Category Archives: 2012 Marketing Strategy
A spoonful of measurement helps the marketing show results
It may sound a little “Mary Poppins,” but when I think about my approach to measuring marketing and social media results, I think of it as a “spoonful of measurement.”
Like many sensible options, it’s just enough for what I need to track, not more. I wanted to share my approach because I think it’s a practical one for sole practitioners, small businesses, and nonprofit organizations on a budget. Read the rest of this entry
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For Your Editorial Calendar: May Engagement Ideas PLUS Hashtags
Tuesday, May 1: Today is May Day, a traditional spring holiday.
Wednesday, May 2: DC Social Madness Happy Hour at 5 pm, Asia Cafe, Arlington, VA, featuring special guests Elizabeth Shea (SpeakerBox) and Shashi Bellamkonda. Free. Use hashtag #DCSocialMadness. Sponsored by Washington Business Journal.
Thursday, May 3: Newsweek reporter and McLaughlin Group panelist Eleanor Clift is the guest speaker at the IPRA luncheon today. Follow @EleanorClift on Twitter.
Friday, May 4: Nationals General Manager/Vice President Michael Rizzo will discuss the baseball season at a National Press Club luncheon today ($37). Follow the Washington Nationals on Twitter @Nationals and use hashtag #Nats.
Friday, May 4: Happy Birthday, Fletcher Prince client Jennifer Reising! Follow @JenniferReising on Twitter.
Friday, Saturday May 4-5: A vintage carousel, live entertainment, and of course, flowers for sale at the free National Cathedral Flower Mart. Follow @WNCathedral on Twitter.
Saturday, May 5: Cinco de Mayo. Join the celebration on the National Mall from 12 to 6 p.m.
Saturday, May 5: The American Visionary Art Museum‘s annual Kinetic Sculpture Race in Baltimore was voted the #1 free Weird and Wacky Event by National Geographic. If you have not seen it, you must go. Follow @TheAVAM on Twitter
Tuesday, May 8: Happy Birthday to Fletcher Prince client Sandra Remey! Follow Remey Communications @RemeyComms on Twitter.
Saturday, May 12: Celebrate National Train Day at Union Station. Follow @natltrainday on Twitter and use hashtag #NTD12
Saturday, May 12: Today is the 6th annual European Union Embassies’ Open House. It’s crowded but fun. Follow @EUintheUS on Twitter.
Sunday, May 13: It’s Mother’s Day. Publicize how your business is family-friendly. Follow your mom on Twitter! Give away a bouquet of flowers to a mom fan on Facebook. Use hashtag #MothersDay
Monday, May 14: Happy Birthday, Mark Zuckerberg! The Facebook founder is 28 today. Subscribe to Mark Zuckerberg on Facebook.
Tuesday, May 15: Join your Fletcher Prince friends for our May Network-and-Lunch event, this month at Pilin Thai in Falls Church, 12 Noon. Follow @FletcherPrince on Twitter.
Thursday, May 17: The Social Media Club of DC presents a panel discussion on social media and political campaigns 6 pm at Policy Restaurant, Washington, DC ($5). Follow @SMCDC
Saturday May 19: The free Andrews Air Show is today. Follow @AndrewsAirShow on Twitter and use hashtag #andrewsairshow.
Monday, May 21 – Wednesday, May 23: Meet Gary Vaynerchuk, James Carville, and others at America’s Small Business Summit, U.S. Chamber of Congress. Follow @uschamber on Twitter and use hashtag #ASBS
Monday, May 28: It’s Memorial Day, and a federal holiday. Follow Veterans Affairs on Twitter @DeptVetAffairs and use hashtags #memorialday and #thankavet
Thursday, May 31: New to fundraising? Representatives of nonprofit organizations are invited to a class on how to obtain grants, sponsored by The Foundation Center. Follow @GrantSpace on Twitter and use hashtags #fundraising #fndcenter
Thursday, May 31: Artomatic: The Overload of Social Media Marketing, 7 pm in Arlington, VA. Free. Follow @artomatic on Twitter.
Related articles
- For Your Editorial Calendar: April Events and Content Marketing Ideas PLUS Hashtags (fletcher-prince.com)
- For Your Editorial Calendar: March Engagement Themes PLUS Hashtags (fletcher-prince.com)
Read the 2012 Digital Marketer Benchmark and Trend Report
Experian Marketing Services, a provider of data, analytics and marketing technologies, today announced the release of the 2012 Digital Marketer: Benchmark and Trend Report. The 128-page report provides data pertinent to consumer and technology trends, as well as insights on email marketing, mobile, and social media.
Not surprisingly, nearly half of marketers (46%) in the study say that coordinating all these channels is their biggest challenge.
Other findings:
• 91% of adults online use social media regularly.
• Revenue per email averages two times higher for “friends and family” campaigns.
• 28% of smartphone owners watch videos on their phones in a typical month.
• Pinterest is now the third most popular social networking site, after Facebook and Twitter.
• 92% percent of businesses feel their contact data is inaccurate in some way.
Download the free report here: http://press.experian.com/United-States/Press-Release/experian-marketing-services-releases-2012-digital-marketer.aspx
Related articles
- Experian: Pinterest is third most-visited social site (nextlevelofnews.com)
(May Link Inside) For Your Editorial Calendar: April Events and Content Marketing Ideas PLUS Hashtags
Newsletter readers: LOOKING FOR MAY EVENTS? I accidentally linked you here 
Click here to see May
April
Sunday, April 1 Today is April Fool’s Day. Not kidding, it really is.
Monday, April 2 Today is World Autism Day. Please place a blue light bulb in your workplace today — a lobby lamp will do — to show your support for the millions of families living with autism. We also encourage you to wear blue to work! Blue light bulbs are available for sale at Home Depot, or contact us before April 2 and we will deliver one to your workplace. Follow Autism Speaks @autismspeaks on Twitter and use hashtags #LightItUpBlue or #liub or #autism
April 2 – 6 Spring Break for many schools. Be kind to the tourists. It’s not their fault that they don’t know to stand to the right on Metro escalators
Saturday, April 7 Passover begins this week.
Sunday, April 8 Today is Easter. It is traditional to wear new clothes on Easter; a spring custom that goes back to pre-Christian times. A good excuse to buy a hat! Happy Easter, everyone!
Friday, April 13 Today is opening night for the Washington Nationals, playing the Cinncinati Reds. Follow the home team on Twitter @Nationals
Saturday, April 14 The Cherry Blossom Parade takes place today in downtown Washington, DC. Learn more about the National Cherry Blossom Festival and follow @CherryBlossFest on Twitter. Use hashtag #cherryblossom
Sunday, April 15 Ooh, tax time. Don’t worry; you have until April 17 to file. How much revenue did your business make in 2011? Did you spend enough on marketing? You should be spending between 5% and 10% of your revenues on marketing expenses. If you didn’t spend enough on marketing your business (or nonprofit) in 2011, refine your marketing budget so you don’t make that mistake this year. Fletcher Prince can help.
Sunday, April 22 Today is Earth Day. What are you doing in your business activities to preserve and protect the environment? Talk about your workplace recycling program! This could make an excellent YouTube video or blog topic, or even a press release (with photos, of course). Follow the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Twitter @EPAgov and use hashtag #
Tuesday, April 24 Join your Fletcher Prince friends for networking and lunch at Jaleo in Bethesda, Maryland today! Cost of lunch is on your own (about $15-$20, including tip); please register in advance.
Wednesday, April 25 Did you know there are more than 4.1 million secretaries and administrative assistants working in the United States. Admins are the “pulse of the office” and today is the 60th anniversary of Administrative Professionals Day! Follow the International Association of Administration Professionals on Twitter – @IAAP – and use hashtag #APW
Thursday, April 26 Today is the 20th anniversary of Take Your Daughters and Sons to Work Day (can you say “photo op?”) and is recommended for children between the ages of 8 and 18. How will you educate and motivate young people in your workplace today? Why not promote your efforts? It’s good community relations. Take photos and write a blog post. Or videotape the kids
Friday, April 27 Today is Arbor Day. Follow USDA Forest Service @forestservice on Twitter and use hashtag # Follow the Arbor Day Foundation on Twitter @arborday and use hashtag #arborday
Check back next month for May events and content marketing ideas!
Related articles
- For Your Editorial Calendar: March Engagement Themes PLUS Hashtags (fletcher-prince.com)
For Your Editorial Calendar: March Engagement Themes PLUS Hashtags
Mark these events on your March editorial calendar — there’s lots to tweet here! Folks are already tweeting about this content, so when appropriate, use these themes in your Facebook updates and blogs, tying to your branded content in ways that make sense.
Using popular themes and topics that people are talking about can help increase your Facebook Page’s Edge Rank, get more views for blog posts, and score more retweets. Contact us if you’d like help you with your social media outreach.
Thursday, March 1: The National Park Service makes their highly anticipated Cherry Blossom “Bloom Watch” predictions today. Follow them on Twitter @NatlParkService and use Hashtag: #blossompic or #bloomwatch
Saturday, March 3: The St. Patrick’s Day Parade takes place in Old Town Alexandria, VA today. Lots of dogs, lots of step dancers, and LOTS of bag pipes! King Street will be closed until 12 noon. Follow the parade organizers, the Ballyshaners, on Facebook.
Thanks for following Fletcher Prince on Facebook
Friday, March 9: Today is the first day of the Washington Home and Garden Show, taking place at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. Follow the organizers @HomeShows
Sunday, March 11: The St. Patrick’s Day Parade takes place in downtown DC today. It’s a hoot!
Sunday, March 11: The 67 games of March Madness begin with Selection Sunday today. Follow the official NCAA basketball Twitter account @marchmadness
Sunday, March 11: Daylight Savings Time begins — “Spring forward.” This is a good time to remind people to change the batteries in their home smoke detectors.
Wednesday, March 15: Elephants, horses, cowboys, and clowns from Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus will parade through downtown DC near the National Mall this afternoon. Follow @RinglingTweets on Twitter.
Thursday, March 15: The DC Ad Club presents the ADDY Awards tonight. At this event, you’ll see a display of the best advertising examples in DC. This is a good night for networking and maybe even finding an advertising agency for your business or nonprofit organization. Follow @dcadclub – Hashtag: #DCADDYS
Friday, March 16: It’s my birthday! Wish me a happy birthday on Twitter – follow @MaryFletchJones – Hashtag: #HBMaryFletcher (hey, why not? 
)
Saturday, March 17: It’s St. Patrick’s Day and everyone is Irish today. Talk about how your business is going green while wearing green! Video and photo opportunities abound today — post them on your company Facebook Page.
Tuesday, March 20: Today is the first day of the Cherry Blossom Festival, a very special time for DC. The festival runs through April 27. Follow the official Twitter account @CherryBlossFest and use Hashtag: #blossompic
Tuesday, March 20: Today is the first day of Spring. Check out Free Digital Photos Net for free spring images for blog posts and Facebook Page updates.
Monday, March 26: College students will be coming home for Spring Break soon. Schedule interviews with potential summer interns to help you with your marketing efforts.
Tuesday, March 27: Network-and-Lunch at Teaism with Fletcher Prince. The March event is sold out but please join us for the April event at Jaleo in Bethesda. Follow @FletcherPrince and use Hashtag: #networkandlunch
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Advertising Tips from Fletcher Prince
Image via Wikipedia
This year, as you make your marketing plans, I hope you are allocating money for advertising. While advertising may be the most expensive component in the marketing mix, it is often highly effective.
There are two upcoming opportunities to expand your knowledge about advertising opportunities in the DC area. One is the local ADDY awards, which will be presented by the DC Ad Club in mid-March. This is the perfect occasion to scout out the agencies that are producing award-winning work. The other is DC Ad Week, which will occur in mid-September. You have the opportunity to hear from nationally known experts in advertising at DC Ad Week, and learn about the latest trends and best practices.
Of course, David and I hope you will work with us this year. As you consider your advertising options, here are some “Do’s and Don’ts” to keep in mind . . .
DO
- Integrate your marketing, public relations, and social media campaigns to complement each other. We can help you plan your integrated campaign.
- Examine where your competitors are advertising, and the frequency.
- Invest in professional graphic design for display advertisements.
- Use cost-effective email marketing. It has the highest ROI on the dollar of all marketing channels, according to the Direct Marketing Association
- Email marketing: $40.56
- Internet, search: $22.24
- Internet, display: $19.72
- Social networking: $12.71
- Mobile: $10.51
- Catalog: $7.30
- General advertising: $5.24
- Use search engine advertising, especially if you have numerous competitors.
- Target workday commuters with drive-time radio spots and Metro bus/rail ads.
DON’T
- Skimp on advertising! This is the most common mistake we observe.
- Assume Twitter and Facebook updates can replace the results of paid advertising.
- Run small, lower-price ads in many outlets. Larger ads get noticed.
Defining your marketing objectives
If you run a business, or help manage a nonprofit organization, you may be considering a number of tactics this year, such as starting a Facebook Page, recording YouTube videos, creating a new brochure, or revamping your website. And these are all good plans.
However, one of the basic, initial tasks you have to tackle is defining your marketing objectives, as well as your target audiences.
Here’s a quick list of some typical marketing objectives. Review this list — or expand it — when you are in the planning stages of your next project.
With this tool, we hope to . . .
- Increase sales or donations (quantify, if possible)
- Obtain more repeat business
- Match or stand apart from our competitors
- Promote our expertise and successes
- Launch a new product or service
- Persuade people to make a lifestyle change
- Win acceptance of a viewpoint
- Replace ineffective or overly expensive marketing approaches
- Report developments or innovations
- Manage crises or repair reputations
- Reduce communications risks and information leaks
- Attract and retain quality employees
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Marketing Tips from Nicole Wanzer, Washington Business Journal
Nicole Wanzer, Washington Business Journal
I have enjoyed getting to know Nicole Wanzer, who is an advertising representative for the Washington Business Journal. If you’re interested in discussing your advertising options, I recommend you contact her. You can meet Nicole in person at the Book of Lists Celebration this Thursday night at the National Building Museum in Washington, DC.
Recently, I asked Nicole about the marketing advice she shares with her diverse group of clients.
Here are some of Nicole’s excellent tips
- Think about who your ideal audience is. Who are you trying to send a message too? Then strategically place the ad to target your audience.
- Think about your objectives and carefully determine how you will measure your ROI before you launch a campaign.
- Don’t put all your eggs in one basket. It’s important to have a good marketing mix.
- Don’t be complacent. Technology and social media are forever changing and forcing us all to rethink our marketing and advertising strategies. Be open to change and stay current.
Related articles
- 4 Media Relations Tips from Jennifer Nycz-Conner (video) (fletcher-prince.com)
How to get organic search results for your website
Image via CrunchBase
Last night, a small business owner called me to ask how I could help him get better organic search results for his website.
There is no magic formula or silver bullet. It boils down to a lot of hard work. You achieve results after investing sustained effort, over time. The secret to earning well-placed organic search results (listings on search engine result pages — like Google or Bing — that appear because of their relevance to search terms, rather than pay-per-click advertising) is to create content that people find enjoyable and/or useful, that they will then share with friends and colleagues.
There are a dozen or more ways you can do this, but these are my three main recommendations:
1. Create a well-organized website that imparts useful and relevant information in an accessible way and that is optimized for search (text elements, little or no flash, meta tags, keywords, alt-tags, headers, etc).
2. Integrate a blog that you update weekly with brief, informative, and relevant posts that resonate with your audience. Naturally, the blog should be integrated into your email communications, Twitter profile, and Facebook Page, and should have prominent email subscription and sharing options.
3. Produce and upload video on a regular basis. And not just any video: YouTube video. A fully optimized and branded YouTube Channel with brief and informative videos, ideally released no fewer than once a month, and integrated with all social media channels. It is pointless to produce these videos, however, if you do not intelligently title, describe, and tag the videos for search.
If every business, agency, and nonprofit did these three things, and did them well, in a year, they would all see demonstrable results, provided their other business and management practices were sound.
I also recommend that any business or nonprofit that has a B2C marketing focus consult with a certified Google AdWords partner about their pay-per-click advertising options.
