Technology and Marketing

New technology always creates a new challenge for marketers. The new ipad has introduced a new medium through which customers can be reached. Marketers taking the iPad for a test drive are still feeling out the popular mobile product’s marketing capabilities. Best practices for harnessing the device’s full power have yet to emerge.

The iPad’s functionality is a hybrid of mobile and the traditional Internet. However, the best practices used in those channels don’t strictly apply to only the ipad. Marketers must also acknowledge that consumers interact with the iPad differently than they do with an iPhone or other smartphones. Whereas mobile devices lend themselves to in-store interactions, such as bar code scanning and product comparisons, iPad users are generally stationary.

However the ipad is just the beginning of a brave new world of mobile device marketing. Boeing is set to launch a series of very precise GPS satellites over the next 5 years that will be able to pinpoint a person within feet, where as current systems in use can only pinpoint a location within about a block. This arena could open up a new source of streaming advertising. Imagine entering a store and your cell phone automatically sends you coupons and advertisements for that particular store.

Technology will ultimately change the course of every discipline, but it seems especially pertinent that marketing and advertising should constantly “be where the public is” in order to create solutions that will keep customers engaged and interested. Should marketers suddenly fall behind the times advertising will  suffer. 60% of consumers already feel as if they are constantly being bombarded by advertisements, but as technology increases and marketers are better equipped to determine customers’ needs, advertisements will become less of an intrusion and more of a window of opportunity for customer and business to build a dialog and a relationship.

This post contains elements from DMNews’s article “Exploring the ipad’s Potential” written by Kevin McKeefrey on June 21st 2010.

Branding a Country

Branding a country? Nation branding is when counties use corporate style advertising techniques in order to boost a nation’s image, encourage tourism and pique the interest of business investors. This process involves a lot of people and organizations working together in order to form a cohesive image of a region.

Branding a nation entails much more than flags, and colors. It involves every aspect of a country’s heritage from the art, to the government, sports teams, businesses education and the overall culture. A well-developed brand can encourage new businesses, tourism, skilled workers, increase political stability and the label associated with that country will aid in the sale of goods overseas. Branding holds the power to change the way the world views a country and can be a powerful tool.

While outright marketing of a country can help with initial views of the cultural atmosphere it seems that a few well regarded international consumer products can be instrumental in the quest for a country brand. Think  of the many products and services directly associated with certain countries; French wines, Swiss watches, Japanese electronics and Irish pubs. All of these speak to the overall world view of these places. France is known for its luxury in food, clothing and overall atmosphere while Japan is known for being cutting edge in all things from transportation to household appliances. These notions have been shaped by the way these countries have used and distributed their resources and goods over the years.

Nation branding is in of itself a fairly new concept. We’ve all seen the emerging commercials: “Ontario Canada, More to Discover” and “Find Yourself in Tel Aviv”. While we have all “branded” a country because of worldwide or national perceptions, the intentional act of advertising and creating visual representations that depict a country’s values has just begun to be explored.

The Bahamas have done an exceptional job creating an imagery that is representative of the Bahamas colorful history and values. Iterations of this logo have been integrated into the government pamphlets, tourism, local businesses and throughout the area in order to create a cohesive visual that is associated with the Bahamas.

Visual recognition paired with a well-developed internet presence can be powerful in changing or enhancing world view of a country. The Northern Ireland Tourist Board has recently launched a new website to accompany its new marketing strategy. discovernorthernireland

South Africa has used their opportunity to host the 2010 World Cup to improve their country’s brand. They have eagerly shown the world that the country many saw as an unsuitable place to hold a world renown event, is more than capable of hosting a successful event.

Branding is helpful in creating a positive world view of a country. There are many benefits that are received from creating this new or enhanced view; increased tourism, increased business ventures and a renewed sense of national pride are just of the few positive things associated with a positive international presence. National branding, though a new concept, has seen good success rates and benefits many countries around the world

Quick Tips: Search Engine Optimization (SEO) for Businesses

1.  Constantly update content of your web pages and social media sites. Original content will keep viewers coming back and keep your company on their minds.
2. Use keywords within your content, naming images, videos and descriptions. These keywords should reflect your company industry and/or company name.
3. Use text within your website rather than flash or images. Spiders (the software that searches for keywords and other SEO novelties) can only search text, not text within images or embedded text.
4. Give and get links to other sites, its nice to share and it helps SEO.
5. Digg, Yelp, Delicious, and Facebook are your friends. These sites will help spread the word and get traffic to your website.
6. Get listed on website directories in your industry. Also use Yellow Pages, Google Maps and Yelp to list your business location.
7. Use video, images and other integrated media in your website to promote customer interaction and improve SEO.
8. Include location information in text and spell out the company name at every opportunity rather than saying “our store/ firm/ hospital”.
9. Give descriptive names to links instead of “click here” or “Link”.
10. constantly improve your website for Search Engine Optimization, the internet is constantly changing and so are SEO standards.

Market Research: Why your Company Needs it

Market research seems to have a stigma in the business world. “It’s a waste of time, any five-year old can do it,” you say. Well, market research is actually a pretty important tool that can save your business time and money. It gives businesses the opportunity to find a specific target and focus their attention rather than shooting in every direction, wasting time, and money on groups that do not need or want the product or service your company provides. Here’s a few points to think on:

• Learn about the demand of your product or service. It is important to know if there is a widespread need for the product or service, or if it is a niche product specific to a small group. Once you know the demand for your product you can find the best methods for reaching this group.
• Get ahead of your competitors. In this vast society of choices where nearly 70% of people feel they are constantly being bombarded with ads and people trying to sell them something, you have to be able to stand out and tell the world (or at least your target market) why you are different. Learning what the competition is doing can help your business to differentiate itself from the masses.
• Saving $$$$. When your marketing efforts are centralized and not sporadic, your business can thrive. Wasting money on trying to hit every corner of the market does not work. Targeting a specific audience and catering to that audience will minimize costs and maximize profits. You wouldn’t try to sell a Porsche to someone who works in the drive-thru at McDonald’s, or tax services to 10 year olds… why run ads or build a website that will try to sell your goods to someone who has no need for it?
• Pros and cons of your business can be found through market research. What is your business doing right and what is it doing wrong and how can you fix it? Your customers will enjoy the fact that you are improving your business practices. Your employees will enjoy that their tasks are streamlined and better organized. Your bank account will be nice and full. Improvement can only make your business go up.

Marketing to Minorities

The minority population in the United States is steadily growing. The 2000 census shows that whites make up only  a little under 70% of the population with 30% being minority. This 30% of the population makes up for huge marketing potential and growth for business that have not ventured into this sector before. In 2006 Latinos alone spent $690 billion. This potential for business is definitely not one that you want your business to pass up on. When marketing to these groups however, it is important to keep a few things in mind.

Knowing your market is a first step. Find out what different groups are interested in and how those interests relate to your product or service.  Conduct market research specific groups that are potential customers. This can be a little tricky though, you do not want to over generalize or buy into stereotypes. There are many different cultures within demographics. Hispanics, for example, come from a multitude of different cultures, speaking different dialects with different values and traditions. Marketing that may exclude some of these groups will cause your company to loose out on business and customer relationships.

Show that your company is interested in multicultural groups. Including multicultural models in pictures on your website and marketing materials is a great first step to showing you are interested in creating multicultural relationships. A step further can be to run ads in publications and television that runs in other languages. Be careful translating into the language; phrases that may be widely known in English might not make any sense in Hebrew or Chinese. Likewise, certain colors or gestures may mean one thing in western societies but something completely different in other cultures.

Get involved in communities. This piece of advice is not really specific to minorities, people love to see businesses take an interest in their community. However, getting involved in a particular community will spark interest in your company by that group. Weather your company chooses to get involved in the Asian or the German community in your area, those groups will notice. While getting involved may take a little time and effort the benefits greatly outweigh the costs. Think of it these important points

• becoming active in a community is free advertising, people will get a chance to see your company and find out what you are about
• companies can meet potential partners in the business world, often companies will participate in an event where other companies are known to participate
• it may be eligible for a tax write off… and who doesn’t need a tax write off these days?

Getting involved in the community lets people know you care, and can help foster interest in your company.

Developing a database can help when marketing toward minorities. Tracking customers and how they interact with your business is a great means to being to learn what they are interested in, when they are usually interested in it, and why they choose your company over others. This valuable information can help cater your marketing efforts to groups you know are already interested and have a need for your product.

Marketing to multicultural groups can really make or break your business. Their population and their buying potential is growing everyday and their influence has an impact on your business. Careful planning and a little bit of research can help ensure that your business is relatable to all groups and does not hinder its growth in an ever-expanding market.