The Heinrich Report Blog

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Archive for the ‘Marketing Trends’ Category

Focus on Relevant Content — and Watch Your Facebook Fan Base Increase

February 22nd, 2012 by

With over 160 million users per day, Facebook is the de facto social media, advertising and marketing platform. In comparison, Twitter has only 20 million unique visitors each month (source: comScore) — despite it being the source for news as it happens.

According to comScore’s report, The Power of Like: How Brands Reach and Influence Fans Through Social Media Marketing, “Facebook represents the vast majority of U.S. social networking activity, accounting for 90% of all time spent on social networking sites in the U.S.” Wow!

So it makes sense that big name brands from Axe to Starbucks use Facebook to stay in touch with their audiences. And thanks to this ability to communicate directly with brands, consumers are now able to vote, not just with their pocketbooks but with their very visible feedback, too.

Witness Netflix’s debacle when it doubled its fee AND tried to separate its streaming and DVD services (and change the DVD-by-mail service name to Qwikster, too). Fans on Facebook howled. Netflix backed off on the name/business change, but kept the higher fee structure.

Of course, you don’t have to be a big business to have a Facebook page. Many small and mid-size companies have a Facebook presence, too.

Until recently, the focus has been on garnering fans; the more fans you have, the greater your reach. Due to comScore’s research, however, Facebook is now emphasizing the importance of how well you engage your fans.

According to the comScore report, the largest portion of users’ time — 27% — is spent on the individual’s home page, which features the Newsfeed. Research showed that people spend very little time on branded fan pages.

Even more important, the comScore report noted, “the Facebook Newsfeed uses an algorithm to rank content based upon the likely interest to a user so, unlike in other social media settings, only the content determined [by Facebook] to be most relevant to a user is delivered at a specific time.”

New Page Insights Emphasize “Engaging Content”

Hence, Facebook’s revamping of its page metrics. With the new Page Insights, you now have data on how fans are interacting with your content. As with your Web analytics, you can now use Page Insights to help drive your Facebook campaign decisions. Facebook’s Insights include:

External referrers — This data point tells you how people found your page from outside of Facebook. Now you can instantly see if people are clicking through from your website or blog, from a website where you placed an article, or if they found you through a search engine. One question to ask your marketing team: Of these unique visitors, how many converted into Likes?

How you reached people — This Insight is particularly cool because it tells you how many fans saw your page versus how many of their friends saw it through Likes, comments, sharing, etc. This is where Facebook is emphasizing engaging content — the more people Like, comment and share your content, the more “viral” (and relevant) it becomes.

How People are Talking About Your Page — Facebook now gives you data by story type, including mentions, Likes and photos. You can use this data to determine which story types drive engagement.

Even better, you can now see comprehensive data for each individual post in one screen on the main Insights page, making it much easier to determine which topics drive reach, “talking” and virality.

Data Is Good. Putting It to Use Is Better.

To increase content relevancy and engagement, consider the following tips.

1. Listen, don’t sell — Although Facebook is a powerful advertising medium, using traditional mass marketing practices will backfire, causing people to Unlike you. Instead of pushing out content that talks about your products, focus instead on content that encourages your fans to talk to you.

2. Test, test, test — Test various types of content (e.g., surveys/polls, photos and video, offers, events, and links to trending topics, etc.), times of day and days of the week to see when your audience is online and most engaged.

3. Create a brand “story” — Facebook is a social network where people expect to be entertained. Use this freedom to create a story or personality for your brand — one that resonates with your audience. Then, don’t be afraid to have some fun.

Creating content that’s relevant will go far in engaging your fans, ensuring your content appears in their Newsfeeds — and over time, building your fan base. Do you have examples that you’ve used to engage your Facebook fans? Feel free to post them below.

 

Category:  Digital Marketing, Marketing Trends, Social Media Marketing  |  Tags: , ,   |  No Comments

Heinrich Must-Reads for 2011: Your Guide to Success

July 12th, 2011 by

Article re-post from January 18, 2011.

What’s on your agenda for the new year? Popular goals we’ve heard include:

  • Tackling a major new product launch
  • Fostering more innovation from marketing staff or an agency partner
  • Turning up the dial on productivity for your marketing efforts in light of the economic recovery
  • Looking for a new career challenge that really drives your passion

The Heinrich Report’s “What We’re Reading” series is a great resource that can help focus your priorities and clarify your 2011 goals. Here’s a list of our top choices, ones that we think can help you dive into the New Year with confidence.

Books

1) Do More Great Work: Stop the Busywork. Start the Work That Matters

by Michael Bungay Stanier

Why we like it: A quick read with helpful insights on how to jumpstart your passion for the work you already do — or hope to do.

2) Click: What Millions of People Are Doing Online and Why It Matters

by Bill Tancer

Why we like it: It’s a great big Internet out there, and it’s always in flux. This book helps you understand how people keep up, and how they harness the Web as a resource.

3) UnMarketing: Stop Marketing. Start Engaging.

by Scott Stratten

Why we like it: Engagement has been a big theme for us the past year, and Stratten keeps us motivated.

4) Making Ideas Happen: Overcoming the Obstacles Between Vision and Reality

by Scott Belsky

Why we like it: It’s one thing to have a great idea. It’s quite another to make it a reality. And that’s something almost everyone can relate to.

5) Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard

by Chip and Dan Heath

Why we like it: See #4!

Blogs

Harvard Business Review: http://blogs.hbr.org/

Insightful writing on current marketing happenings and trends.

Junta42: Joe Pulizzi’s Blog: http://blog.junta42.com/

Always a Heinrich favorite, Joe drives his points about content home over and over again, but makes it sounds fresh and exciting every time.

Convince and Convert: http://www.convinceandconvert.com/

For crystal-clear analysis about the impact of social media on businesses (and help making it work for yours), bookmark this website.

Personal Branding Blog: http://www.personalbrandingblog.com/

Because people are brands, too.

Forrester Blogs: http://blogs.forrester.com/

Data and smart analysis from research leaders.

The Financial Brand: http://thefinancialbrand.com/

Financial institutions face unique challenges when it comes to social media, content and brand identity, and this site gets it.

Mashable: http://mashable.com/

Find the most up-to-date digital and social news here.

Apps

Evernote: Tagline, “Remember Everything.” Enough said.

Chronicle: Everything you need to start a journal on your iPad.

Webster’s Dictionary: No more excuses. Correct spelling is in the palm of your hand.

Dragon Dictation: A real time-saver. It lets you “talk” a text message, and more.

Pandora: Background music for your life.

 

Category:  Book Reviews, Content Marketing, Customer Acquisition / Retention, Digital Marketing, Marketing Strategy, Marketing Trends, Social Media Marketing  |  Tags: ,   |  No Comments

Online Daily Deals: Don’t Lose Your Shirt – Do Your Homework First!

June 28th, 2011 by

Some of our consumer clients ask whether they should make daily coupon deals, through companies such as Groupon, Google Offers and LivingSocial, as part of their marketing mix.

In these deals, your business offers a discount on food, services or products. If you’re a spa, for example, you can offer an all-day beauty package at a reduced price. A restaurant can offer dinner for two at a special rate and a bagel place can offer a free bagel with the purchase of a cup of coffee. A karate club can offer “trial” lessons.

You then contract your special offer with one of the daily deal companies. The company promotes your offer to their subscriber base. (Groupon, for example, has over 35 million registered users.) These deals also get passed around on social networks, such as Facebook.

Consumers can then purchase your deal. You get new customers in the door and everyone is happy. Right?

Not exactly.

Many businesses learn the hard way that daily coupon deals are expensive, both in terms of upfront and long-term costs. Smaller businesses can get slammed with the sheer number of people who come through the door. And, there’s no guarantee that these new customers will become repeat customers.

If you’re considering a daily deal for your business, it pays to do your homework first. With that in mind, we’ve compiled a list of best practices to help you get the most from daily deals and maximize repeat business – without losing your shirt.

1. Do the math first.

Let’s say you offer a spa package normally priced at $150 for $75 (50% off). Groupon and other daily deal companies generally require 50% of the revenue generated, so for every $75 spa package, you have to pay the brokering company $35. This means that for every daily deal spa package you sell, you gross $35.

In addition, you have to consider your “hidden” costs. Whether you charge $35 or $150, you still have to pay employees, taxes, utilities, supply costs, etc. If you sell more daily deal packages than you anticipated, you may have to pay employees overtime, order more stock, and incur other costs.

The bottom line? A daily deal may cost you much more money than you anticipate, so run your numbers first to ensure you can handle and afford the onslaught of new business.

2. Read the fine print – twice!

You can find many articles online that discuss how daily deals benefit the brokering company more than the merchant. One issue is the revenue model – you don’t receive your revenue right away. Another issue, as cited above, is that you pay a huge percentage to the deal company. As a result, you’re effectively offering your product or service as a loss leader.

If you decide to do a daily deal, read the contract carefully and ask questions, such as:

  • Will you get the names and email addresses of the people who purchased your package? How will this information be delivered to you?
  • When do you receive revenue payouts?
  • How long do you have to honor a daily deal?
  • Can you limit the number of daily deals sold?

3. Determine how you’ll manage the influx of new business.

We all love getting new business. However, too much new business too quickly can leave you scrambling. Before you sign up for a daily deal, work out how you’ll manage the new business, including extra hours for employees or more inventory.

Don’t forget “extras”: Will your spa need more towels, candles and laundry detergent (to wash all those extra towels!)? Will your karate club need extra uniforms for trial lessons?

4. Limit the number of deals honored and the redemption period.

Some businesses fail to ask if they can cap the number of deals sold. You can state in your contract if you want your offer stopped once you’ve sold a specific number of packages. Your contract and the deal copy should state how long you’ll honor redemptions – e.g., “This offer valid until [date].”

5. Determine how you’ll track daily deal buyers and their repeat business.

As stated in Tip #1 above, ask the daily deal company if you get customers’ names, email addresses and phone numbers. If you don’t (and you may not), you’ll need to devise a plan for collecting this information when daily deal customers walk in the door.

After all, what’s the point of going to all this effort if you can’t turn new business into repeat business? Some things to consider include:

  • Contact information – How will you collect contact information and where will you store it?
  • Coupon redemption – Which methods will you need to ensure people redeem coupons only once?
  • Ongoing communication – Do you have an e-newsletter or Facebook page where people can receive ongoing messages from you?
  • Repeat business – How will you track new business to see if it becomes long-term repeat business?

Daily deal sites can be a boon to consumer-based businesses. However, to make them work for you – and to turn new business into repeat business – it pays to do some homework and planning up front.

 

Category:  Customer Acquisition / Retention, Digital Marketing, Marketing Trends  |  Tags: ,   |  No Comments

Trends We’re Watching: Social Game Marketing

June 14th, 2011 by

I’m not a gamer, but I can’t help noticing that games have become a big part of how marketers are engaging consumers with their brands; Foursquare, for example, is a game that rewards people for “checking in.” In fact, there’s an official name for games used in marketing: social game marketing.

Mashable ran an excellent post showcasing five brands that have incorporated social gaming into their marketing (Why 5 Big Brand Marketing Campaigns are Betting Big on Social Gaming, May 3, 2011).

According to stats cited by author Brian Anthony Hernandez, the social gaming population is expected to reach 68.7 million players by the end of 2012. Big brands haven’t ignored this fact, with many offering “branded virtual goods, integrated ads and offers as well as games that combine digital and real-world incentives.”

MasterCard is one company that’s using a social game to engage customers and prospects. In the You Play, We Give campaign, players shoot at colored balls on the brand’s Facebook page. For every minute someone plays, MasterCard donates 10 cents to Junior Achievement Hudson Valley. As of this writing, 36,000 people have “liked” the page and MasterCard has donated over $100,000 to the charity!

Pop star Lady Gaga last month partnered with FarmVille (another huge game played on Facebook) and began offering tracks from her “Born This Way” album on a new partner site — GagaVille. According to Entertainment Weekly, players can “undertake lightweight tasks to unlock tracks.”

Why games matter: they’re part of the human condition

In her 2010 TED talk, Gaming Can Make a Better World, Jane McGonigal gives an impassioned talk about how games can help us improve our society and our lives. Games, she says, offer the following benefits:

  • Clear and compelling goals
  • Challenges suited to our capabilities/skill level
  • A chance to work hard to improve our skills
  • Non-financial rewards and recognition
  • The chance to become a hero by saving the world

We all like games, says McGonigal, because they make us feel good. Even more important, research has shown that we like people better after we play a game together, which is why brands like MasterCard and Lady Gaga are using games to connect with their audiences.

According to Aaron Dignan, author of Game Frame: Using Games As a Strategy for Success, people have turned to games because they’re bored — bored at school, at work in their lives — and games offer an escape. In fact, McGonigal cited a statistic that gamers spend 3 billion hours a week playing online games!

I find social game marketing fascinating, especially since many of the ideas being put forth by people like McGonigal and Dignan resonate with what I see in my own life.

Games, says Dignan, give gamers the motivation and internal drive to do something (e.g., get to the next level, meet a challenge, solve a problem, etc.), and they give players the necessary skills and tools to handle the challenges presented — something that’s often missing in real life. They also allow you to score an “epic win” — a positive outcome so extraordinary you can’t even imagine it, according to McGonigal.

While developing a game may not be something your company can implement right now, I highly recommend that you read Game Frame and watch McGonigal’s TED talk if only to gain insight into consumer behavior and how games affect us. Both Dignan and McGonigal are brilliant.

You can also follow how marketers are using games by subscribing to the Inside Social Games blog (scroll down and click the “Marketing” link under “Topics”).

Do you have examples of social game marketing that you like? Let me know in the comments section!

 

 

Category:  Book Reviews, Marketing Insights, Marketing Trends, Social Media Marketing  |  Tags: ,   |  No Comments

Heinrich Must-Reads for 2011: Your Guide to Success

January 18th, 2011 by

What’s on your agenda for the new year? Popular goals we’ve heard include:

  • Tackling a major new product launch
  • Fostering more innovation from marketing staff or an agency partner
  • Turning up the dial on productivity for your marketing efforts in light of the economic recovery
  • Looking for a new career challenge that really drives your passion

The Heinrich Report’s “What We’re Reading” series is a great resource that can help focus your priorities and clarify your 2011 goals. Here’s a list of our top choices, ones that we think can help you dive into the New Year with confidence.

Books

1) Do More Great Work: Stop the Busywork. Start the Work That Matters

by Michael Bungay Stanier

Why we like it: A quick read with helpful insights on how to jumpstart your passion for the work you already do — or hope to do.

2) Click: What Millions of People Are Doing Online and Why It Matters

by Bill Tancer

Why we like it: It’s a great big Internet out there, and it’s always in flux. This book helps you understand how people keep up, and how they harness the Web as a resource.

3) UnMarketing: Stop Marketing. Start Engaging.

by Scott Stratten

Why we like it: Engagement has been a big theme for us the past year, and Stratten keeps us motivated.

4) Making Ideas Happen: Overcoming the Obstacles Between Vision and Reality

by Scott Belsky

Why we like it: It’s one thing to have a great idea. It’s quite another to make it a reality. And that’s something almost everyone can relate to.

5) Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard

by Chip and Dan Heath

Why we like it: See #4!

Blogs

Harvard Business Review: http://blogs.hbr.org/

Insightful writing on current marketing happenings and trends.

Junta42: Joe Pulizzi’s Blog: http://blog.junta42.com/

Always a Heinrich favorite, Joe drives his points about content home over and over again, but makes it sounds fresh and exciting every time.

Convince and Convert: http://www.convinceandconvert.com/

For crystal-clear analysis about the impact of social media on businesses (and help making it work for yours), bookmark this website.

Personal Branding Blog: http://www.personalbrandingblog.com/

Because people are brands, too.

Forrester Blogs: http://blogs.forrester.com/

Data and smart analysis from research leaders.

The Financial Brand: http://thefinancialbrand.com/

Financial institutions face unique challenges when it comes to social media, content and brand identity, and this site gets it.

Mashable: http://mashable.com/

Find the most up-to-date digital and social news here.

Apps

Evernote: Tagline, “Remember Everything.” Enough said.

Chronicle: Everything you need to start a journal on your iPad.

Webster’s Dictionary: No more excuses. Correct spelling is in the palm of your hand.

Dragon Dictation: A real time-saver. It lets you “talk” a text message, and more.

Pandora: Background music for your life.

Category:  Book Reviews, Content Marketing, Customer Acquisition / Retention, Digital Marketing, Marketing Strategy, Marketing Trends, Social Media Marketing  |  Tags: ,   |  No Comments

The Future of Marketing: Major Trends From Today’s Marketing Experts

December 14th, 2010 by

2010 has been quite a year for marketers. A recovering economy, an empowered consumer and new technological advances have all come together to transform the marketer’s landscape in extraordinary ways. As we look to 2011, and how we can have the most impact on our clients’ businesses, we’re excited about the possibilities that emerge from the major trends, and want to share them with you.

A timely conference, called the Future of Marketing, made the first attempt to draw a road map for what’s next. Sixty marketing leaders and luminaries each had 60 seconds to offer their vision. We’ve highlighted just a few of their summaries here, and added the perspective of one of the most well-known marketing thought leaders, too.

The future of marketing is: Hyper-personalization

Expert: Nick Bilton, author of I Live in the Future and Here’s How It Works, reporter for The New York Times and lead technology writer for NYTimes.com’s Bits Blog

As a technology reporter for NYTimes.com, Bilton is plugged in to every online media trend, and can identify how it reverberates throughout the marketing industry. To him, the Internet is a catalyst that constantly shapes and reshapes the consumer/company landscape that lies ahead. He explains:

“The birth of the internet was the beginning, but we will feel the aftershocks and tremors for years as we move from a broad audience of readers or viewers to a very narrow audience of me and you, each a target market and each always in the center of the map.”

To Bilton, it’s a “me, me, me” marketing world, thanks to online tactics like social that empower consumers as never before. In his vision of the future, personalization becomes so efficient “[y]ou could even imagine a world where you pick up your New York Times, and it’s actually personalized to the way that you consume news and where you share it.” Likewise, the expectation of personalization and accessibility to brands will only become more constant, and the filtering of information through online communities will help determine what customers respond to and what they ignore. As a communication tool, social media hands consumers a megaphone — and companies had better be listening.

Read more about it in The Heinrich Report

We’ve talked about the importance of getting personal often. It takes planning and a solid marketing strategy to formulate the right relevant message for the right audience, no matter what marketing channel you use.

Read Personalization: Responding to Consumers With Relevance
Read Connecting to the New Consumer

The future of marketing is: Mobile

Expert: Chuck Martin, director of MediaPost’s Center for Media Research and author of The Third Screen

In his 60 seconds, Chuck Martin calls mobile a real game-changer. “There are five billion cell phones around the world right now,” he says, and for marketers it’s a unique chance to get personal like never before. “Marketers can tell where customers are located today by phone. They can provide maximum value, whether by deals or unique services, based on the optimum mindset of the consumer.” Mobile seems like a natural fit for marketing’s next new phase, one that can satisfy the need-it-now consumer that’s being shaped by the technology-driven marketplace.

There’s evidence that the mobile future is already here. Just look at this holiday shopping season. Mobile shopping surged on Black Friday. According to The Wall Street Journal, price comparison apps and loyalty programs via mobile are on the rise, with 59% of adult cell phone owners planning to use their device for holiday shopping and/or planning this year. The result: “The battle for holiday shopping dollars is shifting to the palms of consumers’ hands.”

According to Mobile Marketer, big brands carried out mobile strategies in a big way this year, introducing new mobile apps that engage the customer and help make their holiday shopping easier:

  • Wal-Mart offers a new “My Holiday” iPhone app, designed to offer “a completely immersive holiday shopping experience that encourages shopping and transactions on applications, mobile Web and stores.”
  • Sports Authority teamed up with Foursquare to drive traffic to stores via a cash giveaway promotion. You check in to Foursquare on your phone, post it to Twitter, then shop and see if your name gets called.
  • Saks Fifth Avenue also teamed up with Foursquare to offer customers special content and prizes. Erin Gleason, press relations manager at Foursquare, New York, says stores recognize the location-based check-in service as a way to “connect with their consumers on an immediate and personal level.”

Read more about it in The Heinrich Report

Immediate, personal, rewarding. Mobile easily wraps it all into one package. We’ve covered the significance of mobile this year, so you can catch up and be ready for 2011.

Read our two-part series on loyalty, and how mobile fits in:
Understanding the New Loyalty Landscape
The New Loyalty Landscape, Part Two: Insights From an Industry Expert

Read more about mobile:
Get Personal With Mobile Marketing

The future of marketing is: The socialization of business

Expert: Brian Solis, author of Engage: The Complete Guide for Brands and Businesses to Build, Cultivate, and Measure Success in the New Web
Brian Solis often advises on how to use social media to market without losing control of your message. At the Future of Marketing conference and in recent interviews, he emphasizes that marketers must shift their strategy in significant ways:

  • From monitoring to listening
  • From participation to engagement
  • From response to leadership

To quote from his 60 seconds at the conference, “The future of marketing really isn’t marketing at all; it’s building something that’s meaningful, worth supporting, and ultimately worth sharing.”

The Heinrich Report, has advocated content as the way to accomplish all of these goals. But in a MediaPost interview, Solis goes a step further. “Context has become king, not content,” he explains, “and you may have to change your story to connect with varying social consumers.”

Put simply: It’s time to not just “be social,” but to listen, learn about the interests of the niches your customers hang out in within their social networks, and understand how to engage them. That’s the way to make a meaningful connection — and it’s a connection that’s crucial to marketing success. As social media creates a space where consumers become advocates, every individual has an audience within a social network. As MediaPost existentially puts it, we, as marketers are marketing “to an audience who has an audience, who has an audience.”

Read more about it in The Heinrich Report
It’s no longer a world where one mass message is the only one you need. And you can’t talk “to” your customers. You have to dive in, find who wants want, and engage different groups with the right message in the right place. The message must be relevant to resonate. Your reward: greater marketing reach.

Read more about listening: The Benefits of Listening in Social Media

Read more about the importance of content: How to Make Your Content King

The future of marketing is: Permission marketing

Seth Godin: author, speaker, thought leader
Everybody’s heard of Seth Godin. Though he didn’t speak at the Future of Marketing microconference, excluding him from any conversation about the future of marketing would feel like a huge oversight. With a dozen marketing books to his name, it’s fair to call him a guru. Despite the volumes he’s written, he often sums up his view of the future with two words: permission marketing.

Just this past April, he wrote that marketing is “based on sending messages to people who want to get them, who choose to get them, who would miss you if you didn’t send them.” Permission opens the door to personalization. It’s your opportunity to generate loyalty and intimacy with your customer, and give them what they want, when and where they want it.

To see permission marketing in action, look at how Starbucks leads the way. Recently named Mobile Marketer of the Year by the online blog Mobile Marketer, Starbucks was one of the first brands this year to experiment with an opt-in strategy that allowed the company to send “relevant messages based on age, gender, interests and — for the first time — location” on mobile devices.

Here’s how it works: When you opt in to receive certain Starbucks communications, it’s like telling Starbucks it’s ok to acknowledge your location and respond with something like an offer for the nearby store.

The end result is win-win: The company has a list of loyal customers and personal information they can use to send a relevant message. The customer gets great deals and relevant messages and offers they wouldn’t otherwise receive. They feel understood — and that’s a great way to create loyal advocates for your company.

Read more about it in The Heinrich Report

Getting information directly from customers can help define any marketing strategy. We’ve been talking about the importance of customer insight all year, how it can help you build trust. With trust, you get access; you earn permission to keep talking to your customers, and gain greater insight.

Read more about gaining customer insight:
Three Reasons Online Survey Tools Can Work for You
Testing: The Science Behind Your Marketing Campaign
Consumer Trend Watch: Catch Up and Keep Your Marketing Relevant

Join The Heinrich Report as we look to the future

You can read a transcript of The Future of Marketing Conference, or listen to each speaker at the Web site. We suggest you do. What we’ve offered here are just a few snapshots of a much larger picture — one that we’ve been covering right here in The Heinrich Report, too. Stay with us in 2011 to keep your eyes on the future, and make sure your business is a part of it. We’re here to help.

Category:  Marketing Trends, Mobile Marketing, Social Media Marketing  |  Tags:   |  No Comments

DMA 2010: Three Key Takeaways That Caught Our Eye

October 15th, 2010 by

This year’s DMA conference in San Francisco was jam-packed with informative panels, new insights, and an energetic keynote speech from the new DMA CEO, Larry Kimmel. Heinrich Marketing owner George Eddy was there, and reported back to us on three takeaways that can help your business.

1) Start thinking about social media as a form of direct marketing.

The linking of social media and direct marketing dominated panel discussions and casual conversations. Says George, “Even though some speakers struggled with how to link the two, I’d say the overall theme was that social media and direct marketing have more similarities than differences.” For example:

  • Direct marketing talks to a customer, and social media invites the customer to join the conversation. The lesson: Taking cues from social media’s approach, direct marketing should make company/customer dialogue a habit, with the goal of becoming more socially-oriented overall. Read a great overview about the benefits of this approach at Brass Tack Thinking.
  • Direct marketing relies on ROI to gauge success, while social media is perceived as having no way to measure its impact. The reality: Just because the typical apples-to-apples DM ROI equation doesn’t apply, doesn’t mean that no metrics exist. You can see solid examples of social metrics here.
  • The biggest similarity between direct and social: data. Direct marketers rely on it, and social media easily collects it. As George puts it, “The amount of data Facebook has would have seemed impossible five or six years ago. As a direct marketer, you can’t help but look with envy at the incredible amount of consumer information gathered (quite easily) by Facebook, and wonder how to tap into it.”

In all, the conference went further than ever before toward creating a discourse around linking social and direct, and it’s a conversation we’ve been having at Heinrich for a while. Our take:

Social is an essential channel that helps produce a robust response in any integrated marketing campaign.

If you do social right, the customer feels like they have more control and interaction with your brand. That leads to happy customers, which leads to customer loyalty and, ultimately, sales. We’re not alone in our thinking. Augustine Fou over at ClickZ has a term that can help agencies and clients understand how to quantify the impact social can have on a brand. She calls it “social media total value of ownership”:

“Companies should think of the longer-term ‘total value of ownership’ for social media.…Examples of the social media assets that are ‘owned’ after longer-term investment may include fan pages on Facebook, followers on Twitter earned over time, collections of videos on YouTube, etc.”

When social media builds an established following of customers or potential customers, companies have an opportunity to promote offers and issue announcements on these pages, instead of exclusively through direct marketing. In that way, social becomes another channel that markets your message.

2) Consider the economy as an opportunity, not an obstacle.

To many at the DMA, the state of the economy crystallized the relevance of direct marketing. Because today’s consumers are more careful with their money and their purchases, there’s an even greater need to establish trust — to talk to customers and understand their individual needs. Direct marketing does that. “It’s the secret sauce direct marketers have known for a long time,” says George.

One of the most exciting trends George heard about at the DMA supports his observation. In a dramatic reversal of the way it used to be, digital shops are acquiring traditional shops. There’s no single channel that rules the roost. All remain relevant, and smart marketers realize it.

Direct marketing’s relevance is never in question at Heinrich. A down economy is a great breeding ground for innovation in the field. Just start with the right questions: What’s your company’s business problem? What does your audience need to hear right now? As your marketing partner, Heinrich can help you figure all that out. In fact, these past few months in The Heinrich Report, we’ve identified a host of ways you can gain insights into your customer, and deliver a smart, relevant marketing piece that gets results. Take a look at these articles:

Five Ways to Market Smart in What’s Left of 2010

Testing: The Science Behind Your Marketing Campaign

Planning a Post-Recession Marketing Campaign?

3) Bring it all together.

We put George on the spot, and asked: If you could only tell us one thing about what you learned at the DMA, what would it be?

“It became very clear that, as marketers, the value we bring to the table must include taking on the role as strategic advisor to our clients. There are new tactics, tools and channels popping up all the time, and the key is to know how to make them all work together.”

Indeed, the marketing landscape can seem like a giant puzzle. As your partner in success, your agency needs to know how the pieces fit together, explain what the finished picture is, and understand what it means to you and your company.

That last part is the key. It’s not just about numbers. How you gauge success depends on your company and your marketing problem. For example, a DMA panel about Twitter included a statistic that said 70% of tweets go unread. “There was a collective gasp from the audience,” says George. “But then you think: I know plenty of clients that would be thrilled if ‘only’ 30% of their tweets were read! It’s not the right result for everybody, but for some, it works.”

Lessons learned, and an exciting year ahead

Events like the DMA 2010 serve as great reminders that marketing is alive, always in flux and always revealing new insights. To George and the rest of us at Heinrich Marketing, that might be the most exciting takeaway of all.

Category:  Integrated Direct Marketing, Marketing Trends, Social Media Marketing  |  Tags: , ,   |  No Comments

Three Ways a QR Code or Barcode Boosts Direct Mail Response Rate

September 29th, 2010 by

QR Code Boosts Response

When we think about creative work, we think about big ideas, visual concepts, and even catchy taglines. But technology has hatched new creative tools that can help you add a “wow” factor to your creative campaigns, and boost response along the way.

Rob McPhee, creative director here at Heinrich Marketing says these new tools offer more choices for consumers: “They’re giving people a chance to respond in their own individual way, while staying in a controlled environment…there’s just more than one path to the call to action.”

According to Rob, the tools to keep your eye on are any that involve smartphone applications — but especially barcodes or QR codes. A code can work in two ways:

  • As an engagement tool. The recipient can scan a mobile device over the code to receive information.
  • As an attention-getting visual element more likely to get a second look in a stack of mail.

And the benefits just get better from here.

Satisfy consumer needs fast

Barcodes and QR codes can help you bridge the gap between direct mail and digital technology, and unite the best benefits of both. That’s key when you’re up against today’s consumer, characterized by a “need-it-now” attitude and a desire to research online before making purchase decisions. A direct mail recipient can simply swipe their smartphone against a code to receive information on their personal device. It’s fast, easy and a great way for you to satisfy their desire to know more while still controlling the content.

Simplify the response process

Think of a barcode/QR code as an engagement tool that pushes consumers along the sales cycle more quickly. Your response channel is built right into the direct mail piece, so the recipient doesn’t have to type in a web address or call a number. They don’t even have to go to a computer. All they need to do is scan their phone to respond. The call to action becomes an almost effortless step for the consumer, and an invaluable lead generator for you.

Deliver personalized information to a personal device

A barcode/QR code can make you a better communicator. It enhances your ability to deliver more personalized content immediately, and continue the conversation your direct mail began with your consumer. There’s no unique (and possibly complicated) URL for your recipient to type in. With just a quick smartphone scan, they can go directly to a customized landing page that speaks to them.

Summary: When it’s easy to respond, more consumers will do it

A simpler response process makes a world of difference to today’s busy and more discriminating consumer. A barcode/QR code speeds up the delivery of customized information. It can help you foster a relationship built on trust and reliability — and turn a “response” into a sale, fast.

Heinrich can help you create a code strategy. Email us today.


 

Category:  Customer Acquisition / Retention, Digital Marketing, Integrated Direct Marketing, Marketing Trends, Mobile Marketing, Social Media Marketing  |  Tags: ,   |  No Comments

Consumer Trend Watch: Catch Up and Keep Your Marketing Relevant.

August 23rd, 2010 by

Consumer Trend Watch: Catch Up and Keep Your Marketing Relevant

Creating a great marketing strategy requires passion + perspective. At Heinrich Marketing, our passion to solve marketing problems certainly drives us. But it’s our ability to step outside the problem and look in that gives us answers. When we can see your business through unavoidable cultural, social and economic lenses, we find new insights that can give your marketing strategy the right look and feel for that moment in time. 

Recession, recovery, reactions

The global recession is an obvious, significant trend. But now that we’re slowly coming out of it, what’s the mood among consumers? We consulted research from the GfK group for answers. Our key takeaway: Consumers in the U.S. reacted to the recession by taking action. They shaped trends around protecting their families, homes and finances in an effort to brighten their prospects for the future.

The trends

1) Self reliance
The recession inspired a resurgence of sentiment for personal effort, self-support, ownership and responsibility for one’s future.

Marketing impact: Social media empowers the consumer, and reinforces these sentiments by providing a platform for reviews, feedback and personal insights. These outlets become part of the research process before buying.

2) Focus on the home
Stay-at-home activities like cooking, watching videos, playing games, DIY home improvements, book clubs and are “in.”
 Marketing impact: DIY leads to more online searching for “how-tos” and customer reviews. Marketing tactics should include creation of this kind of branded content.

3) Security and trust
Consumers are more skeptical of brands, and the claims they make, than ever before. This skepticism carries over into feeling protective of money, family and information. 
Marketing impact: Less trust means less brand loyalty, so it’s a good time to lure new customers from other brands. But it’s also time to have a solid retention plan in place.

4) New frontiers
The Green movement is stronger than ever. Green products and websites are growing in popularity, and the market is responding with more to come.
Marketing impact: While being far more careful in purchase decisions, customers are also hoping to make them meaningful in other ways, too. They might be more receptive to new ideas, like reward programs that give something back to the community.

Your business doesn’t exist in a bubble, so your marketing campaigns can’t either. It’s important to keep your eyes and ears open — or partner with an agency that can do it for you.

Let us help! Email Heinrich Marketing today.

To learn more about the latest market research, visit at GfK.com.

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Category:  Marketing Trends  |  Tags:   |  No Comments

How to Make Your Content King

July 15th, 2010 by

How to Make Your Content King


As consumers ease their way back into spending post-recession, they’re more careful, both with their money and with the choices they make. In this cautious state, information is their friend — they’re hungry for it, and empowered by it. Is your business ready for them?

Honesty. Really the best policy.
Great content opportunities can arise from the most challenging of business situations. For example, in a recent article in The Wall Street Journal, Robin Sidel highlighted banks’ efforts to replace old fees with new ones in their now strongly regulated industry:

“Making matters trickier, while the banks must disclose the new fees fully, they likely will do      so only in the ordinary-looking correspondence that most consumers toss in the trash without reading. The result: Many people will learn of the new charges only after opening their monthly statements.”  (The new Bank Fees: How to Fight Back” June 19th, 2010)

Instead of viewing fees as a hazard to customer retention, consider them an opportunity to engage in a meaningful dialogue with the customer. That’s what makes a great tweet, blog post or Facebook post.

Just think about the benefits that can come from prominently displaying difficult news in a more customer-friendly communication:

  • Build trust through transparency. Honest content can make a great customer retention tactic, and give you a venue to explain reasons behind a decision. It’s a way to control your message when it’s bad news.
  • Evolve your brand into a service that provides valuable information. Content that takes the customer behind the scenes of the industry could prove especially helpful to other consumers simply seeking information online — and subsequently turn them into customers, too. 

Start with a strategy.

Creating content is not a creative process, it’s a strategic one. Make sure every communication you put out there supports your marketing strategy and states your brand message consistently. Here are a few helpful tactics:    

  • Attract potential customers through search results. Whether it’s Google, Yahoo or Bing, customers rely on search engines to help them sift through the mountains of information out there. And that’s great news for you — an opportunity to connect with an already-interested audience.
  • Connect consumers to high-quality content. It’s information overload out there, but quality can be the differentiator. When potential customers reach your blog, website or Facebook page, give them content that’s knowledgeable, well written and relevant to what they’re looking for. You’ll set your brand apart online.

This newsletter you’re reading right now is content marketing in action! Spend an hour with us to learn more about how we can help you make your content king. Let’s talk.

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Category:  Content Marketing, Copywriting / Creative, Marketing Strategy, Marketing Trends  |  No Comments

Connecting to the New Consumer

March 22nd, 2010 by

 

Simultaneously, customers are gaining a louder voice. They crave a connection – to be viewed as individuals instead of as a mass audience. They know that their opinions matter, and they want to be heard, recognized and spoken to as equals. How can marketers connect?


With a more casual approach. In 2000, usability expert Jakob Nielsen explained the Internet’s demand for a different messaging style. A television commercial, he said, is instrumental.  It hits you over the head and speaks with authority. It doesn’t wait or care for a response. But online messaging should be constructive. A conversation. A two-way street with equality. Now that compelling theory applies everywhere. It’s time for traditional media to communicate constructively, and level the playing field. The consumer already has.

With surprising swiftness. With a short attention span and zero tolerance for low usability, consumers today are cycling through applications, networking tools and gadgets faster than we can say Google. Blogs become outdated in days. Content gets old even quicker. That means you need to refresh design and messaging more frequently. “You must be able to shift rapidly to consumer taste and behavior,” says George Eddy, president and CEO of Heinrich.

With unabashed transparency. Author Elizabeth Gilbert begins her best-selling book, Eat, Pray, Love, with advice from a friend: “Tell the truth. Tell the truth. Tell the truth.” Being honest resonates with people and leads to credibility and trust. It’s what any married couple will tell you. It’s why blogs and social media have found so much success.  Zappos.com achieved legendary status by, among other things, encouraging their customer service reps to abandon call scripts and just be honest.  Toyota’s new PR campaign is all about owning up to their mistakes. Domino’s recently compared the taste of their pizza to cardboard, and launched a new product. It takes some guts, but it works.


With empathy and understanding. Consumers just want a little TLC. In 2009, Hyundai’s Assurance program offered 90 days of payment relief or a full refund if a buyer was laid off within the first year of vehicle ownership. A month after the program was announced, Hyundai’s sales had increased by 14.3%, while almost every other automaker was down.  Dove’s Real Beauty campaign addressed women’s negative self-image with a campaign that celebrated models of all shapes and sizes, increasing women’s confidence and comfort with their own bodies.

By embracing the new world order. Just ten years ago, companies would market their brands, win customers and then build trust and credibility through superior service and high quality. The process has nearly reversed. We must now begin by developing trust and credibility through relevant and timely services, solutions and rewards. Then we’ll acquire customers, and if we’re good, we’ll keep them.   


With multichannel methods. Mobile is just one example and it is posed to dominate and mature. Fast. It will become the “third screen” before 2011, and according to Millenial Media, the U.S. mobile web will soon reach 100 million unique users per month. Even now, supermarkets, retail and drugstores are testing point, click and purchase technology. It’s time to adapt. And don’t think the onset of mobile gets you out of the social media mandate. It’s all connected, and it all matters.

 

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Category:  Marketing Research, Marketing Trends, Mobile Marketing, Segmentation  |  No Comments