It’s hard in this day & age not to see or hear something about Facebook. It is everywhere from the silver screen to your grandmother commenting on your pictures from 2,000 miles away. Facebook has become a part of our daily routine, so it’s not surprising that in a recent survey of digital-media habits from Ad Age/Ipsos Observer: 41% respondents said they want to receive communications from marketers on Facebook- more than double any digital platform. Even more astounding, one in three said it was their “preferred” platform.

What are consumers looking for specifically online? Coupons, coupons and more coupons. With the option to vote more than once, an astonishing 65% of respondents wanted brands to offer them discounts online. But it’s not all about the discounts that respondents wanted: 42% want better customer service, 28% sought branded game and only 22% wanted company news.

What does this mean for you as a business owner? You NEED a Facebook presence. And not just a presence, but also clever social media tactics that give your consumers reasons to keep coming back to your page, time and time again. Facebook is great for top of mind awareness, public relations and directing traffic to your website. All in all, there’s a huge consumer demand out there for brands to be on Facebook. Let GCI help you meet those demands head on! Give me a call & let’s chat about it!

Happy Facebooking!

- Carly 360.786.9657 ext. 104

Top-Of-Mind-Awareness (TOMA) is a big, abstract concept with entire books written on the subject. For this modest (yet longest ever blog post) we’ll stick to the basics which go something like this…

Certain businesses occupy a special part of our brains for various categories. When you need a new pair of running shoes you may think of Nike first. More often than not a transaction is decided before any advertisement has a chance to sway a customer. This is why TOMA is so important, and should be considered in any outreach campaigns you undertake.

If you prioritize TOMA as a goal for your outreach efforts you need to start thinking about branding and overall message to evangalize and what mix of platforms and advertising vehicles will reach your audience and connect with them most effectively.

Your “Brick & Mortar” Presence & Website - These two go hand-in-hand because nowadays they’re equally important. Achieve TOMA by building brand-charisma in your store, and online. Surprise and delight your visitors while communicating your unique selling points and you’ll be sure to stick in their heads.

Social Media - Having a strong presence here is great for TOMA. Statistics show that timespend on facebook and twitter is a growing percentage of people’s total time spent weekly on the Internet. Think of these social networks as semi-gated communities. You can get in if you don’t live there, but people will give you funny looks. You’ll reap all the rewards if you’re a resident within in them and If you are interesting or entertaining you will draw daily, repeat visitors and spark discussions.

The immediacy, almost daily nature of these platforms means they’re excellent for letting people know about new products, sales, deals or news about your company. Paid advertising on these platforms is also highly targetable, allowing you to reach out to only the groups of people you’ve identified as high-potential prospects.

Print Advertising - Great for targeting niché audiences aligned by common interests. Magazines or periodicals that cater to specific audiences usually offer a large-regional or national reach. Print casts a wide net with a medium amount of targeting. A clever TOMA-oriented message can really boost recognition and recall of your brand among a large audience.

Outdoor Advertising - A no-brainer for local, impulse-buy businesses. Gas, food, lodging and entertainment being advertised on major traffic routs can see an immediate return from a billboard or other type of outdoor ad (TOMA for those crucial 5 minutes can make all the difference). For other types of businesses outdoor can be a useful tool for driving traffic back to a website. This is where a short, memorable URL really comes in handy. Few people will take the time to write down a phone number and even fewer will actually call after they’ve gotten to their destination. However a clever outdoor message and excellent website can convert motorists into customers, while increasing TOMA for all passers-by.

Broadcast TV & Radio - The only platforms where you basically have a captive audience and get the chance to tell a story for 30-60 seconds. Here you have a real chance to convince them that you’re the one they need to buy from. Broadcast is often the most expensive form of advertising so the risk / reward analysis is on a bigger scale. However a properly-placed, well-crafted and executed message can bring about immediate TOMA and generate huge buzz around your business.

In the meeting today I brought up Old Spice “Manmercials.” I think “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like” is awesome! Check it out then share any thoughts in comment!

-Jenny

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You send invoices, fax covers, memo, notes, requests and all other manner of “non-marketing” related correspondence to – you guessed it – your clients, referral sources, and prospects.

It’s a pretty simple thing to:
• make sure these documents also conform to the image you project in your marketing materials; and
• make them sell a little.

There’s no harm in introducing a new product or service in every communication, regardless of how mundane:
• put your company story on the back of work orders;
• list all of your products and services on fax covers;
• insert a coupon for a special offering in your statements;
• put two business cards in your thank you notes.

Many small businesses make the mistake of assuming that an existing client knows all about everything you offer. No, they probably know about the one thing they buy from you. Continue to subtly educate at all times. It’s this attention to detail that, over time, adds to the collective marketing momentum your business needs.

- Ed

-Jenny

Use management tools to get into their heads. Search the web or go to any bookstore and you’ll find all kinds of scholarly tomes on how to manage people in certain age groups or generations. These share something in common with market research — they go into great detail about what that generation thinks about, what they like, how they interact with others, what they do to get what they want.

Managers who are not part of that generation (usually older) use this information to reach them in their own language, on their own terms. The net goal for the manager is to make their employees understand the value to them of doing what the manager wants.

Now substitute “advertiser” and “customers.” The net goal for the advertiser is to make their customers understand the value to them of doing what the advertiser wants. Hmmmm … sounds just like marketing, doesn’t it?

– Ed