Marketing

When Will Fries King See the Errors of Its Ways?

October 6, 2013 by Pamela 2 Comments

It’s not April 1st, and it’s not even funny, yet Burger King continues to confuse and irritate people with its “Fries King” gimmick. You’d think the company would get the message: “Enough is enough.”

Earlier this month Burger King rolled out its marketing plan to promote Satisfries, which are supposed to be healthier and yummier. The only problem is, half the internet knows it’s a joke, half doesn’t, and the majority of people who aren’t into social media also think it’s totally real. Many websites are chiming in, some calling the “gullible” outright stupid. But, really, who can blame the believers?

The “Fries King” home page looks real enough to plenty of viewers, especially those not active on social media.

Even my husband, who is quite intelligent and often pokes at me for believing the mundane, thought Fries King was real. So did his mother. My husband, who is blind, merely heard the dozen-plus commercials that aired during Football games, and his mother doesn’t even use a computer. The commercial is short, to-the-point, and ends with the line, “New Satisfries from Fries King, formerly known as Burger King”. There’s no chuckle, and nothing visual to hint that it’s fake.

The “rebrand” campaign came from the ad agency Mother New York. And while fellow ad execs also find the campaign silly and misguided, it did help Burger King trend across Twitter and related sites. Unfortunately, many consumers are so irritated the restaurant chain just might have lost some customers.

The fact is, Burger King, like many other chains, is having trouble targeting consumers and connecting with them. As a result, too much attention is placed on the negative—like failed product launches and price increases. This latest tactic seems like a desperate attempt to get people talking about a product without thinking about how people actually react to having felt dumb for believing it was real. I should also note that trending topics don’t necessarily result in a flurry of new customers. I certainly haven’t seen any increase in the number of vehicles parked at my local BKs.

With that, I’ll point out one other mistake by Burger King’s marketing department. The latest post on the company’s Facebook page says that Fries King and Burger King should co-exist, then includes a photo of the two signs and a burger and fries. Those fries, though? They aren’t Satisfries…

This entire campaign was designed to promote Satisfries, but the picture shows Burger King’s regular, less-healthy french fries.

Go figure.

What do you think? Is Burger King’s latest ploy spot-on? Or just a waste of time?

[UPDATE: My husband heard the above commercial only once during Sunday's night game, and it did not include the "formerly" line at the end.]

Filed Under: Marketing Tagged With: branding, marketing, marketing fails, social media

Using the iPhone for [Video] Social Marketing

October 5, 2013 by Pamela Leave a Comment

Sure, you can tweet, post and share with that iPhone. But you might be missing out on one of its best tasks: shooting great video.

A while back my husband plotted out a detailed contest entry for a horror convention. Unfortunately, the weather made it impossible to shoot his script, so he opted instead to write a very quick short. As luck would have it, the makeup artist never showed, and we were stuck without a pro cameraman, too. So, at the last minute, I jumped in to do his makeup (confession: I had no clue what I was doing). We called a few friends, too, and they were happy to show up with extra tripods and iPhones. Sans pro lighting, pro camera operation and pro sound, the shoot resulted in a one-minute segment for the entry, a two-minute segment for a local bar, and another segment to hype a local musician.

The long segment, which runs two minutes, is called “Send More Geeks to BackStreets”, and it’s a play on those Mac v PC commercials. A musician came in at the last hour to provide the twisted background music.

The last spot was created to support Billy Martindale, an acoustic guitar player and singer in our area. Billy was there to help out on the shoot, and Joe just thought it would be fun to try to get his friend to sing some “dead” music. We included some fan-shot video from a local bar.

High-end production? Not really. But the video quality of the iPhone is quite good, and fans and customers love seeing the “real” side of your business.

If you happen to be a pro camera user, you’ll want to check out the FiLMiC app for iOS. It includes many professional functions, including white balancing.

If your small business is lacking content on YouTube and related video sites, consider getting “real” with your customers. Introduce them to the warehouse or the folks who take their orders. Show them how a piece of equipment works, or just have fun. In other words, connect with your fan base on their level, and focus on the content more than anything.

Filed Under: Ecommerce, Marketing, Social Media, Technology

Fake Reviews Could Cost You More than Just Customers

October 4, 2013 by Pamela Leave a Comment

It’s no secret. Plenty of third-parties contact review sites, blogs and individuals to post content on behalf of their clients. I’m approached regularly from “marketing” firms to include links, rave statements and the likes on client blogs. This week, New York Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman announced that 19 companies have been fined a total $350,000 in penalties for the practice, and have agreed to stop writing fake reviews on the internet.

The Operation Clean Turf project has been investigating the practice for the past year, focusing primarily on the manipulation of consumer review sites, including Yelp!, CitySearch and Google Local.

A detailed post and graphic by MOZ explains the misconception on how review site Yelp! actually works. (click to read the full details)

Schneiderman calls “astroturfing” the “21st century’s false advertising” practice. During the undercover investigation, the office realized the bulk of these companies created fake online profiles and paid freelancers to write bunk reviews. Companies, like the ones penalized, call the process “reputation management”.

A similar practice, which is the one many of us are approached about by “link strategists” uses blog owners to push visitors to an online store or product page by “endorsing” a product, either outright or by mere mention. Another benefit, they argue, is better Google rankings due to increased incoming links. It’s important to note that when Google realizes this type of practice, those third-party sites get flagged, and so could your own.

Then there are product reviews. Many small business owners are concerned about the lack of reviews overall, or the lack of positive reviews. In turn, some will hire a third party to review their products on sites like Amazon, using additional profiles to mark those reviews as helpful.

While Operation Clean Turf focused on “brick and mortar” reviews, we can only expect (and hope) that manipulating ratings on product-based reviews is also being quietly investigated.

If you’ve ever hired one of these types of companies, here’s something else… While you’re forking over hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars, the average “reviewer” typically makes as little as $1.00 per review, and it usually caps at $10. In short, they’re the middleman, and they make a handsome cent to do what your very own customers could do for you if they’re at all satisfied.

Want a better understanding of the AG’s findings? Here’s a great explanation, in laymen’s terms.

Filed Under: Ecommerce, Marketing, Mistakes That Kill Tagged With: bad practices, customer reviews

iOS 7 Home Screen Sharing Tells Us Most Users Still Rely on Email

September 23, 2013 by Pamela Leave a Comment

The majority of iPhone users “dock” the email app icon.

If you’re one of those companies that’s been transitioning from email marketing to social marketing, you may want to rethink that strategy. Granted, millions of smartphone users rely on sites like Twitter and Facebook to learn about new products and find deals on their favorite brands, but the majority of them still rely heavily on email.

How do we know this? By looking at the thousands of home screen pics recent iOS 7 adopters have been sharing around the web. Culling through nearly 300 of them myself, I found only two screen caps that didn’t include the email app icon in the dock (the “locked” bar at the bottom of the screen). Even those two had the email icon somewhere on the home screen (the first page of apps).

This tells us that email is quite important to even the most social of users.

It also reminds us that mobile-friendly emails are important. More and more folk are bypassing connecting via a desktop computer. Some don’t even have one, while others rely on it only for specific tasks, spending the majority of their online time with smartphones and tablets.

The screenshots also show us how socially connected users are. Typically, smartphone users will organize apps in order of importance, with the most regularly used apps on the first page. In the screen caps I studied, the majority had Facebook, Twitter, and at least one other social app on the first page. This was usually Instagram or Vine, but plenty also connected to Pinterest and YouTube. The more “techie” and business users (which was deduced from the content of their tweets) opted instead for Google+ and LinkedIn.

Even when the home screen isn’t social, the email app is still docked.

Then there are those who don’t organize social apps on page one. But, they still dock email!

Business marketing needs a healthy balance between social and email. By finding out which social networks your target audience prefers, you can better strategize. But it doesn’t look like email marketing is going to be replaced by the social world anytime soon.

Filed Under: Ecommerce, iOS7 (Apple), Marketing, Marketing Tagged With: iOS, marketing, mobile

Brilliant Marketing: Poop Odor Masking Product Turns the Uncomfortable into Funny and Money

September 22, 2013 by Pamela 1 Comment

Last year my mother-in-law told us about a product she saw on QVC, and after laughing hysterically about the product itself, we laughed at the number of people who were flooding the phones to get their own bottle of Poo-Pourri. The joke was on us, it seems, because the reviews of this odor-trapping concoction are about as good as you can get.

Of course, I wouldn’t have even known about the success story behind this company if it hadn’t produced a brilliant marketing video, featuring a beautiful Scot talking about one of the most uncomfortable things for any woman—evidence that she just went #2.

Yes, men, women try to hide this at any cost, especially when in public. A woman will cough, fake sneeze, even talk on her phone to try to keep even any other woman from knowing what she’s doing. Then she’ll step out of the stall with her head down, and get out of there as quickly as she can so no one associates her with any remaining evidence. She’ll even do this in an airport, when the chances are great that nobody else in the ladies room will know who she is, for fear they might see her on the next flight.

So, aside from television shopping networks, which, I have to be honest, are quite successful at getting just about any avid viewer to buy something, how do you sell this kind of stuff?

Check out this hilarious—but true—commercial:

The actress is Bethany Woodruff, a Bringham Young University student. And the internet’s all abuzz about her being as hot as the Old Spice Guy. And she very well might be. She’s prim, proper, and downright hilarious. She’s also causing sales of Poo-Pourri to skyrocket. As of today, this product is listed #8 in Amazon’s Beauty Section, and #1 in the Home and Room Sprays. And, yes, it’s listed on Prime, too, which makes it all the more tempting to buy.

In an age of false claims and mundane gimmicks, it’s nice not only to see truly humorous marketing, but also one that even makes people comfortable enough to write real product reviews online. By taking real experiences that everyone has and making it “okay” to talk about it? Pure genius. Genius that is making Poo-Pourri a heck of a lot of money.

Filed Under: Marketing, Social Media Tagged With: brilliant marketing, viral videos

If My Mother Was a Business

October 22, 2011 by Pamela Leave a Comment

A recent trip back home further proves what I’ve known for many years: Personal experiences can (and should) be a driving force behind our business decisions. They also help us better understand how consumers think.

My mother is an avid crocheter and quilter. She’s also a mean knitter, sewer and maker of a killer Mac and Cheese (as a meal). She crocheted me a ’70s-style hat and scarf to take back to Florida, where the needle’s already tipping into the 50s.

My mom has a knack for making stylish gifts that please.

How does my new gift relate to business success? Mom’s actions were similar to any company wanting to reach the goal of supplying something in demand. Here’s how:

She identified the problem: It’s getting chilly.
She identified the need: I will need to stay warm when I walk the dog.
She identified the want: I could get a low-end, non-stylish hat just about anywhere, but I’d prefer something fashionable.
She identified what I was willing to pay: Okay, in this case it was nothing, but only because my mother would never even let me reimburse her for supplies.
She identified what’s popular: Similar handmade cotton hat and scarf sets go for $30 to $60 on Etsy.
She played the scarcity card: She only made a few in this particular color, which is a unique blend of greens and white (variegated).(For those crafty types, she used BERNAT handicrafter cotton.)
She addressed long-term use issues: It’s made of cotton, so I can wash it on a gentle cycle. If I take care of the set, it should last for many years.

There are other accomplishments which weren’t necessarily part of her goals:

She’s built a loyal customer base: Not only do family and friends appreciate her work, fellow crafters and visitors to local craft shows admire her work.
She gets people to talk about her: My sharing photos of her quilts and other crafts across my social media channels (which garners re-posts) proves it!
She’s established a brand: In her neck of the woods people recognize her name.
She’s created demand: Despite the fact she doesn’t take orders (she uses her own discretion), she is often asked to create specific items using specific patterns.

If my mother were a business, she’d set a great example of how to engage consumers, make people talk, and build a loyal customer base.

The most compelling reason she’d be a true success, however, is because she simply loves what she does. And those of us who benefit from her work do, too.

Filed Under: Ecommerce, Marketing, Marketing Tagged With: business, Ecommerce, marketing

It’s Okay to Ask for Testimonials

April 21, 2011 by Pamela 1 Comment

Testimonials can help drive business. But what if your site is lacking passionate comments by customers?

It’s okay to ask for them…

For every complaint you hear, there are at least ten consumers who walked away silently. Later, perhaps, they’ll complain about you to their friends or on Facebook, but the majority of customers who feel they’ve been done wrong will never take the time to tell you.

The same can be said for enjoyable experiences. It’s a small percentage of happy customers who will invest the effort to write you (or post directly to your social media account). A thrilling experience doesn’t always trigger a promotional response. Still, that doesn’t mean people aren’t willing to oblige when asked.

How to Ask for a Testimonial

First and foremost, don’t follow the example of what I call “eBay stuck-ups”. These sellers – often using bold, large type – explain that they will only give positive feedback if it’s first received. In their minds, the two-way street starts with the consumer taking first action. Note: These sellers never get feedback from me at all, because my testimonials are not for sale.

Instead, initiate contact by first thanking the customer, and ensuring him/her that you’re available should there be any questions. Use positive verbiage without drawing too much attention to yourself.

Try this:

Thanks again for shopping with XYZ-Store! We truly appreciate your business. We’re available to answer any questions you may have (you can reply to this email or visit our contact page).

We rely on our customers for our continued success. We hope you’ll consider posting a testimonial about your experience so others may understand what to expect when shopping with us.

Simple and to the point. Notice there’s no incentive other than them helping you succeed. Companies shouldn’t buy testimonials. It makes them worthless. And, yes, businesses found to have jimmied, faked or otherwise offered goods in return for a great rating risk losing more than just their credibility. Because, as luck would have it, shady business tactics gain the most attention in our social world.

When should you ask for this all-important feedback? Ten to 14 days after the shipment has been received. Be sure to consider order processing and shipping times. So, if an order typically takes one day to process and three days to reach the customer, your default follow-up time would be 14-18 days. You want to give the customer time to open the package (hey, people get busy; I’ve been known to wait a week before opening a box) and use the product.

Remember these important tips as well:

Post a Disclaimer–be sure to tell the customer you may use their comments in any and all promotional materials for the business. Also state that it’s possible that their testimonial may not be used.
Edit Carefully–The only time you should modify a testimonial is to correct spelling, glaring grammatical errors (you don’t want the customer to feel stupid) and to hyperlink to any specifically named products. Anything beyond that and you need to ask the customer (or ditch the comment altogether).
Avoid Posting Overly Gratuitous Prose–A testimonial should convey a customer’s satisfaction, trust and likelihood of using your services again. However, some customers think it’s better to go way over-the-top. These types of statements can appear made-up. If you know the customer well, you may want to ask him or her to tone it down. Otherwise, file it away for private ego-boosting.

One last thing. Be careful with automation tools. You definitely want a way to remove a message out of the send queue to avoid contacting customers whose orders were canceled or those who expressed they had a bad experience. You don’t want to initiate a negative response due to carelessness or an automated feedback query.

Filed Under: Ecommerce, Marketing Tagged With: communication, conversion, Ecommerce, marketing

Want to Understand Your Target Audience?

April 20, 2011 by Pamela Leave a Comment

Whenever I ask business owners about their target audience, I often receive one of two responses: 1) They describe themselves; 2) They provide me with marketplace stats they grabbed from some publication. Few can tell me exactly who they want to target and why, because they don’t understand how certain interests correlate with others.

Target practice In an age where advertisers are spending more money to target potential customers based on their submitted demographics, more existing customers are waving their hands, yelling, “Hey, what about me?” This is because many businesses take their existing users for granted as they seek domination in the marketplace.

Getting people to read about your product is one thing. Giving them reason to buy it is an entirely different challenge. Demographics should be used primarily for getting people in the door. Its focus groups (consisting of both new and seasoned users) that give you a head-start on getting to know how your target audience “thinks.” I know, Apple doesn’t do focus groups. Face it: you’re not Apple.

There needs to be a balance of attracting new customers, providing a service (or products) and maintaining existing customers. Lend too much weight to any of these tasks and your bottom line is affected.

Fortunately, one hand does wash the other. If you want to understand your target audience, just ask your existing customers. They can tell you why they buy/use your products, as well as what they don’t like about your company. The best part about doing this target-market research? Plenty of them will be happy to tell you this without even charging you.

Filed Under: Marketing Tagged With: business, marketing

How to Ask for a Testimonial

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