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 need 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…

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.

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!

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.

1. 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.
2. Purchase images from images banks such as Getty Images. Image prices are often negotiable – a discount is worth a try.
3. 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.

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.

1. 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.
2. Choose someone who understands your requirements, someone who will listen as well as offering their professional advice.
3. Check that the provider / supplier can meet your time frame requirements.
4. 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.
5. 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.

The first factor in my personal decision-making process is “who sent it?”. If it is a friend or colleague whose opinion I trust, there is a good chance that I’ll check it out.
An example fresh in my mind is this “How NOT To Use PowerPoint” By Comedian Don McMillan video shared on Facebook by a friend.  My friend is currently completing her doctorate at Cambridge and if she thought it “share worthy” than I guessed that it probably is!  

On the other hand if the video clip arrives from someone who sends me four emails a day – each one with an attached 4 MB video clip that takes forever to download – I tend to think twice (or more) about the value of these specific viral videos – and that’s before I’ve even viewed them.

There are other numerous factors – but what really makes viral marketing work?
Is there a recipe for a good viral marketing video? We all have our own perception of what a good video clip is and what makes us share a video but what do the professionals think?

Thanks to Kaitlyn Wilkins, VP at 360 Digital Influence who participated in the recent WPP Annual Stream Conference we can gain some insight into viral videos and how they spread.  Kaitlyn wrote a great blog post: Stream 2009: The Myth of the Viral about YouTube’s presentation at the event.

What are your “video sharing criteria”? Please comment below.

Shana Tova from Samantha Talpir

So – now it’s back to work.

We all know the importance of social media and the power of the people. We know that word of mouth can make or break a brand or product. However, this summer made me realize just how many of us actually trust total strangers’ opinions, when it comes to making purchasing decisions, as opposed to, or should I say in addition to multi-Dollar or Euro advertising campaigns.

Once of the most recent examples was that we decided to take a last-minute short family holiday. There were a number of criteria including – not too long a flight and 3-4 nights. The kids spent some time looking at a variety of offers and my 11 year old daughter painstakingly researched the hotels by “touring” their websites. When she came and told me she had decided which hotel we should stay at– and offered me the video tour of the hotel – I found myself saying “yes – well – they are the photos the hotel shows – that’s marketing – but let’s check what people who stayed there think…” Thus – open another browser tab and TripAdvisor here we come. Oh! What awful reviews the hotel had…

We finally booked a hotel with better reviews although I admit the agent was rather surprised. “I have better (more expensive) hotels” he pushed. I politely refused and hoped that the dear people who had taken time to write a review were in fact objective!

We arrived at the hotel to find friendly staff, a warm family atmosphere and a clean pleasant hotel, well located. What more could one ask for? On the bus transfer back to the airport at the end of our trip, there were other travelers who had opted for the “nice hotel” my daughter had found – only to be rather disappointed.  

What I am saying is – when planning your marketing campaign stick to facts. We all want to promote products in the best possible light – but don’t raise expectations to a level that you can’t meet.

No less important, do try to incorporate “real” people in your marketing mix: an interesting client case study or a positive customer comment on the level of your service.
Don’t forget to check what people are saying about you out on the web. If you can find it – so can your potential and existing customers! 

As I’ve posted this today – September 7th, I’ll take advantage of this opportunity to say Happy Birthday to my mum, a special lady. It’s thanks to her love for the English language (and her pedantic upbringing) that I speak, read and write English so well.

Who’s thinking about Mobile World Congress or tradeshows in general? It’s mid-July and there’s that summer feeling in the air. It’s just a little bit too hot; the kids are off school and you may just be thinking that the Spanish idea of an afternoon siesta is a really good one and worth considering for global implementation. So – our siesta brings us back to Barcelona and MWC or, as still referred to by many in the mobile industry: 3GSM. You may be thinking to yourself – why is she writing about MWC in mid-July when February 2010 seems ages away? Well – that’s just the point – advance exhibition and tradeshow planning can save money, time and raise the chances for a successful, smooth event.

Samantha at 3GSM Barcelona with Celltick

With companies looking to keep themselves in the picture and use the “slump” to get ahead, 2010 is not to be ignored. Even if you have reduced tradeshow and exhibition budgets, MWC is considered the place to be seen if you are in Mobile and every industry has it’s own annual event.

Book space in the hall of choice
Whether you are a new exhibitor or a returning exhibitor, make sure you have space booked. Check out who else is in your hall – and whether the other relevant industry players are in your vicinity – partners and competition alike.

Book hotels
If you haven’t already done so – book your hotels in the hosting city. If you’re looking for hotels within walking distance of the trade exhibition – the price is obviously much higher than hotels a 40-minute cab ride away. On the other hand – the cost of taxis to and fro may make it worthwhile getting a closer hotel. Maybe your team members are prepared to consider doubling up in hotel rooms in order to be in a more central location – which reduces the cost and can also contribute to company team spirit.

Prepare your budget

Even if the exhibition is in 2010 and is part of the 2010 company budget – preparing a budget for your own use can be a great help. If you have last year’s figures – use them as a guideline especially when negotiating with suppliers and contractors. Don’t forget to add travel costs for the company team going to the show. Take into account that someone may opt out at the last minute. On the other hand there may be a guest or partner joining.

Speaker Opportunities

A great way to create awareness for your company and prove your expertise is to speak at a leading industry conference. Choose your best C-level executive and submit an interesting topic according to submission guidelines. If you get a slot, make sure to invite your target audience and use for PR.

If you are looking for someone to run your next exhibition smoothly – please contact me.

If you are exhibiting at MWC – then don’t miss the submission deadline this week for Mobile World Congress 2010 – Friday 24th July 2009
http://www.mobileworldcongress.com/cfp/

PR Newswire Trade Show – a list of upcoming tradeshows

http://www.eventnewscenter.com/shows/list/by-date

Marcom, sometimes spelt Marcomm and an accepted abbreviation for Marketing Communications, in my opinion refers to anything and everything that is used to communicate marketing strategy and messaging. It is all about relaying what a company or organization wants to say about itself and its products and services.

Maybe it’s a great brochure designed to catch the eye and provide introductory information or perhaps it’s that great booth you noticed at the leading industry trade-show and exhibition. What about a great blog or a catchy viral video on YouTube? Maybe it’s those impressive numbers presented in the latest press release – or a fascinating case study about how your new product can be implemented successfully. Social Media Marketing (SMM) has also become an integral part of the marcom world in many ways.

I hope to blog about subjects that you will find interesting and worth reading. I also look forward to sharing tips and information.

Why Marcom by Samantha you may ask. Well – I’ve been in the International Marketing field for over 12 years and in the hi-tech arena for over 22. I enjoy the Marcom arena – I enjoy the challenge of finding the right medium to deliver the message. I enjoy learning about new companies and offerings and their relevant target audiences. As a free-lance Marketing Communications Consultant, I enjoy the diversity of projects that I can choose from.

On a more personal level, I enjoy working in my own office, in well-lit surroundings, where I can look out of the windows at the trees, and listen to the birds chirping and tweeting (or is that something only Twitter does nowadays?).

To continue on a personal level – what makes me a potential blogger? Those who know me personally know that I’m a “people person” who likes people – but doesn’t that usually mean meeting them or talking on the phone? I must admit that sometimes some of my friends or family may just get an email or Facebook comment or even just a little smiley on Skype!
As a friendly colleague once said – one shouldn’t write emails like one talks – keep them short. But a blog is where I can talk….and you can respond.

So if you would like to comment and actively participate in my blog – we can all benefit from additional marketing communications knowledge and information and as an added bonus – gain new friends and colleagues. Now that’s great for my “people personality”.