Blog #2

1.) Discuss, in detail, what factors must be considered in choosing social media platforms for an IMC Plan.

The factor that matters the most when choosing a platform for your IMC plan is your target audience. Knowing the demographic profile of your target customer will help the company be more efficient, and generate consumer engagement in their social media posts. For example, just because Facebook is by far the most popular social media site, does not mean that your company should design an IMC campaign for Facebook. If your target consumers are not avid Facebook users, your campaign would not be very effective. Kevan Lee, in his article How to Choose the Right Social Network for Your Business, "....relying solely on size can be dangerous." If more of your target consumers use another form of social media, like Twitter or Instagram, your company should look into those social networks. For example, the majority of the millennial generation use Instagram and Twitter. Both of these social networks are on an upward swing in terms of gaining more users; unlike Facebook which is actually on a downward swing. Instagram would work well if a company uses Instagram along with Twitter or Facebook, or both.  Twitter is used by people who are traditionally younger, more tech-savvy, and can be used to target early adopters. Twitter works great when posting up to date information, like contests, sports scores, or journalism.

The next factor to consider is the industry your company is in. People in the restaurant industry can post pictures on Instagram, as well as post on Facebook, about new additions they are adding to their menu, Sports teams can use to Twitter to announce their starting lineups and live play-by-play tweets. James Scherer goes a little more in depth on the effective uses of Twitter in his article, Social Media Marketing: Which Platform is Right for your Business, when he says "Users are on the site to keep up-to-date about what is going on..." As I mentioned above briefly, this is where sports teams and news stations can be most effective.

Budget and staffing is something that goes hand in hand in this instance in my opinion. Based on the budget you are given by your company to complete a project, you could hire people and use the budget money as compensation. But just make sure you get the people you need at a price that is fair for them.

One factor of great importance is how often you share new content. I would suggest updating information on a campaign as frequently as possible. As soon as information changes in an ad campaign, I would let the followers and fans of our company know. That way they are well informed, which could make a difference in sales.

The most important thing though is what the competition is doing. If the competition is marketing a certain way and having success with it, maybe marketing the same way to your customers could be effective. If not, you could always adjust your campaigns in effort to try something that your competition is not, which in turn will make your company stand out. If your company changes their patterns, it might be worth it to consider changing your habits in response to what they are doing. Knowing your competitors are doing is of vital importance when it comes to being successful.


2.) Provide at least two examples of social media platforms that would be effective for a specific demographic. Please describe the demographic in detail.

I mentioned the millennials earlier in this blog. Let's talk about them again a little bit for this point. The millennials are characterized as men and women who are between the ages of 18 and 24. They are also characterized as early adopters of technology, and are very tech-savvy. This is where Twitter comes into play. 31% of Twitter followers are between the ages of 18 and 29. Retail companies like Nike, Adidas, and Oakley can use Twitter to unveil a new product or product line. One very interesting point about Twitter users is they are more likely to follow a brand than any other platform. Twitter also allows consumers to share their perceptions (consumer feedback) with the company through "tweeting" at the company, and users retweeting things they think are interesting. Companies can also post pictures on Facebook to generate customer engagement, but it would be more effective to post pictures on Instagram. Something companies that have Facebook and Instagram pages is that there is a function on Instagram that allows users to post pictures on Instagram and Facebook, simultaneously. So, you are hitting two birds with one stone if you are a company that has a page on both social networks. One more note about posting pictures on Instagram: 43% of users are also between 18-29 years old. Using images for introducing new products will have a lot more engagement from the customers than a simple status post on Facebook, or even in some cases a tweet on Twitter. Seeing how good a product looks creates a want for the consumers, and they will fill their recently discovered void with a product that they think looks good.


3.) Discuss what specific types of ads or IMC elements you would employ for each social media platform targeted at this demographic, and why. Provide visual examples of the ads or IMC elements.


I, along with many other people in my generation, follow companies I frequently shop from on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. One effective appeal that companies like Nike and Adidas use to trigger purchases from customers is the fear of missing out (FOMO). These types of sales are usually sales that are "LIMITED TIME ONLY" which triggers customers to buy the product soon, because if they don't they will miss out on owning a limited edition product. If I was in charge of my company's social media, I would use these types of ads on Twitter and Instagram to generate the most consumer engagement. Another effective ad that could generate lots of engagement from the consumers are a direct message to the consumer from the company giving them a certain percentage off a particular line. An example would be if Nordstrom's sent me an email with a coupon for 30% off my next purchase from their dress clothes section. I would use an ad on Facebook to create awareness for an up and coming sale that could take place in the not too distant future. As mentioned, Twitter can be used to keep people in the loop for what is going on right now. I would post a tweet for my company saying "15% off all online sales above $250 today only" if I was trying to increase online sales for my company. Another effective tool that is surfacing is sharing videos on Twitter and Instagram, specifically, teases. People see movie trailers all the time when they go to the movie theater with their friends. But popular franchises, like Game of Thrones posting sneak peeks about what might happen in the upcoming season gets people excited, and makes them want to find out when the release date is so they can plan in advance. Apple has similar teases as they play videos at their annual conventions just before they show the audience a product for the first time.




https://blog.bufferapp.com/how-to-choose-a-social-network

http://blog.wishpond.com/post/72672192941/social-media-marketing-which-platform-is-right-for

Integrated Advertising, Promotion, and Marketing Communications
Kenneth E. Clow Donald Baack, 2014

https://blog.bufferapp.com/twitter-video

Blog #1

1.) What are some of the keys to developing successful email marketing campaigns?

• The main use of email marketing is for companies to contact customers and possible customers directly. In order for an email campaign to be effective, the campaign must include items that line up well with the customers' needs and wants. Our text book, by Clow & Baack touches on this a little bit. According to them, "E-mails are based on on the browsing history of an individual on a particular website. They identify those who made past purchases or items placed in the 'wish' list but never purchased."1 By taking into account the browsing history of an individual customer, the marketer can send them a personalized email, which if prepared correctly, will get the customer's attention, and force them to react. As mentioned in our lecture slides from class #3, email marketing is "particularly effective if combined with other types of marketing and used to deliver personalized content."2 So, sending a personalized email is not enough. Creating a tv ad to be broadcasted, in the same areas of the customers you are sending emails to, would be effective as well. Building a strong list of reachable customers to send the email campaign to is very important here. To build the list, I would suggest asking customers when they are checking out of the store if they would like to receive emails mentioning the release of deals on other products or products that will be released in the new future. I would also think about sending emails to customers who regularly order products from our company website, and from online shopping websites such as amazon. Another important key when it comes to effective email campaigns. If the customers do not like the subject of the email campaign, they will more than likely not read the email. Effective subject lines include sentences or phrases that would attract the potential customers' attention. It could be a short phrase, or it could be as simple as one word. A good subject line will make them open and read the email, which should be filled key selling points and a strong call to action. When you are selling a product, you are not selling features; you are selling benefits. So include a number of key benefits and why those benefits matter to the customer. After the benefits have been addressed, put in a good call to action. Here, ask the customer to make a decision. Something along the lines of "Do you want life to continue the way it has and never get better, or do you want to buy this product and make a step in the right direction for a better and happier life?" If your email includes these things, your open rate and click-through rate have a very good chance of increasing. 

2.)  What other types of marketing or marketing elements should be combined with email marketing to maximize response rates?

• As mentioned above, another form of marketing would be effectively placed tv ads. If ads air on stations in the same geographic areas of customers companies have sent emails to, it will ensure that the customer sees your ad. Another form of marketing that could maximize response rates is social media marketing. Here, customers can visit the company's Facebook and/or Instagram page and see ads for sales in certain locations or to buy something from the store at a certain time so customers can receive a coupon which can be used on their next purchase. Finally, another form of marketing that could be effective with email is direct mail. This could be a standard flyer advertisement being mailed to people within a certain area which line up well with the target demographic of the company. Or, it could even be coupons that could me mailed to the possible customer themselves. "Direct mail has a higher response rate than email. But note that direct mail cost about 100 times as much."3 As a marketer, this is where your budget comes into play. Know what you are able to spend, and spend it wisely if you are going to use this form of marketing. 

3.) How do response rates to email marketing differ by industry? What are some of the key metrics used to measure response rates?

• The fashion and beauty industry is one that gets a lot of response because it has incentives. If customers sign up for emails, they get a certain amount off their first purchases. Once customers get past that first purchase, they continue to receive incentives to shop. Apple also has a huge hand in email marketing. Customers that own their products receive email notifications about new updates coming, changes to the product, or changes of any sort made with your Apple Id. Metrics that could be used by the company are click through rates (used by pasting a direct link to the company website for online shopping), or embedding a coupon into an email, with a barcode that can be scanned in the store and stored in the company servers. Retail is an industry where the coupons being emailed to customers is a good example. Retailers like Target and Nordstrom have cards that act just like debit/credit cards and customers use to make purchases. Chances are, if you have one of those cards for those retailers, you get emails from them about sales and coupons that can be redeemed in the stores. 

4.) Do you believe email marketing will continue to be a key component to IMC campaigns in the next 5 years? Why or why not?

• I do see email marketing as a key component to IMC campaigns in the next five years. I say this because, it is still relatively young. Email was invented in 1985. Although most people communicate with their family and friends by phone (phone calls and/or text messaging), email is a tool that is used daily in all industries. Employees communicate with their coworkers, vendors, clients, etc. through email. Email marketing is also a relatively new form of marketing. Companies are still figuring out which types of emails get the most responses from consumers. In short, not only do I believe that email marketing will still be used in IMC campaigns in the next five years, but I also believe that in that time span companies will have a much better understanding of which email campaigns were the most effective. 

Sources Cited:

Clow & Baack, Integrated Advertising, Promotion, and Marketing Communications, 2/4/2013 pg. 258

Podrabsky, Advertising Management Lecture Slides, 1/13/2016 Lecture #3 Slide 5

https://hbr.org/2012/08/why-email-marketing-is-king