An Inquiring Mind Wants to Know: Have you been bitten by the Twitter bug?

Twitter.

It's all the buzz; all the rage. Media everywhere are talking about it...Inc, Business Week, WSJ. Even one of our Affiliates here at elle marketing communications is on Twitter.

I've yet to engage in this new web 2.0 darling although I have set a goal to get onboard sometime next month. From a social perspective, I'm certainly interested but from a marketing viewpoint, I'm not sure what to make of it.

Will it be the next big social media marketing dream or the next MySpace?

I'm curious as to what you all think? Drop me a comment and let me know your opinion.

Is Twitter just for fun?
A way to stay connected or is there some marketing angle to be capitalized on?

Learn how we can build your brand and create buzz for your company at www.create-buzz.com.

marketing trends

Defined: Branding, Marketing, Advertising

Business Week's '08 practical guide to branding is filled with delicious tidbits to motivate you to start developing your company brand. Or at the very least, it will help you convince the person controlling the purse strings that it's time to get your marketing agenda in order.

This is an absolute MUST READ! Here are a few quick nuggets:

Rob Frankel, a branding expert and author in Los Angeles, calls branding the most misunderstood concept in all of marketing, even among professionals. Branding, he says, "is not advertising and it's not marketing or PR. Branding happens before all of those: First you create the brand, then you raise awareness of it."

Think of marketing like a toolbox containing branding, advertising, direct mail, market research, public relations, and other tools. "Marketing represents the combination of methods organizations use to persuade their target audience toward some specified behavior such as sales," says Stephen Rapier, of Glendale (Calif.)-based The Artime Group.

If you have not specified your company's brand, don't spend another dime on marketing until you do. While everyone's familiar with megabrands such as Apple (AAPL), Nike (NKE), and Virgin, small companies can also develop potent brands and market them successfully, says Steve Manning, managing director at Igor, a branding and naming firm based in San Francisco.

Friends and loyal readers, this is the tip of the iceberg...click and read...
http://businessweek.com/smallbiz/content/jun2008/sb2008069_694225.htm?chan=smallbiz_special+report+--+branding_branding

Yup, Just Another Cup of Joe

Last week, Starbucks announced actual store locations that would be closed by the end of the year. I know for many folks, it came as a shock when the media reported Starbucks would be closing 600 stores nationwide. But really, were you surprised?

Yes, the economy is down, gas prices are up and people are cutting back on luxuries. (I know it sounds crazy, but a cup of coffee that costs $3+ is a luxury.) But that's only part of the story. At the heart of it is the fact that Starbucks overloaded the marketplace with a location on every corner, in grocery stores and lined shelves with coffee that you could brew at the office or in your own kitchen.

The Starbucks brand started out as a take on the Italian cafe experience. A coffeehouse that provided a great cup of coffee, a place for friends to meet, people to work or just simply enjoy that fabulous beverage. When the company got away from what made them special, suddenly it was a commodity. Something common is hard to market at $3+ a cup. Even if you call it a fancy name like venti or grande.

The lesson here for small business is to always keep sight of your brand and what makes you special. That's the reason your customers keep coming back and gladly spend their hard earned dollar with you.

Gas Prices Up, Consumer Spend Down

Unless you've been living on a deserted island for the last six months, you're well aware of the rising cost to fill up at the gas pump. With $4/gallon gas, consumers are cutting back on luxuries, driving less and staying in for dinner.

According to new research from The Nielsen Company, more US consumers are taking steps to compensate for rising gas prices, with nearly two-thirds (63%) reducing their spending - up 18 percentage points since June 2007, and up 14 points in the last six months alone.

News like this can be daunting when you are faced with keeping customers coming in the door or buying your services but it can also be a great incentive to refresh your marketing message or strategy. Be creative and take a hard look at what motivates your target audience and what in today's marketplace may be reason for them to shop you instead of the competition.

To get the creative juices flowing here's a few ideas:

1. Location, location, location. If your customer base or target audience is mainly local, as in most are within walking distance or an easy bike ride, then remind them about the benefits of your close proximity to their home or office.

2. Boost your online presence. The Internet has replaced the yellow pages as the place where people look for a furniture store, salon or entertainment venue. Make sure your website is optimized for search engines to find you.

3. Emphasize price and service. If you provide top-notch service and lower prices than your competition and this isn't something you've shouted from the rooftops, then now is the time. Consumers more than ever need their dollar to stretch as far as possible.

The link below is the article/research information I referenced in this blog entry. For all the facts and figures, click here:
http://www.marketingcharts.com/topics/e-commerce/gas-prices-force-us-consumers-to-reduce-discretionary-spending-5317/?camp=newsletter&src=mc&type=textlink

Online Consumers Like to Share

Word-of-mouth (WOM) marketing has been a hot new topic for the last two years. But just last week, research was released that said online consumers were more likely to share their findings and experience via WOM than their offline friends. Before you read the article (the link is provided below) let's look at why this is so important for small business.

Why your Web 2.0 tactics should be top-notch and eliciting the best WOM marketing to be had:

1. Create the best website you can afford. Without question, people are checking out your company website when they see a newspaper article about you or your ad on TV. Once your message has peaked their interest, they're online surfing your site. What do you have to offer? What's your claim to fame and are you worth the drive? For many, this is the first glimpse into your company. Make sure you leave a good impression.

2. If you've got something to say, say it with a blog. Blogs are very inexpensive and a cost-effective way to reach your potential consumers. This communication medium allows you to position you or your company as an expert in the field and gives you an opportunity to network with industry insiders and clients. Additionally, a blog tied to your website increases your positioning in organic search results. The search engines are more likely to crawl blogs than they are websites.

3. Save money and the environment with the Web. When I entered this business, if a company had a website it was a novelty. Now as you know, it's essential. But what's amazing is how Web 2.0 marketing has streamlined printing costs, direct mail efforts and how we reach our target audience. With a website, email campaigns and blogs, a business can stretch their advertising dollar while talking to customers that are more likely to spread the brand message to friends and family.

Click the link to read the report: http://www.marketingcharts.com/direct/consumers-who-search-for-products-online-share-findings-via-wom-5113/?camp=newsletter&src=mc&type=textlink