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|In: Marketing|Last Updated: | 0 Comments

Similar to conventional PR, online PR is all about influencing people and grabbing their attention rather than purchase placement for brand advertising. Generally speaking, whenever we hear about traditional PR for business we usually think of magazines, newspapers, radio and TV. Online PR on the other hand, targets the online environment as well as a wealth of other networks and platforms, social media included. The methodology has been greatly adapted in the last decade; marketing companies now use the influence of the internet to perform real-time analytics, influence people, stay updated with recent trends and break into the online social environment.

Greater influence online PR without spending a fortune on a marketing campaign

Why is online PR an affordable marketing strategy? First and foremost, because it can reach millions of people within seconds without spending a fortune on a campaign; bloggers may be compelled by a story, and if the impact is great they can share it on their site and pass it on to the masses (their readers). Twitter users, social media users (Google+, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and Reddit) are social platforms that welcome online PR. The greater and the most impactful the campaign, the better chances that advertised company has to thrive in the online environment.

Online PR has a direct and indirect outreach. From adding keywords and hashtags to the content to email marketing, the advertising techniques are various. Some are more efficient than others. However, it goes without saying that unlike traditional PR (door-to-door advertising, word-of-mouth, in-person advertising, billboards), online PR is a lot more efficient and economical. Every agency uses PR tactics differently. Some only adhere to online marketing whereas others make use of a hybrid approach (which includes both traditional and online PR).

Efficient but affordable online PR

One of the greatest benefits of online PR is that it is both efficient and affordable when done right. However, to succeed companies must assess their strategies prior to getting started in order to be able to make an informed decision and settle on a business approach that complements their goals. The best mix of strategies supports a smart execution. Blending blog marketing, press release and SEO optimization with offline PR tactics can prove to be extremely powerful too.

In your new online startup is centered on providing news to the people, the best tools in the online environment are wire services like PRWeb and PR Newswire; these two online platforms are excellent for boosting traffic and converting visitors into loyal customers. When a company receives enough online media coverage, the next step would be to make use of social bookmark services like del.icio.us and furl.net to archive the information. A blog section can also be a viable option because you can link to other sites and blogs in the online environment and encourage company news coverage.

Guidelines for a successful execution

For an online PR campaign to work, one must learn to listen. Businesses must be able to monitor what people say about their company, brand and product in the online environment. Who is in charge for driving conversions? As your business will advance on the web and your website will start increasing in rank, your company will become a solid foundation for proper online communication. However, for people to have an interest in whatever you’re marketing, they need to be chosen properly. This is where SEO comes in. When choosing online PR to market your business, proper optimization is a must.

An equally important tactic is to use social media tools. These can become a powerful broadcasting mechanism because they foster interaction in the online environment. Replying to comments, sharing articles on Facebook, answering to twitter followers and participating in forum discussions are additional techniques that must be included in your online PR strategy to make a company visible online.

Promoting a business is a lot easier than it used to be. Companies that want to make themselves known to the masses must be featured online as well. However, it’s not enough to have a website. One must be actively involved to generate leads, boost traffic and convert visitors into loyal customers. This is best achieved through online PR.

This is a guest article by Denny Averill & DataDial.net

|In: Guest Blogging|Last Updated: | 0 Comments

Marketing is an essential part of any new start-up or business. To succeed in whatever domain you’re targeting, you need to pay more attention to direct mail marketing as it is still a fundamental marketing tool. Without it, you won’t be able to diversify your customer base. Today’s competitive business environment makes it hard for companies to stand out. And yet, it’s not something impossible to achieve. In spite of the fact that many have ditched email in favour of social media, email marketing remains one of the most productive ways to win over customers. Here are some guidelines to help you leverage your power and grow your business using direct mail marketing.

Augmented reality

Direct mail is probably one of the oldest (but also most effective) forms of marketing a business. In the last couple of years, advanced technology and social media has made this strategy go extinct. Believe it or not, very few companies still use emails to appeal to customers; and that’s because many rely on sponsored Facebook ads and tweets. The good news is there’s still great power in direct mail; you just have to learn how to use it and make it work for your business goals. For your business to stand out and make itself different from all other emails people get in their inboxes, you need to blend email marketing with augmented reality apps, thus bring your products and services to life. There are sensible ways companies can use to integrate technology into their marketing campaign and win over valuable customers.

Incentives

People love getting stuff for free, whether we’re talking about discounts, vouchers, or any other freebies. Truth be told, you can’t get your product out there without offering some free samples to people; because free samples might be exactly what people need to buy, and even spread the word. However, you shouldn’t just send emails with subject lines titled “Click here to get X for free” because nobody will want it. You have to be creative and craft a message that sounds interesting and attention-grabbing. To appeal to your customers, you have to stand out from your competition.

Put some thought into your emails

Believe it or not, some of the world’s biggest brands make one huge mistake when sending emails to customers – they don’t put enough thought into the creation of their message. Whether you want to offer something to customers for free or invite them to read your latest post, it is important to make sure your email sounds well – it has to be both structurally and grammatically correct. If you’re not the most experienced writer, hire someone to handle the copy-writing. Innovative engaging and creative emails work the best

Be different

The power of direct mail marketing can be outstanding. To make your emails stand out, you have to be different. Your approach has to be unique and ingenious for people to want to know more. Direct mail might be one of the oldest and most used marketing forms out there, but for an email to be memorable it has to engage. Think outside the box for once, and dare to come up with the most out of the ordinary subject lines. Make your emails persuasive and you’ll be able to appeal to a wider audience. Don’t rely solely on social media, as social media is no personal and it doesn’t make customers feel special and appreciated.

Combined campaigns

The finest companies out there abide by more than one technique to market their business. Direct mail marketing can work miracles; however it must be integrated into additional campaigns to provide you with the best results. Email marketing doesn’t work alone; it has to be used together with direct mail and social media to boost your company’s bottom line and yield dividends.

Whatever business objectives you might have for this 2016, make sure to implement the best strategies. Increase brand awareness with social media, but make your potential customers feel that you can about them with email and direct mail marketing. Have a target audience in mind before getting started, and focus on a group of people that might actually have an interest to buy whatever you’re selling.

This is a guest article by Denny Averill & Romax.co.uk

|In: Marketing|Last Updated: | 0 Comments

According to new research from Accenture, fifty four percent of Indian consumers prefer dealing with human beings over digital channels to solve customer services issues. The report also found that 88 percent of consumers have switched provider in the past year due to poor customer service, with internet service providers, retailers and banks being the worst offenders. In India, the estimated cost of customers switching due to poor service is $412 billion.

Image Source – Accenture

The Accenture Strategy report, Digital Disconnect in Customer Engagement, is based on the company’s eleventh annual Global Consumer Pulse Research, which gauges the experiences and attitudes of 24,489 consumers around the world about marketing, sales and customer services. 550 Indian consumers were included in the sample.

Raghuram Devarakonda, Managing Director, Advanced Customer Strategy, Accenture Strategy said

Companies have lost sight of the importance of human interaction and often make it too difficult for consumers to get the right level of help and service that they need. Companies wrongly assume that their digital-only customers are their most profitable, and that customer service is a cost. Consequently they over-invest in digital technologies and channels and lose their most profitable customers – multi-channel customers – who want experiences that cover both digital and traditional channels.

The importance of human connection in customer services

Human interaction remains a vital component of customer satisfaction, even in the ‘digital age’. 54 percent of Indian consumers prefer dealing with human beings over digital channels to solve customer services issues and get advice [70 percent]. Another 63 percent of consumers say they are even willing to pay a higher price for goods and services if it ensures a better level of service.

Physical or in-store experiences are also highly valued amongst consumers. 51 percent agree that in-store service is the best channel for getting a tailored experience and 49 percent say they are more willing to be sold new or upgraded products when receiving a face-to-face service compared to online. Another 44 percent say they would rather go to a store first than use digital channels to get advice on the best products and services.

Raghuram Devarakonda, Managing Director, Advanced Customer Strategy, Accenture Strategy added

Indian companies have reached a tipping point in their customer’s digital intensity and need to re-balance their digital and traditional customer services investments if they want to improve loyalty, differentiate themselves and drive growth. Companies abandon the human connection at their own risk and are facing the need to rebuild it to deliver the varied and tailored outcomes that customers demand.

Improving customer experience

The Accenture Strategy report reveals that there is huge room for improvement in the delivery of today’s customer services. 57 percent of consumers admit that it is frustrating dealing with a company that does not make it easy to do business with them. Another 65 percent expect customer service to be easier and more convenient, and 83 percent want it to be faster. Complaining on social media about poor customer experience is the norm for over half [53 percent] of consumers who admit taking to social channels in order to vent.

Once a provider loses a customer, 52 percent of consumers will not go back. But there are measures companies can take to hold on to them. 81 percent of ‘switchers’ feel the company could have done something to retain them. 74 percent report that if companies could provide customers with better live or in-person customer service, it would have impacted their decision to switch provider.

How leaders of customer services succeed

Organizations that want to re-balance their digital and traditional customer service channels should look to:

  1. Put the human and physical elements back into customer services : Rethink your investment strategy. The focus should be on delivering satisfying customer experiences – not methods of interaction. Ensure your channel management approach delivers integrated experiences.
  2. Make it easy for customers to switch channels to get the experiences they want : Build customer service channels that enable consumers to fluidly move from digital to human interaction to get the outcomes they desire.
  3. Root out toxicity : Define and address the most toxic customer experiences across all channels. These experiences can directly impact profitability. Identify the experiences that have the greatest potential downside and leverage those insights to guide an investment strategy.
  4. Guarantee personal data security : 80 percent of consumers say it is extremely important that companies protect the privacy of their personal information. By not selling or sharing customer data with other companies, and guaranteeing that safeguards are in place to protect it, consumers will be more willing to hand over personal information which can be leveraged to deliver better experiences.

Accenture’s Digital Disconnect in Customer Engagement report can be downloaded from here. You can also follow the conversation on Twitter @AccentureStrat #GCPR

About the Research

Accenture Strategy’s Global Consumer Pulse Research is an annual online research project that assess customer attitudes towards marketing, sales and customer service practices & customers’ behaviours in response to companies’ practices. The 2015 survey includes online responses from 24,489 consumers in 33 countries including India. Respondents were asked to evaluate their experiences of up to four industries out of 11 industry sectors: retail banking and financial services, wireless services providers, consumer goods retailers, gas and electric utility providers, consumer electronics manufacturers, property and casualty insurance providers, fixed service providers (excluding cable and satellite), healthcare providers, hotels and lodging, life insurance, and cable and satellite service providers. The survey was fielded in August and September 2015

|In: Digital|Last Updated: | 0 Comments

Nikon India, the 100% subsidiary of Nikon Corporation Tokyo, leaders in imaging technology, has come up with a new DVC campaign #DiscoverYourself. The campaign is targeted at today’s millennial generation to encourage them to step out of their comfort zone and explore life.

The campaign is currently live on Nikon’s social media platforms with 1 million plus views and runs for duration of 6 minutes and 50 seconds. The DVC portrays a young couple who have taken the plunge of quitting their jobs despite being well performers, in pursuit of their individual dreams. The video also attempts to transcend traditional norms and notions for a young unmarried couple and the youth from 21st century encouraging them to seek soulful happiness. The campaign tagline ‘I AM A SEEKER, I AM NIKON’ states how the brand Nikon is encouraging individuals to pursue their goals and find their true selves.

Sajjan Kumar, Vice President – Imaging Division, Nikon India says

The DVC has been created to celebrate the enthusiasm of the new age generation, who is ready to undertake risks and fulfill their passion and dreams. At Nikon we believe in encouraging individualism and an entrepreneurial spirit among the youth today. The DVC reinforces our image as a unique driving factor for the people to accomplish their goals.

About Nikon India

Nikon India distributes markets and services the complete range of Nikon imaging products, the newly introduced Nikon Sport Optics & Nikon Instruments. The Nikon Imaging includes its Nikon D-SLR as well as its compact camera, the Nikon COOLPIX, the Nikon 1 camera system, a range of NIKKOR lenses & accessories. With offices in Mumbai, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Delhi and Gurgaon, Nikon is strengthening its Sales & Services network all across India. For more information, please visit Nikon India

|In: Guerrilla Marketing|Last Updated: | 0 Comments
Couple of weeks back, while having chai [tea] at local tea shop, I noticed an interesting thing, the shopkeeper offered me tea in a paper cup that had ‘OLA Branding’ on it!! When there was further probing from my side, he informed that OLA Marketing team had given the tea cups for free and the quantity depended on the locality & density of prospective OLA customers [based on research done by the OLA team].
The cups were given out for free with the expectation that more & more people would come to know about OLA [and in turn use it’s services] i.e. converting prospective customers into customers. It looked a very interesting case of Guerrilla Marketing where they could grab more eye-balls with less spend on marketing!! After couple of days, there were Swiggy tea cups lying in his shop though the intention of this exercise was also the same !!!
Few days back, we received a Press Release of a startup named GingerCup that specializes in offline-marketing and Paper Cup advertising is one of their specialties :), lets’s look into what it can do for businesses. While online marketers are playing it hard with their tactics, GingerCup still sticks to offline marketing and busts the idea of an ad getting unnoticed.
Essentially, GingerCup optimizes two interesting offline marketing platforms. So, what do they do ?

Paper Cup Advertising

GingerCup’s marketing strategy entails bringing a brand into the limelight through exquisitely designed printed paper cups used for tea/coffee. The strategically designed quality paper cups feature the client’s logo, website address, offer code, contact details etc. upon them. After getting designed, they are then printed and distributed for free where they are likely to come in contact with targeted audience.
The expert team at GingerCup first decides the right set of people to target, the quantum of cups to be distributed, and the places where the cups are to be distributed. A purposefully designed quality tea cup gets the brand noticed and spoken about. People seem to enjoy every sip of their kick-start drink [tea/coffee] and thus spend ample to have it. So, while having it, they see an alluring ad right in their hand. It is not only welcomed but also shared further through word of mouth.

Flyers

Not all the flyers in the world are distributed with a strategy. GingerCup does it purposefully. It is beyond someone’s imagination how the booming online world can be a boon for an offline marketing campaign. Right from shopping clothes to give them for laundry, from buying books to ordering a pizza, everything is done online. We know everything which is bought has to get delivered at a customer’s place.
GingerCup prints enticingly designed flyers that speak about their clients’ brand/product/service and all the essential information the targeted audience would require knowing about them. Having tied up with the delivery providers, GingerCup gets the flyers delivered at a place along with the products being ordered online. In a fit of excitement to open a newly bought item, people notice what comes along with it. It then makes it certain for the flyer to get read and create an impact about the advertised brand on the reader’s mind.

Carrying a distinctive strategic approach, these marketing methods are easy on the pocket and fertile enough to breed the desired level of brand recognition for an advertiser. Therefore, when there is every possibility of an online ad getting scrolled down, GingerCup’s potential ad weapons are hard to ignore. Indeed, it is something here to stay.
Though Paper Cup Advertising looks very targeted, it would have been better if they could have also added QR Code on the cup which when scanned would take you to the Play Store to download Client’s App. This would have resulted in better ‘Call To Action’
How can Paper cup marketing be used in more engaging manner, please leave your suggestions in the comments section.

|In: Blogging|Last Updated: | 0 Comments
Are you losing possible new sales, registrations and subscribers ?
Before you answer that question, answer this one:
Can you remember the last time you updated ‘About Me’ page ? If your answer to this question is anything other than ‘YES’, then you need this guide. Andrew Wise from Wise Startup Blog has a complete about me page guide on what Should be on your page and what Should Not.
Before you read the guide, here’s an actionable tip you can use right now

Build a Call to Action Into Your About Me Page

What’s a call to action?… If you run a blog, then your call to action should be to “subscribe” to your blog. If you are a salesperson, your readers should “call you”. If you have an ecommerce site, then you should promote your “100% satisfaction guarantee”, or whatever your promo is to encourage customers to buy.

You get it. Okay, so now implement this technique and checkout the rest of the guide or just skim the infographic below:

[Source* – Andrew Wise Blog]
If you loved the info-graphic, than you would surely enjoy the ‘Mantras’ shared by Andrew Wise on creating Killer About-Me Page
Note* : Content reproduced with Andrew Wise’s consent

|In: Marketing|Last Updated: | 0 Comments

Digital marketing is essential to the success of any business. Although there is still a place for traditional marketing methods, these must be used in conjunction with a good digital marketing plan. It is only through digital marketing that you can reach a huge market of previously untapped potential. Here are the reasons and tips for getting the right strategy:

Devising a digital marketing plan

The first step in devising a digital marketing strategy is planning; the sheer number of options available can be mind blowing it. It is essential to know what you are after to ensure you target the right markets.

Over doing it

The worst decision to make is attempting to launch a presence on all the social media sites at the same time; it will be too complicated and time consuming to keep up to date with all of them and you will be unlikely to get a good level of success from any of the sites.

Customers

Before you can launch your marketing efforts you must decide what your customer base is and which sites or advertising routes are most likely to obtain their attention. Your marketing campaign must be aimed at them as personally as possible.

Assess the market

The next important criterion is looking at the market, your competition and, in particular, what they are offering and how you can offer something better of critically different. Identifying your competitors will also help you to identify where to launch your digital marketing campaign. The stages will ensure that your digital marketing strategy has a direction; this will also give your business direction. You must know what your goals are before you develop your strategy, if you do not your business will flounder.

A solid strategy and an understanding of the market will also give you a good understanding of your customers and their needs. This will ensure you do not duplicate your efforts and you do not waste time on campaigns that will have very little chance of success.

Goals

Having decided upon a market and how you will differentiate your product you will need to look at your current position and where you would like to be. It is essential to have a plan and a goal to aim for; this gives you something to assure the success of your digital campaigns by and the drive and motivation to do well in business.

Measuring

One of the most important parts of any digital strategy is actually monitoring the success of a campaign; this will provide valuable information regarding whether to repeat the campaign, extend it, or simply discard it and try another approach. To ensure you can do this properly you must decide upon your monitoring tools before you start the campaign; and get them ready.

The tools you use to measure can also give you a good indication of your current market share; this is important as you will need to know which direction to take your campaign depending upon who your main competition is and which parts of the market you are currently performing well in.

Decide on the right type of campaign

Finally, before you can launch any digital marketing campaign you must decide which type of campaign you wish to run. You can target people via email, social media or increase the profile of your website; you can even use pay per click advertising. In reality you may wish to use a mixture of all these techniques and others, if you do it is advisable to launch each one as a separate marketing campaign. This will help you to control the campaign and assess the results on an individual basis.

It is essential to have an online presence which is agile enough to adjust to sudden market changes and allows you to integrate with your customers; their trust is what will convince them to buy from you. Think outside the box, and focus your attention on crafting the smartest plan. Use digital marketing guidelines that fit with your business mantra, and find a way to set yourself apart from the crowd. The more unique and innovative your ideas are, the greatest chances you have to make yourself noticed.

This is a guest article by Denny Averill & Romax.co.uk

|In: Marketing|Last Updated: | 1 Comment

Simplilearn, the World’s Largest Certification Training Provider, launches its first television campaign [TVC] titled ‘Get Certified, Get Ahead’ with internationally acclaimed actor Irrfan Khan. The campaign aims to encourage working professionals to break their inertia and pro-actively shape their careers by acquiring new technology skills and certifications.

Conceptualized by Bangalore-based agency, Propaganda, the TVC urges every working professional to take charge of his or her career in order to get ahead and not depend on luck. With Irrfan’s powerful message, the TVC compares the workplace to a game of chess where every professional’s goal is to make it to the next level. And how, the protagonist took matters of his career, like certification training from Simplilearn, and zoomed ahead of others to become the boss and occupy the cabin, which symbolizes success in corporate world.

Simplilearn’s ‘Get Certified, Get Ahead’ campaign marks how ‘edu-tech’ has come of age in India, and is becoming mainstream. There is a greater need among professionals to re-skill themselves at a time when new technologies evolve in workplaces every few years. This national campaign highlights Simplilearn’s plans to increase the visibility of its online certification courses in trending categories such as Big Data & Analytics, Digital Marketing, Cloud Computing, Project Management and IT Security to white-collared professionals spread across Tier-I and Tier-II cities.

Expressing his views on the campaign, Kashyap Dalal, Chief Product & Marketing Officer at Simplilearn said

Acquiring new in-demand skills through industry acclaimed certifications is a guaranteed way for professionals to get ahead in their careers. This is also one of the biggest requirements for industry to grow, as talent availability is regularly sighted as one of the biggest challenges by Fortune 500 CEOs. Through this national campaign on television and digital channels, I see Simplilearn playing a much more active role in the skill building needs of working professionals as well as enterprises in India.

On the idea behind the campaign, Priya Jayaraman, Co-Founder & Business Director, Propaganda added

The Simplilearn campaign touches upon real corporate aspirations and a way to achieve them. Each of us dream of getting ahead in our corporate life, and do not know how to go about it. The reason to rope in Irrfan Khan was that the story needed to shake every working professional out of an inertia of not having done much about planning their career. People associate with Irrfan for his unassuming take on life, being the voice of reason and optimism. We intentionally kept it a simple narrative to let the power of the message echo with a working professional’s sentiments.

The campaign is on air from today and will be live across digital and radio channels.

With offices in Silicon Valley and Bangalore, Simplilearn is the world’s largest certification training company and has trained over 500,000 professionals across 150 countries, delivering over USD 5 Billion salary increments so far.

About Simplilearn

Simplilearn is the world’s largest provider of short term certification courses that addresses the unique learning needs of working professionals. Having trained over 4,00,000 professionals worldwide,  Simplilearn provides unmatched customer experience, which handholds a customer – right from enrolling into an online course to getting Industry-recognized certificate in hand.  Simplilearn’s course contents are recognized by over 40 certification bodies, prominent ones being PMI, Axelos, Scrum Alliance, Peoplecert, and The Open Group. Simplilearn has also diversified into vendor certification like those from Microsoft, Cisco, and Salesforce. For more information, visit SimpliLearn