DIY Search Engine Optimization

admin — Wed, 12 May 2010 17:17:50 +0000

Our In-House SEO expert, Steve Haldi, explains how you can increase your search engine rankings and profile on your own, regardless of budget constraints!

April 28 Video Blog - What’s New?

admin — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 19:03:40 +0000

Our 2nd video blog… maybe next time, we’ll consider production value… Hahahaha! Since it’s what WE DO!

We were voted into TOP FIVE at KREM’s Z-Best for ‘09!

admin — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 20:53:26 +0000

The people of Spokane have spoken! KREM’s Z Best of Spokane had more than 15,000 votes for everything from the Best Grooming to the Best Body Shop. CASE42 Creative Media was voted into the Top 5!

Our first video blog

admin — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 22:44:07 +0000

So…. we decided to make a video blog. Interestingly enough, it’s not as easy for us as creating creative video commercials for our clients! Hahaha! Take a look, and feel free to offer suggestions!

Where Your Customers ARE

admin — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 00:56:59 +0000

Welcome to the first edition of “MARKETING IN THIS ECONOMY.” I’m Dave McClave, and I really hope you’ll get a lot out if this series. This edition is called “Where Your Customers Are,” and we’re going to be exploring concepts to effectively market your business, product or service in today’s economy relative to your customers. We’ll be looking at real-world examples, rather than esoteric or academic ideas. I’m going to introduce some ideas, not too far from what you may know, but not necessarily traditional in approach. We’ll look at how messages and methods have changed, and how buyer’s perceptions have changed, warranting a new approach. And we’re going to talk about reaching your customer where they are, instead of where you want them to be.
A bit about me, so you know where I’m coming from: My career in media started in the mid ’80s making radio commercials just before I became a broadcast journalist in the Navy. I then went on to work in television as a civilian, ran a successful recording studio for nearly a decade, ran a brick-and-mortar musical instrument retail store during the advent of the internet, and when I realized that marketing was the biggest part of everything I had done, I went into marketing and media production full-time. Today, I am the founder and principal partner of a media production and consulting firm called Case42 Creative Media. I’m a published author, musician and producer, have a few minor motion picture credits, and I am periodically asked to speak and teach on various topics, ranging from media technology and publishing to business and personal success.
I grew up in the ’70s and ’80s. As a child of the late ’60’s, I witnessed many changes in the economy; from gas shortages, recession, sideburns and mustaches, (not mine!), in the Carter years, through big hair bands and mullets in the ’80s, continuing on through the music-scene cool-down and dot-boom bubble of the ’90s. Over the last 10 years, we’ve seen the tech market bubble-burst, gold prices have soared to well over a thousand dollars, music is now largely purchased as digital files rather than on hard media, and the Internet has become the de-facto marketing environment of this age. Over the last 30 years, we’ve gone from the space-age to the information age to the communication age; perceptions have changed drastically, and these are important to note. Perception IS reality, when it comes to marketing.
The topic and title of this series is “Marketing in THIS Economy,” but if you talk to advertising pros who’ve been around for a long time, you might find a surprising number who say things haven’t changed at all when it comes to marketing. Well, they’re right, to a small extent - you still have to reach your target market and convince them that your product or service is the one they want to buy. It’s important to note that I didn’t say you have to convince people yours is best. A prime example is Wal•Mart - “Save money. Live better”. Nearly everyone knows that Wal•Mart doesn’t have the best products. Most believe that they have the lowest prices, but even people who know they don’t will still shop there just because it’s convenient. You can get your groceries, new tires, camping equipment, a washing machine AND a new TV, not to mention your favorite DVD, and the prices you see first ARE lower. The point is that the economic environment has caused marketing messages to change a bit, the marketing methods have changed a lot, and these 2 areas are where the old-school marketers frequently get it wrong.
I live in a DMA, or Demographic Market Area, of roughly a million people. It’s actually a pretty small town I live in, but part of an area including 2 counties, 5 incorporated cities, and numerous smaller communities. Our demographic and psychographic profiles make our area a great test market for many major companies. McDonald’s and CocaCola have both used this area as one of their prime test-beds for new products. Unfortunately for businesses here, it’s also very difficult to introduce new products and services with any degree of success… and the more novel the product here, the harder it is to sell; it’s a pretty conservative area. That said, I love marketing here, because I KNOW how people will react to just about anything I do, and that’s important if you’re going to market successfully.
So, I said that the message and methods of marketing have changed, and it’s true. If you try to market with the messages used yesterday, you’ll fail, and the same can be true with the methods. Now, there ARE a few exceptions that can be VERY effective, but if you’re going to use an antiquated message or method, you’d better make sure you’re the only one doing it in your market, and that the message and method are unique within the past decade or so. Additionally, the message MUST match the current culture and psychographic profile of your intended audience. One example I can think of right now is a local fruit grower using the old Burma-Shave road-sign method. This idea, which was novel when it was first presented in 1925, worked for Burma Shave all the way through the 1950s, but no one else could use it effectively then. Today, though the idea might be useful for a handful of businesses throughout the country, is too old, far too local, too identifiable as someone else’s unique method, and only works if a feeling of nostalgia in the marketing message is desired.
So, let’s talk a bit about how the marketing message has had to change throughout the years. Some companies are able to hold on to their slogan and their message for decades without any worries. A&W’s “Frosty Mug Sensation” comes to mind, as does Apple’s “Think Different.” But think about McDonald’s - They’ve had more than 20 different slogans, and with them, more than 20 different marketing messages, from “You deserve a Break Today,” to “it’s a Good Time For McDonald’s” to “I’m Lovin’ It.” Their newest campaign is “What We’re Made of.” The one consistency is that their message is always about overall experience, rather than the product. The most recent slogan is the closest to a product-specific message they’ve ever come, but it’s interesting to note that they’ve never used negative or comparison messages, and mostly told their buying public about themselves, rather than the product. The bottom line for McDonald’s is that they recognize that their message must change with the times and match their buying demographic, but theirs is a mild example.
A more extreme example of changing with the times would be Oldsmobile, who started in 1902 with “The Best Thing on Wheels,” and by 1930 had changed to “Sound Economy suggests Oldsmobile.” Price remained a focus until 1934, when they switched back to quality; 1935 was “A Car that has Everything,” ‘37 saw “A Beauty in Armor,” and ‘39 was “Top Flight Performance.” Oldsmobile reached out to their buyers’ senses of quality and style with slogans like “Bigger and Better in Everything” in ‘41, and “A Famous Drive in a Famous Car” in ‘48, through “Oldsmobile Rockets Ahead” in 1950. They maintained a rocket theme all the way though ‘58, went back to style and luxury through ‘63, then went back to the rocket theme through 1966. From ‘68 until production ended in 2004, Oldsmobile’s primary marketing message was luxury and quality. The problem, in my mind, was that they lost touch with what their public wanted and perceived as important. Their brand became their undoing, if you ask me. They knew things were coming to an end in 1988, when they debuted the slogan, “Not Your Father’s Oldsmobile.” This campaign was wrong on SO many levels, but it really did mark the end of the line for them, because the brand, which lasted more than a hundred years, was tired and worn out, while they pushed harder and harder to emphasize their quality. The late switch, saying Olds was different than the past, while presenting the same product with the same overarching theme, didn’t work. Had they switched their message, and possibly even their product line, to reflect the general public’s attitude toward sedans, they could have stuck around maybe another hundred years. Although their methods changed in the late ’90s and early two-thousands to include interactive media and the internet, it was too late. I was part of one of their last-ditch efforts to market the Olds Aurora via interactive CD-rom, and I can tell you that it felt wrong at the time. Even through the tail end and bursting of a huge stock bubble followed by recession, their focus was quality and luxury; the trappings of a successful economy. At my media technology company, we were doing the same thing - buying high-end cars and new houses… we had survived the dot-bomb, and in our limited DMA, things take a little longer to pan-out, which means we weren’t feeling the pinch yet, but Oldsmobile was, which is why they were altering their campaign… but it wasn’t enough. When the economy finally caught up to us, we were finished, and so was Oldsmobile. I can tell you that I see what feels like the same thing with Lincoln. Lincoln’s newest ads are focusing on luxury, power and speed. I just saw one of their ads, and it makes me want to test drive one… though I’m not in the market for a luxury sedan.   The problem, even though I like the ad, is that the message may not be relevant for this economy, which brings me back to the focus of this series. How DO you market for THIS economy, and avoid going the way of Oldsmobile?
The economy has slowed down… a lot. This means people are buying less - even through recovery - so for you, the marketer, manufacturer or business owner, it’s no longer about getting a piece of the big pie. You have to either carve out a niche or yourself, or you have to aggressively take business away form your competitors, who are aggressively trying to do the same to you. If you are selling an unnecessary, luxury or optional product or service, it’s even worse. The fact is that buying habits are changing, and it all comes down to the perception of the buying public.
So… how are perceptions, and therefore, buying habits, changing? If you look at marketing in the 40s and 50s, it’s almost always about quality. Value and price aren’t nearly as important in those messages, but then prices have increased faster than average incomes, so the buying public has had to tighten their belts by force. In the ’50s, you could buy a house for roughly $5000, and the average annual income was just over $1,200, or about 4:1 price to income ratio. Today, an average $40,000 household income has to be able to get you a $250,000 house - a 6.25:1 ratio! In the ’50s, most individuals didn’t have debt. Today, almost all do.
So, along with prices, perceptions have changed a greet deal. Today, even though people know that quality typically costs more, they’re willing to forego quality in favor of price, and a great many people are willing to give up quality in some areas in order to gain status in others. It’s really surprising to me to drive into a Wall*mart parking lot and see $40,000-$60,000 vehicles. Even more surprising is to see really expensive cars parked in front of tiny houses in relatively poor neighborhoods. A former client of mine had a $70,000 house and a new $85,000 Range Rover, so everyone that met him on the street believed he was wealthy. His payment history, on the other hand, told a completely different story.
The point here is that you have to understand the motivators that influence your customer base. Getting psychographic profiles of your market area will help a great deal, as will simply staying in touch with your customers. If your customer base is aging and shrinking, but buying more expensive items, you may find yourself in Oldsmobile’s situation - take a look at altering your marketing model. Don’t market yourself right out of your market, in other words.
I make a point to buy psychographic profiles of various market segments in my area periodically. These are REALLY good to have on hand. I get mine from a local TV station when I’m taking on new clients that may advertise on the tube. These reports are invaluable; offering information about recreation, buying habits, motivators, turn-ons and turn-offs. I LOVE them, and I can order reports on just about any segment I want, from people looking to buy a car within the next year to homeowners with incomes between x and y. By using these reports in my marketing messages, I really pinpoint my target demographic exactly, and I know what to say, as well as what NOT to say. For example, if I’m marketing luxury products in the wealthy community just to the west of our main metro area, I shouldn’t use words like “value” or “bargain,” but I’d do well to use wording that imply that their neighbors would be measuring themselves against the owners of my products. I might even do well to imply expensive European imports, as opposed to quality American made products. On the other hand, marketing to the farming community 2 miles away requires no mention of imported anything, and it had better be a good value for the money, gosh darn it! So the first step in marketing effectively in THIS economy is to know your existing and desired customer bases INTIMATELY. Know their habits and motivators, and understand what turns on their buying reflex, as well as what turns it off.
Now, you think you know your target very well, and you have the perfect message, and you’ve tested it so that you know it works… how do you reach your demographic in such a way that they’ll GET it? I tell my clients all the time that they need to reach their audience where THEY are, not where the seller WANTS them to be, or where it’s less expensive or convenient to reach them. You can’t convince someone to eat at your high-end bistro with ads on the hard-rock station, typically, and you can’t reach the out-of-town tourist to visit your attraction that requires planning or reservations using a billboard they see while they’re driving back home. You must sell where people are making their decisions, and when they’re in an environment that will lead to a purchase decision, without having the effort backfire on you. Let’s take a look at a marketing campaign example that went terribly wrong because the marketing research was conducted in the wrong environment.
Do you remember the “Pepsi Challenge?” How about “New Coke?” These two campaigns are tied inextricably together. The Pepsi Challenge, if you remember, took place in supermarkets, and customers would taste Pepsi and Coke from unlabeled cups, always choosing Pepsi over Coke. Well, as any smart company would do, Coke did their own tests, and found it was true - the majority of tasters DID prefer Pepsi in these tests! Now, Coke has dominated the cola market since their debut in 1886, and a HUGE portion of it is emotional attachment to the brand, another topic we’ll cover later. So what does the environment have to do with it? In a few different critiques of the challenge over the last few years, several authors have attributed the preference to the small quantity consumed from small cups, and a few, including a former Coke marketing guy, have attributed it to environmental cognizance pollution; that is to say, the results were tainted by the environment. It seems cola drinkers don’t typically consume their beverage of choice in supermarkets from small paper cups - usually, it’s from a can or bottle at home, at a game, or maybe at a picnic, but never in small quantities from small cups in supermarkets. Whether or not this is true, Coke didn’t see it that way, and responded with a new formula - which did well in the same sort of taste test, but bombed in sales. So, Coke back-peddled and reintroduced “original” Coke, and their sales nearly tripled over the next few years! The point is that the test by the competitor, and the response by Coke were BOTH outside the buyer’s normal environment.
A much better way to reach people where they are was what RedBull did. Rather than ask people what they liked in a comparison test, they TOLD people what they liked, and it worked. Who owns the energy drink market? RedBull, hands down. They CREATED the energy drink market. RedBull is the only reason the others even exist. Redbull, in a stroke of genius, hired a bunch of young DJs, students and trend-setters throughout Austria, where the company started, to host parties where Redbull would be served, purposefully restricting supply and refusing to advertise… also pioneering viral marketing while they were at it. THIS was a huge success, and proves that reaching the buyers where they are - where they’ll make decisions, and where impressions are encoded emotionally - is the thing to do! I love new marketing ideas, and I love marketers who take chances - as the old saying goes, “to get the good fruit, you have to go out on a limb!”
Now, one thing I REALLY like is seeing marketers in industries that seem stuck, like the auto and chain restaurant industries, do things VERY differently from their competition. I was involved with Amway many years ago, and one thing that always rang true with me in the rhetoric being preached by my uplink was, “if you want to succeed, look at what everyone else is doing, and do the opposite.” I love that approach, and it’s always worked for me.
A few years ago, Volkswagen released one of their new Bugs on the web only. You HAD to order it on the web, and they sold many months in advance of delivery. Ducatti did exactly the same thing with one of their bikes around 2000 or 2001, and sold out of the entire planned production run before a single bike was delivered. Both manufacturers had plenty of critics, but both are known for doing things their own way, as well. More importantly, both respond to and encourage the culture of their buyers. Rather than trying to fit in with their would-be competitors, they have both pretty much ignored them, carving out niches in markets that makes their customers a lot more like fan bases than typical customer bases. A lot of great brands come to mind when I think about customer/fan-bases. Brands like Nike, Harley Davidson, Land Rover, and Apple. These companies have built brands that create emotional ties in their customer base. They’ve concentrated on where there customers ARE, rather than where they want them to be. And many times, they’ve even altered their product to fit a particular market, rather than market to a base that fits their existing product; a pretty novel concept in a consumer economy where manufacturers actually make a lot of decisions for the buyer by way of their sheer marketing power.
For some products, there’s almost a “mob mentality” when it comes to their favorite product, and there are great ways to capitalize on this. The ipod is the perfect example. People who wouldn’t even think about buying one before are spending $200-plus to get one with all the features they want, load it up with apps and music, and show it off to all their friends who have last week’s model. Remember the Sony Walkman in the ’80s?
In the end, one of the most important things you can do to reach your customers “where they are” is to speak in terms they understand. I do a lot of consulting where I help clients develop their “corporate language” packages; verbal and visual guidelines for all their marketing and communication that matches their desired customer culture.
Culture is key in the communication age. No longer does the buying public simply decide based on the information available. They want to know who their buying from, and they want communication. The success of Facebook and MySpace is due entirely to the advent of the communication age; people have bounced back from the cold, impersonal information age, seeking connection. Even the info-monger, Google, has responded my personalizing search results.
So, learn the culture of your intended buyer. Learn what turns their buying reflex on, and where they make those decisions to buy. If you’re selling skateboards, don’t advertise in National Geographic. If you’re selling Rolexes, don’t use terms like “sick” when you mean stylish. This SEEMS like common sense, but you’d be surprised how many people superimpose their own culture over their customers’, and make huge mistakes in their marketing message.
Reaching your customers where they are means speaking in terms they understand, and speaking to them where they are, rather than where you want them to be. A great example is a recent client I had who was marketing health products. She was using media that showed glamorous, fit models. Her wording was all about health and success and empowering people. Her intended target, is obese Americans and she has a real heart to help people be healthier. Now, I can tell you with all confidence that if glamour and fitness were a priority for Americans, we would’t be the obese nation we are. Our priorities, as a whole, include convenience and entertainment. So, where did she go wrong? She couldn’t see a better way to reach her audience until we walked through the culture and cognitive process of the intended buyer.
⁃    Original marketing message: “You’ll look good with our products. Our vitamins will give you energy for your workouts, and suppress your appetite. See how good you can look… our models sure do look good in these active poses!”
⁃    Intended heavy customer: “I like convenience. That’s why I eat packaged food and at fast-food restaurants. I like my leisure time and entertainment. I watch a lot of television and go to movies and watch sports but don’t participate, even if I want to. Physical activities, while they might be fun, are uncomfortable because of my weight, so I don’t do much in those areas. I’d like to look better, but most people are heavy these days, so I feel just fine in public; no need to change, especially if much time or painful activities are involved. I’m just too busy, and not really into pain or self-denial. ”
⁃    Modified marketing message: “Our vitamins are a convenient way to get the nutrition you need to feel better. You’ll be able to accomplish more in your busy schedule, allowing you the time and energy to do the things you really enjoy.”
MAYBE, before-and-after photos of real people could be used here, but that’s a bit tired. The point is that the message has to speak to people on their terms, not the seller’s.
This series will continue to explore marketing themes and methods over the coming installments; we’ll present some step-by-step activities you can do to capture your buying public, and set yourself apart from your competitors, and ensuring your long term success!

PR: wait…

I: wait…

L: wait…

LD: wait…

I: wait…

wait…

Rank: wait…

Traffic: wait…

Price: wait…

C: wait…

Keeping your sanity with Scriptless Footage Management

admin — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 23:23:06 +0000

WHY?
Long ago, when I was still a “junior” filmmaker, I acted as script supervisor on a Seattle Seahawks television ad series shoot. The pay was decent, at about $50 per hour, but the cramp in my hand after an 8-hour shoot wasn’t worth it. I decided I’d never do THAT again for less than $500 per hour. We all know THAT’S not going to happen, though…

Twice, as an experienced filmmaker, I’ve been faced with a similar situation; once as the Foley/ADR/scoring guy for a film where the audio tracks didn’t get recorded by the synch guy, and once in one of those 48-hour film competitions, where we strayed so far from the existing script that we might as well have not had one. Both times, I promised myself I’d never do it again. Well, years later, as an event videographer and documentary filmmaker, I find myself being required to do it all again. But THIS time, with experience as an event videographer, I’ve discovered some great techniques to keep from going completely insane.

KEEPING FREE FROM INSANITY

If you can have a script supervisor on board during the shoots, DO IT! For those of you who don’t know the best way to do this, here’s what we do in our production house, for both tape-based and file-based shoots:
1. GENERIC TECHNIQUES:
  1. USE A SLATE! ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS use a slate if you can, even for event and documentary shoots.
    1. Your slate should be on camera for at least 5 seconds, and will aid immeasurably when scanning footage of any type later.
    2. Your slate should have shot number or scene, take number, and anything else that might be variable, like lens used, lighting, time of day, etc.
  2. Keep track SOMEWHERE of reel, tape, file number, etc., along with a description of what you’re shooting. Even if you’re only keeping track of time code ranges with one-word descriptions, it’s better than nothing.
  3. Use a Script Log of your own design, or use the one I’ve attached to this article. It will eliminate headaches before they start!
2. FOR TAPE- or REEL-BASED shoots:
  1. Number all your reels BEFORE you start shooting. When I’m doing shoots with mini-DV or film, I make this part of my pack-up checklist.
  2. Have the script supervisor, if available, note timecode and reel for EVERY push of the record button, along with a brief description of what’s being shot. Don’t get too wordy here, or you’ll have a hand cramp that leaves you sayng, “never again for less than $500 per hour!”
  3. Develop a code for various types of shots. For example, initials for characters that appear in each shot, a primitive sun or lightbulb for type of lighting, or a house icon or tree icon for location, perhaps. This will aid in quickly organizing shots later.
  4. If you have a script of ANY sort, make sure to note the shot and take for every segment.
3. FOR FILE-BASED shoots:
  1. We do a number of shoots that are non-tape-based, recording directly to hard drive, where the footage will be either ingested later, or is “direct to edit.” If your DTE recorder has the ability to connect to a computer where you can have a script supervisor take notes directly attached to the footage as it’s being shot, DO IT! It took many edit sessions where I said, “Why didn’t I take advantage of this feature earlier?” before I started making it a habit!
  2. USE YOUR SCRIPT SUPERVISOR! If you are acting as S.S., then take a break once in a while to note what you’ve shot. Again, even if it’s just a file number range with a brief description, do it!

In the end, all of this may sound like common sense, but you’d be surprised just how many professionals fail to do it! My suggestion is to make the preparation to track shoots part of your checklist, and make the tracking a habit that you never fail to follow.

Continuity_log.pdf

New Gear Report! Direct-to-Edit MR-HD100

admin — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 03:28:20 +0000

So… those that know me know that I’m a total gear-head. I try to keep up with technology and gear by reading roughly 14 different industry trade rags - good thing I’m a speed-reader!

Sometimes, I get these great offers to try a piece of gear, or to upgrade something inexpensively, or a pre-market price I can’t refuse - That’s the case with this new direct-to-edit recorder from JVC, the MR-HD100, meant specifically for JVC’s GY- ProHD line of cameras.

Now, I’ve owned another model HD direct-to-edit recoder for about a year- the DR-HD100, and I’ve absolutely loved the convenience and time-saving aspects of it. It’s been a true life-saver at times.

THE TYPICAL PROCESS
Typically, if I’m on a shoot where I’m covering4-8 hours of footage, I’ll use 4-9 tapes, (more for HD vs. SD), then I transfer the tape to computer in real-time, plus the time to change tapes, set up the transfer, etc. “Digitizing” is really the wrong word for it, since the material is already digital, and I just transfer from the camera in real-time using a firewire cable. Once the footage has been transferred, I spend anywhere from a day to a week taking notes on it, categorizing and organizing each clip so that editing goes faster.

THE TYPICAL DIRECT-TO-EDIT PROCESS
Enter the DTE recorder - My Firestore DR-HD100 has saved me countless hours of transferring, and where I’m using tape at the same time, it’s actually rescued me from tape drop-out issues. I have raved about this little device over the past year. I shoot, thn back in the studio, I simply sort and edit. Sometimes, I don’t even transfer from the drive to the computer; I’ll edit directly on the drive, THEN transfer. I’ve loved this unit, and it has loved me back, but a few weeks ago, I got this crazy offer I couldn’t refuse, giving me the opportunity to try the newest DTE recorder for the ProHD Camera, the MR-HD100.

THE NEW PROCESS.
If you look at the picture, you’ll see a USB dongle sticking up from the recorder. You’ll also see an iPhone with a webpage prominently displaying “ProHD” at the top. What’s this?!?

Well, I’ve been reading about this for a while, and I was so excited to get this, that I could barely contain myself. The hours this would save me would be double those of the DR-HD100!

I shoot, and I edit. What about the sorting and labeling? That’s where the dongle and the iPhone come in! I can create a peer-to-peer network with the DTE recorder, and an assistant can take notes on each clip AS IT’S BEING SHOT! If I’m on my own, I simply take notes after I hit record! This is infitely cool! The notes are attached directly to each clip as “metadata,” and can be read directly by Final Cut Pro, my non-linear editor of choice. A little modification of the template allows me to make data for other editing software, as well.

How is it in practice? Well, after a bit of fiddling around with Windowds networking on my IBM ThinkPad, I got it connected. My Mac connected instantly, and I’m guessing an iPhone would do the same. I decided to dedicate my ThinkPadto only 2 purposes, though: Takeing notes during shoots, and remote web access.

The process is wonderful! Every time I hit “record” on the camera, a new page appears in my webrowser, generated by the DTE. This page allows me to enter things like scene, title, take, etc - just about anything I want. Another very cool aspect is that it records 720p at 24/30/60 fame rates directly to quicktime OR mt2 file. VERY, VERY exciting! Stay tuned for more reviews on this page!

My Favorite Shopping Place!

admin — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 09:07:06 +0000

How to Run a Guerrilla Marketing Program

admin — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 17:10:20 +0000

How to Run a Guerrilla Marketing Program

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

This article gives you tips on setting up and executing a successful Guerrilla Marketing program. Whether it’s the utilization of street teams, spokesmodels, passing out samples or product demonstrations, street marketing reaches people where they work and play.

Steps

Be relevant. Your audience is fickle. Advertisements, billboards, radio, newspaper – they are bombarded all the time. Make your contact with them relevant to them, and you will win their heart. Flyer Distribution, Postering, Spokesmodels, Events, these are all great ways to communicate to your target audience, but you must be relevant. Promoting Coach Handbags at a Biker Convention is not relevant. Promoting Retirement Accounts to teenagers is not relevant. Think about your audience, get inside their heads. Think about what they like, and then you’ve got them.
Be where your audience is. An event may be high-traffic, but the traffic may be all wrong. Looks good on paper, but it doesn’t look so good when your street team arrives they realize it’s the wrong crowd. Your target audience has predictable behaviors, predictable patterns. If you understand your audience, understand their buying habits, understand where they like to be, and when you can have confidence that you guerrilla efforts will get in your audience’s hands.
Call to action. Whether Street Marketing or Guerrilla Marketing, it is difficult to measure CPM on a campaign that involves these elements. How do you know you are winning the good fight? Present your target audience with a hook, involve them in the game, and then you can track how they respond. If it is flyers, or posters, bar promotions, or sampling programs, even guerrilla wall projections, make your audience move, and you will be able to track the success or failure of the initiative. Websites, Scratch & Wins, Photo Ops that drive your target to a Branded Photo Page, Prize Giveaways, Call in & Win. All of these approaches make your audience move, and that movement can be measured.
Make your package creative. Packaging will have a lot to do with your success rate. Whether your teams are dressed in leotards instead of khaki, or you are giving them branded fruit instead of flyers, think about what will shake your target from the rigors of their daily pattern enough to see what you are showing them. Singing telegrams, or flyer distribution on roller-skates, Segway Marketing, or BASE Jumping from buildings – make a stir and the window of impression will open long enough for your point to hit home.
Leave it to the professionals. Don’t try to do it alone. We all see those commercials where there is a warning that says “These Are Trained Professionals. Do Not Attempt to Try This on your Own.” The same is true with street marketing, guerrilla marketing or non-traditional marketing. The professionals know what they are doing. Not all programs go 100% perfectly. In fact, most don’t. However, by using a professional street marketing agency, you can get all the resources you need, and if anything is not as you intended, they will fix it for you. A good promotional agency will have contingency plans to account for the ‘what ifs’ of a campaign, they will have back-ups, and a 24-hour support line. Plus, even though you may think you can do it alone, with the help of a source like craigslist, do you really want to add Hiring Personnel or Firing Personnel to your list tasks and responsibilities. Stick to what you do best, and let the professionals make your life easy, instead of letting a marketing and promotional campaign make your life hell.
Have a great team. The difference between an excellent promotional campaign and a rotten one can be determined by the street team you have on the ground. This is not an area where you want to skimp. You can have the very best materials, the very best call to action, and you could have anticipated your target demographic so well that you are at the perfect event, but without a A+ Team (of Managers, Staffers, Samplers, Spokesmodels, Emcees or Costumed Characters) to attack at will, you are at risk. Look for Enthusiasm, Professionalism, Ingenuity, Self-Starters, and Experience. Attractiveness is always a plus, and with some programs a major necessity, but that should not replace any of the above qualities and remember you will always get more and better results from someone who is truly excited that they were picked to be on the project rather than someone who felt it was your privilege to have them there.
Hit ‘em at all levels. The best defense is a good offense, and the best offense is one that attacks from all sides. Do not put all your street “marketing eggs” in one basket. Hit ‘em at all levels. What does this mean? It means diversify how and where your audience with be targeted and make sure you are there. Marketing 101 tells us that for your message to be truly effective, it takes 7-10 exposures of your product/name per consumer. A good street-level marketing campaign should include at least 5 of the following street components: hand-to-hand flyer distribution, strategic store drops, wild postings, permission-based postering, sidewalk stencils, product distribution & sampling, guerrilla projections, Segway marketing, roach baiting, branded pizza boxes/coffee sleeves and a good publicity stunt.
Have good timing. Understanding the question of WHEN is very important. If you are promoting a nightclub, flyer distribution during the day is not going to be as effective as hitting your target at night. If you are doing a coffee promotion, cruising the entertainment district in the evening may not be as effective as hitting commuters on their way to work in the morning.
Think about your product. Think about your target audience. Knowing their behavior will allow you to know the when that makes your campaign a wow.
Show your work! Everyone has a boss. Everyone wants to impress the boss! When it comes to non-traditional marketing campaigns, results can be tricky to measure, so get as much evidence of your work as possible. If you were buying advertising, you would show your boss the great ad that you purchase in LUCKY magazine. With non-traditional, or street, or guerrilla marketing, you can still show your boss how cool you are. Get photos! Get event reports! Hire a videographer or a professional photographer. Do what it takes to make sure that your initiatives are very well documented. If you take this step, you will be covered, even if the program goes south.
Communicate. Important note: When it comes to reporting, make sure that what you have in mind regarding reporting is well communicated to your team. A photo from a cellphone is technically an event photo, but it is not going to show well in a presentation to the board of directors. Be clear in what you are expecting and you have a much higher likelihood of not being disappointed by the results down the road).
Twist the norm. Be unexpected! Be shocking! Make the public look. If you have a great to-market approach, your audience will have no choice but to look, listen and absorb. Shake it up. If you are promoting a movie, pass out popcorn. If you are doing a trade-show for dental professionals, give the public floss. For every great promotion that hits the mark on timing, relevance, call to action, etc., taking a moment to anticipate what the public will expect and twisting it ever so slightly will catch their eye, make them remember it and compel them to share the experience with others. That is true viral marketing, true guerrilla marketing – major impact from minor cost due to creativity and solid execution.

Warnings

Don’t wait until the last minute to plan or get assistance. You can run a cost efficient program using a Marketing agency, but waiting until 1 week before you need to get it done will cost you more money.
Don’t forget that people, as a whole, have very short attention spans. Sure, a publicity stunt is great, but it’s important to flash that logo before the majority of your market turns their head to something more interesting. If your target market leaves before finding out who is behind the stunt, then the entire ordeal goes from surgically precise guerrilla marketing to you just being a person on top of a building in a chicken suit flapping his fake, yellow wings.

Related wikiHows

Sources and Citations

Attack Marketing.NET

Article provided by wikiHow, a collaborative writing project to build the world’s largest, highest quality how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Run a Guerrilla Marketing Program. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

FREE CASH! (or services)

admin — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 15:49:16 +0000

What?!?! Here’s how it works! If you pass a client to us by referral (you need to let us know, or the new client does), we’ll pay you 20% of the first job they book. In addition, for the first year after that, we’ll pay you 5% of everything they do, 4% for the 2nd year, 3% for the 3rd, 2% for the 4th, and 1% for the 5th year. Nice, huh? All designed to keep biz flowing nicely, and to thank our referring customers! Thanks!