Ten Steps to Sustainable Marketing in an Uncertain Economy | GreenBiz.com

Here’s a terrific article from GreenBiz.com that deserves repeating, and your time to read:

There’s a standard journalistic trope that abounds during times of crisis: take the hot topic du jour, mash it up with something you know about, and you’ve got an instant article. For example: “Peanut Butter Preferences during a Global Recession,” or “Sparrow Migration Patterns during the 2008 Wall Street Collapse.”

Now, after nearly a decade of build-up, sustainability and “green” were the issues du jour for much of 2007 and 2008; but with the recent market crash, the national dialogue has turned more toward keeping a roof over your head than keeping a green roof over your head. So what’s a sustainable brand to do? Here are a few strategies to keep you afloat during these tumultuous times.

1. First, take pride in your sustainable brand, and know that there’s a strong core of people out there who still care about sustainability and who will continue to care. They may not use the word, but they’ve been getting on the path for quite some time now — buying organics, recycling, using CFLs, embracing companies that support fair trade and social/environmental causes, seeking out local products, seeking less toxic products for home and body, seeking health and wellness and a more balanced and simplified lifestyle, supporting positive environmental actions and social justice whenever possible.

The behaviors in this constellation of activities all comprise sustainability: It represents a psychic evolution that people go through over time, and it’s difficult to go backwards once you’ve begun to progress down the path. So while we’ll likely see pullbacks from the double-digit growth we’ve seen in most sustainability sectors in the past decade (because of a general economic slowdown), the fundamentals here are still sound.

Sustainability-seeking “conscious consumers” exist along a continuum, defined by all the various “sustainable” actions people may or may not take, and comprise as much as 85 percent of the U.S. population — with around 20 percent of the population far enough into this mindset that it’s come to become part of their identities. These people are not just going to evaporate. A recent poll confirms this: 85 percent of people still want to purchase products from socially responsible companies, economics be damned.

All of which leads us to 2.: If you’re a “core” brand with true sustainability cred, you’ll do just fine, and you’ll probably even outperform the market at large. If you were just greenwashing, then now would be a good time to stop; the mass market is more concerned with “value” than with values at a time like this (no matter what they might claim on a survey), and the people who were just chasing the green trends will fall away as their 401ks collapse.

But if you’re doing some bona fide good in the world, then you’d do well to keep going. The climate isn’t going to stop changing anytime soon, awareness about toxicity issues will only become more sophisticated over time (witness the recent mainstream awareness about BPA and the shift towards glass baby bottles), and the need for sustainability will become more and more urgent as a global issue, even as the economy suffers. (And if Obama’s new green deal falls into place, economic recovery and a burgeoning sustainability scene could become one and the same.)

3. Be socially responsible. Talk about it. Be more socially responsible than ever. Talk about it even more. Conscious consumers care much more about a company’s internal socially responsible actions (how they treat their employees) than about their environmentally responsible ones. And this sentiment will only grow stronger during a period when job security is at a 35-year low.

Companies that treat people well will be seen as islands of enlightenment during this era of massive layoffs and pay cuts, and the more that you talk about the real things you’re doing that are truly humanistic, the more that the “conscious consumer” will be drawn to your brand. Did you know that Patagonia lets everyone go surfing when the tide is high? That the revolutionary Brazilian company Semco lets employees (er, “associates”) determine their own salaries? That Google offers everyone on their main campus three organic meals each day?

These are the sorts of things that conscious consumers care about, and that will ultimately help differentiate your brand. And — oh yes — it’s the right thing to do. So now is a good time to look deep into your operating principles and find real — not just gimmicky — ways to make employees feel valued and cared about.

4. Anticipate growing anti-consumption attitudes, and focus on offering a quality experience. In times like this, people will have a natural “sour grapes” attitude towards consumption in general, and will resent the mere existence of goods that they simply cannot afford, even rejecting the very idea of “consumption” if they’re already down the path to sustainability. All of the core tenets of sustainability are consistent with a less “consumptive” lifestyle and a more high-quality offering, so if you’re in this space, you’re probably already poised for success during an economic downturn.

Now is the time to ask yourself some serious questions about your product offerings, your brand, and your messaging — “quality” is a core conscious consumer value, and will become even more so as people become (by necessity) increasingly selective about what they buy. Patagonia has actually elected to halt growth altogether — they’ve reduced their clothing line by 30 percent, proclaiming that people simply do not need that much stuff, and that their products are made to last. As the recession continues, people will become less and less willing to buy items that do not feel lasting, substantial, and soul-nourishing. And they’ll become even more annoyed at the standard tactics and tone of traditional “push” marketing.

5. That said, affordable luxuries and “guilty” escapist pleasures will thrive in this environment, as they did during the Great Depression and every other economic downturn. And if you can tap into these trends, you’ll capture the hearts and minds of people who are living in a state of heightened fear and desperation. The twist: you’re actually giving people something that has a positive impact on their life and the planet (relatively speaking, of course).

Whether it’s organic “nutriceutical” chocolate that promises “bliss” on the packaging, or a super-soft organic cotton t-shirt that fits gorgeously and feels like spun clouds, if you offer people small and affordable thrills, they’ll be captivated by whatever you have to offer, and they’ll actually feel good about themselves after the purchase. And if you can cue certain qualities like “handmade,” “nourishing,” “thriving,” or “spiritually uplifting,” your offerings will feel that much more luxurious, because these are the new values that define “luxury” for the conscious consumer who has moved beyond the traditional Western model of luxury (that, frighteningly, China and India are only now beginning to discover.)

6. You’ve probably got less money to spend on marketing these days, but social networks are a powerful way to spread the word. Pay attention to digital outreach, and two-way communications within the digital space. People who have incorporated sustainability into their identities feel great about touting products in this space — it’s still so difficult to find great “responsible” products and services out there that conscious consumers tend to do a lot of talking within their networks about what they’ve found. And a great find reflects well on a person’s sensibilities and, crucially, their values — unlike purchases in the vast unsustainable space, which merely identify a person as a consumer.

So master the digital space — start Twittering, develop a Facebook fan base, keep a transparent two-way conversation going with your core consumers (and cultivate evangelists whenever possible), make your own website compellingly interactive, and you’ll find that your marketing dollars go a lot further.

7. Don’t condescend to people with heavy-handed “value” messaging, which has become ubiquitous during the past few months and shows no sign of abating. As a brand in the sustainability space, you’re focused on a triple bottom line, and your core consumers care about this. By suddenly focusing on cost, you risk seeming manipulative and off-brand. People are perfectly capable of figuring out whether they can afford you or not.

“Green” products have had enough trouble gaining traction during the past decade because of premium pricing (among other reasons), and now would not be a great time to draw attention to the not-so-small matter that products and services in this space tend to cost a little bit more. Conscious consumers aren’t buying your product because you’re the cheapest — this was never your value proposition, and never should be. You know about true cost economics, and so do your core consumers. And even the “mid-range” consumers know that “you have to pay a little more” for things that are safer or higher-quality.

Don’t compromise your values at a time like this. (But if you’re way out in eco-luxury land, you might have more of an uphill battle these days. Take solace in the fact that even during the Great Depression, low-key luxury still flourished and 75 percent of people were employed. And that “green” came to be associated with quality and innovation before the 2008 market crash, so its cachet is actually based on something real.)

8. Given that people will, realistically, have trouble affording you, be generous. Very generous. And if you do this with free stuff and loyalty programs, rather than price reductions, people will love you all the more. Price reductions cheapen your brand; thoughtfully architected giveaways feel like gifts and create deep feelings of attachment.

During the Great Depression, movie theaters used to give away sets of silverware — piece by piece, week by week — and played to full houses even in the worst of times. Sampling is one of the most powerful known tactics for food products — 24 percent of people, when given an in-store sample of a product, will buy it instead of the product they intended to buy. So give things away. Give freely and cleverly, and people will flock to your brand, especially in times like these, when a generous sample will take on heightened significance to a heart more accustomed to privations.

9. Understand the deep roots of the sustainability movement. This will give you the deepest clues about what to do, how to express it, and what conscious consumers really want. To understand a movement, we must look to the beliefs of its innovators and early adopters — this is where it all begins. Sustainability is not a fad or a trend. It’s a seismic cultural shift, and it’s here to stay.

Most of our evolutionary history has been spent living sustainably. To the extreme conscious consumer (who would probably balk at the word “consumer”), our current unsustainable mess of a burning planet is seen as a big socio-cultural mistake facilitated by short-sighted application of technological innovation and the amoral reach of unchecked capitalism. Mental illness is, quite understandably, at an all-time high (50 percent of Americans suffer from clinical levels of stress, anxiety, depression, or personality disorders.) People feel less and less in control of their lives nowadays, and want to gain a sense of peace and purity and balance and real interpersonal connection and soulful depth in their day-to-day existence.

And so, things are finally changing. We’re just beginning to come out of a dark age now, and there’s no turning back. Record numbers of MBA students want to incorporate sustainability into their careers; 80 percent of Fortune 500 companies have CSR reports. Yes, nobody is really there yet — watching corporations take steps towards sustainability is like watching an infant learn to crawl. But we’ll get there. As innovators, we can see that the rest of the world has no choice. They’ll have to catch up, or there will be no more world to live in. As we ease out of decadent late capitalism and into a more sustainable way of life, transparency, authenticity, balance, egalitarianism and distributed models will become the norm — it’s just a matter of time.

10. Because, in fact, the current economic climate is a direct result of our previous excesses. And a correction is actually a good thing. So think hard about what you’re trying to sell. Question it from every angle, and ask yourself it it’s truly necessary. Change is afoot. Peer-to-peer networks are developing powerful alternatives to gratuitous consumption — fashionistas exchange unwanted clothing at “swishing” parties; couchsurfing.com makes hotels obsolete; freecycling, freeganism, and all manner of “borrowing” networks are emerging day by day.

These trends challenge conventional purchasing models at every step. So ask yourself what you truly want to give people, whether they truly need it, and — crucially — if they might just find another way to get it. Challenge your own sustainability practices at every point, and we might just make it through alive.

Hilary Bromberg, a novelist and former cognitive neuroscientist, is Strategic Director at egg, a boutique brand communications firm that works exclusively with sustainable brands.

Northern Nevada’s Newest “Urban Turbine” Celebrated

On Thursday, January 29th, a progressive collaboration of local companies will begin energy production from the first urban wind turbine in downtown Reno, Nevada.

The Renewable Energy Accelerator at 250 Bell (REA250) is a collaborative union of Nevada based companies, founded by Cathexes Architecture, Dynamic Competence, Great Basin Wind, and the Clean Energy Center. New affiliates include Bombard Renewable Energy, Proteros Development, Renewable Nevada, Sierra Club, Education Design Group, Bootleg Courier, The Universe Is Breathing Web Design, the Reno Bike Project, and Smartbrand…with the list expanding every day.

REA250 co-founder and principle of Cathexes, Don Clark, states “we invested downtown because urban infill is the first effective action you can take in sustainable design and living.”

“This allows us to lead by example; we bring our ideas and industries into healthy collaboration,” states project coordinator, Eric Pfaff, of the Clean Energy Center. “It’s been a joy to be able to walk your talk when all of the involved parties are doing so as well.”

“Our success in raising this turbine is the result of forward-looking political leadership on both the state and local levels. Our nation needs more leaders like those we have here in Nevada,” notes Rich Hamilton of Great Basin Wind and co-founder of the REA250.  Great Basin Wind is coordinating with the Clean Energy Center in installing the turbine. “With time, the wind known as the Washoe Zephyr will not only meet much of Nevada’s energy needs, it will be an inexhaustible source of energy for export.  We will be mining megawatts to build the new energy economy.”

Chris Brooks of Bombard Renewable Energy adds, “This project is a perfect example of a successful partnership between NV Energy, Nevada Labor, and forward-thinking local business owners.” Bombard Renewable Energy provided the electrical expertise required for the turbine’s installation and operation.

While other small wind turbines have been installed in the region, REA250’s efforts are unique because of the location – directly in the heart of the urban business district.  One of the group’s efforts is focused on retrofitting urban centers for renewable power generation.

“The raising of our wind turbine is an important step for REA250 to engage the public in planning renewable energy for Nevada. We look forward to more educational and outreach programs associated with renewable energy,” says Susan Clark of Dynamic Competence and co-founder of REA250.

Reno Mayor Bob Cashell will activate the wind turbine on Thursday, January 29th at 2:30pm to officially begin sustainable energy production provided by the wind turbine.  Several other local officials and dignitaries are also scheduled to attend.

The media is invited to meet and interview participants and attendees of the event immediately following the ceremonies.

GoingGreen.com Launches Internet TV

 

Internet TV

GoingGreenTV is a 3-5 minute webisode, featuring news, tips, cool people and cool products to help you “go green”. New webisodes appear twice a month starting in January 2009 and will appear weekly, beginning with EarthDay 2009. All video is filmed in high-definition digital format.

The first episode introduces Plews & Edelmann’s LubriMatic Green product line, including LubriMagic^TM, a biobased all-purpose lubricant and penetrant, available in aerosol cans and trigger spray pumps.

 

Have your green product featured on GoingGreen.com!

Production includes:

• Professional production

• Professional editing

• Sound/audio

• Still shots, if needed

• You own

• HDTV ready! Take it to your local TV station. Save $!

Custom projects are available. All webisodes are available for on-line viewing anytime.

GoingGreen.com is focused on helping people make informed decisions about products, their usefulness, their degree of “green-ness”, offering tips and creating awareness about going green through community events, online discussions and Internet TV.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Motorola Creates First 100% Recyclable Carbon Neutral Phone- The Renew

Motorola unveiled what is believed to be the first carbon neutral cell phone recently at the 2009 Consumer Electronics Show this week. The W233 Renew Phone is made predominately out of recycled plastic bottles which the company anticipates  will help the company connect with the environmentally conscious market.

Wow – a rechargeable TV remote with a find feature – that’s a great new addition! Beyond claiming carbon neutrality,  there’s another cool feature to the Renew, by Motorola. The plastics used in the phone’s casing are made from 100% recycled water bottles, and is 100% recyclable at the end of its life.

First Non-Profit Luxury Eco-Resort Announced

This was an interesting post we found on hotelsmag.com, and thought you might appreciate knowing about it.

The Cacao Pearl, Palawan: the world’s first non-profit and luxury eco-resort community to commit 100 per cent of operating profits to environmental protection and social improvements will be built on a 124 acre private island in the Calamianes archipelago, at the northernmost tip of the Palawan Biosphere Reserve in the Philippines.

The Cacao Pearl will occupy an entire private island, with 124 acres of lush rainforest and towering coconut trees fringed with over a mile of pristine beaches, according to its operator, Cacao Resorts. This new approach to resort-communities is nestled within the eco-tourism destination of Palawan – Philippines, a stunning eco preservation area within sailing distance of two UNESCO World heritage sites & four marine reserves. The Cacao Pearl is an eco-chic low-density boutique resort concept promising sustainable development and sustainable enjoyment — designer homes with zero carbon cost, 5 stars service, an infinity pool, wreck & reef diving, a secluded destination spa, organic gardens & bar, restaurant, private media rooms and enough delicious design details to delight the most discerning guest.

“Forget old luxury, welcome green luxury!” said Joel Cere, CEO of Cacao Resorts.” Cacao Resorts is offering eco-aware urban escapees the luxury of private island home ownership with the launch of a truly guilt-free investment: The Cacao Pearl, Palawan.” “In a world of homogenous, over-developed concrete destinations, disinterested developers, fake themes and over-priced mini-bars, token green gestures and disenfranchised communities, Cacao Resorts provide an authentic experience for the grown-up backpacker, a guilt-free option for the traveler with conscience, a breath of fresh tropical air for sophisticated urban escapees.”

Designed exclusively for Cacao Resorts by former film art director, Antonio Calvo (“Love Actually,” “Alexander”, “Pride & Prejudice”.) 60 off-plan private residences await discriminating investors, who want to own a truly chic eco-home with a conscience and investment-grade security with an option to buy, re-sell or rent.

Cacao Resorts operates a “greenprint” for operations and, with development partners Barefoot Investments and Abode Management, benefit from sustainable construction methods employed, ethical management practice observed, and ecologically responsible operations as standard. That means 100% renewable energy, and for the first time in the hospitality industry, 100% of the resort’s net operating profits will be used to support local environmental and social programs. You can now own a truly chic eco-home with a conscience and investment-grade security.

Priority is given to buyers with more than just a financial interest in the adventure. “We are now accepting interested buyers for our guilt-free residences in South East Asia,” added Cere.

For more information, please visit the dedicated information website at www.barefootsophistication.com, the resort website  and venture partner website at www.barefootinvestments.com. Sales & commercial enquiries: Matt Morrison: +1 (310) 928 6560, mattm@cacaoresorts.com

Springs Preserve Event First Of Its Kind In Las Vegas

Project ecoBrand

Project ecoBrand, in conjunction with The Climate Project and 97.1 The Point, announce the Green Business Mixer & Expo at Springs Preserve on Thursday, August 14, 2008. The event is designed as an interactive experience focused on raising awareness for our environmental challenges and discovering the latest solutions for green business and eco living.

The Green Business Mixer & Expo will showcase a variety of eco-friendly products & services including: building materials, energy efficient home and office solutions, landscaping, transportation, renewable energy/alternative power, recycling, and green lifestyle products (organic foods, health & wellness, and others).

Interactive elements including:
•    Live presentation based on the Academy Award-winning Documentary “An Inconvenient Truth” by Eric Torres of The Climate Project
•    “Going Green” giveaways from 97.1 The Point
•    Springs Preserve Farmers Market and Live Music
•    Networking with eco-conscious professionals and individuals

Event details:
What: Green Business Mixer & Expo
When: August 14, 2008
•    Green Business Expo & Mixer 4-8pm
•    Interactive Presentation 6-7pm
•    97.1 The Point Going Green Grand Prize Giveaway 7pm
Where: Springs Preserve | Las Vegas

For more information and to register visit ecobrand.ning.com

Partial list of participating sponsors and vendors includes 97.1. The Point, The Climate Project, Alphagraphics, Nevada Energy Star Partnership, Bombard Electric, Nevada Power, Costco, Las Vegas Green Drinks, JusAlt, Inc., Winder Farms, High Desert Landscape & Design, BioBag, Brand Source, Evos, and Snow Queen Vodka

About Project ecoBrand and SmartBrand:
Project ecoBrand Green Business Mixer & Expo is presented by SmartBrand LLC, a unique collaborative of brand and marketing strategists, sales consultants, media experts, designers and writers. Through Project ecoBrand, SmartBrand LLC is committed to helping eco-conscious organizations build strong brands that encourage customers to spread the word.

The Plain Scoop on Social Media

From the talented minds of Common Craft comes this simple, and engaging explanation of social media marketing today. Simple format – clear and concise message. Enjoy…

Kick Start Your Social Media Campaign

A few of us at SmartBrand have been working hard to establish a way to help our clients create and implement a successful Social Media Marketing (SMM) campaign can prove to be one of the key catalysts in growth for a small to medium sized business. It can increase brand and PR exposure for a fraction of traditional advertising costs and effort, as well as provide larger scale market research and product/service refinement ideas at virtually no extra charge.

Here’s our official first release of that campaign. And as always, we’d certainly welcome your insights and thoughts as they relate to our offerings, and your experiences.

A successful Social Media Marketing (SMM) campaign can prove to be one of the key catalysts in growth for a small to medium sized business. It can increase brand and PR exposure for a fraction of traditional advertising costs and effort, as well as provide larger scale market research and product/service refinement ideas at virtually no extra charge.

The speed in which trends evolve on the internet can often be daunting, but SMM campaigns by large companies can be emulated in whole, or in part, even by very small businesses. It’s not the money. It’s the content marketing mindset that separates success and failure. Big ideas can honestly beat big budgets.

Social media marketing goals will often involve different overall strategies and social media channels. It is possible to market with the aim of achieving all the following benefits; they do complement each other and some results naturally arise when other goals are achieved (e.g. better brand awareness eventually brings links).

SMM Campaign Benefits:

Increased Revenues - New sales opportunities through customer-generated content and brand engagement.

Powerful Customer Relationships – Establish and maintain valuable customer relationships through social media networks that increase brand loyalty, cultivate a network of evangelists, and maintain ongoing dialogue that will help position future marketing and business development initiatives.

Increased Traffic to Site – Increased search engine visibility effectively drives traffic to your site from fast growth channels.

Competitive Market Insight – Valuable data on behaviors and interests which helps you better understand your customers’ needs.

Enhanced Brand Presence – Seed branded messages within existing online conversations to amplify marketing efforts and manage public perception of your brand.

The power of recommendation. – Would you rather buy from an unknown company or from a company that people recommend?

SOCIAL MEDIA SERVICE OFFERINGS:

Social Media Strategy Development – Identify content, brand messages, communities and influencers with the greatest potential for our clients’ social media engagement. Create a roadmap based on marketing strategies and goals to coordinate and execute social media campaigns as a key component of the overall sales and marketing plan.

SMM QuickStart: $500 (one time fee)
➢ Profile background information and data gathering
➢ Strategy Session / Goal Setting (1 hr. in person/teleconference)
➢ Asset Compilation (graphics, broadcast, public relations)
➢ Recommendations (Phased development if required)

Social Media and Blog Launch – Create personal relationships with the influencers and evangelists that have the greatest voice within their online social networks.

BlogStart: $1,500 (one time fee)
➢ Profile background information and data gathering
➢ Strategy Session / Goal Setting (1 hr. in person/teleconference)
➢ Asset Compilation (database mining, graphics, broadcast, public relations)
➢ Installation & Profile Set-up (free platform only)
➢ Content Creation Launch (1st posting only)
➢ Content Creation Schedule Recommendations
➢ Maintenance & Update/Usage Training

Social Media Distribution – Optimize communication placement through blogging, video uploading and sharing, podcasting, webcasting, tagging and social bookmarking to maximize distribution throughout social media networks.

BlogSphere: $500-$1,500/month, 3 month minimum.
➢ Strategy Session / Goal Setting (1 hr. in person/teleconference)
➢ Installation & Profile Set-up (free platform only)
➢ Content Creation & Scheduling – monthly/weekly/daily (goal dependent)
➢ Link SMM Outreach Campaigns with existing Sales & Marketing Strategies
➢ Mobile Media (Twitter 1x day)

SMM Influencer Direct (ID): $500+/month, 3 month minimum
➢ Create and distribute electronic press kit
➢ Develop & distribute content for editors, bloggers, influencers, online columnists, and industries use to disseminate to their users and readers

Campaign Management – Manage clients’ social media initiatives in coordination with your search engine optimization and paid search marketing efforts.

SMM Management: $250+/month, 3 month minimum
➢ Content control, archiving and tracking
➢ Internet marketing strategy coordination
➢ Monthly or weekly reporting of trends, comments and response(s)
➢ Monthly or weekly recommendations to targeted topics/tactics

Brand Development and Strategic Partnerships: Design, development and refinement of affiliate-based influencer programs to build out Clients’ affiliate networks and drive their sales. Price TBD

Brand Strategy & Creative Development: Viral video/webisode production, viral email, promotions and contests, social network design: blogs, and other interactive content recommendations and distributions. Price TBD

Monitoring and Reporting – Combine technology and human insight to provide “buzz” tracking and performance analysis for social media campaign.

SMM Monitoring/Reporting: $150-$500/month, 3 month minimum.
➢ Monthly or weekly content response reporting, archiving and tracking
➢ Monthly or weekly reporting of trends, comments and response(s)

Training - Provide a full training curriculum on how to effectively utilize and integrate social media into future marketing strategies.

SMM Training: $125 hr., 2 hour minimum.
➢ Complete training for corporate staff
➢ Enable channel updates
➢ Determine ongoing reporting mechanisms

Of course, we believe this is a comprehensive, inexpensive approach to establishing a social media marketing campaign for just about any potential target market. That said, we know you may have had experience in these areas that might help guide our efforts – so please feel free to comment on our structure and pricing…we’d really appreciate your thoughts and suggestions!

WordPress Marketing Blogger’s Network Launches

What a terrific idea Rick Liebling from eyecube had in gathering a few of us together to create a coalition of bloggers on WordPress.

To the right, you’ll see we’ve added a short blogroll for the group – “WordPress Marketing Bloggers Network… WMBN”. It’s individuals and efforts like Rick’s that give marketing a good name – and prove the power of collaboration and social networking in today’s rapidly evolving market place.

As part of our collaborative nature, one of the group’s members, DJ Francis of Online Marketer, has posted a short selection of the group’s most notable recent blogs. Of course, we’d like to continue that effort here – through reposting those same comments and notes for your review and enjoyment.

Thanks again to DJ and Online Marketer for compiling this list, and allowing us to spread the same message to our readers.

> Rick from eyecube interviewed columnist and blogger Rob Walker about his new book, Buying In.
> DJ Francis offers up some wise advice on how to become an A-list blogger.
> Francis gives you a run-down of the news (with commentary) on the day’s most important marketing stories.
> Paul explains Coke’s vocal efforts in the UK.
> Jax discusses Volkswagen’s user-generated survey.
> Rich covers a very interesting topic: the plight of voice actors in video games.
> David at Marketing Integrity notes a confusing VW ad campaign.
> Nicola snagged some snaps of Banksy and other graffiti artists in England last week.
> Incremental marketing tweaks require that you keep overall goals in mind via Brady’s Crew.

Please take a moment to visit these insightful postings from the WMBN membership. We’re all looking forward to making a larger splash through our collaboration and association – so keep an eye here for the group’s newest developments.

Set A Foundation For Your Social Media Campaign

For the past few weeks, I’ve begun to notice that marketers in general haven’t tuned into the important differences between a social media strategy – and the campaign itself. One seems to easily roll into the other, and yet many rush into the campaign without considering the strategy as its basis.

To our experience, truly acknowledging the great distinction between strategy and campaign may well be the key to social media marketing success.

As a marketing collaborative that’s quickly venturing into a wide range of social media campaigns, we’ve been asked for both – often by folks that need just the other of what they’re asking for. So what’s the distinction?

> Social Media Strategy (SMS) is the birthplace of the social media campaign. If we had our wish, SMS would come at lease 6 months ahead of the intended campaign release date. For this period of time, you might gather internal assets and develop materials, analyze intended audiences, and begin to engage with the target communities – without ever asking for anything in return. This allows enough time to establish a bit of credibility with your target audience – while gathering some important information that could help steer the course of the campaign.

> A Social Media Campaign then, is derived from your social media strategy (seems simple enough, right?). In this launch phase, we should understand the audience that cares about your effort, and know a bit about where they are and gather. If you’ve spent enough time and effort giving away quality information to an increasing base of followers, you can more readily establish realistic goals for the campaign results. By now, you’ve activated your audience, and you are in a position to get something from them with reasonable projections to levels of success.

More than too often, clients wait to consider social media in their marketing mix until they have a campaign, and they’re under some pressure to set and achieve goals in short order. But to act on a campaign without the established base is rushing into a campaign without basis.

Once the platform of trust and communication has been established, you can begin to ask for response. And then you’ll have to re-assess if the offer is of real value to that certain sub-set of the population.

The challenge here is convincing clients to take the time necessary to establish the basis of the strategy before launching the campaign. And of course, for all of those search engines (like Google) to find and index it. And just a little time for people to find it…learn a bit about it, and establish a relationship with the brand that will enable them to share it without reserveration.

Once that sharing process begins in the campaign portion of the process – the true value of a SMM campaign can be revealed. And for the cost of setting the strategy and campaign into motion – there simply isn’t a better ROI in media for any marketing campaign