Why does Social Media Marketing work for some, but not for all?

The distractions of Public Sector cuts, World Cup football,  Volcanic ash clouds and the Euro are receiving wide coverage.  One could be forgiven for thinking web-enquiries and sales might wobble over the next few weeks as a result.

For anyone in this position “What is to be done?” will run the thinking.  The way these things go, Social Media Marketing will probably climb up the ladder, as much of it is “free” marketing, if you can find the time to do the work.

And Social Media’s credentials to move people to a point of view would appear valuable at first glance – after all, was it only on Saturday that Unite’s Derek Simpson’s tweets caused an invasion at ACAS.

But 6 years of working with Social Media indicates that successful marketing with Social Media is both effective, but patchy.
Watching an associate spend all Summer 2009 building up 2,500 Twitter followers and get not a single enquiry, clearly Social Media Marketing seems to suit some styles of business, but do absolutely nothing for many others.
There’s a new Social Media White Paper we’ve written that focuses on how for who Social Media Marketing does dependably work, and how.  The paper, ‘Successfully using social media marketing to give your business the buzz!’ identifies:

• whether you or your business style will get success out of Social Media
• if not, show you our recommended promotion methods for your sector
• if yes, describe the Social Media Marketing options available to you, what to do with them, and crucially, how much effort to spend on them.

For those busines styles, where Social Media Marketing is uquestionably effective,  we’ll be covering this in more detail over the next month.  Included will be how to organise and run the Ultimate Social Media Marketing Plan, including how to schedule your campaigns.

Link again

Social Media White Paper

I look forward to any questions and comments you may have.

Chris Clark

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Chris Clark is MD of Clark Marketing, a digital marketing company focussing on keeping clients’ shops full, getting the Hillingdon Mayor to see two of our success stories for herself, turning £5-figure e-commerce site sales to £6 figure, and more.  Chris has just completed his diploma in interactive and direct marketing for the IDM at Kings College, London, and was th

How Covent Garden is beating the recession

Many High Streets have gaps where shops and businesses used to be.   Hit by falling visitor numbers and reduced clients, there is an air of abandonment.

But have you been to London’s Covent Garden lately? If so, be surprised at how busy the area is.   The unique variety of fashion shops, restaurants, bars & pubs, and the services that assist them are all busy.   No unsightly gaps.   There are many far sighted entrepreneurs in Covent Garden, but even so, to have been affected rather less than the rest of UK PLC is really quite special.

How is this being achieved?

I recently visited In and Around Covent Garden, the membership organisation dedicated to promoting Covent Garden area and turned up a thoroughly interesting story.

They are a highly communicative team, who deeply involve their shop and business members in community activities.   Their website is an effective advertising portal that members add their profiles to, with visits to the members tracked from the site.

Members are regularly covered in the monthly magazine, both printed and online.   There are frequent networking events, with venues queuing up to host them.   Everything is promoted using eMail marketing, and more recently, they are experimenting with Twitter.

Members are conscious that a good online presence pays.   Many support a number of Covent Garden advertising outlets to ensure they are internationally visible (type ‘covent garden’ into Google.com to see.)

Now this is the point.

With shop vacancies only around 1% compared to West End vacancies of 13% according to JPCR, (see http://ow.ly/1pm61), the activity has come about in large part because organisation and members have encouraged innovative ideas, and maintained their spend, particularly on the following 7 marketing activities:

• PR
• eMail Marketing
• Visible Websites
• Networking
• Online Advertising
• Events advertising
• Some Social Media Marketing, with lots of untapped possibilities here.

And this is the story of how Covent Garden beat the recession.

What are Your marketing decisions for the next 90 days?

As the recession starts to lift, it is particularly now that marketing and advertising has its biggest effect. So here’s a vital question to consider today. What marketing programs is your business now assembling to expanding your market share, so you can replicate the Covent Garden success story?

Because whatever you decide today will make a significant impact on your revenues in June. As it will Covent Garden, and they have already decided what they are doing…

Chris Clark

_______________________

Chris Clark is MD of Clark Marketing, a digital marketing company focussing on keeping clients’ shops full, getting the Hillingdon Mayor to see two of our success stories for herself, turning £5-figure e-commerce site sales to £6 figure, and more.  Chris has just completed his diploma in interactive and direct marketing for the IDM at Kings College, London, and was the oldest one on the course!

Social Media may make people connect, but do they buy?

Times in London in September 2009 are interesting.  Some businesses are moving ahead, others are having more parlous times.  The CBI reports the recession is easing, but anecdotally I hear various sectors especially in training, design & print are quiet.

Realising this, my main purpose in life is to make sure that whatever we provide to our customers, works.  That is, telephones ring from new enquirers.  Email addresses and contact us forms produce new and genuinely interested prospects.

Few can have not heard about the Social Media Marketing buzz that swept London last week.  In the well attended Business Scene event last Tuesday Nick Tadd spoke about the end of the marketing department and the rise of the findability experts.

And in the packed eCademy meeting last Thursday Penny Power impressively and passionately described a social world of facebook, twitter, and blogging (especially eCademy blogging) where business happens, and will increasingly so.

Marketing agencies are not so sure, and a number of ‘show me the money’ questions are appearing.  A safe starting convention is nothing stays free on the internet for long.  Clearly my view is some people are doing very well with Social Media Marketing.  My observation is also that some people have worked very hard to promote their businesses through social media with little result.

As an agency who focuses on making phones ring, upping sales enquiries and multiplying e-commerce sales, we own the responsibility of carefully selecting and costing the right marketing channels that will let our clients customers find them, and be genuinely in a frame of mind to purchase.    We also need to be at the forefront of sales generating marketing technology, and embrace exciting developments that genuinely help win enquiries and sales.

However, whilst I have my own opinion, I am going to ask for yours.  Between now and the end of November, I’m running an online survey aimed at London’s businesses already running Social Media Marketing campaigns or actively considering them.  How well or otherwise is social media working for your business.  Get your views across, here’s the link:

http://www.surveymethods.com/EndUser.aspx?94B0DCC092D2C4CE

Pre-release results will be circulated exclusively to everyone completing the survey and leaving their email addresses at the end of November, and the surveys will be published in early January.  Email addresses will be deleted and not used for any other purpose.

By then we will all know how effective or otherwise Social Media Marketing can help our businesses.

Link again:

http://www.surveymethods.com/EndUser.aspx?94B0DCC092D2C4CE

Make your views known and we’ll share and bank the knowledge.

Chris Clark

_______________________

Chris Clark is MD of Clark Marketing, a digital marketing company focussing on keeping clients’ shops full, getting the Hillingdon Mayor to see one of our success stories for herself, turning £5-figure e-commerce site sales to £6 figure, and more.  Chris has just completed his diploma in interactive and direct marketing for the IDM at Kings College, London, and was the oldest one on the course!