Delivered. EFM Newsletter February 2010
Feb 8 2010 3:16:51 PMThis month’s topics: Agency Transparency, Experimentation in the Workplace, Customer Experience, Sustainability, and Facebook Landing Pages
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Let’s Get Transparent in Here
By Charles Tassos, Principal
It seems that agencies are like most other creative concerns—we don’t like to give away the secrets. We don’t share recipes or let you peek behind the curtain too often. We’re typically nervous about giving away what is usually hard-won information. But if you’ve been noticing, that trend (across all brands, in all industries) is changing, especially with the rise of social media.
In 2010, we said, we’ll become a more transparent agency. So we’re doing it… we’re going to make a point of uncovering trends, analyzing them, experimenting, and letting you know what we’ve found. We’ve been preaching for a while that for a brand using social media, you have to give up control to gain strength. Now we’re following through by giving up a little bit of control over our own brand.
Our clients and partners (and by extension, our relationships) can only benefit from this shift. The delivery of information and resources has become an internal mandate at E Factor, with the goal of thought leadership, not just locally but beyond. Because of our close relationship with Adobe, we’re now a player in Flash Camp 2010, now happening in Brazil, and we’ve been pleased to find out that we’ll be receiving Adobe CS5 before most other companies will get their hands on it. To say our designers and developers are excited is a huge understatement.
Throughout the year, we’ll publish further editions of our newsletter, keeping you abreast of changes in communications strategies, tactics, emerging technologies, as well as things we’ve found to be over-hyped (through experimentation). Our challenge is not just in spotting trends (anyone can do that); we want to identify the shifts that will impact you the most in your quest for success.
E Factor Media is lucky enough to touch several verticals, and this breadth of experience will help us show how the insights we’ve learned can help you. We have our collective finger on the pulse of several new and exciting trends, including AIR, Augmented Reality, touch-screen computing, and more. As the year plays out, we’ll see some that promise a lot, and more than a few, I’m sure, that will fizzle out completely. It’s our burden to steer our partners in the right direction, and by sharing our knowledge with you, we’ll be more apt to sail the right course together.
Experimenting Outside the Laboratory
By Jeff Grantham, Director of Client Services
As an agency that strives to be on the cutting edge of innovative marketing, we see far too often clients jumping on the bandwagon to do someone “shiny and new.” As marketers, we must always remember that goals come first and the “really cool” is only “really cool” if it accomplishes those goals. We must design the best social, interactive, and digital ideas to help our clients reach their goals. And one of the best ways to design is through experimenting and testing.
Experimentation is vital for internal growth. Look to companies like Google, who virtually mandate that their employees spend time on non-core projects—20 percent of their time, in fact. It’s helpful to set up pilot marketing projects with modest budgets and definite end-dates. Once the projects have run their course, evaluate the metrics. If something gained traction, investigate it a bit more, fund and optimize it, and consider it a valid trend for your audience.
This strategy is low-risk/high-reward, keeps your teams fresh (who doesn’t like to work on something new and fun?), keeps people current with emerging tactics, and at the end of the day, can result in a big win for your brand. Consider creating your own in-house testing lab (“It’s alive!”) with roundtables, brownbag meetings, guest speakers, and presentations. It’s important to keep that experimental spirit alive—keep encouraging it as you explore ways to engage your consumers.
When experimenting, remember that new technology won’t in itself bring success; your digital communications still need to be relevant, creative, and engaging if they are to cut it during the second decade of this century.
I encourage all our partners and clients to read the MarketingSherpa Wisdom Report, a contribution of real-life lessons learned, to get a sense of where marketing is heading in 2010 (available this February), to see where others have succeeded and failed in the past 12 months. These agencies and marketers are being transparent within the industry in the hope that their hurdles will inform others following them.
Over time, your programs and campaigns will get stronger, and you will always be ahead of the industry curve and on the forefront of new technology.
Brand Engagement + Active Participation = Customer Experience
By Javier Iniguez, Creative Director
Brand Strategy is always an interesting topic of conversations among marketers, especially when it comes to end-of-year trends and predictions. After reading my fair share of posts, tweets, newsletters, and articles I think it’s safe to say that consumer expectations are growing when it comes to brand engagement. Consumers aren’t content anymore being “told” what products are best, or how to think about a service. They’re making up their own minds, and taking their opinions public, whether you like it or not. Consumers today expect “good” brands to be transparent. If there’s a problem, they say, tell us about it and let us make up our own minds.
So what does this mean for B-to-C and B-to-B brands in 2010, and how will your brand engage its customers?
Success will be based on brand-extended customer experiences. The digital landscape has transformed the way consumers interact with your brand. Today more than ever consumers demand and expect a greater level of engagement. They are talking to each other before talking to your brand. They are making decisions based on their opinions combined with the opinions of people posting and tweeting and blogging, unfettered. All brand “laundry”—clean and dirty—is hanging in the wind, transparent for all to see.
The days of people waiting to receive messages are over. Consumers are empowered to connect with brands on their own terms through the desktop, browser, mobile devices, netbooks, interactive televisions, etc. Social networking and the exchange of real-time information outside of the brand space will continue to grow. With technology in hand it will be necessary for brands to create meaningful experiences that consumers can engage fully.
Brands will also have to be adaptive in their communication and marketing efforts to keep up with these new transparency expectations. Everyday consumers are looking for the latest in technologies and innovations. Will your brand be able to take advantage of unmet expectations and keep pace? Brands should strive to go way beyond consumer expectations, delivering on real benefits to ensure brand loyalty. Authentic participation and conversation can drive a community to extend trust to a brand.
A brand’s success or failure may come down to the level of engagement (platform, context, message, and experience) it has with its customers. If your brand is somehow “above” the conversation, it’s definitely not immune; being unaware of the conversation can have irreversible effects. So a brand must know its audience and develop methods of engagement that resonate with them. Is your brand participating in the conversation, focused on customer experience? It’s crucial that brands understand a somewhat uncomfortable concept: To gain, you must give up. In this case, it’s control. Social media has pretty much dictated this concept to brands today… by giving up control over its brand, an organization actually strengthens the brand as it participates, engages, and gains vital “street cred.” Give your brand a chance to live within the community by allowing your audience to engage with it.
Moving Beyond the Recycle Bin. Sustainable Marketing.
By Deb Hanamura, Account Manager
Can you link fiscal responsibility to environmental sustainability—even as the economic crisis has reprieved us from social pressure to Think Green?
Full disclosure: I drive a Prius. I also occasionally pull recyclables out of my neighbor’s trash and one time (just once, I swear) I shook my fist at a stranger who threw his garbage on the sidewalk… but the circumstances were unique—he threw his garbage at the base of a garbage can. It’s not like I’m crazy.
But I am also a passionate capitalist who loves ROI as much as REI, and being in the black is as important to me as being green. If there was no business case for sustainability, I’d keep composting, but I’d do it on my own time and leave work out of it.
The green movement started with simple ideas about reducing waste and environmental impact. In 2005, the star was the Recycle Bin, which was eventually filled with recycled paper; bottled waters were replaced with belching “hydration stations;” and email eclipsed printed memos. The stakes kept rising until Being Green wasn’t enough and Sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) took center stage. We shifted our attention to big issues like carbon footprints, human rights, and “Cradle to Cradle” manufacturing.
It was hard. I was overwhelmed.
Relief came in the form of the 2008 financial collapse, which gave us what Y2K had failed to deliver—panic/destruction/hardship/economic chaos.
Businesses around the world stopped saving trees and started saving jobs—because conventional wisdom has taught us that the two are at odds. Conventional wisdom is wrong. Sustainable companies enjoy greater prosperity, employee engagement, and long-term profitability than their unsustainable colleagues.
Don’t just do it for the children—do it for your bottom line.
Sustainability reduces staffing costs.
Statistics from The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) show people who work in a green facility have as much as 24 percent increased job satisfaction and productivity can rise by as much as 10 percent. Further, satisfied workers reduce absenteeism by as much as 45 percent (some estimates state that unhappy workers take as many as 15 sick days each year.)
Sustainability increases customer loyalty.
Sustainability reduces operating costs
Water and energy costs are volatile and on the rise—which not only affects your water and electricity bills; it also affects the cost of nearly everything that you purchase, from ballpoint pens to airline tickets. Sustainable practices with a focus on reduction of needless consumption and creative re-use will lower costs and protect your balance sheet into perpetuity.
Sustainability may uncover new business opportunities.
Have you gotten a bottle of the coveted Herman Miller honey yet? When Herman Miller sought a sustainable solution to their hornet infestation, they found that bees get to the pollen first, driving hornets away. They also found that having a part time beekeeper on staff to manage the bees and collect their honey was a small price to pay for the PR boon and totally sustainable client gift that was produced as a result. What problem do you have that could be solved sustainably and possibly even enrich your business?
In the next issue of the EFM newsletter , we’ll talk about practical ways that marketing teams can reduce environmental impact without resorting to the ubiquitous reusable shopping tote and flower seed post cards. In the meantime, take a close look at your marketing efforts and see if there aren’t some interesting tactics that can not only increase your social responsibility, but also let the market know that you’ve moved beyond the recycle bin and are truly making a difference.
If you have any questions, drop me a line and we’ll chat. dhanamura@efactormedia.com
Where Facebook Trumps Your Website
By Morgan Graham, Project Manager and Deb Hanamura, Account Manger
Between 2008 and 2009, Facebook users in the United States grew from approximately 52.5 million to an astonishing 110 million, with roughly 60% of users coming from households that make more than $60k per year. There are more than 300,000 businesses that use Facebook to reach their customers to varying degrees of success.
Are you on Facebook?
If so, keep reading (If not, call me—Facebook isn’t right for everyone, but if it’s right for you and you aren’t engaged yet, we should chat).
The New Landing Page
If you are considering hosting a landing page through your existing website, think twice. You may have overlooked your Facebook presence as a fantastic way to share your landing page in a fully customizable tab. You already have a personality and camaraderie established, so why not direct new and existing customers there? A Facebook landing page can bring you more than just posting information—it can bring you relationships.
What does a Facebook landing page do that a traditional landing page doesn’t? It opens dialogue with people who are ready and willing to talk to you. Static landing pages on your website allow you to talk at your visitors, but Facebook landing pages allow you to talk with them. (Note: Facebook landing pages are most effective when you have an established fan base and active social media presence.) The critical distinction between Facebook vs. traditional landing pages is the mindset of the visitor—their pump is primed, so to speak. Promote your business through your Facebook landing page, and you’ll quickly have a personal connection with engaged customers and their Facebook friends.
Let’s Get Flashy on Facebook
The capabilities of Facebook landing pages, which live in the Tabbed section of your Facebook Page, offer a great deal of creative and technical flexibility. On the backend, Facebook uses a programming language called FBML that is similar to HTML. FBML allows you to upload Flash animation files so you can offer a fully interactive Flash page within your Facebook Page. A eye-catching page, rich with content and hyperlinked sections to your website, will set you apart from other companies and offer full control of your brand presence on Facebook. An interactive flash-based experience will also pique visitor interest to ultimately engage with your brand. Impress them so much, you’ll create an evangelist who wants to be your Fan and share your Page with their personal contacts. (You can find a great recent example at the 2010 Census’s Page.
FBML is More Viral than H1N1
With Facebook landing pages, you have an opportunity for highly valuable viral sharing. Fans can share your page with others and page interactions can appear on their Wall (which therefore appears on their News Feed, announcing it to all their friends). There are numerous applications available to help you create a better experience, including tools to collect personal information for free sample submissions, e-commerce integration, and opportunity for Facebook Connect incorporation. You may also want to use your landing page to promote a sweepstakes or help brand champions feel even more special with free digital swag.
A Word from the Wise
Do your homework and do it often. Facebook is continually changing their policies. Recently Facebook unexpectedly changed their rules to require contests to be approved through Facebook and fans can only enter through applications (but contests based on “becoming a Fan” are okay). Changes also often occur to Facebook’s backend functionality, potentially causing applications to crash when the code isn’t updated.
The good news for marketers is Facebook wants to keep their advertisers happy (it’s a great way to fund their operations, after all). Therefore, the Facebook Fan Page environment is constantly receiving updates to make a great experience for Fans and creators.
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