Questions To Ask When Preparing Your 2012 Marketing Plan

11 Questions To Ask When Preparing Your 2012 Marketing Plan

1. What lessons did you learn from 2011?

How did your organisation perform last year? How closely did your plans model reality? As Prussian Field Marshall Helmuth Carl Bernard Graf von Moltke (the Elder) noted back in the nineteenth century (paraphrased a bit), "no battle plan ever survives contact with the enemy". Or, as Marvel Comics supremo Stan Lee once wrote, "life is what happens to you while you're making other plans". so 'fess up: how murky was your crystal ball in 2011, and what Black Swan surprises did you encounter along the way?

2. What's happening this year in the life of your target consumer?
It was a tough old year for many, as the Global Financial Crisis collided with earthquakes, tsunamis, mudslides and other unexpected events. Despite that gloom and doom, consumers still display surprising rose-tinted optimism when predicting their own futures twelve months out, even while they're still up to their gumboots in alligators today. So how resilient is your target prospect right now, what are her hopes and dreams for 2012 and how can you tweak or otherwise reposition your product or service offerings to meet her current needs?

3. How good, bad or ugly is your market sector expected to be in 2012?
Time for a dose of realism. Are customers buying, haggling or keeping their wallets firmly padlocked in your industry sector? Is it time to consider tinkering with your pricing strategies (perhaps looking at Everyday Low Pricing, BOGOF or trying out a Group Deal?), offering time payment, introducing smaller pack sizes or otherwise opting for more affordability for the credit-challenged? Or would you like to sign up for our "Thriving In A Tough Economy" Workshop to learn effective survival strategies in today's environment (email us if you'd like some more details)?

4. What Major Events do you need to circumnavigate this year?
We're finally over the Rugby World Cup and the Elections, but what (planned) events do we need to avoid (or attempt to capitalise upon) this time round? Here's a sampling: 2012 sees the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II, marking the 60th anniversary of her accession to the throne (February 6); we remember the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic (April 14): nations gather in London to contest the Olympics (July/August); and the nearly-endless U.S. presidential process occupies most of the year in the land of hope and glory.

5. It's 2012, do you know where your customers are?
Are they hanging on Facebook, meeting up via Foursquare or chatting to Leighton on the radio? Will they be spending more or less time reading the newspaper and the gossip mags in the Year of the Dragon? Will they be signing up for the new Sky/TVNZ pay TV service Igloo, or will they be caught by surprise when their TV fades to snow on The Day That Digital Kills The Video Star? Media habits are changing -- do keep up with what your customers are watching/reading/writing/hearing.

6. What current trends will impact on your business this year?
Not sure? Don't know where to look? For a monthly briefing on emerging consumer trends, insights and innovations, head to trendwatching.com and sister site springwise.com. For links to seven sources which will give you an instant report on What's Hot in Social Media, start here.

7. Have you networked with your peers lately?
Stop interrogating your keyboard and get talking to your colleagues, suppliers and competitors. Apart from any vertical networking opportunities within your industry, consider attending functions from organisations such as the Marketing Association, the Chambers of Commerce, the EMA and other business groups. Online, head to LinkedIn and join an industry-specific group (go local for networking, international for information-gathering). Set up a closed user group for your own organisation on Yammer so you can chat with a more selective gathering of your own colleagues on a regular basis.

8. What are you planning to learn about in 2012?
A week is a long time in marketing. What happened yesterday that will impact you today (see #7 above for trend-spotting)? How real was mobile marketing when you did your training? Do you know enough about Facebook to put together a truly effective social media brief (unabashed plug for our new course, below)? Continuing Education isn't just a nice-to-have ... in the changing-every-nano-second new millennium, it's simply a survival mandate.

9. What can you learn from what your competitors are doing?
No matter how bad you may wish your competitors were, the reality is that they must be doing some things right, otherwise they wouldn't have survived this long. So what can you learn from them, and how can you out-imitate them?

10. Where are you most vulnerable?
Where could your organisation definitely do better, and what are you doing to fix that weakness? If a new competitor suddenly emerged, offering a better widget at a lower price, what could you do to counter it? And why aren't you doing that already? Time for some wargames and crisis scenario planning, before someone out there makes the unthinkable real.

11. Kaizen. Kaizen. Kaizen.
In the spirit of continuous improvement, identify five things within your current operation that you could do 2% better. Then just do them.

Rinse and Repeat.

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NEW: How to Prepare An Effective Social Media Brief

One of the biggest challenges facing traditional marketers (even those who've already ventured into the social media space) is simply this: "how can I prepare an effective social media brief (whether to brief those within my organisation or for an outside supplier)?"

Most marketers are confident in their ability to prepare a brief for a poster or a billboard or a television commercial. But should the brief for a social media campaign be pretty much the same?

Two answers:

1. Yes, it can be -- but what you'll get as a result, unless you're very, very lucky, is an advertising campaign masquerading as a social media programme.
2.
3. No, no, no -- social media can be so much more, as long as you give an effective social media brief to those actually executing the social media programme.
4.
So how do you prepare an effective social media brief?

The need for a comprehensive answer to that question has led us to create a brand new four-module course covering the topic.

Here's what the course covers:

Module One: Setting Social Objectives
What exactly do you and your organisation want to achieve through social media? We review possible answers to that question -- taking into account not merely the obvious communications objectives that organisations typically set, but also those distinctly social attributes that most marketers overlook.

We show you how to review your own brand's story and personality and how that will colour your social media efforts. We encourage you to re-examine your existing customers and prospects and determine what they might hope to hear from you through social media (and how frequently). And we take a look at social media objectives set by other organisations, for inspiration and guidance (and, in a few cases, as cautionary tales of what not to do in social media).

As a result of this module, you'll be able to provide those who will be operating your social media programme with clear, agreed social objectives that (a) reflect your organisation, its heritage and the interests of its customers; and (b) take advantages of the rich possibilities inherent in social media.

Module Two: Agreeing Social Strategies & Tactics
Once your objectives are in place, it's time to consider possible strategies to communicate through social media. Strategy in this context means figuring out what you want to be different after you’re done implementing your social media marketing -- and that evaluation process should NOT be left to those carrying out the programme (because they're seldom in a position to determine the relative priorities for your organisation).

Is the appropriate primary strategy based around reputation management, customer service or just getting people talking about your products? Or are you looking for specific leads or even sales (and how should you do that in social media without offending everyone)?

Once the strategic possibilities have been winnowed down to a chosen few, then it's time to look at tactics to turn those strategies into reality. Most of the tactical decisions can be carried out at an operational level -- but it's still very much worth your while understanding the sorts of tactics that are relevant in the social space. That information may shape your views on decisions such as who is the most appropriate team to implement your social media programme as well as identifying the people within your organisation who should be points of contact for the programme (it won't be just you).

Decisions on tactics will lead in turn to decisions on which social tools should be used: Twitter, Google Plus, Facebook, YouTube, Slideshare, the list goes on.

From Module Two, you'll develop a solid base with which to have constructive discussions (and even perhaps robust debates) with your social media implementation team.

Module Three: Planning your Programme
What should you talk about in social media? One thing you shouldn't be is merely reactive, responding to situations and comments as they happen. Perhaps the most neglected part of the whole social media process is planning an effective, proactive social media communications schedule. Not only do you have to provide killer content that's relevant and engages your constituents -- you also need to plan out what you're going to say in advance, tied in to topical events, matters of the moment and your own communications programme. That's not something that can simply be left to that nephew of the CEO who's running your Facebook page in his spare time.

In this module, we step you through the processes you'll need to consider when developing an effective INTEGRATED social media schedule that's linked into your other promotional efforts. We'll also encourage you to talk to your implementation team about Content Optimisation -- identifying your customers' hottest topics and using the most popular keywords in their posts.

Module Four: Implementation
Finally, we turn to the processes required to make all this happen. We provide you with an appropriate framework for briefing your social media supplier, allocating internal and external resources and responsibilities and agreeing how the effort will be measured.

We also suggest a timetable for reviewing and adjusting your campaign, and how to evaluate the campaign effectively -- do "likes", "+1s" and "retweets" matter, how do you measure social engagement and what does it all mean?

By the end of this course, you should be confident that you can effectively brief a supplier on social media and ensure that the results you are achieving don't just seem okay -- they meet a concrete set of objectives that is consistent with your overall organisational goals.

TIMING
This new four-module programme begins on Monday January 23.

PROGRAMME CREATOR
The "How to Prepare An Effective Social Media Brief" programme has been developed by Michael Carney

INVESTMENT
This new programme is available for $397+GST.

However we offer an

EARLY-BIRD RATE of $297+GST (SAVING YOU $100)

for bookings received by next Monday January 16.

To register and pay through credit card processor PayMate, please click here

If you would prefer to pay by cheque or bank deposit, or require an invoice before making payment, please send an email to info@socialmedia.org.nz with details of your request. (The service provider will be shown as Netmarketing Services Limited in your transaction and on your credit card statement).

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?
1. Your booking will be confirmed by email (if you have not received a confirmation within 24 hours, feel free to email info@socialmedia.org.nz).
2. On Monday January 23 you will be supplied by email with the first part of your How to Prepare An Effective Social Media Brief programme.
3. Follow-up lessons will be sent out over subsequent weeks (but please note that you take the course at your own pace).

Farewell Stratos

On the day before Christmas Eve, four-year-old Stratos Television shut down. The channel, which had been broadcasting free-to-air content for four years via Freeview, Sky and TelstraClear, was shut down because the channel was no longer financially viable.

Co-founder and chief executive Jim Blackman noted: "We simply have not had the support we were seeking - despite a growing audience of more than one million and reaching the stage where AC Nielsen were able to include us in the TARPS audience ratings."

Stratos content included Al Jazeera news (in English), along with series such as "Jewel in the Palace", a Korean drama about palace life and traditional cuisine, and the international talent quest Eurovision. The channel's news and current affairs programmes, screened in both English and mother tongues, included content from more than a dozen countries.

Stratos also had international partnerships with the likes of DW-TV, France 24, Euro News in Europe, Voice of America, Bloomberg, Australia Network and CCTV, CQTV, NHK and YTN in Asia.

Stratos, like the soon-to-disappear TVNZ 7, provided access to a diverse range of voices and opinions not typically available in New Zealand on free-to-air television. It's an unfortunate reality that our market is simply not big enough to support such endeavours through commercial enterprise -- and deep-pocketed patrons are few and far between.

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Nine Reasons Why You Should Be on Google Plus

Do we really need another social network? That must be the question for many businesses, already stretched trying to keep up with Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and many more.

The answer is a definite YES, if that additional social network is Google Plus (also known as Google+) — and here are nine compelling reasons why YOU need to consider using Google Plus for YOUR business NOW:

1. It will improve your ranking on Google Search
Google has been “experimenting” with making clicks on +1 buttons one of the more than 200 signals informing its search algorithm, according to a company spokesperson. Today Google has just poured Google Plus into its search results (see "Google Merges Search and Google+ Into Social Media Juggernaut"). As Google Fellow Amit Singhal noted on the Official Google Blog: "We’re transforming Google into a search engine that understands not only content, but also people and relationships." This is one of those paradigm shifts that takes us into territory where no man (or search engine) has gone before. The implications are simply mind-blowing.
2.
3. Google Plus is the new SEO
All these changes to Google Search change the way that you'll be found on Google (if you have a presence on Google Plus). If you already devote effort to Search Engine Optimisation, you simply MUST have a business page on Google Plus.
4.
5. Early Adopters get the most benefit
Just imagine how much more effective a profile you’d now have on Facebook if you could have been there from the very beginning, attracting followers and building relationships! Leading brands have been very quick to set up Google Plus pages; their worry is that early adopters will reap the search benefits, while others will be buried by those who have collected more +1s. If you hurry, YOU can be a fast follower too.
6.
7. Google Plus is the fastest growing social network ever
According to comScore, Google+, launched by the Internet search and advertising giant on June 28, had 25 million unique visitors within a month. In comparison, it took other social networks much longer to reach 25 million users: 22 months for Myspace, 33 months for Twitter and 37 months for Facebook. And that runaway growth continues -- by the end of December 2011 Google Plus had chalked up 62 million users. If the current growth rate of 625,000 new users a day continues, by the end of this year Google+ will have 400 million users. How fast are YOU at seizing the day before Google Plus gets too crowded?
8.
9. Google is adding a “social layer” to everything it does
In April 2011, Google CEO Larry Page changed the rules. He recognised that social has become the most popular game in town, with users spending much more time on their social networking than they do on searching. Google needs to go social or risk daming its revenue streams; so now a quarter of every Google staffer’s bonus depends on the company’s success or failure in social media. That’s why they’re throwing everything they’ve got into Google Plus — and why YOU need to be firmly embedded in that social layer as well.
10.
11. The Customer is now firmly In Control
All the surveys are saying the same thing: consumers trust each other more than they trust you. 90% trust recommendations from people they know, according to a Nielsen global study, whilst 70% are prepared to believe consumer opinions posted online — the same as Brand Websites and ahead of TV advertising (62%) or online banner ads (33%). If you don’t start to build social relationships with your customers wherever you can, how can you be sure they will recommend YOU when the time comes?
12.
13. Content Can Be Shared
If you’re going to the trouble of creating content for your blog, Facebook or Twitter, it’s copy-and-paste easy to share it on Google Plus as well. Sometimes, all you have to do is paste the link and Google Plus takes care of the rest. So why wouldn’t you connect with as many people through as many social networks as possible?
14.
15. It’s Smart Social CRM
Google Plus Circles make it easy to segment your audiences and communicate different messages to different groups. Your VIP customers can be treated with the TLC they deserve; Hot Prospects can receive tailored messages that are quite different from those shown to loyal customers.
16.
17. Social Can Be Slow
According to research conducted by Marshall Sponder of WebMetricsGuru, the average social media campaign takes between three months and a year to show results. The sooner you start, the more quickly you'll start to see the benefits.
18.
So how can you master Google Plus?

Sign yourself up today for our four-week Marketing Through Google+ course:

LESSON ONE: SETTING UP
In this first lesson we take you through the processes of setting yourself up on Google+ and building your Business Page(s). We review examples and best practices of those already active on Google+ and take you through some of the social attributes unique to Google+ (including Circles and Hangouts) and how they work differently from Facebook (and what they mean for your business).

LESSON TWO: SHARING & INTEGRATING
Once you’ve hung out your shingle on Google+, it’s time to start sharing. We take you through the most important aspects of social sharing and explore styles and techniques uniquely relevant to Google+. Then we explore the tools that can help you integrate Google+ into other aspects of your online marketing and communications activities.

LESSON THREE: SPREADING THE WORD BEYOND GOOGLE+
To use Google+ most effectively, you need to extend your reach out beyond the social networks and onto other sites. In this lesson we examine the tools and techniques that make this all possible — and share a few secrets to accelerate your effectiveness.

LESSON FOUR: SUCCESS BY NUMBERS
Google’s Analytics capabilities are already legendary; Google+ raises the bar even further. In this lesson we explore Google+ Social Analytics, Page Analytics and the newest Google+ service, Ripples: Ripples let you see your posts spread across Google+, who’s sharing and resharing your content, and whose opinions matter.

More details of the Marketing Through Google+ course are available here.

TIMING
The first 2012 release of this course begins on Wednesday January 25.

PROGRAMME CREATOR
The Marketing Through Google+ course has been developed by Michael Carney

INVESTMENT
This new Marketing Through Google+ course is available for $397+GST.

However we offer an

EARLY-BIRD RATE of $297+GST (SAVING YOU $100)

for bookings received by Wednesday January 18.

To register and pay through credit card processor PayMate, please click here

If you would prefer to pay by cheque or bank deposit, or require an invoice before making payment, please send an email to info@socialmedia.org.nz with details of your request. (The service provider will be shown as Netmarketing Services Limited in your transaction and on your credit card statement).

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?
1. Your booking will be confirmed by email (if you have not received a confirmation within 24 hours, feel free to email info@socialmedia.org.nz).
2. On Wednesday January 25 you will be supplied by email with the first part of your Marketing Through Google+ programme.
3. Follow-up lessons will be sent out over subsequent weeks (but please note that you take the course at your own pace).

Ideas Worth Stealing

From the latest issue of the US National Retail Federation's Stores Magazine: 20 Ideas Worth Stealing. Here's a sampling:

Coupon code convenience
It’s no secret: Coupons and promo codes can help build customer loyalty and improve the shopping experience. But what happens when a customer discovers that someone else received a discount they didn’t?

A simple phrase on the checkout page is letting some online retailers ensure that doesn’t happen. It’s not just, “Do you have a promo code?” — it’s what comes next: “How do I get one?” or “Find one now.” This consumer-centric approach helps buyers feel that they’re getting the best possible deal each and every time.

Your Friends’ Seats
Ticketmaster has found a way to market to its customers’ friends.

As soon as they buy, Ticketmaster customers can tag themselves into their seats, enabling Facebook friends to see where they are sitting and which nearby seats are available for purchase. The feature is currently available for more than 9,000 events.

Mind Your Manners
On a personal level, expressing thanks may improve your reputation; on a business level, it can be a crucial aspect in building customer relationships. A study published in the Journal of Marketing found that expressing thanks was a powerful tool in building trust between the customer and the company.

Gratitude can range from extravagant, one-time only events to inexpensive, every-day occurrences. J.Crew Boutique Collection celebrated its newly revamped Madison Avenue location by providing pedi-cabs — open-air bicycle-powered carriages — one Saturday. Those who hopped into a pedi-cab were given a postcard providing shoppers with a special gift.

Home decor flash sales site One Kings Lane surprised 6,900 of its best customers with a special gift that shipped the first two weeks of November. Based on purchase history, shoppers received taper candles, a silver pitcher or an inlaid bone box.

But the gratitude doesn’t have to be oriented to an event or holiday. Some of the most successful campaigns are designed to be routine parts of the customer experience. Perhaps it’s a beverage or chocolate sample while shopping, or a handwritten note from the sales associate after a purchase is made. For an extremely minor investment — the cost of stationery and a stamp — an important relationship is enhanced.

Finding the Fit
Ten seconds. That’s how long the Me-Ality Size Matching Station takes to figure out the best-fitting clothes for shoppers.

Here’s how it works: A fully clothed shopper steps into the scanner, where 196 small antennae map her size. Her exact body measurements are captured via 200,000 “points of reference” and she’s soon able to view a custom shopping guide, filterable by brand, style, price and retailer.

For more ideas worth stealing, read the full story here.

Price Comparisons by Mobile

When opportunity knocks, retailers need to be sure “opportunity” doesn’t walk out the door for a better deal online or next door. It seems consumers are cross-shopping without leaving the store, according to U.S. research, as 40.6% say they have compared prices and then left to purchase an item from another retailer’s physical store. Fewer (30.6%) have compared prices and still purchased from the same store. More than a third of Mobile Users (35.8%) take advantage of product reviews on their mobile devices to help them make purchase decisions:

Top 5 In-Store Mobile Shopping Activities

• Compared prices; purchased from another retailer’s physical store: 40.6%
•
• Read product reviews to decide between products: 35.8%
•
• Compared prices; still purchased from same retailer: 30.6%
•
• Scanned QR code to get more information about product: 29.7%
•
• “Checked in” for a discount: 26.7%
•
Source: Prosper Mobile Insights™ Mobile Survey, December 2011

In addition, 1 in 4 (25.6%) has compared prices and then purchased from another retailer’s website via a smartphone or tablet—an opportunity that didn’t even have to walk out the door to make a purchase somewhere else.

As smartphone penetration continues to grow in New Zealand (already over 20% of Australian internet searches are now from mobile devices, according to Nick Leeder, managing director, Google Australia and New Zealand), this type of activity will become very much the norm here as well.

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Is Facebook the new "Vogue"?

Pam Danziger, specialist researcher into the luxury market, made an interesting discovery in a recent focus group comprised of Gen Y consumers who are on the road to affluence thanks to high levels of education and equally high career ambitions. One of the young women in the focus group commented that printed magazines just don't cut it anymore. She said, "I don't buy magazines anymore. I used to, but I don't anymore."

Another said, "By the time that magazine is printed and you read it, there's something else better that you already know about. So now you go to websites or social networks like Twitter and Facebook that give you highlights and updates online."

The debate -- print versus other, more immediate forms of communication -- is certainly not new. Newspapers and magazines have long wrestled with the challenge: what is their role in a world where first radio, then television and now the Internet delivers headlines, updates and scoops on an as-it-happens basis?

The print media solution that has proven the most durable (at least in principle, if not always in practice): provide more in-depth, insightful, well-resourced background and comment on the news of the moment, supplemented by the occasional scoop.

That latter offering, championed by the tabloid press and weekly magazines in particular, has become less occasional and more compulsory as publications fight for attention not just with the electronic media but also with each other. However, as the late, unlamented News of the World discovered to its eventual downfall, generating scoops on a daily or weekly basis almost inevitably means crossing the line and resorting to at best unsavoury, at worst illegal tactics to exhume the exposés.

Another strategy commonly in use, especially amongst the weeklies: cover headlines calculated to mislead, a device that at first attracts but then ultimately repels as readers realise that once again they've been deceived. [We invite you to join in on our weekly "true or false" headline game: how many cover headlines on the gossip-focussed titles each week actually represent truthful reporting?]

Consumers, as you well know, trust each other more than they trust either marketers or media; given what lies are told on the newsstands every week, how could it be otherwise? But before the advent of Facebook, Twitter, YouTube et al. it wasn't easy for consumers to source and share interesting/useful information on a timely basis. Now it is.

Perhaps it's time for our traditional media to reassess themselves critically and consider whether they're offering a sustainable solution that's still appropriate for their prospective customers for 2012 and beyond.

Upskill Yourself for 2012!

So -- another New Year. How many Resolutions have you made this time round? And how many have you broken already?

One of the more popular resolutions each year focusses around new learning opportunities -- the start of the year (when there's usually less pressure to perform in most jobs) is a great time to learn new skills.

Naturally, we've timed our latest batch of Social Media courses to give Kiwis a good solid start to the year.

You want details? Read on.

NEW: Marketing Through Google+

In this course you'll learn all about Google+ for Business, how to set up your organisation on Google+, the new influence of Google+ on Google Search results -- and how to make this new social offering really work for you.

For more details of the Marketing Through Google+ programme (first 2012 course starts January 25, Early Bird Save $100 Special Offer closes next Wednesday, January 18), see the story above or please click here.

Course SM-12: Social Media Marketing

This is a seven-part eCourse providing a comprehensive introduction to Social Media Marketing, from the Basics to detailed instructions on how to build and run a Social Media Marketing programme.

For more details of the Social Media Marketing online course (first 2012 course starts January 23, Early Bird Save $100 Special Offer closes next Monday, January 16) please click here.

Facebook Kickstart Programme

This course offers hands-on guidance to help you build your presence on Facebook. It’s a twelve-step programme released over four weeks, complete with demonstration videos, practical advice, resources and real-world examples.

For more details of the Facebook Kickstart programme, (first 2012 course starts January 25, Early Bird Save $100 Special Offer closes next Wednesday, January 18) please click here.

Facebook Accelerator Programme

So you have a few hundred (or a few thousand) followers on Facebook but now you want to know how to get to the next level? Our Facebook Accelerator seven-part online course will lead you through the steps necessary to supercharge your Facebook presence.

For more details of the Facebook Accelerator programme, (first 2012 course starts January 25, Early Bird Save $100 Special Offer closes next Wednesday, January 18) please click here.

How to Prepare an Effective Social Media Brief

Even if you don't intend to become directly in social media yourself, you may still need to understand the principles, practices and opportunities of social media -- for example, if you need to brief someone about running a social media campaign. This programme is designed to provide you with the insights necessary to prepare an effective brief.

For more details of the How to Prepare an Effective Social Media Brief programme, (first 2012 course starts January 23, Early Bird Save $100 Special Offer closes next Monday, January 16) please click here.

Snippets

• NEW BEAT: Launched on the 1st of January by MediaWorks Radio, a new radio format replacing Solid Gold FM on all its frequencies around the country: The Sound, aimed at 35-59 year old males with "a contemporary, no-hype celebration of timeless rock from the most formative years of the target listeners' lives. From The Beatles to The Rolling Stones, Fleetwood Mac to Queen, The Eagles to David Bowie and U2, the playlist will deliver the music this audience grew up with, with less talk and more of the best music of a generation".
•
• CONFIDENT: New Zealand businesses are slightly more optimistic about the year-ahead than counterparts in the country's major trading parties. In the latest Grant Thornton quarterly international business report released in early January, the survey noted a cautious increase in New Zealand business optimism for 2012, at a time when business confidence in Australia, United States and United Kingdom is in decline..

That's it till next time. Hope your year is starting well and the weather is simply not mentioned!
ends

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