Mad 4 Blog

Last week we talked about the differences between advertising and public relations. But do you know how the elements of public relations come together to create a successful PR campaign? According to Apryl Duncan, About.com’s advertising specialist, there are five key public relations components which marketing agents or business owners can use to kick off a public relations campaign, even with very little prior experience. Those are:

• Write a Press Release: Every time your business launches a new strategy or offers a new product, update your media contacts (see below) through a formal press release. Templates for press releases are available for free online, and are an invaluable tool for first-time press release writers. Remember, the content should be readable but informative, and appeal to the interests of the media outlets who you hope will publish and promote your business’s endeavors.

• Compile a Press Kit: Along with a press release, a press kit may include your company’s brochure, a fact sheet, a business summary, contact information for your PR representative, service quotes, high-res images, and a product sample if applicable. As a first impression, your press kit will reflect your business. While some companies send out hyper-modern press kits with eye-catching packaging and digital counterparts, sometimes the best way to make an impression is with an organized, concise folder or envelope containing easy-to-navigate data in its traditional form. A press kit should reflect your company voice and brand. You may want to opt for pizzazz if you’re a tech-savvy web design firm, or rely on convention if you do financial accounting. Ultimately, the choice is up to you.

• Blog Away: If your business already has a blog or website, it’s a vital space to promote business developments and upcoming events. For one, it’s a central, universal space to which you can direct media contacts and potential clients for information on your business—putting your blog or web address in the right hands is more powerful than a thousand business cards. It’s also a resource for promotion. If someone does want to cover your business and wares, they can link straight to your page or pull information from your blog at any given time, without waiting for you to contact them first.

• Build Media Relations: The primary job of a public relations agent is to cultivate a roster of media contacts who can help spread the word about the business they represent. To build long-lasting media connections, here’s what you need to do: Get in touch with media outlets. Introduce yourself to the representative that best suits your company’s message (i.e., the beauty editor of a magazine if you’re a skincare brand). Collect contact information and give out your own. And keep in touch on a regular basis, even if you’re just checking in when there’s not much going on. Cultivating media relations is the hardest, most important part of public relations. It’s an on-going job, but if you can hack it, you’re in for a world of benefits that can do as much for your business as the priciest of ad campaigns.

• Sponsor Media Events: As Ms. Duncan notes, putting together a big event will attract more coverage than a small ceremony or the passing of a check. Make your sponsorships and product launches spectacular and headline-worthy, so that when you invite your media contacts to attend, they’ll want to show up. And when they do, you’ll give them something to talk about. A celebrity-studded, charity-oriented, prize-giveaway event may be more costly up front, but you’ll be surprised at how it can pay for itself with the publicity your business will attract.

At Mad 4 Marketing, these are just a few of the elements we use when creating a solid public relations campaign for our clients. We utilize these classic public relations tactics to put our clients’ messages out into the world via print, web, and word of mouth. Even if your business isn’t prepared to handle its own PR right now, we suggest that you begin building your contacts in the media, start a blog, and store a few press release templates on the company’s shared drive—just so you’ll always be ready for the opportunity to boost business by conquering the art of free publicity. Until then, we’re here to help.

It’s easy for laypersons to confuse the world of advertising with the world of public relations. Both are geared toward promoting and representing clients for the consumption of the public. And both are tools which a marketing agency like Mad4Marketing employs as part of an all-encompassing approach to selling a person, business or brand. There are, however, some very distinct differences which set dedicated advertising agencies apart from their PR counterparts.

The primary difference is that advertising agencies buy time and space to market their clients, while public relations firms are designed to generate free promotions and publicity. Buying ad space, such as television commercials, radio announcements and newspaper ads (or, in modern marketing, web space and web ads) gives an advertising agency ultimate creative control over the message. This includes where and when the commercial is aired, and how many times it runs. Contrarily, because public relations firms distribute information with the hope of complimentary promotion, it means that they have very little input about how or when their clients will be covered. They have no real control over what final message will be presented by newspapers, television and other commercial affiliates.

Advertising agencies sell their ability to plan, negotiate and strategize to buy established, predetermined media spots, and the client knows exactly what they’ll get going in. Public relations firms sell their ability to reach out to media contacts and supply the right angle to garner attention and enhance their client’s reputation. In short, while PR firms can get you on TV, advertising agencies can put you on TV. The downside for advertising agencies is that consumers are largely aware of overt ads, and paradoxically, therefore find them easier to ignore on television, on the radio and on the Internet. On the other hand, free publicity without an angle or call to action may be perceived as open, unbiased information or human interest, which may be received with a more open mind.

Both advertising agents and public relations representatives must have a keen knowledge of marketing. Advertisers work with media sellers and business strategists to develop targeted approaches for marketing a specific message. This involves comprehensive research to discover the most appropriate way to entice an audience in addition to brainstorming on how to sell their clients within the framework of a given media space. PR firms work with editors, publicists, community leaders and eminent media voices to pitch their clients and angles in a way that will be mutually beneficial to their clients and the media outlets which will actually be doing the publicity. Often, this means designing a message to intrigue PR points of contacts first, before considering how the message should best be marketed to the public at large.

And then there are agencies like Mad4Marketing, which bring the best of both worlds together. That is, we nurture connections, call on resources, work our contacts and put out information such as press releases in order to generate a free buzz. However, we’re also media buyers who use intensive advertising plans to successfully and pragmatically promote our clients and their businesses. We can get a third party to cover an upcoming event and initiate a word-of-mouth campaign while we buy spots that will ensure that clients will get on TV, get in the newspaper, get that coveted radio spot, or billboard, or bus siding, or website. But most importantly, we can guarantee that we’ll get a clear and concise message right to the hands, eyes and ears of your unique target market demographic. At Mad4Marketing, we bring together the best of both worlds.

It’s pretty clear that we feel confident of the many benefits of blogging here at Mad4Marketing, which is why you’re reading our blog about marketing right now! Creating a blog on your website is a valuable way to gain readership, increase traffic and improve your search ranking. At Mad4Marketing we create SEO-strong blogs for our clients’ websites to increase visibility and brand awareness with a stronger web presence. If your company owns a website to advertise its services or wares, you already own pivotal Internet real estate—and setting up a blog will help you make the most of it.

•    Gain Readership – Generating steady content on your site keeps readers coming back for more, instead of seeing what you’re about once and then moving on. Humorous content, inventive stories and informative articles are popular, but sometimes readers are just intrigued to see the inner workings of your company and follow your business plan. Whichever angle your choose for your blog, just make sure your content is smart and original to keep readers enticed.

•    Increase Traffic – When a website regularly posts fresh content, search engines give it more weight for relevancy, and may list it higher among resulting search links. This is just one element of the complex formula dedicated to ranking pages, but if your competitor has a similar yet stagnant website while yours is dynamic, you’re likely to get first dibs on readers. Increased traffic is also vital if your website features advertising as a means to supplement business costs.

•    Improve SEO Rankings – Another way that blogs can help you improve search engine optimization is if you use relevant business phrases often within the body of your blog. Infusing your blog posts with key words will make your website rank higher when people search for those services and phrases online. There’s only so much text you can fit on any tasteful webpage, but blog content is limitless and gives you more opportunity to repeat your message and plug SEO.

It’s also important to update frequently. Many experts recommend that blogs be updated at least three times a week, and every day if possible. But more important than quantity is the quality of your posts, which is why it’s also sometimes more relevant to write when you have something to say rather than as much as possible. For less than three blog posts per week, we recommend asserting a regular schedule—and sticking to it! Earn return visits by adhering to your schedule so that readers will begin to follow your weekly postings (you can tell when this is successful if your website traffic spikes on the days blog posts go up). For example, Mad4Marketing is responsible for the Satori Living blog, which is updated twice weekly on Tuesdays and Thursdays to promote the premiere eco-friendly apartment rental community in Fort Lauderdale. Prospective tenants come to the Satori Living blog to learn about the Satori apartments and amenities, and we hope to encourage residents to come back again every week for information about local events, restaurant reviews and neighborhood highlights.

Whether for e-commerce purposes or just to draw customers to your company’s site for information, blogging is a surefire way to gain momentum and success with your website. We’ll continue to give you advice for improving your website and utilizing modern marketing techniques online through this blog, so visit us here every Monday morning to kick off your week with marketing tips, anecdotes and insights. (See what we did there? And you can do it, too.)

Whether it’s the primary purpose or just an opportunistic afterthought, virtually every website you open is selling something to somebody (or trying to). How successful the solicitation pretty much comes down to one factor: the website’s call to action. If you can enhance your website’s call to action to its maximum efficiency, you’re going to see remunerative results. The difference is all in the marketing, which begins with the creativity and accuracy of your call to action choices. As an advertising agency with over ten years’ experience in viral marketing, Mad4Marketing has some tips to share about how to improve call to action on your website.

The trick lies in finding the perfect balance when addressing your demographic: you have to assume that they want to locate your call to action link as quickly as possible, without pandering to them by creating obtrusive, in-your-face buttons that may dissuade business.

As a graphic advertising business, we love the idea of having an icon accompany your call to action. The image may be humorous or subversive, or even a literal example of the button or banner’s path. For example, if you’re a retailer, a shopping cart icon is an easily recognizable image to help readers locate check-out in seconds. And of course it has to be mentioned that a universal image will go a long way on the Internet, where consumers come from a variety of language backgrounds.

On the subject of language, it has to be mentioned that the verbiage used to instigate the proverbial click is absolutely vital. While a phrase such as “Buy Now” or “Contact Us” may be recognizable, it’s also so ubiquitous that a reader may gloss over the invitation. Especially deterrent are the commonly used phrases “Click Here” and “Read More.” This is where creative copywriting comes in. Find a unique way to help your reader complete a basic transaction. A concise catchphrase will capture their attention and inspire sales. Just be careful that your call to action says exactly what it means to do, such as sign up for “Free Marketing Insights” with the Mad4Marketing newsletter. Grandiose claims—like “Triple Your Profits!”–might get some traffic and follow-through clicks, but we assure you, you’re not going to close the sale, much less generate long-term business.

And no, an exclamation point is not your solution. We don’t think we’re the only ones who are over exclamations. And we advise staying away from mass capitalization. No one will respond to a message screaming at them to LEARN MORE! or BUY TODAY! Your readers will appreciate not being ordered to act. You don’t want to yell at them, excite them, or add pressure to their visit. A call to action is about transforming a reader into a customer; it is about enticement and invitation. Treat them as a valued consumer, and they’re far more likely to respond as one.

Keeping the text on a button or banner short and sweet is paramount, but when your call to action is embedded in the text, experts recommend a seven- to fourteen-word link. This gives you more opportunity to explain exactly what clicking on your link is about to do for the reader. It will not only let you describe where your link will take them, and how it can benefit them. It will also ensure that the people who land on your action page are the people who want your services. Unlike website traffic in general, you don’t just want as many people as possible to find your call to action landing page; you want a concentration of dedicated users and consumers. Get people where they want to go, don’t just command them to go there. They won’t return to your website if it’s just a series of redirections and links to your sales page. They will if they get what they came for.

Remember, your consumers are smart. One of the most important lessons in online marketing is that if you pander to the lowest common denominator, than that is what you’ll get. When targeting your demographic, it’s vital to be sure your call to action acknowledges their awareness. Big, giant, neon buttons with arrows and blinking and sound tags insult your reader’s intelligence—and harm the integrity of your page. Your call to action can stand apart from the rest of the site’s design, but sometimes one that blends in with the body of your message is going to have the most profound, targeted effect. Choosing which option works best for your site is up to you, but remember to assume that you’re helping someone of your intelligence and experience locate something they’re already looking for in the most efficient way possible. When you look at your call to action not as a sales pitch, but as customer service, we know you’ll land on the most constructive way to get your readers to click their way into business with you.

What happens when the rules of marketing get thrown out the window, and creative minds go in a new direction? What if instead of buying media and selling a client’s products, marketing agencies say: ‘Let’s just give away the goods for free!’ Sounds implausible, right? Well, it just so happens to be the newest craze in marketing for the food service industry. At Mad4Marketing, we’re always seeking new ways to stay on the cutting edge of modern advertising. That’s why we’re paying close attention to the recent Denny’s Grand Slam Giveaway, an event which took place on Tuesday, February 3^rd and set unprecedented return rates with its $5 million “freebie” marketing endeavor.

After seeing a reported 22% revenue decline in the third quarter of 2008, Denny’s decided to reacquaint America with a once-upon-a-time bestseller: the Grand Slam breakfast. The allure of two pancakes, two eggs, two pieces of sausage and two of bacon lost much of its mass appeal as the price rose from its 1977 debut of $1.99 to the $5.99 tag it hefts today. Another detriment to sales is that the Denny’s tradition of sitting around a table for breakfast is all but retired to the Sunday crowd, while weekday commuters opt for a fast cup of coffee paired with anything that can be passed through a drive-up window and consumed with one hand. The mission was to make America reconsider their relationship to the most important meal of the day. And Denny’s thought they could do so by showing them what they were missing-for free.

Like most other marketing endeavors, it began with an ad. But not just any ad-an extremely costly, highly coveted Super Bowl XLIII ad. Denny’s bought a 30-second spot in the third quarter of the Super Bowl for an estimated $3 million. The message was fairly straightforward: come to any of our restaurants between 6:00am and 2:00pm and let us show you what a “serious” well-balanced breakfast looks like. Our treat.

Companies who have tried this tactic before include McDonald’s, Dunkin Donuts and Starbucks, all with equally impressive-albeit far less expensive-results. Starbucks led the most adventurous marketing campaign prior to the Denny’s ad; in response to their first-ever drop in quarterly sales, Starbucks premiered its 2008 Election Day free-coffee-when-you-vote ad during Saturday Night Live, followed by online advertising on Facebook.com. Dunkin Donuts and McDonalds also offered free cups of brew, while similar endeavors from high-profile chains included fast food samples from Ben & Jerry’s and Taco Bell.

But this is the first time that a restaurant geared toward sit-down service attempted the same feat. And it was by far the most expensive per-item giveaway to date in the food service industry, with Grand Slams selling for $6 per meal as opposed to a $1.40 cup of coffee. It was also the first time Denny’s purchased a Super Bowl commercial. Could they succeed? Mad4Marketing was eager to view reports, interested to see what this explorative effort would reveal about consumer responsiveness.

According to the follow-up report from AdAge.com, Denny’s experienced greater turnout than anticipated, and were pleased with the results. After spending a total of $5 million dollars between advertising and food expenses (Grand Slams value at between $1 and $1.50 at cost), Denny’s gave away 2 million of their most famous menu item (about 16% of the Grand Slams sold in the previous year). With a Super Bowl audience of about 98 million viewers, that’s a 2.05% return on their 30-second ad (plus one 15-second post-game spot, and a full-page ad in USA Today). It surpasses the 1% success benchmark set for giveaway promotions. But in terms of impact and revenue, the big question still remains: will customers be returning to pay for the complete breakfast once they’ve sampled it for free?

Naturally, we’re keeping a close eye on Denny’s for further information about sales performance in the coming months. With more than 1,500 stores nationwide, a positive and unanimous result might make other industries consider what a solid giveaway marketing strategy can do for their products, even outside of the food service industry. If nothing else, the Denny’s Grand Slam Giveaway has served as a positive example of thinking outside of the box in terms of marketing. They took a risk. Not only did they embrace a new strategy, but they expanded upon preconceived standards by giving away entire meals and doling out the big bucks to make it happen.

At Mad4Marketing, this display of enterprise certainly piqued our interest and got our thinking caps on. What if a local launderer gave everyone a free day of dry cleaning? We’d certainly gather up last week’s trousers and give it a try. What if a chain of salons gave away free manicures for one afternoon? We imagine lines would form down the block. Free shoes…? Don’t even get us started; we’re taking a sick day! It’s fun to speculate, but in what ways might we at Mad4Marketing follow the Denny’s example and “seriously” push the boundaries of alternative marketing techniques for our clients? You’ll just have to keep an eye on us to find out.

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