These are some basic but fundamental marketing strategies that any business must implement to increase traffic and ROI. These strategies helped online brands to establish credibility and achieve targeted exposure in 2009 and will continue to do so in 2010.

“Businesses want to make sure every penny goes to something that produces results,” said Dave Bascom, chief executive of SEO.com. “For that reason, more and more money is being allocated to Internet marketing because it’s measurable and has proven to increase ROI.”

There are a wide variety of Internet marketing methods, the most effective being the ones that establish credibility, trust and directly target a demographic.

“Credibility is the most important,” said Ash Buckles, SEO.com’s director of search engine optimization. “When people are watching their money closely, they will only buy from companies and Web sites that they trust.”

Credibility, Buckles said, depends on how well a site is architected, how many other sites and networks link back to your site, how much social media and buzz surrounds a domain, how often a site goes down, how unique a site’s content is and how fast a site loads.

The Top 10 Internet Marketing Strategies of 2009:

1.   Organic Search Engine Optimization (SEO) – Web sites in the top of the search results are viewed as the leaders of their industry, and more than 80 percent of Web users click on the first listings. . I

2.   Facebook/Twitter/LinkedIn – Social media marketing engages customers on a personal level, and can rapidly create buzz around a product, brand or business. In 2008, Pubcon search conference spent $75,000 to marketing their conference. In 2009, Pubcon saved that money and used strictly social media advertising with great success.

3.   Keyword Research – Everything revolves around discovering what words and phrases your customers are searching for online.

4.   Video Marketing – This is becoming more important both on-site and off-site. Videos help convert Web site visitors into sales. In the universal search results, people tend to click on links with videos more than those without – even if the video link is ranked lower.

5.   Online Public Relations – This builds credibility online, in the mainstream media and for potential customers. Online public relations can help create a lot of buzz about your site through bloggers and industry sites, and can boost organic SEO.

6.   Link Building – A key element in search engine optimization. Search engines like “popular sites.” From the search engine’s point of view, a credible and popular site will have a lot of links pointing to it.

7.   Blogging – Blogs provide additional site content (which search engines love), graphics and other viral content to disseminate information and tie in with social media. Blogs can build your credibility by establishing your site as the hub for industry information.

8.   Conversion Web Design – A good Web design will keep visitors on your site and sell them products or services. In the end, it all comes down to a site that makes money.

9.   Paid Search Marketing – Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising is an extremely targeted strategy with measurable, immediate results. This enables a more efficient spending of marketing dollars.

10.   Email Marketing – Nurture relationships and retain existing customers. It’s much easier to keep old customers than to get new ones. Send good offers and valuable information that’s customized to their needs.

“To have success on the Internet, you need a combination of all these strategies to drive traffic to your site, establish credibility of your brand and convert traffic into sales,” Bascom said.

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A cancer success story told with charm

A humorous approach to a sensitive subject

I’ve admired these Mount Sinai Hospital ads for a long time. Mount Sinai Hospital located in New York is one of the oldest, largest and most prestigious hospitals in United States. This is an ad campaign that deals with cancer and other serious illnesses and seeks to present the hospital as the best choice for treatment. A delicate subject that has been executed with ingenious creative and flawless execution. The emotional approach of the copy is simple but powerful, (”A Father…” “At 14, Ryan…”) it connects well at a human level. The photography is realistic, but sophisticated which helps targeting the upscale demographic. The symmetry of the layout is clean but original (body copy and logo at the top of the page and above the headline) with a classic contemporary font (Mrs. Eaves). The photography doesn’t show patient faces, leaving the reader to imagine their own story. It also, of course helps in dealing with privacy issues.

Other ads, more minimal in their approach stand out with their daring and well balanced sense of humor.

Overall this ad campaign does its job remarkably well while presenting the Mount Sinai Hospital image with dignity, creativity and appropriate sophistication.

Well done!

@javierjrdg

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Portugal branding ads stand out from the crowd

Finally a country got its branding ad campaign right. Not huge local government agency logos, monuments, modern buildings or smiling couples.

So far most country brand campaigns I’ve seen look like they have been created by some government bureaucrat. No imagination whatsoever. Smiling modern looking couples next to some nice monument is as far as I’ve seen them go. They have also used “clever” logos like a smiling lips graphics a la Amazon.

Well, this is not your average country promotion for sure. At first these ads look deceivingly simple but looking closer we realize these images are beautifully striking, they actually include the photographer’s credit: Nick Knight, the ultra avant-garde British star photographer. Wow!! (money well spent!)

Ok, they got the image quite right but how about the message? well, direct and simple but what I love most is the tag line: “From Europe’s West Coast” this is so goooood! ok, we all love California don’t we? beautiful beaches, warm people and cutting edge technology! well Portugal is positioning itself as Europe’s West Coast! brilliant. Now when we think of Portugal this image of California in Europe pops up in our head. Not bad.

By the way, of course there is a large flag of Portugal here. I’m sure some Portuguese bureaucrat demanded it, but again, nicely resolved with a delicate transparency, even adds a nice touch of graphic color to the ad. 

But there is more. Another delight. The EU and the sponsoring Government agency logos are tiny! What happened here? The creative is right on but the true breakthrough is that the client. The Portuguese government had the guts and vision to break loose from stereotypes and in doing so the ads are truly reflecting the modern spirit of Portugal and the Portuguese people today. Well done.

Congrats!!

@javierjrdg

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  When I first saw this Pepsi ad in The New York Times I felt good about the direction the new Pepsi branding was taking. It felt fresh, fun, optimistic, uncomplicated. It was timely and seemed to be hitting the right cords.

Then I saw the packaging in a supermarket.  

The freshness and excitement of the Pepsi branding ads are missing from the package

A you can see the package looks rather stark. Some have called it minimalistic, even cheap looking. I know it’s Pepsi because of the circle with the  red, white and blue brand colors but again, what is the brand message I’m supposed to get? In my opinion the new color fields within the circle don’t have any clear meaning or project any particular feeling. Is it a smile a la Amazon or a boat’s sail? The new logo type is clean and a bit trendy in style but this can also be a liability and make the brand feel outdated in a couple of years.

I’m staring at the packaging and these visual cues aren’t telling me much. 

Pepsi profits went down 43% in the fourth quarter. Pepsi says it’s the economy could the new brand look have something to do with it?

To make things worse, as reported by Advertising Age, a brand document from the Arnell Group, the agency that created the logo, presents the design strategy as “breathtaking”. Some in Madison avenue, the design world and beyond don’t agree, to say it kindly.

We all know how tough it must be getting an iconic brand logo approved through the layers of corporate bureaucracy but still it’s a pity when you look at the new Pepsi logo thinking about the many millions spent on its rebranding and how little it speaks to you.

I’m sure Pepsi takes its branding seriously, but looking at this fiasco you wonder if they are serious enough.

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Social media can spread out your brand presence far and quickly. Handle with care

1. It’s affordable 

You don’t need the large marketing budgets the big brands have, a social media marketer can help you get started with a social media presence. There are hundreds of social media sites, choose the ones that match your audience and your brand best. Social media is about developing personal relationships so even with professional help the main cost could easily be your time. You know how much your time costs so be efficient or it will end up costing you more than you think. 

2. It’s viral

With the right content your blog posts have the potential to spread out your brand awareness quickly and far, but be careful with what you put out. It can benefit you but it can also hurt your brand.

3. Improves your brand reputation

Putting out quality and focused content will help you establish your brand as an authority in your field. Make sure your content supports your brand position. Be consistent, provide value and avoid writing self-serving content, which can damage the brand reputation you are trying to build.

4. Increases traffic to you website which generates more leads and new business

A social media presence that is well integrated and consistent will generate links and improve your search engine rankings. Prospects will find you before they find your competitors. To generate conversion make sure your website and landing pages are optimized and deliver what your prospects expect. Be aware that although traffic is great never do anything that generates traffic but can damage your brand. Brand is always first.

5. Helps your brand establish a strong connection with your audience

The interactive aspect of Social Media is personal by nature, so the relationships you create can be deeper and last longer than with any other media. To maintain those relationships make sure your brand comes across authentic and transparent. 

6. Connects you with leaders in your field

With Social Media you’ll have the opportunity to interact and network with leaders in your field. Comment on their posts and tweets and participate in their social media conversations. Support them when they ask for support and they’ll support you when you need them.

7. Builds credibility

What others say about you is key to your brand credibility and success. Use Social Media to create a positive perception about your brand. Your clients and prospects will believe what others say about your brand more than anything you can say about it yourself. Track constantly what others say about you in blogs, to make sure you can respond quickly to any potentially damaging comment. I use Google Blog Search in my iGoogle page to keep an eye on what’s been said in blogs about me.

Looking forward to your comments and additions to this list.

Best.
Javier/ JRDG

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History of the Internet from PICOL on Vimeo.

This beautifully crafted animation of the History of the Internet is spreading quickly through the web. It’s success is a good example of the power of well crafted design and story-telling.

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You are quickly browsing through the New York Times pages probably on the way to work or on a lunch break. You turn the page and voila! you see a huge scribble or a cryptic image followed by rather dull headline and a massive block of corporate copy.

These IBM ads are part of the ”Conversations for a smarter planet” campaign. Would you feel interested enough to stop in your tracks and dip into the lengthy message?  

The idea of a “Conversations for a smarter planet” green campaign is brilliant and well intentioned, the execution… in my opinion, not so much. Ad images are meant to be relevant and engaging, grab your attention and draw you into reading the copy, and hopefully you will take some action such as visiting a website. But these images, although eye-catching, in my opinion, are neither relevant nor engaging. Would you invest your time in figuring out the meaning of a scribble or an abstract icon?

IBM if you want to engage and “educate” your audience, make it easier for them to understand your message. Make sure the reader actually wants to read your message.

However well intentioned, these corporate-sponsored environmental claims are unlikely to be taken too seriously these days.

Joe Makower from The Energy Collective wrote an insightful story about this IBM ad campaign that explains its goals and strategy and includes interviews with Rich Lechner, IBM’s VP of Energy and Environment and John Kennedy, VP of Integrated Marketing Communications.

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Buiding a brand by sharing the love

In time for the holidays, Subaru brings its “Love” theme to a higher level. Subaru is a practical brand that knows how to touch an emotional chord with consumers. Its philanthropic promotion, “Get a Great Deal. Support a Great Cause,” offers to donate in your behalf to one of five high profile charities, and its TV commercial reinforces the brand’s story of down-to-earth authenticity and caring with the smart use of bumper sticker messages and excellent casting.

In my opinion, this campaign continues to successfully build Subaru’s unique brand positioning, strengthen its connection with consumers by appealing to their value system, and attract new buyers with its well balanced pragmatic and emotional communication strategy.

Recent comments in Youtube include: “Subaru Forever! i own an 89 xt6 boxer 6! love the grr sound after muffler mod. its a Wedge on wheels!. LOVE A SUBARU !”, “anyone know who is the girl at 0:14?? i think im in love.” and “It’s so great to see the “LOVE” theme continue in these latest ads.”

As reported by Advertising Age, “Subaru is gaining traction as the auto industry stalls”. Subaru’s VP-chief marketing officer claims that “consumers’ favorable opinion of Subaru has jumped by roughly 25 points since last year”.

This socially responsible approach seems to fit well with the current consumer mindset.

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Source: North American Technographics Media and Marketing Online Survey, Q2 2008 Base: US online adults who use each type of content *Trust is defined as a 4 or 5 on a scale from 1 (don’t trust at all) to 5 (trust completely)/

Company Blogs are not getting it right so far

If brands are looking at social media to get closer to and trusted by their target audiences, these numbers clearly show they are having a hard time.

Taking a closer look, there seem to be four distinct groups:

The number one trusted source of information is the people we know, no surprise there.

Second, are the automated neutral information resources such as Consumer Reports, Search Engines and Yellow Pages.

Third, is traditional media, headed by the good old Newspaper, followed a close second by Social Networking site profiles from people you know. Magazines, Radio, and Online content sites and TV tied right behind, and Wikipedia a noticeable drop behind that. There is a tight competition between old and new media in this group.

Fourth, is a group comprised of personal and company communications. Email from a company or brand leads the trust level of this group. Despite the hated spam, email seems to hold as a trusted vehicle, perhaps because of its one on one nature. Although blogs are becoming such a powerful and influential communication vehicles, it’s surprising to see them rate so low in the trust level of this study. Personal blogs and particularly, Company Blogs have the least credibility. Why? Companies can’t figure out how to relate to their audiences at a personal level (which is what Social Media is about), but they are trying with tools like Tweeter (see GM’s small but telling effort with Tweeter http://twitter.com/GMBlogs ), and eventually, the smart ones will find the right voice to connect and be trusted.

A note from Forrester Research who commissioned this research:

A note about how we collect data. The data comes from an online survey we conducted in Q2 of this year. Our online panel is as representative as we can make if of the US online adult population (18 and older). Companies use our data all the time, and I believe it’s the best available survey of its kind; we’ve been conducting surveying consumers since 1997. In this case, we surveyed over 5000 people. We asked them to rate how much they trust information sources on a five-point scale, from 1 (don’t trust at all) to 5 (trust completely). Respondents could also answer that they didn’t use a particular information source. In this case about 80% of those we polled said they did use corporate blogs. Of those who used them, only 16% rated them 4 or 5 on the five-point trust scale.

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These three are religious symbols

I was reading this Martin Lindstrom article in Ad Age. He questions whether “brands manage to create their own religion by coincidently or deliberately, adopting triggers and tactics from the world of religion”.

Partnering with a neuroscientist and using an MRI, he discovered that the same regions of the brain were activated in Christians and powerful brand (Apple, Harley, Guinness) fans. Other less powerful brands did not produced the same effect.

To find out what sets these brands apart, he interviewed 14 religious leaders from all over the world to determine what are the components behind these brands success.

Here they are:

• A clear vision
• A sense of belonging
• An enemy
• Sensory appeal
• Storytelling
• Grandeur
• Evangelism
• Symbols
• Rituals

My two cents:

No doubt all of these are important branding components (I would also add “authenticity”), but it’s not enough. What I feel is missing and makes the difference in generating a “religious” following is the originality (creativity) of each of these components and their outstanding execution.

The full story was published in Advertising Age December 8, 2008 and online: http://adage.com/cmostrategy/article?article_id=132996&search_phrase=lindstrom

All the best.

JR

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