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E-Marketing   URGENT - Need Help Fast!  
 
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Blogs And Youtube
Posted By: scott.zagurski on 10/4/2006 11:59 PM (CST) 250 Points
I need some help.
I hate buzzwords.
I work on the internet for a financial services company.
Every expert is preaching about viral marketing programs, the power of blogs and sites like Youtube.com.
But short of creating a commercial in which I launch a Mentos with Diet Coke or shoot a bottle rocket out of my rear, I am at a loss for how this can help me.
I see blogging as just another online newsletter. My industry already has plenty of those.
Maybe I am just out of touch. I welcome creative ideas on how I can use these two tactics in my next marketing plan.

Posted by: amandavega Member Response
10/5/2006 12:02 AM (CST)
As an agency, I don't think I'd use YouTube for an account like yours. I could see using multiple blogs, with the same idea and concept as your newsletter, but reaching and audience that doesn't read those newsletters. You also have a more conversational methodology among blogs, and can use it in a more interactive manner...and also reach the daily "hot topics" in a readily fashion.
 
Posted by: jazkmdc Member Response
10/5/2006 12:56 AM (CST)
I think those strategies only have one cause in mind-- to keep it simple. It maybe funny or casual, but simple. Say for your product, financial services, not everyone who can be your customer is interested with all those math. Simple everyday things that anyone can understand. Or at least that can be your opening to make people interested to the other details.
 
Posted by: KathySmithFilms* Accepted Answer
10/5/2006 1:29 AM (CST)
You bring up a very interesting creative point & it's funny to think about mocking up your uTube promo.

I can't imagine PayPall doing a spot on uTube or having a Blog.
Maybe CapitolOne - "What's in your wallet?" because their commercials are quirky, could stretch to these sort of tactics; or Master Card doing another "priceless" contest.

But Wells Fargo's stagecoach & horses wouldn't do uTube & if they did I'd change banks if it wasn't the standard I expect.

http://www.ing-usa.com/us/index.htm validates what you are saying. The site is clean, they have good word-of-mouth (which is how I found out) and I'm glad they don't include the glitz & glamour we do in Hollywood knowing how expensive it is to shoot & edit spots.

My take on the financial markets of trustworthy levels expressing dignity is--to have any audio/video ads produced exclusively within their own sites, indicating strength & stability of the firms, scripted & performed by a spokesman/woman wearing a suit or by an opinion leader within the firm. Without seeing an example of your website this example http://www.padgettnb.com/tools.html is more per this survey, what I would expect...informative but more bland than Master Card or "don't leave home without it" commercials.

Depending on your target market having a blog for high school or college entry that positions and enlightens them on reaching for your service long term, that's not a bad idea simply because it's in their reality to now use blogs. Myspace (not my fav but I follow what sells) just sold for millions. That's finance through the back door approach but is a public that would read blogs.

What's your website? I can give you an honest approach on more tactics and reaching different publics?

All the best,
Kathy Smith
 
Posted by: stevea Accepted Answer
10/5/2006 3:16 AM (CST)
Don’t you just love the “New”, the “Must have”, the “Happening” in marketing, to which, of course, we must all subscribe, endorse and participate in. How do you sell the banal, “It’s just an online newsletter” as exciting, new and improved? The latter despite the fact that one of our members pointed out that if it’s new it can’t be improved!

The answer is with language. To describe a marketing idea within a company, you need to be really, really earnest about it. Buzz words abound such as passionate and 24/7 and audience participation. How do you sell an idea into a company? More of the above but done earnestly as well, as though you believe it to the last ounce of your soul.

You are in my mind totally correct, but you are in danger of being the kid who tells the Emperor that he has no clothes. In the legend, he got away with it because of his innocence. Everyone else had their bo**ocks cut off.

Whilst blogging is new, it will have a novelty appeal, if and only if it can be noticed. So go ahead with your idea – I used to be a Chemist, so I’ll contribute the rocket fuel formula. At least it’s still legal to do that in the States!

Seriously, you do a blog because everyone else in your business is doing one, or you do a blog because no one in your business is doing one (Say this earnestly, “You will gain leverage through presentational differentiation”) unfortunately, you get to choose!

Unless you can get people to read it (Back to your rocket-up-the-backside) it is of little purpose.

Being really anarchic, what I like to do is to revert to a marketing technology which has gone out of fashion by some years. So when my clients were receiving a sack-load of laser printed envelopes with mail-merged letters, mine got hand written envelopes with notes in them written in a legible hand, with a fountain pen. Now that they all get HTML email newsletters with flash graphics, mine get personalised text emails which look as though I typed them on an old Remington. Watch this space – the next one I’ve promised to do is to use Cuneiform wax tablets, written in Latin, but with a translation.

You sound brave. Please continue to be so and good luck.


Steve Alker
Unimax Solutions
 
Posted by: Harry Hallman Member Response
10/5/2006 6:19 AM (CST)
First I think it is important to realize that viral marketing, blogs, social networking marketing and "Youtube" (user content) marketing while possible "buzzwords" are still valid ways for some firms to market. They are based on very traditional methods but using a new medium. After all Television was a buzzword once.

Viral marketing is just word of mouth advertising, but at the speed of light.

Blogs are, as you said akin to newsletters, but with one major difference. It is interactive. People get to comment to you and that is valuable. Also blogs are much easier to keep up to date since they tend to short ideas. Blogs are Customer Education.

Social Network Marketing is target marketing, but in the case of Myspace it puts a whole lot of people (targeted people) in your range. And there are plenty more social networks being formed everyday. One could work for you. Once again you get input from your targets.

"Youtube" or user content marketing isn't for everybody, but it works very well for promotions and it gives the target prospects an interactive forum, which means it helps you understand them better. And, of course, user content can be very “viral” (WOM).

The common themes with all of these media are the spreading of valuable or interesting information and interaction with your customers and prospects. They may not be for every company. That’s for each to decide.
 
Posted by: Frank Hurtte Accepted Answer
10/5/2006 8:49 AM (CST)
I am working with a couple of businesses to promote their companies via myspace..(first) and utube (later). Here are a couple of points for the discussion...
1) you do not reach the entire market through myspace or utube.. You are slicing out a very narrow piece of the pie. the slice consists of the 18-25 year old market and a small piece of the 25-35 market... Guys like me who know about myspace, facebook, and utube are noise in the system
2) you need to have a special message for this market - different than the total market but not inconsistent with the message used elsewhere -
3) you can experiment for nearly free
4) the message needs to be thought out but pilot are free (see 3)
none of this is new stuff...

And, I agree with Steve... All of this "must have", "NEW", Viral marketing stuff is really just a good hype for us to harvest money from. Case in point, in 1973 I used a series of free personal ad messages in a local newspaper to drive new business to a hot dog joint my girlfriend and I worked at. If I had been a marketing guru... I would have named it, written a book, and your boss would have been asking you to put together an r-rated ad campaign in the personals.
 
Posted by: Ann H. Moderator Response
10/5/2006 8:58 AM (CST)
Great responses, all. Here are some more ideas, set forth by MarketingProfs writer Mario Sundar. Here, he points to examples of some pretty creative corporate applications for video...like demos, training, customer videos:

When YouTube Met Corporate America
http://www.mpdailyfix.com/2006/10/when_youtube_met_corporate_ame.html
 
Posted by: jay.marrero* Member Response
10/5/2006 11:10 AM (CST)
not sure what your business entails or who your customer is BUT

viral marketing on blogs is jsut a way for your FANS to stay tuned to the inner workings of your company and your products and services.

for example:

Xbox fans love reading about the going-ons at

http://www.gamerscoreblog.com

this is microsofts xbox blog and they allow readers to comment on the postings. in addition, youtube videos are offered for viewing whenver there is a video availabe realted to the products and or the industry...

it creates buzz in the consumer community and the end result is they start talking about the NEW products in a positive (sometimes negative) light.


hope this helps...
 
Posted by: jay.marrero* Member Response
10/5/2006 11:11 AM (CST)
you can also hold a contest for your customers (FANS) to create their own youtube commmercial for your product... the best video wins something special and much coveted by the raving fans... just an idea...
 
Posted by: jpoyer Accepted Answer
10/5/2006 3:11 PM (CST)
Just a note: I believe blogs also help with SERP rankings. It's like giving a double dose of your message: one for the regular search and one from the blog realm.

Although, I think the rocket thing just might work.

Best,

Jennifer
XPRT Creative
 
Posted by: scott.zagurski Author Response
10/5/2006 8:59 PM (CST)
Thanks to everyone for the great discussion.
I value all of your input.
It just goes to show you that a tactical approach based on the latest buzzword doesn't necessarily match everyone' s overall marketing strategy.
 
Posted by: stevea Member Response
10/6/2006 4:15 AM (CST)
Dear Scott

Thanks for your kind words.

The safe fuel for a rocket is a mixture of powdered zinc and sulphur (Whoops! That’s me on the MI6 and CIA investigation list, but the formulation is actually from a1960’s American school text book)

A much safer method, but not necessarily safer for the launcher’s rear-end is to take a carbonated drinks bottle, fit it with a bursting diaphragm and fill it with a slow release mixture of a carbonate salt and something acidic to the low end of the pH scale. Insert in the said orifice and wait.

The person who is being used as the launch-pad should be fully insured by BUPA or similar and if this is done in the UK, a risk assessment must be carried out to fulfil the requirements of the Health and Safety Executive.

That apart, I do hope that the more sensible contributions have helped you to define your position regarding Bloggs!

Regards

Steve Alker
Unimax Solutions
 


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