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Beyond Overload!

July 1, 2009 in Marketing & Advertising, Tips from the Experts, Web & Social Media by Roger | No comments

Hey! I am over heeeeeeere!Hey! I’m over heeeeeeere!

When new media catches on, it spreads everywhere. And fast. Conversations about YouTube! were rare at first, but once we saw how quickly these videos loaded and how well they played, we wanted to tell all our friends about them!

We’ve experienced the same phenomenon with Flash, AJAX, Google, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and nearly every type of social media you can think of. We say “ooooooh! that is COOL!” then we dive into it.

Trouble is, that while we are swimming deep in the new technology we find nifty, most of our friends are doing the same (and we all keep sharing it). The result is a saturation of media.

Ad columnist for Entrepreneur.com, Roy Williams, wrote about “Advertising Trends: Publishing Past Media Overload“. In the article, he shines a spotlight on problems we face today in advertising that have only grown worse.

The more we have to look at and react to, the harder it is to see things individually. Say we go to a sports arena and have 30-70,000 people around us … ever noticed how really tough it can be to find a buddy (or wife) in the crowd?

Flip that around: in that same arena when you leave your friends (or your husband) to go grab a bite/drink/restroom break, it’s equally hard for them to see you. Getting noticed takes a LOT of effort. (And “hey I forgot my wallet” can be a painful trek back across the crowd!)

With all the new technology we have, often being force-fed to us (see how much you get hit with on your local news station’s web site!), it is no wonder those wanting your attention (and your money), have such a difficult time reaching you.

In Roy’s article, he suggests we all spend a bit more time writing headlines to get attention, then proceed to take that reader’s attention to inform them what you can do for them.

Be fun, smart, and innovative, but make sure you can back-up your headline with reality! Find what you want to get your readers to react to, and grab their attention. They are likely reading e-mail, checking in on Facebook, sending out a Tweet, checking the team scores on ESPN and doing some online shopping. Will you be seen?

Remember, there is a lot more to advertising than a pretty picture, cool graphics, or some well-written copy. It takes a balance of it all to get noticed!

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Social Media in Higher Education

June 30, 2009 in Marketing & Advertising, Web & Social Media by Joe Gauder | 1 comment

Colleges and universities are embracing social media and realizing its potential power and implications as a component of their overall marketing mix. The Internet is no longer a one-way street. Many higher education institutions are taking advantage of the new opportunities to interact with students, faculty, staff, alumni and fans.

Social media gives universities the opportunity to humanize stories of students and alumni, which can create loyalty and engage future applicants. See an example of humanizing stories here in Yellow Springs through Antioch University McGregor’s campaign called “What will your story be?”

I came across a guide called Social Media in Higher Education that reviews existing literature available in this subject area. The guide also helps readers identify implications for and against using social media and discusses best practices, recommendations, and considerations for higher education marketers.

Social networking is one aspect of social media where individuals are in communities that share ideas, interests, or are looking to meet people with similar ideas and interests.

Looking for specific examples? Here is a collection of social networks that your official college or university might use to connect with your school’s prospects, students, alumni, friends, parents or community.

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Measuring the Value of Engagement

April 13, 2009 in Technology, Tips from the Experts, Web & Social Media by Joe Gauder | 1 comment

ROI of Engagement

ROI of Engagement

To date, metrics haven’t been well established for Online Media. Sure there are web analytics that you can quantify: visits, page views, lead generations, or SEO rankings. You can use Feedburner and Google Analytics – two free plug-ins that help analyze your traffic. But what about conversations that occur via social networks?

This is the missing element in measurement. How do you analyze the effectiveness, the engagement, or the ROI of conversations? How are we able to release the marketing power of the web?

The objective of engagement is to create a relationship between the consumer and a product/service, a brand, or a company. How the consumer is involved with the brand is measured on the value of conversations:

Participation – The consumer is involved in the conversation. Are you accessible? For a brand, this needs to become a dialogue. Demonstrate commitment to advancing client interests and opportunities and in turn it shows the value.

Engagement – Are you helping solve any related issues? As a brand it isn’t about telling your consumer it’s about engaging. What are the quality of the conversations? It is vital to the consumer that your brand is seen acting upon comments and helping solve dilemmas. This Forrester article begins a series of diving deeper into the tools and technologies to measure engagement.

Influence/Imagination – By representing your brand in these conversations, you give it a face. As a brand expert, you have the influence as a thought leader and can capture the consumer’s imagination to inspire. You have the ability to improve the relationships with your customers and communities. Think about how they can use the facts of a current case to advocate for favorable future interpretations.

And last, measuring the value of stickiness. Are the conversations sustaining and building over time? The idea must be embedded into the experience of the product/service itself.

The key takeaway is that you define the Key Performance Indicators you want to analyze. Without some sort of benchmark, it would be like throwing darts at an idea board. When you define the expected results (R), you must define the investment (I). With benchmarks set, you can apply intelligence against results and objectives.

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