The popular video sharing website and social network YouTube has recently released what you could describe as a book of  ‘Commandments’ for what the team at YouTube believe are the most successful and effective ways to help its users generate better quality content and drive more traffic to their channels.

This extensive guide dubbed the ‘Creator Playbook’ gives YouTube users a distinct structured list of the best strategy to maximise the potential of their online videos. It also explains how to promote your marketing material through other social media networks and is designed to be accessible to all users, mapping out a tick list agenda to optimise the opportunities that Youtube offers.

So, just what is it that makes the largest online video destination and second most used search engine such a valuable brand and marketing tool? One reason I can think that video marketing is so advantageous and so powerful could be linked to the fact that 90% of our day to day communication is non-verbal. This implies that messages are most likely to be understood when given out and received usingbody language and self-expression. Unlike written words in printed media and websites, and spoken words in radio advertising, video and television marketing have the additional messages which are transferred by eye movements, visual cues, and overall body language, which makes YouTube a great channel to add more depth to your brand strategy.

You can download the YouTube instruction ‘bible’ here:

http://youtube.com/creators/playbook.html

While you’re waiting for it to download I can give you a few of my own ways to use make the most of your ‘home generated’ content which are often overlooked.

Firstly, it’s important to take an honest and value based approach to using YouTube to raise awareness of your business.  The direct selling route is not always necessary. Ultimately if your videos are interesting, informative, innovative or humorous then your audience are more likely to value them and share it, spreading awareness of your brand without any legwork from you. If a key factor to your video strategy is sharing then make your videos focussed and simple with a more subliminal marketing message. People are unlikely to share your video if they think they are being pitched to!

Make use of the close integration that YouTube allows with other social network sites such as Facebook and Twitter. Before you know it you can quickly and effortless have your video posted across platforms and embedded in your website and emails. YouTube video’s are viewed for an average of 2.9 billion hours a month so make sure you get a look in and use it as part of your overall strategy.

Customise your own YouTube channel (Like ours here: http://www.youtube.com/user/rtmediauk) to compliment your branding and to set up playlists with your personalised content. No lack of equipment or technology should stop you from producing original, creative content for your YouTube channel. Consider interviewing clients, or experts on a variety of topics which are relevant and authentic, and make sure an element of your brands personality shines through and reflects what your all about. You should maintain communication with your audience with regular updates and new posts.

Be Tag savvy. Remember…search engines like Google can only determine the content of your video if you tag it and your YouTube channel. Think carefully about the words and phrases you use for titles and descriptions. Link your social media accounts and make sure they are on your own website as well to encourage sharing and remind people to subscribe.

Check out RT Media’s You tube channel here:

http://www.youtube.com/user/rtmediauk

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What can we learn from the “big boys” in the B2B arena? One thing that has implemented itself firmly is lead nurturing emails, way beyond personalisation and basic segmentation. You are not doing it? Well you are wasting marketing budget! Email lead nurturing has proven to have a significant impact on the lead nurturing process.

But what is “email lead nurturing”? It means that regardless of the stage that your prospect is at in the buying cycle you have regular, relationship building, meaningful email communication with them. Therefore when they are ready to buy, your company is on top of their evaluation list. A trusted relationship with the right people is the key in this process.

This obviously requires not only good segmentation (making sure your database is up to scratch etc.) but also some careful content planning. You will need relevant content for all stages of the decision making process, from “We haven’t even entered any process” to “Interest”, “Learn”, Evaluate”, “Justify” and “Buy”.

Your safest bet is to get together with your Sales team – yes, Sales and Marketing can work together! You can then come up with a content plan that matches the typical customer journey, so that any prospect is supported at any stage of the decision making process. Here are just a few best practise ideas:

• 3rd party articles
• Case studies
• Invitations to webcasts
• Link to Podcasts
• E-newsletters
• Relevant white papers and eBooks
• Free reports
• Invite to events
• Company information

The result? Experience has shown that if you do it properly, not only the number of sales-ready leads will increase but so will the quality of those leads. Because you have built the relationship with your prospect, you are already considered a trustworthy partner with the necessary expertise – a great starting point for Sales to pick up the opportunity.

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The term mobile device, while propagating quite quickly through our current cultural zeitgeist, is almost a misnomer. If we take the phrase, in context, at its most literal it would essentially mean any operating platform, which we can carry around with us. Laptops have been around for decades now, and yet they are lumped in with the personal computer market and not the mobile device market. Ultra portable might be closer to the mark, but even that is not quite there yet.

When the conversation turns to ‘mobile devices’, most people are probably talking about things like mobile phones such as the HTC Desire or iPhone and tablet devices like the iPad and Samsung Galaxy Tab. It’s these devices we are concerned with. Current phones and tablets, while advanced, are still behind when compared to your typical laptops and netbooks; limitations are generally processing power, RAM, storage space, compatibility with things Flash and Silverlight and, as with the iPhone, the lack of a transparent and accessible file system. When developing for these platforms a lot of stuff has to be taken into consideration, and on top of that you also have a decision to make:

Do I need an app, or a web application?

This is something an awful lot of people will be asking themselves right about now. A mobile optimised interface for connecting with visitors and customers is becoming more and more important as the platform evolves. A mobile presence can build value for your brand in the eyes of the consumer and put you a step above the competition, if it’s done right. The difference between the two may not seem obvious; below you can find a list of the features and relative benefits of each approach. (more…)

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It’s been around for a while now, but only recently has it really become a valid avenue of exploration for the online advertiser. Mobile advertising is the practice of displaying ads in content designed specifically for mobile devices, such as websites, search results and, most recently, mobile applications. But what exactly can it offer over traditional display and search advertising?

• Unlike in previous years, there is currently a high device penetration rate for mobile advertising. Operating systems such as Android, RiM, iOS and Symbian all support fully featured mobile web browsers which are capable of displaying mobile optimised web pages. Introduction of tablets such as the Apple iPad and Samsung Galaxy Tab have contributed to the spread, and the number of capable devices is only going to increase as the market (and the technology) devices.
• A whitepaper conducted by research firm YouGov for the annual Tamar Search Attitudes report shows us there has been an increase of no less than 246% in mobile search traffic in the UK in the past year. (Source)
• The nature of a mobile handset opens up the possibility of anywhere, anytime searching. Consumers who are out and about can now find what they are looking for regardless of their location.
• In addition to this, with modern cellular devices now equipped for location services (such as cellular triangulation or via GPS satellites on more high-end devices) it’s now possible to tailor both search results, content and advertisements based on these parameters, allowing advertisers to deliver location targeted and relevant ads such as “Papa Johns Pizza, Winton”. These are often more accurate than IP based location targeting.
• This type of targeting can also be applied to specific carriers, for example Vodafone or Virgin ads that are targeted for the sole purpose of tempting customers away from O2, delivered straight to the O2 provided device. An amusing, but effective, means of finding potential customers.
• Most modern mobile operating systems are capable of recognising not only text formatted like an email address, but also telephone numbers and Skype usernames. This means that with a simple click of an ad, marketers can direct potential new customers not just to a website, but to direct contact to the company via a phone or VOIP call.
• Most importantly, from some perspectives, is the ability to place ads not only on web pages and search results, but framed into downloadable apps from the Android Market, App Store or OVI store. This has given rise to a number of app developers releasing full, but free, ad supported versions of applications they would normally charge for. On Android especially, where statistically users are more likely to click on in app advertisements, this has left the vast majority of apps being available for free, such as the internet sensation Angry Birds. On the iOS store this costs £1.99, on Android you can download the full game for free with a small ad inserted to offset the costs. As you can imagine, this gives your marketing a rather large reach across many networks, countries and demographics.

These are just a few of the benefits and features available to marketers should they decide to tap in to the ever growing world of mobile advertising, and there is much more to it than the points listed above. What campaigns work best, how to target your audience, and the most important factors leading to campaign success are key things you’ll need to know in order to run a successful mobile marketing platform for your business. To learn more, get in touch with us today and find out what mobile advertising can do for your business.

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We had a moment last week in auditing our own brand and found that our website error pages were the standard ones setup on our server… Of course we set the team to rectify this terrible situation and create some ‘in-brand’ ones.

This means they got our brand treatment, that’s our language, tone, style and everything that is important to us here at RT. We feel they help to convey more about us, which all helps to build the context of what makes us as people and a team tick.

If you have also missed ‘branding’ your error pages perhaps we can help create them in your brand style? Here to help as always. The RT Team.

Take a look at our error page designs here:

See RT Brand Communications Agency – error pages image

If you want to see more of our error pages follow these links!

ErrorDocument 400 http://www.rtmedia.com/errors/error_400.htm
ErrorDocument 401 http://www.rtmedia.com/errors/error_401.htm
ErrorDocument 403 http://www.rtmedia.com/errors/error_403.htm
ErrorDocument 404 http://www.rtmedia.com/errors/error_404.htm
ErrorDocument 408 http://www.rtmedia.com/errors/error_408.htm
ErrorDocument 500 http://www.rtmedia.com/errors/error_500.htm
ErrorDocument 501 http://www.rtmedia.com/errors/error_501.htm
ErrorDocument 502 http://www.rtmedia.com/errors/error_502.htm
ErrorDocument 503 http://www.rtmedia.com/errors/error_503.htm

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CPA is an acronym you may not be familiar with. It stands for Cost Per Acquisition, in effect the amount of money you have paid (or are willing to pay) to acquire a sale, quote or registration via an advertising program.

CPA is primarily used for e-commerce websites, where it is much easier to track your “customers journey” from landing page to checkout confirmation page.

At TFM&A 2010 there was some interesting new ideas surrounding the usage of CPA in AdWords. Traditionally, CPA is used in addition to a normal advertising campaign to help drive potential customers to the site and convert them. Now though, some companies have been looking at using a CPA only approach with managed campaigns.

This is normally handled through an agency who can take the time to apply their knowledge to the situation. This starts with an agreed retainer with the actual costs for the advertisements ultimately coming out of the agencies pocket and an agreed number of acquisitions within a time period. The agency can then take this information and apply it to the campaign, starting off with the AdWords recommended CPA.
(more…)

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Getting the highest percentage of your messages to your subscribers’ Inbox is one of the primary goals from an email marketing perspective. At the same time, it is also the main hurdle to overcome. Innumerable little things can effect whether or not your communications end up in the inbox, or in the junk mail folder of your recipients. The job is made even more difficult as different Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and email clients have very different rules, filters, procedures and policies on bulk email.

The success of any campaign is influenced by all areas of the process, requiring the close co-operation of everyone from the IT/Server guys to the designers and database handlers.

One of the main contributing factors to the failure of a campaign can be the number of hard bounces and complaint rates. AOL, one of the world’s largest ISPs, recommends maintaining a <0.1% complaint rate. That’s a threshold of 1 in every 1,000 emails that you send out. That may sound harsh, but by adhering to some rules it’s entirely possible.

Even if you beat the spam filter there is no guarantee that your mail will ever be read. Finicky recipients who are unhappy at having received your mail may just click that “Report as spam” button. On local email clients the effect is minimal, but on web-based services like Hotmail or Google Mail, this can have a serious knock on effect for other recipients on the same service as these are tracked, recorded and taken into consideration in future (as if you didn’t have enough to worry about already).

Over the next few weeks I will cover some of the specific problems that the aspiring email marketer would encounter during the course of a campaign, from set up through to the post-send fallout. For this first part we will look at where it all begins: your server and domain.

(more…)

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To-do lists are an essential daily tool!

Not only do they organise our day, but they cross over and affect other people’s tasks as we interact and help each other out. They may not bring joy to those who are constantly nagged by electronic reminders, but they do serve the purpose.

Once a goal or task becomes part of a to-do list, it can feel more concrete/critical/real/important – take your pick. It can be invaluable to break down seemingly insurmountable undertakings, into bite-sized chunks of effort. For instance, my little daily to-do list often blossoms into the semblance of a fully fledged project and with the combined effort of the RT Team becomes reality!

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We met a business last week that had just launched 6 months earlier, what became apparent during the meeting was the total failure of process and thought by the original designer/agency in one of the most basic fundamental elements of branding. The name was clearly a barrier for success, let alone the confused visual treatment. It is often hard to assess the value of one name over another and when personal opinions are considered it can be a very stressful decision.

Below are some ways you can think about your company and make the most of what is available to you. Of course you can pick a range of names and if you have time, money or an idea that will create such traction of it’s own it becomes less critical. However in the crowded environment we live it is esential to select your name and identify the visual elements of your brand mark carefully. (I will post soon about some other critical choices including typography and colour).

The right name has the potential to become a self-propelling publicity campaign, motivating word of mouth, reputation, recommendations and press coverage.

Here is some advice on the types of name you can select:

Founder – Many companies are names after founders: Ben & Jerry’s, Martha Stewart, Ralph Lauren, Mrs Fields. It might be easier to protect. It satisfies and ego. The downside is that it is inextricably tied to a real human being.

Descriptive – These names convey the nature of the business, such as Toys “R” Us. Find Great People, or E’TRADE. The benefit of a descriptive name is that it clearly communicates the intent of the company. The potential disadvantage is that as a company grows and diversifies, the name may become limiting. Some descriptive names are difficult to protect since they are so generic.

Fabricated – A made-up name like Kodak, Xerox, or TiVo, is distinctive and might be easier to copyright. However a company must invest a significant amount of capital into educating its market as to the nature of the business, service or product. Häagen-Dazs is a fabricated foreign name that has been extremely effective.

Metaphor – Things, places, people, animals, processes, mythological names or foreign words are used in this type of name to allude to a quality of a company. Names like Nike and Patagonia are interesting to visualise and often can tell a good story.

Acronym – These names are difficult to remember and difficult to copyright. IBM and GE became well known only after the companies established themselves with the full spelling of their names. There are so many acronyms that new ones are increasingly more difficult to learn and require a substantial investment in advertising. Other examples: USAA, AARP, DKNY, and CNN.

Magic spell – Some names alter a word’s spelling in order to create a distinctive, protectable name, like Cingular and Netflix.

Combinations of the above – Some of the best names combine name types. Some good examples are Cingular Wireless, Citibank, and Hope’s Cookies. Customers and investors like names that they can understand.

Qualities of an effective name (more…)

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Today I gave a presentation to company who we have been working with for the past six months. The unveiling to the staff a new re-brand, critical to the success of the change and strategic repositioning we are aiming to achieve are the employees.

A fundamental mind shift and belief will build on the foundations this new vision and decide it’s success.

The company’s position as one of the South’s largest and most visible driving schools is about getting a much needed enhancement with the launch of their new branding. So much more than just a fresh logo, this project has taken New Driver’s management team over six months to complete and involved them working closely with us.

With full implementation planned for the next few months, the resultant strategic and operational changes will positively impact everything from the company’s literature and website to stationery and vehicle livery.

One of the most innovative and important changes to come out of New Driver’s re-branding initiative has been a complete restructuring of how the school works with its Accredited Partner Instructors. We have developed some industry first packages that will truly differentiate them in the market.

For me today was about ‘Employee Alignment’

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The 22 Immutable Laws of Branding

1. The Law of Expansion: The power of a brand is inversely proportional to its scope. Trying to be all things to all people undermines the power of the brand. The strength of brands lies in becoming synony-mous with a single category. Brands that spread themselves across categories lose brand focus, identity, and ultimately market share.
2. The Law of Contraction: A brand becomes stronger when you narrow its focus. By narrowing the focus to a single category, a brand can achieve extraordinary success. Starbucks, Subway and Dominos Pizza became category killers when they narrowed their focus.
3. The Law of Publicity: The birth of a brand is achieved with publicity, not advertising. A new brand must be capable of generating favorable public-ity in the media or it won’t have a chance in the marketplace. Anita Roddick built the Body Shop into a global brand with no advertising, but with massive amounts of publicity. On the other hand, Miller Brewing spent $50 million in advertising to launch a brand called Miller Regular. The brand generated no publicity and very little sales. (more…)

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Your name matters!

I read an eye-opening book a few years ago when I was on holiday in Egypt. It’s part of a series of two: Brand failures and Brand Royalty. Brand failures tells the truth about the 100 biggest branding mistakes of all time. What can we learn from other people’s mistakes?

As the economic outlook is dismal, even with the media reporting retail sales are better than this time last year, as we rush to buy Christmas gifts which will mostly end up on ebay by February, I am thinking how can companies make sure they survive in difficult times.

When things are hard, when we are under pressure, when we sense loss, we revert to type. Old habits, basic strategies and remove over complication. A fighter will look for the punch that saved him last time he was in the corner, companies look to cut costs, adapt to become more flexible and consolidate.

I think when times are tough it is even more essential to FOCUS on strengths to survive. It’s not the time to work on the weak aspects, during the time you spend working on improving your poor right jab you will have been knocked out.

How do we a) know what we’re good at, and b) use it to survive? That can be tricky as what you were good at 5 years ago or even last year may not be right for today and tomorrow. But what stays the same are the basic rules of the game.

What I want to help people to understand is that by removing complications, by focusing and keeping it at the most basic level you will have a fighting chance.

(more…)

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It was the famous American, circus showman and empressario, P T Barnum, who said, “without promotion, something terrible happens, nothing!” Yet in the 21st century, I can’t help thinking that even he would wonder at the thousands of sales messages that we are all exposed to daily.

With all the noise we each have to find a way to promote our business, product or service. Despite what many would have you believe there is no secret formula. But just remember you never know who your sitting next to at the traffic lights or who is crossing the road in front of you!

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Every touch point you have with your audience influences their view of how easy you are:

1. Give them what they want-Find out what it is, ask them, listen and respond with products and services they want.

2. Know what’s coming-If you can address concerns and questions before they happen you will win over your audience.

3. More of the same-In a world of ever-growing choice, consistency builds familiarity. Look, feel and communications; find something that works and stick to it.

4. Do what you say-If you don’t you’re disappointing somebody.

5. Be clear-Clarity enables your audience to find what they are looking for; give it to them ‘Clear Loud And Precise’.

6. Excite & inspire-If you can do this, making difficult decisions or taking complex actions seems a whole lot easier.

7. Be intentional in your actions-Your focussed planning and direction will make it easy for your audience.

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Not always vices; use them to help you sell your product; some ideas to help you think:

Sloth – how can I earn more and do less?

Greed – sell, sell, sell – make more profit!

Envy – just imagine what the neighbours will say when they know I’ve got…that car…that TV…that holiday…

Gluttony – why not eat as much as you want, it’s low fat…

Pride – you can use our accreditation mark when you pass our course

Lust – perfume that will have you running for cover

Vanity – you know how gorgeous you will look wearing this…

What emotions do the sins arouse and how can you harness them to change the behaviour of your customers?

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Just substitute your brand:

1 Who is Keira Knightley?

2 Get me Keira Knightley!

3 Get me someone like Keira Knightley, but cheaper!

4 Get me a newer version of Keira Knightley!

5 Who is Keira Knightley?

The trick is working out where you are and how your message changes.

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When it comes to looking after your customers it pays to keep things simple. Why not start with these four golden rules and apply them with a little lateral thinking throughout your business:

1. Turn up on time
2. Do what you say
3. Finish what you start
4. Say please & thank you…

Oh and don’t forget to put yourself in your customers’ shoes from time-to-time

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Every business has Customers. Every business wants more, buying more. Marketing today is searching for loyalty with discounts, incentives and reward schemes yet implicit in the word and in being a CUSTOMER is loyalty. Custom means repeated. Customers are much more than buyers. Customers are human beings.

Built into our natural being are the need to belong, the desire to be loved and the hope to succeed.

Yet we are all individuals who like to be recognised for what we are. The basics do not change simply because modern communications and technology creates new ways of doing things that appear to be quicker and cheaper.

Deal with a Customer quickly, cheaply and badly and you will lose a Customer.

Not right away but you will. The most expensive thing a business can do.

That is why every business should work out how it deals with its Customers, and in the 21st century, do it fast.

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1. Target

You are not all things to all people. Decide on your niche – narrow your focus and broaden your appeal.

2. Be different
If your competitors are doing it, don’t. Find a way to stand out from an overcrowded marketplace where advertising and products can look the same.

3. Build a team
Don’t hire an employee to fill a position. Employ a person to be part of a team to build your business.

4. Be fast
Time is the most precious commodity. When delivery is expected Friday, show up Thursday afternoon. Return calls and emails asap.

5. Say thank you
A lot. Tell your customers and employees how much you appreciate them. Better yet, do it the old fashioned way: take pen to paper and write them a note.

(more…)

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As marketeers we have to change beliefs, beliefs need evidence to support them; customers need to see evidence. The more they see, the more they feel empowered to change their belief about a product or service. Once their belief is changed we have a chance of influencing their actions.

Think evidence; what evidence can you show them? Well as a good friend of mine says, “go third party”; what would you want to see if you were where they are? Once you do that you may understand your customers’ actions better and then how to change them.

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