Posts Tagged ‘social media’
Monday, June 28th, 2010
Performics (www.performics.com), the performance marketing expert inside Publicis Groupe, recently released results from “S-Net (The Impact of Social Media),” a report from ROI Research Inc. (www.roiresearch.com) sponsored by Performics. This is quite an interesting study as it looks beyond usage and explores how social media permeates consumers’ lives. By that I mean how social media affects communication, shopping and other activities. The findings illustrate how social networks continue to drive changes in consumer behavior. Looking at how various segments of consumers use social networks in their daily lives, specifically with regard to the purchase process for different types of products and in relation to other media channels.
Most interesting to me was that the study of 3,000 U.S. social network users tackled not only general behaviors and platform preferences for social sites; but delved deeper into how social sites affect family and friend relationships and consumer attitudes towards brands and products.
Stats include:
- Fifty percent of Facebook users click on Facebook ads to “like” a brand
- Thirty-seven percent learned about a new product or service from a social networking site
- Thirty-two percent of respondents have recommended a product/service/brand to friends via a social networking site
- Thirty-two percent of Twitter users re-tweet content provided by a company or product
- Eighty percent of respondents have an active Facebook account, and 23 percent of those without an active Facebook account plan to join in the next six months
- Sixty-seven percent of respondents have reconnected with people through social networking sites that they never would have otherwise
- Thirty-nine percent of Twitter users respond to other people’s tweets once a week or more
- More than thirty percent of respondents access Facebook and/or Twitter from their mobile phone (through a browser or application) once a day or more.
- Specific to Facebook, for example, nearly 90 percent of respondents said that at least some of the companies and/or products they are a fan of are doing a good job providing relevant content. More than a third said most or all of them were doing a good job.
- More than 50% of participants identified social networks as the best way to communicate with family and friends.
Hello, word of mouth! Let me say that again. Hello, word of mouth!
“Users are not only satisfied, they want more, which is a good sign for marketers,” noted Scott Haiges, president of ROI Research. “Respondents expressed a strong desire to get more printable coupons [49 percent], notifications of sales and special deals [46 percent], and information about new products [35 percent] from companies or products on Facebook, and this rings truer in some industries more than others.”
“Social networks have made real and substantial changes in the lives of their users, in part by empowering them to more actively participate with brands and each other,” said Daina Middleton, CEO of Performics. “More than a third of all respondents reported using a search engine to further learn after seeing an ad on a social networking site, for example, and more than a third think social networking sites are good sources of information about companies and products.”
“Social networking has greatly contributed to the shift from strict consumerism to more lively, two-way participation between brands and everyday customers” added Middleton. “It’s a groundswell of technology-enabled word of mouth, and many of the brands involved in these active discussions are effectively satisfying their fans.” Amen to that, Sister!
Tags: Hospice, hospice marketing, hospice social media, north carolina social media agencies, raleigh advertising, raleigh social media, raleigh social media agencies, social marketing, social media
Posted in Anoroc, Marketing, Purchase Intent, Social Media Influence, Social Networking | View Comments
Wednesday, February 24th, 2010
There is little doubt that hospice can profoundly improve the quality of life for those facing a life limiting illness. Yet there remains a large degree of misunderstanding, lack of knowledge concerning breadth of services and the struggle with late referrals. Can social media work to improve these barriers to care? I believe it can. Social media may be one of the best things that ever happened when talking hospice. I am not exaggerating, there is tremendous potential for hospice providers. The key is understanding how to use social media to engage hospice gatekeepers. There is a very real and specific strategy.
To understand the potential positive impact that social media can have on those who are providing care to a loved one, we first need to truly understand the caregiver. Note that positive impact equals referral request.
Here’s a little caregiving data: Out of the more than 50 million people who provide care for a chronically ill, disabled or aged family member during any given year, approximately 60% are women (this is your gatekeeper – get her and you can worry less about early referrals). On average she is 46 years old and caring for her widowed mother who does not live with her. She is married and employed.
For close to two decades Anoroc has been conducting research on hospice caregiving, specifically determining VALS (values, attitudes, lifestyles) and focusing on their wants/beliefs/healthcare buying habits and values. In Part Two we’ll share what we’ve learned about this 46 year old female.
Tags: Hospice, hospice and social media, hospice marketing, hospice social media, raleigh media agencies, raleigh social media, raleigh social media agencies, raleigh social media companies, social marketing, social media, social media and hospice organizations, women in social media
Posted in Anoroc, Customer Loyalty, Decision Cycle, Healthcare, Hospice, Marketing, Purchase Intent, Social Media Influence, Social Networking, Women | View Comments
Tuesday, February 16th, 2010
“I had this guy leave me a voice mail at work, so I called him at home, and then he emailed me to my BlackBerry, and so I texted to his cell, and now you just have to go around checking all these different portals just to get rejected by seven different technologies. It’s exhausting.”
-Drew Barrymore, He’s Just Not That Into You
At Anoroc we go at everything from a social media angle, and with everyone recanting about their VD weekend (Valentine’s Day, that is) love is no exception. When it comes to social media applications for romance, there is no shortage of inventive ways to express love or something like love.
Let’s begin at the beginning–consider classic social media dating sites. Newsflash– dating sites are not longer mainstream, vanilla, garden-variety places to meet others. For those who truly think they desire love, sure, there are still the basic match.com and eharmony.com. But for those who want simple ‘a good time’, and nothing else, there are adultfriendfinder.com and getiton.com. For those who think way too much of themselves, there are reciprodate.com and beautiful people.com, where members actually rate one another and determine, as a group, if a person is attractive enough to even be on the site. Ethnic and racial considerations can be found at americansingles.com (presumably for ‘Americans’, whatever that means anymore), mylatinlady.com (for Latino men and women), 123-matrimonials.com (for Indian men and women) , and jdate.com (for Jewish men and women). For the quintessential golddigger, allow us to present sugardaddie.com, and wealthymen.com. We guess there’s nothing like getting right to the point. For the fetishist in all of us there is largeandlovely.com, and dirtyencounters.com. And the ultimate in online dating at its’ finest, and our personal favorite around the shop….. meet-an-inmate.com. Surely, quality can be found here. (Read: sarcasm)
For those of you who will most assuredly find long term love on one of these sites, hopefully, you will move on to the next phase of the relationship: the proposal. Again social media comes through in the clutch with a plethora of ground breaking ways to do the deed. Twitter got its first official marriage proposal in March of 2008, when, in a very public arena, Stephanie Sullivan said ‘yes’ to a proposal from her long distance mate, Greg Rewis. On youtube.com, there have been a slew of wedding proposals, and several actual weddings—including one underwater, no less.
And finally, the social media breakup. Now truly? Didn’t you see this one coming. Breakups can be hard enough as it is. But with social media, it can be truly devastating. We’ve all heard scathing examples of breaking up on Facebook and MySpace, (which seems to be the teen break up mediums of choice) from our nieces or much younger siblings. Heck, Facebook makes it so easy, all you have to do is change your relationship status. Then there is always the option of emailing and texting the bad news. With the various ways to get rejected and feel dejected, Drew is right, it IS exhausting.
Tags: dating and social media, north carolina social media agencies, raleigh marketing agencies, raleigh media agencies, raleigh social marketing, social media, women and soical media, women in social media
Posted in Anoroc, Social Media Influence, Social Networking | View Comments
Monday, February 8th, 2010
It was a high-five kinda week last week. We had two refreshing meetings, both with new clients. They’re the kind of clients we know will make great partners. The kind of clients that make our job easier.
We begin a lot of relationships at Anoroc with this sentence: “You’re not paying us to tell you what you want to hear.” We mean no disrespect. We simply mean to build a brand that has a chance, you got to get out of your own head. So when clients do this naturally (this is a tough one for many) when our relationship is only a nanosecond old, it’s exciting in our world.
Marketing Soap Box Moment (MSBM): After 20 years in branding, I can quickly narrow down failure to one major cause (obviously they’re others, but this is a big one): assuming others will behave the way you do. Don’t do it, not ever. You are not your customer. I grant you that you may be right when you tell us you know more about your product than any customer could possibly know. Or that you have strong opinions about what you think your customers should do, or want. But if that’s how you develop your marketing strategy, then you have a strategy based on what customers should do instead of what they actually do. And that’s a strategy that will fail.
So back to our refreshing meetings. Here is what ranked the first high-five:
Client: “So we had our logo for a while.”
Us: “Great, what do you think about it.”
Client: “Well I like it, but that’s not what matters. I want to know what you think, how it works in the market. Same with everything else, I’m not paying you to be nice, tell us how it really is, can you do that?”
And the second high-five:
Us: “So we tested your site and people seemed a little confused as to what you were asking them to do. They did’nt really understand the action that needed to happen.”
Client: “Wow, that’s incredible. It makes sense to us, but we’re too close to it and we’re not the client. So we’re ready to re-think all of it, to any degree your research determines.”
Yep, we’re a little expressive. So if you seen any of the Anoroc team running around high-fiving you can bet your Play Doh, a ‘brand’ is about to happen.
Tags: anaroc, anarok, anoroc agency, branding, branding agencies, north carolina social media agencies, raleigh advertising agencies, raleigh marketing, raleigh social marketing companies, raleigh social media, social marketing, social marketing companies, social media
Posted in Anoroc, Brand Value, Decision Cycle, Marketing, Purchase Intent | View Comments
Tuesday, February 2nd, 2010
Brands have long understood the potential to build affinity through ‘good will.’ It’s great PR. From Tide’s Loads of Hope, Trident’s Smiles Across America and Burt’s Bees volunteer hours to Hard Rock’s signature T, brands gain from giving.
Enter social media. Never before have brands had the opportunity that exists now to really leverage their good will efforts. And make those efforts more boundless. Check out The Pepsi Refresh Project (www.refresheverything.com, http://www.facebook.com/refresheverything), Pepsi’s goal to ‘refresh the world’ is a fresh take on a very old PR idea.
The Refresh Project, a groundbreaking effort to foster innovation in social good, will award more than $20 million this year to fund great ideas that refresh the world. The program launched on January 13 and has already exceeded expectations by receiving the monthly limit of 1,000 submissions in less than seven days with at least one from each state in the U.S. Joining this effort are actors Demi Moore and Kevin Bacon, who have generated their own ideas for Pepsi Refresh and are competing for support in the Pepsi Refresh Celebrity Challenge. Social Media tools include Twitter, Youtube, Facebook. Those submitting ideas to the site are asked to use their social media channels to promote their ideas and gain votes. Did I mention share of voice?
What is in it for Pepsi – consumer involvement, gaining a deep connection, media attention, share of on line voice. And the big payoff – working to make the world a better place and associating the brand with that goal.
Their Facebook page already has over 300,000 fans. A post made just yesterday gained 101 ‘likes’.
This is about a brand thinking different. Shelving old ways of marketing and embracing new media to tell a different story in a different voice. Here brand voice is not focused on telling you how many blind taste tests they’ve won or vying for the funniest Super Bowl spot. It’s about positioning their brand as the vehicle that makes good causes happen and lives change. “Could a soda really make the world a better place?” their YouTube video asks. I betcha Coke is dying to know.
Tags: Anoroc, anoroc agency, brand values, branding agencies, north carolina social media agencies, raleigh social media, raleigh social media agencies, social media agencies, social media
Posted in Brand Value, Customer Loyalty, Marketing, Purchase Intent, Social Media Influence, Social Networking | View Comments
Wednesday, January 27th, 2010
There are numerous platforms and brand opportunities via social media and social media strategies are as diverse as the voices that communicate through them.
Many are dedicated to customer service, care and connection: @Zappos, @JetBlu, BestBuy.com/Twelpforce and @comcastcares. Some are focused on re-emerging their brand through transparency: Sun Microsystem’s CEO Jonathan Schwartz’s blog (http://blogs.sun.com/jonathan), Scott Monty (Ford’s community manager) blog (www.scottmonty.com). Others focus on re-engagement through viral participation: Burger King’s Whopper Sacrifice (233,906 friends were removed by 82,771 people in less than a week) or Starbuck’s My Starbuck’s Idea (www.mystarbucksidea.com). All of these sterling examples of social media well played.
But as I was tooling around today I came across two that, depending on on-going commitment, may make the list of The Best In Social Media. I like these examples because they focus on building brand advocates through not only allowing targets to actively participate in the brand and allowing their followers to be heard and acknowledged, but because they provide a real resource and use participation to turn followers into stakeholders. A great combination that can lead to real brand affinity.
Take a look at Wepc.com by Intel + Asus. Here is a community designed as a source for innovation. Intel + Asus have created a gathering place allowing users to congregate where they don’t merely observe but share ideas and concepts about their “ideal” PC. But here is the gold of this social media platform: design concepts, feature ideas and community insights will affect the blueprint for an actual notebook PC built by ASUS and Intel. How much louder can you say: “We hear you and we care about what you want.”
Then there is the newly launched Inkpop.com by HarperCollins Publishers and perhaps my personal favorite. An interactive writing platform for teens, Inkpop, was created by HarperTeen. The strategy focuses on encouraging a continuous dialogue with its audience, understanding what their community cares about, and gaining an unfiltered look at teen reading trends. Inkpop enables community publishing through user-generated content, and social networking. But it takes it a step further (and here is the real depth of it’s ‘resource’ strategy) it connects writers in teen literature with talent-spotting readers and publishing professionals.
According to HarperCollins, Inkpop will be the anchor of its ongoing teen strategy.
“What sets inkpop apart from other writing communities is the Editorial Board,” says Kat Musallam, an Inkpop user. “Other communities only have that writer-reader interaction, but to have a panel evaluate your work is something that we writers–especially those who aren’t so familiar with the publishing world–can only dream of.”
Now that is an example of a true social influence marketing strategy that might just turn ink into gold.
Tags: Anoroc, anoroc agency, gazoobot, north carolina social media agencies, raleigh social media, raleigh social media agencies, social influence marketing, social media
Posted in Brand Value, Customer Loyalty, Decision Cycle, Marketing, Purchase Intent, Social Media Influence, Social Networking | View Comments
Friday, January 22nd, 2010
Social marketing is actually a lot like those beginning steps we all witnessed in places like My Space, Facebook, etc – places where we went to make friends.
And that’s what we’re still doing, well sort of. We’re sharing ideas, and content that is actually of use, or of interest. We’re not selling to them, we’re not linking them to our own Sham Wow video on YouTube or trying to convince them that your company is the best. We’re aligning our professional interests and forging relationships.
And while many might deny that this is marketing, when it involves your customer base, it certainly falls within customer service.
But not everybody loves you… am I right? When we propose social media we’re frequently asked questions about the “haters” – those who might voice a negative opinion. But they’re doing you a favor really aren’t they? I mean instead of telling everybody behind your back, they’re voicing a complaint where you have the opportunity to address it. Correct it. And guess what happens when others witness that? They see honest interaction. They see a brand that cares. And if they see the same negative Nelly being unreasonable, they police your platform for you. It all becomes believable, and a real relationship is born. And guess what happens then? They do buy, they do refer, they believe by the examples they have seen that you are a good company they can trust. (And you had better be, we are in a revolutionary period of transparency).
So be a real friend. Be honest. Be real. Have your customers back covered when they need help. Exercise ethics that make you sleep well at night and you will.
Tags: anorac, Anoroc, digital agencies, new media, raleigh marketing agencies, raleigh media agencies, raleigh social marketing, raleigh social media, raleigh social media agencies, social marketing, social media
Posted in Anoroc, Brand Value, Customer Loyalty, Decision Cycle, Marketing, SEO, Social Media Influence, Social Networking, Uncategorized | View Comments
Friday, January 22nd, 2010
I have an upcoming meeting on the books with a new client. One I am actually dreading, well not quite dreading, but nonetheless not exactly looking forward to.
You see, I have to tell them they need to start over, and not only start over but repair the damage. Like many companies today they jumped into influence media marketing, chose an agency/firm (whatever you want to call it) that claimed they did ‘social media’. As one of my colleges likes to say, “you can swing a dead cat today and hit a ‘social media agency’.”
Unfortunately, they chose an agency that is a shape shifter. You know the kind: one who was first a web agency, then a design agency, then branding agency and now they’re social media. I am not talking about legitimate agencies with deep roots in marketing, branding, and digital media that evolved, like us, to harness the power of social media. Many have. As they should. I am talking about those who think it’s enough to set up a Facebook or Twitter site and add a blog to a Web site.
And so now I have to tell my client that their blog is useless, Web site has major issues, that their Facebook was a complete miss and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. There’s more than I can discuss here. Bottom line- it is more likely that they have been disengaging their key targets than engaging. My biggest worry is that we won’t be able to re-engage those they’ve lost, for they have likely moved on to a competitor who did it right. And by doing it right I mean one who developed a social influence strategy that embraced their brand promise and community, was relevant to target needs, opened communications, offered tiers of engagement, empowered super-users and delivered.
So I will jump off my soap box now but leave you with this. Just because someone can play the game Operation doesn’t make him a surgeon, be careful who you entrust your brand to.
Tags: brand health, branding, hospice marketing, marking, raleigh social media, raleigh social media agencies, social influence marketing, social media
Posted in Anoroc, Brand Value, Customer Loyalty, Marketing, Social Media Influence, Social Networking | View Comments
Monday, January 4th, 2010
2009 was an interesting year at Anoroc, most in our industry will tell you the same and most likely so will most businesses. Companies struggled with a skewed economy, a changed consumer and the growing impact of social media on brand reputation. Companies flourished, companies faltered and many landed somewhere in between. But my bet is that few companies remained unchanged.
For many of our clients it was the year of evolving, of re-inventing. I believe it was Craig Charles who said: “It’s evolve or die, really, you have to evolve, you have to move on otherwise it just becomes stagnant.” Many of those we partnered with in 2009 understood the wisdom of adaptation. They empowered themselves to make ready for a new mindset, a changing planet, heightening consumer power and a new age of communications. And we were grateful to help push them forward.
Like the historic brand dating back to 1897 who saw the value in creating a sustainability-focused modern community, and the famous hotel brand, forward thinking enough to build the greenest property in WNC. There was the global technology company we worked with to change the way municipalities, governments, and businesses communicate. We were lucky enough to find ourselves on the leading edge of industries just beginning to change- we conducted research on healthcare consumers and end of life care choices. Research that will create new communication platforms resulting in better access to care. Companies engaged us to help them engage in an enriched dialogue with their targets through strategic social media- wanting to understand, connect with and hear their consumers. We retold old stories in a new way and created new stories just beginning to be told – like an emerging coffee brand, a global charity just taking flight, a market focused restaurant, a school in Southern Sudan. We developed new media platforms that helped a company navigate through Chapter 11 to successfully come out the other side with an enhanced product line and no job losses. But all of these from the small shop on the corner to a company with offices in the Americas, Middle East and Australia there was a common view- it was time to evolve.
So as we reflect on 2009 perhaps our view will not be the struggles businesses faced but the transformation that made companies better, stronger and more focused on a better consumer experience. The year when it became about forging ‘deserved’ brand loyalty and creating a healthier planet.
When you’re lucky enough to be in an industry like ours, you often have the opportunity to view change that just may be history in the making.
Tags: anoroc agency, branding, Marketing, raleigh social media, raleigh social media agencies, rebranding, social media, Social Networking
Posted in Anoroc, Brand Value, Customer Loyalty, Marketing, Purchase Intent, Social Media Influence, Social Networking | View Comments
Wednesday, December 16th, 2009
While reviewing new design and technologies today I had an epiphany. I was watching a video here: http://tinyurl.com/yd5ejyt. It’s about a new bicycle wheel that stores energy and gives it back to you when you need it – with no batteries, AND it transmits data via Bluetooth to your smart phone opening an unimaginable array of potential uses.
We all love design here, and get excited about research and ‘real’ thinking. So back to my epiphany. This is exactly like – no different from – our industry. We’re in the midst of a revolution. It’s a “what can you imagine” revolution about how we can use technology to communicate, to support and revitalize old school PR and communications tactics. It’s an unprecedented moment.
For instance, an influencer sharing via email only generates 0.41 additional clicks. Sharing via Twitter generates more than 18 clicks per post, translating into a 1,837 percent click-through rate versus 41 percent for email. How firmly does that establish Twitter as an effective channel for amplifying your messaging across the social web?
We all need to be open to new ideas and ask “why not”. It wasn’t that long ago that I can recall most businesses I encountered would not invest in SEO, and many thought a web presence was optional. And I believe I urged “why not?”. Why not rank at top – (back then it was simple!).
And now with our new shiny toolbox of powerful tools… and an office of creatives that can think out of the box… and people capable of just about any custom app you can think of… 2010 is going to be interesting!
Tags: anoroc agency, branding agencies, convert, digital agencies, engagement marketing, ja, Marketing, raleigh social, raleigh social media agencies, social marketing, social media, Social Networking, twitter
Posted in Application Development, Brand Value, Decision Cycle, Marketing, Purchase Intent, Social Networking | View Comments
