Once a Day Marketing

Friday, August 30, 2013

Is Your Web Design Responsive? (Digital Friday/Process)

Hello, I’m Jim Glover, That Branding Guy, for Once a Day Marketing™. Today is Digital Friday and we taking a quick look at responsive web sites.

If you are already providing a responsive web experience for your site visitors, pat yourself on the back. On the other hand, if you are wondering what a responsive web site is then this blog is for you.

According to Wikipedia, Responsive Web Design (RWD) is a web design approach for crafting sites that provide an optimal viewing experience—easy reading and navigation with a minimum of resizing, panning, and scrolling—across a wide range of devices (from mobile phones to desktop computer monitors).

From a user perspective this means that no matter what kind of device they use to access web content, a site automatically reconfigures to accommodate the screen size. A responsive design enables the user to easily see and access information without having to scroll across large images and pages of text. This type of site provides a pleasurable web experience for customers and favorably impacts a brand.

If your existing web presence isn't responsive, you should seriously consider revamping the site to ensure that you offer this feature to enhance your customers' experience in the future.

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.

Thursday, August 29, 2013

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.

Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Are Your Ads Reaching Your Target Audience? (Action Wednesday/Process)

Hello, I’m Jim Glover, That Branding Guy for Once a Day Marketing™. Today is Action Wednesday and we are discussing whether or not your ads are reaching your target audience.

In our blog we talk a lot about creating the right brand image in the minds of customers by sharing a compelling and consistent message about the benefits of your product or service. The goal is to create top of mind or mindshare so potential customers recall your brand at the time of a purchase.

To spread your message you can use traditional marketing or newer social media/inbound marketing. (Review on previous blog series on the marketing ecosystem.)

The important thing to remember is that every placement of an ad is designed to reach individuals within various demographics (age, marital status, education, income, etc.) or psychographics (personal tastes or interests). As you develop advertising strategy and the subsequent media plan, it's imperative to know who your target market is to allow matching your advertising buy with potential viewers, listeners, readers or followers.

Just because you can place a billboard on the side of the freeway doesn't necessarily mean you will reach your target audience. The same is true when using radio, television, magazine ads or social media channels. You need to know what kind of people will encounter your ad. For instance, if you release a 10 second video about your latest bifocal lenses using Vine chances are you won't reach the senior market because they haven't discovered this trendy new social media marketing platform.

Common sense applies (and good market research). In-depth understanding of the target customer enables better advertising placement, resulting in increased reach to the target market. Spend a few minutes today reviewing your media buys to make sure you have proper alignment with your target audience.

Tuesday, August 27, 2013

Personal Branding of a Media Adventurer (Strategic Tuesday/Positioning)

Listen to our featured Ask Those Branding Guys radio show podcast: Personal Branding: Conversation with David N. Banks

Hello, I’m Jim Glover, That Branding Guy, for Once a Day Marketing™. Today is Strategic Tuesday and we are talking about the personal branding of David N. Banks, a Hollywood media adventurer.

On our radio show Ask Those Branding Guys, we spoke with David, documentary filmmaker, photojournalist and author of upcoming book "Cue the Camels." In the forward of the book, The Tonight Show's Jay Leno wrote: a gung-ho, self-deprecating, wildly engaging book, with all the behind-the-scenes high jinks that go into shooting news and documentaries across the world.

In addition to winning three Emmy Awards and being nominated for many others in his "day job" working on such television shows as The Tonight Show, Banks also has a personal brand. Dave shared his efforts over the past 30-years to avoid being typecast in Hollywood. and his work to create his own brand centered on his photojournalism, independent documentaries, and writing talents away from mainstream programming.

Despite working on popular sitcoms, soap operas, Wide World of Sports and many other "most-watched" programs, Banks' resume and personal blogs never mention this past television history. Instead, he emphasizes his efforts covering wars, producing and directing documentaries, and shooting incredible photographs of the human spirit. His new book and blogs intentionally convey a brand identity of a man far from the normal Hollywood realm; that is precisely Dave's goal.

For anyone working to create a personal brand, Banks' recommended creating compelling and consistent social media content and sharing with targeted audiences whose interests align with your desired brand image. He encourages everyone not to be timid and jump into the new technologies with both feet to best understand and deploy social media. He also suggested making sure you reach out to your connections and create personal relationships with them. He reminded us that while using technology is essential a personal touches help us maintain our humanity.

Enjoy the podcast.

Monday, August 26, 2013

Route 66 - Creating a Memorable Experience (Smart Monday/Product)

Once a Day Marketing™ featured video blog: Route 66 Brand Mystique

Hello, I’m Jim Glover, That Branding Guy for Once a Day Marketing™. Today is Smart Monday and we are highlighting the brand mystique of Route 66 and the importance of creating memorable experiences.

Certain brands have mystique such as the Beatles, Marilyn Monroe, Paris, and Disneyland. Route 66, the historic highway that spanned from Chicago to Santa Monica, is another iconic brand in America.

We had the opportunity to chat with Kevin Mueller, owner of the Blue Swallow Motel in Tucumcari, New Mexico, a restored Route 66 motel that enables its visitors to step back in time and relive the memories of "The Mother Road."

Kevin Mueller Excerpt: Route 66 was established as a national roadway in November of 1926. Because it traversed across the Southwest, all the way from Chicago to Los Angeles, it was a major route for people to travel whether for vacation or relocations. It became legendary in Steinbeck’s book "The Grapes of Wrath" as the mother road.

It’s all the legend around it that enables the brand to live on. The fact that so much of it still exists even though it’s not a national highway anymore. So many bits of it have been preserved. People can step back in time and experience that vacation that they took with their parents in the family station wagon back in the ‘40s and ‘50s and still stay in some of the same places that they stayed at with their mom and dad. People want to share that with their families. People want to experience those bits of their youth, something different from the normal (hotel) chains that they are used to seeing around their homes. It’s a chance to relive a bit of history. It’s still here and they can live it on their own Route 66 adventure.

Route 66, despite its mystique, must still offer memorable experiences today. Many of the communities located on the historic highway are working hard to create new activities designed to entertain and enlighten travelers. The big question to ask yourself: “Is your brand creating mystique and providing a rewarding experience?” Something to think about.

Friday, August 23, 2013

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

Thursday, August 22, 2013

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.