What is a brand? Is it a logo? A tag line? A website? No, these are all a company's attempts to define the perception people have of their products or services. The brand is how people actually perceive your company, product or service. It used to be that companies were in control of their brand. They could easily attach a set of characteristics and ideals to their offerings that most people would willingly buy in to. Word of mouth of course has been around forever, it's nothing new. But the social web has created an environment of sharing and information exchange that is much more pervasive and influential than ever before. Who's in control of your brand? Individuals are. They have more power and influence than you could ever hope to have amongst your audience.
What is a Brand? And who is in control of yours? |
Submitted by Jackie Peters on Sat, 06/07/2008 - 22:37
Social Media As Automated Word of Mouth |
Submitted by Jackie Peters on Fri, 05/16/2008 - 20:00
Studies indicate that word of mouth is the most influential and trusted source of information for North American consumers when considering a product or service.
More on how brands can effectively harness social media - expanding on "participate, don't invade" |
Submitted by Jackie Peters on Mon, 04/14/2008 - 17:49
When I think about all of the monster catastrophes that so many brands have brought upon themselves by conducting social media marketing incorrectly, a few commonalities start to surface:
1. Lack of or false transparency
2. Failure to engage
3. Invasion strategy
You would think by now these folks would get it, but it seems like many brands are still floundering. What seems to be happening is someone, either on the brand team, or at an agency, or many times both, says "hey, this social media thing is really heating up, let's do something quick to get in there." And then a bunch of people with no experience in the space come up with a plan using their traditional media backgrounds to make a big impact in a short period of time. NNNNT (score board buzzer), wrong.
Niche Social Networks |
Submitted by Jackie Peters on Tue, 03/04/2008 - 15:08
A big trend in marketing at the moment is targeting niche audiences. The idea is that rather than casting a wide net to an audience who may or may not be interested in what we have to say, we cast a very narrow one, to people we know are interested. We are able to refine our messaging to communicate as efficiently as possible to this audience, thereby increasing conversion rates and ROI. Another trend: Word of Mouth Marketing, a strategy for which social networks is an amazing tool. Social networks provide automated WOM. Our friends and peers are our biggest influencers. If I see an ad for a film and it looks interesting, it's possible I will go and see it. If a trusted friend tells me it's an amazing film and I have to see it, well, I'm there. Enter: niche social networks.
Entrepreneur Magazine eBiz Interview - Part I |
Submitted by Jackie Peters on Wed, 05/17/2006 - 13:07
I recently had the pleasure of being interviewed on the Entrepreneur Magazine eBiz Show. We talked about interactive marketing and brand immersion. Here is a transcript from the first segment.
Rob: Jackie, welcome to the show.
Jackie: Hi Rob, thanks.
Rob: So let’s start right out with what is interactive marketing?
Jackie: Interactive marketing is a marketing strategy and it’s designed to encourage your target audience to interact with your marketing message. So this means we’re basically creating a two-way conversation between your brand and your target audience.
Rob: So can you give me just a couple of small examples to illustrate that?
Viral Marketing in Practical Terms |
Submitted by Jackie Peters on Sat, 03/04/2006 - 02:53
Viral marketing can be an extremely effective form of word of mouth marketing. The process involves crafting a message that is designed to be propagated by its recipients.
One key to success in viral marketing, like other forms of WOM marketing, is to gain access to key influencers within your target audience. Influencers are individuals or groups of individuals who are opinion leaders and trend setters who have the ear of a significant audience.
Great Example of Word of Mouth Marketing |
Submitted by Jackie Peters on Fri, 02/17/2006 - 11:28
The wallpaper contest is a great example of how word of mouth marketing can work. Conducting this poll increased our blog traffic by about 800% in the first 24 hours! Voting is open until 5PM ET on Monday the 20th, so cast your vote if you haven't already. Check back here for information on how to download these wallpapers for your phone. I will be posting them on our WAP site as free downloads once the contest has ended. Thanks!
