Mad 4 Blog

We’ve been talking about holiday shopping trends – especially with regard to viral spending – for the past few weeks. Now it’s time to look at some key figures and report back on how the major shopping event actually went down.

You may be surprised to learn that even all the hype for Cyber Monday 2011 failed to anticipate the actual numbers that e-commerce retailers would see. They were actually even higher than either the optimists or analysts predicted. In fact, Search Engine Watch reported that November 28, 2011 was the biggest online shopping day in U.S. history based on data from such sources as comScore, PayPal and IBM.

SalesTracker reported that online sales rose 33% from the average on the Monday after Thanksgiving, according to IBM Benchmark (comScore reports a 22% surge). Each individual purchase rose 2.6% from the average order. The total amount of sales recorded by comScore was $1.25 billion in that 24-hour period. The same source concluded that more than half of all purchases were conducted from office computers as workers spent their post-holiday, back-to-work breaks (we hope!) on shopping to catch limited-time, heavy online markdowns.

With regard to the importance of mobile marketing, we have to also note that transactions conducted via smartphone – both Web access and specific shopping apps – represented 7.37% of sales this past Monday – which is a strong surge from last year’s 2.25%. (Figures as reported by The Washington Post; may vary slightly depending on statistics source – for example, IBM reports the surge as 3.9% in 2010 to 10.8% in 2011.) Sales conducted by iPad rather than phone clocked in at 3.3% of mobile purchases, states IBM.

Top e-tailers across the board on Cyber Monday were Target, Wal-Mart, Best Buy and Amazon. Retailers can earn up to 40% of their annual income during the span of the holiday season, especially with highly promoted shopping days like Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday.

Did you feel like you adequately prepared your company for visibility via online advertising on Cyber Monday? Are you interested in taking advantage of mobile marketing as this phone-based shopping trend continues to explode? Let us know!

As of June 30, 2011, there are more than 2 million LinkedIn Company Pages. These represent more than 50,000 products and services. Much like Facebook pages designed for companies, brands or products, this option allows LinkedIn users to break away from independent profiles to create consolidated business overviews. As discussed two weeks ago, Google+ — the newest social media platform — has even come under fire for not yet offering this type of business page for its growing base of users. (To be fair, it did take LinkedIn until the end of 2010 to get on the ball.)

Creating a Company Page helps spread the word to millions of website visitors about who you are, what the members of your team offer and how you benefit potential partners, employees, buyers or clients — all via that overlooked, underused social media site, LinkedIn.

So how can you take advantage of this tool to market your own business?

1. Company Pages are free to create for current employees. Just look for the “Companies” and “Add a Company.” You fill out basic information and upload your logo – then LinkedIn collects a bunch of data based on user profiles and similar resources to provide you with an aggregated overview. For a small fee, you can add extra features to further customize your profile.

2. Every Company Page comes with a set of tabs that you can fill out, making it easier for users to sort through your content to get an overview of your business and find the information they’re seeking. The four main tabs are an introduction to your company, an overview of what you sell or offer, an analytics tab with the aggregated data mentioned above and a careers tab for those seeking a job or wishing to learn more about your current employees.

3. LinkedIn users can click through to your Company Page from a person’s resume to learn more about where they work. You can implement a policy that employees should link to your company page from their own LinkedIn profiles (as discussed last week).

4. LinkedIn Company Pages also allow users to recommend your business and leave testimonials about their experience with it. This is a powerful resource for strengthening the reputation of your brand.

Bonus! You can adjust the privacy settings on this page to determine who can view what parts of it, and what LinkedIn members are allowed to have editing access to the information. This can help you streamline data and protect how users interact with your brand. On the flip side of that, LinkedIn offers an analytics page that helps you monitor who’s landing on your page, how they got there and how long they stayed. This can help you tailor your marketing to the correct demographics.

Ask how we can help you set up and market your LinkedIn Company Page.

When you think about how to integrate social media websites into your marketing strategies, your mind probably turns to Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and even the new Google+ before it considers LinkedIn. This business site is one of the least interactive of all social media communities, with a reputation for being used only to seek jobs and post resumes online. But that doesn’t mean that it should be overlooked when you’re planning affordable advertising campaigns on the Net.

Here are a few easy tips for making the most of LinkedIn:

1. Make sure your employees all have updated profiles on LinkedIn. Your company is going to be represented by these faces and profiles, so you’ll want to encourage your team to set up accounts, post accurate information about your brand and then maintain their profiles. When potential clients and investors are looking up your company online, there’s a good chance that
LinkedIn pages are going to have a high standing on search engine results. Like any other form of marketing, it’s important to control your brand image and utilize the power of high-ranking websites to get your messages out. The best part is that your staff is probably linked to professionals who already
have an interest in your industry and would be keen on learning more.

2. Link these LinkedIn pages with other social media platforms. On top of having your employees denote their associate to your brand with icons and key messaging, you can actually use these sites to promote your company website. You can list your Facebook page, Twitter account and even sync up your RSS blog feed using the LinkedIn blogging application. Those visiting your employees’ and affiliates’ pages can find out how to easily learn more and register with all of your other interactive advertising efforts. Going one step further, you can promote company events and reach out with viral and guerilla marketing efforts straight through these several far-reaching pages.

3. Advertise on LinkedIn. Did you know that you can post ads directly on LinkedIn pages? Much like Facebook ads, these are customized to post on pages determined by your relevant key words and pages that relate to your industry. Use LinkedIn’s detailed demographics to reach the audience that will most likely be seeking your products and services. Depending on the size, exposure and click rate of your ad, rates vary. But you can control and customize your budget to suit your needs, using the feedback from analytics to determine where and how often your ad should be posted at what cost.

Ready to go all the way and create a specific profile just for your business? Check back next week for a more comprehensive look at Company Pages.

Have you checked out the latest series on the Independent Film Channel? It’s called “Rhett and Link: Commercial Kings,” in which two old childhood pals named (you guessed it), Rhett (McLaughlin) and Link (Neal) set out to provide local businesses with professional commercials they might not otherwise have been able to afford.

The hook is that Rhett and Link specialize in guerilla videos that are meant to have a slight humor and noticeable edge that will make them viable candidates for viral exposure. Once the commercials hit the air … and then the Net … they’re primed for sharing with others to get a good laugh and enjoy – while, of course, learning all about the deserving business in the region that’s being featured.

Two businesses in a chosen community are highlighted each episode. In the premiere, the duo visits two community pet businesses in need of a pick-me-up in terms of clientele. One is Super Shmuttle, a van which transports dogs to the bark to run and play while their owners are at work. The other is the Holiday Hotel for Cats, an unconventional boarding locale for cats where they’re indulged all day long with room to nap and climb and explore – and, importantly, given social attention from caring humans rather than being locked up in kennels while their owners are away. Benefiting lonely pets in the Los Angeles region, is it any wonder these were the two similarly themed businesses to which the commercial-making crew loaned their pro bono talents?

The TV series is based on the Web hit, “I Love Local Commercials.” For a limited time, you can check out clips and the first full episode of the series for free on Hulu.com. After you watch, be sure to come back and comment to let us know what you think!

Looking for a smart, affordable guerilla marketing campaign? What about an infectious and funny viral video? <u>Contact Us.</u>

As we discussed last week, many companies are warming up to the idea of incorporating strong social media strategies into their overall marketing campaigns. In some cases, this calls for hiring a team to consult with you and establish your presence on the Web. In others, an Internet-savvy intern may be able to take care of establishing your online agenda and putting your brand on the social media map.

Regardless of your route, if you’ve been considering social media, you may want to first sit down and talk to an advertising specialist about what approaches are best for your business. Many marketers may try to convince you that you need to dive in with an active account in every area of social media; but that’s not necessarily true for everyone. And although social media marketing can be extremely low-cost, it does involve effort and manpower – since the key to this tactic is the human engagement aspect, with regular updates and an ongoing dialogue. To avoid excess costs and be sure your effort is going to have significant payoff, here are a few considerations to get you started:

Identify your goals. Why are you considering social media marketing? Is it because you feel like it’s something you’re supposed to do – or that it’s something that will bring your business to the next level? Consider how your website is currently used by clients or customers. Is this a significant lead for new business or just a way to post your information online? If you have a blog, take into account whether or not you already have an active audience who posts comments and seems engaged with the content.

Assign a budget. Starting a Facebook, YouTube or Twitter account may be free, but operating costs aren’t. If you want to earn trust from those who care about online interactivity, you may need to hire staff to tweet, blog and update throughout the day. If you’re building a first-time Web presence, you may need to buy an AdWords account to drive traffic. You may want to keep up with analytics to determine if you’re garnering the attention you desire. Before getting started, consider what you can afford to invest.

Check back next week for part 2, with even more social media marketing tips from Mad 4 Marketing.

This Valentine’s Day, we’re going to talk about…what else? Love. But not just any love–the very special kind of love that can only be properly conveyed through social media.

Social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter are often used to launch campaigns based on popularity, encouraging page visitors to tweet with a certain hashtag, “like” a page or post a status to show support and solidarity. The success of such campaign is used to measure the strength of demand for a certain agenda–much like door-to-door petitions of the past.

For example, now when there’s a crisis–such as the tragedies in Haiti or protests in Egypt–large numbers rally to either show the government or their peers that they support efforts to stand behind legislative or financial aid. By showing some love for their favorite causes, individuals become a part of a loud, collective voice that has more ability to affect those with money and power than any of the individuals could have shown by posting or tweeting on their own.

In 2008, Facebook users who were writers, editors, journalists and word enthusiasts joined forces to get the AP Style Guide, bible to grammarians, to modify its policy on using “website” as opposed to the outdated “Web site.” Over 700 of these AP-using professionals amassed to give their cause one focused, online backing. As of April 2010, it worked, affecting millions across the globe in the writing and publishing sphere.

Meanwhile, less serious campaigns are increasingly initiated, often involving celebrity. Comedian Chris Gethard asked fans of his live talk show to tweet to Sean “Diddy” Combs to get the famous rapper on his show. Thirteen months and countless #diddygethard posts later, Gethard’s abstract—but massively popular—pitch became a reality. Why did Diddy comply and show up on a small-scale late-night talk show in a basement-level NYC theater? To appease the fans, and thank them for their year of digital, vocal love.

Currently, a 20-something Bostonian gal who claims to be Conan O’Brien’s biggest fan is aiming to get at least 5,000 supporters on her Facebook page in an effort to snag a guest spot on his show. This number hasn’t been confirmed by O’Brien or TNT, but is her own personal aim–and she can only hope to get the network or the man himself to get on board and play into the love she and her 5,000 supporters are proving.

So should the masses have that much sway over major corporations, brands and celebrity entities? How much power should be granted to earnest, persistent individuals with time on their hands and access to social media accounts? Didn’t that honor used to only go to the obsessed and stalkers? Let us know in the comments, we’d love to hear what you think.

A few weeks ago, we talked about Viral Marketing for Websites. But viral marketing, the art of using word-of-mouth buzz to spread your brand, can be used for more than interactive marketing; in fact, it has endless possibilities in the world of business. Here are a few popular examples you can use to inspire your own viral marketing strategies:

Movies:
• Blair Witch Project – This 1999 movie was produced on an extremely low budget. To get the most from their marketing investment, moviemakers hyped the film as footage from a real event. The intrigue caused by this theory, and the consequential debate over its authenticity, skyrocketed its popularity both before the movie came out and while it was in theaters.
• Cloverfield – In 2008, this scary movie showed teasers in its ambiguous trailer, which did not state the movie’s title or plot. This mystery instigated hype and drove curious throngs to the movie’s website for more information. Characters in the film each had their own social networking profiles, and companies mentioned in the film were also given their own websites, so that fans could investigate further.

Television
• Mystery Science Theater 3000 – When this show originally aired in the 1980s, fans had limited access to live viewings. However, at the end of each episode, they were encouraged to make videotape copies and pass them along to friends. The closing credits told viewers explicitly to “Keep circulating the tapes!” This encouraged hand-to-hand marketing and conversation about the show.

Web
• The Big Word Project – This project invited participants to submit their websites and blogs as entries in a “new” dictionary. Each entry linked a word to one definitive web page, which encouraged web participation via free promotion.
• The Mike O’Meara Show – Podcasters participated in an extensive viral campaign on Facebook, encouraging fans to visit their website to download and share radiocasts of the show. A click-through link made the message accessible.

Business
• The Pyramid Scheme – This widely used business technique spans many industries. Participants “higher” in the pyramid directly benefit from the success of those “lower” in the pyramid, which encourages members to recruit new candidates and allows incentives to flow seamlessly throughout the system as a reward for each person’s continued success in the viral marketing effort.
• Burger King – After a popular television commercial aired showing a man making a chicken do various outrageous activities, a website was launched where visitors could make a man in a chicken suit perform various actions, such as dancing and cartwheeling. This interactive campaign was so popular, it ran from 2004-2007. The tag line stated “Chicken the way you like it.”
• Blendtec – The speed and strength of this line of blenders is demonstrated by YouTube videos in which founder Tom Dickson blends various ordinary items. Viewers can comment on the results and share these videos with friends.

Your website may serve as a full-service e-commerce interface through which you sell products and services. Or it may simply be a place where people can learn more about your business. Either way, viral marketing can help you increase website traffic––and therefore brand awareness and sales––at a very low cost, with minimal effort.

What is Viral Marketing?
The phrase ‘viral marketing’ refers to almost any means of using word-of-mouth campaigning to pass along your message. Typically, marketers target individuals or groups who are likely to pass along or share a given campaign message. For example, a funny YouTube video is likely to be shared with friends and it is easily forwarded to colleagues; therefore, putting your business message in this format and getting it out to people who are likely to share it with others can create a big buzz for your brand with little effort. In many cases, key message sharers may even be given incentive for their efforts. Many contests which are hosted online offer extra entries or added prizes for fellow bloggers or website owners who use their own forum to promote the contest.

How Can Viral Marketing Promote My Website?
By making your website the centerpiece of your viral marketing campaign, all of your advertising efforts will have one single call to action: visit us online. Although it can be coupled with other media to really strengthen your campaign, online viral marketing is key for websites because viewers of your message will be able to click straight through to your web address once they’ve interacted with your ad. Once your audience is at your website, they can further engage with your brand or even complete transactions.

The best part is that even non-conversion visits can help you strengthen your website’s presence, because increased traffic to your page and more interaction with it will make it rank higher organically in a search engine, such as Google. When your rank rises, your website will be even easier to search and locate for people who are specifically interested in what you have to offer. This begins a cycle of increased traffic begetting increased traffic, which will ultimately impact your website’s success. Because such little cost is needed in the first place to initiate a viral marketing campaign (compared to other online marketing tactics such as a pay-per-click campaign) it’s easy to achieve high ROI.

What Comes Next?
Viral marketing campaigns may occur organically. Sometimes a website becomes an overnight sensation with very little work on the part of its owners. But that’s not something you can rely on when planning to put your business online. One of the best things about viral marketing is the fact that it’s completely accessible to everyone, and you don’t even need a ton of insider information to kick off your campaign. All you need to do is create an easy-to-use website, and then utilize social media tools that you probably already know, such as business-relevant discussion forums and Facebook.

However, to ensure that your efforts have a huge effect, you may want to consider a professional viral marketing team. These experts can help you come up with the unique creative needed for this kind of campaign to launch. Viral marketers are also familiar with a myriad of potential vantage points from which to target and approach your audience, to keep your message moving. This team of professionals can not only determine where your efforts will have the biggest impact, but they can also help you collect and analyze the results of your campaign. By tracking responsiveness and user data, you can sharpen and hone your viral marketing strategies. This will enable you to build even stronger platforms in the future.

Curious to learn more about viral marketing? Ask Mad 4 Marketing how we can help you create a buzz about your business without breaking the bank.

When people think about guerilla marketing, typically they think of a specific example—one stunt that made national headlines and became thereafter notorious. Like that time actors rushed a crowded train station to perform a song-and-dance number about the product they were hired to promote. That’s guerilla marketing. This tendency to define the concept by its example perfectly elucidates the nature of guerilla marketing. That’s because the term isn’t any one thing—in fact, it’s pretty much everything that falls outside the realm of traditional marketing (such as television commercials, print advertising, digital marketing).

So what is guerilla marketing? Can we define it on its own, other than by what it’s not? Well, we can certainly try to clarify the concept. Here are a few defining characteristics of guerilla marketing:

1. Guerilla marketing is…a low-budget way to spread the word about products or services by arranging an unusual stunt in an unexpected public space. These kinds of stunts are apt to stick in viewers’ minds, create conversation, and generate buzz. Recent examples include the increasingly popular crowd stunts (such as the one mentioned above) which occur in train stations, shopping malls, and airports. Less extreme variants include marketing in quads at college campuses or advertising on street vendors—simply putting your message in an unpredicted spot to make the public take notice.

2. Guerilla marketing is…also called viral marketing, nontraditional marketing, unconventional marketing, and modern marketing. So there’s a good chance you already know what it is, just by a different name. Don’t worry, it still smells as sweet—and works just as well.

3. Guerilla marketing is…being used more and more as marketing agencies, both large and small, discover the monetary benefits of thinking outside the box. Especially in this downturn economy, guerilla marketing proves itself to be as cost-effective as it is efficient—if you know how to do it right. Helpful hint: research what hasn’t worked in guerilla marketing before you research how to do it. That will keep you from many pitfalls along the way as you plan your strategy.

4. Guerilla marketing…can be used as part of a larger campaign, or independently. Often, when guerilla marketing is used alongside other means of advertising, it’s being used to familiarize a product or service with its customers, so that when they encounter the opportunity to buy, they already feel familiar with the brand or concept. Alternately, when guerilla marketing is being used as a sole marketing outlet, its purpose is to create intrigue and generate hype—this is often done when introducing a new concept. Clever marketers can make consumers want something before they even know what it is!

5. Guerilla marketing is…as addressable as you want it to be. Large-scale guerilla marketing endeavors can be geo-targeted—it creates a lot of noise and notice in whatever location it takes place, but without the ability to accurately target demographics (that is, it hits its key audience in addition to a lot of viewers that won’t translate into customers). However, careful, clever, smaller campaigns can target a more niche audience. For example, a walking, talking teddy bear outside of a kid’s carnival can specifically target parents and children.

6. Guerilla marketing is…exposure, for better or worse. On one hand, it’s fun to throw caution to the wind and come up with unique, risqué, off-the-wall concepts that have never been done. On the other hand, it requires a lot of brainstorming, troubleshooting, and research to come up with a truly unique idea—and to calculate the receptiveness and responsiveness that will be gained. How safe is it to invest client’s cash and base a campaign on an idea that’s never been tried or measured? Guerilla marketing is a highly inspired method that’s at its best when it’s big, daring, and bold. But remember: the bigger they are, the harder they fall—and the most striking and creative ideas may expose agencies to a lot of liability. Once launched, there’s often no going back—so make sure the payoff is worth the added risk.

Mad 4 Marketing has been creating buzz for its clients through alternative means since well before it became the trendy thing to do. We know how to market businesses of all sizes and shapes—creatively, at a low cost, and for the largest possible ROI. We like to combine guerilla marketing strategies with public relations and traditional advertising to create all-out, custom-made campaigns that hit the right marks at the right time to create a lasting impression on our clients’ future consumers.

Interested in hearing stories about some of the successful and not-so-successful guerilla marketing stunts which have recently caused a stir? Check back with the Mad 4 Marketing blog for outlandish, impressive anecdotes of guerilla marketing stunts from across the globe.

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.