Archive for the 'Uncategorized' Category

01
Apr
13

BREAKING NEWS: Politics Force Social Media to Merge

By Tracy Weise 6 Comments
Categories: Uncategorized
Tags: ,

Move over Michael Bloomberg…there is a new man in town.  This November Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey will be running for New York City Mayor, using his social media presence and management as a platform for his political endeavors.

“Based on my experience at Twitter, I plan to invest in programs that will feature New York City job openings and stimulate the job market,” says Dorsey.  “However, running for mayor against [Michael] Bloomberg will be expensive, so I am working with a team to merge YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook into one social media site and using excess funds to subsidize the expense of my campaign.”

Media Facebook Founder and CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, is partnering with Dorsey to merge social media and help raise funds for the upcoming New York City mayor election. “I was never a fan of Twitter on its own, but when merged with the other platforms, its makes a lot of sense.  Most social media users are college students who are mainly concerned convenience and cheap entertainment…combining YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook will allow the college crowd to film their adventures while instantly sharing their video with Twitter followers and their family and friends all for free on one convenient site.”

Zuckerberg says he supports the idea of “Mayor Dorsey” and will volunteer time for the campaign efforts. Pundits believe Zuckerberg has is own political aspirations.

Social media users should be on the lookout next month for the closing of their original YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook accounts.  Dorsey and Zuckerberg plan for the new social media site to be user-friendly and to have high quality features for producing high definition videos.  Be sure to save a new profile picture for the new account, which will be called YouTwitFace.

Nothing above is accurate or true. Offense should not be taken by anyone as it was all written in the spirit of April Fools Day. Happy April 1, 2013 from the team at Weise Communications. Find out more about the fun we have at our agency by visiting www.weiseideas.comImage

           

12
Feb
13

More than Social Media: Marketing to Millennials

By Mark Plumb 7 Comments
Categories: Advertising, Baby Boomers, Business Strategies, Communications, Marketing, Millennials, mobile marketing, Reputation, Social Media and Uncategorized
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Millennials: They are mobileWhile attending an emergency preparedness workshop last week, there was a robust discussion regarding the role of social media in an emergency. There were two groups of people that discounted social media.

  • First, there were those people that reside in rural areas. They argued that cellular coverage was spotty, 3G and 4G networks virtually non-existent. They needed a more reliable communication method in an emergency.
  • Second, was a distinct generational gap – the Baby Boomers in the room (born before 1964) were unanimous in denouncing the importance of social media.

Interestingly, there was a group of Millennials (born after 1984) in the workshop who were unanimous in stating the power of social media. Full disclosure: I am in Generation X (1965-1984), and in this workshop the Gen Xers were divided about the importance of social media.

The generational gap became an interesting discussion among the small group of marketing professionals. The following are the differences I see in marketing to Boomers v. Millennials.

Category

Baby Boomers

Millennials
Advertising Method Unwelcomed Interruption Engagement
Advertising Content Features and Benefits Sincere Authenticity
Desired Response Reaction Share/Interaction
Desired Result Repeat Users Engaged Participants
Expectations Big Promises Personal Gestures
Marketing Success Consumer Co-creator
Never Return Broken Promise Corporate Shill


Marketers have figured out how to position their products and services to the Baby Boomers. However, for many, it is a new frontier in marketing to Millennials. Here are a few tips:

  • Tablets are currency to the MillennialsCompanies must develop a participation strategy in order to engage Millennials. This is not a quick fix; patience, consistency and long-term commitment are key factors to success.
  • Companies must provide a way to make Millennials look good to their peers. All you need to do is look at the way Apple markets products. The white earbuds of an iPod became an iconic symbol. If you had the earbuds, you were identified as part of the inner circle.
  • Millennials strongly desire to be part of the solution supporting a greater cause. They favor employers who actively support charitable organizations and they purchase products and services from companies that are active with altruistic endeavors.
  • Mobile presence is no longer negotiable if you are targeting Millennials. It is not just access by smartphone; they are also using tablets and gaining knowledge about your company through mobile apps.

All in all, if you want success in marketing to Millennials, you should seriously consider utilizing these four tips. Even better, when combining these tips with a reward program that provides genuine value as compensation for loyalty, you have a winning formula. Because what Millennial doesn’t like ‘free’ compensation.

Let us know your thoughts on marketing to Millennials. Share your thoughts with us on Facebook at Weise Communications and follow @Weise_Ideas on Twitter.

12
Dec
12

Healthcare Advertising: E-Cigarettes; Messaging Targets Many Audiences

By Tracy Weise 8 Comments
Categories: Advertising, Branding, cigarettes, Health and Wellness, Health care marketing, Marketing, Marketing Trends, Reputation and Uncategorized
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The marketing of Electronic Cigarettes, the “cigarette alternative,” is becoming more aggressive and reaching larger audiences. While these devices have been available for several years, the advertising is now reaching new venues. Advertising can be seen on cable TV and is pervasive with online videos. Websites clad with sexy women in sultry positions and superhero men puffing on electronic cigs are easy to find. Adding in fun and young flavors such as bubblegum, strawberry, chocolate and peach and you have a whole fun new and sexy category of safe smoking. This ultimately creates a market for e-cigs that include non-smokers.

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An article by Anthony Nagy from Business Insider discusses the advertising messages presented by manufacturers of e-cigs. I agree with Nagy’s overall assessment that the marketers are missing an opportunity to message the health benefits of the devices. If, as proponents state, it is true that this is a great alternative for those addicted to the unhealthy habit of smoking, then shouldn’t the messages tailored for smokers include this health message?

We did find one such an example:

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The New York Times suggests that many of the current campaigns are reminiscent of iconic cigarette ads. Clearly those campaigns were successful and with the prevalence of online ordering, it is a strong possibility that a youth market will be intrigued and motivated by the campaigns. After all, what teenager does not want to be sexy and strong? Without the prevalence of the aforementioned health messaging, however, I wonder if the campaigns will be the first step in developing young smokers? Is it possible that e-cigarettes could the gateway to smoking real cigarettes rather than (or in addition to) the bridge to quit?

What do you think about the marketing for e-cigs? Are they reaching audiences in the right way? Will the marketing of these devices lead to a healthier society with less smoking or create a new era of people who jump from electronic cigarettes to real ones?

Share your thoughts here or on Facebook at Weise Communications and follow us on Twitter at @Weise Ideas.

13
Sep
12

Health Care and Franchising – A Growing Business Model

By Tracy Weise 1 Comment
Categories: Business growth, Business Strategies, Businesses, chick-fil-a, Dunkin' Donuts, Expanding, Faegre Baker Daniels, Fantasic Sams, Franchise, Franchising, Franchising in Health Care Conference, healthcare, Managment 2000, McDonald's, senior citizens, Uncategorized and UPS Store
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ImageHealth care in the United States continues to evolve. With changes forthcoming, and past obstacles still being overcome, health providers are looking for ways to provide better patient outcomes and manage a sustainable business model. However, these are irrelevant if there is no access to care. Coupled with one of the largest issues to come out of the 2011 Healthcare Franchising Conference is the fact that more doctors are retiring than ever before, leading to increased opportunities to deliver a number of health care services through the franchised business model.

In my opinion, franchising give us the access to care, provides quality assurance and creates a sustainable business model for the business owners and providers.

Franchising is at the cross roads of health care and business.

Franchising has successfully evolved thousands of from thriving local businesses into iconic household names. Think: McDonald’s, Chick-Fil-A, Dunkin’ Donuts. The food industry possessed the beginning of the franchise era however, over the years franchising has branched out to include product distribution and services:  The UPS Store, Fantastic Sam’s, Curves. Today we are continuing this evolution. Everything we know about quality assurance, billing, marketing, and program development for franchising is being transferred into health care. It is time to put a greater focus on this transference of knowledge.

When we follow best practices in franchising, we can deliver quality assurance to patients. We can provide practitioners – physicians, nurses, medical assistants and licensed practitioners in many fields, with the ability to focus on service delivery rather than business operations. We decrease costs for service delivery and expand access.

The senior care industry jumped into franchising with great force, and the opportunity can be traced to the aging population. According to A Profile of Older Americans: 2011 developed by the Administration on Aging (AoA), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; By the year 2030, one in five Americans will be a “senior citizen.” From 2010 to 2030, the number of baby boomers age 65-84 will grow by an estimated 80 percent while the population age 85 and older will grow by 48 percent. In addition, between 1994 and 2020 the nation’s population of 85 years and older is projected to double to 7 million, and then is projected to increase to 19 – 27 million by 2050. With the number of prospective clients growing exponentially, the franchise home health care/senior care industry is booming and will likely continue to grow.

Other health industries such as emergency care, dental services, chiropractic care, primary care, mental health companies, drug testing business and surgical centers are all growing in prominence in franchising. In essence, any effective healthcare business can replicate its model and begin franchising.

I do not believe we can or should solely rely on the federal government to provide us access to affordable health care. We are a country full of the entrepreneurial spirit and we house some of the best health care providers in the world. When you combine these traits, we have the opportunity to develop great health care franchises that will solve many of our cost and access issues. These solutions are right at our fingertips.

Weise Communications, along with Faegre Baker Daniels and Management 2000 will sponsor the second annual Franchising in Health Care Conference, October 24 – 25, 2012, in Denver Colorado. At this conference, we will cover challenges unique to this industry, including compliance and regulatory issues when across state lines. If you are interested in attending this conference visit our conference site for more information. http://www.franchisinghealthcare.com/ Hurry, the Early Bird pricing ends September 15, 2012.

For more information about how Weise Communications can help your health care company franchise, contact me at tracy@weiseideas.com.

30
Aug
12

Google and Improved SEO: Possible Projects Post Panda and Penguin

By Mark Plumb 4 Comments
Categories: Google, Marketing, Search engine, SEO, Social Media and Uncategorized
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As the world’s leading search engine, Google wields a lot of power. One of the things we like best about Google’s mission is they want to provide the best search experience possible, they want users to get the information they are looking to receive.

As the search engine optimization (SEO) world continues to learn about Google’s ever-changing algorithms, there are do’s and don’ts of SEO that Google rewards and penalizes. Ultimately, you should align with Google’s goal of providing the best experience for your customers and clients. The combination of fresh, relevant content, high quality links and trusted authority are still your best SEO options.

The most recent Google product updates had significant impact on SEO. Panda focused on high quality content. Sites leveraging content produced by “content farms” like about.com had their organic search rankings negatively impacted. Sites that produced relevant, high quality content were rewarded.  Penguin focused on off-site SEO, most notably links. Sites that were link spammers (the most common tactic is to reply to blogs with links in the reply) or sites that purchased links in hopes of higher rankings were negatively impacted.

We thought it would be interesting to predict some other possible projects for Google. Here is our list (with the pre-requisite animal starting with the letter P):

Puppy – As social media becomes more important in search results, preference will be given to other Google products like Google+ and YouTube. Some of the wisdom behind the importance of social media in SEO relates to my friends recommendations. If they like it, I’ll like it. If they read it, I’ll read it. These recommendations are coming from a source I trust.

Pit Bull – This project should come on the heels of Puppy. An individual’s social media reputation will play a large role in the credibility of what they share and how much they share. One of the reasons we like reading unbiased journalist reports is the credibility behind the words. How much credibility can you attach to the recommendations of FireBreath919?

Piranha – The combination of Social, Local and Mobile (SoLoMo) will be a major driver to SEO. This will incorporate a swarm of social media and location based services like: Google Places, Yelp, Groupon, Living Social and Foursquare to offer a very tailored search for mobile devices.

Porcupine – As Google Analytics keeps delivering “not provided” as a term used to search a site under the cloak of protecting privacy, this will become a revenue opportunity for Google. Are you willing to pay a monthly fee to see what people are searching to find your site? If you pay that fee, will your SEO improve because you’re providing better content or because you are simply paying that fee? This prickly project might be a longer-term, but clearly on the radar.

Let us know if you see other projects on Google’s horizon. Want to add to this list, share your thoughts here or on Facebook at Weise Communications and follow us on Twitter at @Weise_Ideas.

15
Aug
12

MOLOSO: Rewarding your loyal customers through mobile and social media

By Tracy Weise Leave a Comment
Categories: Advertising, Arby's, B2C, Brand Loyalty, Business Strategies, business to consumer, chick-fil-a, Dunkin' Donuts, Facebook, Followers, Foursquare, Location Based Social Media, Marketing, Mobile advertising, Mortons, Peter Shankman, promotions, Social Media, Social Networking, Subway, text messaging, Twitter and Uncategorized
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We’ve heard it over and over again: social media is a great, cost effective way to drive traffic into your business and create better brand awareness.

But what about the people who already know and love your brand? It is time that you show your loyalty customers some love.

First, ask yourself what makes your loyalty customers special and what do you want to accomplish? Do you want them to buy more or buy more often? Knowing your goals and the personality of your target audience is key is determining how likely they will respond to your attempts to reward their loyalty.

Second, do not forget about your social-loyal (SOLO) customers. For example, I am a huge SOLO customer of Dunkin Donuts. I follow them online and as soon as the Denver franchises open I will be a loyal buying customer. Here are a few ways to make your loyalty customers feel special:

Texting: Life revolves around our mobile devices. It has been shown that 73% of Americans send and receive text messages. This is a personal way to reach your loyal customers to offer them exclusive time-sensitive offers, notify them of their membership status and bring them in during your slower hours. Check out these examples:

  • Nail Salon: Monday & Tuesday special: free member only upgrade!
  • Frozen Yogurt: You only need 3 more purchases to qualify for a free 10 oz yogurt!

Facebook, also known as the face of social media, visually advertises your business, and allows you to interact with your followers. Loyal customers want to feel special, and through Facebook you can have conversations with them, give away specialty membership contests and reward loyal customers from their Facebook Check Ins.

Also, do not assume your loyal customers know all of the services you provide. Use Facebook to further advertise add-ons, special events, catering, monthly specials and new offers. If they are following your page, they are interested. They will be excited to know they can get more products and services than they may have thought.

  • Chick-fil-A: they offer their catering information (seemingly less known to the public) and (to date) have 2.4 million people talking about their page, and 6.2 million likes

Foursquare: Nearly half (46%) of American adults are smartphone owners as of February 2012. Foursquare is an app that lets you ‘check in’ at the businesses you frequent. If you go to one place more often than your friends do, you become the “Mayor.” The race to become the Mayor gives customers incentive to go, and to go repeatedly. You can further emphasize this incentive by offering the Mayor free products, upgrades, discounts and invites to exclusive events.

  • Arby’s Mayor special: they get to sit in the “4Square Mayor Booth” and get to taste test new sandwich offerings. They also get the special badge on their Foursquare profile.

Twitter: Tweeting may have less impact on purchasing behavior, but is a great outlet to educate your loyalty crowd. Customer service via Twitter is also useful because it will reach a vast number of customers and show them that you are concerned with their happiness. Exclusive offers for free products can also be advertised through a link to sign up with your membership or by registering to join your clientele base.

  • Morton’s: Peter Shankman tweeted to his 150,000 followers, “Hey @Mortons – can you meet me at Newark airport with a porterhouse when I land in two hours? K, Thanks :) ” – and they did!
  • Subway: incredible customer service through conversations with their followers regarding what they like and dislike.

With 12 million Americans using social media daily, you have a high probability that your loyal customers will be reached and appreciative that you have taken the initiative to thank them for being loyal. A little appreciation will keep them coming back, and more importantly, spreading a positive word about your business.

What advice do you have for businesses that are trying to reach their loyal customers? Give us your thoughts from the loyal customer point of view on Facebook at Weise Communications or on Twitter @Weise_Ideas.

27
Jul
12

Christian Bale – Who is really in the Batman costume?

By Mark Plumb 4 Comments
Categories: Celebrities and Uncategorized
Tags: , ,

Tuesday, I became a Christian Bale fan. I got to see him in his most impressive role, being Christian Bale.

On another day, we can discuss crisis communication plans, social media marketing or SEO tips. Today, I want to share with you a celebrity of mega-world status humbling himself.

As you may know, Christian is the star of the movie The Dark Knight Rises. He plays the lead character, Batman. On opening night, in Aurora, Colo. a lone gunman senselessly, brutally killed 12 people, injured 59 others and changes the lives of thousands more.

I saw the star of the movie compelled to visit Aurora. Christian wanted to privately express his gratitude to the doctors, nurses, and first responders to this horrific tragedy. He visited victims, patients, caregivers, police and fire departments. He brought a message of thanks. If sprinkling a little celebrity brings some joy to people who have worked tirelessly to save lives, Christian believes it is the least he can do.

In our capacity as the public relations team for the Medical Center of Aurora, I saw the faces of the first responders after spending a few moments with Christian. Those who are normally behind the scenes treating others received some special treatment.

It was a great example of someone doing what they can do. Wouldn’t the world be a better place if we all did what we can do?

Well done Christian Bale!

13
Jul
12

You ‘Like’ Us! But does that mean you’ll be a customer

By Mark Plumb 1 Comment
Categories: Advertising, Facebook, Marketing, Social Media, Tips and Uncategorized
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Three tips to turn a Facebook like into a real paying customer

According to the Adobe Global digital advertising Q1 2012 update, there was a 176 percent increase year over year in brand engagement on Facebook. The increased engagement can be traced back to the release of Facebook Timeline for Fan Pages.

More than 600 million users regularly interact with Facebook. As more brands convert their fan page to the Timeline format, engagement should continue to grow. But that raises a big question, how does a marketer turn someone who clicked a Like button into someone that will pay for products and services? Here are three easy to implement tips to convert likes:

1. Contests

Facebook is a place where people commonly go to play games: Farmville, Words With Friends, etc. Leverage the gamification aspect of Facebook with your own game. Recently, PostNet held an ‘I Love My PostNet” contest, where customers were encouraged to post videos to Facebook explaining how much they love PostNet. The winner of a trip to San Francisco was announced on the Facebook and people were driven to the PostNet website to see the winning video.

2. Drive opt-in emails

Less than 10 percent of companies are leveraging Facebook to increase subscribers to email. But, the new Facebook Timeline provides the perfect opportunity to turn fans into customers. Use the Tab feature (pictured inside the red circle) in Facebook Timeline to create an opt-in form where someone can sign up to receive emails without leaving Facebook.  Call the tab ‘Special Offers’ and describe your email program. It’s special because, as a Facebook fan, they will receive email notification of events, sales, coupons, etc. before the general public.

3. Share News

It is really important to avoid being too product focused on your Facebook wall, but according to the CMO Council, 55 percent of consumers connect through social media channels for new product information, Facebook is a viable news sharing platform. The tip here is to offer Facebook fans a behind the scenes look, or a preview at what’s new. Something they can’t get elsewhere and host drive traffic to the website for that Facebook special sneak peek.  Make it easy to share and watch the loyalty build.

Have you seen any other great tips to turning a Facebook fan into a paying customer? Share your thoughts here or on Facebook at Weise Communications.

05
Jul
12

Top Ten Keys to Radio Advertising – Part 2

By Mark Plumb Leave a Comment
Categories: Advertising, Radio and Uncategorized
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As we shared on Tuesday, clients have been requesting more radio as a part of their integrated marketing mix. Our first five tips were focused on the planning of a radio campaign. Today, we are focused on executing the ad with our next five tips.

6. Don’t bury the lead

“Burying the lead” is a journalism expression that means postponing the main point of the story until much further down in an article. In radio, if you bury the lead, listeners may simply change the station before you get to the main point of the ad. An example of not burying the lead is from Duluth Trading. They start off the ad by saying, “we, at Duluth Trading need to come up with a name for jeans that have more room in the crotch.” You know immediately, this is for Duluth Trading and the specific feature of the blue jeans that they consider a benefit. The rest is entertainment…Gooseberry Surprise?

7. Unique, uncomplicated offer

The offer must be easy to understand. I recently met with a company that was offering three months of free service. The catch was the free months were the 1st, 9th and 20th month. So, to get three free months, you needed to keep the service for nearly two years. Try explaining that in 30 seconds.

8. Must be able to answer WIIFM

This acknowledges that as an advertiser, you are an unwelcome interruption. From the point of view of the listener, you must explain ‘What’s In It For Me (WIIFM)

9. Minimum mentions

We use a simple formula for minimum mentions. The name of the advertiser and the response vehicle (phone or website.) One mention for every 15 seconds of airtime. A 30 second spot receives 2 mentions, a 60 receives 4 mentions.

10. Voice talent and articulation

This may seem obvious, but it is often overlooked. Here is an example of a radio ad for a collocation data provider currently running in Denver. For weeks, I heard ‘Fortress’ premium data center. I could not find them, even Google didn’t know Fortress. Then, in subsequent ads, the voice talent still said ‘Fortress’, but spelled out the website and that’s when I learned the company was called ‘For Trust’ – props to whoever pointed out that spelling the website would resolve that issue.

Do you have any keys to effective radio advertising you would like to share? Did we miss anything? Share your thoughts here or on Facebook at Weise Communications and follow us on Twitter at @Weise_Ideas.

03
Jul
12

Advertising: Celebrate the Fourth of July with this Clever Ad

By Tracy Weise Leave a Comment
Categories: Uncategorized

ImageEvery now and then, you come across advertising that really captures your attention. I’m talking put your phone down, drop your fork and ignore your baby crying type of attention.

It doesn’t take much, just a good concept and the right execution, however more times than not it just isn’t enough to take our breath away.

Throw in a patriotic message, a pep talk about coming out of the recession, a great American automotive brand and, oh yeah, Clint Eastwood and you have just struck red, white and blue.

Chrysler deserves applause for their “It’s Halftime in America” commercial that beautifully utilizes the mesmerizing voice of Clint Eastwood to instill confidence that America ingenuity will prevail despite the economic downturn. He gives a sense of security that America is going to unify and triumph.

The ad not only brands Chrysler, but also promotes America. This is an excellent example of stirring peoples’ emotions to create a stronger connection with the brand.

In the spirit of America’s birthday watch Chrysler’s commercial and tell us what you think. Did it inspire you to celebrate America?

Want more? Watch the Saturday Night Live spoof here.

Happy July Fourth from the Weise Team!

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