Alleblog

by Nancy Landis

“Social networking has become a must for women this year, according to a new edition of the Social networking profile penetration climbed from 58% of Internet users in 2008 to 86% in 2009.” - eMarketer.

“Mom… where are you?” I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard this over the years. No matter where I was in the house, I was about to be found. My children would get in front of me, presenting their concern until they were sure I had heard them. Companies today could learn a lot from my kids.

Over recent years my life has made some drastic changes, leaving me to take a fresh look at my social connections. So, in that same spirit, I decided it was time for me to open a Facebook account. It was a way of connecting socially, yet being able to control when and who I spent time with. I thought I was just making decisions about my social life, but soon realized that this was so much more than touching base with friends. I sometimes am invited to try a product, hear word-of-mouth experiences about a food product or a restaurant, play games, or become a fan of a product. I really like meeting and talking with others who enjoy similar benefits. My friends and I share information about what we like and dislike. Simply put: we influence each other. We are word-of-mouth marketing.

Now consider this: In November of 2009, the “Purchaser Influence Survey” by eMarketer.com, showed that US Mom Internet Users trust the consumer reviews 92.3% over the 7.7% that trust the manufacturer provided descriptions. Even more compelling, in a study done in October 2009, 72% of female internet users learned about a new product via Facebook while only 41% were introduced on Twitter. 50% actually purchased a product they heard of on Facebook, yet only 30% of Twitter users made a purchase.

Are you trying to get the attention of the women who make the decisions for their household? Maybe you should think about going where they are. They may not have time to go out with their friends for a few hours, but they can check in with them a few times during the day and seek out information between work and soccer practice, or after the kids go to bed. Will you be there? Will you give them reason to talk about your product? Or are you waiting for them to come to you?

My kids would advise you to go find them. “Mom… where are you?”

Follow this link to find them.

http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=121401

By Kevin Schluth

Did you know that most people tell 3 people about a product they like, but tell 11 people about a product they hate? Why is it that bad news is almost four times more likely to be spread than good news?

Like me, you probably thought it would be the opposite, that people would naturally want to spread ‘good’ news rather than ‘bad.’ Turns out if people hate a product, they appear to take it personally, like they were duped or suckered-in by ‘false advertising’, and they don’t want their friends and family to suffer the same fate. They also want to stick it to the brand that is responsible for ‘tricking’ them into dropping some coin on their product. Fool me once…

Any brand worth its salt will always want to know what their customers think of their product, and email is the preferred form of communication. You’d be amazed what people will tell you if you just ask. The trick is, how do you ask these questions without being annoying, and what questions do you ask in order to get the info you need?

Bottom line, email is a powerful tool…when used wisely.

Here are some tips from the article Customer Research on how to go about getting the information you need via email communications.

First and foremost, Respect the Customer. People don’t go on the Web to fill out questionnaires. You have to do at least three things to get quality feedback:

• Make it worthwhile. What’s in it for them? Offer them a free subscription to your on-line newsletter, product coupons, or a tip of the day.

• Keep the questionnaires short. How many questions are too many? No one knows. No one has done any research on this topic. You can usually get what you really need to know in seven questions (name, e-mail, phone, address, where they purchased, how they heard about your product, and how they use your product).

• Protect their privacy. Always assure customers that you won’t sell their names or give away their private information.

By knowing what your customers think about your product, it will be easier for you to maintain great customer relations and promote new products, as well as, stay in front of any potential problems that may come up.

Here is a link to the complete article:

http://efuse.com/Grow/marketing-visitors-talk.html

By: Bennett Andelman, Allebach Communications

We think so. And, I am not talking about weight loss or smaller cell phones. We’re talking agencies. Not Ogilvy, not Y&R…boutique agencies.

As the economy falls into what some call more uncertainty, and others call recession #2, marketers continue to look for new and innovative ways to showcase their brands without showcasing their spend. While most agencies worth their salt can develop a strategic marketing plan that offers brands, regardless of size, unique, creative, and “social” advertising programs that expose brands and drive lead flow (at a cost-effective media buy), the attached price for agency intelligence tends to rise like the rent on the floors they occupy in Manhattan.

Now, that may be worth the investment if you were gathering intelligence from top brass, or even a team of agency executives that specializes in your market…but chances are, depending on your size (under a $3 million investment), your marketing program is in the hands of YOUNG agency generalists that have limited experience launching and sustaining brand equity for an individual market category (e.g., food and beverage).

While the address is not as sexy, the boutique agency comes with centered market intelligence, solely focused on a category, learning everything they can about target, trade, research, success and failures within each discipline, and more before you even meet. And when you do, there is no bait and switch. Boutique agencies are generally structured whereby senior management (the guys that wear the fancy neck ties, and depending on where they are located, the nicest sandals),invest themselves in your account (whether project or program) from pitch to launch, analysis to networking. Oh, and the best part, the boutique agency’s address and lean focus allows them to live in a world with less overhead - transferring those savings towards client fees.

So is small the new big? Just ask Kraft, Frito Lay, L’Oréal Professionnel, Olympus and several other giant brands that have entrusted their identities to boutique agencies. Yes, small is the new big.

Are you a food brand and looking for focus? Stop shopping in the premium aisle. We have something organic that may taste a lot sweeter. Visit our site at http://www.allebach.com for a fresh perspective on your marketing program.