Content Marketing has emerged as one of the hottest marketing tools on the web. Whether you are using social media tools such as blogs, Twitter, Facebook or any other platforms, marketing comes down to content. Of course marketing has always been about content in one way or the other. Marketing messages are all contents but the content marketing today is different than what it used to be in the past. Content marketing today is what we call “marketing through education.”

We all know there are millions of blogs floating on the internet today. Almost 75% of these blogs are created not to maintain a personal diary of any sort but with a motive to earn revenue. The reason is simple – compelling content generates attention. This is the reason why corporate blogs have surfaced on the web. They sell products and services not through direct marketing but through content marketing. Any information that can educate people in a genuine way will certainly generate interest which will convert.

When we use social media platform what is one thing that we all chant about – participate, provide value and become an influential part of the community. This is not possible if we simply try and sell product. It is possible if we engage with meaningful content and conversation. Whether we are acting as an individual on social media sites or as a company, conversation is important. Participation and engagement is of equal importance because without it your strategy to market through content will fail.

Recently we have been seeing more and more businesses getting into social media space. It would be safe to say that soon we will see content marketing and conversation marketing slowly take over the traditional marketing approach. The way your potential customers think have changed. It is about time we all switch our approach to marketing and embrace both content marketing and conversation marketing as a prime marketing tool.

We will get more into content and conversation marketing as we move along.

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The title might seem a little odd but I will try to explain what I mean. Social Media marketing is a sector that most companies have recently embraced. The reason of course is because they see the potential of adding more to their sales number. That is the key to marketing and the only reason a way business can sustain – get more sales, make more money. No doubt about it.

Most businesses that use Social Media as a marketing tool don’t realize that social media isn’t traditional marketing. In the real world throwing a billboard on a crowded street might draw some attention but taking the same approach on the web with social media isn’t going to work. There is a reason why it is called social media – because you need to be social. The prime element of social media marketing is humanization of your business through active participation. By humanization I mean that your company needs to be seen as a person, an individual willing to participate and offer valuable suggestion to the community. If you offer nothing but products alone that is not marketing, we call that spam.

The key to social media marketing is making sure that your company is seen by the community as a human and not just a business. The meaning of humanization according to Merriam-Webster,

to represent as human : attribute human qualities to b: to adapt to human nature or use

If you would like to use social media as a marketing platform, take this meaning literally and apply it to your marketing strategy on social media. Show qualities of a human, in this case your customers. What are they talking about? What are they trying to achieve? What problems are they facing today? Whether or not your company has direct ways through products and services to answer these questions isn’t the key here, the key here is to be there. Be there to listen to them and participate with them like anyone else would. Not as a company but as a person. If you want to create a brand image on the web through social media, participation is a must. Social media isn’t about throwing a product with a 20% off coupon to get the sales rolling.

Let’s take an example of humanization. Dell as you all know is one of the leading brands when it comes to computers. They are one of the companies that have been utilizing the social media scene through different platforms such as blogging, social gaming, twitter, etc. Dell has quite a few Twitter accounts and as you can imagine not all of these accounts can be just “Dell.” They have actual person’s name that use these account. Lets take for example, RichardatDell. Please take a look at the image below,

Upon looking at the image you can see that this person doesn’t simply promote Dell’s products or services. He actually participates with other community members. I am 100% sure Dell doesn’t sell cowboy hats so it is obvious that there is a person to person communication going on in here that is well, personal and not business. This gives dell an edge among other businesses in social media who exist merely for promotion and not participation. This account from Dell shows humanization of company which tells potential customers “Hey, we care. We want to be part of your daily lives and want to share stuff with you just like you do. We are no different.” That is humanization. This in turn gives dell that added exposure and helps them build a community around their business.

We will cover more on Social Media Marketing (SMM) as we go. But for now if you want to market on social media just remember – Humanization.

Everybody wants to be the best, the best there ever was and only few succeed. The reason – Only few dare to be different.

The above saying applies directly to marketers as well. Every one of us wants to be the best, the best to create a message that will compel others to buy our products or services. Sometimes we fail and sometimes we succeed. If you look at it with an open mind and a broader approach everyone is marketing something everyday whether or not marketing is their profession. While buying grocery we might tell our spouse a certain brand of wine is expensive than the other, we are unknowingly marketing someone else’s product. The point is that whether knowingly or unknowingly we are always promoting something.

But as a marketing professional you have got to sell something and this time you are doing it knowingly either for the check or for the brand image. Marketing is not hard, what is hard is to set yourself from the crowd. Each day we are bombarded with thousands of ads and even though we see ourselves as marketers we are no different than our own consumers. We ignore some ads and some catch our attention and compel us to buy. Here are 5 ways to set yourself apart from the rest of the crowd and become better at what we do which in this case is marketing,

1. Be creative : This is a no brainer. If you want to sell beer simply saying “Here is a new brand of beer that will get you drunk” might not be enough. Why? Because there is nothing creative about it. The message says what every other brand of beer says. I can’t stress the effectiveness of creativity in marketing. You know it, I know it but most of the times we fail to apply it. Marketing is nothing but a creative art, an art of generating ideas based upon what the current trend is and your demographic.
2. Speak their language not yours :  One thing that most marketers forget is to speak their target audience’s language. Who are you marketing to? Children? Men? Woman? A certain age group? Although every marketing department knows the answer to this they fail to apply this to their message. A child is more likely to respond to a message that caters to the way he/she understands. If you are promoting your product and services to an age group that is between 18-25, research the way they talk and do things and build your marketing message around them.
3. Don’t be a preacher : This might sound a little different than what you are used to hearing. Do not tell your potential customers what they need to do. They can make their own purchasing decision, thank you very much. The “Buy Me” marketing approach doesn’t work. Don’t be a preacher and tell your customers they “need” to purchase your product. Instead give them reasons as to why your product or service might be helpful….the “must” marketing strategy usually forces people and people hate to be forced. Let them choose, you guide them where they should go rather than telling them.
4. Lose the “me” and give them the “you” : Of course when you promote a product or service you have got to tell why your product is better but try not to be self centered. Lose the “me” and give them the reason why your product and service is there initially. Let the customers know why they matter and the reason why your product/service exists. It exists for a reason and the reason is because you have a target market – let your target market know why they are important rather than always talking why you are important to them. Make them feel special and they will in turn return the favor.
5. Take the feedback and apply it : There is a reason the saying “Failure is the key to success” seems to work for the most. If every marketing campaign a marketing department rolled out did well, it certainly would halt any chances of learning anything new. There are going to be a few times when your marketing campaign will go down the crap shooter. Take that one opportunity to learn what went wrong and suit your next marketing campaign according to the feedback you got from you failure. Failure truly can be the best “idea generation” source ever, so next time you fail do not frown. The next one you roll out will be good and then you can thank to the one that failed.

Hope you enjoyed these points. Let us know what you think and share some of your own tips.

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Each day from the time we wake up till the time we “hit the sack” we are exposed to thousands of ads. Most of them we simply ignore cause we are used to them. We get out of bed, grab a cup of coffee and read a newspaper, there it is hundreds of ads throwing their messages at us. We turn on the TV and watch our favorite show and there it is again – commercials that make us get up and do something else. Advertisements in general are hated by the masses. A marketers worst dream is their messages being ignored and this happens quite often.

The thing that makes people ignore your marketing messages and ads are the fact that they don’t have personality. Usually ads are plain and do not really catch potential customers eye or attention. Colors, message and the way an ad is presented has a lot to do when it comes to marketing effectively. When creating an ad don’t think of it as a marketing message but an art. Try to be different, think outside the box. Create a message, an ad that sets yourself apart from your competitors.

Here are 5 tips that might help you get started on marketing effectively and getting the attention that you deserve,

1. Top notch product : Yes, product! Marketing is directly related to your product isn’t it? This is one of the reason why your product or service has to be top notch. Don’t go marketing a product or service that is exactly similar to your competitors. What’s the point? Of course you might be able to garner new clients or customers but your competitor might still lead you as he probably already has a good share of market. Set yourself apart and if you don’t have a killer product forget about it. Marketing might work once but when your product fails to deliver it won’t work again. So create a product that catches the attention and then your marketing message itself becomes effective.
2. Cause controversy : People love to talk – good or bad, gossip is something that flows like a river and spreads like a wildfire. If you want your ads to create some buzz, don’t forget the controversy rule. It is effective, it will capture people’s attention and it usually works. However, controversial ads should be created with utmost care. We want good controversy. Of course with any controversial message there are going to be a few that are not going to be happy and talk negatively but exposure is exposure. As long as your main targeted market talks about it in a positive way, you are good to go.
3. Do not follow the norm : You all have probably heard the saying that if one sheep jumps off the cliff every other sheep just follows the first one. Same thing with marketing. Do not follow every little trend. Try to be different, be an artist not just another marketer. Think outside the box, dare to be different and rock the boat with your marketing skills. You do not have to be a great marketer, you just have to be creative and trust me it doesn’t take that long to come up with an idea that might rock your sales.
4. Secrecy is the key : People love secrets. I have already written an article regarding this but once again I would like to stress that if you want anything to hit the charts, secrecy works. Anything you want to hit big start it with a hint of secrecy. its like a spice that everyone loves to get a taste of. Secrets make people talk and talk some more. Although it might not work each time, if applied properly the “secret” marketing can do some wonders.
5. Double Meaning : Yup, double meaning. This is another way of setting your message apart. Create a message that can be taken in two ways. This makes people think. Of course the meaning has to directly connect with your product as well. And the second meaning, well, it has to be taboo or something that will make people talk. This ties back to the first point – be controversial. When people have two ways to think of something they will do exactly that and spread the message around to see what others think of it. 1,2,3 and the message goes viral.

If you would like to share tips with us please feel free to do so through your comments.

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I am pretty active on Twitter. Addicted wouldn’t be the perfect word to describe my Twitter use but I am pretty close. There certainly are days when I am checking my Treo ( if you are looking to buy a smart phone my suggestion would be to stay away from Treo. It sucks! )  to see whats new on Twitter even when I am not around the computer. Not good! My twitter use isn’t primarily for marketing purpose. Its networking and being surrounded by like minded people. Its a good platform to share thoughts, ideas and share interests.

Today I just wanted to share a few things that I personally think works better both in terms of building followers and for marketing. Remember if you are marketing on a social platform on the web, you can’t just send links to your product and services and expect results. That’s a fast road to being labeled “spammer.” The biggest misconception that I find on Twitter regarding building a presence or a massive following is : Follow everyone and atleast 75% will follow you. What is the point though? I don’t see a real benefit of this sort of mentality. If you want to network like crazy and follow 10,000 people’s tweets that swarm in like a group of bees, go right ahead. But if you are looking at Twitter as a marketing platform I just don’t see how it serves the purpose by doing mass following.

The key to any marketing campaign is to know your target market. A thorough research is vital for any marketing campaign and the same rule applies on Twitter as well. What is the point of promoting your products to 50,000 users on twitter when your actual target market might only be 2% of that. I hope you see my point. I personally think that if you want to promote your products, blogs, services or whatever it is, you need to find a way to create interest among users to build a following. This will create a “following” that is actually based on people that are interested in what you have to offer. That “following” is your target market. That following is who you want to reach.

If your comapny sells products only in US why the hell should you promote in Germany. It just doesn’t make sense. I think the key to marketing on twitter is to create a presence, a presence that compels others to follow you. A following that will welcome your messages both personal and business related.

Those are my personal opinion. Let me know what you think through your comments. Also if you like my thoughts and enjoy my tweets you can follow me here : ritubpant. Once again, follow only if you like what you see otherwise it just defeats the purpose of using Twitter.

Social Media marketing differs from traditional marketing in many ways. One of the key difference between social media marketing and traditional marketing is the fact that to market anything on social media you have to have an active presence within that community. Whether you are trying to promote an article on a blog or a product through social media site, an active presence is without a doubt key to your marketing effort.

This is one of the reason why businesses allocate a certain amount of their budget towards social media marketing. This budget isn’t simply used to pay for banner ads and such but also to pay people who help create a presence on the social web for that particular business. Take Twitter for example. Twitter can be a huge social marketing tool if used properly. But to tap into that market you need to have a decent number of followers to spread that marketing message. You can’t really benefit by announcing things on Twitter if there is nobody to listen to you. This is why an active participation is of utmost importance. Just as it is with Twitter the same rule applies to any other social media platform. Whether it is Facebook, MySpace or any other site that you want to market your product, an active participation and an authority is required to succeed in being able to market.

Social Media marketing might sound something horrifically hard to run and manage. The truth is that in most ways social media marketing is much more simplified and easier than the traditional marketing. This is one reason why I urge everyone to allocate a certain amount of time to tap into that audience and set yourself as an authority in that particular niche on any social media platform. Yes, it does take time to establish yourself but the return from the time investment is well worth.

If you are an individual, try and spend some time on a social media that hosts your target market. If you are a business owner, hire someone to manage your social media profile. Forums have long been used by business owners and individuals as a marketing tool. Busy professionals hire forum representative for their business who help create a solid profile and actively participate for the business to be seen within the community.

The main element of Social Media marketing therefore is an active role within the community. Unlike traditional media social web isn’t a place where one talks and everyone else listens. Its a place where everyone talks and you need to be a part of that community by listening first and then once you establish yourself, its your turn to talk and integrate marketing within your messages.

Before I go ahead I would like to make a confession : I am pretty addicted to Twitter. When I first started using Twitter it was more of a “let’s see what it can do” approach but as I dived more into it, I started seeing the ultimate value that it can provide, both as a marketing and networking platform. I have been using Twitter to network with other like minded people to gain recognition as well as to promote anything I write or contents that I submit to other social media sites. The result has been nothing but phenomenal. Today, I just wanted to share a few instances as how Twitter can benefit as a business marketing tool. I will try and talk of 5 industries that have been using twitter to tap into the social media and promote themselves or their product/services.

1. Job recruitment service : Twitter can be a huge, huge marketing channel for job recruitment services. The fact that you can reach millions of people within a matter of seconds is very appealing and serves the purpose well for a job recruitment service. Imagine you have a web designing company and you are hiring web designers. Twitter would be the ultimate platform for you to announce a job opening given that most twitter users are web savvy and I can guarantee, depending on your own popularity on twitter finding an ideal candidate would be a matter of minutes or a few hours at the most.Example : CareerBuilder
   

   
   Note : CareerBuilder’s profile on Twitter isn’t “Careerbuilder.” Possible reason can be found at the end of this post. However, I was able to come across two profiles created by CareerBuilder which shows they are targeting specific market in specific cities. Example : NewYorkCityTechJobs and ChicagoTechJobs

2. News Channels : As of now twitter is pretty much considered to be faster when it comes to breaking news than the major news sites itself. It is considered to be the central hub for citizen journalists and why wouldn’t it. This platform allows users to share news as it happens. You are walking down the street and you see something and you might be the first one to break it to the public via twitter, even before the news channels can get it. This is one of the reason why major news channels have opted to create their own space and connect with the masses via Twitter.Example : CNN
   
3. Blogs : Although mostly blogs aren’t considered as businesses, some people have been able to use blogs as a form of business either directly or indirectly. Bloggers generate revenue through their sites either directly or indirectly. Most bloggers use Twitter as a marketing tool to promote their latest article as well as to promote their services. All in all, twitter allows individuals to create a brand and helps them gain recognition within the community. Once such blogger happens to be a very good friend of mine, Michael Martine. He uses twitter to interact with other community members and also to help promote his brand and blog. A win win situation for everyone as Michael’s content and consultation is a valuable gift to other twitter users and in turn Michael is able to use this both to network and create a brand.Example : Remarkablogger
4. Hospitals : Yes, hospitals. Although I might be quite wrong to use hospitals as a “business form” here we all know that they operate with profit in mind. Hospitals and health care service providers have been using Twitter as well to make announcement and reach a larger crowd. If a social media service is being used by hospitals to promote and announce anything that might be of interest to the public, it has to be a great marketing channel, right? I will answer it myself…YES!Example : Mayo Health Clinic
   
5. Web Services : Web services just as any other online or offline businesses can tap into a larger market with the help of Twitter. Whether its to announce something new or to promote a product or service, being on twitter helps you get noticed by some who might otherwise wouldn’t have a clue that your service exists. Twitter is one of the best social media platform out there and it happens to compliment other social media/web services as well.Example : Reddit

There it is, 5 forms of businesses that have been maximizing Twitter’s potential to hit their targeted market on the web. However, do realize that just like the domain snatching game, there might be false profile created by some users on Twitter as well. Before you follow any business make sure to find out a little more so as to confirm that they are legit and not false impression of some businesses. I found some while I was trying to create this post.

At the very beginning of this article I had written that CareerBuilder doesn’t have a profile with its own name. There is a profile but I am not sure if its CareerBuilder’s. I think a company that has Twitter profiles based on cities probably wouldn’t let it go this unnoticed within twitter community, but again that is my personal opinion.

Although the profile name says “radioshack,” this can’t be a radioshack’s profile which can be clearly seen from the highlighted text.

A few more to look at,

The images above show the profile names representing the two big retailers : WalMart and BestBuy. I would think that if these really were the company profile they would try and maximize this form of marketing….but again you never know but it sure as heck seems fishy.

This is one of the reason I urge you to start a twitter profile based on your business/blog/site and or name just to make sure noone else grabs it. Its a great way to market yourself and promote your services and products to a specific target market.

If you would like to follow me on Twitter please follow this link. Your turn to talk.

note :  CareerBuilder, RadioShack, WalMart and BestBuy profiles featured here are based on my understanding and may not be true.

Couple weeks ago we published an article that showed some of the best creative ads out there. After going through all the emails and suggestions we received we knew we had to do it again. Today we bring you 20 creative advertisements that are simply amazing. They convey the message in best possible way without overdoing it. These are some of the most simple, creative and effective ads that will for sure grab your attention if you happen to see them somewhere. One more thing before we get started, don’t forget to let us know which one is your favorite through your comments.

Electrical and Plumbing Service

Save Water

Redcross

Mouse Pad from an Ironing Service

Mr. Clean

Hot Wheels

Toothpaste

Sharpie

Schneider Beer

Ford Mustang

Fiat ( Stickers on a Plane Window )

Adidas Billboard

Quit Smoking

Smirnoff

Jobs In Town

Casino Ad

WWF

Adidas

Folgers Coffee

Firefox

Your turn to share.

A while ago we had compiled a post that contained 7 Sites Every Marketer Should Keep An Eye On. Once again, as promised we have compiled a list of another 7 sites that will help you make better marketing decisions. This time around we didn’t include our own blog since we know you have already subscribed to this one. Although there are only 7 sites listed we believe each site is extremely valuable when it comes to providing sales and marketing information and tips. If you have any that you would like to share with us please use the comment section to share links with us.

1. Chief Marketer : A rich Web site that provides executives with insights into key marketing issues, innovations, and practical solutions. It provides the best and the brightest stories and commentary as well as original content. Visitors can search by marketing disciplines and the industries to which they market.|
   
2. Word Of Mouth Marketing Association : WOMMA is the official trade association for the word of mouth marketing industry. WOMMA’s mission is to promote and improve word of mouth marketing by:Promoting “best practices” to ensure more effective marketing, Protecting consumers and the industry with strong ethical guidelines, Evangelizing word of mouth as an effective marketing tool, Setting standards to encourage its use.
   
3. Sales 2.0 : Companies that work with Sales 2.0 improve their revenue and market value by bringing a science to the way they sell. They use our outsourced sales and consulting services to make their sales forces more effective and become forerunners in applying Web 2.0 technologies to sales.
   
4. Heavy Hitter Sales Blog : A blog where author and blogger Steve Martin shares his knowledge and advice about sales and marketing. He has 20 years selling complex enterprise solutions in Silicon Valley in positions from salesperson to vice president, at companies ranging in size from start-ups to billions of dollars.
   
5. Culture Scout Blog : Marketing author, speaker and consultant Patricia Martin shares her experience on consumer behavior and culture – two of the most critical important in marketing. A keynote speaker in demand, Martin brings C-level executives to their feet when she casts the American consumer in a new light and sets the stage for marketing in the 21st Century.
   
6. Quick and Dirty Tips For Getting The Deal Done (Podcast) : The Sales Guy’s Quick and Dirty Tips for Getting the Deal Done delivers actionable tips designed to help you close more business, advance your sales career, and put more money in your wallet. The host Jeb Blount is considered one of the world’s leading experts in sales and sales leadership. He is the author of PowerPrinciples, founder of the popular sales community, SalesGravy.com and has more than 20 years experience in Fortune 500 sales and marketing.
   
7. Duct Tape Marketing : A blog full of information to help with small business marketing, this blog has categories covering many useful topics including marketing materials, marketing plans, strategy, and web marketing.
   

We did our part, now its your turn to share.

While browsing the web came across this image which perfectly sums up the difference between Traditional Marketing and Neo-Marketing. Thought I would share it with you guys.

[ source : ThePowerofInfluence ]