Tagged digital marketing

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April 17, 2011
By Simren Deogun
No comment
in Digital, Strategy

Learning to Listen to our Teenage Digital Friends

I was reading an article in the latest issue of Strategy yesterday about how social media has exponentially sped up the distribution of information and the ability for us to connect with one another.

Yes, at this point, to us marketers, this is common knowledge. But the perspective of this article focused on the youth market -- namely teenagers, aged 15-19.

They are the first generation to not know of a world without the Internet or without social media. How SCARY is that?!

68% of the teens surveyed use social networks regularly throughout the week, 48%, email and 46%, SMS. If they're not passing each other in the hall or sitting with one another in class, they are behind a screen.

And that screen is predominantly owned by Facebook.

But do they really care about connecting with or 'liking' brands? No, at least not according to the new research presented by DECODE and Strategy.

These teens carry an unusual skepticism on their shoulders when it comes to their online interactions. For them, liking a brand does not mean friendship, because they're not on Facebook to interact with brands! They don't trust them and don't feel advertising and Facebook make sense.

I love these teens! So much more honest and smarter than I could've anticipated. They see quite easily through the smoke and mirrors. Unwilling to 'like' for the sake of 'liking', but are more likely to be motivated to do so when the relationship is mutually beneficial and sincere.

So, the next time you're thinking about taking to Facebook to advertise, why not ask yourself what the teenagers (who've grown up in this digital world) would say? Are you being sincere? Are you really offering something of value? Do you honestly plan on being there day-in and day-out?

They're not liking for the sake of it, so please don't advertise for that reason either.

March 29, 2011
By Simren Deogun
No comment
in Lessons Learned

Your Blog Needs Help

So does mine. I think all of ours do.

Why? Because in this digital world, if you're not current, you're nothing.

These are harsh words. But I'm going for high impact on this one.

We can talk blog strategy and planning and execution, but ultimately what pumps blood into the veins of your blog is you.

I've designed and am still coding yet another version of this very blog. I hope to launch it soon. But a one-woman army, I cannot always be.

Same goes for all bloggers. Doing it on your own, though valiant and admirable, is not smart marketing.

I started this blog at the height of the recession (as my readers may know), when I lost my job to a tough economy and then faced even tougher competition in the job market. As an organic progression, I began to be intrigued by the world of digital marketing.

What I've learned though, that I truly wish to share, is the importance of connectivity. Please don't take that as a buzzword. It isn't.

I've decided that grasping at the straws which are essentially the people (or marketing heads) I think I should know or be connected with is often not worth the time. I've begun instead fostering a smaller, highly connected community that surrounds me.

In work. In play. In friendship. Everywhere I am, they are. And, as such, we share common interests and goals that can be leveraged and actualized.

Sounds cheesy? Sort of the point. Being completely willing to surrender yourself to the written word is a beautiful thing and that's part of what I'm achieving here. I distill my learnings for YOU, and me!

Tell me about your blog. What do you write about? What have you learned?

February 14, 2010
By Simren Deogun
1 Comment
in News

The Twitter Experiment | SimrenDeogun

It's no secret that I haven't been a fan of Twitter in the past, just read this if you want to know why I haven't been using it.

I've called it a fad, a distraction, and an unworthy investment of my time. But, I can admit that I have said all this without giving it a fair shot. This blog just celebrated its one year anniversary and this post is number 100! A couple of really great milestones and also a really great opportunity to try and prove myself wrong.

So, I've joined Twitter (again!). Though the first time was an indubitable failure!

Why I've Taken the Twitter Dive
When I first encountered Twitter, about a year and a half ago, its promise as a professional and marketing tool was as yet undiscovered. Even today, businesses are confused and distraught over how to use Twitter effectively, how to measure ROI, and how to engage in social networking as a whole.

Reality dictates though that businesses (and marketers like myself) can no longer ignore the growing prevalence of social media, including Twitter, despite how fleeting its impact.

Here enters The Twitter Experiment. Join. Start Tweeting. Integrate Twitter across my blog, LinkedIn, Google Buzz, and also a dash of Facebook. And let us see if I can validate Twitter as a tool for professional networking, knowledge sharing and brand building.

This blog has already received its necessary facelift to accommodate this exciting new foray into the twittering world and I hope you'll join in.

Measuring the Success of "SimrenDeogun"
Joining and tweeting is the easy part. But a large part of this experiment will be proving that measuring the success of my Twitter account is also easy.

The commonly shared perception is that Twitter (and other related social media outlets) are difficult to measure. We can't track progress. We don't know how to integrate it into the funnel. We don't understand how to measure key factors such as ROI and ROE.

I don't have the answers. YET. But I will. And to help, I've chosen the following (recommended) third-party applications to measure and analyze the perceived success of #SimrenDeogun:

Twinfluence
Twitalyzer
Trendistic
TweetEffect
HootSuite

With time, I also hope to write reviews that offer insight into these and other tools to assist you in your social media efforts.

The Timeline
I've set a preliminary timeline of cornerstone points of measurement beginning with the 1 month mark followed by 3 months and then 6 months. At each point, I will analyze, with the aid of the above tools and my own marketing knowledge, how Twitter has developed, grown, and proven either beneficial or detrimental.

As I learn more about Twitter and its usage patterns, these timelines will surely change. However, at the core of this experiment is to provide quantitative and qualitative data on how Twitter can be used as a part of marketing, to build my personal brand and to enhance the following of this blog.

Follow Me
So, are you following me yet?
Please do.
I won't take no for an answer!
But, I will return the favour.

May 10, 2009
By Simren Deogun
2 Comments
in Digital

eMarketing Series :: The Email Blast

In part two of my eMarketing Series, I will explore the ever-expanding intricacies of email blasts. Missed part one, read about websites here.

Functions of an E-Blast

The e-blast can be manifested in a plethora of forms:

Generic – General information- or news-based email sent to an approved group of email addresses
E-newsletter – Company and/or product email sent to a group of subscribed individuals at regular and consistent intervals, often monthly
Event-Based – Used often in the form of an e-vite for the purpose of marketing an event, conference, tradeshow etc. to prospective attendees within the relative industry
E-commerce – A product centric email (often retail-based) sent to customers and subscribers featuring sales, new offers and other purchase incentives with which timing can be more sporadic
Campaign – Topic-specific email sent as part of a larger marketing campaign used to advertise a new product or service, an enhancement to an existing product or service or to target prospects/leads

Benefits

Cost-Effective – In comparison to direct mail methods, email sends are much cheaper and can cost as little as $0.01 per email. Even with the usage of specialized email blast applications, where price is subscription-based or per email, the Return on Investment (ROI) is perceived as much higher due to the following benefits, particularly measurement.
Breadth – Large group of people can be easily communicated to with little effort.
Depth (Niche Targeting) – Geography, demographics and psychographics are more easily integrated into email segmentation and statistics. Variations can be quickly drafted and sent accordingly with minimal effort thereby facilitating accurate communications within all markets.
Success Measurement & Tracking – The “relative” success of the e-blast can be measured via tracking technology, wherein statistics such as open rates and click thrus are monitored, and can be compared against previous campaigns, industry standards and website analytics.
Website Correlation – As with all aspects of e-marketing, the e-blast heavily links (directly and indirectly) to an organization’s website. The blast can be used to advertise site changes, news, and features as well as increase traffic and enhance word-of-mouth.

Downsides

Email Saturation – Inbox saturation is the foremost downside to email communications. With any given individual receiving numerous personal, professional and external communications daily, it is important to differentiate your emails while bearing in mind that you do not want to be deleted upon receipt or filtered as junk – inherently, there lies a central and intangible asset of marketing: reputability.
Timing – Specific days during the week and time periods on these days are strategically defined as optimal times to email your audience. Different times can work for different organizations but a rule of thumb states that Tuesdays and Thursdays are best, particularly between 11:00am-1:00pm. Test it out and see what works for you
Impersonal – The email has become a standard for communication, particularly within modern nations, and can carry the perception of being impersonal. Addressing the email to the recipient’s name can help curb the sense of detachment but this has also become common practice – now we are forced to innovate new ways to connect with our consumers via this powerful medium.

Don’t forget about the e-blast! If you have something valuable to offer then it’s better to be in target audience's inbox than not at all.

Oh and though I did not discuss design in this section (see websites as part of this series) please do take it seriously. Look and feel are often just as important as content.

Stay tuned as I will be following up with email blast best practices.

Resources

Campaign Monitor -My personal favourite
Vertical Response
Constant Contact
MailChimp
Campaigner

April 28, 2009
By Simren Deogun
1 Comment
in Digital

Follow-Up: Videos, Commercials & Media

Check out Seth Godin's recent post: Making commercials for the web

It seems almost karmic that I came across this post considering my topic of choice yesterday was "Videos & Marketing".

Godin states that,

Because media is free but attention is not (this is flipped from TV world) you need to make a different sort of ad for a different sort of audience.

Media can be free, especially if you follow Godin's formula with YouTube at the centre, but there is also the professional approach, which can mean laying down some big bucks. What I like to focus on is the attention aspect, in that your audience will only stay tuned in for so long.

Godin effectively pinpoints the humbling potential of the Internet and its amazing resources:

The biggest shift is going to be that organizations that could never have afforded a national campaign will suddenly have one. The same way that there's very little correlation between popular websites and big companies, we'll see that the most popular commercials get done by little shops that have nothing to lose.

Like the Printing Press bringing literacy to the masses, the online landscape has perhaps brought marketing to the masses -- or at least viral video advertising.

April 12, 2009
By Simren Deogun
1 Comment
in Digital

eMarketing Series :: The Website

In this current age of digital superpowers, I think it negligent for organizations to steer clear of eMarketing (or digital marketing). Typically defined as the utilization of the internet, and related electronic mediums, for marketing purposes including, but not limited to, communicating a message, targeting a specific segment (often more specific than traditional marketing) and facilitating a consumer-organization dialogue.

The first portion of my e-marketing series examines The Website. This multi-part series will be entirely dedicated to what I believe are the essential aspects that make up the whole of eMarketing.

I like to refer to the website as the Godfather of online, the end all and be all, the first and last segment of your eMarketing circle.

Strategically, eMarketing initiatives should be built upon a solid foundation, and your organizational -- or personal -- website is where you should begin. It is your digital home. Where your brand lives and evolves. Where you live and evolve.

Website Manifestations

Corporate - Designed with the sole purpose of relaying organizational information to the public.

Blog-based - An organizational (or personal) website that centers on a blog format where all news, commentary, multimedia, general and product information are communicated.

eCommerce - Website based on a purchase mechanism for goods and/or services directed by the organization with the possible inclusion of third parties.

These are my BIG 3. Of course, we could also venture into the nitty gritty discussing content management systems, flash and the like but they don't actually count as 'types' of websites in my book but rather what goes on behind the scenes.

The Good

Access - to information, products, services and thought-provoking content. Anyone interested in anything nowadays is more likely to try out Google first than other traditional methods of research (No stats to back this up but we all know its true). Do not be one of the few that cannot be found.

Branding - As with all things that will be parsed out in this series, it often boils down to branding. The message. The look. The intrigue. And so on. Your website should be the first point of entry, and you have complete control. Honesty and creativity are key. Remember your audience and embrace the ability to make changes and evolve online.

Geographic, Demographic & Psychographic - Your audience is now only a few clicks away. That goes both ways. The transaction ends up being mutual. They get to learn about you and IF you are a smart marketer you get to learn about them. i.e. measurable and trackable.

ROI - You can actually track this!

Everybody's Doing It - Think about your competition. Do they have a website? Is it a good website? (The answer to this one may not be as obvious as you think). Regardless, the equation is simple. If 'they' have a website, you should have one. If they don't have a website, you should have one.

The Bad

Saturation - A direct offshoot of "everybody's doing it" since your competition more likely than not does have a website, ergo, your website requires a strategy of its own. Differentiate? Cost-leadership? Focus? Well, you know what I mean...

Originality - Don't be a copycat. And don't forget to create a creative and original online presence. This is certainly most difficult. Outline the purpose of the website. What the audience is looking for and what you'll be giving them. Design. Design. Design.

Header + Sidebar + Content + Footer = Website.

This is true BUT I've never believed that marketing was about standardized mathematics. Take a risk.

Time - Dedicating time and energy to your website is critical to developing and maintaining it as a success. It is not, and should not be, an overnight HTML Quickie -- give it the respect it deserves and it will return the favour.

March 4, 2009
By Simren Deogun
No comment
in Digital, Uncategorized

The Digital Age-less

Almost limitless reach, boundless demographics, diversification, multilingual, multicultural, adaptable, expandable not to mention measurable. These are just a few of the powers of the World Wide Web. So, if this tool is not in your box as a marketer, why not?

I like to refer to it as "The Digital Age-less". It is the age seemingly without bounds, except those we infer upon our ability to constantly make it better. And that pressure certainly exists. With the ever-expanding capacity of the Internet the question arises: what's next?

We are all participating in this age of instant gratification -- information now and delivered directly to you, no less. We capitalize on its speed, effectiveness, and ease of use, never forgetting that its power directly correlates with our own.

But beyond power, the digital world enlivens connectivity, pursuit and creativity. I guess that's why it excites me because of all the possibilities as well as the challenges it presents.

Working past the clutter in an attempt to connect with your audience -- commercial or otherwise -- and ultimately transmitting your message. It is simultaneously the easiest and most difficult thing to achieve. All the tools are available and accessible, many with little cost, and the rest lies within your own hands to successfully and intelligently craft that email, develop that website or monitor those analytics.

Maybe it's because this digital age is my own, one that I have grown up trying to understand and master, that makes it appear limitless and, at times, all-powerful. Or, maybe it's because I am finally on my way to understanding it.

Passion personified.