Mediaboss Marketing

by Billie Nordmeyer

Business marketing leads to financial profits, and social marketing to societal well-being.

George Doyle/Stockbyte/Getty Images

Marketing is a responsibility of management through which knowledge of customers is gained and the organization's capabilities are deployed to serve these customers. In terms of business marketing, identifying and satisfying customers' needs earns the organization a financial profit. In contrast, social marketing leads to societal well-being.

The intent of social marketing is the achievement of specific behavioral goals for the good of society. For example, social marketing can encourage people to avoid smoking in public areas or lead individuals to drive at or below posted speed limits. By encouraging society to avoid demerit goods (smoking in public areas) or promoting merit goods (following speed limits), social marketing promotes the well-being of society.

The American Marketing Association describes marketing as an "activity, set of institutions and processes for creating, communicating, delivering and exchanging offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners and society at large." In short, business marketing is the process by which customer requirements are identified and satisfied by an organization's services or products to earn a profit. It is by this process that a firm gains a competitive advantage over another business.

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The Main Difference Between Social Marketing & Business ...

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You know that you should do some social media marketing (SMM) tasks every day. That is what all the experts say is best, right? (For several years now, experts like Neil Patel have been expressing how important SMM is!)

In fact, you have it handled. Your social profiles are all set up and you know what you need to do to keep it going. Or, at the least, you have hired the right team that also knows how to get the job done. You know that they can handle it. So, you are confident.

Or, are you?

Lets back up just a tad and look at this social media marketing thing afresh. We are doing this even though we all know what it is. Sometimes it is helpful to take a fresh look to ensure we havent missed anything.

So, here we go

Developing a strong social media presence is the hallmark of a successful startup business. This is the case whether the startup is online or offline or both (which is best, to have a foot in both realms).

Social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter are essential for maintaining a competitive edge. Some of the other sites, like Pinterest and Instagram, are coming up the ladder and becoming almost synonymous with their predecessors. Sites like Google Plus, though not mentioned as often, have still not given up their spot in importance when it comes to social media marketing.

So, back to those accounts Lets face it Startups that do not have active social media profiles (accounts) miss out on far too many marketing opportunities. Social media marketing is where it is at, in this day and age of online or internet marketing. Do you think?

Starting a hashtag testimonial on Twitter is an excellent way to gain exposure. If you create a hashtag thats specifically for testimonial purposes, as your startup flourishes, so will the visibility of your hashtag. In turn, you gain free publicity simply by tweeting.

The same holds true for other social media platforms, but in order to be successful, you need to know where your target audience spends most of their time. For example, if their favorite hangout is Instagram, it doesnt make sense to post on Facebook.

This is why it is so important to have a social media marketing plan. That means that we also need to have an idea of what we are doing and what is needed. Without it, we could have burn-out and that isnt good for anyone.

But even before you choose the right channel, you need to define your business goals and objectives. Spend some time defining what it is that you want to accomplish this year, or what is left of any given year. Remember, it doesnt have to be January 1st for you to sit down and perform these exercises in an analysis. It is like a regrouping.

The key is that you allow yourself to assess where you have been, where you are, and where you are going anytime that you feel that your brand (personal or business) needs a regrouping. However, at the same time, ensure that you are not doing this assessment so often that you are not getting anything done. There is a happy balance between the two and one of the most helpful ways to stay balanced is to ensure that you are consulting with other members of your team and getting their feedback and input.

After creating your social media accounts and profiles, there is the overall social media plan. That is what the questions, above, help you to define. Then, under that umbrella, are the social media marketing campaigns, which may help you to focus on more granular goals or more short-terms goals or agendas for your brand.

When creating your daily social media strategy, it should be inspired by the following task list:

Buyer personas are like creating images (profiles) of what your target audience looks like, based on your assessment (where you were) as well as what is going on with your brand currently (where you are). By understanding and defining those buyer personas, you are able to help direct where you will be going and using social media marketing to manage that directing.

Creating buyer personas and researching where this specific group spends most of their time is vital when measuring key performance indicators (KPI).

For example, you may ask yourself,

All of these variables play a part when developing your social media marketing calendar because they help you to define who it is that benefits from your social media marketing. The more defined you are, the less likely you are to aimlessly spend time in places where time should not be spent.

Above all else, you need to listen. Social media listening will help you define your daily tasks.

Customer service is another place where social media listening is helpful. Using social media makes customer service easy. It also makes social listening a mandatory task every day, in order to maintain that high standard of customer service. Use social media management tools to track brand mentions in real time. Analytic tools can help you isolate negative mentions, so you can address them as quickly as possible, demonstrating how much you truly care for your customers.

The following list of content was pulled from the Social Media Planner that is available as a free download. This is a comprehensive list of the type of content for any social media marketing plan/campaign.

Rapid growth overwhelms Many startup companies. Also, what may seem exciting on day one can become a drudgery by day eight. We dont want to get to this point because we dont want to head toward burnout.

In order to ensure that burnout does not peep its head, start with the plan. That is where it is important to analyze, assess, define (i.e. buyer personas), and develop the SMM plan. This planning goes from a global to a granular view.

Once the larger pieces of the pie are defined, break it down into the daily tasks. Use whatever means are available to you, to help to manage that. That includes understanding the types of content (above), as well as how you can post it (i.e. social media marketing tools). Also, incorporate how often you will check (social media listening) your social accounts, doing it frequently enough, but not too frequent.

Once you set up your social media accounts and develop a management routine, schedule regular checks on all channels to maintain a steady presence.

Last, but not least, dont be afraid to experiment with your social media strategy. While its a good idea to maintain strategies that work, dont be afraid to think outside the box. After all, the essence of a startup is to solve problems in an innovative and efficient way. Just keep those eyes open and if there is a risk of burnout, step back, reassess, get feedback from the team, and find ways to automate, using those wonderful social media marketing tools!

Keep the daily to a minimum, with a view of the overall social media marketing plan, consistent with branding success, from a top-down global view. That keeps you on target while managing the load.

Featured image: 123RF

Original post:
Incorporating Your Startup Social Media Marketing Tasks into a Day's Plan - PakWired

Image credit: Finally Trending

In the digital world of social media, there are probably new and innovative platforms (or ideas for them) sprouting every other second. While Facebook, Instagram and others reign supreme, there are many others in specialized markets that have already begun garnering their base not only in regards to being the place for everyone to go, but also the entity that accentuates that place for an individual or company. Case in point: new mover Finally Trending is looking to be the go-to guys when it comes to marketing yourself via Twitter. According to them (source), theyve been able to turn their clients into trending topics any product or service in need of promotion has the potential to exceed over 80,000 retweets. In a recent interview with Finally Trending CEO Seth Timlake (via 247HipHopNews), we learned what this new service was all about:

Who is Finally Trending? We are Finally Trending. Its funny how it all began actually, it all started when I got a rush of endorphins as a tweet of mine blew up. It made me want to continue growing a following and create a movement in the eyes of millions of people that spend the majority of the day on their phones. Expanding myself and all my ideas led to the creation of Finally Trending, a social media marketing company whose goal is to promote businesses to talented individuals, and help them spread their message in the eyes of millennials on social media, who empower society as we know it.

What is your goal for Finally Trending? Once I say this everyone will think I am way in over my head, and I have actually had a few people tell me this, but it just drives me even harder. My goal with Finally Trending is to become one of the dominant businesses that basically make the world go around like Amazon, Google. They have shaped our world, and my goal is to have that kind of influence as a company, with a few clicks of a button.

How does Finally trending differ from other social marketing companies? You know there is not that many good ones around. Finally Trending offers real engagements with current, and new followers, and that is something that a lot of the fake smaller companies try to push, but with that type of business plan it will never grow into something more.

Your slogan is no scams. While there are a lot of scam social marketing companies what is it that your company does that others dont do? You dont have to look far to find someone who claims they are a social media influencer or offer promotional services. Finally Trending as a company has a history of working with verified brands, tripling impressions in a week, all the way to making a client trend globally. It is actually quite remarkable what can be accomplished.

You can connect and stay up-to-date with Finally Trending here.

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Moving into the future, businesses need expertise in an ever-increasing array of marketing tools: email marketing, social media marketing, Google Ads, blogging, growth hacking, lead generation, SEO, SEM, etc. Understanding which tools and strategies to use to achieve your business objectives can be difficult. Thats where this book list fits in. This list contains nine books that cover almost every aspect of digital marketing, so you can prepare for your marketing future today.

With all of the constant changes in digital marketing, it can be hard even for experienced business professionals, to keep up.

Digital Marketing for Dummieshighlights the importance of digital marketing and how it can be adapted to get the best return on investment for your time and money.

Digital Marketing for Dummies provides a non-technical, strategy-oriented approach for this.

Written by the CEO and Editorial Director (Ryan Deiss and Russ Henneberry) of DigitalMarketer.com, the book helps readers develop or refine their digital marketing strategies to align with their business goals in the areas of content marketing, social media marketing, search engine marketing (SEM), and online advertising.

If you have wondered why your business needs to Tweet, create YouTube videos, or blog when you have more important things to do, this book will provide the answer with a lot more.

Moving forward in the sharing and on-demand global economy, the world of marketing is changing.

Your business cant rely on the traditional marketing techniques of the past. Customers demand a two-way conversation and with that transparency and accountability. They have more options and less patience with pop-ups and commercials.

They seek diversity in the workplace and in their entertainment,

Marketing 4.0, written by three pioneering marketing gurus, helps business owners understand what the transition for digital marketing means to business owners.

In particular, the book shares how businesses can adapt their marketing to be more inclusive, more social and more flexible in the face of an unpredictable future.

If you are looking for a book to help you wrap your head around the bigger picture going in and how it affects your business, this book might be for you.

The first two books on this list talked about the big picture when it comes to digital marketing.

Digital Sensehelpsbusiness owners tie everything together on a ground-floor level.

Specifically, it helps business owners learn how to create an omnichannel presence

An omnichannel presence is the marketing term for a business that maintains a consistent marketing presence across various channels and devices.

It represents the future of marketing.

Digital Sense helps business owners develop this omnichannel presence using two frameworks designed tohelp businesses align their marketing efforts with their customers in a globally competitive world.

This is already a world filled with screens (TV, smartphones, laptops, tablets, even smart appliances) and the world is going to have a lot more in the next few years.

Mobile technology has affected the culture, economy and global society in a variety of ways.

The cultural and economic changes brought about by mobile technology are more obvious. But understanding the psychological impact of mobile technology, both good and bad is a bit trickier.

Thats where The Smarter Screencomes in.

Written by a behavioral economist, the book helps readers understand the complicated world of brains using mobile technology. For example, the book explores why people value shopping on mobile devices more than in the store or why humans remember things when its displayed on a screen.

Using the information in the book, the author of The Smarter Screen hopes to help businesses design mobile technology to help them better realize their objectives and those of their customers.

Mobile Marketingis also concerned with designing mobile technology for the best customer experience.

The difference is how.

In Mobile Marketing, digital marketing expert Daniel Rowles wants readers to upgrade their definition of mobile technology.

Mobile technology isnt all about cell phones and apps. Its a spectrum of devices and services including wearables, mobile payment systems, location-based advertising, virtual reality and more.

Rowles contends that businesses are just starting to tap into the vast potential of the mobile economy and provides strategies (along with case studies) showing how businessescan tap into this expanded concept of marketing technology and use it to drive profits now and in the future.

Businesses that take the lead in marketing will have a competitive advantage over the status quo still stuck in the traditional marketing mindset.

This list has looked at the psychology and technology behind the mobile economy.

Taplooks at the data breadcrumbs we leave while using mobile technology.

The amount and type of data has been a source of controversy with some consumers believing they are giving away too much of their personal information. On the other hand, businesses benefit when consumers share information, such as web clicks, page views and other data helping businesses offer more personalized services.

It also saves businesses money, time and effort that would have been wasted on ill-suited marketing campaigns.

Tap argues that there is a happy medium between offering privacy and participation in the mobile economy. Using research conducted around the world, professor and author Anindya Ghose shares why he believes businesses can achieve this healthy balance of privacy plus utility for consumers.

Ghose also shares the nine primary forces that impact a customers decision to buy. He then provides strategies and recommendations to help businesses adapt their mobile technology to address these forces.

Heather LeFevre worked hard as an advertising and marketing strategist and it paid off. She grew an impressive resume completing behind-the-scenes work for some of the largest brands, including Burger King, Emirate Airlines, Phillips and Pampers.

LeFevre wanted more, though. She wanted more insight into the ultimate question every marketer, advertiser, communications professional or public relations professional has about marketing: How do I get into my customers brain?

Brain Surfingwas the answer.

LeFevre literally went around the world to find the answer to the ultimate marketing question. Before you think this is a book about another marketing guru spouting a few marketing tips, think again.

The author did more than go around the world to pick up a few insights. She tracked down the top marketing strategists and lived in their homes as she learned from them.

Her book is a travel log, marketing advice guide and invitation to take your marketing to a deeper level so you can reach more people than you ever imagined.

What is one big gripe about marketing on social media? They dont see a return on investment.

Many business owners still arent able to connect the dots between their Tweets, pins, posts and updates and their business objectives. As a result, many businesses undermine their own efforts at social media.

Analytics to Actionwas written to help with this problem.

In the book, author Tim Cigelske helps business owners better understand the numbers that appear on their social media accounts.

Cigelske, the current director of social media for Marquette University, shares the principles, strategies and resources he used throughout his career and his current role as manager of a social media team with 30 people and 50 social media accounts.

Throughout Analytics to Action, Cigelske helps readers figure out how social media goals can help them reach business goals, which statistics to look out for, and how to combine all of this data into a consistent and reliable process that leads to success.

As businesses are learning, traditional sales methods are no longer working like they once did.

Cold calling, getting your name in the Yellow Pages, disruptive advertising and billboards are becoming a thing of the past as smart consumers are learning how to dodge and weave communication they arent interested in.

Consumers are using ad blockers, online reviews, social media and more to skip past these old sales methods and find the products and services that fit them.

If your organization is looking to adapt its sales strategies to the modern world of Twitter, Facebook, blogs and YouTube, The Conversion Codemay be the thing that helps you do it.

Written by Chris Smith, a sales coach who raised two million dollars in revenue for the company he founded, The Conversion Code shares the tips, strategies and techniques Smith along the way.

The book covers lead generation starting where your customers are (online) and guides readers through the steps to convert their maybe or no into a yes.

As the books on this list prove, the world of marketing will face a complex and unpredictable future. Social media channels will rise and decline in popularity. Marketing strategies will come in and out of vogue. Trends will come and go. As a business owner, it is your job to steer your business through these marketing decisions. At the end of the day, these decisions pale in comparison to the marketing principles which never change:

Stick to these basic marketing principles and your business will build a marketing foundation, no matter how unpredictable the future turns out to be.

Book Photo via Shutterstock

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Digital Marketing and Your Small Business: 9 Books to Spark Your Upgrade - Small Business Trends

A white paper on the State of Digital Marketing in the Philippines was presented by GetCRaft, Southeast Asias premier content marketing network last July 26 in Square One, Bonifacio Technological Center, BGC. The market inquiry brings together data and insights culled from a survey conducted in 2017 of marketers across major cities in the Philippines, involving 150 respondents managers, directors, vice presidents and C-level marketers from brands and agencies representing various industries. The report seeks to deliver impartial digital and content marketing industry snapshots and ideas on pushing these findings forward. The goal is to inform readers about the current state of digital and content marketing in the Philippines, identify pain points among marketers, and explore solutions. Here are the highlights of the study:

The total Philippine population is 104 million, 69 million of whom are Internet users, and 69 million are active social media users. Mobile subscriptions number 129.4 million, while active mobile social users are 59 million. On device usage: 88 percent use any type of mobile phone; 61 percent utilize smart phones; 39 percent and 25 percent avail of laptop or computer and tablet, respectively. Average daily use: 9 hours on the Internet via personal computer or tablet; 3 hours and 36 minutes on the Internet via mobile phone; 4 hours and 17 minutes on social media using any device; and 2 hours and 30 minutes on television.

Social media continues to dominate, but content marketing, influencer marketing, and sponsored content are on the rise. Brands view social media both paid and organic as the most effective digital channel for marketing, due to the high number of active users, the enormous amount of time users spend using the channel, and cost efficiency. Social media in the Philippines are used for searching and purchasing products or services by nearly a third of the population, with Facebook as the priority medium.

Shayne Garcia, managing director of iProspect, shares, No one can underestimate the power of social media in the Philippines; this is where we interact with customers, respond to their inquiries and even get real-time feedback about product quality. As consumers are deepening more and more their footprint on social, so should marketers.

Three channels content marketing, influencer marketing, and sponsored content are not far behind social media on marketers priority lists. Companies and brands that want to succeed in social media marketing should understand that one of its critical pillars is content. Pao Pena, chief experience officer at Dentsu Jayme Syfu, believes, Many brands are jumping on influencers as a source of content, primarily because we are selling them as paid media and sometimes without proper guidance on whether they truly add value to the marketing mix.

Marketers spend 21.5 percent of their budget on digital. The drivers behind this growth are mostly demographic: increasing consumerism, an emerging middle class, and rapid mobile youth penetration. Digital marketing will be buoyed by improved technological infrastructure, Internet penetration and broadband speed. Increase in knowledge will also positively impact growth. As marketers better understand the models that allow them to best hit their targets, digital channels will increasingly be viewed as more cost-effective, encouraging brands and agencies to spend more on digital.

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Mobile marketing is expected to reign, with content marketing and customer experience as the next promising areas. Marketers are putting priority on how customers experience their brands throughout the customer journey. Rightly so, as customer experience is critical in either strengthening or weakening purchasing intent, engagement, brand loyalty and brand advocacy. There are many ways for marketers to improve customer experience, including using automation tools, data-powered customization, and prioritizing mobile.

The growing audience of mobile makes it an ideal platform for brands to engage customers through intensified content marketing and enhanced customer experience. But consuming content is only one of three digital behaviors active mobile users engage in. They are also content creators and curators, which presents an opportunity for brands to co-create content with their customers. Emphasis on content places the onus on marketers to ensure high-quality material that targets the right audiences in the right spots. This highlights the need for personalization or the ability of brands and messages to adapt to consumers. Such ability is crucial not only in creating and publishing content but also in improving customer experience.

Budget restraint is a top digital challenge. Even as the value of digital marketing in the Philippines grows, nearly three out of five marketers say they have difficulty in getting financing for their digital campaigns. And besides funding, they lack skills and resources, proper tracking or measurements methods, and digital marketing tools. As there is no one-size-fits-all formula for return on investment (ROI), marketers often struggle to justify their budget requests. This issue highlights the need to solidify key performance indicators. Without ROI tracking, no ROI can be demonstrated, and without ROI, no budget request is justified. Budget restraints prevent companies from hiring the right people and, therefore, from getting strategies right. Skills shortfall is aggravated by the fact that innovation is at a pace unmatched by learning curves and skills available in the market. Carlo Ople, vice president for digital marketing strategy of PLDT-Smart, states, To unlock digital spend, marketers need to stop pushing campaign budgets, and instead propose new analytics-driven business.

Fifty-seven percent of marketers are unsure about how digital marketing drives business objectives. Lack of clarity about the role digital marketing plays in a business highlights the need to intensify education and training among brands. These efforts must involve not only those in the boardroom but the entire marketing team and other teams they work with. Difficulties in gauging digital performance could mean that marketers are measuring too many, too few, or incorrect metrics. Business transformation is key in adapting to the changes of today. However, many are still grappling due to the lack of a seamless strategic view, says Eduardo Mapa Jr., founder of Castle by the River.

Videos lead the way in content marketing. As Filipinos spend more time on social media than on watching television, they are also increasingly watching videos from mobile screens. Global Webb index reports YouTube as the second most active media platform at 56 percent, topped only by Facebook. Of all Filipino netizens, 28 percent watch videos online daily, 21 percent weekly and 19 percent monthly. A clear factor driving online video consumption growth is the rise of mobile in the Philippines with 57 percent of the population watching videos online using mobile phones.

Content marketing is mostly used for awareness. Jonass de los Reyes says, This awareness measure on content marketing is clearly an indicator of the changing mindsets of marketers today who are slowly maturing and understanding the role of digital and content marketing in their overall strategy and marketing plans. He believes this will eventually shift and the goal of content marketing will be more for influencing consideration and evaluation, because this is where its strengths lie.

Skills and resources gaps are top content marketing challenges. Crafting quality content consistently requires not just the right mix of resources but also strategic planning. What many fail to realize is that content marketing is a long-term commitment to build brand reputation, trust, loyalty, and so forth. And to build this, the costs are not cheap, says Patrick Searle, group CEO and co-founder at GetCRAFT.

Most brands do content marketing in-house. The benefits of running content marketing in-house are obvious: It gives brands maximum control, limits back-and-forth movement within the team, and provides employees with opportunities to continuously learn.

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Email bongosorio@gmail.com for comments, questions or suggestions. Thank you for communicating.

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