Mobile Marketing

Mobile devices are rapidly becoming one of the more popular ways for users to access to the internet. Just a few short years ago we were bound by desktop computers, bulky laptops and limited wireless internet access, which meant that most browsing was done from select locations. These days, a savvy consumer can access the internet from almost anywhere. Smart Phones, tablet computers and other handheld devices are increasingly becoming the preferred method for many internet users. According to the Mobile Marketing Association, mobile marketing is expected to contribute $400 Billion to the U.S. Economy by the year 2015.

For small businesses, this can be advantageous or disastrous, depending on how they react and adapt to changes in consumer behavior. So how does a company participate in this shift to mobile? On a most basic level, any business with a website should ensure that the site operates functionally on any platform. Services exist that will convert a website very easily to one that is mobile friendly.

I have attached a graphic here to demonstrate the differences one would typically see between a traditional website and a mobile friendly one. A basic mobile friendly site should allow the user to quickly access information they may be searching for while on their mobile device, for instance, the business location, phone number, sales, or menu. Another way to connect directly with consumers is through a Mobile App (which I will cover in a later blog post), however, mobile friendly websites tend to be less expensive to create and are therefore a logical choice for a small business on a budget.

In addition to having a mobile friendly website, or developing an app if you choose to go that direction, you also want to look to engage customers and bring them to your website and social media sites in ways that incorporate mobile devices. Simple elements such as QR codes that allow a smart phone user to scan and instantly access your site, video, coupon, or any other link you choose to incorporate can be easily created on a multitude of free sites (Watch for a later post on the proper ways to use a QR code). Another way is to start a text campaign or ask customers to send in photos (many of which tend to get taken by phone these days).

The most important thing to be aware of in the shift to mobile by consumers is that it is here to stay and growing rapidly. Being ahead of the game, or at least part of the game, is imperative for any business that wants to have an online presence.

Content Marketing

First things first, what exactly is Content Marketing? To explain it simply, content marketing is the idea of getting your message across to customers without directly advertising to them, but instead, communicating with them through free content that attracts them to your product or service. One way this is often achieved is through blogging. Other ways include podcasts, social media, online communties. websites and more.

A key factor needed in successful content marketing is the ability to understand your audience; learn how to speak their language and discover how to think like they think, as this is the surest way to effectively appeal to them. Knowing the type of people you are targeting, the keywords that appeal to them, and the competitive landscape that you operate within, will help to narrow the focus of your content marketing energies. Recommendations for effective content marketing include building an audience that trusts you and values your knowledge and acts as sort of spokesperson for you; a testament to your legitimacy, reinforcing your credibility and allowing you to reach out to more and more individuals. This is not possible without actually being an authority on your topic, as it will only be a matter of time before people began to discover and understand that you are a fraud if you are simply trying to stumble your way through by deceiving your audience into believing that you know more than you actually do. Knowing your topic and consistently demonstrating your knowledge in it using a language that appeals to your audience will build followers.
Having more individuals following you and linking to your page will have the effect of increasing your legitimacy in the eyes of the Google and thereby rewarding you with a higher listing on Google search.

Of course, it takes more than just authority and credibility to capture an audience. It takes dynamic content: graphics, readability, searchability; everything and anything that captivates the reader and makes them come back for more. These days readers are picky and options are endless, so the more focused on consumer needs a content marketer is the better. Following Analytics and discovering what content drives readers to stick around and then revisit your site are imperative if one wants to succeed in the vast ocean that is the internet. Lastly, content marketing is dynamic, there is no static solution and therefore a writer must be constantly watching and learning in order to stay in the game.

One of my favorite examples of Content Marketing is Subaru Motor Company's "Dear Subaru" forum. Through Facebook (or the Subaru website), Subaru owners can upload a photo and tell personal stories about their Subaru car. This activity encourages brand loyalty as well as camaraderie between Subaru owners which helps to ensure that they will stick around as future customers.

A/B Testing

A/B testing, while not as well-known as Search Engine Optimization and Analytics tools, is a great way for a business to delve into information that will allow them to have a better understanding of how users react to certain features on their website. With A/B testing, two versions of a site are created and then analyzed to determine which site is more successful: Site A and Site B. Site A can be an existing site, or, in the case of a new business, a hypothetical template. Site B will be an alternative version to be tested against Site A. Traffic is divided between the two sites and then the data is analyzed to determine which is more successful. This success can be measured by various metrics such as bounce rate, number of sales, conversion rate, etc. Changes can be something as simple as a button color, to something more complex, such as the layout and design of a website.

In order for A/B testing to be successful, there are several factors to consider. Firstly, it’s important to know what exactly you are looking for when testing an existing site against a hypothetical alternative. Knowing your current results through a tool like Google Analytics can be extremely helpful here. If your bounce rate is extremely high for instance, you want the alternative site (Site B) to demonstrate an improvement or decline in the bounce rate. Trial and error is bound to happen, and so several A/B tests may need to be conducted to achieve definitive results. Another factor key in successful A/B testing is simultaneous testing; in order to achieve results that are accurate the two designs must be available at the same time to rule out factors that could affect the variables. Also, the longer an A/B test is conducted, the more accurate the results. To determine how long a test should be conducted, it is helpful to use a calculator such as this one which will help by identifying the number of days required to get statistically significant and reliable results. Lastly, cookies or another mechanism such as a sign in page, will need to be used to split the audience evenly and ensure that users aren't getting exposed to both versions.

A/B testing for digital marketing can also be extended into areas outside of website design and web page features. For instance, two variations of an email could be sent and then responses to either can be measured to determine which received the better response or Ads can be monitored to determine which design or placement produces the best result. In cases like these, online tools like Analytics may be helpful as well, but also, it may benefit the user to also have some elementary knowledge of statistics in order to understand and track the results better.

Various resources exist to help a site developer conduct A/B tests. This useful tool is an excellent way to improve marketing results and better understand your customer. I really enjoyed this article from HubSpot.com demonstrating some real life A/B techniques.

What Color Are You?

We have all heard about the connection between colors and emotion; purples and violets are relaxing, red is passionate, yellow is bright and friendly, blue is serene and cool, white is pure, and so on. Pink, in North American culture, is widely considered a feminine color, however, it was originally targeted at male babies as it was declared too strong of a color for females.

Did you know that a red "click me" button on a website generates more response than a green one? Joshua Porter, over at Hubspot, conducted an A/B test* using the two colors and was able to determine that overall conversion rates were much higher when the color red was used (read the article here if you want to know more about it).

KISSmetrics published this popular infographic demonstrating the effect that colors have on customers. I love this, as it gives me insight into many brands and why they choose the colors that they do. Additionally, it helps me in considering what colors I choose to use in my business practices and how I react to colors on a personal level. Notice that it says North American Consumers? I would love to find something similar showing how shoppers in other countries and cultures react to color.

Original article and Infographic can be found here.

*What is an A/B test? Click here to read all about it.

Let's talk about Branding

Branding is an integral part of marketing.
I like to think of branding as developing the "personality" of a brand.

A customer's reactions, responses and emotions are directly connected to how they perceive you as a brand. These perceptions could be based upon many things, stemming from previous experiences they have had with your brand, or possibly experiences they have had with other brands within your field.
And when we think of brands as personalities, we come to understand that they need a life and a story that captivates the customer and makes that person loyal to them. Customers buy brands that they can identify with on some level, and for this reason developing a brand personality is crucial to attracting and retaining customers.

Developing a brand personality can be tricky. First off, how do you want your customers to perceive you? Do you want to be seen as serious, playful, edgy, serene, reliable, professional, rebellious, magical.........? The list goes on and on, and every factor of a brand's persona affects the customers perception and response.

Here is a list of several factors that may need to be considered when developing a brand personality:

Name
Logo
Tagline
Colors
Font(s)
Spokesperson(s)
Advertising Placement
Pricing
Packaging
Distribution channels

When you think of your favorite brand, consider the fact that all of the aforementioned items affect your perception of that brand, and this is not unintentional, marketers work hard to make this happen. When it comes to the big, well known brands, each and every nuance of a brand's image is thought out and designed to best target its intended audience.

So on a small entrepreneurial level, what can be done to make sure that your customers are perceiving your brand the way you want them to? For starters, ask a few trusted friends for their honest opinions about your logo, website, color choices, etc. Do lots of research, look at ways brands you admire project themselves. Try to look at your own brand from a objective viewpoint and think of how you would react as a customer. Be professional, no matter what image you want to portray, be it rebellious or playful, or serious and serene, there is a certain amount of credibility gained through clean logo, packaging and web design, and professional and engaging content and conversation. Personal style is not necessarily unfavorable, but be aware of how others may perceive you. And the number one rule: listen to your customers. Find out what they think of you and determine whether this matches up of what you think of yourself. If not, then something needs to change.

Branding is a fascinating and deep topic that has been explored from not just business and marketing perspectives, but also from psychological and sociological perspectives. What works for a brand can vary regionally and internationally, and a multitude of other factors can come into play that also change customer perception. While some argue its a science, many perceive it as an art. Whatever it is, its a necessary and important part of successfully running a business.

Plagiarism, Copyright, and Sharing of Information in the Digital Age

The previous post on social media marketing brought several questions to my mind that has led me into some research on the topics of copyright and proprietary rights on information found on the internet.

I participated in a class once where students were required to maintain a blog related to digital marketing. Naturally, this led to an extensive amount of re-posting and sharing of other website's information on our own student blogs as we were discovering new and exciting information. However, there were times in my own blogging, as well as in reading my fellow student's blogs, where I felt that appropriate credit was not being given to the original authors. Students are strongly coached on the ramifications of plagiarism when it comes to writing academic papers, however, the rules of internet posting seem to be somewhat fuzzy. This entry will hopefully help you to understand the appropriate ways to share online.

So, let's talk about some safe ways to use content you find online, as well as ways to share it. Please read this post with the understanding that I am by no means an expert on this topic. However, I do feel confident that anyone following these basic guidelines will be taking some steps towards protecting themselves from improperly using the work of others.

Information:

The most ideal way to use information you have found elsewhere online is to summarize the information in your own words. Quoted phrases are completely acceptable, but it is best not to use them excessively. Whether you quote the original author or simply summarize the information they provided, always give them credit and provide a link back to the original article.
Based on information I have seen and heard often, I would advise against re-posting an entire article without the express permission of the original author. That said, getting permission is not as frightening as it seems; many authors and bloggers want their content to be seen as much as possible and would be glad to share it.
Finally, when quoting another writer and providing a link back to the original article, do your best to make sure that you are in fact linking to the "original" article. Often articles get re-posted enough times that it can take some work to find the original published work.

Images:

The safest way that I know of to use images is to only use images that you have created on your own. That can be difficult though, so the next best way is to acquire free images that carry a Creative Commons license. My personal favorite source for these are through Flickr.
Many websites also sell images that can be used for various purposes (commercial or personal) for a low price.
If the picture you want to use does not carry a Creative Commons license then it is best to ask permission from the creator of the image.
Again, always give credit to the creator or owner of the image and provide a link to the original.

YouTube videos:

YouTube videos, in my opinion, can be safely shared, otherwise YouTube would not allow the embedding feature. Owners of YouTube videos have the ability to disable this feature, but many do not. This is because many video owners desire that their videos reach a broad audience. That said, it is never ok to download videos from YouTube, as per their terms of use.

Some handy tricks and tips:

• When in doubt, always ask the content owner for permission.
• If you are suspicious of the source of the information, use a search engine to track down other instances of the text or image.
• Read the Creative Commons license carefully (some prohibit professional use), and ask if you are not sure. If you are not profiting from the image and willing to give credit to the original owner, often they are glad to share.
• Know copyright laws, many images over 50 years old are considered public domain.
• Protect your own content by digitally watermarking images, applying a Creative Commons license, or copyrighting your material.
• Monitor the internet for unauthorized use of information or images of your own, this is a little tricky, but they can be found. Try setting up a Google Alert for your blog or business name or the topic you cover, this will provide you with emails that summarize all related content posted online.

The Science of Social Media

Well, you've finally set up a social media page for your brand, but now how do you get the most out of it?

Well, for starters, be present. Social media sites require constant monitoring in order to allow the business to react quickly to any changes that can occur within the site due to tagging, commenting, messaging, or in the unfortunate event that the site becomes a victim of a hacker.

Next, make content dynamic and interesting, and reinforce loyalty by interacting with your fans in a professional, yet fun and friendly manner when given the opportunity; being engaged with fans and customers in a variety of ways will help to keep them interested and loyal to your brand. Share information with your online fans that cannot be gained elsewhere, for instance, by offering special sales or promotions. Give them sneak peaks to new merchandise before arrives it in your store, or announce a contest that is only available to online users.

Every social media platform is different, and choosing the right one, or ones, for your business is dependent on a number of factors. For instance, a landscaper or an artist may find themselves highly popular on a site that is primarily based in images, such as Pinterest or Instagram, whereas a musician or a writer may have a broader reach on a site like Twitter, YouTube or Facebook. This is not to say that a business shouldn't explore multiple social media opportunities, as many factors such as demographics and customer preferences will also come into play.

For more reading on this topic, I highly enjoyed this article and infographic written by Kristin Piombino from Ragan's PR Daily. It contains all sorts of tips and tricks to gain the best response from Pinterest, Google +, Twitter and Facebook.

Original article and Infographic can be found here.