Archive for the ‘Social Marketing’ Category

Think of social and programmatic platforms as big tech, not mass media – Bizcommunity.com

More than 30 years after the invention of the World Wide Web, many marketers still describe marketing on digital platforms using the language of the mass media era. Hence, brands often continue to think about digital advertising in terms of purchasing 'inventory' or 'ad space' on platforms like Facebook and Google -space they will use to reach their target audience.

Image source: Gallo/Getty Images.

So, if these platforms are not media companies, what are they? The hint is in the name, big tech. They provide brands with a sophisticated stack of technology and tools that can be used to target dynamic and highly personalised messages to consumers based on who they are and what they are doing. Just like the programmatic platforms or email marketing companies, they are not content companies but IT and data companies.

Thinking of Facebook or Google as technology platforms will lead marketers to use them differently to the ways in which many brands do today. Rather than purchasing an ad, they will understand that they are paying for an opportunity to engage with the right customer at the right moment. Think of it as direct marketing to qualified leads, but made even more targeted and efficient through the power of customer data.

When one starts to think of the social and search platforms as tech stacks, the importance of integrating digital advertising engagements with the companys customer relationship management (CRM) and analytics tools also becomes obvious. Together, these tools enable a brand to understand the customer journey from initial contact with a customer to conversion and the post-conversion relationship.

The four phases of digital maturity developed by Boston Consulting Group offer a useful model for understanding how marketing and advertising are evolving in the age of big tech:

For example, when someone searches for a hotel in Cape Town, a brand should not serve a generic ad, but one tailored to the areas and price range they are looking at, based on a complete view of the customer.

Another instance: if a prospect starts an online application for vehicle finance and then abandons it at the last step, the bank could target them with ads encouraging them to complete the process. While some CRM systems might send such reminders via email or SMS, this functionality can be powerful when integrated with the media buying strategy.

To wrap up, here are five steps to success as brands evolve into multi-moment marketing organisations:

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Think of social and programmatic platforms as big tech, not mass media - Bizcommunity.com

Starting a business? Avoid these 5 classic entrepreneur pitfalls – CNBC

Becoming an entrepreneur is a dream to which many of us aspire, and a worthwhile financial goal. Still, many first-time entrepreneurs and even experienced pros can sometimes sabotage their best efforts with some typical mistakes.

When you're ready to roll-up your sleeves and start your own business, keep your eyes open for these issues though they might sound simple, these make or break the fortunes of countless aspiring entrepreneurs.

With a business plan in hand, you'll have a better sense of your funding needs, which will help you avoid two classic traps: over- and under-spending. Some entrepreneurs misjudge costs, and end up spending more than they budgeted or expected. Yet others do the opposite, and by trying to be careful and frugal, end up spending too little to give their business a realistic chance.

Do your best to estimate actual costs of funding your venture through launch and the first year. (The SBA offers a great startup costs tool that helps estimate new business funding needs.)Then, find ways to secure the capital you'll need.

MoMo Productions | Taxi | Getty Images

The same issue of too much or too little is present when considering business partners. In many cases, you can't launch a venture alone you'll need partners or investors for funding and know-how. But you can overdo it, by bringing on too many people, diluting your profit and confusing your strategy. Your business plan will hopefully have addressed this issue, but think further about who should really be involved, and what impact it'll have on your venture.

Do you really know your customer and market? Do you know whether they have a desire or need for your product or service, or whether your proposed pricing makes sense? Do you intend on competing on price, quality, service, or all of the above?

Get to know your customers and market many businesses stumble because they fail to understand their target market. And when you're ready to expand, don't assume new customers in different areas will have the same tastes and priorities get to know them, too.

Finally, too many entrepreneurs have good products or services but do a lousy job of marketing. If you know your customer and market, this should be less of an issue you'll know what blogs they read, where they hang out in real life and on social media.

You can market to them based on their habits and lifestyle. Don't assume traditional advertising is dead, either. Depending on your business, billboards or radio ads might make sense, and over-reliance on social media might backfire. Whatever you do, you must market if you're shy, don't understand marketing well or don't see its value, hire someone who can help.

Entrepreneurship can be the adventure of a lifetime but, like any adventure, it can also be a challenge. Prepare yourself for the common mistakes so many business owners make, and make your path to success easier and more fruitful.

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Starting a business? Avoid these 5 classic entrepreneur pitfalls - CNBC

Culion winning fight vs teenage pregnancies through education, health – Rappler

UNSPOILED. Shiok Island in Culion, Palawan. Shutterstock.com

BAGUIO, Philippines Culion has been the country's bogeyman since 1907 when it became the last refuge of leprosy patients in the Philippines; its mere mention would scatter people or make them cower even if leprosy was already banished in the island in 2006.

"When we are asked where we come from, we say we come from Coron. We say 'Culion' in the jeep and they go [to] the opposite seat of the jeep," said Culion municipal administrator Maxim Raymundo.

The new movie Culion may help stop the stigma but there is something that Culion has been excelling in healthwise.

Palawan has one of the highest teenage pregnancy rates among the provinces. There are about 12,000 girls 15 to 19 years old who get pregnant every year in Palawan.

Eleven Palawan towns, including Puerto Princesa, are among the top 30 towns in Mimaropa with the highest teenage pregnancy rates.

"We are surprised that they have a very low teenage pregnancy rate in Culion considering they are composed of islands which make it hard to monitor," said Chi Vallido, the campaigns officer of the Forum for Family Planning and Development.

The Forum had been using Culion as a model for family planning and teenage pregnancy prevention for GIDA or geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas.

Last year, Raymundo said that they monitored only 13 cases of teenage pregnancy in Culion in 2017.

Raymundo said that the low teenage pregnancy rate can be attributed to their hands-on approach to education and health.

Culion is composed of 41 islands from the Calamian Group of Islands enveloped by 14 barangays. The Twin Lagoon and Kayangan Lake, which are part of the Coron tour, are actually in Culion.

There are about 28,000 residents in Culion spread over 51,000 hectares, making it one of the least densely populated areas in the country.

As part of Culion Mayor Virginia de Vera's I Heal vision is the 100% completion rate of the 3 elementary and 4 high schools in Culion. Two of the schools now have a 100% completion rate while 3 are in the top 90%. Two remain at above 60%.

Raymundo said that the city has been building satellite schools to reach out to the far-flung areas.

They also dispatched barangay health workers to go with mobile teachers during their visits to the sitios.

This way, Raymundo said, they are able not only to educate the children but also to monitor the health situation in Culion.

The Culion Sanitarium and General Hospital, the only Department of Health-retained secondary level general hospital operating in the Calamian Group of Islands, also established in 2016 its sea ambulance program to reach patients in Culion, Coron, Busuanga, and Linapacan faster, especially patients in emergency situations.

In 2002, the PATH Foundation Philippines, Incorporated, a private charitable organization, also introduced the Integrated Population and Coastal Resource Management (IPOPCORM) initiative in coastal villages in Culion.

PATH Foundation Philippines is concerned about the environment of Culion, which is listed as one of the 14 biodiversity hotspots in the country.

IPOPCORM coordinated with the local government, local non-governmental organizations, community organizations (fishers, women, and youth groups), and local businesses by implementing and managing family planning activities simultaneously with coastal conservation and alternative livelihood strategies.

The distribution and social marketing of contraceptives are coupled with coastal management activities, including the establishment of marine protected areas, community-based management planning, community surveillance efforts, and mangrove reforestation.

IPOPCORM also advocated for strengthened enforcement of existing laws prohibiting destructive fishing methods.

Not only did the coral areas grew back from 25% to 32%, but the acceptance of modern contraceptives among couples and the youth had also increased.

The Commission on Population through its National Program on Population and Family Planning, which seeks to increase the contraceptive prevalence rate to 65% nationally by 2022, has also become active in Culion. It started providing family planning workshops to women and the youth last July. Rappler.com

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Culion winning fight vs teenage pregnancies through education, health - Rappler

As social media constantly evolves, making your business stand out can be trickier than it looks – Fora.ie

SOCIAL MEDIA IS evolving every day. The Big Six Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, Snapchat and Youtube are constantly updating and innovating their offering.

Now with emerging platforms like TikTok and Caffeine to consider, it can be tricky for SMEs to know what channels and trends to focus on if they dont have the luxury of an agency to rely on or an in-house team member dedicated to content.

The reality is that social media requires constant attention and effort to reap its benefits so to help. Here are some of the key areas you should focus on in 2020, regardless of whether youre a consumer brand or focused on a business to business strategy.

Live streaming

Live streaming is my number one must-do for all businesses on social media in 2020. By providing premium content to your audience such as live streaming events, demos, Q&As, competitions, product reveals and launches, its the digital equivalent of having a face-to-face meeting.

Most social channels provide a streaming function so whether your hero channel is Facebook, LinkedIn or Instagram you can easily adopt it and achieve a cost-effective, direct and personal connectionwith your audience to better engagement and sales.

The best part is that live streaming generates invaluable data if used in the right way. By asking your audience questions and monitoring their responses, you can inform your marketing strategy. Live streams can also be saved and promoted so if you have a particularly successful stream you can get even more mileage out of it.

We all know Apple live streams all of its new launches with millions of people tuning in to be the first in the know. However, none of us will forget Teslas Cybertruck reveal earlier this year. Even though its likely you wont be live streaming such a large-scale event, its worth mapping out the content of your stream as much as you can before you go live to highlight any risks in a demonstration.

Video

Video is definitely safe in 2020, just look at the growth of video-sharing app TikTok, which has been gaining huge momentum here in Ireland, and the rise of Facebook Watch.

While TikTok isnt for every business, and certainly not just yet, its worthwhile monitoring how this one will develop over the coming months and the advertising opportunities it will offer.

TikTok aside, video is still huge across LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram and I would suggest that all businesses invest in the production value and storylines of their video content especially if you have an advertising budget.

Various channels will help you to create videos that incorporate an on-brand theme, graphics, animation and more to keep viewers engaged.

Remember to optimise your videos for each channel it takes a little more effort but as most content is watched on mobile its effort and time well-spent. Facebook videos are better in square format while Instagram must be vertical. member to make the most of your video distribution by sharing across all channels and even sharing with your email database.

User-generated content

User-generated content is another must-do as consumer trust in social media and so consumer trust in brands on social media did dip slightly in 2019 as we all became more conscious of privacy and data.

Content that is generated for you is the digital equivalent of a recommendation so its incredibly effective in terms of building brand authority and sales.

At Digital Works, we typically ensure that at least a third of a brands content is user-generated and try to focus on user-generated in its truest form, such as content from customers and followers that isnt paid for.

Be sure you share all the posts that your business is mentioned in. To try and generate this type of content you can incentivise followers by offering prizes or discount codes, develop and promote a specific hashtag which you can easily track.

Micro-influencers

Similarly to user-generated content, people prefer content from micro-influencers because its less scripted and usually educational and informative. Brands are also becoming savvier by using social listening tools and trying to better understand if followers are fake or bought.

The influencer marketing bubble as we know it is about to burst with micro-influencers rising to the top and finally getting a piece of the pie by offering brands smaller communities but communities that are heavily-engaged and interested.

Its worth mentioning that micro-influencers typically focus on one niche be it food, tech, parenting, mental health or fitness so even if you have previously thought your business isnt a good fit for influencer marketing, think again.

A micro-influencer that focuses on wellness might be a great fit for a recruitment agency who wants to build their leadership in the workplace culture sector, a motivational speaker trainer might be a great fit for a shared working space to communicate to its audience that it understands perseverance.

Social niches

Its never been clearer which demographics are where, so 2020 poses an excellent opportunity for your business to gain momentum on social media and use budget wisely. Instead of trying to use all platforms, try to better understand where your audience is and harness the power of that channel.

Facebook is certainly a platform for the older generation we like to focus on the mid-millennial upward so anyone 28 and upward. Snapchat is where the lower millennial and Gen Z are hanging out while Instagram has a slight female bias while its users are broad from teens to middle-aged.

Personalisation and automation

If you dont already, you must invest in messaging. You dont necessarily have to develop automated chatbots or 24/7 customer service chats but giving messaging apps like WhatsApp for business and Facebook messenger attention will certainly improve sales.

If you can get ahead of the curve by investing in an automated chatbot it will deliver amazing data to empower your decision making and retain customers. Consumers want personalised engagement and this is the top performer.

Less active users

We need to be mindful that social media usage might decrease in 2020. People are much more aware of their screen time and wellness as part of that and so there may be less time to engage with your target audiences and the times they are online may vary in the coming months.

I recommend ensuring you use the insights sections social platforms offer you so you can get to grips with how your followers use social media. This highlights the need to invest in the premium content ideas above as you may have less opportunity to connect with people.

Eimear McManus is the founder and director ofDigital Works

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As social media constantly evolves, making your business stand out can be trickier than it looks - Fora.ie

What CMOs Predict Will HappenOr Keep HappeningIn 2020 – Forbes

Chief marketing officers say they expect trends like personalization, data privacy, and ... [+] environmental sustainability to continue to play key roles in marketing in 2020.

What trends will be more prominent in 2020? It depends whom you ask.

According to a recent report from Global Web Index, next year will bring heightened consumer scrutiny around data privacy, new opportunities for fashion brands to embrace retail with smart mirrors or cafes, and increased excitement about in-car technology such as contactless payments. Meanwhile at Morgan Stanley, analysts expect accelerated investment in OTT advertising, new opportunities around 5G and advancements for internet-connected devices.

But if you take the predictions of chief marketing officers, 2020 will bring much of the same. More personalization. More environmental awareness. More experiential marketing. More awareness of the possibilitiesand responsibilitiesthat come with collecting and using data.

And itll be an election year, so of course that means more politics.

To better understand what will be on top marketers minds across a range of industries in 2020, Forbes spoke with more than a dozen CMOs from a range of industries to have them share trends, goals, challenges and opportunities that they think will be key in the year ahead.

Stephanie Buscemi, CMO, Salesforce

According to Buscemi, many of the CMOs shes talked with in 2019 have tried to simplify the marketing stack. Thatll continue to be relevant next year as brands try to grapple with data privacy compliance when Californias new data privacy law, the California Consumer Privacy Act, goes into effect in January. She says that requires balancing personalized marketing with increased transparency about how data is collected and used.

Ive been a little bit surprised that despite there being penalties in place (for CCPA), maybe there isnt a level of urgency or understanding yet, she says. And maybe its because we dont have a federal privacy law. It is a bit ambiguousand people are in a wait-and-see mode.

Buscemi also says brands need to be sure and collaborate more when it comes to creating content.

If you look at the different tactics, theres always been a channel hype cycle, she says. Its email its social. But the reality is we are in a data-sharing world, and I believe that with all of the content thats being created out there, you have to focus on co-creation of content as a marketer. If all the content for your brand is created by your brand, its not going to be successful.

Josh Dean, CMO, Swell

Dean, who joined the reusable water bottle brand earlier in 2019, thinks consumers will start to realize what he calls the crisis of consumption. He says marketers can use a brands value to push for sustainability both internally and externally while making meaningful differences in their business. That way the value of a brand is not just about revenue growth.

Consumers are being much more mindful of what theyre consuming and how much theyre consuming, Dean says. And thats going to continue into 2020 especially with everything were hearing about the climate crisis.

Hanneke Willenborg, CMO, Seventh Generation

According to Willenborg, environment-friendly segments of CPG companies and others will continue to grow in the next year as consumers become increasingly worried about the climate crisis. And since its an election year, she says brands should lend a microphone to help younger generations that are leading the charge to curb global warming. For example, Seventh Generation, a Unilever-owned brand based in Berlington, Vermont, donated advertising time in September to 350.org ahead of the United Nations Climate Action Summit.

Next year,Willenborg says Seventh Generations marketing efforts will continue to focus on what she calls mindful progressivespeople that she says arent defined by any age group but rather who have a positive outlook on life and who are aware of the decisions that they make.

One of the things were very worried about is climate becomes so usually politicized, she says. At the end of the day it doesnt matter if youre a red or a bluehousehold. This is something that affects all of us. California fires are not selective. Extreme weather is not selective.

Lee Applbaum, CMO, Parallel

Applbaum, who became CMO of the cannabis company Parallel earlier this year, says the cannabis industry in the U.S. is transforming rapidly. The evolution of state laws and national perception have led to what he calls a volatile environment that will require marketing partners to become more nimble and adaptable to policy changes within both traditional and social media. That has big implications for staffing at places like advertising agencies. For example, he says creatives that want to work with cannabis brands need to be able to balance direct-to-consumer marketing tactics to reach existing audiences but also pivot to out-of-home and other mediums like print and TV as laws change in each state. That requires agencies to accept a level of ambiguity that some not used to.

If you've got companies trying to convince an agency that its going to be as predictive as auto or CPGs, thats just not going to happen, Applbaum says.

Despite the increased ambiguity, Applbaumwho previously spent years as CMO of brands such as Patrn and Grey Goosesays there will continue to be big opportunities for CMOs to make names for themselves within the cannabis industry.

If you were a CMO in 1933 or 1934 in [the alcohol beverage industry], you had an opportunity to define a category for generations, he says. With all the chaos comes a healthy dose of ego build to literally create a category for generations.

Melissa Hobley,CMO, OKCupid

As single people on dating apps increasingly use political affiliation or engagement a way of filtering potential partners, Hobley says theres room for marketers to help them out in 2020. In the past two years on OKCupid, the IAC-owned dating service has seen a 2,000% increase in political mentions on dating profiles.

There are thousands and thousands of [environmental activist] Greta Thunberg mentions on profiles, which is fascinating, Hobley says. So whats happening on dating apps and especially OKCupid is theyre signaling what matters out there. We harness that and reflect it back. We have to be very respectful about purpose and brands. It cant be about Instagram and donate money. It has to be more than that.

Kenny Mitchell, CMO, Snap Inc.

Mitchell joined Snap Inc. earlier this year after pioneering the use of various Snapchat marketing products like augmented reality and branded storytelling at brands like McDonalds and Gatorade. He says he thinks marketers will focus on celebrating the good in humanity in 2020 to bring people together during a tense election year.

Smart marketers are going to lean hard into the Olympics and other cultural moments to celebrate unity with other countries around the world, he says. And itll probably be a good counterpoint to some not-as-positive stories were going to be hearing about.

Erin Clift, Director of Marketing and Partnerships, Waze

Next year, the Google-owned navigational app plans to focus on how users plan their trips. That means focusing more on how to connect the dots before they get into a car along with adding new character voices for navigating and finding more ways to gamify usage of the app. Much of this is focused on a key trend at Waze and elsewhere in marketing and customer relation management: personalization.

We are about the destination, she says. Going back to the way that brands are trying to connect consumers with experiences and not just messaging. And the way we can guide people to a physical location, youll see brands start creating more relevant experiences for those customers coming through the door.

David Dancer, CMO, Inspire

Dancerwho joined the renewable energy startup this fall after working as CMO of the cannabis giant MedMen (where he crafted its breakout campaign, The New Normal)is also among the marketers that will be focused on personalization. But to him, that doesnt mean just one-to-one marketing. Rather, he says marketers will need to think about hyper-local campaigns that help people both understand the role energy consumption plays in climate change and also how individual households can make changes to their own consumption.

I think here at Inspire, within this clean tech energy space, Dancer says, Im building out: How do we drive brand awareness? I think very methodically. I dont see us going with a national, broad-scale campaign given where we are, but how do we ensure that were giving the brand story. People are very interested in buying into the movement.

Raja Rajamannar, CMO and Chief Communications Officer, Mastercard

Rajamannar spent much of 2019 focused on building out experiential marketing programs ranging from building out exclusive new restaurants around the world to creating custom macaroons. That will likely continue into 2020 (along with other trends like the use of artificial intelligence).

This coming year we will see brands advance their experiential strategies to bring value back to the business, he says. Experiences should be driven by focusing on the consumers wants and needs and how your brand can meet a challenge or bring in a new opportunity for them. Start with people if you want to resonate. Consumer loyalty is no longer earned by the quality of product or services; consumers want a brand to understand their likes, dislikes and the things they are most passionate about.

Lauren Sallata, CMO, Panasonic North America

After spending the past five to eight years focused on evolving from a consumer brand to one thats more business-to-business, Sallata says the company plans to spend 2020 trying to catch the brand up to what the business is doing.

For me, there are two sides of that, she says. Tech is super important, but Im not losing sight of how important the brand is to tell that story and to maintain the human aspect of that. For 2020 its about finding that right balance.

Ralph Santana, CMO, Harman

Santana says 2020 will yet again see connected cars as valuable to marketers and consumers alike. The audio manufacturer has been increasingly focused on Gen Z and Millennials to understand how they interact with audio including while driving. As a result, he says brands need to think not only about how to market to younger generations, but how to build products specifically for them. Thats a question for both the auto manufacturers and for companies like Harman that put audio tech into cars.

At the same time, its a real challenge for the CMO because youre no longer marketing RPMs and MPG, Santana says. Its going to be what were calling at Harman experience-per-mile, so its going from RPM to EPM.

Minjae Ormes, CMO, Visible

While Visible, a Verizon-owned digital wireless carrier, might not be a company focused first and foremost on audio, Ormes says shell looking in 2020 to see which companies will break the mold when it comes to audioeven within a crowded field of podcasting and music-streaming platforms.

We all knew the cues around jingles and mnemonics and ASMR, Ormes says. All of those things have a psychological trigger to how people remember things and feelings and drive them to get them to do whatever we want them to do.

JuneSauvaget, Global Head of Consumer and Product Marketing, Spotify

While Spotify has begun experimenting with new mediums such as TikTok and augmented reality in addition to expanding the streaming platforms end-of-year Wrapped playlists,Sauvaget says next year might see an increased diversification of ad spend.

Many of us rely on a few social platforms to drive a lot of business KPIs, she says. And I predict we might start to see a proliferation of spend on that area. Im being ambiguous, but I think this notion of spend on two or three players may change in the next two or three yearswhich is probably a good thing.

Jeff Charney, CMO, Progressive

According to the insurance marketing veteran, nostalgia will become something that resonates more with consumers than usual next year, and whats old will be new again.

Everything in today's marketing environment is somewhat cyclical, Charney says. And weve been working on this for a long time and so much that weve coined our own phrase called memory lane marketing. Its a different climate today, a somewhat polarized environment, that people want to walk down memory lane.

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What CMOs Predict Will HappenOr Keep HappeningIn 2020 - Forbes