Internet Participation & Control

Recently I told a client in response to his question, "When we start to participate on the Internet, how do we control it?"

My answer, “How well are you controlling it now with less than 10 mentions on Google and each of the important influencer websites – and 7 of the 10 are negative info about you. When you participate you have some control. Maybe not all the control you would like. But more than you have today when you don't participate at all.”

Mike Brown
www.BrownLtd.com

Social Media Evolution: The Eight Stages Of Listening

As Social Customers Become More Empowered,
Organizations Must Have A Listening Strategy

As we approach 2010 planning companies need a strategy around listening. Sadly, most companies, and their agency partners don’t know why to listen or how. As a result, they must identify which stage of listening they are at, and then set a goal on which stage they see to aspire in 2010. Click the Link for the Full Article:

Web Strategist

Tips On Publishing a Successful E-Book

David Meerman Scott on publishing a great eBook from Tippingpoint Labs on Vimeo.

5 Ways Social Media is Changing Our Daily Lives

Click for Full Article: 5 Ways Social Media is Changing Our Daily Lives

Marketing that is Working Right Now: Customer Research

What is working right now in this tough market as the best, reasonable cost, mix for any organization is finding out who your customer types are (profile them) and then do the following:

- Events

- News Releases (not necessarily to the press)

- Web Promotion

- Radio Advertising

- E-blast Newsletters

- Direct Mail Advertising

- Search Engine Marketing (SEM)

- Social Networking (Social Media Marketing, SMM)

All must be highly targeted at your top purchasing demographics and done as a campaign – not a series of unconnected media activity. It works right now!

The strategy starts by figuring out exactly who your buyers are and creating unique events for them, and people just like them. This article will cover customer research and future articles will cover the events and the media mix shown above.

Who are Your Customers? Once You Find Out, You Can Find More Just Like Them.

Find out the demographics and other information about your best customers. Check with your top sales people, look at customer records, hold focus groups with your customers, call them, poll them, find out as much as you can about the following:

- What is their household income?

- What is their age?

- Where do they live?

- Single, married, kids?

- Have they bought before?

- Why did they buy your product or service?

- Was there a particular benefit, feature, message that brought them to you?

- What media do they use: Which TV channels, radio stations, websites, magazines and newspapers, etc.?

- How did they hear about you? Careful! This is tenuous at best. Most won’t remember or won’t tell you accurately for a number of reasons but if most say the same thing it might be reliable.

- What are their favorite charities?

You’re looking for trends, not private or individual information.

After you figure out your best customer data, create customer profiles so you can use the information to:

- Create events to appeal directly to them

- Decide when is the best time to have an event and advertise

- Figure out where to have events

- Position your product or service vs. the competition

- Create a message to use to write news releases and other copy

- Target web sites you can use to use to promote (including social networking sites and groups)

- Promote on specific radio stations

- Get potential addresses to use for direct mail

Next article, Unique Events!