The Navigator

1. & 2.  Branding Goes Social

For 23 years, Pepsi has spent millions of dollars on SuperBowl ads.  In 2010, they stopped.  Instead, they are opting to spend the 20 million dollars on a social media advertising campaign called “The Pepsi Refresh Project”.  Not only is this giving Pepsi a boost to their image with the concept of doing good in the world and making a difference, it is providing the opportunity to create increase brand awareness, results that can be tracked and will generate demand for their product – all through the use of social media.

There are two trends in one here that can’t be ignored.  One is the desire for a greater world full of promise and hope.  Especially big with the baby boomers, a company who shows they have a desire to be of service and support others is the company that will most likely get the business from others.

The other is the ever-growing, probably never-going-away social media craze.  With budget cuts coming going deep, why not capitalize on what you have that’s free?  If you’re department or company doesn’t have a page on Facebook or a Twitter account, you may be missing the boat.  With just the right amount of nurturing, you can serve both employees, customers and potential customers alike.  If you have a minute, check out one of my last articles on how to do social media right and begin growing your number of fans now.

3.  Inbound Marketing

Inbound marketing is all about driving traffic to your website through the use of social media and other forms of advertising AND getting them to buy.  Up to 70% of all leads who visit your site are not ready to buy.  So how do you stay engaged with them in the hopes of turning them into a purchasing customer in the future?

Creating the ability to capture their email address as a way to share information with them in the future is one way.  Remember, though, you need to stay in contact with them regularly (I recommend 2-3 times a month) AND it can’t just be about getting them to sign up for a program.  Nobody wants to feel sold to all the time.  It’s about sharing information you think they might be interested in.  80% of your content shared should be education, tips, information on trends, etc. versus telling them about an upcoming program you want them to participate in.  This is what builds relationships.

Curious how you are doing as far as driving traffic to your site?  Checkout websitegrader.com and get your website evaluated for free.    If you don’t get a great score, don’t panic.  Find someone who is knowledgeable in this area to help boost your site ratings.

4.  Marketing Directly to Your Target

This is the way it has always been, however, with all the information coming at people all the time it is more important than it has ever been before.  You want to make the most of your time in front of your target market.  In addition to your brochure, consider sending out flyers and updates to those who have signed up for similar programs in the past rather than everyone.

Segment out your mailing list is key for this trend.  You might choose to have a list for people with preschoolers and send out an email once a month with an activity they can do at home, something about a park facility and an educational piece about why it’s important for children to spend time outside.  After you’ve filled 80% of the email with this type of content, add a promotion for an upcoming program.

5.  Automate, Automate, Automate

Use an automated system like MailChimp, Constant Contact, Hootsuite, TweetDeck, etc. to automate some of these tasks so you can do a group of them at once and then sit back and enjoy the benefits.  Just remember, it’s all about authenticity and transparency so don’t automate everything.

If you have any questions about any of these trends or are in need of additional resources, please let me know.  I can be reached at michele@lodestonedynamics.com or 763.633.9364.