If your resolution is to have a better business year, consider spending more on advertising. It’s been proven that companies who advertise have higher sales than those that don’t – this is especially true during a recession. To help you figure out how to spend your advertising dollars, here are the top five advertising trends for small (and large) businesses in 2012.
#1 Online Videos – Companies are beginning to realize what Hollywood and video sharing sites like YouTube already know: everyone loves a good video. Heck, we even love bad ones. On an average day, you’ll find over 100 million people watching online videos. Why is that good for you? Well, online videos aren’t just popular, they’re also a great way to add interactivity to your website and get people excited about your company. Plus, they’re way more affordable than buying ad space on TV. Create a video and you can post it on your website and other sites for as long as you want for free.
#2 Mobile Devices – This year, market research firm, In-Stat, estimates that over 630 million smartphones and 56 million iPad and Android tablets will be used. With all those people using their mobile devices to search and view content, it’s in your best interest to make sure your company’s mobile friendly. Set up text alerts for customers, create a mobile version of your website, create an app for your customers and run mobile ad campaigns.
#3 SEO + Social Media – You’ve been told a good SEO campaign will improve your website’s search result rankings. That’s still true only now you need social media too. Search engines are increasingly using social media for search rankings which means your company gets pushed farther down in the rankings if you’re not consistently updating your Facebook, Twitter and other social media accounts.
#4 Local Deal Sites – Born during the recession, sites such as Living Social and Groupon are continuing to rise in popularity. By participating in these sites, you can introduce people to your product or service and ideally gain repeat customers willing to pay full price once the deal is done. However, before you invest in one of these sites, be sure to get info about expected ROI – both during and after you offer a deal.
#5 Email Blasts – Ok, email’s been around a long time, that’s true. But, our ability to send the right information to the right people is growing stronger. Whenever you email, first think about the information you’re sending and who’d be interested in it. Then, segment your email list so that you’re only sending an email to those interested people. Above all else, don’t email people more than you need to. If you’re not sending relevant info, don’t send it at all.
Happy New Year from all of us at Echo-Factory. Hope your year is full of advertising that gets results.
Photo by Jeff Kardas
At Saturday night's AMA Supercross season opener, Troy Lee Designs' rider Cole Seely came from relative obscurity to win the first race of the new year.
We love to see our clients win - and Cole's victory Saturday night was symbolic of so much of what Troy Lee does right.
Ray was at the race, and came in this morning talking about how distinctly the Troy Lee riders' gear stood out from every other kit on the track. And that's not something unique to this race. Troy Lee gear has come to epitomize a unique combination of technical brilliance and industry leading style.
Troy Lee Designs' tagline is, "For The World's Fastest Racers." We don't know of another company that so completely lives their tagline.
So - congratulations to Cole and everyone at Troy Lee Designs. We're sure this is just the first taste a great season for your racing team.
It’s time B-to-Bs updated their look.
In the last few years, business-to-business (b-to-b) companies have begun to realize what business to consumer (b-to-c) companies have known all along. Image matters.
Most b-to-b companies don’t have good branding because they’ve never had to in order to get results. Unlike b-to-c companies, spending money to look good in print and broadcast media was often a low priority. B-to-bs were better served generating business through direct sales force efforts and trade press, with image and collateral material taking a back seat. But, all that changed when the world went digital. Today, people expect to find information about your company online. If you’re not on the web or your website is shoddy, it gives a negative impression, that your company is outdated and unprofessional.
If you think you’re not in the image business, think again. Your branding and web presence profoundly affect how customers perceive you.
As a b-to-b company, you’ve probably never had a storefront. But, that’s what your website is, a storefront. It’s usually the first interaction potential clients have with your company. Because of this, your website should not only present a dynamic and professional image, it should also reflect the essence of your company, what you do, your culture, personality and values. A good website will provide ways for the public to interact with you, just as if you had welcomed them to your “store.”
However, a dynamic website is only the first step towards building a solid online presence. You also need a good SEO campaign. In a survey of 2,500 small businesses in the U.S., search engine optimization or SEO was chosen over paid search, mobile, social and traditional media as the marketing tool businesses would use if they could only choose one. Why? Because, SEO makes it easier for people looking for the things you provide (i.e. new customers) to find you.
Today, B-to-bs who invest in their brand, image, collateral material and online presence are finding that it pays big dividends, creates new opportunities and amplifies the efforts of their existing sales teams.
So, if you don’t have a strong online presence or an online presence at all, now’s the time to get one. You don’t want your competitors to show you up or worse, get the opportunities that should be yours.
If you’re a small company, you probably can’t afford a TV campaign. But, you can afford to upload a video on youtube and other video-sharing sites. However, like TV, you’ll have to compete with a lot of other videos for people’s attention.
How do you get people to watch? First, consider your target audience, then tap into what they think is entertaining. A great example of this is the commercial we did for Buckle Down Belts, a company that manufactures trendy belt buckles and other accessories. Haven’t seen the Buckle down video? Watch it now.
Buckle Down’s primary target is young adults. More than anyone else on the planet, young adults are dialed into pop culture. That’s why our video features some of the latest dance moves including the Bernie. If you’ve never heard of the Bernie, it’s a dance based off the main character in the 1989 film, “Weekend at Bernie’s.”
Another thing young adults don’t like is being told what to do. For that reason, we chose to do a mock PSA, making fun of all those preachy ads that tell kids not to do this and not to do that. We figured they’d appreciate the humor.
Above all, young people want to be entertained. No one wants to watch a video about belts so we made it about entertainment, allowing the dancers to be the focus. We wanted the target audience to think of Buckle Down as a hip brand, not one desperate for sales. The video is subtle, it doesn’t gag you with product descriptions or show actors faking love for Buckle Down. For a few moments, you forget you’re watching a commercial and that should be your ultimate goal. You want to create a video that gets people excited, the kind they want to share and discuss. Because, once people are talking about your video, it’s only a matter of time before they start talking about how great your brand is too.
We just finished shooting an online video for Buckle Down, a company that manufactures trendy belt buckles and other fashion accessories. If you haven't gotten a chance to see it on youtube or Facebook, you can watch it here now.
Echo-Factory handled the concepting, scriptwriting, casting, production and editing for this piece.