Communicators who don't communicate

WHILE attempting to catalog some useful online marketing resources for a client to review, I went to about 15 different websites representing 15 different companies to capture a few lines from each that would explain to the viewer -- and, eventually, my client -- what each of those 15 sites/companies/resources actually offered. For almost half of them, it could not be determined from the information on the site what the site offered. Where did I find a clearly composed explanation? Wikipedia. And, who wrote the entries for Wikipedia? Probably an employee of the company whose web site I was searching. So, why didn't this same writer participate in the web site design/copy? Probably he/she did not use the BS of adspeak.

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Haynes Marketing Network is a full-service marketing and advertising agencyin Macon, Ga. 478-742-5266 http://www.haynesmarketing.com/

Media Usage

THE degree to which each medium is used by consumers: TV is number one, capturing 35-40% mind share. Online is two, capturing 25-30%. Radio is three, followed by outdoor and print.

32 Days To Going Digital by, Jay Friedman and David Wolk

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Haynes Marketing Network is a full-service marketing and advertising agency
in Macon, Ga. 478-742-5266 http://www.haynesmarketing.com/

TV builds brands better than the Web

ONE place where traditional media beat new media big time is in launching and building brands. Just compare a 30-second TV commercial with a banner ad. The former is far more emotionally engaging and thus better suited for building a brand image.

Media, Feb.‘09, Yaakov Kimelfeld

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Haynes Marketing Network is a full-service marketing and advertising agency
in Macon, Ga. 478-742-5266 http://www.haynesmarketing.com/

“New media” let us do the unbelievable

NEW media are those media that arose from the information and communication technologies that began emerging in the 1980s – the cell phone, the internet, the video game.
Most of these technologies are digital, meaning they interpret binary digital data as information. As opposed to analog data, digital data are easier to manipulate, carry more information, and move faster.
Many new media are involved in media convergence, which occurs when multiple products come together to form a single product with the advantages of all of them. For instance, the cell phone now handles e-mail, text messaging, music, internet browsing, GPS, and photography.
Most important, many new media are interactive, allowing for active participation by the audience, whether that audience is one, or millions.
Some new media, like the Internet, are all three – digital, converged, and interactive – replacing the “one-to-many” model of mass communication with the possibility of a “many-to-many” web of communication. And, as a result, new media offer marketing tools we would have not thought possible 25 years ago.

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Haynes Marketing Network is a full-service marketing and advertising agency
in Macon, Ga. 478-742-5266 http://www.haynesmarketing.com/

Consumers often don't know why they do what they do

WHEN consumers are asked why they bought a particular brand, they seldom credit the brand’s ad plan.
It doesn’t mean the advertising was ineffective. More than likely, it means that, by the time of the sale, the advertising the customer had been exposed to might be very far behind him or her emotionally, and he/she has moved past the advertising impact and into his/her own rationale to buy.
This is why many customer surveys are flawed. At the time of purchase, consumers have forgotten about the advertising messages they’ve been exposed to over time.
On top of that, Americans don’t want to admit that ads affect them. But, if this were true, nothing we buy would have a brand name on it. We buy brands because we trust them. We feel comfortable buying because we were exposed to advertising that helped us form an opinion of the brand.

TVWeek, 6/12/06, A.Armbruster

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Haynes Marketing Network is a full-service marketing and advertising agency
in Macon, Ga. 478-742-5266 http://www.haynesmarketing.com/

Internet Marketing Myths

MYTH #1: The Internet changed everything about marketing.

Not everything. The Internet does give us a marketing channel that interacts with the world 24/7 – a powerful tool for bringing consumers together with the products and services they want.
But the old channels for bringing seller and buyer together – the phone call, the business letter, the face-to-face pitch, the tv commercial – are still working just fine as part of a well-planned, ­integrated marketing program that probably includes the web.

Myth #2: Internet marketing starts with a great website.

Internet marketing starts where all effective marketing starts – with a well- defined prospect. If you don’t have a clear picture of who you are selling to and what you’re selling, the prettiest website in the world won’t get you business.
Before you even think about a website, know who your target prospect is, how to describe your specialty to that prospect, and what specific benefits your business provides.
Yes, your site should radiate competence, but a brilliant design and dazzling graphics won’t pay off anywhere near as well as a clear explanation of why a customer should choose you as an ­answer to a want or need.

Myth #3: More traffic means
more profits.

More traffic to your website only guarantees increased bandwidth use by your web host, and nothing else. Before spending money on banner ads, web directories, or pay-per-click listings to drive more visitors to your site, be sure that they’ll want to do business with you once they get there.
Ask some colleagues and custom-ers to critique your site. Do they understand what you’re offering? Can they see that you’re presenting real benefits to your target audience? Revise your site based on their feedback.
Then invite some prospects to visit your revised site and touch base afterward. Do those prospects seem more inclined to do business with you after visiting your site? If so, you’re on the right track.

Myth #4: Do whatever it takes
to build your email list.

A substantial opt-in emailing list is a
valuable marketing asset, but the quality of names on your list is much more important than the quantity. Acquiring names through giveaways of other people’s material, trading lists with joint venture partners, or purchasing lists from vendors rarely provides you qualified buyers truly interested in your products or services.
So, how do you build your list? Invite those who visit your site to leave their email for future contact. Ask people you meet or call for their email. Offer them something of value in return. A well-written ezine, a helpful report, or an informative audio are all effective premiums, as long as they directly relate to what service you sell and increase your credibility.

Myth #5: Just follow the winning
Internet formula and you’ll get rich.

There is no new “winning Internet formula.” The process of winning customers is what it always has been – build relationships and get people to know, like, and trust you.
If your website, ezine, and other Internet-based activities contribute to building long-term, trusting relationships with prospective clients and referral sources, you’ll get business on the web.
Credit: About.com

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Haynes Marketing Network is a full-service marketing and advertising agency
in Macon, Ga. 478-742-5266 http://www.haynesmarketing.com/

Crisis Communications, the best PR plan you never want to use

At 3:00 a.m. you get the call. Your factory is up in flames, with millions in inventory at risk.

As you rush to the plant you think of the years it took to build your business, win loyal customers, and gain a reputation of integrity.

Casualty insurance will cover your monetary loss, but how will you recover the reputation you worked so hard to build?

At the plant, the press is waiting with questions: “Police report two fatalities inside your plant, what can you tell us about that? What is the extent of the damage? What about your customers who are waiting for shipments? Will employees still have jobs?

Be ready for such a moment with a Crisis Communications Plan. A well-structured plan includes procedures for answering such questions, and specific, hourly instructions to address the press, employees, employee families, and worried customers.

With your plan at your side, you (and key managers) are able to control information flow, and provide facts to the press as they are needed, until the crisis ends.

Reporters meet their deadlines, and you breathe easier, knowing their stories will shore up the confidence of employees and customers, and will protect the assets of the company you spent years to build.

Because of its potential impact on your firm’s future, the plan should be prepared by someone skilled in crisis communications’ planning, though you and your staff will participate.

Once the plan is ready, keep it nearby. Review it each quarter, and rehearse it as if the future of your company depends on it. It could.

Credit: Steve Cohen, Steve Cohen Public Relations

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Haynes Marketing Network is a full-service marketing and advertising agency
in Macon, Ga. 478-742-5266 http://www.haynesmarketing.com/