Over the past several years, we’ve invested an enormous amount of time and energy understanding both the technology and the implications of the social media revolution. It’s not a static subject, and each new change, each new piece of technology that emerges requires constant attention. The implications seem to grow exponentially as well. But the more we learn, the more we adapt new tools into marketing plans we create, the more a few simple truths become self-evident.
What you are is infinitely more important than what you say. This truth has never been more important than it is today. The market free market has always been a noisy place. Social media has only turned up the volume. Never have people been more distracted, more put-upon. And the natural reaction is to tune out everything but that which is most essential to do our jobs and live our lives. Skepticism is also at an all-time high. People simply won’t believe what you say without proof. And the proof of who you are and what you can do for me is in your actions. The most stunning social media plan conceivable will fail utterly if there is no substance to your product, your service, your company. That’s not to say that social media and new technology aren’t important tools, tools that can help you effectively connect with both prospects and customers. Clearly they are. We just have to remember not to confuse the tools with what matters most.
Everyone’s favorite subject is me. I’ve said this around our office so many times, I’m sure my coworkers see it as a sign of early onset dementia. When you call on a prospect, they measure every word out of your mouth, every promise you make, every claim put down against one question—so why does that matter to me? If your entire presentation (in person, in media or online) doesn’t address this question, you cannot hope to win your prospects’ hearts and minds.
This is the least and most profound idea you’ll hear today. We all know these thoughts to be true. Like all the great verities, these simple truths don’t change with the passing of a few years or the invention of a few new tools and technology.
But then we all take this life for granted until a tragedy or a sudden illness reminds us exactly how precious and fragile each day is. Sometimes we just need to be reminded that, in the words of Goethe, one must be something before one can do anything.
I recently came across an interesting Forbes article about the growth in mobile internet usage and the change it’s causing in the marketing landscape. According to the Forbes article, mobile internet usage is set to overtake desktop Internet usage by 2014, and the way people use their mobile devices to browse is now very different.
Here are just a handful of ways Internet (and search) usage is likely to change:
Using mobile phones to type-search. Using a traditional keyboard to enter a search query into Google is usually easier and quicker than doing the same on a mobile device. It is highly likely therefore that users will search for shorter keyword strings, or rely more heavily on tools such as predictive text. This will influence the way sites optimize their content and carry out their link building.
Voice search. In contrast to the point above, there has been a rise in popularity of using voice search on mobile devices via Google or Yahoo search apps, or Apple iPhone’s Siri for example. This may make searching quicker and easier, but it should be noted that people tend to search differently when speaking, using more of a conversional sentence structure. For example, you may type-search “best netbooks”, but voice-search “what are the best netbooks available.” This is likely to influence a site’s keyword targeting.
Search by image. Tools such as Google Goggles allow users to very quickly search the Web using images on their phone or photos taken on the fly. Applications of this technology include taking a picture of a book in a store to find the best price, or using the picture of a restaurant front to find customer reviews. Ensuring your content and imagery are optimized for this form of search is likely to become increasingly important.
Industry trends. As mobile Internet data shows, uptake levels are not necessarily equal across all industries. Travel, for example, is one area where growth in mobile Internet (and search) is increasing at pace, and is therefore likely to be a strong focus for this market moving forwards.
Sociability. 91% of mobile Internet access is to socialize, compared to 79% on desktops. If Internet marketers haven’t been listening to the “search turning social” talk of recent years, then they certainly should be now. If they still cannot engage with individuals and groups on a social level they will be missing out on a massive proportion of mobile Internet usage.
Geo-targeting. As well as a number of apps utilizing a user’s geo-location to enhance their functionality, Google uses it to show localized search results. Mobile devices tend to be used in multiple locations, therefore search results are highly likely to fluctuate more on mobile devices. Making sure your website’s “local” offering is up to speed should be towards the top of your priority list.
Immediacy. At the recent World Travel Market in London, a Google spokesperson revealed stats from ebooker.com saying that 70% of mobile hotel bookings were same-day check in. They also showed stats from easyJet stating 38% of mobile bookings were for flights departing within 10 days, compared to only 13% from desktops. This clearly shows a more immediate-requirement trend in mobile usage, for travel market at least, and this certainly might influence the kinds of content/offers that sites show to their mobile visitors. This is a good example of how users, whether using their mobile phone for personal or business purposes, want immediate, easy-to-find information.
As one of the largest law firms in the state, Maynard Cooper is works in many different industries. Because every client demand that their attorneys have deep experience in the client’s business, it was imperative that the Maynard Cooper communicate clearly their expertise across a variety of industries. Maynard Cooper’s Web site had to address a variety of issues that their clients face, as well as the expertise that Maynard brings to the table.
Research into the way visitors use the firm’s Web site led to a number of insights. Visitors rarely entered the site through the Home page; the most visited pages were unquestionably the different attorney’s bio pages. We used this insight to re-think a number of facets of the site. Most importantly, we redesigned the attorney bio pages to serve as mini-Home pages, with an targeted information to cross sell the firm and lead visitors into other areas of the site.
To help the marketing department, we also implemented a proposal management component to the website. The system pulls attorney bios, practice area and industry group content from the website into customized documents. Attorneys can then download a pdf that can be printed and presented to a prospect. Learn more about Pitch Control, the technology that drives this customized proposal system.
Credit Unions in general suffer from low awareness, and the opinions that do exist among non-members tend to be less than favorable. We created this campaign for Alabama Telco Credit Union to serve two purposes. First, to create general awareness among potential members. The high production values worked to combat the opinion that credit unions were a “lower quality financial services provider,” while the message tied the company to the idea of lower loan rates for cars, boats and houses.
These ads were designed to run on television, but also on targeted locations online where consumers are searching for specific products. (Car loans on sites selling cars, etc.)
Print Ad Series Despite an excellent reputation for producing successful business leaders, UAB School of Business was losing the battle for Alabama’s more promising students. We positioned the school in contrast to other programs, by illustrating the work ethic and determination of the school’s students.
Poster Series The dean of the school of business wanted to recruit among UAB’s non-business school students. These posters sold the idea that a little business education can help, whatever that student’s chosen occupation. They were placed in break rooms throughout the campus.
Why Brochure This overview brochure for the school of business answeres the one question that all prospects ask, “Why should I choose your school?” Inside we position the students, the faculty and the alumni as determined, driven and intelligent leaders.
Broadcast
Samford University was a major institution in a top-50 market with painfully low awareness. They engaged us to create an institutional branding program, which we launched with print and television campaigns. Conceptually, we promoted the school’s powerful academic successes, while reinforcing its long Baptist tradition.
Video
In 2007, Samford named its business school after Harry Brock, a long-serving member of the school’s board of trustees and the renowned founder of Compass Bank. The school used a variety of tools to launch both the name change and a major capital campaign for the business school.
Press Release Folder In 2007, Samford named its business school after Harry Brock, a long-serving member of the school’s board of trustees and the renowned founder of Compass Bank. The school used a variety of tools to launch both the name change and a major capital campaign for the business school.
Print Ad Series
In 2007, Samford named its business school after Harry Brock, a long serving member of the school’s board of trustees and the renowned founder of Compass Bank. The school used a variety of tools to launch both the name change and a major capital campaign for the business school.
Brochure
In 2007, Samford named its business school after Harry Brock, a long serving member of the school’s board of trustees and the renowned founder of Compass Bank. The school used a variety of tools to launch both the name change and a major capital campaign for the business school.
Web
In 2007, Samford named its business school after Harry Brock, a long serving member of the school’s board of trustees and the renowned founder of Compass Bank. The school used a variety of tools to launch both the name change and a major capital campaign for the business school.
Arrive Brochure
Designed to inspire, this brochure is used early in the recruiting process to help prospects see that a degree from Birmingham-Southern can help them rise to the top of any profession.
Value Brochure
One of the bigger hurdles that Birmingham-Southern must clear is convincing prospects that the cost of an education at BSC is actually a bargain. This brochure puts the cost of tuition in context to help people understand the value.
Amplify Brochure
This targeted piece positioned the Master of Arts in Public and Private Management graduate program in the school of business as a powerful force in a student’s career. It targeted working professionals, extending the school’s reach beyond its traditional audience.
Print Ad Series
Our print campaign featured the successes of alumni in a variety of fields; it targeted parents, primarily to help them see that a liberal arts education pays off in a very profitable career and a better life.
Broadcast
Our work with Birmingham-Southern began with broadcast to remind as many people as possible that BSC is the leading academic institution in the state. The concept demonstrates how students leave BSC to succeed in a wide variety of fields.
Outdoor BSC used outdoor marketing to promote the re-launch of the football program 60 years after its last game. The outdoor campaign, while promoting specific events, still reminds people that BSC is the leading academic institution in Alabama.
Emageon, in its first annual report, wanted to create more than a financial document; they wanted to launch a cause. This book captured the enthusiasm and the passion of their crusade to change the way health care providers deliver care to their patients. Emageon relishes its role as an underdog to far bigger competitors, so the concept threw down the gauntlet from the opening cover message. Most of us are not GEs or Kodaks, but we compete with them. Ask us how to compete. We know David’s secret in beating Goliath.
Corporate Values Book Sterne Agee is a traditional, full-service stock brokerage, one of the largest independently owned firms remaining in the industry. This campaign communicated the firm’s core principles to employees, reminding people that how they act has a direct influence on the company’s success.
“This is some of the best work I have ever seen.”
—Jim Holbrook, CEO
Sterne Agee Corporate Values Book
Sterne Agee Corporate Values Book
Sterne Agee Corporate Values Book
Sterne Agee Corporate Values Book
Recruiting Web site
As one of the few remaining independently owned brokerage firms, Sterne is constantly looking for talented people with the right mindset. Their recruiting Web site communicates the firm’s beliefs in independence and entrepreneurship, while conveying the firm’s unique spirit. The last frontier is to gain competitive advantage in a business fraught with parody and regulation. We know how. It starts with clear communication from the CEO. Frankly, the investment in internal communications has been more fruitful for this client than piles of external dollar in media.
Web site
Harbert Management provides alternative investments to clients with multimillion-dollar portfolios. Their Web site is a critical tool for recruiting new investors. Based on extensive research into user preferences, this design made critical content easier to find, as well as more pleasing to look at. Can a Web site get results? Well, we can’t officially tell you but, Harbert is a believer!
Harbert Website
Harbert Website
Annual Report
Harbert Management provides alternative investments to clients with multimillion-dollar portfolios. Their annual report is a critical tool for defining their investment philosophy and recruiting new investors. Harbert’s management was quite vocal about their devotion to absolute returns, regardless of market conditions or worldwide events. To mirror their unshakable beliefs, we told their core message in bold, unequivocal language from the opening cover.
