Do I Need a Consultant or an Order Taker?

Since 2005 when I founded Maggiore Consulting & Marketing, I’ve worked with many personalities and learned a lot along the way. There are many reasons that people seek out consulting; they need some direction, they need to know available options and they need assistance with creating a plan. Often times though, people seek out consultants for the wrong reasons.

Consulting is extremely difficult, and I think different than what many people expect they are going to get. I’ve channeled this experience into clearly defining expectations with new clients, especially with those who have never worked with a consultant before. I let clients know ahead of time that they are going to hear things that they don’t want to hear- we’re going to let you know that some of the things you are doing with your marketing are spot on, some other things are counteracting your good work. If you’ve hired my company to perform an audit of your company’s marketing, you have already established that something isn’t working. We don’t come back with audit results to hurt feelings or to make any of your employees feel inadequate. The intention is to find out where the wheels are falling off, and to fix it.

It is also our responsibility to look at the whole picture and find the easiest and most cost effective way for you to get from point A (having a product or service to sell) to point B (connecting you with the people most likely to need your product or service). More times than I can count, clients ignore these recommendations. That’s part of the job and I understand it– sometimes we suggest something outside the comfort zone, or we don’t have the resources to fully realize a campaign. But other times it isn’t discomfort or lack of resources, it’s a client that wants us to fulfill a list of marketing To Dos. They want something very specific done, they have a vision for where they want to be (which is great!), but sometimes this group is so focused on that vision that they are unwilling to see other possible options (not great!). They want someone to take their order.

It makes me feel like a bit like a waitress, “What can I get for you today? Ok, clean up your email database, design a flyer and start a Twitter profile. We’ll have that right out for you”. When a business owner or executive is that clear on what he wants, he is really saying that he needs an employee with the time and skills to execute his plan. These are the clients who become frustrated at what they are paying us (it does cost significantly more to work with a company comprised of experienced experts than an individual that can fulfill job duties), and are annoyed when we suggest something outside of the plan. It’s understandable – we charge a premium because we look at the entire situation (does it even make sense for you to be on Twitter? Why are we cleaning up an email database right now when we don’t yet have a place for it in your strategy?). Think of me as the Iron Chef who jumps into the kitchen, and based on what you have on-hand, surprises you with a satisfying meal that you wouldn’t have thought up. It is frustrating to pay a premium for the Iron Chef and then use her only to walk the plate of food from the kitchen to the table. So ask yourself, do you need an Iron Chef and are you willing to let her whip something incredible up, or do you need an order taker?

Consultants come to the table (it’s a pun, like that?) to look at a challenge and develop a set of solutions. Do you know what your organization needs to successfully market itself? If the answer is no, a good consultant that brings clarity and answers will be well worth the investment. If the answer is yes and you simply don’t have the time to implement the plan, or you just need to find someone who knows how to insert meta data or use Photoshop, then you’re looking for an employee to follow your recipe.

You don’t even have to leave me a tip- this one’s on me

How to use Social Media Better than your Competitors!

Admit it; you like to be number one. No one ever starts a business or develops a product and only strives to come in second to the competition. You want to be top of the market, crushing opponents, becoming better than the rest. It’s the American dream! In order to do so, it’s important to start with your marketing; specifically, your social media strategy. If a business has not started at least one social media platform yet, they are far behind in the game. So chances are, your competition is already using social media, and possibly better than you. Here are a few ways to beef up your campaigns and get an edge on the competition.

1.       Perform an audit

Review your social platforms that you have set up. Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Google+, Blog, Foursquare, Pinterest, whatever you have! What is working for you? What’s not? Are you spending time and energy in a place where you are not gaining engagement? The most important part of social media is heading to where your audience is and placing your focus there. I am not suggesting you kill all your platforms and focus only on Facebook (or Twitter or whatever), but start with your strongest element and build out from there. You may find that there are platforms to kill, or maybe some you could find a better way to utilize.

2.       Listen and Learn

The best way to find out what your competitors are doing out in the online marketing world, is to investigate what they are offering and how they are using their own social media platforms. Are they running contests? Do they have a fully branded Facebook page? Take ideas and improve upon them, taking it to the next level to outshine everything else out there. But remember, do not go onto your competitor’s social platforms and bad mouth them or try to steal their customers. This is unethical and unwise and can come back to haunt you in the future. Shady business actions go viral faster than anything good you could ever do, so play nice and keep your head in the game.

3.       Develop a Game Plan

Once you’ve figured out where you need to be and what your competitors are doing on these platforms, write out your own strategy. You can start with three months or go up to a year! I recommend at least quarter plans though so that you can fully analyze how well your campaigns go over. Put together goals for each platform you are tackling and the steps needed to reach those goals. Make sure it is clear how you want to run each social media platform, so no matter whom in your company touches it, it will always be cohesive.  Your plan should be well thought out and very detailed. For help with creating your strategy, see my blog post “Three Tips for Creating Your Marketing Strategy!”

4.         Have Fun and Be Creative

If you want to be successful in social media, you need to engage your fans and followers in fun, unique, brand-centric ways. It is important to creatively interact with your customers while incorporating clear calls-to-action. Pushing your product/services down your follower’s throats is the fastest way to get unfollowed. Put some thought into how you’d like to communicate on Facebook/Twitter/LinkedIn/insert your favorite channel here. Each platform can serve a different purpose and the possibilities are endless! If you really want to go all out, check out Mashable’s article on the Top 5 Game Changing Social Media Campaigns.

How to Effectively Brand Your Facebook Page

Almost every business and company has created a Facebook page, but not every one of them has established themselves there. Facebook has allowed a lot more customization over the past few years helping companies differentiate themselves. While you still have to work within Facebook’s limitations, you’ll be surprised at what you can do for your page to help show your company’s persona.

Probably the most important thing is your profile picture and avatar. When switching between pages on a Facebook page, these are always visible by viewers. In the past, you were restricted to a small box no matter what picture you placed there. Now, you can create a profile picture with a maximum size of 200 pixels wide and 600 pixels tall. Keep in mind that when you post a status update, your avatar will come from your profile picture. Some good examples of company branded pages include University of Phoenix, Dunkin Donuts, Dr Pepper, and the NHL. In the case of Dunkin Donuts, they update their profile picture as a contest and feature a new fan each week.

Next to your profile page, you have a photo strip, which usually consists of photos you’ve been tagged in, or photos you’ve recently uploaded. However, as an admin, you can control what photos show up and how they show up. This can be a little more work considering you now have to monitor tagged photos and such, but the results can be quite interesting. For a great example of a page utilizing this function correctly, visit Manchester Library’s Facebook page.

A very common misstep in branding your Facebook page is your Facebook url. This not only makes it easier for you to tell someone how to find your company on Facebook, but also helps when someone is searching on the web as well. If you go to your account settings, you can change your username to practically anything as long as someone else has not taken it. Make sure if you’ve branded yourself by an acronym, you do the same for your Facebook url, as it makes it not only easier to tell someone, but it can also be easier typing it. Best examples are any of the national sports leagues, as none of them type out their full name on their Facebook url.

Your welcome tab is also important when branding your page. This is the tab you want new viewers to see when they first come to your page. Sure, you could stick with your wall, but that may not fully answer their questions about who you are. Instead, you can redirect them to a welcome tab, which can not only showcase who you are, but can also drive traffic by linking to your website, newsletter, and/or other social networks.  If you’ve noticed from the previous examples, almost all of them directed you to a welcome tab (unless you’ve already liked them) and if you look back at the Manchester Library, you will notice on the left there is a tab set up for a welcome page.

As you can see, creating a company Facebook page is always the first step, but making sure it’s branded correctly sets you apart from your competition and gives your brand a better first impression for new visitors.

The Time to Plan for 2012 Online Holiday Shopping? NOW

Despite reports of economic worries across the nation, online retailers experienced record numbers during the 2011 holiday season. Remember “Cyber Monday”, the unofficial day to shop online the first Monday after Thanksgiving? This past year, eCommerce companies experienced three Cyber Mondays and an overall increase of 15% in online holiday spending.

So what will happen during the 2012 holiday season? Any eCommerce expert will tell you this past year’s records will most likely be shattered in 2012. According to the baynote.com “Holiday Shopping Experience 2011 Report Card”, 14% of all shoppers made a purchase with a smart phone and 8% of consumers made a purchase with a tablet. However, both groups of consumers gave their experiences with the two types of technology a B-, so expect serious improvements in both forms of e-commerce this year. Additionally, 9% of consumers purchased a product through a retailer’s Facebook page and 20% said they made a purchase on an eCommerce website based on a promotion they saw on a Facebook page.

For retailers who want to fully take advantage of this trend in 2012, the time to get their eCommerce sites and social networks prepared is now.

If your website currently does not offer eCommerce, yet your company sells products that are marketed to consumers, you may be missing out on a great deal of customers that prefer the no-hassle method of “click and buy”. Installing eCommerce on your website is not easy and requires testing to ensure that everything works correctly and that your customers will have an enjoyable experience when shopping… and that’s just the first step. Once you have eCommerce installed you will need to look at online advertising and social media marketing to get the word out that your site exists. A comprehensive marketing strategy to back up your new eCommerce site will help you take advantage of this online shopping trend and reach as many customers as possible.

Contact MCM today to discuss how we can help you prepare for the 2012 holiday season!

When and How to Start Advertising Online

In our last SEO blog post, our SEO Specialist Richard, answered the question “What is SEO?” and discussed how the implementation of Search Engine Optimization can affect your business’s website. The use of good quality blog content and a comprehensive keyword strategy can do wonders for bringing visitors (and potential customers) to your site. But what if you want more traffic and even more online exposure?

 To effectively optimize your site for specific keyword terms, you need to keep that list focused – you can’t optimize your site for EVERYTHING. But if there are other terms you think would be relevant to your site, and you want to drive traffic to your site with them, then it’s time to consider online advertising.

What is online advertising?

Online advertising is the paid placement of advertisements that direct users to your website. If you have ever used a search engine such as Google, Bing, or Yahoo, you have seen online ads. In the case of Google, they appear across the top above your search results and to the right. Businesses often have paid ads placed on their website, whether they charge advertisers directly, or they allow Google to place them. Depending on the appearance and message of your ad, placing an ad on another website can be very beneficial if the site caters to the types of customers you desire. However, if you are just starting to advertise online, the best place to start is pay-per-click advertising through Google Adwords.

What is pay per click advertising?

Pay per click advertising is exactly what it sounds like: you pay a varying charge every time your ad is clicked. Ad placement is determined by selecting the keyword phrases you want your ad to show up for, and then bidding on the amount per click – businesses that set their maximum cost per click higher typically get better placement in search results, and as a result, get more clicks. Google allows you to not only set the maximum bid per click, but also set a maximum budget per day… so don’t worry, your online ads aren’t going to cost you $10,000 on the first day! (unless you set them that high, of course)

Social networks such as Facebook also present a unique advertising opportunity. Using a pay per click model that is similar to Google, Facebook can direct ads to your site or to your company’s Facebook fan page. You can set a maximum bid per click and a daily budget the same as you would using Google Adwords, but you can also set specific demographic information such as age, sex, location, employer, school, and interests/hobbies. Facebook advertising is a great way to build up your Facebook fan page with potential customers.

How effective your pay per click advertising campaign is depends on more than just what you spend. In addition to choosing the right keyword phrases to advertise for, you’ll need ad copy that entices people to click through and a landing page that helps convert that click into a sale. If you are new to online advertising, it’s best to have an SEO and SEM professional evaluate your site’s target clients and help you put together a comprehensive plan for advertising.

Contact MCM today for an evaluation of whether or not you are ready for online advertising and take your first steps toward an effective pay per click campaign!

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