twitter Tag

08 Jun

Posted at 12:53h in Social Media by
Twitter can be an effective marketing platform when used correctly. Allowing you to easily connect with strangers around the world, it’s the perfect tool for building more leads and creating more brand awareness. You may have already tried Twitter and had few results – with so many people around the world sending so many tweets per minute, it’s easy for your voice to get drowned out. By learning the art of tweeting, you can create more engaging content. Here are just a few pro tweeting tips.

22 Jun

Posted at 12:13h in Management, The New Entrepreneur by
Summer seems like it should be a slower time, and so I thought I would write about a skill that we all need to add more of - patience. Many people struggle with entrepreneurial impatience.  And that's not always a bad thing. It's often our sense of urgency that drives business growth in the first place, right? Plus, I think that part of the psychological makeup of many entrepreneurs is a minor case of ADD, or in my case, ADHD with an emphasis on the H. Renowned psychiatrist Dr. Dale Archer even called it an entrepreneur's "superpower" in a 2014 Forbes article.  Whether or not you have a diagnosis of ADD, impatience can often be fatal, particularly where marketing is concerned. entrepreneurial impatience We often try something once, or for a short time, and when there are no immediate results says “Well that doesn’t work.” It’s like lifting weights one day and expecting a tricep cut to develop overnight. I’m not suggesting that we all go out and spend a bajillion dollars on advertising. But I do think that in order for promotional tactics to work you have to learn to wait a bit. Here are some questions to ask yourself to see if maybe your own sense of urgency has turned into a bad case of entrepreneurial impatience: 

27 Aug

Posted at 16:26h in IMC, Social Media by
twitterI don't know about you but social media for B2B feels a lot more like a pain in the arse than a marketing tool at times. To establish the right goals (which do NOT, by the way only include your follower numbers or engagement percentages) I always need to remember why I like Twitter in the first place. That kind of resets my social media mojo when I'm buried in some ungodly Buzzsumo list looking for good content. Here are top 5 reasons I like Twitter for B2B right here, right now. 1. Twitter is great for earned media. Journalists seem to feel safer in Twitter, likely due to the 140 character limit. I find them in Twitter and I quickly tweet them that I might have good stuff coming their way from time to time. Twitter is also the ultimate platform for helping media spread their own reach as well. Help them before they help you. 2. Twitter grows website search traffic and provides great branding at the same time. Keep an eye on your Twitter referrals in Google Analytics and be conscious about sending them to specific landing pages and posts. I think of Twitter as my online billboard. A lot of people see it in "drive by mode" as they scroll through a feed. That's okay, they don't always have to click through.  Twitter is great for conversions but it's great for providing additional brand impressions also. 3. Twitter boosts your LinkedIn performance.

20 Apr

Posted at 16:14h in Campaign of the Month by
One of the greatest examples of integrated marketing communications is a plan so seamless and flawlessly executed that it deserves a place in the hall of fame for a completely immersive experience that didn't even feel like marketing. Who will ever forget the Smell like a Man, Man campaign , AKA “Old Spice Man?” This particular IMC campaign heavily integrated advertising with content and social media marketing. Combining television ads with wildly viral video and above-and-beyond-the-call-of-duty social media engagement, Old Spice plucked the memorable, tongue-in-cheek character of Old Spice Man, initially portrayed by Isaiah Mustafa, straight from television screens across the country and deposited him on YouTube. This was the start of pure magic. It all started with a 30 second ad spot that was widely run and exceptionally well received. Realizing the potential reach and cost effectiveness of YouTube, particularly when marketing to a younger generation (the target demographic for their line of body washes – who were already being assailed regularly with memorable ads from brands like Axe), the Old Spice team uploaded additional videos in the campaign series online. Fans of the character could see him in action far beyond the reaches of their TV screens. As interest in the character and the ads became clear, Old Spice released additional television commercials. These were supported with continued YouTube content, one of the first and certainly most spectacular examples of how video on TV and video online can work perfectly together. But Old Spice had the smarts to not just upload ads, but to pay attention to what people were saying to the character in tweets and video responses. They added the perfect twist that accelerated results astronomically. 

19 Oct

Posted at 18:57h in Integrated Marketing, Social Media by
shutterstock_184633280Although Twitter introduced animated GIFs to their website earlier this year, most social media sites are not compatible with GIFs. Twitter has become GIF-friendly with the creation of GIFV, a looping video with a smaller file size and consequently a faster loading time, states Imgur. This change has made it possible for these movie-image hybrid files to be used in marketing on a variety of platforms.

Twitter

As noted above, one of the best ways to take advantage of GIFs is on Twitter. If your company has a Twitter account (and it really should), tell the world about your services or products with a GIF. Not only is it more eye-catching than a string of images but it also takes less time to watch than a video. In the Information Age, time is of the essence, which means you can no longer expect your viewers to watch a product video that's over five minutes long. Use a site like GIFMaker to upload your images and create a short animated GIF. For example, Gap did a brilliant job with a GIF that both promotes their famous 1969 jeans and this year's tagline, "Dress Normal."

Emails

Using GIFs in marketing emails is a great way to make your brand stand out. However, there are some points to keep in mind.

12 Sep

Posted at 09:22h in Public Relations, Social Media by
By Dina Ely Pizza and Crisis ManagementOh, DiGiorno. What a week you've had. In the wake of the Ray Rice video and ensuing controversy, the Twitterverse showed some true vulnerability and profound emotion with a trending topic #WhyIStayed. Domestic violence survivors used the hashtag to tweet incredibly honest and visceral stories about their experiences. The hashtag has been used more than 92,000 times, according to The Huffington Post. And then there was DiGiorno. DiGiorno's reputation on Twitter has always been fairly good. They usually have their fingers on the pulse of Twitter trends and frequently play off hashtags and memes with great speed and clever wit. However, they made a massive mistake at the height of the #WhyIStayed trend. Not bothering to read any of the tweets actually associated with the hashtag, they simply tweeted, "#WhyIStayed You had pizza."

17 Feb

Posted at 12:33h in How to Pitch, Public Relations by
It's clear that today's media environment has made placements in print magazines more and more challenging for the Average Josephine. Although the blood loss may have slowed, magazines have reduced editorial pages significantly over the past few years. Of the pages that remain, many are forced to promise coverage to advertisers in order to stay afloat. Add to that the fact that most editors are doing 3x the job they used to because of staff cuts, and it's a tough challenge. Yet print magazines still remain (in my opinion, certainly not everyone's) an important part of many media campaigns. Getting an editor's attention can be key to promoting your product, book or service. In the last couple of years, we've started doing things a little differently here at Wax...and I'd like to share some of the creative ways we get an editor's attention.

30 Nov

Posted at 12:31h in News by

We've had some juicy celebrity crisis' lately that make writing this post lots of fun. When your company, product or personal brand encounters a crisis it's important to decide what 'voice' you're going to use.  Choosing the right approach is one of the reasons little-known (but uber-powerful) flacks like Marty Chalmers and Eliot Mintz make the heavy wood.  Let's take a look at some of the characteristics of voices being used most recently - as well as a few thrown in from the past.

Above It - How can I write this post without addressing Tiger Woods' current situation? As I write this, he has refused to meet with the police and has posted a note on his website thanking his well- wishers and telling everyone the rumors are all lies and he wants to keep this 'private'. First of all, not cooperating with the police right away sends the message that the guy has something to hide. Second, he doesn't tell us what happened. Apparently we aren't privileged enough to hear the real story. How would we feel if Oprah showed up 50 pounds thinner and refused to tell us how she did it? This voice implies arrogance and an attitude that Tiger's above it all. Not a good move for America's favorite sports hero and NEVER a good move if the law is involved.

20 Nov

Posted at 11:38h in Small Business by
I'm straying way off course and off schedule in honor of the 7th anniversary of Wax Marketing - today! My biggest lesson? Dealing with the big GWF - the gut wrenching fear that comes with owning a small business. I don't think it's good marketing strategy, or business acumen, or networks that makes or breaks a small business. I think it's the ability to deal with fear. The only thing we have to fear is fear itself, right?So the next time you wake up in the middle of the night worried about that big check you need to cover payroll - or  when half your customers decide your service is a "luxury" they can do without - try these and see if they work. Here's how I've learned to deal with GWF  over the past seven years. I hope you'll add your own fun tips and ways to get around it too!