Good old fashioned sampling campaigns -- which put products directly in the hands of influencers for feedback and buzz -- have made a resurgence, thanks to savvy, new methods that target consumers via online communities, social media agencies and dedicated service, says Lolita Carrico, founder of Modern Mom. Even in a dismal advertising climate, eMarketer expects social media and word-of-mouth spending to increase by 17% because such tactics can prove ROI friendly with greater engagement and reach than traditional media.
Programs like Psst, VocalPoint and ModernMom.com's Mom Tested empower consumers to try products and share their feedback -- whether negative or positive -- for their peers to consult before making a purchase.
So, why would a marketer take the chance of being panned by an influential target market in a mass forum? One word: authenticity. According to a recent eMarketer report, 50% of moms find online reviews from "others like me" to be a valuable source of information. One glowing review or a slew of positive comments lacks substance while, a majority of honest compliments among a few criticisms brings authenticity and is worth the risk.
Glenn Williams, a manager for P&G's Mr. Clean brand has gladly offered products for review to online users. "The reason we did it," he said, "is that we look at products like our Mr. Clean Magic Eraser and we know that the best influencer for the purchase of that is a peer. We wanted to get mom peers talking about the product."
So, how do marketers get involved in effective sampling and word of mouth campaigns? Some pointers:
1. Target the recipients of your product: You know your product best and who should test it. Determine a clear set of demographics and psychographics to fine tune your sample list against. Deploy a custom survey to further fine tune recipients if necessary. The key here is not to control the group, but place the product in hands of likely consumers. Target wisely: Don't send cheeseburger offers to vegans.
2. Look for a partner with an engaged community: Sites that offer reviews but lack consistent repeat traffic for other content and community lack engagement. Ideally, you want to look for readers who are connected to their peers and trust their opinions within a community that they are active in.
3. Continue to engage with your influencers: Consider making some consumers from these tests your product evangelists -- whether they offer feedback to you directly on occasion, or participate consistently on your brand site or continue to spread the word to potential consumers. "Real" consumers who believe in your product and can offer an honest voice -- though careful to disclose any relationships or compensation -- can prove to be highly effective.
Word of mouth strategies are effective on many levels. The key is to be authentic in your outreach and expect authentic feedback in return.
How did P&G's Williams feel about a few negative reviews of the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser product?
"I was not disappointed that a small percentage of reviews were less than favorable," he says. "It only adds credibility. If all of them were favorable, well, that's not the real world."
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Word Of Mom: Good + Bad Buzz
Good old fashioned sampling campaigns -- which put products directly in the hands of influencers for feedback and buzz -- have made a resurgence, thanks to savvy, new methods that target consumers via online communities, social media agencies and dedicated service, says Lolita Carrico, founder of Modern Mom. Even in a dismal advertising climate, eMarketer expects social media and word-of-mouth spending to increase by 17% because such tactics can prove ROI friendly with greater engagement and reach than traditional media.
Programs like Psst, VocalPoint and ModernMom.com's Mom Tested empower consumers to try products and share their feedback -- whether negative or positive -- for their peers to consult before making a purchase.
So, why would a marketer take the chance of being panned by an influential target market in a mass forum? One word: authenticity. According to a recent eMarketer report, 50% of moms find online reviews from "others like me" to be a valuable source of information. One glowing review or a slew of positive comments lacks substance while, a majority of honest compliments among a few criticisms brings authenticity and is worth the risk.
Glenn Williams, a manager for P&G's Mr. Clean brand has gladly offered products for review to online users. "The reason we did it," he said, "is that we look at products like our Mr. Clean Magic Eraser and we know that the best influencer for the purchase of that is a peer. We wanted to get mom peers talking about the product."
So, how do marketers get involved in effective sampling and word of mouth campaigns? Some pointers:
1. Target the recipients of your product: You know your product best and who should test it. Determine a clear set of demographics and psychographics to fine tune your sample list against. Deploy a custom survey to further fine tune recipients if necessary. The key here is not to control the group, but place the product in hands of likely consumers. Target wisely: Don't send cheeseburger offers to vegans.
2. Look for a partner with an engaged community: Sites that offer reviews but lack consistent repeat traffic for other content and community lack engagement. Ideally, you want to look for readers who are connected to their peers and trust their opinions within a community that they are active in.
3. Continue to engage with your influencers: Consider making some consumers from these tests your product evangelists -- whether they offer feedback to you directly on occasion, or participate consistently on your brand site or continue to spread the word to potential consumers. "Real" consumers who believe in your product and can offer an honest voice -- though careful to disclose any relationships or compensation -- can prove to be highly effective.
Word of mouth strategies are effective on many levels. The key is to be authentic in your outreach and expect authentic feedback in return.
How did P&G's Williams feel about a few negative reviews of the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser product?
"I was not disappointed that a small percentage of reviews were less than favorable," he says. "It only adds credibility. If all of them were favorable, well, that's not the real world."
Monday, May 24, 2010
7 Myths of Mobile Advertising
The myths that surround mobile are holding back many brand marketers and publishers from leveraging it for a competitive advantage, despite the fact that mobile is gaining more buzz every day, says Kirish Arvapally, MediaPost writer. The industry needs a clearer picture of what's possible and how to put dynamic mobile marketing solutions to work today. Here are some of the myths we hear time and time again, as well as insight to help set the record straight.
Myth # 1: Smaller screen, smaller effect. Many marketers assume that because mobile phones have a smaller screen, advertisements will look more cluttered, and be less effective. In fact, CTRs have been found to be higher on small mobile screens than traditional PCs, and ads on mobile devices often look cleaner than on the Web. Content clarity overall is more vivid.
Myth #2: Low CPMs. Publishers often assume lower CPMs on mobile versus the traditional Web, and in turn, lower revenue opportunities. The reality is, CPMs can go up to $15-$20 for premium mobile Web sites, and as the mobile advertising industry grows, so will these rates.
Myth #3: Mobile ads are harder to design. We have found that a large percentage of advertisers believe it's harder to create campaigns for the mobile medium. However, the only real difference is that banner sizes are smaller. Any good designer can build them, and the Mobile Marketing Association offers standards http://www.mmaglobal.com/mobileadvertising.pdf to help guide you through it.
Myth #4: No unique user detection and targeting. On the Web, cookies enable advertisers and search engines to track unique visitors and who clicks on what link. It's just as simple on in mobile. By using multiple identity parameters in the ad requests, like the device, WAP IP, or session info, it's easy to detect unique users on mobile. And with that ability, concepts like frequency capping, demographic targeting and enhanced user targeting options prove mobile advertising a useful new marketing tool.
Myth #5: Creating a mobile Web site is difficult and expensive. Building a mobile content page is the first necessary step before launching a mobile ad campaign, and there are many free tools available to make it easy and painless. Mofuse, DotMobi and Ubik, for example, can help you build a mobile site, or simply translate your regular Web content into a mobile format. Then you can set it up to automatically extract your online content through RSS and feed it into your mobile site. Don't get overwhelmed -- if you have content already on the Internet, this can be done very quickly. The more automated, the easier it will be for you.
Myth #6: A perceived lack of ROI. The nature of mobile advertising allows you to capture conversions in a much more innovative way than the Web. The power of click2call actions, lead generation forms, and click2pay make it simple for advertisers to run mobile campaigns, determine effective conversions, and calculate ROI for their spend much faster and easier.
Myth #7: SMS is the only type of mobile advertising. Many assume mobile advertising is just SMS, which lacks user interaction and dynamic content, and offers limited ad text. Advances in mobile technologies have made it possible to expand advertising into interactive text and banners, and embed ads in mobile games and smartphone applications. The enhanced support for rich media on the iPhone, Android, Nokia and other smartphones has made it possible for advertising to take a step forward and offer more streamlined brand exposure.
With a clearer distinction between what's realistic today and what's been mystified by industry hype, brands, agencies and publishers alike can start leveraging the mobile medium now as an easy-to-use, creative, targeted, and measurable new revenue opportunity.
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