Don’t Rely on Luck! Promote Your Web Presence

Now that St. Patrick’s Day has come and gone, it’s important for marketing executives to realize that really establishing a web presence is not accomplished with the luck of the Irish. It’s a combination of integrated marketing and public relations tools that help build a brand and keep the target audience engaged.

For example, a company with a blog that is maybe two or three months old that isn’t seeing any traffic is not providing people with the right avenues to get there. Remember the old saying “If a tree falls in the forest and no one is there to hear it, did it really make a sound?” Think of this when planning your strategy for social media.

It’s become more common for companies to add “Follow Us On…” notes on their e-mail signatures, websites, e-newsletters and any other area that it makes sense to let your audience know there is an additional way to learn about your products, services and company culture. Blogs also often receive some of the most foot traffic from links embedded in other social media postings. For example, an employee’s Tweet may link to your company website providing a whole new network of potential customers with access to your company’s bloggers.

Social media components such as blogs, Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook provide a customer with a less formal way to get to know who they are doing business with. Candid, transparent insights into that company’s business practices and how a client can benefit are easier to find on social media sites than in a corporate brochure or on a website. Both serve wonderful purposes to educate a customer, but think of social media as taking your mission and vision statements a step further in a literal and conversational sense.

It takes planning and the effort of dedicated individuals to run an effective social media campaign that is constantly kept fresh and new. Rushing to jump on the bandwagon can end up being an unlucky move in the end.

Erin Higgins
Director of Marketing Services
ehiggins@cmasolutions.com

Furry Friends Give Local Marketing Firm a Creative Boost

For 23 years, the marketing professionals at CMA have abided by founder Jeff Barnhart’s motto emphasizing good client service—“our people are our product.” Now, Barnhart and the rest of the CMA team are welcoming more than just people through the doors of 191 Clarksville Road.

“I’m a dog lover and have been all my life. Allowing employees to bring pets in just felt like a natural extension of our ‘casual Fridays’ policy—employees should feel free to wear jeans and bring along their dog, hamster or turtle if they want,” said Barnhart, who is the President and CEO of CMA. “It provides stress relief and just makes for a fun atmosphere.”

According to a survey by the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association, millions of Americans believe pets on the job lower absenteeism and encourage workers to get along. The same survey stated that one in five companies currently allow pets at work.

Since the winter of 2008, CMA employees with pets have been able to bring their furry (and scaly) friends to work with them, as long as no client meetings are scheduled for that day. For somewhat of a test run of this concept, CMA staffers brought in all pets at once in November 2008 for a holiday card photo shoot, which many clients commented was one of the firm’s best. Since then, “baby” gates, chew toys and water dishes are common sights among the offices and cubicles at CMA.

“It’s been a challenging business environment for the past two years and while CMA has weathered the storm well, our employees have appreciated the extra thought we put into creating a relaxed, family-oriented work environment,” said Burt Lambert, CMA’s CFO.

Taking Control with Twitter

Sure, it’s got a funny name, but Twitter is becoming a main communications method and a way to instantaneously connect with target audiences. Some social media experts say that engaging in social media is about losing control in a good way, but what makes Twitter valuable is that it’s an added public relations opportunity that is often faster and more easily controlled than working through the media. Let’s learn from a few success stories.

For Transparency:

Popular film director, Kevin Smith, recently Tweeted a play-by-play account of his removal from a recent Southwest Airlines flight for being “too fat to fly.” Regardless of your thoughts on the rights of overweight Americans, the real winner in this scenario is Southwest (@SouthwestAir), whose Tweets included the following not long after the incident:

Our apology to @ThatKevinSmith and more details regarding the events from last night - http://cot.ag/96KHC7 #Southwest 3:14 PM Feb 14th via CoTweet

Our conversation with @ThatKevinSmith - http://cot.ag/derOe8 #Southwest

Just as quickly as posts can be used to expose a problem, companies like Southwest are utilizing Twitter to set the record straight and create a direct line of communication and transparency.

Also remember that the first step to Twitter is identifying if it is the right fit for you. Here are a few examples of how Twitter worked for several of our clients.

For Event Promotion:

It’s a tough time for some association members to get approval for travel to continuing education conferences, so the Association for Convention Operations Management (ACOM), a group of convention services managers working at hotels, convention centers and convention and visitors bureaus, began live Tweets from their recent Annual Conference in Dallas (@ACOMTweets). This worked well to keep active members who could not attend in the know. Volunteer “Tweeters,” with the support of the CMA team, linked to Conference session notes and Power Point presentations, and provided attendees on-site with valuable up-to-the-minute information on room changes and added events.

For Media Attention:

Flip to CNN any time of the day and no doubt you will see “follow us on Twitter” followed by an easy to remember screen name flashing across the bottom of the screen. In addition to coverage on a media outlet’s website, their Twitter page creates another medium for your target audience to become aware of your company, event, or initiative—instantaneously. When CMA announced the finalists for the Audio Publishers Association (APA)’s Audies awards in February, the list of audiobook titles were Tweeted by Publisher’s Weekly editor, Diane Robach, in addition to being included in their daily e-newsletter, PW Daily, posted on their website and included in their print edition.

For Blog Traffic:

With space for only a 140 character post, Twitter is often used as a way to redirect traffic to a company’s website or blog. The Twitter post becomes a “teaser” to pique the interests of your followers enough to make them click through your link. To drive traffic to this very blog, our PR Manager, Kaitlin Friedmann and other members of our social media team have continually Tweeted about new blog posts. As a result, traffic to the blog increased by over 30% in the span of two months.

Remember, Twitter is self-policing, meaning that your Followers will leave if you do not hold their interest. Like any marketing investment, engaging in Twitter is simply about the commitment of time and effort to develop a program the right way, instead of simply jumping on the bandwagon. Find out how CMA can help you develop a social media plan that works.

Jeffrey Barnhart
President & CEO
jbarnhart@cmasolutions.com