links never could have delivered. “Traditional” methods of acquiring backlinks just can’t compete from an ROI standpoint with getting them via social media promotion and social networking.

adding to the demise of these linking strategies that are soooo 2006: they just look spammy and social networking (apart from social media promotion techniques) will provide for adequate links because of the process itself. Either way, linkages will be made through a site’s content and through comments and blog roll sections.

Pay-per-click sites will find a way to sell top bookmark and tag rankings to social media users. PPC companies will need to learn how to manipulate these rankings in order to monetize it.

Social media sites currently leave no room for direct sales of PPC as we know it. However, some of the top ones plan to take advantage of PPC programs from Google, Yahoo & Microsoft-MSN-Live.com. Will this put them out of business if they can’t drive enough revenue via these advertising platforms? Not necessairly. They will have to adapt and find a dependable method to monetize their services in order to keep their virtual doors open though. Let’s face it, at some point the stupid money coming out of the bay-area has to dry up.

Network sites have become mini hubs for niche marketing thus, making targeting a specific audience easier to do. as advertisers begin to capitalize on the social networks, we will begin to see conversational advertising and marketing strategies gain consumer support. While targeting the audience will be easier to do, engaging the audience by keeping the interactive marketing approach fresh and appealing will be a must do for any business to survive long term.

Keyword and targeted keyword phrase strategies remain a premiere way to achieve top rankings and drive traffic with SEO and SMO. Content remains as one of the primary ways to keep and maintain a site’s rankings both with SEO and SMO strategies. Keyword stuffing won’t be as prevalent, necessary or effective in the future. Creative and appealing content along with interacting with the consumer has become increasingly needed. Web marketers should still focus on developing content that is geared towards retaining audience members and obtaining new ones. In addition, features need to be built into company and organizational internet properties that allow consumers and clients to interact directly with a organization’s online presence. as these strategies are employed we’ll see web sites develop a more stable and loyal audience base as long as they are able to engage effectively and transparently with their visitors and provide what the consumer wants.

Natural SEO practices are here to stay, but they will change in light of social media and will get shiny new acronyms. Strategies and tactics that were once must-dos for any site will become second nature and will incorporate social media practices as online marketing and advertising evolves. Learn to blend and balance your SEO strategies with your social media strategies to obtain the best results.

Photo Credit: altogether Digital.

Finding Your Niche

Today's New York Times has an interesting story about how Wal-Mart's former agency, GSD&M attempted to advise them on how to reach an upscale market as the agency scrambled to retain their client, who eventually left. a 55-page report was submitted to the retail giant, the gist of which was "the chain’s traditional strengths — its reputation for discounts, its
all-in-one shopping format and its enormous selection — “work against
us” as it tries to move upscale."

Excuse me, but you're freakin' WaL-MaRT! You don't belong "upscale." You're cheap. Your clothes wear out quickly, we understand that. You're not known for "style." You're a brightly lit warehouse of everything under the sun. People aren't going to Wal-Mart for a "shopping experience," they're going because it's open at 3aM or because it's near the neighborhood, or more likely, because it's cheap.

You can't be everything to everyone in aNY business, especially retail. Wal-Mart's recent attempts to create "neighborhood markets" are probably a step in the right direction if they really want to reach a "higher end" clientele, but you can't make a silk purse of a sow's ear, and Wal-Mart should never abandon its base to court more money. Sam Walton would rise from the grave, fire up his mower and run over the toes of Wal-Mart's executive team if they did.

The report also suggests that Wal-Mart suffers from other negative public perceptions, such as the reputation of being a "Mom and Pop Shop Killer" or that Wal-Mart prefers overseas labor and products.

a copy of the GSD&M report is available here.

If Wal-Mart really wants to attract a more upscale clientele and become a destination known for style, they need to take a cue from The Gap, whose sister company, banana Republic, is a higher end version of the clothing store. Just like Toyota and Lexus. Same company, but one is known for reliable economy and the other for luxury.

You can't run from your name or a reputation built on 40 years of retail dominance. Your name is Wal-Mart. Embrace it.

Finding Your Niche

Today’s New York Times has an interesting story about how Wal-Mart’s former agency, GSD&M attempted to advise them on how to reach an upscale market as the agency scrambled to retain their client, who eventually left. a 55-page report was submitted to the retail giant, the gist of which was "the chain’s traditional strengths — its reputation for discounts, its
all-in-one shopping format and its enormous selection — “work against
us” as it tries to move upscale."

Excuse me, but you’re freakin’ WaL-MaRT! You don’t belong "upscale." You’re cheap. Your clothes wear out quickly, we understand that. You’re not known for "style." You’re a brightly lit warehouse of everything under the sun. People aren’t going to Wal-Mart for a "shopping experience," they’re going because it’s open at 3aM or because it’s near the neighborhood, or more likely, because it’s cheap.

You can’t be everything to everyone in aNY business, especially retail. Wal-Mart’s recent attempts to create "neighborhood markets" are probably a step in the right direction if they really want to reach a "higher end" clientele, but you can’t make a silk purse of a sow’s ear, and Wal-Mart should never abandon its base to court more money. Sam Walton would rise from the grave, fire up his mower and run over the toes of Wal-Mart’s executive team if they did.

The report also suggests that Wal-Mart suffers from other negative public perceptions, such as the reputation of being a "Mom and Pop Shop Killer" or that Wal-Mart prefers overseas labor and products.

a copy of the GSD&M report is available here.

If Wal-Mart really wants to attract a more upscale clientele and become a destination known for style, they need to take a cue from The Gap, whose sister company, banana Republic, is a higher end version of the clothing store. Just like Toyota and Lexus. Same company, but one is known for reliable economy and the other for luxury.

You can’t run from your name or a reputation built on 40 years of retail dominance. Your name is Wal-Mart. Embrace it.