Archive for October, 2009

A NOTE TO MY MARKETING FRIENDS

All too often, I see fellow agency marketers openly tweeting or blogging about their clients with no mention of the agency/client relationship. Sometimes, they even go as far as to review their clients’ products. “Wow, you have to try so-and-so’s new whatchamacallit.”

Well, STOP IT! You’re angering the FTC gods!!!

You are now required by federal law to disclose your relationship with that company. And if you happen to break that law, you could be held accountable to the tune of 11,000 smackers.

So what can all of us marketing flunkies do to avoid this harsh punishment?

1) Each time you tweet about a client, include the hash tag “#client” within your tweet. It’s only seven out of your 140 characters, and it’s enough to get the point across.

2) If you have room for more text - say, in a blog entry - try to explain the full relationship. “So and So, Inc. is a client of our company, Such and Such, LLC. We provide the following services for them…”

3) If you post any client content on any sharing sites (YouTube, Flickr), be sure to also include some mention of the relationship, even if it’s just a tag.

So that’s it. Go forth and avoid those fines!

- Ryan, @ryanatmgh

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Published by mghwom
October 8th, 2009 in MGH Random
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THE NEW FTC GUIDELINES YOU NEED TO LEARN

This isn’t the most exciting blog entry you’re ever going to read here, but it’s an important one. So before you go out and starting WOM’ing the world, take a moment to read the following:

600px US FederalTradeCommission Seal.svg THE NEW FTC GUIDELINES YOU NEED TO LEARN

Yesterday, the Federal Trade Commission released a brand new set of guidelines that speaks directly product endorsements and reviews written through social media.

The new rules dictate that bloggers (and all consumers who use social media) must fully disclose the relationships that they have with advertisers. If they receive a free product, or experience any gain from writing a review (such as a paid review - blech!), he or she must include text that explains their affiliation with the company who provided that incentive.

For example, if you work for a tool company, and you send a new set of wrenches to a popular daddy blogger in hopes that he’ll give write a positive review about you, you must ensure that he includes the following (or something similar) in his review blog post: “Tool Company sent me this wrench set, free of charge.”

If the daddy blogger fails to disclose the relationship, both your company and the blogger could be fined up to $11,000.

Continue reading ‘THE NEW FTC GUIDELINES YOU NEED TO LEARN’

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Published by mghwom
October 6th, 2009 in Marketing Tips
5 Comments

IGNORE SOCIAL MEDIA…AT YOUR OWN RISK

ignore IGNORE SOCIAL MEDIA...AT YOUR OWN RISK

Over the last year, several major brands have learned hard lessons about crisis communications in the age of social media.

Take Domino’s as an example. In April, an online video surfaced showing two rogue employees preparing food in rather disgusting ways. Thanks to the reach, ease and speed of social media, the video permeated the Web – grabbing 1 million views on YouTube in just a few days – and Domino’s had a full-blown crisis on its hands.

There’s also United Airlines. After singer-songwriter Dave Carroll’s $3,500 guitar was allegedly broken by United Airlines baggage handlers, he took to the Web when his calls and emails to the company failed to yield compensation for the damage. His video, “United Breaks Guitars,” has garnered more than 5 million views on YouTube since July, leaving some to speculate that this snafu may have caused United to lose significant amounts of money and its reputation.

In this world of rather pervasive social media, it is crucial for every company to be prepared to face a crisis caused or perpetuated by the tools of the Web. Moreover, a brand should be ready at a moment’s notice to also use social media to disseminate its position on serious claims launched at it.

So, what can a company do?

First, every brand should have an interactive presence. Whether it’s a Twitter account, a Facebook page or an email database, companies should be regularly engaging their consumers. Besides the fact that these tools can build business, they provide an immediate avenue to dispel rumors, communicate with the public and respond to negative claims.

Continue reading ‘IGNORE SOCIAL MEDIA…AT YOUR OWN RISK’

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Published by mghwom
October 6th, 2009 in Brand Management, Marketing Tips
10 Comments

A QUICK REMINDER ABOUT COMMUNICATION

“If it isn’t two-way, it isn’t communication. It’s message distribution.”

This quote has stuck with me ever since I came across it in this article about employee engagement. It’s such a simple, common sense, idea and yet, some employers forget about it when communicating with employees, just as many brands forget as soon as they start using social media.

If you’re going to participate in the world of social media, you need to make the shift away from talking to your customers to talking with your customers. The key here is to listen and, as often as possible, respond. We understand that you cannot implement every suggestion a customer may make or remedy every single complaint that comes through. But at least acknowledge that you are listening to your customers and their input matters to you and your brand.

These tools present plenty of new opportunities for brands. Never before could you receive instantaneous feedback from your customers, nor could you ask your fans to recommend you to their network of friends and actually watch the endorsement unfold in real-time. However, you’ll only achieve these unique results if you approach social media as it’s own unique strategy…and not as a new vehicle to push traditional marketing strategies.

-Kim, @kimberwom

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Published by mghwom
October 1st, 2009 in Marketing Tips
3 Comments

SOCIAL MEDIA ADAPTION SKYROCKETING

Last October, we reported that “93% of social media users said that brands should have some presence on social media outlets.” Well, a year later, it’s evident that companies share the same sentiment and are ready to take on the world of social media.

The e-tailing group and PowerReviews recently released findings of their first annual Community and Social Media Study, which assessed the social media adaptation rate of 117 companies, as well as their motivation for utilizing these social media tools.

The findings show that social media has already become a part of the marketing mix for many companies, with a majority of the remaining companies planning to adapt within the next year.

According to the study, Facebook has become the most popular social media outlet among companies, as 96% of the retailers surveyed either already utilized Facebook (86%) or plan to within the next year (10%). However, other word of mouth and social media outlets are not overlooked, as 94% of respondents plan to take advantage of customer reviews and 91% plan to utilize Twitter by the end of 2010.

newblogggggggggggggggg SOCIAL MEDIA ADAPTION SKYROCKETING

The findings go on to uncover that the companies’ primary goals for using social media tools, besides driving sales, are (1) to engage their customers, (2) increase brand loyalty, and (3) mobilize their advocates to drive word of mouth.

So what does this all mean for you and your brand? Well, if you’re not already using social media to engage your consumers, there’s a good chance that your competitors already are…or they’re planning to do so within the next year.

If you’re thinking about jumping into the social media game, or you’re not sure how to engage consumers on your online networks, check out some back to basic tips here.

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Published by mghwom
October 1st, 2009 in Marketing Research
4 Comments