Copywriters who want to hone their craft to offer a higher level of service to their customers can turn to learning more about the ins and outs of the back-side or computer side of web content. One way to learn more is to understand that mathematical equations or calculations take place when the internet meets a surfer who randomly inputs information into either a search engine box or posts information on a website for viewing. The random”ness” of the internet, is not random at all. Rather it consists of a finite set of rules that dictate what and how people find and locate information on the World Wide Web. Become a web savvy copywriter and learn about what an algorithm does, how it works and why it’s so important. We’ve done the research for you and have re- scaled this complex process down to just the basics and how it applies to the written or entered word.  

What is an Algorithm?

An algorithm is a method that’s used in mathematics and computer science to express a finite list of instructions and can also perform functions like calculations, data processing and automated reasoning. The history of algorithms dates back to 1928 when David Hilbert worked to solve the Entscheindungsproblem, also called the decision problem. Hilbert’s work is the first known partial formalization of what we call an Algorithm today.

There is no formal definition of what an algorithm is because an algorithm is not specific in itself, meaning that, algorithms can change and be developed to do more than one process. There are several generalized definitions that offer a basic understanding of what an algorithm does and two of them are below.

An Algorithm can be:

A specific set of exact rules that define a specific sequence of operations.

An Algorithm can also be:

A set of instructions on a process that generates output integers from random input integers.

In basic terms, we would consider that a generalized definition of an algorithm is this: If we input information into an algorithm correctly, we will receive an output response that has been calculated based on our input.

How Algorithms Work

Sometimes it’s easier to relate an abstract process to our day to day life. So to take a close look at what an algorithm is and what it does — Think the Internet. We know the World Wide Web uses algorithms to function. After-all the internet could be considered an enormous computer program completely based in algorithmic calculations. When we hop onto the Information Super-Highway, we jump aboard the largest algorithm we probably know. Here’s how the internet uses algorithms and how we use and benefit from an algorithm’s calculations every day.

Let’s say we want to find a local auto dealer.

• We type in the words or characters/letters “auto dealer” in our search engine box.

We have just input our integer or number/letters.

The internet’s algorithm, or process, has taken our input letters and calculated a response for us.

•  The search engine generates a list with all the websites that contain the letters/characters  “autodealer”.

If we live in New York, we won’t be interested in auto dealers in Texas. So we begin to narrow our search, or narrow our input integers/letters in order to receive a better more targeted response.

• We go back into our search engine box and type, “auto dealer New York”.

Now the internet’s algorithm re-calculates our input letters/integers and processes our input.

This new algorithm calculation responds to our new input integers/letters “auto dealer New York”.

• A new list is generated and that results with a search list that contains all the auto dealers that have the letters NewYork associated with their websites.

Moving ahead, we think to ourselves, New York includes Long Island and New York City. We think again, we are located in Buffalo, New York and what we really want are local auto dealers in our own area.

• So we again go back into our search engine box, we re-type the words, “auto dealer New York Buffalo”.

The search engine’s algorithm, takes our new input integers/letters, does another calculation, process and creates a new resonse.

• Another list is generated and the results offer us a search list with all the auto dealers that have the letters NewYorkB uffalo associated with their website.

We now have the info we wanted to begin with.

Relating Web Content To How Algorithms Function

For us we use algorithms every time we log online, most of us don’t realize it, but we are using a highly skilled mathematical function to communicate with our friends on social networking sites. We use algorithms to help us find tonight’s greatest meatloaf recipe and we also rely on an algorithm to generate calculations for us when we type in “dangers of open-heart surgery” in order to learn about a loved one’s upcoming surgical procedure.

The fascinating point is that, what we input dictates what we find. The same goes for the information that’s input into website pages for content. What a business, organization or individual posts on their website in the form of letters, numbers, pictures, videos and more, is what an algorithm will capture to calculate a response. Mathematical algorithmic functions are processes that have helped to make the World Wide Web useful for many people. Businesses, organizations and individuals that can harness the function of a calculation, have the ability to spread their message, sell products and use this technology to their benefit.

By understanding the power of an algorithm’s calculations, Copywriters can fine tune themselves to being mathematical in their own process when creating content that an algorithm will be able to calculate. Content picked up by the internet’s algorithm, is lifted off a website and transported to a search engine’s result list. That search result list is what connects that website’s content, message or product information to a web surfer, new client or prospective buyer.  Ultimately, that connection is what makes web content so important and why an internet algorithm is such a powerful tool.

We welcome new ideas and you might inspire us for our next blog post! Share your thoughts and tips by posting comments for us. Thanks for reading!

By Sara Hassler

Advertising Copy That Works Through to the Final Sale

There are two kinds of methods to selling most anything—Hard-selling and Soft-selling. Typically sales people are thrust into a mode of thinking that the Hard-sell technique works and that the Soft-sell method is too flimsy to close a deal. The fact is that Hard-selling does not work because it has no finesse. When a sales person goes straight to the point to sell their product, they are simply telling their prospective buyer that they should buy their product. This type of approach will usually turn a buyer off and negate a sale.

By taking a close look at how the Hard-sell doesn’t work and how well Soft-selling works, a copy writer can take this information and apply it to how they write sales copy, work on ad campaigns and involve their clients in the learning curve of effective copy verses ineffective copy.

Here are a few great points to remember when working on creative materials that involve sales copy:

1. People do not appreciate being sold to.

The Hard-sell approach usually brings the worst out in people. Human nature dictates that when aggressive behavior is displayed, it provokes the receiver to be aggressive in defense of themselves. This is what brings a negative result to both the sales person and the potential buyer.

To apply this to ad copy that works, don’t be tempted to use aggressive sales copy that pushes the hot buttons of your potential buyers. Instead offer sales copy that promotes a positive response.

2. Hard-sales techniques intimidates people.

Buyers that feel intimidated have less interest in making a purchase. Prospective buyers begin to realize that they have negative feelings about the sale, and will transfer that negativity onto the company who is trying to sell to them. If buyers do not like the sales person a company hires, they will not be able to feel good about the company.

Apply this to writing great sales copy by offering tips, advice. Explain how the product/service you’re selling will ease the stresses on their business or how it can improve their life/goals.

3. Hard-selling sounds desperate to others.

This will put off a potential buyer. Buyers begin to wonder why a company/person is desperate and this creates suspicion. This feeling of suspicion turns into mis-trust. Buyers who don’t trust a sales pitch are not likely to buy a product/service.

To write sales copy that will reach out and help buyers trust your product or service, offer key testimonials that assure your buyers that your product/company is a trusted resource, reliable and honest.

4. Hard-selling uses hype and other dishonest tactics.

Prospective buyers can see through hype. They are savvy and know that hype is not fact. Buyers don’t buy from sales tactics that push products/services without factual information.

Copywriters can add statistics and facts to their sales copy. By showing the bibliographical resource behind stats in ad copy, buyers will know that the information they are reading comes from honest trusted facts and not hype. This also builds trust between the buyer and seller.

5. Buyers need to find a reason to make a purchase.

Hard-selling does not allow any time to explain the benefits of the product or service. A sales person that is Hard-selling is using features to sell their product or service and not the benefits of the product/service. Benefits are what tells a customer that they should buy. There is only one question in the mind of any buyer — “What’s in it for me?” Hard-selling doesn’t answer this question for the buyer and as a result sales are usually lost.

Creative marketing copy should always include both features and benefits. Features will explain the product or service and by listing the benefits, buyers will know why they need the product/service.

6. Build a positive rapport with prospective buyers.

By building a relationship with a buyer a company or salesperson builds confidence in a buyer. When buyers have confidence they are likely to make a purchase on the first product or service and will also be encouraged to continue to buy more products and services. Hard-selling doesn’t build this rapport. If there is not a positive relationship initial sales and future sales are lost.

Creative staff can build rapport into their sales copy by helping potential buyers feel confident about the product or service they are promoting. Copy that builds confidence can be, proving how long a company has been in business and/or offering customer testimonials that promote the same products or services being sold. Story-telling or giving the background of how the company was founded or how a product or service was created is a great way to build a relationship with a potential buyer.

7. Soft-selling allows buyers to make their own decision.

When buyers feel empowered by the ability to make their own decision, they are more likely to make a purchase. Hard-selling strategies often dictate or tell a buyer they should make a purchase.

Advertising copy that promotes empowerment, offers ideas, creates a feeling of success for the buyer and promotes the qualities that a buyer is looking for in a product or service. Copywriters who focus on the most positive aspects of their product or service help buyers make the choice to purchase.

8. Soft-selling always outsells Hard-selling.

Persuasion works. Forcing a business or person into something they are unsure of does not. Hard-selling pushes a product or service at a buyer and doesn’t offer them the chance to decline the sale. Soft-selling offers a buyer a product or service by allowing them to choose to make the purchase.

Copywriters that apply a Soft-selling technique to their advertising copy use the power of positive persuasion in their writing. They can craft their ad copy to encourage a buyer to make a purchase instead of telling the horrors of what can happen if they decline the purchase. Encouraging copy can simply be letting a buyer know what they can look forward to after their purchase.

9. Soft-selling methods are more enjoyable to both the seller and buyer.

Soft-selling forces a salesperson to use more strategies. Building up a product can be done in a multitude of ways including talking to potential buyers. Getting to know a buyer builds relationships that equate to building sales.

Writers who want to incorporate Soft-selling methods into their marketing materials can create copy that speaks directly to their potential buyers. Asking questions and solving problems are some of the ways that words on paper speak to buyers.

10. Soft-selling Pre-sells a product or service.

Warming a buyer up for a sale builds a rapport and relationship with a person or business. In general people like to be introduced to something before they make a purchase.

Advertising copy that pre-sells a product or service before selling is in the hands of a copywriter or designer from the start. Pre-selling to a buyer is a basic introduction of the product or service and usually found in an opening statement or opening page of advertising material.

It’s clear to see the difference between the Hard-sell and Soft-sell techniques used in business. There is a general stereotype of what a pushy sales person using Hard-sell tactics looks like. Once this negative image is in the place of a buyers mind, it will prevent them from accepting a sale. Increase your sales and close more deals by using Soft-selling strategies and incorporating those same methodologies into your marketing materials. Remember your company’s first impression is a lasting one!

Good luck to all the copywriters who are working on marketing materials for clients. Choosing to use Soft-sell copy instead of Hard-selling copy that alienates buyers is one way to promote your clients products and services and a great way to earn more business on their next marketing project!

We welcome new ideas and you might inspire us for our next blog post! Share your thoughts and tips by posting comments for us. Thanks for reading!

By Sara Hassler

Opinionated articles and persuasive ad copy is the ultimate challenge for creative writers. Learning how to focus on style can help make this an easy task. Here are some great tips on writing opinionated and persuasive pieces.

• Engage your reader with a thoughtful beginning.
• Craft a unique point of view that adds depth that your reader can relate to.
• Include examples, explanations and evidence that helps your reader believe you.
• Give a reason why your reader should care about your subject.
• Offer your readers an action plan on what they can do.
• Reference a news story or event that ties into your copy.
• Present yourself as an authority on your subject by being confident and respectful as you write.
• Craft your pieces to be socially, culturally and community appropriate by using a friendly tone and easy to comprehend vocabulary.
• Avoid using jargon or slang for general audiences.
• Include key terms and jargon if your audience is industry-specific.
• Choose simple short sentence structures.
• Avoid snarky comments.
• If time and space allows include and acknowledge other perspectives.
• Finish your piece off with a call to action or thought to contemplate.
• Always strive to open the door and educate your readers.

By working with this basic set of rules you can match your style to your intended outlet’s submission guidelines. Creating a successful article or crafting fantastic ad copy that can withstand the test of an audience will take time and thought. Utilize your skills and extend your efforts whenever possible. We have a few great ideas on how to get your creative juicing flowing:

• Choose two or three focal points on your subject.
• Write to inspire your readers to think.
• Avoid extraneous details that will dilute your message.
• Inspire your readers to consider your thoughts so they see and feel your subject  on a deeper level.
• Consider who you are writing to, identify your target readers and then write to them in a conversational easy-to-read tone.
• Use words and terms that will resonate with your audience.
• Include answers to questions that your readers might have about your subject.
• Focus your writing on relevant points that will attract your audience.

Once your base copy is complete:

• Work diligently on editing, adding previously forgotten points and primping your copy so its appealing and easy-to-read from start to finish.

It’s common to lose yourself in a creative work with overstated opinions or hyperbolized persuasive thoughts. Following the basic rules of creative writing can help re-focus and re-connect your passion so your thoughts are reader-friendly. If you’re writing during a hurried crunch, limited deadline or if you get hit with a mental block, revisiting these basics can be inspirational to finishing a fabulous piece of work that provokes deep, intelligent and educated thought. Set your goals, follow the rules and good luck with your next opinionated article or persuasive advertising copy job!

We welcome new ideas and you might inspire us for our next blog post! Share your thoughts and tips by posting comments for us. Thanks for reading!

By Sara Hassler

Social Media is a broad communication tool that describes highly accessible and scalable publishing techniques that relies on social interaction.

• It uses primarily web-based technologies that turn into interactive dialogues. Off the web, social media can include various forms of social communication – that encourages or uses social interaction to communicate.
• Web 2.0 used to be the go-to term that described social media as a type of web-based application allowed the creation and exchange of user-generated content. Some businesses use the term Consumer-Generated Media.

Social Media has been classified as a “Sign of our current times” known as the “Attention Age”.

• Social Media is often thought of, as a way for people to blend technology and social interaction in order to co-create something of value.
• This value for some individuals is friendship as found on the website Facebook.
• For many working professionals the value of Social Media has come to mean work-related career opportunity and advancement as found on the website Linked In.
• Businesses all over the world are finding value added reasons to use Social Media platforms to reach out to their consumers.
• Social Media on the World Wide Web allows people to gain information, education, news, and also provides valuable research tools when needed by the means of electronic media.
• Off the internet, Social Media is a way to physically and verbally interact with others through other offline interactions such as events, conferences and educational institutions.
• Social Media has become a mainstay for many people, businesses and organizations to communicate their message because it’s an inexpensive way to publish content or connect with others. There are not any planes to catch, cabs to call or hotels to book when you can chat with an old friend on Facebook or meet a potential employer on Linked In.

Social Media Marketing is often considered the building of what’s known as “Social Authority”.

• Social Authority is when an individual, business or organization works to establish themselves as an expert in their field . By being considered an expert, that person, company or establishment is thought to have the ability to have an influence in that field of expertise.

Recent Statistics reported back in December of 2009 showed that:

• 22% of all time spent on the internet is on social networking sites.
• About 234 million people between the ages of 13 and older in the United States have used a mobile device.
• Twitter was found to have processed over one billion tweets and continues to average nearly 40 million tweets per day.
• More than 25% of the United States internet page views online took place at one of the major social networking sites.
• In Australia, it was reported that they had over 9 million social media users who spent almost 9 hours per month on their social media websites.

Social Media can include popular electronic mediums like:

• Internet forums
• Weblogs
• Social Blogs
• Microblogging
• Wikis
• Podcasts
• Pictures
• Videos
• Rating/Reviewing
• Social Bookmarking

All in all what does Social Media mean for the average person? It has come to be a true benefit for everyone worldwide. Social platforms offer everyone a voice to communicate their thoughts, link with old friends and grow as a person, professionally and personally. More and more people are turning to their social networks to learn about whatever moves them for that day, week or year.

Social Media is up to date, it’s real-time and that’s what makes it exciting. It’s as simple as someone posting a comment on their Facebook page letting their friends know their coffee shop’s pumpkin syrup just arrived for the fall season or that an old friend is dying in the hospital so others know to go for a final visit.

No matter how you look at Social Media it is a fascinating tool that we have all found valuable to our lives in one way or another. Social Media works to improve our daily existence through interactive communication. That communication can be informational or even life-saving. Enjoy your time spent being social and listen, read and see — the voices, thoughts and pictures—of the masses!

We welcome new ideas and you might inspire us for our next blog post! Share your thoughts and tips by posting comments for us. Thanks for reading!

By Sara Hassler

Businesses in general grow and evolve, so do marketing campaigns and so do consumers. Good business plans leave the doors to new ideas wide open for future growth and development. By applying the same concepts to your marketing efforts, a company, individual or organization can create a successful plan to combine traditional media with social media efforts. Here are a few tips on how to do this:

Be Ready To Learn or Re-Learn

Like a business, individuals grow and develop over time. Being open to new ideas can lead to new thoughts on how to reach out to your target markets. It’s easy to become resistant over time. Those associated with business plan development, outreach programs and consumer relations should be focused on the ever changing and exciting world of “how can we re-fresh our image and still maintain our current identity”. Using the same marketing mix can fool a consumer into thinking your product or service is outdated. Be bold and re-fresh your plan when appropriate.

Name Your Objective

Be clear on what your marketing goals are. Revisit your business mission statement and if well-written it will lead you to a clear path of what you offer to your consumers. Use this to create your marketing goals. For example, if your mission is to offer the best and freshest baked items to your local community, then your marketing goals should include spreading the message that — your bakery offers the freshest baked goods in town.

Identify Your Target Audience

Who you are targeting will help you create your platform, in all ways. If you are selling freshly baked items then your target audience might include people in the age group that do the grocery shopping. By listing moms, dads, grandparents and retail stores you can add a face to your audience, give them an age bracket, where they are traveling from – in town or out of town and even when they are buying breads, cookies and pies. Dive deep into your demographics and you will come up with an entire picture of what your audience looks like. This will in turn, show you how your marketing campaign should look.

Create A Way To Connect With Consumers

Will you start and stop with a postcard mailing out coupons, or could you be more creative and say, one great way to connect with my bakery buyers is to offer baking classes to my general consumers and bulk savings discounts to my grocery store buyers.  Divide your consumer into categories and devise a way to connect with them professionally and socially.

Plan To Keep Your Audience’s Attention

Once you have made a connection with your consumers, find a way to keep the doors open and how to solidify an ongoing relationship that can keep you in business for the long haul. Maybe you will map out  a savings club card program. Back to that bakery, maybe for every 5 pies purchased, customers earn a free pie! For bigger consumers, your plan could be an extension arm of your initial program, just on a larger scale.

Enlist Your New Customers to Spread Your Message

Recommendations are the ultimate in marketing tools. By creating a way for consumers to talk your product or service “up” you are giving them the power to push something already great to greatness. Think about the last time you bought something that you absolutely loved. Did you want or find ways to bring that loved item or service up during conversation with friends or family?

 If you can offer a reward program for referrals or recommendations, then you have just created the incentive for your customers to go out of their way on your behalf. Maybe that bakery offers an incentive program that says, for every bride that refers another bride for her wedding cake, then that first bride will receive a reward like special discounts or complimentary pies, cakes or breads.

By taking careful steps to customizing your overall marketing plan, businesses, individuals and organizations can work towards combining their traditional media with their social media. For example, maybe that bakery’s coupons are in printed form and appear in the local newspaper (traditional marketing), but customers that log onto that bakery’s facebook page and become friends are offered a 30% discount on their next purchase (social marketing). Those 30% coupons are then emailed (traditional/social marketing) and the cost savings on those digital coupon offsets the first coupons that were in the local paper. This advantageous and smart bakery owner has also just expanded their digital mailing list and can now add new consumers to their next digital marketing campaign.

It’s a savvy business that utilizes all their efforts in such a way that each effort flows into the next and all generate a positive outcome in hopes for higher profits. One way to achieve this is by learning how to lay the perfect foundation.

Creating A Strong Foundation Is Easy!

Like a house sits on a foundation, so can your entire marketing plan and business.  Masonary style foundations provide a solid foundation for thousands of pounds of pressure to rest on over a long period of time. By using your strong core product or service and by applying the patient skills of an expert brick layer, you can build a strong foundation that will hold up your entire marketing campaign. Use truthful advertising and positive consumer feedback to get this foundation started.

When you combine traditional marketing with social network marketing the results are automatically doubled if done right. Social networking by its very nature is grown the same way we grow friendships – one person at a time. For those who are new to social media in general, this can be a painful start to a hopeful quick-start marketing campaign. To speed up the process:

Use traditional marketing efforts to spread your message.

Send your target market to your social media platforms.

One by one, your social media network will grow.

Continue to combine traditional marketing with social networking over the long-term.

Expose your audience to traditional media and drive them to become socially involved in your business or product. Consumers can attend classes, grand openings, weekend events and even log online in order to become a part of your marketing campaign. Offer a few choices to cater to different personalities and those with more or less time. People in general take stock in what they like by creating conversation. If you have a product or service your target audience enjoys and they talk about your offerings in a positive way, then those consumers have just become a valuable marketing tool for you.

Just think, if another person tells you they love a product or service – ask yourself if you would believe them. Then ask yourself, if you see an ad on the side of a bus telling you that a product or service is great would you believe that instead? It’s a well studied fact that most people believe consumer to consumer feedback before they will blindly trust an advertisement they see.

Use human nature to your advantage and count on generating some astounding results!

We welcome new ideas and you might inspire us for our next blog post! Share your thoughts and tips by posting comments for us. Thanks for reading!

By Sara Hassler

Digg is an excellent website that holds a wealth of information, stories, practice tips, hard to find tutorials and in general, you name it, you’ll probably find it on Digg. For the casual users, there are a ton of categories to choose from and the content on Digg is virtually real-time. For specialized users like website owners and bloggers, Dig has the potential of becoming your new best friend. When stories are submitted to Digg and if they make the front page, it can cause what’s known as the “Digg Effect”. This is when a massive influx of traffic is sent from Digg to your website or blog. Digg can transform an unknown website or blog into a well-established heavily trafficked web location. Carve out your niche marketing efforts and join Digg to expand your market reach.

Digg Is An Information & Gathering Place

• Digg is a user-friendly and user-driven website.
• All the content that’s found on Digg is submitted by Digg users
• Digg users moderated the content that is posted on Digg.
• Because Dig is a community website, it relies on its members to send submission. Many of those submissions are in the form of short articles that are centered around a specific subject. Once a Digg member submits their content, other Digg users read that submitted content.  If the information is interesting and worthy, members will, Digg the stories and content they like the most.  If a submission or story receives enough Diggs, it’s promoted to the front page of Digg where millions of Digg visitors will see it.
• The key to getting Digged, is to have interesting, informative and relevant content.

How To Submit Content To Dig:

1. Register with Digg – it’s free and fast.
2. Start Digging yourself to get a feel for what it’s like to review other people’s content.

Tip: To start Digging, click on your profile link and scroll to check out submitted content. You can also go to the general Digg index and use the Digg search box. The search box appears at the top of every page for ease in searching. There are also advance searches available too. Make sure to use good key search words to target the most specific related topic your interested in.

How To Find Stories & Content For Digg:

1. Find information you want to share with the Digg community.
2.  Navigate to the Submit A Story URL and follow the process.

Tip: If you want your content to be “Dugg” by others then make sure to write an attention grabbing title and informational description. This will encourage community members to click through.

How To Use Bookmarklets:

Another way to add content to Digg is to use a Bookmarklet.

Tip: Drag one of the Bookmarklet links to your browser toolbar. This is a handy way to add content to Digg while browsing the internet. The Bookmarklets work with both Firefox and Explorer.

Digg Is Popular – Check Out These Statistics:

We checked the Digg statistics at the time of this post and found:

The data for the United States showed estimates of:

• 3.5 million unique visitors for the country.
• 11 million unique visitors worldwide.
• 98 million page views in the country.
• 190 million page views worldwide.
• 25 million total visits recorded in the country.
• 45 million worldwide.

Digg is not gender specific and both male and females were found to be taking advantage of Digging:

• 68% were recorded as male
• 325 were found to be females

The educational background of the average Digg user was reported to be:

• 42% had some college level education
• 34% had a bachelor degree
• 9% had less than a high school diploma
• 8% had a graduate degree
• 7% had less than a high school diploma

The age of members showed to be an estimated:

• 31% were between the ages of 25-34
• 30% were 35-44 years old
• 45-54 year olds made up 16%
• 11% wer 18-24 year olds
• The senior generation of 55-64 year olds came in at 6%
• 2% accounted for 65 year old and over
• 5% of users were between the ages of 0-17

General data for the household income of Digg users were shown to be:

• 30% at $25,000-$49,000
• 23% at $50,000-$74 999
• 20% were between $75,000-$99,999
• 15% made $0-$24,999
• 7% were $100,000-149,999
• 4% earned 150,000 or more.

These impressive statistics show just how powerful Digg can be to reaching a specific target market. It’s easy to see why so many individuals, businesses and hobbyist have added Digg to their social media network. By joining an online community as large as this one, it’s easy to see the marketing benefits. Whether you’re sharing content to raise awareness of a product line or just want to introduce thoughtful ideas, Digg can unlock an incredible audience and another way for you to reach a mass market.

We welcome new ideas and you might inspire us for our next blog post! Share your thoughts and tips by posting comments for us. Thanks for reading!

By Sara Hassler

If you’re thinking about including social media into your marketing plan, here are some great trend reports and statistics to put that thought into action. Finding the time and dollars to allocate to social media marketing is on the tip of every marketing executives tongue. One reason is that social media is trending and is not just a trend. The digital age is evolving and we are finding that we can reach out and touch someone through being a friend on Facebook, linking to them on LinkedIn or posting a blog for them read at their convenience. Through these social media networks, businesses have found a new way to communicate with their target markets to grow their business. Check out how social media is currently trending and the stats that back it up.

Social Media Marketing Is On The Rise

“The State of Small Business Report”, by Network Solutions, LLC and the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business, showed that the downed economy has contributed to the popularity of social media networks.  The study reported that:

• Small businesses increased their use of social media from 12% to 24% in the last year.
• An estimated 1 out of 5 small businesses are involved in using social media as a part of their marketing strategy.

How Businesses Use Social Media

Small businesses reported the following:

• 75% have a company page listed on a social networking site.
• 69% post updates or articles on social media sites .
• 57% build out a professional  network through a site like LinkedIn.
• 54% closely observe the feedback they receive about their business.
• 39% have set up and maintain a blog.
• 26% tweet about their area of expertise.
• 16% use Twitter as a service channel.

Social Media  Expectations

The report showed  businesses who have worked with social media as part of their marketing plan had mixed reviews on how it met their expectations.

• 58% felt that social media had met their expectations.
• 25% felt that social media had fallen short of what they had hoped for.
• 12% reported that social media network sites had exceeded their expectations.

For businesses that reported social media had fallen short of their expectations:

• 50% said that social media had used more time than they had expected.
• 19% thought social media had lost them money.
• 17% felt that social media networks allowed people/customers to criticize their business.

Messages Sent Through Social Media

eMarketer showed that social media marketing does not choke innovation out of existence. Instead some of the most successful small businesses are able to compete by offering superior services. The small business model has embraced social media as a means to keep themselves tied to their customers. Businesses felt that they could engage their audiences through social media. They also reported to use social media to tap into knowledgeable resources.  

How Social Media Budgets Will Rise

Over the last several months marketing professionals have been found to be leaning towards the importance of creating a budget for social media marketing. Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business and the American Marketing Association, “The CMO Survey” reported that social media marketing budgets are on the rise. The report showed that businesses currently budget 6% of their marketing dollars to social media. They expect this amount to increase 10% in the next year and 18% over the course of the next 5 years.

In August 2009 marketing professionals had also been found to have planned to incorporate a higher budget dedicated to social media marketing efforts. In February 2010, those marketers had reported that they would be budgeting one-fifth of their dollars to social media marketing over the next 5 years.  Current social media marketing budget trends are:

• August 2009: 3.5% budget allowance was spent on social media marketing.
• February 2010: Social media marketing budgets had risen to 5.6% .

Social Media The Big Buzz

According to the Marketing Executives Networking Group and Anderson Analytics, their report entitled “Marketing Trends 2010″ found that mastering social media was high on the priority list for marketing professionals. The number one  buzzword to keep on the tip of the tongue in 2010 was Marketing ROI —rate of return on marketing efforts.

• 58% of marketing executives thought social media was a trend to keep an eye on.
• 42% of marketing professionals chose social media as a top trend to watch which made social media marketing hit the list of the top 10 productive marketing initiatives.
• 72% of professionals in marketing reported that they work with companies that have planned a social media marketing program for 2010.  

Social Media - Who Is Using It & How

The study by Anderson Analytics also showed the differences on how social media marketing was being used. Individuals and professionals were found to use social media networking sites like Facebook and LinkedIn. Companies were found to utilize the blog as their main social media tool.

The Anderson Analytics study also reported that social media marketing plans were handed to internal employees, social media consultants and interactive agencies. Marketing professionals that were in charge of carrying out social media initiatives were not found to be looking to PR or ad agencies to head their social media campaigns.

So if your business is working to plan a social media marketing program, feel confident that you are not diving into a trend that will disappear any time soon. Many studies have been performed to analyze the worth of social media marketing and have found that businesses all over are planning to incorporate social media into their marketing budgets. Reaching out to your customers, target marketed and creating an open line of communication through social media is here to stay.

The foundation of successful companies has always been to become a reliable source for their customers.  Long standing businesses look to become a resource in which customers can count on and communicate with. Social media networking allows a business the open line they need to communicate the message that their customers need to hear—you can count on us and you can rely on us. A message that can now be broadcast through social media networks 24 hours a day, 365 days a year— which is more than a stamped postcard can offer.

The world of traditional marketing is ever-changing and as it leans into the digital online world, we encourage you to dig your business heels in and enjoy planning your social media efforts!

We welcome new ideas and you might inspire us for our next blog post! Share your thoughts and tips by posting comments for us. Thanks for reading!

By Sara Hassler

The ad world attracts some interesting people, and no wonder. The level of creativity required to come up with a unique idea that stands out in a sea of unique ideas is sky high. While you may be familiar with some of the big names in the history of the biz, like guru David Ogilvy, or founder of modern advertising David Lasker, some of the famous names that have worked in advertising may surprise you.

Herschell Gordon Lewis, for example. While he may not be a household name, he’s well-known to horror movie fans and cult film buffs as the father of “the splatter film.” Also known as the “Godfather of Gore,” Lewis started producing and directing low-budget films in the ’60s, such as Two Thousand Maniacs. Lewis recouped his minimal investments in spades, cashing in on the movies’ drive-in popularity and the burgeoning interest in horror movies.

Lewis was a master of marketing, and no wonder. He started out as an adman, working for an agency and teaching graduate courses in advertising at night. He then moved on to directing commercials for Alexander and Associates before he turned to film directing. Despite his notoriety as a filmmaker, Lewis still cranks out the books on marketing and also teaches seminars. He has a new film planned for 2009.

Comedian and TV star Bob Newhart also started in advertising, working as a copywriter for independent film and TV producer Fred Niles in Chicago in 1959. Newhart and one of his co-workers entertained each other with humorous phone calls, which became the basis of his audition tapes and helped develop the schtick that would later make him famous.

Other funny men have also worked in advertising, such as Stan Freberg, who voiced a multitude of Warner Bros. characters, and Don Novello, who worked in Chicago as a copywriter for Leo Burnett before donning priestly garments as Saturday Night Live’s Father Guido Sarducci. Terry Gilliam, the filmmaker and Monty Python cast member responsible for the comedy troupe’s bizarre animations, worked at an advertising agency when he was fresh out of college.

Actors who have worked in advertising before becoming famous names include Sir Alec Guinness, who wrote copy before making his stage debut, and Rick Moranis of Ghostbusters and Honey, I Shrunk the Kids fame. Pretty in Pink director John Hughes also started as an ad man.

It’s not just funny guys and filmmakers who worked in the advertising world. Some of the greatest literary writers have also written ad copy, most notably F. Scott Fitzgerald, author of The Great Gatsby (and the man who coined the term “The Jazz Age.) Mystery writers Dorothy L. Sayers and Dashiell Hammet (The Thin Man) also worked in the ad biz, Ms. Sayers using it as the subject of one of her acclaimed ’30s novels, Murder Must Advertise.

If you find it surprising that advertising attracts so many brilliant minds, Oozil doesn’t. That’s why the site was created: to bring together today’s best creative workers. Whether you seek the next great literary mind, a forward-thinking filmmaker, or a comic genius who can turn out witty phrases, Oozil is the meeting place.

Find the next big thing at Oozil –even before it’s the next big thing.

By Elizabeth Kelly