Valentine’s Day 2012 Ideas for Marketers

Valentine's Day is less than two weeks away. For marketers looking to take advantage of the holiday, Google and Microsoft adCenter have provided several ideas based on what users are already searching for.

Valentine’s Day is the second most popular gift-giving holiday (behind Christmas), according to a recent survey by ORC International. More good news for marketers: Valentine’s Day falls on a Tuesday this year. This is a really good thing for online marketers considering you typically get better optimization with your ads on weekdays.

Check your ads and set up specific ad groups and campaigns that are targeted toward this specific event.

Valentine’s Day Search Trends

Daily "valentines day" related searches have increased 35 percent over last year, according toGoogle. Across relevant categories, jewelry is seeing a 42 percent increase in mobile and desktop queries compared to January of last year; gifts jumped 27 percent, and flowers saw an 18 percent spike.

Mobile advertising is expect to hit $2.6 billion in 2012. You need to start capitalizing on mobile traffic this year. With Valentine’s Day being the second biggest gift-giving holiday this year, you can't neglect this traffic or pretend it doesn't exist.

Among the top searches people are conducting on Google:

• valentines day meals 
• diy valentines gifts 
• valentines day border 
• valentines day drinks 
• valentines day baskets

Top Products that Benefit Online on Valentine’s Day

If your business offers any of the following services below, you should bid on them as millions of people are searching for them:

• Flowers
• Chocolates 
• Lingerie 
• Travel/Short Trips 
• Jewelry 
• Dating

I recommend that you set up a separate ad campaign. Make sure that you don't have more then 5 keywords per ad group as to write very descriptive ads for each one of your ad groups.

That being said, if you market other relevant items they will also sell around Valentine’s Day so don't count your products out.

Optimization Tips

Here are a few tips from Microsoft to get the most our of your ads:

1. Be Specific with Locations: Geo-target ads regionally and use dynamic text... so a searcher in Cardiff knows cupid’s arrow can land on their doorstep, not a 2 hour train journey away! (Try targeting your ads in different demographic locations, this will help you narrow down what parts of your local area will work the best. Use this information for all major holidays.)
2. Inspire Confidence in Searchers: If you have tens of thousands of members, mention that you have “tens of thousands of genuine singles”.
3. Include Seasonal References: Affirm what the searcher is looking for, for example, “New year, new love” and “Find Valentine’s Love” work better than “Online Dating Site”.
4. Use dynamic text: Increase your chances of highly relevant ads by using dynamic text in your ad titles, so a user searching for “London singles” will see your ad that had been set up as “Find {keyword}”... they’ll see it in their results as “Find London Singles”.
5. Calls to Action: Encourage searchers to “Join the fun” or “Find love”.
6. Brand Your Ads: Make sure you include the brand name within the ad copy. If you are advertising offline or running a display campaign the brand recognition will encourage clicks.
7. Include Your Promotion Info: If you have an offer, such as 30-days free membership, make sure to say so in your ad copy. (Because you'll get busted and banned if you don't!)

Source: searchenginewatch

Future Of Marketing

Late last year, 60 marketing experts shared their visions of the future of marketing through a “micro-conference” run by Sam Rosen of thoughtlead.  It found it fascinating on several levels.

First the “micro-conference” is a really neat format.  It’s a podcast-type audio event in which each person has only 60-seconds to speak.  Sam initiated the format with The Influencer Project, billed as “the shortest marketing conference ever” and featured thought-leaders on the subject of increasing your online influence.

In just one hour a “micro-conference” gives listeners a broad range of perspectives – it’s a little random, and by design, there isn’t a lot of depth, but nuggets of wisdom emerge throughout.  It’s kind of a buffet for the brain.
Also the types of thought-leaders who participated in the Future of Marketing were interesting.  There weren’t any real surprises in the speaker list – it included the expected experts (e.g., Guy Kawasaki, Charlene Li, Steve Rubel, and more), popular business figures (e.g., Scott Monty, Tony Hsieh, Alex Bogusky, etc.), and the authors everyone has read (e.g., David Meerman Scott, Brian Solis, Chris Brogan, etc.)  No real academics, no one from outside the field of marketing, and no celebrities (although Alex Bogusky might have as many fans — and critics — to qualify for that designation!)
I’d guess the speakers’ average age was around 40 (with Barry Schwartz representing the top end of the scale at 65 and Frank Gruber at the low end at 29).   Only 15 of the 60 speakers were women; only 6 were people of color.  All the speakers were U.S.-based.
I’m reporting these stats not to pass a judgment on who was/wasn’t included, but rather to paint a profile of the type of person who is leading the marketing profession these days.   And that profile — white, American middle-aged male marketing leader with an established platform — was another of the things that fascinated me about the event.

tag cloud of transcript from Future of Marketing

Finally the content itself was fascinating but even more so was the types of topics discussed.  I did a quick classification of the topics mentioned and my tally showed:

25% focused on social (social media, social commerce, social search)

Amber MacArthur talked about “the idea that more and more people are going to different social networks to get recommendations for products and services they buy versus is going to traditional search engines like Google.”

Ekaterina Walter, Social Media Strategist at Intel, declared, “Revolutionary marketing strategies are nonexistent without social media nowadays.”

20% talked about a broader aspect of business beyond marketing

Sonia Simone, Chief Marketing Officer of Copyblogger Media, suggested, “Everything we do is marketing, from our supply chain to what our CEO says over drinks to how our support teams treat our customers.”

Innovation was Virgin America Marketing VP Porter Gale’s point:  “We tried to use the central part of innovation at the core of our DNA.  We looked at the product.  We looked at the guest experience. We looked at all of our marketing channels and made sure that we pushed beyond the traditional landscape and changed the game.  For us it’s plugs at the seats; it’s wi-fi in all of our planes; it’s food on demand; it’s mood lighting; it’s things that guests actually didn’t even realize they needed.”

10% focused on content

Victoria Harres from PR Newswire explained, “The role of the marketer will be to facilitate rich and useful content to that well researched audience. And that is what I mean by the future of marketing isn’t selfish.”

“Focus your marketing on helping other people,” was the advice from Michael Stelzner of socialmediaexaminer.com.  “Everybody wants access to great insight and have great people who can help them, so produce engaging content that meets people’s insatiable demand for how-to information.”

the remaining 31% ranged across a bunch of marketing tactics and approaches — from mobile to shopper marketing to email marketing and more

Here’s the most fascinating part: only 3 made the customer their main point

“The real best companies in the world and best marketers imagine the unrecognized needs of their customers,” declared author Chip Conley.

Chris Brogan encouraged marketers, “…to incorporate [listening] into both your lead development, your awareness, your sales, and your customer service.  Basically do more to understand your customers in a 360-degree way.”

Todd Defren at SHIFT Communications challenged listeners saying, “So many companies and marketers think about taking a content-specific approach where they put ‘creative’ at the forefront of everything.  Really what they should be thinking about in the social media era is putting relationships at the center of everything.”

and only 3 people focused on the brand as the future of marketing

Michael Margolis, President of GetStoried.com, said, “People don’t buy your product or your solution or even your idea.  What they’re buying is the story that’s attached to it, or more importantly, the story they tell themselves about what your brand means to them, which is why you need to give people something to believe in, a bigger story. When your brand stands for something larger than just a widget, a sale, or a transaction, you invite people to find the deeper meaning.”

Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh spoke on his resounding theme, saying, “A company’s culture and a company’s brand are really just two sides of the same coin.”

Jeanne Bliss of CustomerBliss.com explained that brand experience is driven by five things:

1. clarity of purpose: redefine your purpose from your customer’s point of view.
2. recognize that employees are the brand in so many interactions.
3. be human and real in your communications.
4. become a talk-able brand by delivering a reliable experience your customers can tell others about.
5. be there on customers’ terms and nurture your humility and your humility muscle in how you say sorry and respond to customer disappointments.

On the one hand, this breakdown is concerning – only a handful of marketing experts put customers or the brand in the center of their vision of the future of marketing, while over half are betting on social or some marketing tactic.  It would seem they’re forgetting the fundamentals of marketing.

But as I try to be open-minded and give these people (many of whom I respect a lot) the benefit of the doubt, I think I may understand their perspective.  Customers and the brand are indeed marketing fundamentals — the core of the discipline — and their importance is timeless.

But perhaps it’s the tools and tactics that are what’s changing. And they are ushering in the new marketing era.

Source : Secondary Research

Google Plus Poll Suggests Many Ready to Jump Ship to Google+

Three online polls conducted by The Christian Post to measure just how well Google Plus has appealed to the internet nation has collected more than 10,700 votes since it opened on July 4.

The first poll inquired voters of their opinion over who would come out victorious in the Social Networking Battle between Facebook and Google+. More than 6,000 people placed their votes and 42.7 percent agreed that Google is on its way to unseat Facebook as king, while 42.6 percent believe that both Facebook and Google+ will co-exist side by side with none eliminating the other.

Only 14.7 percent were convinced of Mark Zuckerberg's Facebook remaining unbeaten by Plus.

Other surprising results were reflected in the remaining polls that both tallied about 4,200 votes.

According to the third poll, 38.2 percent have made their final decision to move to Google+ while only 2.3 percent voted pro-Facebook, claiming to remain because “too much was invested in it.” More than a third (36.7 percent) of the voters said they have not been invited to Google+ yet and only 2.8 have have no interest in Google+.

According to this unofficial poll, most users apparently seem to be loyal Google fans and it may suggest that most are ready to migrate and allow Google to serve their networking needs.

Among apparent Google+ users, most chose "+Circles" as the feature they most liked about the debuting networking platform, while for Facebook "the ease it provides to keep up with friends and family" was chosen as the best feature.

As for possible duplication of votes, this unscientific poll blocked identical IP addresses from voting twice.

Most voters came from the U.S., then India, Europe, and finally Australia.

Source : Secondary Research.

Google+ Marketing - Google+ Vs Facebook

The Google+ marketing has been so successful that even Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg has opened a Google+ account. "Why are people so surprised that I’d have a Google account?" Zuckerberg recently texted to tech blogger Robert Scoble.

Many people are wondering: Will Google+ dethrone Facebook just like Facebook dethroned MySpace?

Here are some reasons why Google+ may have what it takes to overthrow Facebook:

1) +Circles: More Privacy Control :

Instead of Friends' list on Facebook, Google+ groups a user's friends through +Circles. Google+ users have more control about which groups of friends see a photo or status update, which could give Google+ an edge in privacy control.

"This is really important to us. On Google+, you should be in control of who sees your posts," says Kelly Ellis, a Google engineer, on her Google+ page.

Google+ users can drag their friends into social "circles" they create. They are designed to ensure that the information shared within the group remains private. For example, users can designate circles by "Acquaintances," "Co-workers," and "Family."

2) +Hangouts: Group Video Chat For Up to 10 People :

The fact that Facebook currently has no video chat feature has already cause techies to point out where Google+ is ahead of the social networking game. In Google+, up to 10 people can video chat through +Hangouts.

"Whether it's inside a pub or on a front porch, human beings have always enjoyed hanging out. By combining the casual meetup with live multi-person video, Hangouts lets you stop by when you're free, and spend time with your Circles," Google said.

PCWorld has said the built-in group video chat is a feature that Google+ will give Facebook "serious competition" over. It is rumored by TechCrunch that Facebook will beat back the "Hangout" feature by launching a Skype-powered video chat on Wednesday.

3) +Sparks: Decide Who to Share Topics/News With :

+Sparks "looks for videos and articles it thinks you’ll like, so when you’re free, there’s always something to watch, read, and share." A Google+ user may see a topic or news that they might only want to share with certain Circles in their social network. Through Sparks, interesting topics can be shared with one person, one Circle or every connection on Google+.

Sparks is basically a re-packaging of the news powerhouse Google News into a Facebook-like and Twitter-like layout.

Source: Secondary Research

Marketers should plan Google+ strategy earlier rather than later

Marketers want to know how they can use Google+, the technology giant's latest stab at a social network. Of course, many aren't sure, simply because Google has only made the platform available to a small number of people.

But give Ford Motor Co. credit for preparing its Google+ strategy before the network is even available to the general public. The automaker launched two accounts on Google+ last week, running an image caption contest for followers and promising more interactive features, such as group chats.

Of course, there is a chance that Google+ could quickly go belly up, as did Google Wave. However, Google's leaders are determined to make social media a larger part of the company's business. CEO Larry Page reportedly told employees earlier this year that he will tie the size of employee bonuses to the company's social media success.

Knowing that Google will throw its considerable financial resources at social media should be enough for brands to bet that they should at least experiment with Google+ before its general launch.


Source : Secondary Research

Apple iPhone Changing the ToDaYs World of Marketing

In the world of marketing, there are always a number of changes each and every year that are established to make this job easier. Apple is one prominent company that has truly found what people want. A product that brings everything you need right to the palm of your hand. How impressive is it that a company can find what everyone wants and then delivers it? In a fast pace world that is currently right in the middle of an era of technology, people want that feature. Having a phone that you can not only call people on but you can listen to your favorite music. You can text someone or you can send them an email or write on their Facebook wall. Almost everything you can do from your computer, you can now do with your phone.

What has this done for the world of business and marketing? With applications like Foursquareand sites like Twitter and Facebook, you can access this market so much easier now. The stronger you present yourself in these fields, the more publicity and more of a broader target you can acquire.  Marketing professionals can now find ways to publicize their product and reach out to potential clients by way of their cell phone. You can literally download an application that allows you to see a YouTube clip from an event that you were involved in earlier that day or week.

Innovations in marketing are an interesting research opportunity. It takes a lot of time and work to maintain an idea of what people want and how to get it to them. It also takes time to establish a plan on how to attract the needs of everyone in order to maximize sales and gain profit. Apple has always been coming out with innovations that are not only user-friendly and full of entertainment for that average person, but are professional and tremendous marketing and business tools.

The establishment of the Apple I-phone changed the world for business. You can give your customer the information they’re looking for by practically putting it in their hand. Everyone can access it from a MacBook or an iPhone. The way of reaching your target market has gotten easier and is getting easier every day. Who knows, some day you won’t need a computer, you can just have one on your phone.

Source : Secondary Research

Social Media Revolution ToDaY