Effective Crisis Resolution

Expanding from this topic we dealt with in class, I thought I would deal with a specific individual who recently has come into the public spotlight for all the wrong reasons. Justin Bieber the Canadian singer has been in the media lately not for his musical talent but rather for dealing with controversial issues such as drink driving, spitting on fans and egging his neighbour’s house. In 2011 to deal with the accusation of one woman who claimed Bieber was the father to her child, he hired Matthew Hiltzik of Hiltzik Strategies to deal with this rumour.

In order to quell this rumour and as part of an effective crisis resolution, Bieber appeared on “The Today Show” to put an end to this. He issued a statement during the interview.

I’d just like to say, basically, that none of those allegations are true. I know that I’m going to be a target, but I’m never going to be a victim (FoxNews 2011).

In order for Bieber to recover from the bad press he has recently gotten due to his lavish lifestyle he needs to take responsibility for his actions, just as VHI organising the women’s mini marathon had to retract their statement saying a blind woman was not allowed a male assistant, they had to own up to their mistake. They fixed the problem by changing their policy to allow male assistants for those in wheelchairs or for the visually impaired.

Reacting fast and appropriately to bad press is essential in order to move on from it in the best light. Apologising gains sympathy from the public and shows a certain amount of maturity in owning up to the mistake. In the case of Bieber he needs to remind the public of why he became famous in the first place, by producing music, using social media accounts to indicate to his fans that he is back at what made him famous in the first place will get him back in headlines for the right reasons and is significant in moving on from any PR disaster.

References:

http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2011/11/04/justin-bieber-hires-crisis-management-team-to-deal-with-paternity-scandal/http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2011/11/04/justin-bieber-hires-crisis-management-team-to-deal-with-paternity-scandal/

http://www.businessinsider.com/justin-bieber-as-crisis-pr-president-more-marketing-success-of-justin-bieber-2011-11?IR=T

Affiliate Marketing

Affiliate Marketing is a type of performance/commission based marketing arrangement in which a business rewards its affiliates each time a customer or visitor is brought to them by the affiliates own marketing efforts. The business pays its affiliates a commission when it gets a sale or a lead thanks to their marketing effort. There is a relationship going on between three different parties in affiliate marketing, these include:

1. Advertiser – The advertiser is the person selling the products, such as electronics or airline tickets online. The advertiser is the person/business willing to pay others to help promote and sell their business.
2. Publisher – The publisher is the website who is willing to promote and sell the advertisers business in exchange for earning a commission. They incorporate ads on their website in the form of links or text ads that help promote the advertisers business.
3. Consumer – The consumer is the party that makes it all happen and completes the relationship. They see the ad and complete the action by clicking on it which brings them from the publisher’s website to the advertisers.

Just like nearly everything else in business there is pros and cons to affiliate marketing. Some of its pros include gaining a higher response rate to the website, attracting a more widespread consumer base, building awareness of a new product or brand and increased reach through third party websites. However there is also cons limited incremental profit and sales, it may exploit the brand name and thus damage the businesses reputation this can happen if an advertiser’s ad is placed on a less than reputable publisher’s website. It also can include a number of fees. However generally affiliate marketing is good for every party involved.

Viral Marketing

What is viral marketing? well the best way to inform you is to show you, have a look at this adfor the release of Munster rugby’s new jersey, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GIgBtnkoR8w. Is it effective? Yes! Its quite possibly the most effective type of marketing! What makes up a viral video? Effortless transfer of the media is essential to allow consumers to share with their friends almost without thinking. The video, picture, etc, must have some humour in it, you must give consumers a reason they would want to make their friends aware of it’s existence. An example is the trailer for the Paranormal Activity film. IT was only a small budget film that was only shown in a very limited area but at the end of its eerily scary trailer it prompted viewers to demand the film be shown in their area by signing a petition. The result was an overwhelming success as the movie became one of the most profitable of all time. (ignitesocialmedia.com, 2013)

We could also reference Dove’s real women campaign, by using a topic of “real beauty” they used a topic that would appeal to the everyday women to promote their brand and the result was a resounding success as genuine people felt they could relate to the message being portrayed and in return they passed on the message to others. (entrepreneur.com, 2014)

The evidence that this kind of marketing works is overwhelming and certainly warrants it to be taken seriously. Do you know of any other viral campaigns? Share them below!

http://www.ignitesocialmedia.com/social-media-examples/15-viral-marketing-examples-campaigns-past-5-years/ [acessed 29/3/15]

http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/233207 [Accessed 29/3/15]

Search Engine Ranking – How much does it effect website traffic?

It’s common knowledge that search engines such as Google rank websites, how they appear in your search results. What decides which website is at the top of the page and conversely which is at the bottom? Google chooses by taking into account over 200 factors, however these factors are not public knowledge and so we can only guess what they may be. (seomark)

Can a company push their webpage up the list in any way? The short answer is yes! IT is possible on most search engines to pay for an advert that will allow your webpage to appear above all the other search results. Does this work though? Yes! Studies have shown that a company that moves up from rank two to rank one can expect an increase of over 50% in their click-through-rate! (Atlas Report) This could mean a massive increase in sales for any company. Conversely a fall in ranking position would cause just as drastic a fall in clicks to ones website.

Firms that don’t engage in such forms of media and advertising would suffer at the hands of competitors who would engage in such advertising campaigns. One method a firm can sue to naturally improve their ranking without paying for it is to include in the text on their website a host of words relevant to the topics people would be searching for. For example a firm selling camping equipment should mention tents, lamps and portable stoves on their website as many times as possible within reason as this will also help to improve rankings.(thesitewizard, 2015)

http://www.seomark.co.uk/how-does-google-rank-websites/ [Accessed 29-3-15]

“The Atlas Rank Report: How Search Engine Rank Impacts Traffic Part 2” http://surf2your.pages.com.au/resources/RankReportPart2.pdf  [Accessed 29-3-15]

http://www.thesitewizard.com/archive/google.shtml [Acccessed 29 – 3 -15]

The Usability of a Website

Having a functional website is a key aspect of running a business, for any business in this day and age it is important to have a website to promote the business.

The better a company website, the greater the probabilities of success in the virtual market.(Hernandez, Jimenez and Martin 2009).

It is however more crucial to have a website that can meet these 3 targets, these are:

• How effective is the website – it is important there is no errors when coding the site. It must be working perfectly before being launched otherwise it could result in a loss of customer base. Minimizing downtime for the website is as important as having a website in my opinion, downtime = loss of revenue. This can be related to operating systems, be it for mobile phones or computers. Version 1.0 is always defective in some manner, this is why we get notifications on ‘bug fixes’, this is also common for mobile phone apps.

• Efficiency – not only is the standard of the website being questioned but the functionality is being questioned as well. A complicated website will not further sales revenue, if customers are unable to use the website this will affect their perception of the brand and they will be less inclined to shop there.

• Satisfaction – obtaining feedback from customers who have used the website is an important step in evaluating the service you are providing. The public’s opinion can provide the business with helpful tips on what has worked well and what can be improved. Positive customer experience and continued growth are equally as important.

make sure your site is easy to navigate and that each page has a link back to the home page. Add “About Us” and contact information to help humanize you before your buyers and reinforce your professionalism. (Vendio 2013).

References:

Hernández, Jiménez, José Martín, B, J, M. 2009. Key website factors in e-business strategy. International Journal of Information Management, Volume 29, Issue 5, p. 363.

Vendio, 2013. Start Up a Successful eCommerce Business, Home Business Magazine: The Home-Bases Entrepreneur’s Magazine, Sept/Oct. p. 15.

Online Value Propositions

Online value propositions is a business’s customer value proposition, it is their unique selling point online. Dave Chaffey of Emarketing Excellence describes online value propositions as “Why customers should do business with you online rather than through another channel, or with a competitor.” It shows what the business can offer in the way of content, products, services and engaging with online customers. It is also a way for business’s to find out the reasons why customers click, return to and buy from their site. It also identifies reasons why customers may share a good experience they had on your website which is key as nowadays it is the customers that are increasingly defining a company’s brand. For example some company’s OVP is the way it offers certain discounts or offers in shipping to customers who opt to buy with them online. A company may offer free shipping to someone who spend more than $50 online.  This may be what sets the company apart from others online. It is still up to the business to get this point across to consumers and some company’s even base their online listing description around the fact they give free shipping as it the case with Zappos as seen in the image below.

This immediately gets their OVP across to consumers and shows their unique selling point.

The Importance of Social Media Marketing

The continued growth of social media over the last number of years is hard to comprehend. With sites such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, tumblr and Instagram, to name but a few, taking over, the importance of entrepreneurs actively participating in social media marketing cannot be stressed enough.

Because it appeared quickly, social media has developed a reputation by some for being a passing marketing interest, and therefore, an unprofitable one. The statistics, however, illustrate a different picture. According to Hubspot, 92% of marketers in 2014 claimed that social media marketing was important for their business, with 80% indicating their efforts increased traffic to their websites (De Mayers, 2014).

Ford are definitely not treating social media marketing as just a passing marketing interest, that’s if their brilliant Mustang Speed Dating stunt is anything to go by. Posted on February 6th 2015 with the description “Take a 2015 Mustang and a beautiful professional stunt driver. Then, ask a bunch of unsuspecting guys to meet her on a blind date they’ll never see coming. Welcome to Mustang Speed Dating”, their hilarious video has racked up well over 11 million views in just a couple of weeks.

Perhaps they took inspiration from Tippex who set the bar high early in 2010 with this clever interactive video.

I’m sure Richard Branson, a man who needs no introduction in the social media world, would approve of these campaigns. As an avid follower of Branson’s social media activity, I found his blog entitled ‘6 tips for using social media to screw business as usual’ from back in September 2013 to be quite simple brilliant and would highly recommend the read. He highlighted the importance of Social Media Marketing by saying “Whether you are launching a start-up or leading an established company, you should start establishing your social media presence if you havent already”. Branson has been hailed as a real brand hero for the leadership that he has shown over the years and is well worth the follow across social media.

References:

Branson, R. (2013, September 12). 6 tips for using social media to screw business as usual. Retrieved March 8, 2015, from Discover Virgin: http://www.virgin.com/richard-branson/6-tips-for-using-social-media-to-screw-business-as-usual

De Mayers, J. (2014, November 8). The Top 10 Benefits of Social Media Marketing . Retrieved March 8, 2015, from Forbes: http://www.forbes.com/sites/jaysondemers/2014/08/11/the-top-10-benefits-of-social-media-marketing/

Kusinitz, S. (2014, June 6). 16 Stats That Prove Social Media Isn’t Just a Fad [New Data]. Retrieved March 8, 2015, from Hubspot: http://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/social-media-roi-stats

The 5 S Model of E-Marketing Objectives

Like many of the other successful marketing tools in today’s industry, E-Marketing wasn’t even heard of until quite recently. The Internet has drastically altered the way in which information is shared, and has had a profound impact on marketing (DeMers, 2013).

E-Marketing looks to communicate or promote a product, service, image or skill in the hope of carrying a certain value or benefit to the intended audience, using e-channels and e-technologies (Chaffey, 2014). If E-Marketing is to be successful, then there is a need for 5 very clear objectives to be put in place as follows:

(1) The first main area is to SELL. Here a business would hope to grow sales. They’d do this by reaching new prospects, actively encouraging interaction, increasing conversions and engaging with potential customers. An example of this objective in action might see a sales team aim to increase sales by 15% in a 6 month period.

(2) The second main area is to SERVE. The aim here is to add value through customer service. A way in which a business may set out to achieve this would be to extend office hours by a few hours to meet the demands of clients. This would need to be discussed with the customer service team.

(3) The third main area covers SPEAK goals. This is all about getting closer to customers through word of mouth (WOM). An example of how a business may achieve this objective would be to start a regular communications campaign to their existing customers, perhaps even issuing newsletters on a monthly basis if necessary.

(4) The fourth goal is to SAVE. Generally speaking, a business is always looking to make savings – both time wise and cost wise in an aim to identify opportunities for improvement. An example of how a business may undertake this objective would be to improve their website by adding a FAQ section to save staff the time of addressing the same issues over and over.

(5) The fifth and final area is probably one of the most important. It involves setting goals that SIZZLE. This means that a brand is going to need a WOW factor – and it will need to set KPIs to achieve this. To successfully implement a wow factor, a business could do any number of things. Creating a mobile app for download is becoming increasingly popular and would certainly fit well in the current market.

This article adds a very interest background to the 5 S Model by looking at how it is put into practice by ASOS.com, a dynamic online business, and is definitely worth the read.

Referencing:

Chaffey, D. (2010, November 13). Set the right goals for digital marketing using the 5Ss. Retrieved March 7, 2015, from Smart Insights: http://www.smartinsights.com/goal-setting-evaluation/goals-kpis/goals-for-your-digital-marketing/

Chaffey, D. (n.d.). E-marketing strategy – an in-depth guide. Retrieved March 7, 2015, from Marketing Insights: http://www.marketing-insights.co.uk/wnim0402.htm

DeMers, J. (2013, July 13). The Top 7 Online Marketing Trends That Will Dominate 2014. Retrieved March 7, 2015, from Forbes: http://www.forbes.com/sites/jaysondemers/2013/09/17/the-top-7-online-marketing-trends-that-will-dominate-2014/

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Online Video Marketing- Why it is the future of successful business marketing

It is evident from the advertisements we see on the internet that the power of digital media has grown rapidly in recent years and is foreseeable that it will only grow stronger and stronger year on year. Often when now entering a website a video starts playing in the background without any user interference. As it is said ‘’Actions speak louder than words’’ showing that the power of video in the modern Digital Media Landscape is getting forever more powerful than simple written media. [1] This is due to more and more business’s choosing online video adverts or even campaigns as a way to make their business public or give them a positive social image. A very recent example is Always #likeagirl campaign which has got over 55million views in the past 6months and been more successful than the company could ever have imagined putting the company in a very positive light and inspiring women at the same time. It used how #likeagirl is viewed as an insult to any adolescent girl and the impact it has on a girl’s self-esteem. The video is inspiring even to myself as an adult male and opens your eyes up to the problems associated with puberty. Therefore teenage girls, when they next see the Always brand they will feel proud about the power of women and feel an attachment to the Always brand.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjJQBjWYDTs

This has been a very clever marketing ploy by Always and one which many companies will try to emulate in the future. It demonstrates exactly how powerful online video marketing is actually becoming. Here is a link to a video showing how online video is six times more effective than print or mail, [2] http://threemotion.co.uk/the-power-of-online-video-the-stats-2013/

References

[1] R. Sethi. [Online]. Available: http://digitalmarketingstrategy.ucd.ie/online-video-marketinghow-can-help-build-winning-business-strategy/#more-1190 . [Accessed 20 February 2015].

[2] “ThreeMotion.co.uk,” 2013. [Online]. Available: http://threemotion.co.uk/the-power-of-online-video-the-stats-2013/

Earned Media, The Undisputed King of Advertising?

Earned media? What is it? Essentially It would be categorised as “Word of Mouth” through a digital platform such as Facebook, Twitter, Blogger, Etc. Now that we understand roughly what earned media is lets try and figure our what has made it king? The answer is less deceptive than appears at first glance, Forbes noted that earned media will get you five times better results in comparison to its nearer competitor. On this statistic alone it’s apparent that this word of mouth is an extremely powerful tool. It’s rivals, paid and owned media both have their respective advantages. One being exposure that is funded by the corporation such as a Google advert, the other would be branded media such as an affiliated Facebook page . Earned media can become extremely powerful through user content sites such as Reddit/Hackernews/etc. A company with little or no resources can publish their ideas or promote their products on for example Reddit in a relevant category and like minded people will be able to see comment, recommend and purchase the said item. There is a whole technique in developing leads through reddit, check out this link!

Any advise for companies? Well each kind of media must be used in conjunction with the others to be successful a bit of both paid and owned media will have to be utilised in order to generate earned media in most scenarios. To create a snowball effect, your campaign may need a little booster at the start.

I would be interested to hear opinions in the comments.

How to Use Reddit to Generate Leads

http://www.forbes.com/sites/capitalonespark/2013/12/23/earned-media-means-more-bang-for-the-marketing-buck/