5 Simple Rules for Effective Social Media Marketing

Written by Frank Iacono

What is Social Media Marketing?   

Social Media Marketing (SMM) programs usually center on efforts to create content that attracts attention, generates online conversations, and encourages readers to share it with their social networks. The message spreads from user-to-user and presumably resonates because it is coming from a trusted source, as opposed to the brand or company itself. 

What is the Social Media Marketing Opportunity?

Despite the origin of social media as an online destination to assemble one’s friends and make new personal acquaintances, social networks like Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, MySpace, and YouTube have evolved into nothing less than a core navigation paradigm for the Internet.  Today, social media functionality has become an important component for many companies marketing strategy as it sits alongside keyword searches as an important way to search for valuable content and discover new online media.

Technological advances and individual’s willingness to listen to new sources of content present direct marketers with an unprecedented opportunity to help stake out a claim for their clients in this new marketplace.  At the end-of-the day it isn’t all about the latest buzz or hype.  It’s truly about value and the role direct marketers play in helping clients deliver value to their end-users via these new channels.

5 Simple Rules for Effective Social Media Marketing:

1. Tell a compelling story and try to be the first to tell that story.
2. Shift the focus from delivering a message to influencing a conversation.
3. Uncover influencers and discover ways to involve them in your product development, branding, customer service, and news.
4. Accept the fact that not all conversations will be positive.
5. Listen to the blogosphere and monitor how your company, its products, and services are being discussed.

The bottom-line is, please start engaging with your clients about Social Media Marketing strategies because if you aren’t someone else will!

What Can You Do to Support Earth Day 2010

Written by Frank Iacono

Today, Thursday, April 22, 2010, marks the 40th Anniversary of Earth Day. It’s hard to believe that it was on April 22, 1970, that we celebrated our first Earth Day. It all began behind the support of U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin who wanted to use this as a nationwide environmental tech-in day.

Earth Day 1970 featured a rare political alignment, enlisting support from Republicans and Democrats, rich and poor, tycoons and labor leaders, and city slickers and farmer. Additionally, the first Earth Day also led to the creation of the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the passage of the Clean Air, Clean Water, and Endangered Species acts.

In support of Earth Day 2010, I encourage you to participate by:

• Using social media outlets like Facebook and Twitter as well as emailing your family, friends, and business colleagues to spread the word about Earth Day
• Finding an alternative means of transportation such as biking, walking, mass transit or carpooling
• Taking the stairs instead of elevators
• Turning off all electrical devices such as televisions and radios when not in use
• Turning off all lights when not in use
• Purchasing Energy Star rated appliances
• Finding ways to use water more efficiently
• Taking shorter showers
• Lowering hot water heaters

You can make a difference!

What’s the Buzz Over Google Buzz

Written by: Frank Iacono

Google Buzz (Buzz) is a social networking and messaging tool from Google. Buzz allows you to start conversations with your existing and new friends about the things you find interesting. Through Buzz, users can go beyond status messages and share links, updates, photos, videos, and more all organized in “conversations” and visible in the user’s inbox.

Buzz enables users to choose to share publicly with the world or privately to a group of friends each time they post. Currently Picasa, Flickr, Google Reader, YouTube, Blogger, FriendFeed, identi.ca and Twitter are integrated into Buzz. The creation of Buzz was seen by industry analysts as an attempt by Google to compete with social networking websites like Facebook and microblogging services like Twitter.

Five Key Features:

• Automatic Friends Lists ─ friends who you have emailed on Gmail are added automatically as your distribution list
• Public and Private Sharing ─ allowing you to swap between family and friends
• “Rich Fast Sharing” ─ combines sources like Picasa and Twitter into a single feed, and it includes full-sized photo browsing
• Inbox Integration ─ instead of emailing you with updates, like Facebook might, Buzz features emails that update dynamically including all of the Buzz thread content including photos too.
• “Recommended Buzz” ─ even if you’re not acquainted with someone Buzz puts friend-of-friend content into your stream. With your feedback, recommendations learn over time.

Learn More

Direct Mail and Digital: Working Together

Written by Frank Iacono 

According to a recent DMA study, up to 40% of direct mail recipients prefer to respond online. So, capturing responders who wish to go online to convert to a specific marketing campaign is critical. With that said, I challenge you with the following question.  “Do you feel your clients are taking full advantage of digital technologies with respect to their direct mail initiatives?”  If you answered “NO” then we should meet to discuss how Personalized URLs can help bridge these two worlds to achieve greater overall campaign efficiencies.

 What are Personalized URLs?

Personalized URLs (a.k.a. PURLS or personalized landing pages) are unique Web pages that incorporate a recipient’s name (for example, http://www.frankiacono.dmwdirect.com) in the address. Personalized URLs link the power of direct mail with the digital capabilities of the Internet.  Combining traditional direct mail with the Internet, Personalized URLs have been proven to boost direct mail response rates by up to 30%. 

Personalized URLs include the end-user’s personal information, such as name, physical address, phone, e-mail address, or anything you already know, so that the Web page reflects a high degree of personalization and customization.  Naturally, the more the page relates to the recipient, the greater the probability that he/she will take further action.  The result is accurate contact information, improved campaign response rates, and the flexibility to adjust important next steps to meet responder’s input.

How Do Personalized URLs Work? 

1. When you are sending out a direct mail campaign to customers and prospects make sure to include an invitation to log onto their Personalized URL.
2. Once the end-user logs onto their Personalized URL, they are asked to either enter their e-mail address or a special campaign code to gain entrance into the site.
3. Once in their site, the end-user is given an opportunity to learn more about the offer, your company, and its products and services.  Depending on the nature of the campaign the end-user can either complete a custom Web survey or fill-out a Web form asking to be contacted.  In either instance all of the fields on the site are pre-populated using back-end database placed on the server.  With this approach, the end-user has very little information to either verify or fill-in – leading to greater response rate.
4. From the integrated campaign you can capture personalized information about each respondent, track overall campaign, and quickly respond to each prospective customer in real-time. 

Why Do Personalized URLs Work? 

From a purely psychological standpoint, people love to see their name in print.  And, by placing a person’s name next to your company’s URL it immediately builds trust and confidence. Additionally, the end-user thinks that your company went the extra mile to create a personalized Web page all about the customer or prospect.  

Other key features include:

• Links the impact of direct mail with the interactive capabilities of the Internet
• Provides relevant content in response to preferences
• Engages responders in more meaningful dialogue
• Enhances the end user’s experience with a personalized URL
• Converts more direct mail recipients into qualified prospects and valued customers
• Measures and track search responses from direct mail campaigns and tracks conversion
• Increases overall response rate (by up to 30%) of direct mail campaigns

Personalized URLs are perfect for:

• Direct Mail
• Surveys
• Postcards
• E-mail Campaigns

Personalized URLs truly add value to direct mail campaigns and you should be actively suggesting to your clients the many benefits of using this e-marketing strategy to reach their customers and prospects.  The bottom-line is, please start engaging your clients about incorporating Personalized URLs into their marketing mix because if you aren’t someone else will … and then what?

Top 25 Email Checklist

Written by: Frank Iacono

Prior to blasting out an email campaign, please make sure to follow the Top 25 checklist shown below:

1. Is your server black-listed? If you are not sure you can go here to find out: http://www.mxtoolbox.com/blacklists.aspx
2. Have you made sure to remove all unsubscribed email addresses?
3. Have you segmented your database to include the right target audience?
4. Is the email “from address” and “display name” correct?
5. Are you complying with all the CAN SPAM requirements?
6. Have you properly identified yourself as the sender in the footer of the message?
7. Does your message include a working unsubscribe link?
8. Is the subject line going to make the end-user open the email?
9. Does your subject line contain any punctuation?
10. Does your copy content include short sentences (a maximum of four lines per paragraph)?
11. Does the email content pass the spam filter test? (e.g., http://web0.lyris.com/resources/contentchecker/)
12. Does the tone of your email match your “personality” that the end-user expects from you?
13. Does the email message contain a clear single purpose? 
14. Does the email clearly ask the end-user to take a specific call-to-action?
15. Have you tested the message content, design, and performance across multiple platforms and email clients to ensure proper delivery?
16. Are the merge codes and fields working correctly?
17. Are all the links in the email live and working properly?
18. Is the width of the email design 600 pixels wide or less?
19. Does your message contain at least two or more links to the landing page (early in the email and near the end) to ensure maximum exposure for the offer?
20. Does the email message use inline styles within the two BODY tags versus using cascading style sheets (CSS)?
21. Is there a good balance of copy and images
22. Do all images within the email should have ALT Tags in case the graphic is not or cannot be displayed?
23. Did you strip out useless META tag info from the email?
24. Are you sending the email message at a specific time and day that a majority of your target market typically checks email messages?
25. Are you prepared to track the response on the back-end?

Key Steps in Determining Social Media Success

Written by: Frank Iacono

When I’ve spoken with my clients about how to get started in Social Media they’ve often responded with “How can I be sure it’s not a waste of my time?” My response to that question is that determining Social Media success is like determining the success of any other marketing opportunity. It is going to take the development of a marketing strategy, some trial and error, and ultimately campaign management and optimization.

Listed below are five steps to social media success:

1. Explore different aspects of Social Media, including Social Networking and other key Web 2.0 technologies and strategies that create excitement and brand awareness within your specific industry segment.
2. Identify primary and secondary targets. Who is your main target customer and who are their partners and associates that you would like to reach? Determine how deep you want to target these groups and go after them professionally and aggressively.
3. Develop a Marketing Strategy and Plan of Action. This is the most important step within the process. Customize your Social Media approach to reach the specific target groups you’ve identified and maintain it in accordance with your company’s goals and objectives.
4. Execute the Plan. Put the agreed upon plan into motion. Make sure to include campaign monitoring and ensure that you are managing the process including all the way through the program including the deployment of new content and updates. The idea is to keep the content fresh!
5. Analyze & Quantify the Results. So, is your strategy and plan of action working toward your Social Media goals and objectives? So, what are actual results? How do you measure success? Should you continue moving forward or making adjustments? Every campaign, company, and industry measures campaign success differently. Measure your success using your model and optimize accordingly. The key is maintaining a watchful eye.