When the Internet first emerged companies would try and establish their websites and home pages in an attempt to have some sort of communication with their customers. However this would have mostly been advertising by the companies. There would only be one-way communication and this will not be useful if you don’t know the customer demands. When blogging blogging came along, companies found a way to really communicate with their consumers, which was two ways. As many consumers also had blogs it opened up a channel of communication. For businesses communication is very important, as it helps build relationships with their customers enable the businesses to retain customers. (Duncan, 1998)

There are many reasons for companies to blog including:

• Humanising the company
• Enhancing visibility
• Building credibility and trust
• Addressing important issues

(Makovsky, 2012)

What makes a great blog?

To find out what makes a good blog we can look at a few good examples of companies using blogs effectively.

Google:

Google is an example of a company with a great blog. This is at no surprise as Google is one of the biggest companies in the world. The Google blog provides insight into Google products, technology and culture in a way that’s informative and educational but at the same time enjoyable to read. The blog is also regularly and consistently updated and features things that are trending. Regularity and consistency is key to increased engagement by consumers (Bonson et al, 2014). Additionally writing about content that is trending has more of a chance of being shared (Sanusi, 2014).

Wholefoods:

Wholefoods is great example of a company that integrates product promotion and consumer interests. Their content includes food recipes, food reviews and healthy meal options. Blogging this way ensures that companies are not blatantly promoting their products but at the same time they can showcase their products. Customers may buy their products and wont feel they are being target by sales promotions. Additionally content is posted fairly regularly.

Endsleigh insurance

The company is an insurance company that specifically focus on students. The content of their blogs consists of content that students can relate to. Ranging from blog posts that aim to help students and give advice, to entertainment posts about recent rends. Again here you can see a company showcasing their services in a way that makes customers feel not obligated to buy anything.

Key takeaways:

There are main similarities between these blogs that make them a huge success. One of the things that are common with these blogs is that the companies are not directly advertising or promoting their products or service to their customers. Customers normally avoid advertisements and promotions. But blogging gives companies a platform to market them selves in a way that is not completely direct. Another thing that is common is that the blogs have some entertainment value to them. No one will deliberately read a blog that is boring and bland. By incorporating some entertainment value customers may feel obliged to engage and continue to read future blog posts. Also blogs posts by these companies are posted consistently leading to increased engagement by customers. For the reasons discussed blogging has been a successful form of marketing for these companies. However still today blogging in the corporate world remains ambiguous and many companies fail to make an impact.

Why do many companies fail with blogging?

• A blog doesn’t magically generate traffic

Many companies seem to believe that that by creating a blog they will automatically receive traffic to their website. They perceive a blog as a marketing channel that will generate leads. But in fact they are they should be used to build relationships with customers which then causes future traffic and lead generation

• Time commitment

It takes time to build solid relationships and this is also the case with companies. Blogs should be used to build relationships but because companies do not see engagement and interaction by customers straight they give up. They need to be patient in order to see the benefits of blogging.

• Too much time advertising and not enough time engaging

Many companies fail to engage with their customers, instead they brag about how great their products and services are. A blog should be used to engage customers to build relationships. The aim of a blog should be to open up dialogue. Asking for feed back or constructive criticism can achieve this.

 (Boag, 2013)

Blogs should not be used as a traditional marketing tool. They should be used to communicate with your customers to build relationships. Many companies are failing to use blogs effectively, but by taking time and learning how to use them companies can fully reap the benefits of blogging.

References

Boag, P. (2013). 10 Harsh Truths About Corporate Blogging. [online] Boagworld – Web & Digital Advice. Available at: https://boagworld.com/marketing/corporate-blogging/ [Accessed 30 Apr. 2015].

Bonsón, E.Bednarova, M & Escobar-Rodríguez, T, (2014). Corporate YouTube practices of Eurozone companies. Online Information Review, Vol. 38(4) pp. 484 – 501

Duncan, T. and Moriarty, S, (1998). A communication-based marketing model for managing relationships. Journal of Marketing, 62(2), pp. 1-13.

Makovsky, K. (2012). Why Should Companies Blog?. [online] Forbes. Available at: http://www.forbes.com/sites/kenmakovsky/2012/05/14/why-should-companies-blog/ [Accessed 30 Apr. 2015].

Sanusi, A. (2014). How to write a successful blog that also promotes your business. [online] the Guardian. Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/small-business-network/2013/apr/30/how-to-write-a-business-blog [Accessed 30 Apr. 2015].

Previous blog posts have talked about using video as an effective tool for digital marketing and why using videos are beneficial to other methods. Live video streaming has been in the spotlight recently with the launch of new social media apps Meerkat and Periscope. The basic function of these apps is quite simple. It basically allows users to stream live video from a mobile devise for other users to see. The videos can be streamed directly to twitter, allowing other users to subscribe, attend the live video streams and have live real-time interaction. The idea is very basic yet it took the social media world by storm.

Meerkat was launched first at the SXSW festival in March, picking up hundreds of thousands of users (Johnson, 2015). A week later Periscope was launched, which was Twitters answer to Meerkat. Twitter acquired Periscope back in January for a reported $100 million (Newton, 2015). Periscope has the added benefit to Meerkat in that live stream broadcasts can be viewed up to 24 hours after they end. Regardless both apps provide massive opportunities for Companies. Especially now as real time social interaction is more important than ever. The apps will allow companies to engage with their customers in a human and transparent way that tweets and Facebook posts simply cant contend with (Noyes, 2015)

Although it’s a new medium or re-emerging medium for marketing, there are a few creative ways that it can be incorporated into a company’s marketing strategy:

• Demonstrations- videos are a great way for companies to demonstrate their products to their consumers. With either of the apps, companies can release videos monthly, weekly and even daily to keep consumers engaged and build audience interaction.

• Events- if a company is hosting an event they can live stream the event. This will be very useful as not everyone can attend events whether it’s a talk or presentation. Companies such as Apple can benefit from Meerkat or Periscope, as they are well known to have live events that are normally viewable on desktop computers of laptops.

• Product Launches- both apps can really come into their own, in terms of long awaited product launches. Again using the example of Apple, every time a new product is launched it can be streamed and users can utilise the live twitter integration and real time interaction.

• Promotions and deals- Companies can offer their consumers exclusive promotional codes and discounts that can only be accessed by tuning into the videos. Consumers will be engaged and will keep coming back for new exclusive offers.

• Interviews- companies can do live Q&A’s with their consumers. The apps will allow companies to show their human side and really interact and engage with their consumers.

(Francis, 2015)

These are only a few ways of many on how companies can use Meerkat or Periscope as a part of their digital marketing strategies. Both apps are still in their early days but both have huge potential to grow into social media powerhouses. The next big challenge for companies in terms of marketing is to think outside the box on how these apps will benefit them. It is a new medium meaning not many companies will know how to use them. Companies must have the creative capacity. Companies such as Red Bull and Starbucks have already made accounts and started using the apps for content marketing (Johnson, 2015) but it’s too early to judge whether it will be a success. Additionally both being relatively new apps means not many people will know about the apps. People may be reluctant to download the app. This could mean that companies marketing efforts may go to waste if there is no one to target or focus on. Robles (2015) describes brands that are early adopters as guinea pigs after a few brands failed with the apps.. But as already mentioned it is still the early days and companies should keep a vigilant eye to see when will be the best time to incorporate these apps for their marketing strategies.

References

Francis, A. (2015). Eight ways brands can add Meerkat into their marketing mix. Available [online] at: https://econsultancy.com/blog/66244-eight-ways-brands-can-add-meerkat-into-their-marketing-mix/. Last accessed: 28 March 2015.

Johnson, L, et al. (2015). Marketers weigh in on Periscope vs. Meerkat. Available [online] at: http://www.adweek.com/news/technology/marketers-weigh-periscope-vs-meerkat-163691. Last accessed: 28 March 2015

Newton, C. (2015). Meerkat is a little app that’s turning live video into a big deal again. Available [online] at: http://www.theverge.com/2015/3/9/8164893/meerkat-live-video-streaming-twitter-yevvo-periscope. Last accessed: 28 March 2015.

Noyes, K. (2015). Why Meerkat and periscope are the next big challenge for marketers. Available [online] at: http://www.computerworld.com/article/2903312/why-meerkat-and-periscope-are-the-next-big-challenge-for-marketers.html. Last accessed: 28 March 2015.

Robles, P. (2015). Madonna’s meerkat failure shows the risk of early adoption. [Online] available at: https://econsultancy.com/blog/66297-madonna-s-meerkat-fail-shows-the-risks-of-early-adoption/. last accessed: 30 April 2015.

The previous blog discusses the use of video in content marketing and benefits of incorporating it to your digital marketing strategies and also some of the costs involved. This blog post will focus on YouTube and why YouTube is considered the ideal platform for video marketing.

According to Alexa (2015), YouTube is the 3^rd most visited website in the world and also YouTube has over 1 billion users everyday. No wonder why it’s becoming more and more popular as a marketing tool by brands. YouTube makes it easy for content producers to release videos, and communicate with their viewers through the commenting system. Also it is integrated with other social media sites, which makes communication between the content producer and viewers even easier. It not only makes it easier for companies/content producers but for consumers as they can share and like videos and subscribe to channels so they know when new videos are uploaded.

People are now spending more time on YouTube than any other social network sites. Companies should capitalise on this and use YouTube as a part of their digital marketing strategies. However companies should not just focus on views, if their marketing objectives where to be successful they should focus on building and maintaining audiences.

(Econsultancy, 2014)

Companies can use YouTube in a variety of ways. They can quite simply post their adverts and promotional videos for people to see. Or they can engage with their audience by making different types of videos such as ‘how to’ videos. YouTube makes it very easy to measure the success of their videos as they offer a free, self-service viewership and reporting tool called YouTube analytics (Shandrow, 2013). This enables companies to see how many people are viewing their video, for how long and how often. There are also many other metrics are measured which will enable companies to see if their videos are a success or failure.

How Asda succeeded with YouTube.

One of the many brands that have had success with YouTube is Asda. They launched their channel in March 2014 and currently have over 140k subscribers. The first thought that comes to mind is, how would Asda actually use YouTube? Asda’s senior director of marketing innovation even wasn’t sure if it would work when the idea first occurred. But you can see that it’s a huge success. There are a few things that attribute to the success. Firstly Asda removed the name of their brand from the name of the YouTube channel. As they knew people would not want to subscribe specifically to a supermarket. Instead they developed a channel that is ‘brought to you by Asda’ called ‘Mums eye view’.

They narrowed their targeted market and decided to focus on their key market segment, which is focusing on females aged between 25-45 with young families (Faul, 2014). This is something that creating a YouTube channel allows, for companies to tailor their videos to their target markets. Asda really listened to what their main customers would want and released videos based on customer feedback left in the comment section and other social media websites. Their videos consist of food content and how to videos using Asda products to fashion and beauty content. This is an effective way for companies to promote their products in a way, which customers enjoy and it is not just pure advertising. To grow the channel and gain subscribers and viewers, Asda fed content from and worked in conjunction with a variety of existing well established YouTube content creators such as Zoella. Additionally videos are uploaded fairly consistently on a weekly basis, this keeps viewers engaged. A recent study by Pixability shows that the most successful brands produce 50% more videos than the least successful ones (Atkinson, 2013).

Limitations of YouTube

Asda is one of many examples of companies incorporating YouTube as a part of the marketing strategies. When using YouTube brands need to make sure that they add entertainment rather than interrupt it (Benady, 2014). People visit YouTube to indulge their passions and not to spend time with brands. There’s the risk that the videos will be more like adverts rather than entertaining videos. Asda make sure their videos are entertaining which made it so popular. There is also the risk that video content will not relate to the company. If brands focus on pure entertainment they may not showcase their products or service and the videos will lose focus on the brand. There needs to be a balance of both. The cost of creating a YouTube channel is free. However for good quality videos, good quality equipment will be required which can be very costly. Think about all the equipment that will be required such as a good quality camera, lighting, editing software and a microphone to name a few. Also when you create a YouTube channel you have to be committed to putting out content regularly to keep the viewers engaged. Therefor a lot of time is consumed and for companies that means taking on staff for managing video production and editing. A studio may also be required for filming, especially if it is regular which also adds to the costs. Whatever the cost, the popularity and growth of online video will continue to grow and it is something that companies cant simply ignore. If done right it can be a very worthy investment.

References:

Alexa (2015). Alexa to 500 global sites. [online] available at: http://www.alexa.com/topsites. Last accessed: 30 April 2015

Atkinson, C. (2013). How the top 100 brands use YouTube for marketing. [Online] available at: http://www.reelseo.com/top-100-brands-youtube/. Last accessed: 22 April 2015.

Benady, D. (2014). Youtube for marketing: how do you make it work? [online] available at: http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/jan/08/youtube-for-marketing-how-do-you-make-it-work. Last accessed: 22 April 2015.

Faull, J. (2014). Asda’s YouTube gamble pays off as Mum’s Eye View reaches 2m views and P&G eyes commercial opportunities. Available: http://www.thedrum.com/news/2014/09/24/asda-s-youtube-gamble-pays-mums-eye-view-reaches-2m-views-and-pg-eyes-commercial. Last accessed 22/03/2015.

Ratcliff, C. (2014). How Asda succeeded on YouTube with Mum’s Eye View. Available: https://econsultancy.com/blog/65765-how-asda-succeeded-on-youtube-with-mum-s-eye-view. Last accessed 22/03/2015.

Ratcliff, C. (2015). YouTube strategy for brands: 10 of the best. [online] Econsultancy. Available at: https://econsultancy.com/blog/63832-youtube-strategy-for-brands-10-of-the-best/ [Accessed 30 Apr. 2015].

Shandrow, K. (2013). 10 questions to ask when creating a youtube channel. [online] Available at :http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/226148. Last accessed: 22 April 2015.

A picture is worth a 1000 words, a video is worth 1.8 billion according to Dr James Mcquivey, an analyst at Forrester research (Tech journal, 2012)

Watching videos has become a part of people’s lifestyle whether it’s on YouTube, twitter or Facebook. Most of my time on the Internet is spent searching through YouTube and watching videos to satisfy my entertainment and information needs. Once you start searching its difficult to stop. It is estimated that videos account for 50% of traffic on the Internet (Luke, 2013), although this does vary according to sources. By 2017 video is estimated to account for 69% of all Internet traffic (Trimble, 2014). Companies should capitalise on using videos as apart of their marketing strategies, especially now as the cost of making and producing videos are much lower then what they used to be. Video as a marketing platform and online avenue for communication has several benefits to other forms of media. It has more going for it than mere words or pictures on the screen or in print. Video is more compelling and persuasive. This is said to be due to four main psychological reasons:

• Face: there is an area of our brain known as ‘fusiform facial’, which is sensitive to faces. So by having a face in the video the viewers attention is instantly captured

• Voice: the voice transmits an abundance of information and the tone can be altered to convey various emotions. This leads us on to the next point

• Emotions: the voice and face communicate emotions. Emotions can be transferred to the viewers and can create human interaction even though it is normally one way.

• Movement: viewers notice movement and pay attention whether its hand movements and gestures. It keeps viewers engaged.

(Hudson, 2014)

Video as a marketing channel enables companies to release any content they want that relates to their company. They can target specific audiences and really engage and communicate with their customers. When using videos companies can show the personalities of their companies without meeting a prospect face to face. People are also more likely to watch a video than read a full page of text. There are numerous ways that videos can be used for marketing, for example through one-off viral videos or frequent videos on YouTube through a YouTube channel.

According to John Rampton of Forbes (2015) there are 5 things a video marketing strategy today should include:

1. Publishing schedule- its important to have consistency and you should think of the campaign in terms of a series.
2. Short form videos- social media sites such as twitter and vine has revolutionised the way users communicate with each other. Consumers can view a quick video as they scroll through their feed.

3. Tutorials and tips- one-way to connect with customers is by posting tutorials relevant to the line of work of the company. This will enable companies to establish themselves as ‘experts’ and lead to customers wanting to learn more.

4. Call to action- customers may enjoy the videos of companies, but if they have no idea what to do after watching, the hard work was for nothing. The call to action can be something simple such as a coupon code or even a few words at the end that may engage conversation.

5. Customer generated content- a good way to communicate with customers is putting them behind the camera. This may create more of a response than company generated content. Customer generated content will show other peoples passion for a company’s products or service.

Although the cost of producing videos is lower than ever before due to advances in technology, it can still be very expensive especially for companies who need to ensure their videos are of high quality. Video production costs include equipment such as good quality cameras, microphones and lighting equipment. Video editing software is also required and potentially people to who know how to use the equipment and software may also be required. Obviously the costs of video vary depending on the time and budget put into it. For example for amateur videos there is virtually no cost as it can be filmed and edited from a phone. One the other hand professional marketing video can cost up to thousands even millions (Hinge Marketing, 2015). Big branded companies tend to have big budgets for their video marketing campaigns, and they tend to achieve big results. That being said companies with smaller budgets also see great results. With a big budget there is also more risk, the money will be wasted if the video marketing campaign is unsuccessful.

To end things, here’s an example of a great video marketing campaign by Turkish airlines:

https://youtu.be/jhFqSlvbKAM

The video campaign was hugely successful, one reason being is that the video was about taking ‘selfies’, which was trending at the time and still is. It also had elements of storytelling, which keeps the viewer engaged. At the end of 2013 the video had over 133 million views on YouTube (Twentyman, 2014). From the video you can see it would not have been possible without having a big budget, especially as 2 of the biggest sports stars where featured. Additionally the video required heavy use of animations and graphics, which would have required a studio and qualified professionals.

References

Hinge Marketing. (2015). What is the cost of video production for the web? [Online] available at: http://www.hingemarketing.com/library/article/what-is-the-cost-of-video-production-for-the-web. Last accessed: 12 April 2015.

Hudson, A. (2014)Video Marketing: Minefield or Moneymaker, Air Conditioning Heating & Refrigeration News, 251, 3, pp. 54-55, Business Source Premier, EBSCOhost, viewed 22 March 2015.

Luke, K (2013).12 Ways to Integrate Video into Your Marketing. Journal Of Financial Planning, 26, 9, pp. 18-19, Business Source Premier, EBSCOhost, viewed 23 March 2015.

Rampron, J (2015). 5 things your digital marketing strategy should include. [Online] Available at: http://www.forbes.com/sites/johnrampton/2015/02/04/5-things-your-video-marketing-strategy-should-include/. Last accessed: 26 March 2015

Tech journal, (2012). A picture is worth a 100 words, a online video is worth 1.8 million. [Online] Available at: http://www.techjournal.org/2012/05/a-picture-is-worth-1000-words-an-online-video-is-worth-1-8-million/ Last accessd: 26 March 2015

Trimble, C (2014). Why online video is the future of content marketing. [online] Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/small-business-network/2014/jan/14/video-content-marketing-media-online. Last accessed 26 March 2015

Twentyman, J. (2015). The secret to viral video marketing. The Guardian. [online] avialble at: http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/feb/26/secret-to-viral-video-marketing. Last accessed: 12 April 2015.

In todays digital world mobile devices are having a profound impact on the way we communicate in general but also how we communicate with companies. (Rowels, 2014). It is necessary for companies such a retailers to make it easy for us to communicate with them if they are to success in the changing environment. One way in which they communicate is through the use of mobile apps. There is however a misconception that retail mobile apps is only used for shopping online. Retail apps are in fact becoming increasingly characterised as devises for customer retention (Davis, 2014).

In this post I am going to go over other ways in which retailers can have different functions for their mobile apps other than shopping online, which still makes it successful with customers.

Educational content:

In terms of behavioural variables, learning and advice is said to be some of the factors that motivate consumers to use their mobile phones (Grant and O’Donohoe, 2007). Having educational content imbedded in the app will provide and enable the user to learn and be given advice. It really gives a reason for customers to download the app, as it is beneficial for them. There are also benefits to companies as they can market themselves as a brand and their products through the app. Customers who use the app will gain knowledge even if they do not buy anything. However companies must ensure that the educational content is not boring and the content must be relevant. There is no point in providing educational content if its not relevant to the company. If the content is boring and not relevant people will not use the app or even remove it from their phone.

Mother care is an example of a company who provides educational content effectively. Educational content is provided for new mothers and pregnant women, which aims to make give advice to make their lives easier. Companies can really increase their reach this way and possibly sales as they are able to display their content in a unique way (Moth, 2014)

Having loyalty schemes and mobile payments:

Some retailers have a loyalty scheme built into their app. The only way that you can become a member of the scheme or use the loyalty scheme is through the use of the app. Companies have seen success with this approach especially Starbucks who have one of the most successful retail mobile apps. There is an incentive to download the app as customers gain rewards for using it. This enables Starbucks to gather data and monitor buying habits and behaviours of their customers. Amedeo (2014) states a loyalty program should be used to improve overall customer experience and be used to respond to trends and a change in demand in real time. The app also offers mobile payment when used in their stores to speed up the purchasing process and improving the customer experience.

Promotional content:

Companies can send their customers coupons and special offers through their app so that customers are encouraged to visit the store and redeem them. This is a compelling feature that retail apps can contain which may entice downloads of the app. 7-Eleven is a perfect example of a retailer using this feature.

It can be seen from the successful examples mentioned that there are other alternative uses to retail apps. Also retail apps in fact are highly successful when used for customer retention. The apps mentioned aim at customer retention and also aim to improve the overall customer and shopping experience. If retailers successfully incorporate some of these features in their existing app or create a new app with these features, they can expect to see success in terms of increase in their customer base and also hopefully sales. However with all things there are risks and costs. Although the development of an app can be fairly low, the reality is that a good quality app will be very costly. Companies are required to build good quality apps as they have their image, brand and reputation to maintain. A good quality app will require a strong conceptual foundation, good planning and top-notch talent in both the design and engineering, all of which are costly (Mehra, 2014)

References

Amedeo, M (2014) How retailers can use big data into real insights. [online] Available: http://www.retailcustomerexperience.com/articles/how-retailers-can-turn-big-data-into-real-insights/. Last accessed 11/02/2015

Davis, B. (2014). A list of 10 retail mobile apps that customers love. [online]. Available: https://econsultancy.com/blog/64140-a-list-of-10-retail-mobile-apps-that-customers-love/. Last accessed 11/02/2015.

Grant, I. and O’Donohoe, S. (2007). Why young consumers are not open to mobile marketing communication. International Journal of Advertising, Vol. 26 No. 2, pp. 223-46.

Mehra, S (2014). The true cost of building an mobile app. [online] available at: http://www.forbes.com/sites/groupthink/2014/11/11/the-true-cost-of-building-a-mobile-app/. Last accessed: 7 April 2015

Rowles, D (2014). Mobile marketing: how mobile technology is revolutionizing marketing, communications and advertising. London: Kogan Page.