Month: August 2019

Steps To Sell Your Boss On Social Media Marketing

Marketing blogger

With words like tweet, blog and unfriend entering our standard lexicon, theres no question that social networking has a significant place on our contemporary culture. And its no surprise that many companies have been using social media to connect and communicate with their customers online.

But the benefits of social networking arent always immediately apparent to some. And that is especially true for businesses who are interested in having a lot of control over their brand name and brand image. Convincing some that every business has something to gain from social media marketing can be difficult. It can be hard to see how social media marketing can result in a positive return on investment (ROI).

When it comes to convincing your boss or colleagues to invest in social media, it helps to have a plan. Here the seven steps you can take when it comes to selling social media marketing to your boss or company.

1. Explain how social media is an unbeatable research tool. When a company is effectively tapped into the social media landscape, they get to hear a lot of chatter that they wouldnt hear otherwise. Those engaged in social media marketing campaigns will be able to monitor channels for any mention of their company, competitors, industry, clients and potential clients. Setting up a social media marketing listening campaign lets a company know who is participating and what is happening.

Thanks to tools and services like Quantcast, Alexa and TweetMeme, it is now easier than ever to track and measure what people are talking about online. This information is invaluable for developing future marketing strategies, both online and offline.

2. Match the benefits of social media marketing with your companys goals. Whether your company or your client is a service provider, a business to business specialist or a business to consumer retailer, theres a social media marketing strategy for them. But in order to convince others of social media marketings benefits, you have to be aware of the companys goals. Do they want to enhance their customer service operations? To they want to reduce costs? Do they want to manage their reputation? Social media marketing can do a lot to help achieve all those goals. When you know what your boss or company wants, you can show how social media marketing will help them achieve it.

3. Start small. Even if theyre not bullish on social media marketing, your boss or others at your company are probably aware of the range of social media applications and services that are out there. They may think that launching a social media marketing campaign will be a huge undertaking, one that will require many work hours just to set everything up.

But thats not necessarily true. A social media marketing campaign doesnt have to include a setting up a Facebook Fan Page, a Twitter account, a blog and a YouTube channel. In fact, its often easier to start small. Figure out which service will best match the stated goals of your boss or your company. It may be something as simple as registering a Twitter account and starting to engage people via tweets. Starting small requires little time and less cost. But the results can become apparent quickly. You can even begin to measure such results with a tracking service like Quantcast.

4. Set up a strategy and follow it. A social media marketing campaign can appear strange and different, even to people who have plenty of marketing experience. If you dont have a clear strategy for implementation and execution, reactions to your plan will be understandably skeptical to your social media marketing strategy. Take time to explain each step of the plan, describe why its being done and how it will benefit the company.

5. Look for examples of social media marketing success. Lots of businesses, large and small, well-known and unknown, have been able to already achieve a lot with social media marketing. From Charles Schwab to FujiFilm to Goodwill, there are countless examples of companies who have been able to successfully use social media to achieve their corporate goals. Find them and broadcast the results.

6. Anticipate Questions. Its natural for people to be skeptical of new things and new ideas. While you may be well aware of the benefits of social media marketing, keep in mind that resistance may simply be the result of some people being overly cautions. Thats why its important to anticipate any and all questions or objections someone may raise. Find good case studies and other examples of social media marketing successes. Have these on hand to use as examples. Here are some common questions that skeptical bosses may have about social media marketing:

Our customers arent online. This line of reasoning is being used less and less, but some companies may still think this is true. The truth is, at the cusp of the 2010s, nearly everyone is online. Online activity isnt restricted to any gender, income level, education level, or location. There are countless surveys to prove this. One of the largest survey groups, the Pew Research Center, frequently provides data for online use, broken down by several categories.
What if someone writes something bad? This is a common fear among those resistant to social media marketing. But studies show that when companies engage with customer complaints and criticisms, they end up looking better than before. Mention that people will likely complain whether youre engaged in social media or not. Its better for nearly every brand to appear involved with its customers. Even the angry ones.
Its too time-consuming. After setting up social media marketing accounts on networks like Facebook and Twitter, the actual maintenance doesnt take that much time at all. You can spread social media marketing efforts among the staff, or you can task a single person to handle it. Either way, social media marketing doesnt require countless work hours. Create a timeline showing the typical amount of time one will spend on social media every week to help prove this point.

7. Make your case. Prepare a short, punchy presentation that hits on all the above topics. Give your boss or colleagues plenty of time to ask questions. Think about your boss or colleagues personal preferences and consider how you can best sell your social media marketing idea. And remember that there may be some things you dont know. Social media marketing is still relatively new, and that means that there are still many unanswered questions out there. Be honest about what you dont know, but make sure to point out all possible benefits to social media marketing.

Social media marketing is an exciting new medium that companies can use to achieve just about any business goal. By convincing your colleagues or your boss of the effectiveness of social media marketing, youll be on your way to discovering the enthralling, challenging and rewarding new world of social media marketing.

Effective Marketing is About Loving Your Customers

Marketing blogger

Quality means doing it right when no one is looking. ~Henry Ford

Do you cut corners in your products and services? Or do you make the honest effort to do it right even when no one is looking? You cant expect perfection as that is an impossible goal for the imperfect people we are. The question is simply if you have done your best. Do you do the job right even if your customer or client may never know the difference?

Marketing with Integrity is about loving your customer. Develop a relationship with them. Advise them. Help them. Offer them products and services which will help them. Protect them from those who would take advantage of them. It isnt about being the cheapest in the market, although you could make that your unique selling position.

It is really caring about the results your customers get from your products. If good service and quality require higher prices, then youll have to charge higher prices. Base your business on really helping solve your customers problems.

That shouldnt just be a buzz phrase. Make it the truth to you and your business.

Employ educational selling. Tell your customers the whole story if necessary. Give them reasons why they should buy from you. Promote the benefits of your product or service. Have ads which tell a story of how your product has helped other customers and clients. Just make sure it is a true story!

Being honest doesnt mean being boring.

It also doesnt mean being bland. You can still have exciting benefit rich ad copy and true stories to sell you products. You have to use good salesmanship to bring in buyers. Just dont use salesmanship as an excuse for lying or dishonesty.

If you truly love your customers, you wont deceive them or trick them into buying something they shouldnt. You wont tell them this is the best price when it isnt. You wont make up fake stories to sell more items. You will do everything you can to help them make a right buying decision. You will give them all the information they need to make a wise decision.

You will show them how well your product will help their lives. Do your best to produce or find the absolute best product or service for your customers wants and needs. Tell them how your product will improve their lives. Use examples. Tell true stories.

Paint a picture of the results they can achieve through the product. Once someone buys, nurture and continue to care about them. Support and reinforce their buying decision by how you contact them. Then offer them other products and services which will benefit their lives. Dont use integrity as an excuse to keep your products hidden and not show the full benefits of them to your customers.

Youre hurting your customers if you keep good quality products hidden from them!

Wondering Why Mba In Marketing Heres With Exciting Career Opportunities Possible In Marketing

Marketing blogger

Job opportunities: Important considerations for any candidate planning a professional MBA in marketing are questions like:
What is the scope of MBA marketing?
How is an MBA marketing salary?
What after MBA in marketing?
and the like. If you think that there is no scope of MBA marketing managers in this age of recession! Think again! In these tough times the crying demand of the companies is to increase their sales even more, thus, the scope of MBA marketing only becomes more critical and vital for the survival of the organisation. Thus, there is always a good scope of MBA Marketing even during the times of recession, although anMBA marketing salary might be seemingly lower than during boom times.

Career options after MBA marketing: Let us briefly look at thescope of MBA marketing in the context of industries; one can develop a career in sectors ranging from FMCG, Retail, Tourism, Banking, Hospitality, IT and ITeS, Media, PR & Advertising, Consultancy, Market Research etc. Let us briefly look into the different job profiles a candidate can expect after MBA in marketing.

Marketing manager: The marketing managers responsibilities focus on servicing and managing an ongoing relationship with existing customers. He utilizes his skills in international marketing, customer satisfaction and retention, market strategy, and emerging technologies. This position requires intensive knowledge of market research and customer management. An MBA marketing salary for the post of a Marketing manager can range between 5-12 lakhs annual (depending on prior work experience).

Brand manager: The scope of MBA marketing graduate in Brand management is that he/she is responsible for promotion and positioning activities that include advertising, media, market research activities such as collecting the information about area of consumers, display brand at target place and the like.

Market research analyst: After MBA in marketing can open employment possibilities as a Market research analyst. Such professionals devise methods and procedures for obtaining the data they need. He is responsible for design, implementation and analysis market and provides support for the development of business strategies and plans for contributing to the business. They design telephone, mail or internet surveys to assess consumer preferences, conduct surveys as personal interviews, going door-to-door, lead focus group discussions, or setting up booths in public places such as shopping malls, analyze data on past sales to predict future sales. MBA marketing salary for a market research analyst can range between 4-6 lakhs p.a.

Sales manager: A sales manager is responsible for a multitude of activities like providing effective customer service and Monitoring Schemes in retail trade and distributors and reporting competitor activity, assessing and fixing sales targets, developing and monitoring business development and the like. They appoint distributors and plan sales outlets. The candidates who opt for a sales profile after MBA in marketing require a knack for customer focus and a genuine interest in the problems of customers.

Media Planning: It forms an important component of marketing strategy of any organization. Media Planning involves designing a plan that shows how advertising time and space in selected media and which vehicles contribute to the achievement of marketing objectives in an advertising campaign. It is a tool that allows the advertiser to select the most appropriate media to communicate the message in sufficient frequency towards the maximum number of potential customers at the lowest cost. Salaries of MBA marketing degree holders in the media planning sector vary from 4-6 lakhs p.a.

Product management: A product manager is responsible for the profitability and market growth of a product line. They typically coordinate and oversee a number of diverse divisions of a corporation to ensure the efficient and timely flow of a product to market. The scope of MBA marketing for is significant as many are often promoted as Director or Manager of a group of products or as Vice President (VP) of marketing.

An MBA marketing salary can thus be in the range of Rs. 6-12 Lakhs on onwards – Salaries for Starters may vary depending on the work experience of the individual. However, not all B-schools can guarantee an MBA marketing salary in similar ranges. The MBA marketing salary also depends on other parameters like the field of specialization, creativeness, innovativeness, and the like. A key fact: Most CEOs have been known ton start their careers in some form of sales or marketing role – so if you plan to work your way up there, this functional skill is not an option!

Tips On More Effective Trifold Brochure Printing For Marketing Business

Marketing blogger

Trifold brochure printing is a fine alternative for doing business marketing. With this letterfold brochure variation, it has more sections to place in pictures and illustrations as well as other significant details about a specific promotion. This is helpful to readers in understanding more the services or products being offered. The most frequently used trifold brochure has letter size 8.511 on sheet that is folded thrice and printed in a horizontal direction on all parts or sections made. It usually has six divisions if there are three areas on every side.

When it comes to the layout with a trifold brochure printing, it should be planned carefully to maximize the use of the brochure. A persuasive and innovative design is necessary to obtain the interest of the reader at the same time relay the message efficiently.

Since it has six sections, it is vital to decide which ideas and illustrations are supposed to be placed in each panel. The cover has to be intriguing to rouse the interest of readers. The letters and images or illustrations have to be organized in way that does not create visual disarray. Always include your companys pertinent information particularly the name, location, and contact details.

Tips on laying out marketing images and texts

Design an attention-getting cover for your trifold brochure printing. It is essential to obtain the attention of the reader as soon as they see the brochure. Because it is the cover readers can take a look at initially, the prints and images should be made very attractive and interesting. This can be accomplished with the use of a good illustration or image, nice harmonization of colors, great headliner, among other concepts and ideas.

High quality pictures are the best choices. As you market products, make use of good quality pictures for people to look at them. Other business proprietors go to the extent of hiring professional photographers to generate outstanding photos for brochures.

Easy to read prints or characters are a must. With fonts, there are many options. Fonts that are easy to read and reflect the aim and overall idea of the brochure can help in relaying the message successfully. Avoid using many font styles. One or two styles can already facilitate keeping the designs of the brochure orderly.

Ample white space is important. White space is good for keeping the design of the brochure in order.
This facilitates the harmony and appeal of the brochure when looked at. The white space can also help the readers concentrate their sense of sight appropriately on the printed information on the brochure.

Make use of the colors of your company. Incorporate the company colors in the design of the brochure. This is excellent in building up the branding of the products and services offered. The designs may be matched up with other promotional resources such as presentation envelopes or folders, business cards among others. This should be prioritized while planning the layout and design of the brochure.

Apply Attraction Pincipes Into Your Social Media Marketing And Watch How Your Online Business Grows

Marketing blogger

If you have an online business or any internet network marketing business, and you are using any social media marketing platforms, you have the power to tap millions of customers globally for only a tiny investment and create infinite returns. Any small business owner or network marketer who is not leveraging the power of the internet or social media marketing is leaving thousands of dollars on the table. Unfortunately lot of network marketers are using social media the wrong way to the point of pushing away their prospects and even their own friends. You don’t have to go through this process of making cold calls or pitching your product to people you don’t know and get spammed before you knew it.

But How Can You Really Make Social Media Marketing Work for Your Online Business?

A very effective and professional approach to leverage social media marketing for any internet or network marketing business is through applying the principles of attraction marketing. Attraction marketing is about establishing yourself as a leader in your industry then using this to entice people to join your business. It is a very effective strategy that does not involve making cold calls or untargeted sales pitches that are the traditional methods in network marketing.

Some Bits of Information That can Help You Understand How to Apply the Principles of Attraction Marketing into Your Social Media Marketing 1. It takes time for you to establish yourself as a leader in your niche. This is the very first thing you should know about attraction marketing even in social media marketing because you cannot attract any leads if you don’t make yourself into a leader first. So how long will it take you to become a leader? It depends on a lot of factors. First, how good are you in marketing yourself out there? Second, do you have any previous experience in network marketing or social media marketing? Third, do you personally know other leaders out there whom you can use for your advantage? And fourth, do you know who your target market is? If your answer to these questions are all positive, then it’s going to be a lot quicker for you to become a leader in your chosen field.

2. Attraction marketing is about providing lots and lots of good content (often for free). In any industry, you have to regularly create good content to make yourself stand and rise among the others. You can apply this in whatever social media marketing platform you are using such as YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google +, Blogs, etc. Just give your followers food content, day in and day out, and sooner or later you will become the go-to guy on your niche. 3. Attraction marketing is leading with value. It is about nurturing those who look up to you. It’s about keeping the communication lines open, answering their questions, providing them with tools and resources, and providing them advice and solutions to their problems. This is network marketing so their success is also your success. What’s really beneficial about this concept is that the better you are in nurturing your network, the more warm leads you receive through referrals made by your own followers.

If you are able to fully and effectively utilize all these social media marketing strategies, it won’t be long before you will be perceived as a leader. Be reminded however that becoming a leader won’t happen overnight. It will take some time before people will start noticing you. Once their eyes are upon you, what you need to do is nurture their attention by giving them what they want or need in the form of free content like articles, ebooks, training materials, software, etc. See to it that the content you provide are always of the best quality. As was stated earlier, with attraction marketing, you are not going to send pitches to people you don’t know. Instead, these people will be going over to you and asking you details on how they can join your business. The concept is really simple. In searching for business opportunities, people are attracted towards people who are treated as leaders in their chosen niches. So this is exactly what you should do. Make yourself a leader and the people will start approaching you. If you keep on doing this, that’s when people will start recognizing you as a leader. The power of social media marketing and attraction marketing put together will really bring your business to the next level and long term huge success.

Lina von Frausing-Borch becameserious in her internet network marketing business since she discovered this marketing systemcombined with theattraction marketing principles. If you would like to be really successful in your network marketing,she highly recommends this system because it doesn’t only build a strong online business for you but also builds you as a valuable leader.