February 24th, 2010
I’ve been looking for an event photographer for a social function and I admit my standards are high.
Yesterday, I noticed a fabulous new photo that one of my daughter’s friends had uploaded to Facebook. The photographer’s name and telephone number were embedded on the photo.
A quick Google search resulted in a link to his company listing and from there – I was directed to his portfolio on Flickr. There, I found some wonderfully creative photos. Great I thought – and promptly called him. After a brief conversation I decided he was the one! What more could I ask? He lives in the vicinity, is prepared to photograph the event and preparations, the price seemed fair – and all was set (except for the minor fact that he’s busy on the date I nee
d him).
Everyone knows that the best recommendations are by word of mouth. Will social media come to replace a few phone calls to friends? Maybe not, but the media’s power as a marketing and informative tool cannot and should not be ignored.
However good our gut feeling is about SMM, we shouldn’t forget that measuring social marketing campaigns is important. In a recent post on Marketing Sherpa’s blog, Adam T. Sutton was surprised to find that only 35% of respondents said they were tracking sales conversion and other ROI metrics related to social media.
So for now, I have yet more proof, if I really needed it, that social media marketing works!
On the other hand, I still haven’t got a photographer…
Tags: facebook, flickr, marketing by word of mouth, SMM, Social Media Blogs, social media marketing, Viral Marketing, word of mouth marketing
Posted in Marketing, Social Media Marketing (SMM) | No Comments »
February 7th, 2010
Recently there have been a number of industry blog posts about Marketing in 2010. They discuss a variety of what to do and what not to do in the realm of Marketing.
So here are a few:
A recent article on AdWeek discusses the Five Marketing Principles Brands Should Embrace in 2010. In their opinion the marketing rules we lived by just five years ago are almost obsolete. While you may not agree with all, it makes an interesting read.
Additional tips can be found on Michael Fleischner’s good marketing tips blog.
Laura Lake offers five no and low cost tips in the Marketing section on About.com. Laura has ranked “Network at events” as the first, one of the most important personal marketing tips in my opinion. She also discusses the top five marketing mistakes.
Further mistakes are currently being collected by Dianna Huff who is compiling a list of “silly B2B marketing mistakes”. You can submit yours until 10th February 2010.
Judy Shapiro listed the nine digital marketing mistakes that she won’t make in 2010 on Advertising Age. I think she’s provided a great list of “un-resolutions” and un-resolution #9 definitely brought a smile to my face!
To provide a more visual ending to future marketing, I’d like to share a video created by Keiichi Matsuda, a designer and film-maker. This video titled Augmented (hyper)Reality: Domestic Robocop is part of a larger project about the social and architectural consequences of new media and augmented reality. It provides food (and tea) for thought…
Feel free to add your tips and comments below on marketing dos and don’ts.
Posted in Marketing, Opinion, Social Media Blogs, Social Media Marketing (SMM), Viral Marketing | No Comments »
December 21st, 2009
As Channukah ends and Christmas and the New Year approach, I’d like to dedicate this blog to personal and organized goodwill…and how Social Media comes into the picture.
I’ll start on a personal note.
My mother recently underwent total knee replacement surgery. As a result, she is in need of a CPM machine – which is a type of torture mechanism that looks as though it evolved from the middle ages. This Continuous Passive Motion (CPM) machine bends the knee in a passive way – assisting in healing and strengthening the knee.
Here started the quest for a CPM machine – which can be borrowed / rented for home use.
In Israel, there are a number of wonderful organizations which provide services designed to make life easier for the sick or disabled, for free or at a nominal cost.
One of the largest and better known is Yad Sarah. I spent hours calling every branch in the country looking for a CPM machine – but not even one was available. I continued my search and came across another organization called Ner David. Despite trying to help, they didn’t have an available CPM machine either.
By now – I was rather concerned. This machine is essential to my mother’s recuperation and getting her back on her own two feet.
I turned to Facebook – and changed my status asking if anyone knew where I could find a CPM machine. I must admit – I didn’t have high hopes – but decided there was nothing to lose. A wonderful cousin (thanks Sabrena) saw my Facebook posting and contacted a friend. The friend in turn contacted his mum and she provided vitally important information – the name of two other voluntary organizations – Ezer Mizion and Ezra Lemarpeh who among other fantastic voluntary work, also lend and rent out medical equipment! Aha – another couple of phone calls – and I found the ultimate prize at Ezra Lemarpeh– a CPM machine!
I would like to thank all involved and share how with a social media posting and a good dose of personal and organizational goodwill, we managed to get the job done!
Tags: Social Media Blogs
Posted in Opinion, Uncategorized | 1 Comment »
November 25th, 2009
An image – it conjures up an immediate spontaneous response.
Tibetan Girl by Efrat Nakash
What do you see in this picture ? I see pure curiosity.
When building your corporate marketing collateral, messaging; colours; fonts and layout are all of great importance. So are images. An image tends to create the initial impression.
Consider building a bank of your own images. Choose the images that you want to become part of your collateral collection, in a similar way that you select fonts and colours.
There are a number of ways to create your own corporate image bank depending on your requirements and budget.
- Create your own exclusive images using photographers and graphic artists. This is especially important if you have unique photogenic products such as designer clothes; accessories; artwork; etc.
- Purchase images from images banks such as Getty Images. Image prices are often negotiable – a discount is worth a try.
- Purchase images at lower prices from websites such as iStockphoto. If you are looking for exclusive images, don’t forget to check if there are numerous downloads for the image you’re purchasing.
If you work with a graphic design studio, they will assist you in the process, recommending images that suit and match your corporate look and feel.
Keep track of all images purchased and expiry or renewal dates of image rights when relevant. The type of image usage often needs to be pre-defined for web, exhibitions, brochures and geographical distribution.
Be sure to choose your images with care – they will convey your corporate message before a word of text has been read.
Thanks to the talented Outdoor Photographer Efrat Nakash for the great picture.
Posted in Graphic Design, Images, Marcom, Marketing | No Comments »
November 11th, 2009
As a marcom specialist I need to collaborate with a variety of suppliers and vendors. Over the years, I have been lucky enough to meet and work with excellent suppliers and vendors, although I must admit, there are a few I prefer not to work with again.
I’ve come to work with people who have become project partners. I’ve discovered that working with a successful partner provides excellent results.
Here I share my personal considerations when choosing a business vendor.
- The most important in my opinion is to work with someone who comes with a recommendation – preferably from someone whose opinion you trust. You may want to see if they have recommendations on professional networks such as LinkedIn.
- Choose someone who understands your requirements, someone who will listen as well as offering their professional advice.
- Check that the provider / supplier can meet your time frame requirements.
- Some may consider this consideration as superfluous – however in my personal opinion it can make or break a project. Work with someone you feel comfortable with. The process is usually more productive; the outcome more successful. If a supplier is going to “get on your nerves” as soon as you see their name on your incoming calls – chances are the results will not be as good as you had hoped for.
- Sometimes paying a slightly higher price may be worth it. Working with a professional usually results in less wasted time during the process and a superior end result.
Once you’ve chosen the vendor, try and define as best you can the scope of services in detail. It takes a little longer but is usually worth it in the long run.
Tags: Opinion
Posted in Opinion | No Comments »
