Got Killer Video- Now What????

A while ago I wrote a blog about making killer video.  Remember- Don’t go cheap, Use graphics, and Be Human?   Now you have listened and make a great video about your product or service; where do you put it?  This is just as important as the video itself.  I mean why would you have a beautiful car and put it on a dirt lot in the middle of no where?  You wouldn’t.  Video is most effective when it can be linked to other things, so we always encourage our clients to put any video they have on YouTube.  There are a couple of reasons with the biggest one being it is partnered with Google.  Being partnered with Google will actually help you if you tag your videos correctly because when someone searches for something you offer, if your video is tagged correctly you show up in the search engine.  It is sort of like SEO without the small fortune you could spend on it.  Now don’t get me wrong this will not cure all your search engine problems, but it will help your videos be relevant and seen.  Another reason to post on YouTube is the creation of a custom YouTube Channel.  Don’t know what I am talking about check these out:

www.youtube.com/SynergyMarketingCO

www.youtube.com/JDCav24

www.youtube.com/expertvillage 

 

See how those are completely different with the brand and brand message?  That is way more effective than having me watch your video surrounded by ads and other videos.  Another reason to use YouTube; it is universal!  You can upload or share a YouTube video almost anywhere and guess what happens then?  You can go viral, the more people see your video, the more people you can touch and influence.  The social game is all about influence right? 

 

How much of your product or service will you sell with just video?  That depends; is it a good video and did anyone see it?  If you answered yes, then you will make connections and sales will increase.  The power of video isn’t going anywhere, but how can you as a business owner harness the power of video and increase your bottom line?  I hope I gave you some tips to get you started in the video world.  Please feel free to comment or leave your questions for me to answer in future posts! Till next time!

 

 

Making It Make Sense,

Erika Jones

Synergy Marketing Consultants

www.gosynergymc.com

970-812-7030

@970Synergy

Facebook.com/synergymarketingconsultants

What Exactly Is Hybrid Media?

Forward thinking marketing companies use this term as more than just buzzwords. They really have meaning, and a philosophy. Hybrid media is the strategic use of traditional and new media to communicate your message in a more effective way. For example; your company may have a great Facebook page that is set up wonderfully–but how are you getting traffic to that page?  Or perhaps you have a fantastic website with tons of information and great deals that really entice people to do business with your company when they visit the page—but how are you telling people about it?

In our initial consultations with customers, the conversation usually turns to, “How are you telling people about your great page or website?” Clients tend to look at us with a blank expression and say, “Well we didn’t think about that.”  Doing business in today’s tech-savvy and electronic environment isn’t like “Field of Dreams”; where if you build it they will come. Social media doesn’t work that way.

In looking at this from the traditional perspective, let’s use an example of a client who is proud of their TV or radio commercial that has a call to action of “call us at 555-1234”. While this sounds great to owners, there in an inherent problem: The call to action is only speaking to the people who are in market right now for their product. What are you doing to connect with the people who don’t need you right now? Those customers are still listening to the radio and watching TV, they just don’t have a need for your product at that moment. But they don’t mind taking some of their time to learn more about you or your company, provided the message makes sense. So why not drive everything to your website and let the customers who can take advantage of your product now do so, while allowing the ones who don’t to make a connection and remember your website for the future?

This is why having a hybrid media strategy is so vital in today’s market place. The fact is you can drive yourself crazy trying to do everything, and be everything, to everyone. So stop and think. What is your current message and is it utilizing anything with new or social media? If not, you need to rethink your message. If you have a social or new media presence, what is your strategy to tell people about it? Remember, you can get better results using the two forms of media together.

Marketing can be very confusing and scary for business owners right now. There are so many “new media” avenues like QR Codes, Facebook Pages, Blogging, and Text Message Marketing. Think about how frustrating it must for businesses that haven’t figured out the correct way to use traditional media and now they have to learn all these new media—let alone how to use them together.

The best strategy your business can have is to look at whatever marketing you are doing and ask yourself, “Does my traditional complement my social/new media?”, or “Have I used traditional media to tell anyone about my great social/new media platform?” Plan your traditional media by figuring out what your message should be, likewise, before you jump into new media figure out what platform is the best for your industry right now. Then consult a professional in the industry to help you put them together.

Just like with cars, the hybrid strategy will work wonderfully when properly designed; saving you money, and a whole lot

of energy.

3 Ways to Make Killer Video

With video engagement on the rise and marketing budgets on the decline it is important to look at where you can get the most bang for your buck.  Video is an extremely effective way to drive a message home, drive traffic to your website or Facebook page, or just increase awareness of your brand.  We encourage and incorporate video into each of our clients and they love it!  In fact, we just completed a project with a local mortgage loan officer’s website that we designed and incorporated video onto each page.  Not just video, but walk-out video where he is engaging you and talking directly to you.  Pretty slick!  Check it out here www.kylecanclose.com 

I am going to give you 3 ways that you can make a killer video to accomplish whatever message you are trying to get across. 

1.  Don’t go cheap!  Hire a professional with a good camera and lighting.  You are trying to come off professional and drive the value of your product or service home, so show the value by having a good quality video.  Flip videos are great for car dealers doing a walk around on a car, but not for someone sitting behind a desk or in their store talking about new product and services.  With so many HD screens (even on phones) you and your surroundings should look good!  You can usually find a production crew that will give you a break if you commit to several videos with them. 

2.  Use graphics!  Incorporate your logo, website, phone number, twitter handle, whatever you can think of to use in the video whether on the bottom or at then end screen, but this is just another opportunity for people to contact you.  Don’t have your entire video be dancing graphics while you are talking, just incorporate them in any way you can.  It increases brand awareness and adds a level of professionalism you competition probably isn’t doing. 

3.  Be human!  You shouldn’t worry about scripting the entire thing; people want to engage with people, not politicians.  Don’t sound like you are running for office in your video, sound like you are having a genuine conversation with your prospects or customers.  If you make a little blunder, keep going and keep eye contact with the camera.  I have seen so many videos that look like a 30 second political commercial and I just don’t get it.  Think about what your customers or potential customers want to hear from a real person they are talking to, not someone who is trying to sell them something.  Society has become so desensitized to the “Sham-wow” type selling that it just isn’t effective anymore. 

 

I hope these help and you feel comfortable venturing into the world of video.  Stay tuned for my next blog about where to put these awesome videos you just filmed!  Till next time!

 

Making It Make Sense,

Erika Jones

Synergy Marketing Consultants

www.gosynergymc.com

970-812-7030

@970Synergy

Facebook.com/synergymarketingconsultants

 

Facebook Alone Is Not Enough

Facebook Alone Is Not Enough

There has been a recent surge of businesses being advised that Facebook is the only strategy you need.
I have spoken to  a few businesses in the past few weeks and they have been told that a company alone can increase their sales with just Facebook.  What?? I recently spoke on this at a seminar and I will drive it home again.  You must have a combination of both social and traditional and it must be strategic.  There are a few things that Facebook can’t give you.

1. A constant branding message. The only way to accomplish this is to post 7-8 times a day with the same message and then you will be what I like to call “spamtastic” and soon be blocked.
2. Fans don’t just flock to your page.  You can’t just build it and they will come.  If you build a great page with all the right elements, how do you get people to become a fan?  There are so many ways, but one of the worst is for the person who is managing your page to spam all their friends into liking your page.  (That is something else that has been very unprofessional lately) You have to use a form of traditional media or interactions with customers to gain those fans.

Let me be very clear that I am a huge advocate of social media and it is extremely effective I just think there are some very confused small businesses out there that think Facebook is the cure for the problem.  Sometimes it is a part of the solution, but it is not the only answer.  If you are struggling with the best thing for you and your business reach out and ask someone who has a proven track record for help.  Ask them after they build you a great page exactly what is the strategy for gaining fans and keeping them?  If the strategy includes “oh I have 500 friends I will ask them to become a fan” turn and run!  That is not a strategy.  Look for them to tell you new ways to ask for fans using current customer experiences and traditional media.  Keep you head up about the social game, it is constantly changing and evolving so align yourself with people who change and evolve with it.  Till next time!

Making It Make Sense,

Erika Jones

Owner, Synergy Marketing Consultants

http://www.gosynergymc.com

Keeping it Fresh!

Lately we have got asked a lot about what we do and the answer is  A LOT!  However our services have been updated lately to meet a lot of the requirements of our clients and I started to wonder – are my clients updating their services with the changing climate?  What is something your competition isn’t offering, should you offer it?  Is there something that you see a need for in your industry environment?  Sometimes it is as simple as education, or maybe changing the way you tell clients about what you do.  Either way it has been said that the only constant thing in life is change; so are you constantly changing?

We recently held a free seminar on our hybrid strategy of traditional and new media and had small business owner and even people from the different media outlets join us and some people thought I was crazy for telling them how to do a hybrid strategy effectively.  My answer was simply that I saw a need for this kind of education so that is now a service we give at Synergy Marketing Consultants.  Free education to our clients and even the clients of our competitor ~ why?  Because if my competitor doesn’t then I will and it makes me stand out.  So think about your business and the industry you are in and ask yourself what is something your consumers need or want and can you offer it to them better?  If the answer is yes, then update your services and Keep It Fresh!

 

Making It Make Sense,

 

Erika Jones

How to aviod the “knee-jerk” reaction in your business

I recently had a client who had an off week in business and sent me and email sort of freaking out.  It went a little something like this:

“We need to bring people in quickly with a loss-leader and once I bring them in I can hook them on my other product.  So let’s discount the heck out of the product sell it cheap cheap cheap and that should increase our business.   Run the sale!!!!”

So that is the Cliffnotes version but you get the point.  How many of you have done this in your business?  Probably a lot if not all of you.  It is common and easy to do, you get scared and think I will bring a bunch of people in and they will love me so much they will become loyal.  That is not really what happens though.  When I got this email I first thought “What the heck?”  That is not the direction they want to go, they are scared.  So I responded by asking them the following questions:

1.  What plan do you have in place to convert the people who are coming in to get your super cheap product?  This particular customer is down one staff member and the rest are pretty busy as is so will they really be able to give all the “new” people coming in the best possible experience to make them a loyal customer?

2.  Who are you going to tell this message to?  You can’t just send this out in newsletter form and tell it to your existing customers who have paid full price all along, that will really tick them off.  Besides, the point of this is new customers, not just existing ones right?

3.  Typically the best way to get a “sale” message out is Radio or TV, you hit it heavy and hard and bring in TONS of people.  Great!  But………now these “new” customers associate your brand with “Discount” is that really how you want these new customers to view your product or brand is discounted?  You are training them from the beginning of the relationship to expect a discount or wait until you lower your price.

After asking them these questions they thought about this “sale” and decided against it.  We held steady and the traffic has leveled out.  Sometimes being still is the best thing for your business but do you have someone telling you that?  Most agencies would have picked up the phone and placed the order for the radio or tv schedule, but I knew that wasn’t the best thing for the client.  Do you have someone working with you in any part of your business that will be your level-headed thinker when you want to have a “knee-jerk” reaction?  If not get one, if you can’t think of one, call me.  I love what I do because I am not going to tell clients what they want to hear, I am going to tell them what they need to hear and knowing that I am making a positive impact on their business is the best payoff I could ever want!

Making It Make Sense,

Erika Jones, Synergy Marketing Consultants

http://www.gosynergymc.com

You Can’t Buy Your Audience

Is your audience listening?

I hear a lot of business owners say, I can’t afford to
advertise. Ok I can understand that you have a “limited budget” but you aren’t
buying your audience, you are speaking to them and that can cost you as little
or as much as you are willing to spend.
If you think that you have to go to the most expensive medium to speak
to your audience then you have it all wrong.
It’s not always the most expensive that delivers the best results.  Sometimes it just takes looking at an
alternative to the most expensive and doing it really, really well.  For instance if you can reach a smaller
audience more times with one media, is that better than reaching a larger
audience only one time?  That will all
depend on what you are trying to carry out, again with the question what does
success look like to you?  But remember
no matter what, spending a ton of money doesn’t mean you bought your audience,
it just means you spend a ton of money for an opportunity to speak to
them.  If you don’t have something
interesting to say to them, you didn’t get anything out of that.  Plus, if they didn’t hear you because you
only said it once that doesn’t do you any good either.  There are so many ways to get your message
out effectively without spending a fortune on advertising but it takes some
careful planning and very creative messages to speak to that audience, don’t
buy them.  If you want some creative ways
to get your message out on a “limited budget” give me a call and we won’t buy
your audience, we will speak to them.
Till next time……

Making It Make Sense,

Erika Jones, Synergy Marketing Consultants

The Most Important Question No One Ever Asks You

The Most Important Question

We all know that you can’t just go into something and hope that it works.  I have said this before and I will say it again no good strategy ever includes the words “hope and pray”.  So don’t do anything that you can’t measure.  Some people in marketing will say well then you need to include a call to action message if you want to measure a media to see if it works.  I say wrong!  Before you ever try to measure anything you should define what success looks like to you or what exactly you are trying to accomplish and consider it successful.  Depending on what you want your success to look like then that will determine a part of your marketing message.  What if success looks like opening a second location to you?  What kind of message do you send and to who?  It’s not just about an immediate response because anything immediate that you can measure right away eventually will wear out its welcome.  Most things that give you an immediate response are a discount, coupon or sale of some kind.  Now while those can be beneficial, is that going to get you to your second location?  So you will buy a radio campaign, run a sale then tell your radio rep that it didn’t work.  Why?  Well, because to you success was opening a second location not an influx of customers.  Most business owners haven’t ever really sat down and thought about what success really looks and feels like to them probably because no one has ever asked them.  Well I am asking you, and if you want to find out what that success feels like then contact me at Synergy Marketing Consultants.  Till next time…..

Making It Make Sense,

Erika Jones    Synergy Marketing Consultants

Blacklisted by Google?

Oops- Sorry Google

Black Listed by Google?

Did you hear that Overstock.com recently lost 5% of its revenue because of Google?  Well before you get mad at the all mighty Google there are some things you should know.  Overstock.com cheated and Google caught them.  You see they were buying up links and key words on the internet that had nothing to do with their business, by doing that they were driving up their search rankings as a more relevant site no matter what you were searching for.  Well that is a big no-no for Google.  You would think that Overstock.com would have learned its lesson from JC Penny when they pulled that trick in late 2010 and were literally removed from Google.  Unfortunately both of these companies used outside sources to “boost” their Google rankings and it cost them.  There has been a lot of hype about SEO and key words and blah blah blah, it really isn’t that hard to get great Google rankings without spending a dime.  You just have to know how to do it.  What you don’t need is some agency or salesperson telling you they can get you on the first page of Google and buy ad words for you; you may just find yourself in an Uh-O Overstock situation.  For easy and free ways to boost your rankings the right way, contact me at Synergy Marketing Consultants.  Till next time….

Making It Make Sense,

Erika Jones  Synergy Marketing Consultants

The Ice Cream Diet in Advertising

I am a huge believer in research and constantly learning about your market and how it is changing.  Well in one of my research sessions I came across something that was very exciting to me.  eMarketer study done in February 2011 shows that by 2015 more than 25% of local ad dollars will be going to online advertising.  You all know I am a huge advocate of online advertising in your media mix, but this was both exciting and alarming to me.  First it made me wonder where the local business in this area would be come 2015 and if they would be in line with those numbers.  My guess is that they will be more simply because I talk to so many people every day that are trying to find someway to be very effective with their dollars and the conversation always turns to how they can do that online.  Second that 25% number made me wonder, just because a business is in line with that number and spending 25% of their budget online doesn’t mean it is in the right places.  I mean it just like a diet, you are only supposed to eat 1500 calories a day but let’t face it 1500 calories of veggies and protein are much better for you that 1500 calories of ice cream.  Our local market actually has some hidden gems when it comes to online advertising and I have seen them work very effectively.  So ask yourself as we go into the 2^nd quarter of this year, goodness where has the year gone?  Then ask yourself are your ad dollars getting you a veggie and protein result or are you just eating some ice cream?  Till next time. 

Making it Make Sense, 

 Erika Jones, Synergy Marketing Consultants

Got Ice Cream?