Media Plans & Budgets for 2009 – How’s It Looking?

Yes, it’s that time of year, planning.  At the recent Association of National Advertisers Conference, marketers, media and creative agencies and others participated in a poll about their marketing mix, budgets, plans and strategies for 2009.   I thought it was interesting to see the outcomes and that situations vary.  Some businesses will spend more, some less and some will spend roughly their current marketing budgets, but in different methods.

  

The following information is courtesy of an article published by “The Verified Audit Newsletter”.  We thought you’d be interested to review the results of the poll while you’re completing your own plans for the upcoming year.

 

Adjustment to current marketing and media plans to account for the recent downturn in the financial markets:

• 33% say spending will be reduced
• 33% say spending will be constant / marketing mix will be reallocated
• 27% expect to spend more
• 8% will keep everything status quo

CEO view of marketing efforts with respect to growth:

• 56% think of brand building as an investment
• 21% think it’s an unaccountable but necessary expense
• 15% are not sure
• 8% consider it an unnecessary expense

Preferred social media site for driving brand growth:

• 32% say none
• 20% say YouTube
• 18% say Facebook
• 12% like them all
• 10% say LinkedIn
• 6% MySpace
• 3% Twitter

Plans for marketing expense in 2009 vs. 2008:

• 26% plan to increase spending more than 10%
• 13% plan to increase spending less than 10%
• 28% will hold stable
• 14% will decrease spending less than 10%
• 19% will decrease spending more than 10%

The largest branding discipline offering opportunity for growth:

• 28% say social media integration
• 19% say grassroots, viral public relations
• 17% say traditional 30-second spots
• 16% say web advertising
• 7% say one-page advertisements in a newspaper/magazine
• 7% say direct marketing
• 5% say radio

Company’s current measurement method of brand growth:

• 70% say sales and net income
• 15% use third-party brand equity valuations
• 9% think shareholder value
• 4% measure by household penetration
• 3% say company culture

Source: Association of National Advertisers, October 2008

Web Development and Marketing – So Happy Together

Why a successful online presence starts with web development and web marketing working together.

 

For an online business to be truly successful, there should be a complimentary relationship between web development and online marketing. This is because web development and web marketing can influence each other greatly in either a positive way or in a negative way depending on your approach.

 

Let’s start here; you can have the best looking web site on the web, but if no one can find your web site then it’s all for not, right? On the other hand, you can have the most traffic on the web, but if it looks unprofessional and is difficult to use, your chances of getting a sale or a desired action from your users are slim to none, correct? The point being that an effective web presence requires a blend of form and function. Your web presence should portray your business accurately and in a professional manner, all while being very easy to use and accessible to all types of users. With all of that said, it also needs to be built to perform well in the search engines and be found by users searching for your products, services or information so people can benefit from how great and wonderful your site is.

 

So how do we ensure that your online presence is getting the best of both worlds? It’s fairly simple; make sure that when developing your web site or putting together your marketing strategy that you approach it so development and marketing are working together and in sync.

 

When you start to consider building a new online presence or modifying an existing one, think about how your desired functionality or layout will affect your ability to be found in the search engines and how it could effect the user experience. For example, flash and images and all that fancy design stuff are great for aesthetic appeal when done properly. When done improperly, these types of activities can potentially lead to important content on your site not being found in the search engines, not to mention excessive page weight (will effect the speed at which your site pages load for a user), and other usability issues. What happens if the person looking for your goods or services is visually impaired? Will they be able to still gain access to your content? What if a person trying to get information on your company is using a mobile device? Will your site load in a respectable amount of time and will the information display properly? These are just two of the many potential scenarios that need to be thought through when considering the development of a web site.

 

For some, web sites are viewed as just another place to display your information, but they can and should be so much more than that. Your web site is a business in itself: open 24/7/365 (for those of you with an unreliable host you may disagree with that statement!), and is often a potential client / customer / patients first impression of your business. Take pride in your web site and make sure you take the extra time to be certain your development team and marketing team are knowledgeable of activities outside of their specialty to ensure the best possible representation on the web! Too often we see businesses that have spent money to only have one piece of the puzzle solved. Having a web site done the right way may end up costing you more up front – like most things in life: you pay for what you get, but the savings in the long run and the return on your investment will be far greater if you have that perfect blend of form and function from the start.

 

Thanks so much for taking the time to read! I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving and no one is short on things to be thankful for!

 

And speaking of thanks, we at Academy would like to thank Josh Best of TKG (The Karcher Group) for sharing these helpful tips with our readers!

Recycle Your Phone Book and Get a $10 Coupon

Wouldn’t you like to be in a win-win situation?  Well, here’s your chance! If you live in the state of Maryland, make sure you participate in the Recycle As You Shop (RAYS) Program initiated by Publisher, RR Donnelley and others which kicked off November 1st. 

Twenty-five participating Office Depot stores throughout the state of Maryland will place in-store recycling containers displaying signage that says “Don’t Come in Emply Handed”.  This will encourage shoppers, both business and consumer, to do their share in helping the environment, plus you’ll have the opportunity to receive a $10 coupon for use in the Office Depot Store.  You can’t beat that!  If you’re like me, you can always use another toner cartridge, file folders or something for the home office, so go shopping and remember to recycle.

We really hope the residents of Maryland will do their part as their participation could lead this pilot program to roll out to additional areas in the country.

By the way, don’t forget………November 15, is America Recycles Day (ARD) and you don’t have to live in Maryland to participate.  This deal is for everybody so do your part and recycle.  Be sure to reference the Yellow Pages “Recycling Centers”, to find a location near you!

Facebook Opens Its Doors to Live Search

Although I don’t currently have a Facebook profile I do realize that it’s extremely popular and used by a lot of people within my own personal network of family and friends.  What I’m hearing from the folks who do have profiles is that Facebook is a great way to display an overview of yourself; your personality, likes/dislikes, and is a tremendous source for connecting with friends, both personal and professional, old as well as new.  And now, according to a Kelsey Group blog post I stumbled upon, it’s gotten even better! 

 

With its October partnership with Microsoft, Facebook will now provide search capabilities while staying within the Facebook platform.  Check out the comment from the Facebook blog:

 

“By integrating web search into Facebook, you can increase the information available to share with your friends, family and coworkers on the site.  For example, your friend may invite you to an event at a new restaurant. Without leaving Facebook, you can check out the details of the restaurant on the web.”

 

So it’s my understanding that this capability will serve up tremendous opportunities for small and large businesses alike, as it involves local search and utilization of the ad platforms within the site.  How cool is it that you can connect with friends and family within Facebook, research and even book an event while in the site?  Convenient, right?  So, if you’re in business trying to target this large, viable audience with your products or services, why not consider adding Facebook to your marketing mix.

 

And talk about a timely subject matter!  We’re always looking for new and innovate ways to market ourselves and our company and Patti Spirko and I were just discussing the advantages/disadvantages of creating a Facebook and/or MySpace profile for our company or recommending it to our clients.  This topic was discussed during a blogging workshop Patti attended at the Small Business Marketing Unleashed conference in Columbus last month.  The question was thrown out to the group, “has any one gotten any new business from your Facebook account.”  No one in the group could say for sure that they had.  Facebook, it seems (at least to that particular group) is a great way to connect with friends but for professionals truly looking to gain valuable business leads, LinkedIn may be the better option.

I’m still undecided about a Facebook profile.  I do, however, rely heavily on LinkedIn for generating new business leads and keeping professional contacts in one place.  So I’ll pose this question to you folks that may have a Facebook and LinkedIn profile.  From a business standpoint, which of the two sites do you find more beneficial?

Small Business Marketing Unleashed, Columbus Ohio

I can’t believe SBMU, Columbus Ohio is over!  We surely made the right decision by attending.  Where do I begin?  There were so many great sessions that I’m not sure where to start.  They covered Website Development, Keyword Research, Copywriting basics, Link Building, Email Marketing, Search Engine Optimization and Pay-Per-Click Marketing to name a few topics.

 

We received tons of handouts and plan to review them and provide some of the key tips and information for you over the next several weeks.

 

I’d also like to say “Thank You” to Anita Campbell of Small Business Trends.  During her session on “Marketing Mania: Driving Business Without Driving Yourself Crazy” I answered one of her questions correctly and won the book, “How to Make Money with Myspace”!  Also, we’d like to thank Rachel Phillips of Search Engine Guide for posing with us so that we could add to our pic collection.

 

So, all in all, great people, good food, helpful tips and information we can use to help our clients.

 

Check back in from time to time for more updated posts regarding this conference.  You could possibly learn something new or enhance what you already know.

Thanks to my Flashlight, Candles and White Pages Phone Book

Well, it was a Sunday evening and I was catching up on some reading while my husband eagerly awaited the Browns Game.  Right about the time to get the game underway, it happened.  The effects of Hurricane Ike were felt all the way from Texas to Ohio.  It had been extremely windy all day anyway and a “wind warning” was actually in affect.  The lights flickered a couple times and then the power went out.

 

Reading by candlelight/flashlight wasn’t what I’d envisioned for the evening, but that’s how things turned out. (Can’t tell you how aggrevated my husband was about the game.)  Anyway, routine activities like viewing my favorite Search Engines, connecting with others on LinkedIn, and working on my laptop weren’t going to happen. 

 

One thing we did do, though, was find our local White Pages Directory in the kitchen cupboard to search for the telephone number for our local electric company.  (Thank goodness for cell phones, because our home phone system is electrical too, so there was no land-line phone).  With flashlight in hand, we called to report the power outage.  Help was on the way!

 

Turns out, the power was off for about 26 hours (not as bad as some in our area) but the phone directory certainly came in handy.  So, it’s my opinion that the print directory and Internet Yellow Pages both have a place in the world of search to help you find what you’re looking for.

 

Finally, just a side thought, when’s the last time you checked your inventory of 9V batteries, matches, flashlight and candles?  I recommend stocking up!

 

We’re About to Get Unleashed!

So, we’re less than a month away from Small Business Marketing Unleashed in Columbus!  Even though we expect to network and enjoy the company and the food, that’s not our main reason to attend this conference. 

We’re anticipating the really cool topics for discussion such as website architecture, blogging for business, link building, viral marketing, copywriting and usability.  The bottom line is help businesses develop a plan to improve traffic and sales on their website.

The group of attendees is limited to 100 and Patti Spirko and I are fortunate enough to be registered!  Be sure to come back and visit us for updates from our notes and comments once we return.  If you attended SBMU in Houston,Texas we’d love to hear from you.

Common Headings For Print and Internet Yellow Pages and the IYP User Profile

So, the stats are in!  It’s been determined which headings are most searched by consumers looking for products and services online through Internet Yellow Pages (IYPs).  On August 4th, the Yellow Pages Association (YPA) released the Top 10 IYP headings based on consumer usage according to research firm Knowledge Networks/SRI.  They are:

 

1. Restaurants
2. Physicians & Surgeons
3. Hotels
4. Auto Repairing & Service
5. Florists-Retail
6. Auto Dealers-New & Used
7. Dentists
8. Auto Parts & Supplies – New & Used
9. Beauty Salons (tie)
10. Hospitals (tie)

 

Not only were top headings revealed, but also the profile of IYP users.

This is really something to think about.  If you offer a product or service in these categories, and others for that matter, but haven’t developed your IYP presence, you could be missing out on a huge piece of the pie.  The IYP profile reflects that over 60% of IYP users are female, many of which are college educated and very stable in their lives.  It’s become very evident that females represent a large segment of buying power and are the decision makers in many households.  So why not reach out to the IYP customer?  If you’ve already developed an online presence, great!  Hopefully, you’re tracking your campaigns with test lines at various headings to analyze what’s working and what’s not.  If you haven’t implemented a targeted, strategic online program, get going!  If you’re a little timid about the whole online thing, just get your feet wet.  Start slowly, perhaps with a 3-6 month campaign integrating test lines and monitoring the campaign’s effectiveness.

 

One thing is for sure, consumers are using Print and Internet Yellow Pages to find the products and services they need.

Not Knowing What Your Customers Want Can Be a Big Problem

So, you’ve just taken a long trip, you’ve arrived at your hotel tired and hungry and all you’re really interested in at that moment is knowing which restaurants are near your hotel. You’ve experienced this, right?  You get checked in, and begin searching your night stand for the print Yellow Pages.  What?  No Yellow Pages?   Well, according to an article that recently ran in USA Today, a number of hotel chains will no longer provide print directories for their guests.

 

I don’t think that’s a move in the right direction.  Aren’t we, as businesses in dealing with our customers, supposed to focus on customer service and strive to give the customer what he wants?   Maybe the hotels need to review the 2007 Simmons data below shared by Dennis Fromholzer, Ph.D, CRM Associates, that clearly shows that people who travel frequently are much more likely to reference the print Yellow Pages in a given month than people that don’t.

 

Below are some stats, taken from the 2007 Spring Simmons data.  I define a “heavy YP print user” as one who uses YP print directories on average at least once a week.

 

·         Those who have stayed at a hotel/motel in the past 12 months are 1.8 times more likely to be heavy YP print users while on the road than those who have not.

 

·         Those who are members of hotel frequent guest programs are 1.4 times more likely to be heavy YP print users while on the road than those who are not.

 

·         Those who stay at hotels 3 or more times per year are 1.6 times more likely to be heavy YP print users while on the road than those who do not stay at hotels or who stay only 1 or 2 times per year.

 

·         53% of those that stay at hotels 11 or more nights per year have used YP print directories in the past month at home;  24% have used YP print while traveling or for business.   Compare this to:  37% of those that have not stayed at hotels in the past year have used YP in the past month at home, and 11% have used YP print while traveling or for business (17% for those that stay only 1 or 2 nights per year).   Bottom line:  those that travel a lot are 40-100% more likely to use YP print directories in an average month than those that do not travel much.

 

·         Similarly, 53% of frequent “guest” program members have used YP print for personal purposes in the past month (vs. 45% of non-members); 25% of frequent guest program members have used YP print in the past month for business/travel purposes (vs 16% of non-members). 

 

These data would suggest that continuing to provide directories in hotel rooms amounts to good customer service.  As Stephanie Hobbs of the Yellow Pages Association notes in the article:  “The move will upset many guests. “You have to ask what your customers want, not what’s easier for hotels.”

 

My hope is that this initiative won’t be adopted by most hotels.  I need my Yellow Pages to find the nearest steak and baked potato!

Yellow Pages and Summer Time Fun

So, it’s that time of year!  Our older kids are home from college, tots and tweens are out of school and it’s time for some family outings.  Why not turn to the Yellow Pages to help your family plan for fun in the summer, even it means staying close to home. 

 

According to the Yellow Pages Association these headings are most impacted by individuals looking for fun but staying close to home based on relevancy.

Enjoy the warmer weather and don’t forget to make good use of the Yellow Pages for your summer plans!

Google Packs The House

American Marketing Association, Cleveland Chapter, brought Ted Souder, Midwest Travel Head of Sales to town to share Google’s latest marketing ideas. There was a terrific turn out and this was definitely our most attended event this year.  Why?  Because we all know Google is a search engine giant and we all want to know what they have to say.  Not only do they offer search, but they provide additional tools like Google Analytics that can help a business of any size really dig in and segment what’s happening with their website traffic.

 

Our topic for the evening was “The Digital Landscape, 10 Best Practices Shaping The Future of Marketing” and I thought our readers might enjoy reviewing these best practices.  Think about these points as they relate to your business:

 

1)     Data, not opinion – Use the math and science of marketing and let the data assist with your marketing direction – use the analytics

2)     Be ready online for what’s happening offline

3)     Don’t build it and hope they will come – promote online and offline

4)     Big Portals are Important (AOL, MSN) and so are niche sites

5)     Make video the centerpiece of your online strategy – it’s believed that every minute, 10 hours of video is uploaded onto YouTube

6)     Take social media seriously

7)     Tap into the wisdom of the crowd – the group is smarter than the individual 

     Be where your consumers are at the moment of relevance

9)     Keep your eye on how computer architecture is changing

10)  Be “always on” because your consumers already are

 

Ted gave us the following stat which I thought was really amazing regarding mobile. It’s believed that mobile will be as big as the web.  That’s a powerful prediction, don’t you think?  It was said that currently there are approximately 490M mobile internet users and that number is expected to grow to nearly 1B by 2011.  Are you planning for that and integrating mobile into your marketing mix? 

 

I’ll close by saying it was a great event that offered networking opportunities, good food (of course) and a focus on innovation, new ideas and improving our current business strategies.  Thanks Ted and AMA!

Turbulent Times?

I was thinking this morning about how much I keep hearing the words, “turbulent times”.  While attending the Yellow Pages Association (YPA) Conference recently, one of the topics of discussion was “Growing Yellow and White Pages in Turbulent Times”, which was an awesome presentation.  Yesterday, I attended the Cleveland Sales & Marketing Executives Luncheon where the topic was “Marketing in Turbulent Times” and enjoyed that delivery as well.

 

So if, in fact the times are turbulent what should we, as marketing partners, do about it?  I personally think these “turbulent times” provide a key opportunity.  Not that we should wait for turbulent times to employ these tactics, but here’s how I see it. During these tough, economic times, we have to be flexible, understanding and willing to move with the current.  Regular communication is needed to drill down into what is really going on with our customers. Really listen.  Have you surveyed your customers lately to see how you can help them?  Whether this is accomplished during a business meeting, luncheon, coffee or 9 holes of golf, we need to understand what they’re going through and deal with the fact that issues that were relevant to them last week may not be the “hot topics” this week.  We all know that change happens faster now and there’s a need to continuously monitor what’s happening today.   Business relationships are like personal relationships.  They call for communication, collaboration and working together for a common goal.  This type of effort shouldn’t be hidden away only until turbulent times present themselves, but should be how we conduct business on an everyday basis.

Many Thanks to Association of Directory Marketing (ADM)

Attending the annual Yellow Pages Association Conference is always a good opportunity for networking and extremely informative.  However, this year, we were in for an added treat.  Three to four days prior to day one of the Conference, we received an email inviting us to observe the ADM Interactive Roundtable meeting.  This is a special group of Certified Marketing Representatives (CMRs) that work together as a collective group to address key issues in the industry.  Participating in this meeting meant that we’d hear, first hand, about all the cool changes, enhancements, and future initiatives from some of the major players in the search space.

Presenters included representatives from Superpages.com, Yellowpages.com, Local.com, Citysearch.com, UniversalBusinessListing.org, Yellowpages.ca (Canada) and Yellowbook.com.  The main thought that I took away from this break-out session was change, change, change! It appears each of these players appreciate the need to continuously modify content whether it’s user reviews, blogs, photos, profile pages, or video, thus enhancing the user experience.  These companies appreciate the need to invest in technology for better applications.  Distribution partners constantly change with each of these platforms which ultimately delivers extended reach for their advertisers.  That creates so much more value to your online marketing.  The more views, the greater chance of converting that user into a customer, right?

Well, don’t forget to include the “online” piece of the pie in your directory marketing strategy.  If’s clear that there’s definitely an audience for print and online and you want to be sure to get your piece of pie!

Just Returned from Yellow Pages Association Convention & Exhibition

Have you ever eagerly anticipated an event only to realize it has come and gone?  Well, that’s exactly how I feel about the Yellow Pages Association (YPA) Conference held in Las Vegas, Nevada April 6-8.  After the initial continental breakfast, the conference kicked off with a high-energy, Gloria Estefan look-alike and we knew the sessions were going to be upbeat!  The theme for this conference, “New Tools-New World” was definitely a good fit.  This year’s agenda answered a lot of questions relative to topics such as the status of Yellow Pages print usage, the impact of online marketing, how local mobile search fits in the marketing mix and the state of the Yellow Pages industry as a whole.  It’s an exciting time in the Yellow Pages world and certainly a time for change!

In moving forward and applying what we heard, we realize we need to continue to build on the core business model of the print directory while utilizing some of the new opportunities, tools and vertical market applications for businesses to reach their customers.  That might mean referencing the print book for a mover, searching online for a restaurant or something to do, accessing a marketing message via an online video, or receiving coupons on your cell phone.   It’s all about connecting quicker and in ways that satisfy consumer needs.  It’s about having options and accessing information when and where potential customers want it.

The conference was great and we’re looking forward to doing our homework.  We will continue to find new ways and new tools to maximize our strengths.  It was a pleasure to see old friends and contacts while developing some new relationships as well.

An interesting side note…..when we checked in at the YPA registration desk, we were asked if we wanted to provide our cell phone number and contact information to one of the speaker companies.  We were told that this would be a great platform to “test” their product.  Well, I did participate and received key conference reminders on my cell throughout the entire conference and got an online coupon to Starbucks as a “thank you” for participating.  You can’t go wrong with that!   And that’s the forward-thinking we all need to exercise to stay a step ahead of our competition.  Give your customer what they want, even if they don’t realize they want it….just yet.  Then, they’ll wonder how they ever lived without you!

I’ll have a Latte with my Search!!

I’m headed to Las Vegas this weekend for the upcoming Yellow Pages Association (YPA) Conference http://wmgagency.com/YPAConferenceAgenda.htm

It sounds like an “action packed” agenda with various speakers discussing Print Yellow Pages, Internet Yellow Pages, and Local Search and should be extremely informative.  But what about you?  Do you have any travel plans coming up that will take you to Chicago, Denver, Minneapolis or Orlando? 

If so, DexKnows.com* has you covered!   Now, from participating coffee shops, restaurants, and hotels in these cities you’ll be able to log onto DexKnows.com via Wi-Fi login pages and browse for web links, videos and local business reviews.  The goal is to make your life easier!  How cool is that?  According to Jeff Porter, VP at RH Donnelley, it’s all about making life easier for people on the go.   

Wouldn’t it be great to sip on that nice, hot latte while searching for that special shoe store or the closest movie theater?  

*Dexknows.com is the Internet Yellow Pages for RHDonnelley