Every day it seems people are asking about social media, from Facebook to Twitter to blog platforms and more. Some industries seem to be late adopters of this new media and are skeptical of whether it works – and whether the resources needed to pull it off are worth the pay-out.
At Kearley, our stance is YES it works. It's affordable, and easy, but you have to put the time and effort into it to get the pay-out you desire. But why does it work? Take a look at this video that I posted on the blog last summer.
Social media works because it closes that new gap between organizations and their target consumers. So what is your organization doing in the social media arena?
Friday, July 29, 2011
Monday, July 11, 2011
A glimpse into the future of retail merchandising
Nothing leaves an impression on your customers quite like face-to-face interaction, but keeping your branding consistent through your storefront is also very important. Now, with advances in technology, the ways you can interact with your customers when they visit your store or branch are expanding as well.
Have a look at what this bank in Madrid has done to give their customers a unique experience via interactive retail designs.
Could applications seen in interactive Museum exhibits have wider applications in retail environment?
What do you think? Could your local bank or retail store move to incorporate some of these applications?
Have a look at what this bank in Madrid has done to give their customers a unique experience via interactive retail designs.
Could applications seen in interactive Museum exhibits have wider applications in retail environment?
What do you think? Could your local bank or retail store move to incorporate some of these applications?
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Cyborg Anthropology
Amber Case: We are all cyborgs now | Video on TED.com
Huh?
That was my first reaction. But as I listened to Amber Case talk about her fascination with human connectivity--I started to make some connections of my own.
At any one time we have access to any of the number of people in our cell phone--we can stand on one side of the world, whisper something, and it can be heard on the other, she says. This ability doesn't just make the world a 'smaller' place, but it also makes us more human.
"We are co-creating each other all the time," says Case.
Does this apply to businesses as well? Absolutely it does. With the advancement of social media, businesses are being co-created by their clientele. In fact businesses start to take on their own 'second self.' An online presence becomes an interface that consumers interact with. Brands become more human, developing personalities.
And as a result, cohesive branding is now more important than ever. A business, when interacting with customers, needs to have a consistent personality that grows with its client base--not ahead of it. Social media allows businesses to create functioning relationships with consumers, but in order to prosper they need to build trust.
How does an entity, like a business, build a trust-based relationship with consumers?
This will be the focus of my next few entries. For now enjoy this video, and let me know what you think!
Huh?
That was my first reaction. But as I listened to Amber Case talk about her fascination with human connectivity--I started to make some connections of my own.
At any one time we have access to any of the number of people in our cell phone--we can stand on one side of the world, whisper something, and it can be heard on the other, she says. This ability doesn't just make the world a 'smaller' place, but it also makes us more human.
"We are co-creating each other all the time," says Case.
Does this apply to businesses as well? Absolutely it does. With the advancement of social media, businesses are being co-created by their clientele. In fact businesses start to take on their own 'second self.' An online presence becomes an interface that consumers interact with. Brands become more human, developing personalities.
And as a result, cohesive branding is now more important than ever. A business, when interacting with customers, needs to have a consistent personality that grows with its client base--not ahead of it. Social media allows businesses to create functioning relationships with consumers, but in order to prosper they need to build trust.
How does an entity, like a business, build a trust-based relationship with consumers?
This will be the focus of my next few entries. For now enjoy this video, and let me know what you think!
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Is email marketing dying?
Tying into my theme of social media, is the string of media channels that have to adapt as social media develops.
Does your business make use of e-newsletters, or mass email promotions? More than likely would be my best guess. It feels like nearly every time I visit a website, store or restaurant, I'm asked to sign up to join their 'super-savers' or 'VIP' club--and somewhere on their form they ask for my email address.
I used to think seriously before giving my email address, but it limited so much of what I could do online or prohibited me from having access to great discounts, so I usually caved. But I, and many of my friends, have out-smarted these email marketers. I give them the address to a dummy email account that I created. It is a real email address, but I only check it every few months (if at all) to clean it out. I maybe read 5 out of every 100 emails that I receive on that account. I loathe sorting through them; it's all junk and while the coupons might have been valuable, they weren't as valuable as the time it would have taken to sort through them and print them off.
So I have to ask--if say 1 in every 4 consumers gave a dummy email address like I do, how effective is email marketing really? Is it a waste of money?
A blog I ran across by a man named Scott Kraus predicted the death of email marketing--well not exactly. Rather, he predicted the death of email marketing as we know it.
I tend to agree. As social media becomes more social, and more interactive, one-way mass email communications from a brand to its consumer become less relevant. In fact, as fast as people are subscribing to email lists, they are unsubscribing--citing reasons like being emailed too frequently, receiving too many un-relevant emails, or receiving too many repetitive or boring emails.
The answer it seems is not to send more emails, but to send targeted, relevant emails to a more specific niche of comsumers.
Check out the blog here for more information.
Does your business make use of e-newsletters, or mass email promotions? More than likely would be my best guess. It feels like nearly every time I visit a website, store or restaurant, I'm asked to sign up to join their 'super-savers' or 'VIP' club--and somewhere on their form they ask for my email address.
I used to think seriously before giving my email address, but it limited so much of what I could do online or prohibited me from having access to great discounts, so I usually caved. But I, and many of my friends, have out-smarted these email marketers. I give them the address to a dummy email account that I created. It is a real email address, but I only check it every few months (if at all) to clean it out. I maybe read 5 out of every 100 emails that I receive on that account. I loathe sorting through them; it's all junk and while the coupons might have been valuable, they weren't as valuable as the time it would have taken to sort through them and print them off.
So I have to ask--if say 1 in every 4 consumers gave a dummy email address like I do, how effective is email marketing really? Is it a waste of money?
A blog I ran across by a man named Scott Kraus predicted the death of email marketing--well not exactly. Rather, he predicted the death of email marketing as we know it.
I tend to agree. As social media becomes more social, and more interactive, one-way mass email communications from a brand to its consumer become less relevant. In fact, as fast as people are subscribing to email lists, they are unsubscribing--citing reasons like being emailed too frequently, receiving too many un-relevant emails, or receiving too many repetitive or boring emails.
The answer it seems is not to send more emails, but to send targeted, relevant emails to a more specific niche of comsumers.
Check out the blog here for more information.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
5 Things to know about Twitter before you Tweet
When you join twitter, it can feel like you have to learn a whole new language. Here is a list I've compiled of what I think are the top 5 most useful Twitter terms and features to give you a jump-start on your tweeting education.
1. Hashtag You have probably read tweets where people have jumbled words together preceded by the pound sign (#). For example: #britneyspears, #advertising, #deathlyhallows (for all you Harry Potter fans like me). These words are similar to blog keywords; they link your tweet to related tweets with the same hashtag. It is a great way for other users to find your tweets, and a great way for you find out what the 'buzz' is on a topic of your interest if you search or click on a hashtag.
2. Retweet Twitter is all about sharing information. A retweet is a republication of the tweet of another user, and is usually preceded by RT@(username of original tweet) if you add something to the tweet (like a response). Or, you can just click 'retweet,' and Twitter will take care of attribution and tweet it to your followers for you.
3. #followfriday (#ff) Any post preceded or followed by this hashtag will list usernames that other twitter users are suggesting their followers follow. It's polite, and a great way to find and build relationships with potential followers.
4. Trending Trending means that a tweet with a certain hashtag has become 'hot,' or is being tweeted about often at the current moment. Looking at what is trending can help you keep up with the buzz and join the conversation on topics relevant to your twitter account.
5. Lists If someone 'listed' you, that means that they have added you to a list of followers that they have grouped together. It works similar to a blogroll in that it is a great way to recommend and find other users, but it has one other advantage. You can create multiple lists, and put the usernames you follow in organized groups, so that when you click on one of your lists, you can view all of the most current tweets from just those users. It keeps you from having to sort your way through the hundreds of tweets you might be following to get to the information you want.
Hope you find this helpful!
1. Hashtag You have probably read tweets where people have jumbled words together preceded by the pound sign (#). For example: #britneyspears, #advertising, #deathlyhallows (for all you Harry Potter fans like me). These words are similar to blog keywords; they link your tweet to related tweets with the same hashtag. It is a great way for other users to find your tweets, and a great way for you find out what the 'buzz' is on a topic of your interest if you search or click on a hashtag.
2. Retweet Twitter is all about sharing information. A retweet is a republication of the tweet of another user, and is usually preceded by RT@(username of original tweet) if you add something to the tweet (like a response). Or, you can just click 'retweet,' and Twitter will take care of attribution and tweet it to your followers for you.
3. #followfriday (#ff) Any post preceded or followed by this hashtag will list usernames that other twitter users are suggesting their followers follow. It's polite, and a great way to find and build relationships with potential followers.
4. Trending Trending means that a tweet with a certain hashtag has become 'hot,' or is being tweeted about often at the current moment. Looking at what is trending can help you keep up with the buzz and join the conversation on topics relevant to your twitter account.
5. Lists If someone 'listed' you, that means that they have added you to a list of followers that they have grouped together. It works similar to a blogroll in that it is a great way to recommend and find other users, but it has one other advantage. You can create multiple lists, and put the usernames you follow in organized groups, so that when you click on one of your lists, you can view all of the most current tweets from just those users. It keeps you from having to sort your way through the hundreds of tweets you might be following to get to the information you want.
Hope you find this helpful!
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Social media is taking over
Most of my blogs have been focusing on social media lately because it is the newest and fastest growing segment of our industry. And yet, so many users are slow to realize just how useful it can be. And it's hard to keep up, especially since it is evolving almost daily. For instance, less than a month ago on January 25, Facebook launched 'sponsored stories' which gives more visibility of friends' interactions with brands to Facebook users, replacing ads containing traditional promotional copy-it could become a game-changer for online advertising. (find out more here.)
And if you still don't believe me when I say social media is taking over, check out this video I found. It lists some pretty incredible statistics about the worldwide use of social media. Keep in mind, this was created about 8 months ago--numbers have most likely grown exponentially since then. Enjoy!
And if you still don't believe me when I say social media is taking over, check out this video I found. It lists some pretty incredible statistics about the worldwide use of social media. Keep in mind, this was created about 8 months ago--numbers have most likely grown exponentially since then. Enjoy!
Friday, February 18, 2011
The QR Code
What are they?
You may have seen these around somewhere. They’re basically just a pixilated barcode that you can scan with your smart phone, webcam, or actual barcode scanner (should you have one) and lead you to some sort of new media destination. For instance, if you saw a poster for a new film that looks really interesting and there is a QR code in the corner you could scan the code with your phone and it could lead you to that film’s official webpage or even a trailer for it.
Why they’re important for advertisers…
What’s fascinating about these is how many different levels of functionality they provide to those who use them. For advertisers, it provides (among many other things) the ability to track responses to an ad which allows for an easier return on investment.
…Consumers…
For consumers it provides a simpler way with which to access something that interests them, it’s as simple as holding up your phone and taking a picture.
…And even corporations
Some companies are even using the barcodes to go paperless thus making them more efficient. For example, ticket providers can allow a concert ticket barcode to be downloaded to a phone, which can then be scanned at the event.
The future of QR codes
Though they originated in Japan, and they've been around for a number of years, they’re still relatively new in the United States. The way in which people use them is evolving, and it’s exciting that we’ll be able to see how people start using these to brand, advertise, and share with consumers.
Have you used a QR code in some way? Share your story with us!
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