Lea Charlton

CONNECT WITH US ON FACEBOOK

Good Marketing #1 – I’m going to “put myself out there” and go way back to the 70′s when I was a kid … YES I am THAT old … There are some funny commercials that are epic examples of “good marketing” :)

I have a client that has a “cursed” Facebook account. No matter what conservative marketing strategies are made, Facebook blocks this client’s ability to add friends after just a few internal invites, therefore the development must come from external resources or personal email invites. Meanwhile, most are friends the client chats with on different pages and in groups. It has become a frustrating situation for this business owner, so … I logged into the account and implemented a new process of adding friends. The client was impressed and wanted to know how I managed to add so many in one day, and a quick witted … ”Ancient SEO Secret” … rolled off of my tongue :)

LOL,  ”ancient SEO secret” is inspired from the old – “Ancient Chinese Secret” – Calgon commercial above (click play and watch it). This funny commercial always comes to mind – over their primary “Calgon Take Me Away” slogan – as a way of teasing someone that wants to know a social media marketing or seo secret that blows them away … an inside joke, per say, that was derived by what I consider to be “GOOD MARKETING” … no matter how corny the funny commercials of the 70s may be (kind of like the styles of the 80s that keep coming to mind … another blog topic for sure! :)

Regardless, the topic here is GOOD MARKETING, SOCIAL MEDIA and SEO SECRETS.

I still watch the commercials with the same interest as I did as a child. The appeal has never been so much as what to buy as how entertaining they are and now I love to gage the different testing and air strategies of this generation of marketing. This is how I confirmed when Facebook and Twitter were finally adopted as essential business marketing sources to major corporations (over the Internet hype), as well as how I learned when to delve into prospecting in particular markets because they were starting to do the same in their commercials. It was exciting to sneak my Twitter comment on CMT while they were hosting the awards … One night, I woke my “hubby” up around 3:30 A.M. to watch the new Axe Body Wash commercial because this was the only time frame where they tested the full version and the condensed versions back to back … to later show the condensed versions during the day / eve. … I could go on and on, but the point here is that you can learn a lot from commercials; as well as the new statistics regarding TV Commercial and Social Media Marketing. People are drawn to videos, flash and social media. Additionally, they are  NOT changing the TV channel, during commercials, as it is presumed that we still do … similar to when I watched commercials as a child … product / program launches are creating new trends and commercials with profound subliminal messages and appeal that will last generations. (Make sure to clarify these for your children … some are like the old Camel logo, cartoons and music … controversial /confusing sexual and political messages). We can accomplish the same in our “online TV show” efforts via videos, flash presentations, mobile apps, etc.

These are obviously a few quick examples of, what I consider “good marketing”. In fact, The Video Consumer Mapping (VCM) study – Council for Research Excellence (CRE) – 2010 statistics of 376 adults observed for 752 days – confirm that I am not the only one to agree (even if YOU are not aware that YOU like commercials, too)!

- 85% of adults watch 26 advertising or promotional breaks. This equates to 73 minutes each day)

- Only 14% of viewers change channels during commercials, compared to 11% just before and 13% just after the commercials.

- 21% of TV viewers change rooms after the commercial, in comparison to 19% before and 20% during the commercials.

- 55% of viewers were solely engaged with media; in comparison to the 45% that were multi-taking during commercials.

“When commercials come on, people stay with the TV. They only go to the kitchen if they’re hungry, and they don’t fight over the remote,” said Laura Cowan, Vice President and Media Director of RJC Advertising and Chairperson of the CRE’s Media Consumption & Engagement Committee. “For years, media professionals have been wrestling with the question of whether viewers actually pay attention to commercial breaks. This new data, the result of actually embedding observers with a statistically significant number of TV viewers, is a major development in terms of learning what people watch and how they watch it.”

How does this all correlate to the “ancient seo secret” – social media marketing – Facebook success? Here are the hints …

WATCH & DUPLICATE …
Study / continuously watch those who are accomplishing the goals that you are not, tweak to apply to your goals and duplicate. Learn from the commercials and videos, as well as the daily strategies that competitors, mentors and online gurus take to become successful.

MULTI-TASK …
You’ve got to be able to do more things at once – don’t get trapped in Facebook alone or doing one major thing in there – develop skills, multi-tasking / multi-channel marketing processes. The same for your overall marketing strategy – mix it up – use different resources – commerical do help; even if just through online video and podcast spotlights.

DEVELOP A SENSE OF HUMOR …
It is social networking / social media marketing for a reason. Make sure to have fun and give of yourself, PLUS you have to dive into online marketing with a sense of humor or you will become frustrated while learning and developing.

NICHE / NEW / PRODUCTS / SERVICES …
“The world is your oyster” when it comes to niche and new; even if you have to become creative and tap in on niche / new ways of presenting your  product(s) and service(s) to target markets. Niche products, new products, niche services, new services or presenting the old to niche/ new markets … put on your creative “thinking cap” each time while knowing that these are where and how you can gain advantages where you were failing to do well. Online branding is everything … keep it fresh!

TEST … TEST … TEST … SWITCH THINGS UP TO “BLOW THEM AWAY” …
This is self explanatory, but I will break it down for those who claim that they are testing and switching things up correctly, though not producing expected results. You have to  step back and do #1 (above) or ask others to help with opinions / suggestions, and “once it ain’t broke” (when you are seeing results – even  if it is just one or two likes or comments) don’t fix it (stop testing) and “go with it” until the trends demand the process again.

Are these suggestions “Ancient Chinese Secrets” to you? Do you not have the time or need hands on help? Contact me for social media marketing / seo secret services or comment below!

This is one of my favorite social media videos … I hope that you enjoy and apply to your social media marketing strategies. SMM is obviously not a fad … Just ask Twitter and Facebook :)

Many thanks to Heroes At Home Radio for featuring me as a “single parent success” on the show. There is a sense of pride in being considered a “hero at home” even if we do not yet consider ourselves as successful of a business owners or parent that we strive to become … We ARE this to our children; as well as other family members, friends, associates and people that are aspiring to do the same. I encourage you to listen to this Interview and share it with someone that can benefit from my personal experiences …

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. ~Ephesians 2:10

“Your children need your presence more than your presents.” ~ Jesse Jackson

Click play to listen to this podcast for the Heroes At Home Radio Show!

This is certainly a condensed version of just one area of “trials and tribulations” in my life story. It also closes the chapter on my single parent days as the Lord did have a plan for my children and me, as he does for all of us … Regardless, this interview reflects what life was like when Traci and I met, as well as how business and personal needs have transitioned over the years. I now have a better understanding of how important grassroots efforts are in society; especially in this generation and economy.

I encourage you to share this blog post for single parents and married moms that would find value.