Corporate Eye

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Archives for December 2012

Landing Pages Can Work but Few Brands Use Them

barriers mazeSome people love landing pages and some people do not. Few people have no opinion about landing pages.

Research has shown that well-crafted landing pages can increase conversion rates. Why aren’t more brands using them? Is it just the ongoing perception that consumers don’t like landing pages that’s keeping brands from creating them? And what about the brands that do create landing pages? Are they as good as they can be? Probably not.

Ion Interactive and TechValidate conducted research to identify the barriers to landing page optimization as reported by marketers from Ion Interactive’s customer base. Highlights from the research findings are shown in the infographic below and include barriers to optimization such as:

  • Too much time and effort = 67%
  • IT and code-heavy practices = 57%
  • Little or no testing due to internal infrastructure = 46%
  • No actionable insights from testing = 35%
  • Inability to segment, personalize, or target = 33%
  • Inability to efficiently optimize for mobile = 26%
  • Inability to create interactive content = 26%

You can see the complete infographic below.

Barriers to landing page optimization infographic

Surprisingly (or perhaps not surprisingly), many of the barriers to landing page optimization cited by marketers in this study are all internal problems.

Certainly, breaking down these barriers should be a strategic imperative for marketing executives who need to improve and quantify marketing program results. Unfortunately, this priority is too often overlooked. It takes guts to speak out against the obstacles created by internal struggles, hierarchies, decentralization, and “we’ve always done things this way” mentalities.

The marketing executives who succeed in doing so truly are the best leaders, but the reality is they’re not always seen in that light. It’s a corporate mindset that needs to change from the top down in order to improve not just marketing performance but overall company performance.

Do you agree or disagree? Should landing page optimization and removing internal obstacles to improve marketing efforts be prioritized in 2013? Leave a comment and share your thoughts.

Image: Svilen Milev

How To Get The Most Out Of Corporate Social Media

Social media is the ever-more-popular way to market your business and if you haven’t done so already I sincerely recommend jumping on the band wagon as it is a worthwhile move. This is because when used correctly and to its maximum potential it can be one of the most powerful and cost effective marketing strategies at your disposal. That is why I have put together this guide to making the most out of corporate social media.

Patience is a virtue

The first and foremost point I must stress to you is that social media is not a quick fix for marketing. It will take time and effort to develop to its maximum potential and patience is needed. There are plenty of other—faster—fixes for your marketing needs, but the reason people choose to take their time with social media is because the relationships, communities and online presence of the brand that is built are worth much more in the long run.

Less is more

In every aspect of social media the saying ‘less is more’ can be applied. Trying to juggle too many pages and accounts on social media will show when it comes to the amount of attention and care you show to each individual page and its followers/connections. I would say even if you have a social media manager to handle all of this, a minimum of 2 pages and a maximum of 3 or 4 is essential to enable each to be properly developed and maintained.

This also goes for building relationships. Trying to follow or connect with everyone all at once will lead to your company appearing impersonal and mechanical rather than a brand with a personality. Add a few connections at a time on each page and when you gain a new connection send them a personal message or tweet them to say welcome or thanks: something that shows you appreciate every individual. They are far more likely to feel a loyalty to your brand if this is done.

Join the conversation, don’t dominate it

Social media is all about the two way conversation between brands and their customers, leads, fans, etc. But so many companies are guilty of dominating the conversation and leaving those on the other end feeling they have no voice. Giving your customers a voice is one of the great and unique aspects of social media and is why so many people like to connect with companies and brands on there. So make sure you are engaging your audience with plenty of interesting content to enjoy and opportunities to converse about it.

A great example from Adidas Running of how to get a conversation going using one of Twitter’s unique sharing features, ‘retweeting’:

Another great way to get involved in the conversation is to join in with those already going on. Google+ and Twitter are both ideal platforms for searching for current conversations relating to certain keywords.

Keep updated

Keep checking news feeds on different platforms throughout the day and try to post at least one post per day. Posting 10 posts in one day and then leaving it for a week is not the best way to handle it, but at the same time it can be difficult to cover times such as weekends and evenings.

Investing in a subscription to a social media management dashboard such as Hootsuite or Tweetdeck for scheduling posts to go out when you aren’t in the office is a great way to ensure your social pages stay active even when you aren’t. Scheduling in at least one generic post per day can cover for when you are out of office and you can also add in real-time posts depending on what is happening on the day.

Dashboards also make it easier to keep an eye on separate feeds all in one place so you can join in with conversations in real time and never miss a thing. The CEO of Mashable, Pete Cashmore, said “HootSuite is an essential tool for managing social networks by allowing teams to efficiently track conversations and measure campaign results.”

In summary: it’s not a quick fix, but focus on key outposts, build relationships…and keep at it.

6 in 10 Facebook Users Talk About Products

facebook signFacebook is still the top social site that consumers use to talk about products and share information about products with their followers. According to research from 8thBridge, 63% of  the study respondents reported that they talked about products on Facebook while 25% talk about products on Twitter and 22% do so on Pinterest. Just 31% claimed that they did not share information about products on social networks.

Before you get too excited by this data, it’s important to point out that the study respondents were all Facebook users, so it’s safe to assume that these results are skewed toward Facebook rather than other social sites. However, there is an important piece of information to take away from the study results. People are talking about products on Facebook — a lot — and those conversations are gold mines for brands that track and leverage them for direct and indirect marketing purposes.

These product conversations are happening among friends, family, and acquaintances on Facebook and lead to brand awareness, brand trial, repeat purchases, loyalty, and advocacy. What other form of word-of-mouth marketing is so easy to track? The question is why aren’t all brands, at least all B2C brands, doing it?

Taking a closer look at the reasons why Facebook users share product information using social networks and social media tools, approximately twice as many people did so for personal reasons as opposed to reasons created by the companies behind the products they were talking about. Here is the breakdown reported by eMarketer for the reasons study respondents claimed that they talked about products on the social web:

  1. To express tastes and preferences with friends = 38%
  2. To share a great product experience with friends = 35%
  3. To receive discounts or rewards for sharing = 30%
  4. To enter a contest or sweepstakes = 15%
  5. Don’t share products on social networks = 29%

Of course, talking about a product and offering an informal review through a Facebook post is very different from simply clicking the “like” button, and these actions should be treated as two very different things.

Image: Marcin Wichary

5 Brand Marketing Trends for 2013

new year 2013As 2012 comes to a close, it’s time to reflect on the brand marketing trends that emerged over the past 12 months that will not only carry over into 2013 but become critical components of brand marketing strategy and tactics.

I spent some time going through all of the brand marketing articles I wrote for Corporate Eye during 2012 in search of articles that discussed topics that are here to stay. Looking at those articles only, here are the brand marketing topics that will keep us talking, thinking, and strategizing in 2013.

1. Data, Data, Data!

Data was the big buzz topic in 2012 and it will remain so in 2013. However, there are many companies and brand marketers who haven’t yet figured out how to effectively collect, analyze, and interpret data. To those companies and brand marketers, data is still the missed marketing opportunity. The trick is to learn how to move beyond data paralysis in marketing and find ways to use big data to optimize marketing results. Data should be a brand marketing priority in 2013.

2. Behavioral Targeting Is Hotter than Ever

The past 12 months have been filled with brand marketers seeking ways to target consumers using behavioral data collected from their online activities, particularly their activities using social media sites like Twitter and Facebook. In October 2012, word got out that Facebook was allowing brands to see fans’ “likes” in an effort to lure more brand marketing dollars to the site. At the same time, consumers and privacy groups rallied against the availability of behavioral data. You can bet behavioral targeting will continue to be a hot topic for brand marketers in 2013.

3. Mobile Marketing Opportunities Exist

In 2012, we learned that mobile advertising results were gaining momentum with four out of 10 mobile device users reporting that they have clicked on mobile ads. However, mobile shoppers want more from brands than they’ve been getting. Research found that prioritizing email in mobile marketing strategies is a big opportunity that many companies and brand marketers aren’t effectively leveraging. More people view email on mobile devices each day and email marketing should capitalize on that fact.

4. Social Media Marketing Budgets and Threat Tracking Should Follow

Consumers use social media tools, and in June 2012, research found that two out of five consumers recommend brands that they like or follow online. However, the debate between social media marketing and advertising continued even as brands secured higher social media marketing budgets than ever. Despite those growing budgets, companies have invested little time or money into social media threat management. Research in 2012 found that only one out of four B2B brands track and follow up on social media complaints and fewer than half of companies are prepared for a social media threat. Without a doubt, social media threat management should be a top priority for brand marketers and companies in 2013.

5. The Invasion of Multiple Screens Will Not Go Away

2012 was the first year where brand marketers faced the widespread problem of multiple screens deteriorating audience attention. Research found that tablets and smartphones were stealing eyes from TV ads and younger audiences led the movement with Generation C redefining media consumption. As 2013 nears, online content consumption shows no signs of slowing down. Brand marketers need to plan for the rapid spread of multiple screens as more consumers purchase smartphones and tablets and use simultaneously.

Image: Billy Alexander

The Importance of Brand Storytelling in 2013 and Beyond

business man writingOver the past several years, brand marketers have navigated through an onslaught of changes that have re-shaped many of their tactics. We’ve lived through “the year of social media,” “the year of content,” “the year of curation,” and more. These changes are here to stay, and at the forefront of everything brand marketers do today is storytelling.

Building a deeper emotional connection between a brand and it’s audience of consumers through storytelling is no longer a consideration. It’s a strategic imperative. To that end, I’d argue that companies should be looking for both content engineers (the strategic data-driven leaders) and content creative directors (the strategic creative leaders) to become integral senior management positions within the larger marketing team. Together, the scientist and the creator can be a powerful team.

Unfortunately, few companies have come to recognize the need for these two leadership roles, and they’re struggling to develop brand marketing success beyond the status quo. It’s a new way of thinking about marketing, which in the past, has been ruled by the demands of the sales team. I’d argue that the marketing team should be the driving force with this strong leadership team of creative thinkers and data junkies. Only time will tell if large companies figure it out and make the necessary changes.

In the meantime, how can brand marketers effectively increase awareness, recognition, sales, loyalty, and advocacy through storytelling? It starts with the brand name and carries through every customer touch point. These stories should appeal to consumers’ senses through visual, auditory, and even cerebral content that is engaging, meaningful, and emotional. Brand stories shouldn’t make people feel like they’re being sold to. Instead, they should lead consumers through a journey over time.

Brand stories should make the brand seem more human, accessible, and real. They should support what the brand stands for and reaffirm what people already believe in a unique way. In other words, don’t push the company’s wants and need at consumers. Instead, pull consumers to your brand by allowing them to see and feel their own beliefs and feelings in your brand story.

In 2013, focus on creating brand stories that tap into emotions, make people think, support their beliefs, and move them to action. Ensure your brand story is consistent across all consumer experiences with your brand, and remember, consumers are unlikely to believe your brand story if you and your employees don’t believe it. In other words, internal branding is a critical first step to sharing your brand story with the world.

Image: Kristja

CSR through the Eyes of Indigenous People

As the economic and social certainties of yester-century fade before our eyes and a new form of business starts to shape itself around ideas of responsibility and sustainability, a few countries come to the fore as nexuses of change happening right before our eyes(*).

One of those places is Colombia.

For many years—decades—Colombia was a hotbed of insurgency and insurrection.  Competing factions of communist rebels and wealthy drugs cartels sprang up across the country and kept the state in a permanent state of chaos.  Sometimes the two forms of insurrection were confused, at other times it appeared outside governments funded the drugs cartels to keep the communist rebels at bay.

Life in Colombia has become, in comparison, a little easier over the past few years.  Increased aid from the US and EU has led to a steadily diminishing drugs presence in the country and the Marxist rebels are a spent force with little popular support.

In the meantime the country’s President is on an increasingly successful charm offensive on the international stage, wooing international business to his shores and managing to get the US to ratify an outstanding free trade agreement between the two countries.

CSR is starting to creep up the country’s agenda.

[Read more…] about CSR through the Eyes of Indigenous People