The video was ranked #7 on AdAge’s viral video chart and quadrupled in views in less than a month.  Here are some other impressive stats that are a direct result of this video:

• Facebook – 5,873 fans
• Twitter – 1,179 followers
• YouTube – 585,130 total views, 111 Subscribers
• MetaCafe – 519,906 views of “Parental Controls: FAIL Alt.”

The video advertised a contest, which since the video first aired has had over 5,000 entries.

Clearly Trend Micro is doing a great job of using video and social media to get the word out. I give them a kudos.

So you know what SEO is…at least that it’s important. I write about it from time to time, but here’s a quick definition according to me:

SEO, or Search Engine Optimization, includes the techniques used to help a website have better placement in search engines. This might include blogs, article writing, metatags and keywords and web copy.

Now, there are many an internet marketing company that can help you (or purport to help you) show up higher in search engine results. Some are good and some are bad. I’ve been asked to review Keyword Performance LLC, which offers a variety of white hat (think good guys) services to improve your search engine placement.

First let me tell you about the bad guys of SEO: there are companies who will promise to get you to the #1 position in the search engines. It’s crap. No one can guarantee where you’ll be in search engine results. Often this means you’ll be #1 for your company name or other search term that no one’s looking for. That’s not what you want. You want a company that uses ethical search engine  optimization efforts to organically move you toward the top.

Keyword Performance tells you flat out that they don’t use spam techniques and website optimization doesn’t happen overnight. It’s true. A successful campaign will take a few months. They work with their clients to customize SEO reports to show the client how they’re moving up the ladder.

From what I can tell, Keyword Performance is on the up-and-up. They’ve got tons of great tools and resources, so if you want to learn more about SEO, it’s a great site to start with. My only complaint is that their website is very wordy and maybe not easily understood by the average non-techy person. Some shorter paragraphs and bullet points would be nice. But hey, that’s what ya get over here on my blog, so it’s all good!

Companies have been threatening promising to start sending consumers marketing messages via text for years. I attended CTIA 2 years ago and met a lot of text message services. But until this year, I hadn’t seen any in action. Here’s what I feared text message marketing would be:

• Invasive. There were plans for stores in a mall to know when you walked in and immediately bombard you with coupons for their stores. Not something I want.
• Difficult. I met companies at CTIA that offered barcodes that could (hopefully) be scanned off of a phone to be redeemed as coupons. If you had the right kind of phone.
• Expensive. The cost of texting has gone down significantly, but I know I had concern that I would be charged for the message when I didn’t necessarily want it.

Fast forward to 2008. As some of you know, I own(ed) a Marble Slab Creamery (more on the past tense of that in an upcoming post). The latest promotion we had was a text message coupon promotion. Visitors to our store could text a specific code to a specific number, and they would begin receiving coupons. I signed up, of course. About once a week or two I get a text with an offer for buy one get one, get $1 off, etc. All I have to do is show my phone to the Marble Slab employee and they would apply the discount at the register.

Non-invasive.

Simple.

Cheap.

I thought it was a great concept. So tell me then, why did no one sign up for the promotion? Why did we get no takers on the text coupons? I have no idea. Maybe the world isn’t quite ready for text message marketing. What do you think? Have you seen or used text messages as marketing promotions?

As the semester comes to an end, I stop and think how much I have learned this semester. I took five Marketing classes, which let me add, was a full load, but I enjoyed every single minute of it. Not only do I like Marketing, but I use it in every day life. Just like you!

Marketing is used each day by everyone. You may think you’re immune to marketing messages, but you’re not. For instance, when you take a trip to the grocery store, the grocery store is marketing its products to you, and you, as the consumer, are part of the marketing process. You react to price changes, bad/good customer service, and interactions with other consumers. Another example would be driving down the highway and noticing billboards. Companies advertise their products/services everywhere; therefore, marketing is part of everyone’s lives.

Being a Marketing major, I tend to notice more advertisements than I did before I took marketing courses. I flip through magazines, and notice all the ads that “pop out” at me. I find really good ads with bright colors and unique, catchy phrases. Other times I flip through and observe advertisements that are boring, unexciting ads that would never catch the consumer’s eye.

Susan:

I used to be one of those people who thought I was immune to marketing. I don’t let commercials tell me what to buy. I scoff at magazine ads. But a window display of shoes…well, that’s not really marketing, is it?

Marketing is sometimes subtle. It’s the Cadillacs that subtly fill your screen on the underrated show Daybreak (I SWEAR I don’t just watch it because Taye Diggs is in it!). It’s Fall Out Boy’s YouTube “Beat It” video. It’s my blog. Marketing is anything that gets you to move, be it to buy something, visit a website or go to a store.

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It’s great to have so many tools available to connect to others and promote your own business. But when is enough enough?

.

I see an epidemic here in the marketing world. People are using not one, not two, but dozens of social media tools to promote their companies…and for what?? They have no time to work on their business. And they may not even be getting anything out of their efforts.

Don’t get me wrong. I am the Marketing Eggspert, so I’m all about social media and using the internet to promote your brand. But I have to say, today’s social media market is just too much for me. It was fine when we had a few basics, but now I’m getting invites from sites I’ve never heard of that are clones of the originals. It’s not possible to be everywhere.

Recently my new mastermind group from Sparkplugging.com and beyond encouraged me to join Twitter. I did. If you’re not familiar with it, Twitter is like instant messaging on steroids. You decide who you want to “follow,” meaning keep up with. People tweet messages on what their doing or interesting websites, blogs, etc. I’m following people I know at least a little. But it’s hard to follow the conversation, and it’s a time suck. You could spend all day reading other people’s tweets. It’s addicting, yes, but effective? Maybe for some, but I simply don’t have the time!

So how can you keep from being bombarded with too many social media sites to choose from?
1. Survey each site and see who its target audience is. You may not want to push your insurance product to teens on MySpace.
2. Ask friends and colleagues which sites they’ve got the most out of.
3. Do research online before you sign up. See what professional social media experts have to say.

Deborah Brown over at Small Business Trends has a great article that refers to other blog posts that give you advice on what social media tools are worth it and which ones are overkill called “Social Media: Valuable Marketing Tools or Time Waster?” Check it out.

-Susan

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Over the years, marketing has transformed immensely. Old school marketing has been outdated with today’s “new” emerging marketing strategies. Press releases, search engine optimizers (SEO), and pay per click ads are taking over the marketing world. Old school marketing, such as direct mail and print ads, was generally used in previous years; however is still used by a small population of marketers today.

Most marketers used a direct mail campaign to target a certain market. They would research a specific mailing list in order to convince consumers to buy their product/service. Direct mail is a difficult way of advertising because most consumers consider direct mail junk mail and immediately toss it in the garbage. On the other hand, a print ad speaks to your audience strictly through visual means. Most marketers used print ads in magazines and newspapers to try and motivate the consumer to purchase their product/service.

Press releases, search engine optimizers, and pay per click ads are blowing up today’s marketing world. Most businesses use these three to market their product/services on the internet since today’s 21st century is internet savvy. These three strategies are inexpensive and effective. Businesses get the maximum exposure they need.

Being a college student, I learn about the different types of marketing techniques that are useful and give the most exposure to businesses. Internet marketing has become a major tool; therefore I believe that using press releases, search engine optimizers and pay per click ads is not only “New School Marketing” but “Future School Marketing.”

Susan
See my post from last year on Old School vs. New School Marketing.

The gist is that Oprah and Eckhart discuss one chapter a week from the book. People from all over the world call in, email and Skype their questions. It falls in line with my description of Marketing 2.0.

-Interactive. When will you have the opportunity to talk to Oprah and one of the world’s top authors? This webcast invites anyone to participate, which makes it all the more appealing.

-It’s a conversation. The entire basis of the webcast is a conversation, to delve into the book. Just reading a book is old school. Now you can completely engage yourself with other elements, such as webcasts, podcasts, and conversations with the author.
-Democracy. If it wasn’t good, Oprah’s webcast wouldn’t be so popular. It gets spread by people who believe in it (including myself; I’ve told several people about it)
-Nontraditional. You don’t see a quick movement online from national networks. I fully believe Oprah is behind the push to engage her audience in a new way. It’s unique and appealing.
-Flexible. You can download the audio to your MP3 player, watch it live, or watch the webcast at your convenience. It doesn’t get more convenient than that!

-Susan

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According to this article from the LA Times, there has been some serious “RickRolling” going on. Huh? Do what?

Say you’re on your favorite gossip site. You see an ad for the latest on Britney Spears, and you click on it. But instead of shaved heads and child custody, you see a video of this vintage hit. You’ve been RickRolled.

And then to add to that, at recent Anti Scientology protests, kids too young to even know who Rick Astley is played his song in the streets. Bizarre.

So is Rick behind all this? Is he trying to bring his song back from oblivion? Not at all. It’s sort of a practical joke that’s spreading faster than a virus on computers everywhere.

This RickRoll situation is an example of the growing-in-popularity meme. According to Wikipedia, a meme is a unit of cultural information, such as a practice or idea, that gets transmitted verbally or by repeated action from one mind to another. Memes have actually been around for a while. Here are some examples:

* Those annoying commercial jingles you can’t get out of your head and pass on to anyone just to rid yourself of them
* Epic poems passed on verbally
* Nursery rhymes

Now memes are online. Remember my post about Chocolate Rain? That’s a meme. Essentially it’s anything that spreads like wildfire online.

So is it marketing? Interestingly enough, most of these aren’t promoting a brand or company (deliberately). In the example of Taye Zonday, singer extraordinaire, he became a celebrity as a result of his viral campaign. So if anything, memes give the average Joe the opportunity to have a second of fame.

-Susan

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Hearing he’s offering a free conference is like finding a $100 bill on the ground. Bonus! So take advantage of this opportunity to learn from the master.

Here are the details of the upcoming call. He’ll be speaking on his most recent book, Meatball Sundae, so get a copy before the call.

Is the New Marketing stuff working for you? Are you mixing your meatball business with your marketing sundae?

Seth Godin, marketing guru & bestselling author has the answer for you. In his new book Meatball Sundae, the definitive guide to the fourteen trends no marketer can afford to ignore. Seth explains what to do about the increasing power of stories, not facts; about shorter and shorter attention spans; and about the new math that says five thousand people who want to hear your message are more valuable than five million who don’t. Seth doesn’t pretend that it’s easy to get your products, marketing messages, and internal systems in sync. But he’ll convince you that it’s worth the effort.

Ignore it at your own risk and peril. You will be left behind or end up with a “meatball sundae” – a big, ineffective mess. By the end of an hour, Godin will have us looking at the world we live in very differently – the new rules create new winners (and losers) and there’s no time to waste.

When: April 9th 12:00 – 1:00 p.m (Pacific Time)
What: Conference Call with Seth Godin (Call details will be provided after you sign up)
Sign Up Here -> http://meatball-bo.eventbrite.com/

Join this conference call on and learn directly from Seth Godin himself!

The Fine Print:

• Participants must purchase a copy of Meatball Sundae in order to register for this conference call. If you are already a meatball fan, great! We will ask you a simple question when you register.
• If you are new to Meatball, that’s fine too! We will let you buy the book and send you the call detail and the book.

-Susan

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Videos and Your Business
So, how can you take advantage of this burgeoning platform? Keep in mind well over 100 million videos are viewed each day, so as a marketing platform, you can’t hope to reach a larger audience.

• Product demonstration. CBS’ demo of the iPhone from last year generated over 8 million hits.

• Commercials. If you’ve put in the money to develop a commercial, get the most out of it by posting it on YouTube like Wendy’s did.

• Promote events. Alex Mandossian posts his teleseminars on YouTube and promotes them there as well.

• Free information. Establish yourself as an expert, the way Expert Village does with their series of home improvement videos.

Here is a video I posted for my client, BackDrop™ Headboard. Within hours of posting, the company had a request to buy the headboard.

-Susan

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1. Do you think Digging refers to making a hole in the ground?
2. Does the term “social networking” bring to mind wine tasting events at the country club?
3. When you want to talk to someone, do you call them rather than IM or email them?
4. Does a blog sound like something unpleasant you wouldn’t want to step in?
5. Do you still use a paper phone book?
6. If you miss a tv show, do you just give it up for a show you’ll never watch?
7. Do you think YouTube is something your daughter should not wear on a date?
8. When people talk about MySpace, do you tell them you like Your Space too?
9. Do you think Search Engine Optimization is only for train engineers?
10. Does viral marketing sound like something you don’t want to catch?

If you answered yes to these questions, here are some resources that will bring you up to speed on the wonders that are available to you online!

Going Viral
The New Rules of Marketing
Sample Social Media Toolkit
Web 2.0 vs. 3.0

-Susan

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Chick-fil-A is sponsoring a contest, its “Biggest Fan Video Contest.” Entrants make a video one minute long showing why they’re the restaurant chain’s biggest fan. They upload the video to Chick-fil-A’s website and viewers vote.

Let’s see if you’ve been paying attention on this blog. Why is this a great use of Web 2.0 for marketing?

–It’s interactive. Anyone who is a fan of Chick-fil-A (or anyone who’s just creative and has a little time on their hands to make a video) can participate. Rather than just dropping an entry form in a box, the participants are, well, participating.
–It’s affordable. Even though Chick-fil-A could probably afford to spend quite a bit on advertising, it chose to go this route, unveiling a whole slew of chicken fans (who knew they existed).
–It puts the customers in control. Giving power to consumers creates a stronger brand, and Chik-Fil-A understands that.

But most of all, this contest is fun! Who can resist those cows? Now go eat some chicken!

-Susan
For even more on interactive marketing, read David Meerman Scott’s The New Rules of Marketing and PR: How to Use News Releases, Blogs, Podcasting, Viral Marketing and Online Media to Reach Buyers Directly.
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Extra points to Buckley’s because their U.S. site links to their well-designed MySpace page, and they’re having a contest for viewers to upload photos that show how awful Buckley’s tastes. They not only manage to make fun of themselves but they also understand the power of Marketing 2.0!

* Then there’s Old Spice. The deodorant that shames you into being a man! Again, the premise is light and funny. Just the thing to stay in the minds of consumers.


If your company has been taking itself too serious lately, rethink how you can promote yourself and get a smile out of potential consumers!
-Susan
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I am a fan of the show, “The Office.” One day at the end of a recent episode, there was a commercial with a website on the screen: www.dundermifflininfinity.com. Curious, I checked it out. The site is set up as a complement to the television show: it’s your chance to become an “employee” of Dunder Mifflin, the setting of the sitcom. You can apply for a job and complete tasks in exchange for Schrute Bucks, the website’s form of currency. It’s basically an amusing timewaster, but one that keeps you tied to the t.v. show.

Television stations realize that they’re losing out to the internet. The smart stations are figuring out ways to link television and the internet. A few years ago, it wouldn’t seem possible, but now I can watch any shows I didn’t DVR on the internet. With minimal commercial interruptions.

Magazine advertisers too are joining Marketing 2.0 with interactive features. Gone are the days of filling out a postcard to win the latest lipstick from your favorite fashion magazine. Now mags like Redbook send you to their website to register for sweepstakes (and oh yea, they get your contact info in the process). Magazines also offer blogs, quizzes and forums to better capture the online market share in their industry. Cosmo has even launched its mobile magazine site, M.cosmopolitan.com.

No matter what industry you’re in, there are ways to engage your audience. Think of how your readers can better interact with your brand or product, through your website, blog, or mobile site.
-Susan
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Brent Leary wrote a great article on Small Business Trends about why small businesses aren’t all about Web 2.0. His reasons are likely pretty accurate:

1. Silly names (blog, wiki, podcast) turn people off.
2. Silly names make people think Web 2.0 is for kids.
3. Since not a lot of big companies are into Web 2.0, small businesses don’t want to dip their toes in yet.

I understand change is hard. I understand that people are afraid of the risks involved in changing directions. But Web 2.0 and Marketing 2.0 are so harmless. Those of you wallflowers should know it’s like ripping off a bandaid. You make it a bigger deal than it is. You’ll never get that yacht you always wanted if you don’t look into how to market your company more effectively.

Here are my reasons to add to Brent’s list of feeble excuses. Which one is yours?

1. Because you (as the CEO) don’t understand the technology, you assume it’s worthless.

Let me address this. I understand that for many people, technology does not come naturally. My generation was on the fence: I learned to type on a (gasp) typewriter. But even if you have no inclination to delve into the world of blogs and wikis, don’t fear what they can do for your company. Hire a competent marketing individual who can explore the wide world of Web 2.0 and report back to you. You can even cover your ears for all the parts except “this is really going to increase sales!”

2. You assume anything new is going to be costly.

Wrong again. Marketing 2.0 is so much more affordable than what you’re doing now. That print ad that costs you $10,000 a year and generates $100 in sales? Worthless. You could advertise online for a fraction of that cost and get a much better ROI. If you want to save money (and I assume you do), Marketing 2.0 is worth exploring.

3. You don’t know where to look for information.

Hey, try the internet! You’re reading my blog, so that’s a great place to start. Here are some other good resources to teach you all you need to know about Marketing and Web 2.0.

* Wikipedia: any definition you want to look up, you can find here.
* Seth Godin has a great marketing website
* Duct Tape Marketing
* searching for Web 2.0 on Google will give you more results than you can ever get through

Make it your New Year’s resolution to start using Marketing 2.0!
-Susan
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Many people who are just getting into Marketing 2.0 assume if there’s an internet-based tool available for marketing, they should use it. Not always the case. When it comes to social networking (Facebook, Myspace, Friendster), it’s not always the best use of your time when it comes to marketing (and it can be pretty time-consuming). I myself wasted a lot of time setting up a Myspace account for Egg Marketing only to find that the few people that were interested in our services really couldn’t afford them. It’s important to know the demographic of these networking sites (the highest percentage being teens) before determining whether they’ll be useful in your marketing efforts.

I just read this article, Engaging Consumers in the Virtual Neighborhood, by Robert Passikoff, Ph.D. It had some pretty good points I’d like to summarize and expand on.

1. Don’t join these sites just because you can and because everyone else is doing it. Really developing a presence on any one of these sites is labor intensive, so have a purpose for doing so.

2. Most of these sites aren’t business-oriented (teens could care less about your paper company) so don’t be intrusive with your product mention. Find a way to work it in.

3. Just like anywhere else, your brand needs to represent something important to the consumer.

4. Creating an emotional connection with your audience, as usual, is important. If your target market frequents Myspace, make them want to be your “friend.”

5. There should be a logical connection between the viral marketing you’re doing and your brand. If you sell typewriters, social networking (on computers) won’t make sense.

6. Many companies offer incentives for people who join their social network. Think twice about this. Will that bring loyal customers or kids who just want a free ring tone?

Carefully consider whether your ideal customer would want to be reached through social networking. For business-to-business companies, these are probably the least effective tools you’ll find (LinkedIn would be more up your alley). But if you sell Hello Kitty shirts or music, by all means, explore the magical world of social network marketing!
-Susan
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Everyone markets their brand, including Presidential candidates. Whereas in the past, candidates have relied heavily upon volunteers to create a grassroots movement through door-to-door and telephone marketing, the 2008 election has added internet technology and Marketing 2.0 to its repertoire.

Hillary Clinton, for example, has figured out how cleverly created YouTube videos have garnered attention from the younger generation, the ones with the most voting potential. Her Sopranos spoof was viewed over 250,000 times. She got outside of the box of the traditional, stiff campaign format, and braved something new. She’s already won many supporters with her campaign, which includes a Web 2.0, user-friendly website, blog included.


Barack Obama, too, understands the value in reaching the technologically savvy demographic. His donation campaign was conducted in part via email. Rather than a contributor sending $20 and never hearing back, the campaign managers cleverly set up a system that allowed people donations to be matched by other donors. Each donor could contact one another and write why they supported Barack. Again, note the interactive character never seen before.

CNN rode the Marketing 2.0 wave by presenting the presidential candidate debates on Youtube. Now they’re available 24/7, and can be replayed and shared with anyone. You don’t get much more accessible than that.

But the techniques don’t stop at YouTube. Candidates have posted profiles on MySpace, Facebook, and Flickr, allowing virtually anyone to claim them as “friends.” MySpace has announced that it will hold its own Primary in January, a true political first. And supporters of each candidate are helping out by posting their own blogs and forums on the fine qualities of their favorite contender. Want to help, but don’t want to go door-to-door? Start a blog, a newsletter, anything that helps your candidate reach more voters.

Will technology make a difference in the results? Or will we just buzz about it up until the election, sending amusing videos to our contacts, only to remain holed up on Election Day? We’ll see next November.
-Susan
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Happy Blog Action Day!

What’s Blog Action Day, you ask? It’s a day (today) designated for bloggers to blog on issues that pertain to the environment. My contribution to the festivities is to discuss “green marketing.”

Green is hot right now. It’s, ironically, what fur coats were 20 years ago. Everyone wants to be green, eat green, and wear green. But what is green? The definition varies, but usually it’s one or more of the following:

Companies do everything they can to let consumers know their products are green (and if they can raise the price tag a little too, so much the better for them).

Car companies, naturally, are having to jump on the greenwagon quickly in order to compensate for rising gas prices and growing frustration with gas guzzling SUVs.

But car companies aren’t the only ones striving to present an earth-friendly face. Office Depot offers a catalog of environmentally friendly office products, as well as resources for recycling. Hotels like Hilton are working with guests to reduce the water consumed by washing laundry less frequently and are offering eco-friendly sheets and products.

So what does green marketing achieve? For its demographic, the upper middle class who can afford to spend a little bit more to help the earth effective green marketing creates that warm fuzzy feeling that makes us feel like the company advertising cares about the environment. Whether they do or not, they are taking advantage of a huge market (and saving the planet, so who cares what their motivation is). Good green marketing makes us buy green, and there’s everything right with that.

My opinion? I hope we can shift to a place where there is nothing but green. Until then, kudos to those forerunners and early adopters. Maybe China with its lead paint toys will get the hint and join us.

-Susan
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http://youtube.com/watch?v=5hkGJ2OjsSg

You’re probably feeling that warm feeling of nostalgia right now. That means those advertisers did a great job, if you’re still singing those songs 20 years later. So what does it take to create a truly classic ad campaign?

-Susan

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This is a shame, because their competitors are indeed moving into this technolosphere. Ironically, it seems that consumers or end users are more embracing of social media and technology when used in marketing than businesses are. Here are some reasons I believe businesses are afraid to adopt new technology in their marketing efforts.

1. Businesses think starting a blog or podcast is harder than it really is. Without real understanding, no decision maker ever wants to take on integration or implementation of a new technology.

2. Executives don’t have time to learn the technology. If they don’t understand it, they won’t advocate it.

3. No one knows whose role it is to implement a blog or podcast. Is it the IT manager’s job? Marketing? Secretary?

4. The benefits aren’t apparent. If it doesn’t net new sales right now, many businesses can’t see the big picture.

So how do you help your business overcome these obstacles and join the growing number of companies who are already using Marketing 2.0?

-Susan
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