By Linda Forrest
I was intrigued last week when the Marketing Profs newsletter opened my eyes to the fact that so-called “Generation Y” appears to love direct snail mail. Given how “plugged in” younger people are these days, this seems utterly counterintuitive, but it is indeed the case. One wouldn’t assume that amongst the electronics that are so prevalent in young people’s lives, they’re keeping their coupons clipped, but indeed it sounds as though this can be an effective way to reach this audience. Certainly more relevant information for those marketing a consumer play, but as entrepreneurs get younger and more skilled young people rise through the ranks in the workforce, it’s a good idea for those in the B2B space to be conscious of the habits of this age group as increasingly they are decision makers in the business world.
Marketing to different age groups has indeed been a hot topic in the marketing newsletters of late, as the Daily Dog also pointed to a piece on bridging the generational gaps with PR programs at the end of last week. It’s important, regardless of what you’re marketing, to be conscious of your audience and implement the marketing activities and methods that are most likely to bring about success. Perhaps these articles will provide you with some insight into your market and how best to reach them.
By Linda Forrest
In previous posts, we have made fleeting reference to the changes in our business since we each began our PR careers and also to our interest in clean technology and protecting the environment in other ways. A post in today’s MarketingProfs newsletter marries those two topics together and therefore resonates with us.
When I was involved in more consumer focused media relations and publicity, there was, at the time, a requirement for hard copy press kits by the hundreds that were packaged together with the consumer goods we were offering up for review, sent out by mail, by courier and offered up at media events. As time wore on and as technology and how people accessed and consumed information changed, we gradually got away from hard copy photos and press kits in favour of electronic versions. Although it was not with environmental considerations in mind at the time, upon reflection, there was indeed a monumentous reduction in the amount of paper and energy used to distribute the relevant media materials.
Fast forward to present day, when technology is even more pervasive in our lives. I honestly have a difficult time recollecting the last time that I put together a hard copy media kit, but can confidently say that it was at least several years ago. It’s great that our industry has moved, or is making the move, to be more environmentally friendly, whether it’s a conscious effort or a happy by-product of the changing way in which media gets its information.
By Linda Forrest
This morning on my way into the office, I saw about 50 grown men (sad to say there wasn’t a female among them) camped out outside a Rogers store to be the first to get their hands on an iPhone 3G, available today for the first time in Canada. The long line ups and eager anticipation extend beyond Canada’s borders as the new version of the phone has some additional bells and whistles that have Mac-philes and the hoi polloi alike very excited.
When I saw the faithful gathered this morning in aim of a common goal, I was reminded of “back in the day” when, prior to the internet, I lined up for hours and hours to buy concert tickets at the local Ticketmaster outlet. That situation, like this, was a “you snooze, you lose” proposition as I’m confident in saying that it’s doubtful that the little Rogers stand in the Rideau Center has enough iPhones on hand to meet the demand and only those brave souls who were in line prior to the store’s opening are likely to be entirely unproductive today at their jobs as they play with their new toys.
My point, and I do have one, is that the buzz surrounding this product has reached a fever pitch, and that people who perhaps have never had a mobile phone, let alone a whiz-bang PDA like the iPhone, are chomping at the bit to get their hands on one. This not only increases the demand for mobile applications, but also means that a whole lot more people will be using Canada’s wireless infrastructure, not to mention entering the world of constant accessibility.
As PR practitioners, we have to be constantly available to our clients. One never knows if and when breaking news could hit and we need to respond to it immediately or switch into crisis mode at a moment’s notice. To that end, the introduction of the iPhone to our team has been wonderful – allowing each of us to have access to our email and the internet no matter when it is, no matter where we are. As Francis has said on occasion, yes, it’s a leash, but it enables us to take vacations and be out of the office, if need be, yet still be plugged in. The trick, then, becomes unplugging, not checking your email as soon as you awaken and as the last thing at night. Oh, who am I kidding – we all do that anyway, regardless of whether we’re using our computers or our iPhones to connect.
To those of you who are just getting your first iPhone today, congratulations and enjoy. I think the employers of the world must have come together to encourage this release on the last day of the workweek in the hope that the anticipated lost productivity would be limited to a sunny Friday and people will spend the weekend, off the company clock, experimenting with their new gadgets.
By Linda Forrest
As we’ve previously mentioned, to work at inmedia, it’s almost a prerequisite to be a self-professed “word nerd.” Christmas gifts are often grammar-themed and we are all avid readers, both on and off company time. Therefore, it is with great relish that I point to the latest words to be added to the newest edition of the Merriam-Webster Collegiate dictionary.
In order to be deemed mainstream enough to make the dictionary, words must be routinely used in print without explanation, thus indicating that they’re widely understood. A major driver of these “new” words is technology. By its very nature, technology is cutting-edge and inventive, requiring endless expansion of our lexicon and creating the opportunity for individuals and executives alike to coin a phrase that eventually becomes widely used and legitimized by inclusion in the dictionary.
Working in the technology milieu as we do, I’m a bit surprised to see that webinar is only just now making the grade, but perhaps by saying that I’m unintentionally pretexting as an early adopter to glean commentors’ thoughts on the matter … Enjoy.
By Linda Forrest
Is it surrealist to blog about blogging? It’s not my intention, but should this post turn into an Escher-esque experience, I’ll ask you to please bear with me.
There has been considerable media coverage in recent days about corporate blogging and blogging as it pertains to B2B marketing. Forrester, a well respected technology analyst firm, recently released a study analyzing the role of blogs in b2b marketing and survey results that indicate, “The number of business-to-business (B2B) firms that started blogging in 2007 plummeted compared with 2006 as corporate bloggers ran into roadblocks stemming from a misalignment between invested effort and expected returns. Rather than cross blogging off of the marketing communication list, B2B marketers would do better to embrace one of the four strategies prominently used by bloggers to attract readers, build conversations, and engage community members in sharing their experiences with their online peers.
Four Blog Strategies Produce Community Marketing Value
- Strategy One: Be A Conversation Starter, Not A Spoiler
- Strategy Two: Make Blog Content Entertaining, Easy To Digest And To Use
- Strategy Three: Connect The Dots Between Events And Community Involvement
- Strategy Four: Invite Thought Leaders, But Coach Them On Community Etiquette”
According to The Leading Edge, a PR technology trends blog, “infrequent and boring content” is what ails the high tech companies that responded to the survey. This blog has some interesting statistics from the study and I would encourage you to visit the link above to find out more.
The bottom line is that blogging, like any other marketing activity, should adhere to best practices. Those companies that are not deriving value from this particular communication channel are probably not meeting all of the challenges inherent with utilizing a new method of communication to reach customers, influencers and prospects. Since blogging was the “hot, new thing,” you would be hard pressed to find a company that hasn’t at least considered hopping on the bandwagon and starting its own blog. Those that are likely to be successful, though, are the ones that carefully considered the reasoning behind the blog, the objectives that the companies were hoping to accomplish by starting their blogs, and how this channel could support their full range of marketing activities.
Coming up with fresh, intelligent, conversation-starting blog posts with regularity can be challenging, to be sure, but whether the effort and potential return on investment are worthwhile is a question that each company must answer for itself before diving headlong into blogging.
