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Twitter Kills Bruno, Uncle Walter’s Lesson

July 19, 2009

Tags: brand, Burst Marketing, Movies, Twitter, Walter Cronkite
Categories: Advertising, Brand/Reputation, Lead Nurturing, Social Networking, Strategy

It takes a lifetime to build a reputation, but only a minute to destroy it. This axiom is amplified every day in the world of instant communication.

I heard a discussion on NPR last Friday that should cause anyone interested in Social Media to reflect on its use. The maelstrom of information and ‘expert’ opinions out there casts doubt on their voracity, and drives people to seek the opinions of friends and others they trust.

Motion picture promoters spend months and millions carefully crafting their campaigns. They rely on the buzz they generate to translate into good box office results – even if their movie is a bit of a stinker. They hope the receipts are in before word get out.

Enter Twitter.

Today’s hip moviegoer starts tweeting minutes after the opening credits. By the time the movie is over, hundred if not thousands of opinions are scattered about to followers everywhere.

Sorry Sacha. But I guess Bruno stinks. Because business dropped 40% between Friday and Saturday night.

So yeah, properly done, your message will probably get out. Guess it better be a good message.

“That’s the way it is”

I was too young to remember Walter Cronkite in his heyday. At the time of his signature television reports of the JFK assassination, Vietnam, Apollo 11, and Watergate, among others, I wasn’t yet 10.

But that doesn’t prevent me from knowing and understanding his primary legacy – truth, trust, consistency, and character. He wasn’t called “Uncle Walter” or named the most trusted man in America without good reason.

Although those of us in the marketing business are often charged with helping to shape public perception – Walter Cronkite stood for ensuring that the basis of our perceptions was reality.

Posted by: Steve Banis

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A Little Inspiration

April 5, 2009

Tags: Albany marketing, Banis Marketing, Blogs, saratoga marketing, Social Media
Categories: Brand/Reputation, Decision Making, Lead Nurturing, Social Networking, Uncategorized, Websites

There are a number of good reasons to create and maintain a business (or personal brand) blog.

You give readers a chance to get to know what you’re about and provide them a forum for discussing your ideas. Posting regularly (at least once or twice each week) offers search engine spiders the one thing they crave most: new content. So it helps with SEO.

The best blogs try to provide a service to readers. Good information, insights, and tips. That’s what keeps them coming back and builds your credibility.

Blogs also provide an essential service to its creators…it lets them think out loud.

We take in so much information that it’s hard to remember all of the little observations that can turn into big ideas each week. So writing is a chance to noodle through your thoughts, organize them, and pick out a few gems.

Panning for gold

This process goes on all over cyberspace. And readers are the big winners. You can mash up your favorite blogs using your reader. This allows you to decide which “gems” have value to you.

My fellow bloggers are some of the most brilliant and creative people on the Web. I use their ideas in my business and for my clients almost every day.

I’d like to share a few of the best resources I’ve found on the web for marketing ideas and information in hopes that you’ll find a little extra help in these difficult times.

• • • •

(the brief descriptions are by EvanCarmichael in his post last year)

• • • •

Duct Tape Marketing Blog – The award-winning John Jantsch offers his astoundingly practical advice, tips and tricks for small business marketing.

Seth Godin’s Blog – One of the most famous names in the industry, Seth Godin’s blog has long been a favorite for all things small business marketing. As the author of the most popular ebook ever, his blog never fails to give you advice you need.

Marketing Profs – What started as a simple blog by marketing professor Allen Weiss in 2000 has today turned into a fully-staffed venture that provides marketing know-how and offers valuable B2B articles and event information.

Brand Autopsy – How do you conduct a marketing physical for your brand? Check out John Moore’s blog to find out.

Marketing Sherpa – Using case studies, surveys, and other techniques, Marketing Sherpa researches what works – and what doesn’t – in all things marketing. (BMB note: Emarketers and online merchants will find studies by affiliate Marketing Experiments extremely useful)

• • • •

This list is by no means complete. In the future I’ll try to add to it so you can extend your own blog library.

…your comments on the burstmarketingblog are always appreciated.

Posted by: Steve Banis

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It’s Not Free!

March 29, 2009

Categories: Brand/Reputation, Social Networking, Websites

As the recession plods on, weary marketers are casting their eyes on social media as an inexpensive “plug in” to their marketing plans.

Twitter is all the rage. Facebook is adding thousands of fans. LinkedIn and MySpace are like old friends. There are millions of subscribers in them thar servers and marketers are gonna be darn sure they get their share.

Hold on little doggie

It’s true. Social media can be a very effective component of your overall marketing mix. But it’s not a panacea. Think of your social media profiles as a sort of virtual satellite office.

Your “headquarters” is your web site. It’s where you want to drive traffic, show them your wares, make your offers, capture their attention, and add them to your community.

The personal profiles and groups you create on places like Facebook are a distribution channel for your content that propagates from your website and related items like your blogs.

Direct marketing begins with the identification and location of your target audience. You want to deliver your message wherever they hang out, play, live, and work. Many of them are now on social media sites. That’s the reason you want to be there – because they are.

Be a good host

Of course, once your “satellite office” is open, you’ll need to “hang out a sign” and tell people you’re there. Invite them over. Serve some drinks. That’s where the real hard work comes in.

Just like on-site SEO, it takes hours and hours of tedious and focused work to make your social media effort successful in the long term. And like in real life, you need to network your way in with the cool people (at least those that are perceived as cool by your targets). Be seen in other popular groups. Participate in discussions. Show your personality. And again, invite people over.

Now do that day after day. Week after week. Month after month.

Leverage your customers, your prospect email lists, and other communities you’re involved in. Invite them to your groups.

And always have something for group members to do. Play a game. Watch a video. Go to an event.

A good host always has a plate of cookies out on the table for guests.

Social media works. It may seem less expensive on the surface than other forms of marketing communications.

But it sure ain’t cheap.

Posted by: Steve Banis

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Is the Little Guy Always Wrong?

February 22, 2009

Categories: Ad/Marketing Agencies, Advertising, Social Networking

Back in my days of running an investment firm, I practiced a well regarded approach to investing. The Contrarian approach holds that when the masses start chasing something down, it’s time for the professionals to move onto something else.

Basically, professional investors think that when the little guy has caught on – the big opportunity is over.

That brings me to the hot topic of social media marketing.

The time for the easy money is over.

But that won’t stop many advertising agencies and social media ‘experts’ from trying to cash in on the enthusiasm of the masses.

Here’s what tells me that the “go-go” days of social media are over-

This past week, my partner Laurie attended a panel discussion here in the Albany area with 3 marketing hot shots talking about social media. That was just one of at least 5 different events on the topic scheduled for the the greater Capital Region in the next 30 days.

The topic is hot as a pistol on Marketingprofs and MarketingSherpa as well. Local chambers and economic development groups are allowing some marketing insiders to get on their social media soapboxes as well.

As they used to say, “everybody’s doin’ it.”

Social media isn’t free

So should you think the social media trend is flaming out? Well…yes and no.

While Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube, Stumbleupon, Squidoo, and hundreds more social sites are adding thousands of new members a month – only a few marketers will tell you the truth.

It takes tenaciousness, dedication, ingenuity, and an interesting point of view to make a mark in social media.

Most people are coming to seriously consider social media as a marketing tool because of two main reasons:

They’ve heard about it for some time from their ‘cool’ marketing friends and now they want to do it too
They’re hard pressed to find cheaper ways to market and many think social media is free

The first reason reminds me of my mother asking me if I’d jump off the Brooklyn Bridge if everyone else was ‘doin it.’ The second reason is total bull.

For social media to work, it needs to be a part of a broader integrated marketing program. You’ll need to feed it with content, content, and more content. Interesting content. Useful content. Provocative content. By the way, it’s the same with blogs – the last trend everyone had to do.

Now the web is littered with abandoned blogs. Soon it’ll be littered with abandoned social net pages and bookmarks as part of a program that some advertising agency or marketing firm sold you.

Marketing is hard work. It doesn’t have to cost a fortune, but it doesn’t follow the “Field of Dreams” strategy either – “if you build it, they will come.”

No they won’t.

Begin with a purpose for your social media effort. Find traditional as well as unconventional ways to get the word out about your page. I’ve seen many use Ebay, Craigslist, and the local coffee shop to gather followers. You’ll need to become a part of the culture. by commenting on others’ blogs and posting on others’ walls.

Bottom line – the little people have caught on. Now the real work begins.

Posted by: Steve Banis

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A Break In The Action

February 1, 2009

Categories: Ad/Marketing Agencies, Advertising, Brand/Reputation, Marketing Budget, Marketing ROI, Social Networking, Strategy, Websites

This week we take a break from heavy strategic talk to celebrate an unofficial national holiday – the Super Bowl. Annually the highest rated single television broadcast in the U.S., the Super Bowl is expected to draw 130 million viewers in America and nearly 1 Billion in 234 countries worldwide. (see Voice of America article)

For those of us in the marketing business, the Super Bowl is more than the game on the field and the halftime show. It’s about the strategic decision to spend $3 million for a 30 second ad and how to make it pay off (although the economy has forced some last minute discounting by the network).

Since you’ll be thinking about advertising during the game (at least some of the time), here are the 3 biggest lessons to remember:

Don’t Hide - the economy makes it even more important to communicate
Get Permission – because so many people watch for the ads, they’re basically giving you permission to sell to them.
Integrate – use different tactics to get more bang for your buck. Smart Super Bowl advertisers make every attempt to integrate Internet and social networking tactics, along with advance PR and direct marketing.

I typically root for the underdog. Phoenix in this case. To me, it’s like helping a smaller business beat the big guys. I like winning smart.

Speaking of smart, here’s Mary Ann Rogers’ take on the big game and the need to keep your message out in front. (Steelers 27 Cards 20; My heart’s with the Cards but my head knows better. Now if the Cards had a running game…)

The Super Bowl is here

People everywhere are stocking their fridges with an endless supply of beer, chips and deep-fried goodies.

And since I have no personal affiliation with either of the teams playing in Sunday’s game, I will resign myself to watching the next best thing – the Super Bowl commercials!

Taking into account the current economic state and the fact that a thirty second spot costs a whopping $3 million, can we expect this year’s commercials to be as effective as in years past?

In previous blog postings, Banis Marketing has advised area businesses not to run for cover during a recession, but rather market smarter and more efficiently. And from the looks of a recent CNN.com article, several big-name NFL sponsors like Anheuser-Busch, Audi, Bridgestone, FritoLay and GE are doing just that. (Click here for more.)

It’s Worked Before

Anheuser-Busch, famous for their Clydesdales and talking bullfrogs, has been a cornerstone of Super Bowl advertising for years, winning the top spot in USA Today’s “Ad Meter” for the last decade. This year the brewer has recruited comedic star Conan O’Brian and purchased an additional 30 seconds of air time, ramping up their total commercial time to four and a half minutes.

Anheuser-Bush chief creative officer Bob Lachky said, “We’re trying to reassure the viewer, and our consumer, that we’re here and we’re strong and we’re never changing.” (Click here for more.)

That’s exactly the right message to send in this economy. Remind your target audiences that you’re relevant and reliable.

“What makes the Super Bowl unique is that this is the one time every year where, instead of complaining about advertising, we celebrate advertising,” said Peter Blackshaw, chief marketing officer for Nielsen Buzz Metrics. “You can’t really beat the reach.”

But not everyone is embracing this idea of recessional-style marketing. Past Super Bowl advertisers FedEx and General Motors will not be running ads in this year’s game. Blaming the economy and “bad timing,” these two giants aren’t willing to pay the hefty price tag for ad space.

“As a country, we are in unprecedented economic waters,” said Steve Pacheco, managing director of advertising at FedEx. “A Super Bowl ad buy is not where we should put dollars at this time although, in the past, the value of doing so for FedEx has been indisputable.”

While most Capital Region businesses won’t be running ads in the Super Bowl, the need to out in front of your target audiences is still the same.

So if anyone gives you a hard time for paying too much attention to the Super Bowl commercials on Sunday, just tell them its market research.

Posted by: Steve Banis and Mary Ann Rogers

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Obama Therapy

January 25, 2009

Categories: Brand/Reputation, Customer Focus, Management, Marketing Message, Social Networking

The endless drone of monumentally bad news and unfathomable events has left so many Americans, no, citizens of the entire world, numb. It seems as if 2 or 3 billion people are suffering from a form of PTSD – except the trauma goes on.

I don’t think its a far stretch to say that the population in general has reached a state of clinical depression. An erosion of hope will do that to you.

That brings us to Barack Obama.

It doesn’t really matter what side of the political spectrum you’re on. There’s no denying the election of and inauguration this week of Barack Obama has had a therapeutic effect here at home and around the world – even if its temporary

That’s because the restoration of hope makes people feel better.

For a brief moment, we witnessed nearly all Republicans and Democrats put aside their rooting interests to soak it all in. Sure bluebirds and butterflies aren’t flying around as world peace breaks out.

But did you notice the faces of the throng on the Mall?

Did you see the faces of people as they celebrated President Obama’s inauguration in dozens of countries around the world?

Did you hear the the words of worldwide political leaders - those we perceive as both friends and foes – as they optimistically, some cautiously, welcomed a new beginning to their relationship with the United States? (Except of course the most extreme nations.)

I’m not talking politics here, I’m talking human nature.

Sayings like “no man/woman is an island” and “you get more bees with honey than you do with vinegar” have their roots in effective communication and relationship building.

The world has immense challenges to face down. Frankly, we all have immense challenges to face down, don’t we? And in the business context – your customers have immense challenges to face and obligations to meet. They’re suffering from PTSD too. They need therapy. They need hope.

Take a lesson from the symbolism offered by the Obama inauguration. Offer leadership and hope to your customers, staff, and all those in your business community. Don’t sugarcoat things though. People know a phony when they see one and it’ll only piss them off.

Rather, tell it like it is and then share your vision and a real plan of action. Ask for their help.

Then watch their faces light up.

Here’s a simple 5-step plan for your customers and your team:

Tell them “We’re strong now – and you’re the reason we are.”
Follow with “Nobody can stay strong forever in an economy like this without help.”
Share a vision and a basic plan for how they can help.
Ask to talk to them about their ideas.
Listen. Really listen. Then Act.

Posted by: Steve Banis

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2009: A Roadside View

December 28, 2008

Categories: Business Development, Courage, Decision Making, Management, Marketing ROI, Social Networking, Strategy

I’ve always considered this upcoming week to be like one of those roadway scenic turnouts. You pull over to stop and check out the view. Only this year, we don’t know what’s around the next curve. Be aware, it’s under construction.

Many find this last week of the year a good time to reflect and look forward. Top 10 lists are everywhere. People like lists.

Well here’s a list for you right now – the top trends of 2008. It’s a list of one:

1. Permanent Change

What’s going on in our lives and our country is no short term phenomenon. Its here and its permanent. The economy will recover, but not in the way we’ve become accustomed. There are numerous reasons for this. Among them are mounting debt, the evaporation of economic bedrocks, and a true ‘new world order.’

Sometimes it feels as if it’s all come on at once. But of course this change has been coming for some time.

It doesn’t have to be painful.

I strongly believe this nationwide transition can be a good thing. A VERY good thing. America has been and remains the land of opportunity; historically fueled by creativity, initiative, and guts. Here we have an opportunity that comes along only once every lifetime. A chance to reinvent ourselves and create a new course to prosperity.

And from my perspective, one of the key trends I see playing a big role in our new prosperity will accelerate in 2009 – the development of national and local community.

Look for signs of increased collaboration, more productive online social networks, and a focus on ‘psychic compensation’ as signs of new economic and social realities.

-> [You can read more about these trends in the full article]

From a marketing service perspective, strategists and creatives will be forced to stretch further than ever. We’ll need to use our skills and imagination to directly help produce sales – and for less cost. Forget pretty pictures and cool animated graphics – make the phone ring.

We’ve got a week ahead to help us catch our breath. Take in the scenery of the past year and imagine what it’ll look like in the years ahead.

We all have a major transition coming on. Don’t fight the trends. Make the most of them and you’ll enjoy the view.

Posted by: Steve Banis

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Why choose us?

Get In Touch

“Thou shalt never stop producing new content.”

“That’s the way it is”

‘it’s not how you say it, it’s what you say.’

Panning for gold

Hold on little doggie

Be a good host

Here’s what tells me that the “go-go” days of social media are over-

Social media isn’t free

The Super Bowl is here

It’s Worked Before

That’s because the restoration of hope makes people feel better.

I’m not talking politics here, I’m talking human nature.

1. Permanent Change