1. Awareness
2. Influence
3. Attitude
4. Response
5. Value

But what if there was a different approach we should be taking in our measurement?  One that will clearly define whether or not we need to rework and refine our own messaging and positioning in the marketplace?  The 6^th Key metric, in fact, encompasses them all, and lies in the term we (not so) loosely term: Customer Value Management.

So let us explore…

1. Awareness
   Getting awareness right in the sense of volume to your site, your brand name and your social presence, is a great way of measuring your marketing success.  In terms of Customer Value Management (CVM), though, this does not clearly indicate our success in getting our message across.The measurement here is to ensure that your brand persona or messaging clearly outlines your value proposition, and that it is interpreted this way.  People build trust relationships, and if they do not understand what you’re representing and understand your positioning, they won’t trust your brand and interact.

   It’s not about what you say, but about how they interpret it.

2. Influence
   To measure your influence in understanding that people believe in you so much and enjoy the influence you have in their decision making process, that they want to keep you close. They want you to not only influence them, but also the people around them continuously.
   
   
3. Attitude
   Oftentimes we measure attitude by what we hear people say about our brand or marketing messages.  Let’s turn it around and start by looking at our own attitudes.  If our attitudes are right, if what we say and do make people want to draw near and feel the need to connect and affiliate, then we got it right.  If not, we need to go back to the proverbial drawing board and re-assess where the attitude pointing outwards should or could be adjusted.
   
   
4. Response
   Traditionally response is seen as the response to your message.  Increased sales, increased revenue and more likes and fans in the social realm.  These are all good principles to measure response and have been the driving force behind charts and graphs for years.  And they work.But in terms of the customer and their value, we need to look at our own response to their response.  When faced with a challenge, do we respond with an open mind, or do we react arrogantly?  Do we welcome their opinions on our brand, or follow the regiment ways of mass media, not allowing them to form part of our ethos?

   People don’t care what we know, until they know that we care.
   

5. Value
   And finally – instead of seeing our clients and marketing as just the impact on our bottom line, seeing what value we are adding to them. This is exactly the shift marketing needs to make when we look at our brands becoming interactive instead of trying to dictate to the mass media and enforcing our ideas on the predominantly ‘prosumer’ market.

   Our measurement in engagement value should provide the flexibility and insight to measure whether or not the market is letting us in.

Most of us love the idea (still) of speaking or broadcasting our ideas and values.  The world has changed and is changing as we speak.  New measurement metrics are key to keeping abreast of our client partners, and in this measurement, crucial to our realignment of voice and strategy.

Influence and Collaboration: Robin Pullen, BCI

Business conforming to convention can no longer sustain market share and can certainly not bank on maintaining customer loyalty. A complete rethink in business strategy, the way marketers creates a buzz around products and services and most importantly how we go about disseminating our messages to a target audience is required.

We can no longer rely just on mass media reaching a mass market and affecting everyone at the same time in the same way. .The digitization of technology has changed the way we need to communicate and how your audience perceives you as a brand. Research shows that on average consumers are exposed to 2000-3000 marketing messages a day.  Our challenge today is no longer just being the most innovative producer, but the most innovative marketer in getting our products to the fingertips of the consumer seeking it, and almost more so, making the person who is yet unaware of it, feel that they need it.  You have to be able to get into your customers’ heads and hearts, and create a trusted brand affiliation before proverbially getting into their pockets.
. The manner in which target audiences consume content is changing and will continue to change. Where it was once relatively painless to reach your audience through print channels, reaching your audience through multiple channels presents its own set of challenges. Media fragmentation has become a massive challenge for marketers and business. Products previously perceived as luxuries, today, have become commodities.  Most marketing messages will not stand out above others…

Besides this, people have become individuals.  We speak a new language.  Consumers are in control and they want to be heard, leaving us almost vulnerable if we do not adapt the way we speak, think, act – and react.

So how do you establish your product as trusted and known, a brand that stands out from the rest? How do you mobilize your brand?

You can achieve this by speaking to your captive audience, in their language, and at their time…  Your message, when delivered at the  right time and in their preferred medium of communication will now not only be well received, but will also be processed well. You will be able to create the initiation of a trusted relationship between your customer and your brand.  More importantly, you will create a brand that people love as much as you do, and more.

Mobilisation looks towards the people who create within this daunting and yet amazing reality. The very talented individuals who, together, are shaping business and continue to pioneer new technologies, actively creating that which is not yet there.

As this media evolved and took the shape of groups, chats, instant messaging, professional contacts and job portals, some of the pioneers in ‘social for corporates’ have, it would seem, missed the point.

We are bombarded by a myriad of marketing messages daily.  Emails take the average user approximately 2,7seconds to analyse and assess whether or not it will be opened, read, or instantly deleted.  Ad breaks on television are almost longer than the program itself and almost every website you enter has flashing advertising banners screaming for you to hear their message.

What we want, more than anything, is to be human.  We want to have people (and companies) to interact with us in such a way that it is kept fun, inspirational and even emotional.  We want to be respected for our likes and interests – not some marketing faux.

Direct marketing used to know us by name – social media allows companies to ‘know’ us for us.

Getting a company or brand liked by nations on a social space, is certainly then not a marketing message.  It is an interaction.  A care.  Based on the knowledge gained by constant interaction with the ‘we’ following your company or brand.

Social media is a platform, thus, not for marketing products or services per se, but to be and remain social with the people who care about your brand as much as you do… People who believe in your ethos, trust you, and know that your brand development would mean the development of self.

Currently, iPhones account for 58% of mobile internet usage, and 17% come from iPads. . Furthermore, over 74% of the world population own mobile devices, which calculates to over 5 billion people worldwide!  Google also estimates that they have seen a 500% growth in mobile search from 2008 to 2010.

The statistics are borderline unbelievable, actually, but a great reminder as to why it is so important to make websites mobile friendly.  Operative word to this is, of course: Optimisation.

Optimisating mobile sites would include the following:

1. Content: Keep in mind that your computer has a bigger screen than a mobile; put only the necessary information on your mobile site.
2. Design: Try to avoid large images on your mobile site. Too many images can influence the amount of traffic to your website. The reason for this is large images takes longer to download on a mobile device and this can lead to a click away from your website.
3. Navigation: Put bigger buttons on your mobile website. Today, most of the smartphones are touch screens and bigger buttons makes it easier for a user to click on it and this will also make the navigation much easier.
4. Bigger: As discussed earlier, the screen of a mobile is smaller than a laptop screen, make your content, text, images bigger and put important links in big buttons.

After you have optimized your mobile website, make sure you test to see what the site will look like on all kinds of devices (Android, Iphone, Blackberry, Windows Device and an iPad) before you go live.

There are various reasons why Facebook fans don’t “Like” a Company on Facebook:

• 54% don’t want to be bombarded with messages or ads,
• 45% don’t want to give any companies access to personal profile information,
• 29% don’t want companies to contact them through Facebook,
• 23% don’t see the benefit of it,
• 4% don’t understand what it means to “Like” a company.

If a Facebook fan likes your Company page, it is very important to observe that they do so with an expectation. People don’t just “Like” every page on Facebook, they “Like” it for a reason. Fans like Company pages to gain access to exclusive content, events, sales or promotions.

47% of users “Like” a page to receive updates about the company, persons or organisation in their newsfeed. 26% want to interact with the page owner. The survey also shows that only 24% want to be contacted through other social media channels such as Twitter once they have interacted with a company on Facebook. 37% do not expect anything to happen.

Media such as photos and videos always perform well on Facebook. It grabs attention in newsfeeds and it is easy to share.

Just ask. People like to interact with each other so ask for those opinions on topics, and if you want your fans to share favourite content, go ahead – ask them.

One of a fan’s expectations is that the page owners will thank them for their replies and for sharing their opinions. From time to time, talk about things other than your products. Wish them happy holidays. Ask them fun questions or to share their personal stories.

Remember, if a fan likes your page; interact with them, because it’s one of the biggest expectations any Facebook Fan has.

At Tech4Africa this year, Ndubuisi Ekekwe explored this fascinating divide specifically in Africa, and gave highly valuable insights.

Many years ago, Ekekwe explains, ideas and intellectual property had no rights and were free to all.  No one got any recognition for their thoughts and inventions and, for a period of time, people actually stopped inventing.  The implementation of IP rights in the USA saw the expansion of global GDP and higher standards of living.  Sadly, this is not the case in Africa even as of yet, which means there is no mechanism of investment to create the inventions and build Fortune 500 companies.  Minds as creative and inventive as Thomas Edison don’t get recognized financially.  They merely receive praise.

Furthermore, he expands on the fact that anything received for free is not perceived as valuable, leaving no drive or excitement for education and thus no knowledge to drive innovation within the industry.  With our technology landscape narrowing, there is a definite need to move from marketing and distribution to innovation, invention and creativity.

He believes that a monetary system + IP rights + technology will ensure that Africa will become Creators of technology VS mere Consumers of technology.

So what is your technology legacy?  What is our technology legacy?  Are we going to educate, recognize, innovate and lead, or remain comfortable followers?  Success depends on this decision.

In this article we are going to have a look at how an online seasonal marketing campaign can help you generate more traffic to your website, gain more customers and then finally how to increase your sales.

With seasonal marketing you need to do the same planning as for any party – birthday party, Xmas party or a New Year’s party. First you need to set a date for when to start your marketing campaign. It is very important to have your December calendar in hand to make sure you start with your seasonal marketing in time! You don’t want to start your campaign after your competitors shops are sold out!

After you’ve decided the date for the birthday party, you should start to look at a theme for the birthday party and what invitations to give out. Now with an online seasonal marketing campaign your “theme and invitations” is your website and social media portals. Have a look at your website. Change the images to holiday images or festive season images like turkeys, presents or a company photo of your staff with Xmas hats on. Remember, images are a great way to draw your audience in and make them want to read more about your seasonal products / propmtions. This is the time to have fun and show your company’s creative side.

As soon as your website is “seasonal friendly” and your planning is up and running, you can start with your online marketing campaign. Firstly you need to do keyword research. It is very important to target the keywords which your market will type in the search box to get to your seasonal product/ promotional. A soon as the client types in the targeted keyword, your Adcopy will appear on the search page. In your ad copy, consider a promotional phrase in your title which will catch the client’s eye. If your campaign is live, don’t just sit back and relax, now you need to optimise and maximise your campaign by optimizing the key phrases and keywords, audit the channels, test contact us forms, test coupon cards, look out for 404 error messages and then make sure that most active pages link to your seasonal promotions.

The sweet taste of success with an online seasonal marketing campaign lies in the conversions! You can track your conversions on Adword and Social Media Marketing. You can see exactly where your client came from and how many convert into a sale!

Then after any party you need to clean up the place. It is very important to change the seasonal images to images relevant to your business and update your content to relevant content. It is very bad for a company’s online reputation if it is the middle of the year and the people still see the old seasonal images on your website!

Happy Marketing!

Two prevalent methods have given you the tools to do just that – get yourself known.

The first of these is similar to an online banner marketing campaign, except you can splash your adverts across many websites at the same time.  This we call Google Display Networks (GDN), and the adverts run across all the sites that have opened themselves up to this kind of marketing.  The beauty of GDN is that it creates awareness before people necessarily know about you and actively go looking for you or your products.

Furthermore, Google almost ‘tracks’ the user’s general application of the web, so if they are on certain websites often, and your advert is relevant to them, it will show to them when they go to other sites.  Kind of eerie, but from a marketing point of view phenomenal!

Having had said that, Display Network allows for a lot of awareness and positioning, but not necessarily a conversion to a sale or direct response.  People often see something, and then go in search of it later, which is why the second method is absolutely vital, we believe.

This second method is Search Engine Marketing.  This is also the most effective way of advertising online, as you have a captive audience that are ready to engage and interact with you.  The quickest way to get your product, brand or service ‘out there’ on Search Engine Marketing is by making use of Pay Per Click (PPC) Advertising as it is immediate and guaranteed when managed correctly.  Besides this, Pay Per Click is flexible and can be changed and optimized real-time.

That said, however, to have a complete online visibility and presence, and to ‘dominate’ search engines cost effectively in the long run, is by optimizing your website and website content in such a way that your brand will be on the top of all major search engine listings.  This is called Search Engine Optimisation (SEO).  Search Engine Optimisation is done over a period of time, and thus does not necessarily yield immediate success, but in the long run is the most cost effective way to market yourself online.

Our advice, then, would be to start with GDN en PPC, get results and increase the proverbial bottom line, and then proceed to SEO – and eventual online success!

The first of these industries to understand the value of this kind of lure, was the hotel industry, and they not only advertised their motel or inn on the first real en masse method of advertising, but quickly adapted their billboard signage to include distance to and amenities at their establishments.

The rise of the automobile meant more people were travelling, many other industries started seeing the value of this form of advertising and quickly adapted their strategies to include a billboard (or six) along the side of industrious motorways.

Many years later, radio and television were introduced, and around that formed a hype and a belief that these forms of advertising would reach masses faster and more effectively than that of traditional advertising.  And, while this is true to certain national and multi-national companies, it does not detract from the fact that, if someone is not listening to or watching at the exact time that your advert is showing, you will not be seen or heard.

This, while the faithful billboard stands -24/7, for everyone to see, at any time, all the time – for as long as you keep your advert showing.

But, advertisers say, isn’t it expensive?
In light of TV and radio?  In light of a 15s or 30s advert possibly lost on a phone call, a thought, or the 10seconds it takes to read a billboard instead whilst in traffic?

But, advertisers say, is it measurable?  How do I know it is not a complete ‘spray and pray’ approach?  And what is my return on investment?
In lieu of these absolutely valid questions, we have set up a few questions to ask yourself before considering a billboard, or any other form of marketing, to see its viability:
1.  What is my strategy? Is it brand awareness or direct response?
2.  How will I structure my messaging to incorporate my strategy?
3.  And finally, where will I place said message?

Either way you look at it, though, people will need to be aware of you before they will associate with you.  And in reference to cutting through the clutter, this is one of the effective ways of standing out above the rest.

It goes without saying, then, that a business without a sign is not only a sign of no business, but a recipe for disaster.

You might be wondering what an ARG is? ARG stands for Alternate Reality Game and is an interactive narrative experience that takes place within the real world. A formal accepted definition is, however, not in existence yet.

Usually, players should initially not be sure if the experience is real or not. If they do find out that they are participating in a game, it requires a certain suspension of disbelief in order to remain immersed and engaged in the experience. They pretend that the narrative is real and happening within their own reality in order to remain immersed. An ARG often comprises of multiple media elements and contain puzzles and other game elements for ‘players’ to solve. The elements used to communicate the narrative and interact with ‘players’ include telephone, email, websites etc. The actions of participants shape and influence the outcome of the narrative. ARG creators are called the ‘Puppet Masters’ and design, run and manipulate the game and narrative. They represent the characters of the ARG and shape the player interaction and experience. Participant entry into an ARG is referred to as a ‘rabbit hole’ (a reference to Alice In Wonderland). These entry points are usually planned.

Some design principles of Alternate Reality Games include: [1]

• Storytelling as archaeology. Participants are required to find and piece together the story. Often not in order.
• Platformless narrative. The narrative is presented via various media
• Collaborative Storytelling.
• Designing for a hive mind.

ARGs can be created purely for the fun of it, or specifically designed alongside a product as a viral marketing campaign. A downside of an ARG is that it can cost a lot of money, time and resources to create. Therefore successful ARGs are usually run by large companies.

I encourage you to read up more about Alternate Reality Games, specifically the methods used in the highly successful ones. ARGs can be an excellent way to run a viral marketing campaign if you have the resources to pull it off.

References:
1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alternate_reality_game