Hot Digital Trend - User-Generated Content (UGC) (Digital Friday/Promotion)

Hello, I’m Jim Glover, That Branding Guy, for Once a Day Marketing™.  Today is Digital Friday and we are discussing a new digital trend that will impact your social media marketing in the future.

The proliferation of Facebook, Instagram, Tumblr, Snapchat, Google and Pinterest, along with the enhanced camera capabilities of smartphones, is resulting in consumers posting ever increasing numbers of photos on these social channels.

Given the fact that the public enjoys posting these images, many brands are beginning to harness this User-Generated Content (UGC) to further market their product or services.  Here's how this works.

Fans or followers post pictures, this UGC, to a brand's social media channels depicting their usage of the product.  For instance, a proud Toyota car owner posts a picture of themselves standing by their new vehicle.  Or perhaps a picture is shared on the site of a wedding dress designer of a happy newlywed couple cutting the cake at their wedding.

We will see a lot more UGC in the future as brands use these images, freely shared by the followers of the brand's social media site, and make them shoppable.  This means the brands will embed the photos with direct hyperlinks for customers to learn more about the product or to actually purchase the product.  If you think about this for a moment, UGC are endorsements by customers for the brand.

As you plan your social media marketing for 2014, be sure to keep UGC in mind.

Once a Day Marketing™ positions brands to become #1 in the minds of target customers.  Visit our website at www.onceadaymarketing.com.  Contact James Glover at (505) 501-1330 or email glover@onceadaymarketing.com.  Listen to Ask Those Branding Guys™ every Monday at 11:00am (MST) streaming live on SantaFe.com KVSF 101.5 FM.

© 2013 Once a Day Marketing™.  All rights reserved.

Social Media Statistics to Ponder - Part 1 (Digital Friday/Promotion)

Hello, I’m Jim Glover, That Branding Guy for Once a Day Marketing™.  Today is Digital Friday and we are profiling five compelling social media statistics for you to ponder as you develop your social media marketing.  These statistics were originated online by Buffer, a company that posts social media content for its clients.

#1: 25% of Smartphone owners ages 18–44 say they can’t recall the last time their smartphone wasn’t next to them.  As smartphone sales continue to grow, you can imagine that almost everyone will have their smartphones handy.  Takeaway: Make sure all your content and messaging works on this smaller platform.

#2: Almost half of online customers expect brands to provide customer service on Facebook, but only 23% provide it.  Takeaway: If you aren't providing customer service access via Facebook you might want to give that feature serious consideration.

#3: Shelf life of social media links is 3 hours, with most of the activity transpiring within the first 60 minutes.  Takeaway: Frequency of posting is critical to create more attention and drive traffic.

#4: Women spend 30% more time on social networking sites than men.  Takeaway: You might expect different levels of customer interaction depending on who your messaging is targeting.

#5: 70% consumers trust brand recommendations from friends over professional online reviews, consumer online reviews, natural search engine results and information on company websites.  Takeaway: Social media provides an easy way for friends to make recommendations on their favorite products and services.  Remember it's just as easy to share that they don't like a product or service.

Be sure to keep these five statistics in mind as you mold your future social media marketing.

Once a Day Marketing™ positions brands to become #1 in the minds of target customers.  Visit our website at www.onceadaymarketing.com.  Contact James Glover at (505) 501-1330 or email glover@onceadaymarketing.com.  Listen to Ask Those Branding Guys™ every Monday at 11am (MST) streaming live on SantaFe.com KVSF 101.5 FM.

© 2013 Once a Day Marketing™.  All rights reserved.

Expand Brand Awareness Using Blog Aggregators (Digital Friday/Promotion)

I'm Jim Glover that branding guy for Once a Day Marketing™. Today is Digital Friday and we are looking at how to expand awareness of your brand using blog aggregator sites.

According to Wikipedia, an Aggregator refers to a web site or computer software that aggregates a specific type of information from multiple online sources.  In particular, some sites aggregate blog content and share it with their followers.  If you produce an entertaining or informative blog, consider using one of these sites.

Once a Day Marketing uses Alltop.com™, an aggregator that collects the headlines and latest stories by topic from the best sites and blogs that cover that area of interest.  Alltop.com™ categorizes the Once a Day Marketing blog under "branding" on a common home page with other leading branding bloggers.  Alltop.com™ then displays our five most recent headlines as well as the first paragraph of our posts.

Consider submitting your blog to Alltop.com™ for consideration.  According to the site, their decision criteria is: "We rely on several sources: results of Google searches, review of the sites’ and blogs’ content, researchers, and our “gut” plus the recommendations of the Twitter community, owners of the sites and blogs, and people who care enough to write to us."

If you are striving to attract more followers to your blog, review Alltop.com™ and other blog aggregators.

Once a Day Marketing™ positions brands to become #1 in the minds of target customers.  Visit our website at www.onceadaymarketing.com.  Contact James Glover at (505) 501-1330 or email glover@onceadaymarketing.com.  Listen to Ask Those Branding Guys™ every Monday at 11:00am (MST) streaming live on SantaFe.com KVSF 101.5 FM.

© 2013 Once a Day Marketing™.  All rights reserved.

Branding a Niche Resort (Action Wednesday/Promotion)

Listen to our featured Ask Those Branding Guys radio show podcast: Branding a Niche Resort

Hello, I’m Jim Glover, That Branding Guy, for Once a Day Marketing™.  Today is Action Wednesday and we are discussing branding a resort catering to a niche market.

On our radio show Ask Those Branding Guys, we spoke with Suzanne Shell, owner of clothing-optional resorts, about growing their market share and staying top-of-mind with customers and prospective customers.

Glover asked Suzanne how the resorts are marketed.  She said when considering how to brand the properties all of the aspects are the same as any other resort with the exception of the clothing optional focus.

Even within the segment of clothing-optional, Shell knows it’s important to differentiate.  They achieve this by focusing on being family friendly, allowing day use of their facilities and ensuring customer feedback is incorporated into the range of activities that are offered.  To drive interest and build mind-share, the resorts also support events in the local communities.

Shell advertises in industry specific publications to target an audience that is already interested in the product.  She believes that guests are the best ambassadors.

Glover pointed out that expanding social media presence may provide lift in awareness.  As long as you know your audience you can be very successful marketing a product that is unconventional.

Enjoy the podcast.

Once a Day Marketing™ positions brands to become #1 in the minds of target customers. Visit our website at www.onceadaymarketing.com.  Contact James Glover at (505) 501-1330 or email glover@onceadaymarketing.com. Listen to Ask Those Branding Guys™ every Monday at noon (MDT) streaming live on SantaFe.com KVSF 101.5 FM.

© 2013 Once a Day Marketing™.  All rights reserved.

"Selfies" - Strong Indicator of Social Media Usage (Action Wednesday/Promotion)

Once a Day Marketing™ new featured video blog: Selfies - Strong Indicator of Social Media Usage

Hello, I’m Jim Glover, That Branding Guy, for Once a Day Marketing™.  Today is Action Wednesday and we are looking at the growth of "selfies" as an indicator of future social media usage.

Oxford Dictionary just made "selfie" the word of the year.  If you are not familiar with this term, a selfie is a photo we take of ourselves using a smart phone.  The fact that Oxford added this word to our official lexicon shows its importance to our society.

From a branding perspective, we see the rise of selfies as a strong indicator that more and more people are not only using smart phones to take pictures of themselves but are also becoming more comfortable with sharing and accessing content through social media channels.

The writing is on the wall, or should we say the "selfie" is on the wall.  If your brand is not developing a formal social media marketing campaign to build mindshare and develop relationships with potential customers, you can count on losing market share to your competitors who are deploying social media strategies.

Be sure to take action today and start using this powerful tool to build your brand.

Once a Day Marketing™ positions brands to become #1 in the minds of target customers.  Visit our website at www.onceadaymarketing.com.  Contact James Glover at (505) 501-1330 or email glover@onceadaymarketing.com.  Listen to Ask Those Branding Guys™ every Monday at 11:00am (MST) streaming live on SantaFe.com KVSF 101.5 FM.

© 2013 Once a Day Marketing™.  All rights reserved.

Bling Can Enhance Impulse Buying (Smart Monday/Promotion)

Hello, I’m Jim Glover, That Branding Guy for Once a Day Marketing™.  Today is Smart Monday and we are looking at how bling (the flashy, ostentatious flaunting of things) can enhance impulse buying.

Recently we attended a branding webinar hosted by Guy Kawasaki, a top marketing guru.  He shared adding bling to a blog will visually attract followers.  Great advice, Guy, thanks.

We would add that bling works on just about all branding and marketing because we are such a visually oriented society.  When in line to check out at an Old Navy store this past weekend, we had to pass down a long aisle of merchandise before we arrived at the cash register.  Talk about bling.

From our picture you can see Minnie Mouse and Marvel Comics on display to entice customers as they wait to make their purchase.  This is great example of using bling to enhance impulse buying.  It would be interesting to know how many items are sold from this long display of "last chance" merchandise.  One thing is sure, Old Navy is using this tactic because it works for them.

If you want to entice more impulse buying, follow the practices of the experts like Old Navy, Barnes and Noble, and even your local grocery store of parading your customers past a display of enticing merchandise.  Let us know how it goes.

Once a Day Marketing™ positions brands to become #1 in the minds of target customers.  Visit our website at www.onceadaymarketing.com.  Contact James Glover at (505) 501-1330 or email glover@onceadaymarketing.com.  Listen to Ask Those Branding Guys™ every Monday at noon (MDT) streaming live on SantaFe.com KVSF 101.5 FM.

© 2013 Once a Day Marketing™.  All rights reserved.

Be Bold in Your B2B Marketing (Recon Thursday/Promotion)

Hello, I’m Jim Glover, That Branding Guy for Once a Day Marketing™.  Today is Recon Thursday and we are discussing the importance of being bold with your business to business (B2B) marketing.

We recently read a blog that noted how most B2B marketing is bland.  The blog even used the phrase boring to boring to describe the lack of creativity in B2B marketing.  There is a commonly-held misconception that B2B marketing doesn't need to be glitzy or bold; that brave, brash and bold marketing is reserved only for business to consumer (B2C) marketing.

We strongly disagree.  To achieve success with B2B marketing you should be brave, brash and bold.

Our reasoning is simple. We are all constantly exposed to clever, entertaining and informative consumer advertising and messaging.  In essence, as consumers we know a good ad from a bad.  Consumer brands produce this kind of quality advertising because they know what it takes to attract attention and drive purchase behavior.

So why do B2B marketers abandon this successful approach when marketing to businesses?  We don't know why but we do know they shouldn't.  The customer evaluating a B2B offer is still a consumer who wants to feel good about the product or service, just as they do with any consumer purchase.

Boring advertising is just that...boring.  It doesn't excite and might even turn a prospect away who is wondering why the advertising isn’t more appealing.  As you develop your next round of B2B marketing, keep this important point in mind.

Once a Day Marketing™ positions brands to become #1 in the minds of target customers.  Visit our website at www.onceadaymarketing.com.  Contact James Glover at (505) 501-1330 or email glover@onceadaymarketing.com.  Listen to Ask Those Branding Guys™ every Monday at noon (MDT) streaming live on SantaFe.com KVSF 101.5 FM.

© 2013 Once a Day Marketing™.  All rights reserved.

Proactively Selling Customer Solutions (Action Wednesday/Promotion)

Once a Day Marketing™ featured video blog: Preselling Solutions to Your Customers

Hello, I’m Jim Glover, That Branding Guy, for Once a Day Marketing™.  Today is Action Wednesday and we are discussing pre-selling solutions to your customers.

Pre-selling means offering a solution to your customers before they ask for it.  The solution is essentially the unique mix of products and services you offer.  Your target audience may be any customer, however, you should design a potential solution tailored to each customer individually.

Once you have developed a proposal, approach them in anticipation that they will be intrigued with your solution and allow you to make a presentation.  To be successful at proactively selling solutions you should have a thorough understanding of your customer; who they are as well as their goals and aspirations.

Approaching the customer may be the most difficult part.  Be proactive.  Knock on their door and let them know you have an idea that you think they will love.

You probably won't bat a thousand on your preselling efforts.  Success rates will vary widely.  Mine have been in the middle of the road, perhaps fifty-fifty.  If you really think smartly and provide a good idea to that potential customer, there is a chance you will capture new business.

Once a Day Marketing™ positions brands to become #1 in the minds of target customers.  Visit our website at www.onceadaymarketing.com.  Contact James Glover at (505) 501-1330 or email glover@onceadaymarketing.com.  Listen to Ask Those Branding Guys™ every Monday at noon (MDT) streaming live on SantaFe.com KVSF 101.5 FM.

© 2013 Once a Day Marketing™.  All rights reserved.

Why Advertising Frequency is Important (Smart Monday/Promotion)

Once a Day Marketing™ featured video blog: Marketing Rule of 27

Hello, I’m Jim Glover, That Branding Guy for Once a Day Marketing™.  Today is Smart Monday and we are looking at the Marketing Rule of 27, a fascinating study conducted about 10 years ago.

Have you ever wondered how much advertisement you have to place before potential customers absorb enough impressions to finally make your brand stick?  The Marketing Rule of 27 answers this question.

The study found that to gain just one good impression in the mind of your customer you have to place an ad three different times.

The study also discovered that to really lock the brand into the mind of your customers, they have to absorb that good impression nine times.  When you do the math, 9 x 3 = 27 and that is how the name of the rule is derived.

What this means to you from an advertising perspective is that you have to ensure your message is shared 27 times with the same mix of potential customers (reach) so it will resonate and capture mindshare.  Review your marketing plan and develop an advertising approach that will allow your brand to sink into the minds of your potential customers.

There really is no one-hit-advertising-wonder; the Marketing Rule of 27 implies that it is an ongoing, consistent process of sharing your compelling message consistently over a period of time.

Once a Day Marketing™ positions brands to become #1 in the minds of target customers.  Visit our website at www.onceadaymarketing.com.  Contact James Glover at (505) 501-1330 or email glover@onceadaymarketing.com.  Listen to Ask Those Branding Guys™ every Monday at noon (MDT) streaming live on SantaFe.com KVSF 101.5 FM.

© 2013 Once a Day Marketing™.  All rights reserved.

Exploring Social Media Marketing–Instagram Video (Digital Friday/Promotion)

Today is Digital Friday at Once a Day Marketing™ and we are sharing another installment in our series Exploring Social Media Marketing which looks at the increasing popularity of Instagram video for businesses.

As we have previously discussed, Instagram is a social networking community that allows users to share life’s moments with a simple photo or short video.  In a recent blog on marketingeye.com, Mellissah Smith observed that, since its acquisition by Facebook last year, Instagram video is quickly taking market share away from Vine.

Many companies, including Nike and Starbucks, have been using Instagram for soft branding and advertising.  In recent weeks Instagram announced that it will be including advertising in photo/video sharing.  No doubt many more companies will be including it in their marketing plans.

If you are considering using video for branding and advertising, Instagram may be a good fit.  Advantages include longer videos (15 seconds vs. 6 seconds for Vine) and filter capability.

Instagram is great way for a business to reach customers, especially if the product has visual appeal such as food or clothing.  15 seconds is enough time to multiple images and a short, compelling message that will resonate with your audience and add up to a great customer experience.

Once a Day Marketing™ positions brands to become #1 in the minds of target customers.  Visit our website at www.onceadaymarketing.com.  You may also contact James Glover at (505) 501-1330 or email glover@onceadaymarketing.com

© 2013 Once a Day Marketing™.  All rights reserved.

How to Keep Your Brand Top of Mind (Action Wednesday/Promotion)

Listen to our featured Ask Those Branding Guys radio show podcast: Beaver Toyota Santa Fe

Hello, I’m Jim Glover, That Branding Guy, for Once a Day Marketing™.  Today is Action Wednesday and we are discussing branding with Santa Fe auto dealership Beaver Toyota Scion.

On our radio show Ask Those Branding Guys, we spoke with Jerry May, Sales Manager at Beaver Toyota Scion, about defending their market share and staying top-of-mind with customers and prospective customers through saturating the market place with advertising.

Glover asked May why Beaver Toyota Scion is so successful at maintaining their outstanding market presence.  May replied that radio and television are their most successful advertising channels for creating awareness as long as the message is shared consistently; then delivering on that brandline promise of “We’re Gonna Wow You.”

At Beaver Toyota the team strives to exceed customer expectations for price, value and service.  Employees are treated well and this is reflected in how they respond to customers.  According to May, buying the vehicle is where the customer experience really begins

May’s top tips for successful advertising are to be prepared for customers when they do come in and empower employees to make decisions at some level to enable them to wow their customers. 

                                                                     
Enjoy the podcast.

Once a Day Marketing™ positions brands to become #1 in the minds of target customers.  Visit our website at www.onceadaymarketing.com.  Contact James Glover at (505) 501-1330 or email glover@onceadaymarketing.com.  Listen to Ask Those Branding Guys™ every Monday at noon (MDT) streaming live on SantaFe.com KVSF 101.5 FM.

© 2013 Once a Day Marketing™.  All rights reserved.

Blurring the Line Between Marketing and Journalism (Digital Friday/Promotion)

Today is Digital Friday at Once a Day Marketing™ and we are discussing an emerging trend referred to as Native Advertising.

A recent New York Times article describes Native Advertising as an advertisement in the guise of journalism, displaying the same characteristics of the site on which it is found.  This form of advertising is appearing in such publications as Forbes and The Atlantic.  It is also known as sponsored content.

Although generally labeled as advertising, it may garner more attention than an online or traditional advertisement.  We recently read an “article” in Forbes twice before realizing it was sponsored content.  The up side is that a marketer is potentially increasing reach.  The downside is that sites and publications run the risk of alienating their readers.

If you are going to place sponsored content for your business on other sites, the approach you take should enhance awareness but not at the expense of diminishing your brand in the eyes of followers.  Partner with the sites to ensure you don't mislead and it is clear who is authoring the content.

On the reverse side, if you are accepting sponsored content for your site be sure to review it carefully and label it accordingly.

Once a Day Marketing™ positions brands to become #1 in the minds of target customers.  Visit our website at www.onceadaymarketing.com.  You may also contact James Glover at (505) 501-1330 or email glover@onceadaymarketing.com

© 2013 Once a Day Marketing™.  All rights reserved.

Reach, Frequency & Consistency (Smart Monday/Promotion)

Once a Day Marketing™ featured video blog: Brand Building: Reach, Frequency and Consistency

Hello, I’m Jim Glover, That Branding Guy for Once a Day Marketing™.  Today is Smart Monday and we are looking at three key concepts to understand when building your brand.

When planning how to deliver your compelling marketing message to potential customers, it is essential to consider reach, frequency and consistency.

Reach is the population of potential audience that will be exposed to your message.

Frequency is how often you share your message with the target audience.

Consistency is sharing the same message over and over so that it will stick in the minds of your customers.

Reach, frequency and consistency are critical concepts.  You should be selective in advertising because you don’t have to reach everyone with your messaging, not everybody is your potential customer.  Once you have identified the target audience it’s important to determine how your message will be distributed to those potential customers in your market area.

When determining frequency, ensure that you share the message enough so it will resonate with your potential customers and your brand becomes top of mind when they are thinking of buying the kind of products or services you offer.

Have you heard the slogan “You’re in Good Hands with Allstate”?  This insurance company has been using this message for a very long time; it is relevant and maintains mindshare with customers when they are looking for insurance.  Evaluate your advertising and identify how you can accomplish the same consistency when you are sharing your compelling marketing message.

Once a Day Marketing™ positions brands to become #1 in the minds of target customers.  Visit our website at www.onceadaymarketing.com.  Contact James Glover at (505) 501-1330 or email glover@onceadaymarketing.com.  Listen to Ask Those Branding Guys™ every Monday at noon (MDT) streaming live on SantaFe.com KVSF 101.5 FM.

© 2013 Once a Day Marketing™.  All rights reserved.

Marketing and Branding with Hashtags (Digital Friday/Pomotion)

Once a Day Marketing™ featured video blog: Using Twitter Hashtags

Today is Digital Friday at Once a Day Marketing™ and we are discussing marketing and branding using Hashtags.

Hashtags are created by adding the pound sign (#) in front of a word or name.  It is used to search words, letters, phrases or even other symbols related to a specific topic.  The use of Hashtags became popular on twitter and their use has since been extended to numerous other social media sites including Facebook, Instagram and tumblr to name a few.

The hashtag groups items by theme so people can search for particular interests.  For example, search #MLB for items related to Major League Baseball or #HomeDepot for items talking about the store.

Great reasons to use hashtags include easily allowing customers to find your company, brand or latest offers.  Hashtags continue bring together conversations using your tag(s) for as long as there is interest, without any intervention or additional work by your company.  Hashtag are easy to create and simple to attach to messages you are already sending via social media.

As with all messages sent via social media there is an opportunity for people to share negative feelings and experiences about your brand or product.  Ensure your marketing action plan address your business’ response to this kind of publicity.

Hashtag Tips
-   Create something unique but not so unusual that no one will find or remember it
-   Share a relevant and compelling message that will resonate with your customer
-  Choose your social media channels carefully, # may generate more interest on one site over another
-   Don’t align with people or events that will draw negative publicity
-   Use caution when sharing messages received from the marketplace in your own space

Once a Day Marketing™ positions brands to become #1 in the minds of target customers.  Visit our website at www.onceadaymarketing.com.  You may also contact James Glover at (505) 501-1330 or email glover@onceadaymarketing.com

© 2013 Once a Day Marketing™.  All rights reserved.

Social Media for the Baby Boomer Market (Digital Friday/Promotion)

Today is Digital Friday at Once a Day Marketing™ and we are discussing where to focus your social media marketing campaigns to reach the Baby Boomer Generation.

The Baby Boomer Generation is generally considered to be adults born between the 1946 and 1964. They represent a wealthy market with $2.3 trillion in spending power on an annual basis, ten times the spending power of Gen Y.  According to AARP top Baby Boomers social media sites are Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and LinkedIn.

Baby Boomer Fast Facts (babyboomer-magazine.com)

 

-          Population of 80 Million
-          Account for 40% of consumer demand
-          Control 70% of the net worth of American households ($7 trillion)
-          Have more discretionary income than any other age group
-          Many are empty nesters and grandparents

A business that is interested in reaching the Baby Boomer audience should ensure they are providing products at good value along with great customer service.  Adding an E-tailing component to your website as well as distributing your message via social media channels like Facebook and twitter will allow customer to better engage with your brand.

Many Boomers are using e-mail, smart phones and shopping online.  If you plan to target the Baby Boomer market, integrating social media into your campaign will be a great complement to your transitional marketing and increase your overall reach.

Once a Day Marketing™ positions brands to become #1 in the minds of target customers.  Visit our website at www.onceadaymarketing.com.  You may also contact James Glover at (505) 501-1330 or email glover@onceadaymarketing.com

© 2013 Once a Day Marketing™.  All rights reserved.

Reaching the Gen Y Market (Digital Friday/Promotion)

Hello, I’m Jim Glover, That Branding Guy, for Once a Day Marketing™.  Today is Digital Friday and we are discussing where to focus your marketing campaigns to reach the Generation Y audience.

Generation Y are generally considered to be young adults with birthdays between the 1980s and early 2000s, spending about $200 billion annually.  According the GenerationY.com communication is key for this group.  However, it has to be via their preferred means.  Facebook or e-mail messages will elicit a quicker response than a more traditional phone call.

Generation Y fast facts (source: theechoboom.com):

-          Population of 80 Million (larger than Baby Boomers)
-          34% are Black, Hispanic or Asian or Native American
-          1 in 4 live in single parent households
-          75% have working mothers
-          Highest level of education compared to previous generations

A business that is interested in reaching the Gen Y audience, also known as "Millennials," should craft a creative and authentic message that will capture the interest of this young, educated group.  Focus distribution on the social media channels like twitter, instagram, facebook and vine.  Ensure you message is delivered consistently; Gen Yers tend to be less brand-loyal than their parents.

If you plan to target the Gen Y market, integrating social media into your campaign will increase your chances of success.

Once a Day Marketing™ positions brands to become #1 in the minds of target customers.  Visit our website at www.onceadaymarketing.com.  You may also contact James Glover at (505) 501-1330 or email glover@onceadaymarketing.com

© 2013 Once a Day Marketing™.  All rights reserved.

Making History: The Origin of Marketing (Recon Thursday/Promotion)

Once a Day Marketing™ featured video blog: The History of Marketing

Hello, I’m Jim Glover, That Branding Guy for Once a Day Marketing™.  Today is Recon Thursday and

and I thought it would be fun to take a look at the history of marketing.

You've been working hard to become a branding and marketing expert but where did marketing originate and what were the early days of marketing like?

Peter Drucker, marketing guru, cites that in 1650 the Matsui Company created the first department store in Japan; perhaps it was similar to a Sears and Roebuck of today.  The company developed a source for their products and brought together a large assortment of items.  They offered a money-back guarantee with no questions asked, and that was 250 years before the origination of Sears.

In the West, marketing really didn't begin until the mid-19th century when the International Harvester Company started doing things we take for granted today.  They introduced market research and analysis, pricing policies, the availability of parts and supplies and installment credit.

A few more marketing facts for you; the very first marketing class taught in college was at the University of Pennsylvania in 1905 and was called The Marketing of Products.  Curtis Publication Company formed the first marketing research team at a corporation in 1911.

It's fascinating to delve into the history of marketing; from the 1650's in Japan to the mid-1800s in the United States and what marketers have been doing for the last 100 years.  The approaches that we are taking in marketing today are truly remarkable.  In future blogs we will continue to profile the history of a few individual brands that have become household names.

Once a Day Marketing™ positions brands to become #1 in the minds of target customers.  Visit our website at www.onceadaymarketing.com.  Contact James Glover at (505) 501-1330 or email glover@onceadaymarketing.com.  Listen to Ask Those Branding Guys™ every Monday at noon (MDT) streaming live on SantaFe.com KVSF 101.5 FM.

© 2013 Once a Day Marketing™.  All rights reserved.

Exploring Social Media Marketing - Snapchat (Digital Friday/Promotion)

Hello, I’m Jim Glover, That Branding Guy, for Once a Day Marketing™.  Today is Digital Friday and we continuing our series Exploring Social Media Marketing with a discussion of Snapchat and whether or not it is a good fit for your marketing campaigns.

Snapchat is a mobile application for photo sharing.  The app allows users to take photos and short 10 second videos (Snaps) and add text/enhance the image with tools provided.  Images are then sent to specified recipients.  Users are able to determine the length of time a snap can be viewed, 1-10 seconds, before it is no longer available.

There are approximately 8 million Snapchat users across the US; many in their teens to early twenties with a growing 40+ audience.  The key difference between the Snapchat app and other video sharing apps is that the snaps disappear. 

A business that chooses to use Snapchat might create photos and videos with short captions about their products.  A brand may also use it to send a message to their audience about sales or specials at their store or restaurant, etc.  As with many social media applications, creativity is the critical element in developing and sharing compelling messages that will resonate with your audience.

Consider adding Snapchat to your marketing toolkit when you would like to create a temporary message that will benefit your brand, especially if you are targeting a younger audience.

Snapchat is another social media tool you can leverage to get your marketing message out.  When determining whether or not to add it to your marketing campaigns, consider your social media marketing holistically.

Once a Day Marketing™ positions brands to become #1 in the minds of target customers.  Visit our website at www.onceadaymarketing.com.  You may also contact James Glover at (505) 501-1330 or email glover@onceadaymarketing.com

© 2013 Once a Day Marketing™.  All rights reserved.

Creating Successful PR - Part 2 (Recon Thursday/Promotion)

Once a Day Marketing™ featured video blog: Make a PR Pitch - Part 2

Hello, I’m Jim Glover, That Branding Guy for Once a Day Marketing™.  Today is Recon Thursday and we are concluding our series on developing a successful PR pitch.

Publicity, or PR, is one of the 7Ps of Marketing under promotion and it is often underutilized.  PR has the advantage of not being paid advertising, however, you have to do some work to get the coverage.  Additionally, the fact that the information comes from a source outside your company may lend credibility or legitimacy for the customers and potential customers who read it.

Now let’s look at the remaining tips to create a successful PR pitch.

6 - Ensure your press release utilizes the standard AP style (Check out the AP Stylebook.)

7 - Develop the points you want to feature.  Consider the: who, what, when, where and why.  Identify the elements of the story that will excite the interest of the writer or reporter.

8 - Craft a short e-mail that includes all of the essential story information at the top.  Your goal is to intrigue the recipient with the opening remarks.

9 - Develop a very concise verbal pitch.  Media representatives are going to call you and ask why your story warrants their attention.  You have to be very good at answering their questions and convincing them the story has merit.

10 - Lastly, execute your plan. Call writers/reporters and talk about your story.  Position it to be so compelling that journalists will think they are going to miss out if they don’t cover it.

If the media outlet doesn’t cover the story this time, you will still have the benefit of creating relationships.  The next time you call that writer or reporter it will be easier for you to pitch your idea.

Once a Day Marketing™ positions brands to become #1 in the minds of target customers.  Visit our website at www.onceadaymarketing.com.  Contact James Glover at (505) 501-1330 or email glover@onceadaymarketing.com.  Listen to Ask Those Branding Guys™ every Monday at noon (MDT) streaming live on SantaFe.com KVSF 101.5 FM.

© 2013 Once a Day Marketing™.  All rights reserved.