Social Media: Managing Bears

Listening. Watching. Hungry?

The world of communication is 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Instead of being more comfortable with the plethora of media and marketing opportunities, clients are telling me they are more confused than ever. One guy told me last week he thinks of marketing today as a big bear.

One of my favorite lines from the Wizard of Oz sums it up nicely, “Toto, I have a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore."

The old familiars - advertising, promotions, public relations, and other marketing tools are still on the map, but the growth and integration of online marketing, both part and partial, has changed the more familiar marketing trek. It has become more complex, yet a more adventurous expedition which can land us in a more exotic and grander locale.

In some ways, the guy was correct. With the addition of social media to the marketing mix, it can seem to be a bit more of a wild and unwieldy animal. In terms of being social, many businesses to think only of the soft side of marketing, you know, going to tradeshows, placing a pretty ad, cozying up to audiences as if they are a favorite old Teddy Bear. With the integration of sales and marketing tactics, the practice has become more complex. And if the approach is wrong, it can mean coming face-to-face with Ursus arctos horribilis, aka a Grizzly Bear.

The type of bear you cross, depends on the hour, day, or even what else is happening in the world at the moment. One thing is certain, both no matter the marketing tactics, they require patience, planning, monitoring and the ability to track in one direction or another. A successful campaign, especially addressing the large landscape of social is identified with "The Art of the Hunt."

• What is the potential? 
• Where is the largest group?
• How do we ensure capture?

Like the animal-human response mechanism, social media requires attention and interaction or it will die. You must play with it, nurture it, verbally respond and exercise monitoring techniques to measure weight, function, energy and even proliferation. Social media can be unpredictable, but there are proactive techniques, tips and training so you know what to do should the beast go buck wild.

• Do you need basic training?
• Could you use directions?
• Can you make it grow?

From a half day intro session to developing and implementing a campaign, contact me at 407-341-9866 for training and guidance. Wherever you are in regard to the social media zoo – planning a visit soon; strolling along amused and confused; or being gobbled up as prey – together we can tame the darn beast, I mean Teddy Bear.

Marketing: Affinity Is A Kinship Connection

New Family Members Can Mean A New Affinity

The growth and success of online retail stores is a recent phenomenon. Shoppers have begun to trust online purchases and brick and mortar companies are selling the same offerings online sold in stores. Today shoppers can browse the web easier than walking through a shopping mall. With affinity programs, people can shop at stores such as Macy's, Target, and even Expedia while contributing to a nonprofit without spending any more money than shopping on that same company's regular .com site.

About 10 years ago, a marketing phenomenon errupted known as affinity marketing. I learned about it firsthand when I was hired by a faith-based credit card company to write news releases and copy for their new Web site. A percentage of each purchase made by credit card holders went to a school, charity or mission each month that had been selected by the card holder.

A client recently asked me to share a little more about affinity marketing. She wanted to know more about how affinity marketing could be a win for their company, nonprofits and online shoppers.

Affinity Marketing...

• Promotes a brand’s products or services to a niche audience;
• Leverages other companies and individuals to promote or build awareness;
• Partners a company, buyers and an organization with a common “affinity”;
• Is as simple as an endorsement from one firm for another firm’s products or services in exchange for compensation or value;
• Means purchases result in revenue for a company and a cause;
• Means companies are cheerful givers to the community; and
• Everyone wins!

The Challenges...

• Finding the right audience;
• Thoroughly exploring affinity group unique dynamics;
• Time to develop, test, monitor, and measure messages, offers and pricing;
• Impressing buyers to shift purchasing behavior;
• Working with the benefactor to spread the word through their communication channels; and
• Database tracking of purchases through different partners for causes.

The Benefits...

• Target audiences have a stronger inclination to purchase;
• Buyers are interested in receiving benefits;
• Results are measureable;
• Messages can continually be massaged;
• Partners get paid through small percentages;
• Feedback and information flows in from participants and buyers;
• Buyers feel good about purchases that make a difference;
• Can be a low cost way to improve customer retention; and
• Customers may receive perk discounts or offers to use for another purchase. 

The Opportunities...

• Naming the program to strengthen the brand;
• Focusing on unique ideas and concepts that may not fit mass marketing;
• In a slow economy, consumers spend more easily when a purchase helps something they care about;
• Beneficiaries receive revenue without asking for donations or hosting fundraisers;
• Sales commissions are “pay as you go” rather than upfront advertising or salaries; and
• Creating interest by giving back to the community.

Examples of programs...

• Credit card companies offer custom credit cards and a percentage of each purchase is donated to a particular organization. The organization and the credit card company may promote the credit card opportunity through advertising, Web sites, brochures, signage and direct mail.
• A grocery store chain donates a percentage of purchases to a registered charity. Customers registered with the store present an identification card or phone number at the time of their purchase and a contribution is made to the charity. The grocery store may promote the donation opportunity through store signage, news releases and advertising. The charity could spread the word at meetings, through news releases, newsletters, flyers and online.
• A restaurant holds a promotion and portion of an evening's proceeds goes to a supporter. The customer knows to identify themselves with the supporter when ordering. The supporter promotes the restaurant to their members in newsletters, meetings, flyers, through public relations and on their Web site.
• A service company offers a discount and cash donation to an association when someone in the association uses their service. In return, the association promotes the service to their members though various marketing channels such as newsletters, direct mail, and on their Web site.
• A retailer offers to donate a percent of online purchases to the benefactor of a fundraising event (bike race, run, walk fundraiser). The participants hear the offer when registering, receive a coupon or flyer in their goody bag and see the offer on event signage.

Steps to set up an affinity marketing program...
1. Establish rules of engagement;
2. Determine the mutual win for everyone involved;
3. Determine the management process and proceedure;
4. Establish non-compete agreements;
5. Ensure all partners are on the team;
6. Brand the program;
7. Spread the word; and
8. Watch it work!

Done right, affinity marketing can be a very powerful marketing tool to amplify a brand's awareness by attracting new customers, enhancing the company's community relations and boosting sales. Want to set up a success affinity marketing plan? I'll help you build sales through kinship connections, so call me at 407-341-9866 or send me an email at mmonte@hotmail.com.

SMT: Building Buzz

Here are a few smart reasons to do a satellite media tour.

1. Incredible cost savings.

- Effective TV commercials and radio ad campaigns cost thousands upon thousands of dollars, not only in the creative process, but also for the time purchased on air.

- They produce buzz...that the news media helps create. (Yes. That is me briefing Col. Buzz Aldrin for the SMT on July 16, 2009 at 5:55 a.m. Photo by Lisa Cannon)

- Satellite media tours "start" at around $18,000 for pitching and producint. Fees may increase for remote locations and other add ons such as catering, make up artists, number of cameras, lighting crews and such.

2. No advertising.

- They are NOT a commercial and broadcast audiences know the difference.

- News typically owns a captured audience so people tune in and don't change to another station until the broadcast is over...or during commercials.

- An aired segment helps a company stand from their competition.

3. Say "credibility".

- Interviews in the news translate into credible experts for the viewing or listening audience.

- The art of producing a great tour is working with the client and person being interviewed to ensure their talking points or responses to the host, anchor or reporter don't sound like a commercial. It is news by the way!

4. Timing is everything.

- Incredible timing means SMTs offer a chance for opportune and strategic placement in the news.

- Both offer the ability to quickly respond to regional or national issues.

5. Very little effort for client.

- Media tours are written, pitched and produced by an SMT specialist.

- Production can be conducted in a studio or can originate from remote locations by hiring a satellite truck.

- It only takes set amount of time for the client (typically three to six hours during a tour) to reach an audience of millions.

6. Huge value.
- Because of the Internet, broadcast interviews live on! They are posted on a station's website and are then shared via social media (YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, etc.)

- A news story has a higher perceived value placed on it than advertising. When measuring, a news story MAY be valued up to four times the cost of the same length for a broadcast advertisement during that same time.

- And lastly, SMTs are measurable in many ways!

Check out my earlier posts of several SMT interviews with Buzz Aldrin that I helped produce on July 16, 2009 for the 40th Anniversary of Apollo 11 at Kennedy Space Center. I was three feet below him and one foot behind the camera working as the floor producer. There was also a camera guy, a lighting tech, a makeup artist, Buzz's assistant, and two caterers on the floor in addition to three producers in the satellite truck.

For more info about producing a tour, working with me to pitch and book your tour or to discuss your next Satellite Media Tour, give me a shout at 407-341-9866 or mmonte@hotmail.com.

Satellite (SMT) and Audio (AMT) Media Tours

Shoot from here (location) up to there (satellite) and down to there (broadcast station).

Satellite Media Tours (SMTs) are used to book a company expert, CEO, spokesperson or celebrity on television to be interviewed for the news. They are usually live, but can also be live to tape (meaning the interview seems live when it runs later.)

Organized, pitched and produced by a public relations specialist, these one-on-one interviews, are booked by news producers or talent bookers. In what are called windows, the producer works with the person pitching the tour to secure a specific time for the interview. The interviews are typically booked within five to 10-minute windows. The interview, typically from one to 10 minutes, takes place within the window and the hit time is the on-the-spot time that the interview is scheduled to start.

To organize all of the information, the specialist uses a tour production grid which is shared with the client, the talent or person being interviewed and the production staff. The grid is the Bible, plan, part and parcel for the tour production team.

A typical grid contains the following:

1. Number of windows (6:00-6:10, i.e. 6 a.m.-9 a.m. with 5 to 10-minute windows
2. Hit time (6:03)
3. Segment length (i.e. 2-2.5 minutes)
4. Station name, location and affiliation
5. Anchor, host, reporter or talent name(s)
6. IFB # (more on the technical stuff later)
7. Control room number
8. Producer's name, phone and email
9. A back up phone number
10. Key information about the station, producer, talent, etc.
11. Address to send b-roll (Beta or DVD) before the tour

Media tours get out a specific and news worthy message to millions and can target a key audience!

Check out posts on the recent SMT for the 40th Anniversary of Apollo 11 with Buzz Aldrin at Kennedy Space Center.

For more about producing a tour, pitching and booking your tour or to discuss your next Satellite Media Tour, contact me at 407-341-9866 or mmonte@hotmail.com.