by Scott Howard | Sep 17, 2018 | Marketing and Advertising Insights, ScLoHo's Web World, WOWO Fort Wayne Radio Advertising with Scott Howard
If you don’t own it, you and your business are at risk. Years ago, my friend Kevin Mullett and I had this discussion and it’s true. Don’t Be Social Media Stupid with Your Business.
Let me explain.
Facebook is the world’s largest Social Media platform and they offer a multitude of ways for people like you and me to start a business, promote and grow a business, even become independently wealthy with a business that lives on Facebook.
The problem is if your business relies only on Facebook, you are eventually going to be hurt.
Facebook is your virtual landlord. Except when you have a real landlord relationship, there are contracts that you read and sign. Promises made by both parties and some guarantees for a period of time.
That’s not the way it works with Facebook or any of the other social media platforms.
Facebook can make changes and you have no say in the matter.
Does anyone remember reading the “Terms Of Service” when they signed up? Over 98% of us blindly just click on the checkbox without reading.
NBC news recently featured an article that included this story about a small business owner that relied on Facebook.
Holly Homer, an entrepreneur from Texas owns the Facebook pages for “Quirky Mama” and “Kids Activities.” With over 3 million followers, Homer’s Facebook page had become so popular she hired five employees and her husband quit his full-time medical job to help with the business. Homer showed NBC News a chart of interactions with her Facebook page that shows a decrease in February when Facebook implemented changes to News Feed.
As you can see, she was all-in when it came to running a Facebook based business. And that is where the problem lies. I did some of my own investigating and her Facebook page is Quirky Mama, but her website where she makes money is KidsActivities.com . But Holly is using another short cut that echos the mistake she made with Facebook. Her KidsActivities.com domain isn’t really her own website. Sure she owns the domain, but it’s actually just a sub-website on the Maven domain. Just like Facebook can change the rules, Maven can make changes and Holly will really be up the proverbial creek without a paddle.
I know this is sounding technical, so let’s talk in everyday language. When you lease a car, you don’t own that car. There are some benefits to leasing over buying but because you never owned that car, the only value is the immediate value of having that car to use. You can’t sell it, because you never bought it.
If your business is built on someone else’s platform, like Facebook or Maven, in Holly’s case, she and her entire company are at risk of losing it all. Holly says:
One of the Facebook policy changes that kind of went under the radar and it went into effect in February was the branded content policy. And it decreased my income from Facebook by 60 percent, overnight. No explanation.
Facebook cares about Holly and doesn’t care about Holly. They walk the fine line of working for the greater good. Their priorities begin with #1, that’s Facebook itself. Second on their list is their stockholders and then we have the users. Facebook users fall into multiple categories. There’s you and me as a couple of individuals in the total Facebook universe of over a billion active users.
Holly and her business fall into another category. Facebook is free for you and me to use, but not so much if we are using Facebook to promote our business. Holly and other businesses have to pay to get their Facebook posts seen by the masses. Same is true for any organization that Facebook believes has money to spend to promote their message.
In the summer of 2013, I ran the social media department for a $50 million dollar e-commerce company. Our average sale was under $100, so we had a lot of customers to make up that $50 million each year. That summer, I saw Facebook make a change in their algorithm that reduced the number of people my Facebook post were reaching by 75%. Fortunately, I knew what to do, move some of my budget around and spend a little more.
Facebook is constantly making changes. All you can do is figure out how to adapt. But there is something else you really need to do too.
Own your own online presence. If your only online presence is a Facebook page, Instagram account, Twitter handle, LinkedIn account, Snapchat account, or a free WordPress or Blogger website, prepare to lose it all.
That was part of the lesson I learned from my conversation with Kevin Mullett in 2011. I had made a name for myself with a few marketing blogs that were hosted free on Google’s Blogger platform. They are living there, you can find them if you Google ScLoHo.
However in 2011, I also bought my own domain and website hosting service for ScottHoward.me It’s where all of my content lives. I update every week still with a new story and article like this one.
Facebook and all the other social media platforms have a purpose still. They are being used simply as a marketing tool, not a place to host a business. Websites were around before social media. A website without any publicity is not going to get any visitors. Use social media as a tool to draw people to your website if you want, but please don’t confuse the two.
One more item from the 20 year old in my family, Jake. He posted this on Facebook the other day:
Hey friends and fam ,
I will be deleting my Facebook account or at least the app because I have been really wanting to change my daily habits and my phone is not a good one .. so I will not be on here for at least a couple months but I hope each and every one of you continue to strive to be the best you can be each and every day.
Jake is Gen Z. He’s in college. He and others of his generation don’t care about or even trust Facebook anymore. This is a another warning sign. I have advertising partners on WOWO Radio that use WOWO to drive traffic to their website.There are other ways besides social media to drive people to your website and we’ll talk about that soon. In the meantime please remember this: If you don’t own it, you and your business are at risk.
Want help in figuring all this out and creating something more stable? Let’s talk.
by Scott Howard | Sep 7, 2018 | Marketing and Advertising Insights, ScLoHo's Web World, The Not-So-Secret Writings of ScLoHo
Just a quick FYI. The Genuine ScLoHo Media & Marketing Podcast is moving our weekly release date to the beginning instead of the end of the week and so this is a teaser to the next episode titled, Don’t Be Social Media Stupid With Your Business.
I really, really, really, yes REALLY want you to make a change in your business that will cost you less than $100 a year.
Get a professional email address.
I’ve had one for years. It is Scott@ScLoHo.net.
Mine is part of Google Suites, so it looks like a Gmail account to me, but to anyone sending me an email, with my own domain, it is a step or two or three above Gmail.
The past couple of months, I have seen businesses with email accounts from HotMail, Yahoo, Gmail, and even AOL.
What this tells me is that these folks either don’t take their business seriously, or they are really, really behind the times.
And having one of these old email domains for your business hurts your credibility and the trust factor we want to have in you.
But I’ve had my hotmail email address for years, all my customers use that, how will they reach me if I change?
Easy. You can have your current email addresses forwarded to your new email address.
While you are at it, your website probably needs an update too, but that’s a subject for another day.
by Scott Howard | Jun 21, 2018 | Marketing and Advertising Insights, ScLoHo's Web World, The Not-So-Secret Writings of ScLoHo, Uncategorized, WOWO Fort Wayne Radio Advertising with Scott Howard
Over the next few weeks, I’m going to share with you a formula for advertising success that I was reminded of recently, and today I’ll start with The First R in Advertising Success (part one).
Let’s actually begin with the 3 R Formula; it goes like this:
Right Message + Right Audience x Right Number of Times = Success
This formula you can apply to nearly any advertising you are involved with, at WOWO Radio we took a look at some of our advertising partners that use us for radio advertising, social media, search engine marketing, digital display advertising, email marketing and a few other options.
The message, the RIGHT message needs to communicate what you want people to do. We call it a Call To Action.
What is it that you want the people that see or hear your advertisement to do?
Do you want them to call you?
Do you want them to visit your store?
Do you want them to visit your website?
Do you want them to buy online?
Do you want them to just feel good about you?
Do you want them to watch a video?
Do you want them to make an appointment for them to visit you?
Do you want them to book a meeting for you to visit them?
Do you want them to attend a special event ?
Do you …. well, specifically what do you want them to do?
Sadly too many advertising messages fail this test.
Either the Call To Action is never given, or there are too many Calls to Action in the message.
Here’s an example of too many: Call us now at 260-255-4357 or visit online at my website dot com or stop in today between 9 and 5. That was three. Now often we are tempted to use two, but I really have my doubts about offering two.
In this smartphone age, we don’t need phone numbers. I don’t manually punch in the digits for most of the phone calls I make. Those numbers are either already stored in my phones contacts, or I ask my phone for the business and Google connects me with their website and a button on my screen I can call to connect.
I am seriously going to ask my current advertising partners for permission to stop giving their phone number in their advertising. It’s wasted space, extra clutter and a call to action I can stop. Actually I will wean some of them off the practice of including their phone number as a call to action in their ads by including the words, “Call right now” but not give the phone number in the radio ad because it’s not needed.
What is needed? If you are in a competitive business then I need to know why I should select you over your competitors. If you tell me, you provide great customer service and have been around for a dozen years, I’ll do my best not to yawn and tell you as politely as possible, “So what?” EVERYONE needs to have a satisfactory level of customer service to stay in business and while I am glad you are not a rookie at what you do, I need a real reason to choose you to spend my money with.
The reason for this aspect of the Right Message is you do not operate in a vacuum, we as consumers have a choice to spend money with you, with someone else or not at all. So in your advertising messages, include a compelling Call To Action of what you want us to do and also a why you if you have competition. What is the Unique Selling Proposition behind your business that makes you … You? Not just Unique, but Selling as in a real reason to buy from you? 100 years of combined experience might be unique, but who really cares? We want to know that you can take care of our needs.
Here’s a simple exercise to test your ads:
Can you substitute your competitions name in place of your name in the ad and it will be pretty accurate? Then it’s time to go back to the drawing board and creative process.
This is not always easy, it’s why even some of the most creative minds struggle with creating advertising messages that are effective, but it’s worth the extra time and effort to craft a message that includes a call to action and a reason to take action.
Next time, I’ll explore another aspect of the Right Message in The First R in Advertising Success (part two).
In the meantime if you want my help, contact me.
by Scott Howard | Jun 6, 2018 | Marketing and Advertising Insights, ScLoHo's Web World, The Not-So-Secret Writings of ScLoHo, WOWO Fort Wayne Radio Advertising with Scott Howard
This article is for the business owner who is regularly being asked to buy advertising and really needs a little help deciding what to do. (Or perhaps a LOT of help.)
Today, we are going to talk about the pros and cons of advertising agencies, advertising sales people and marketing consultants and what you really need for your business. There was a story in Mediapost that touched on this topic and we’re going to get to the heart of the matter for you.
Should You Hire An Advertising Specialist or Generalist?
You see I’m a bit of both. I’m a big picture marketing guy who has expertise in several specialties.
Start with the basics:
Why advertise? To attract and retain customers. It’s that simple.
Then why is it hard to pick what kind of advertising you and your business should be involved with?
Because there are so many options and all these advertising salespeople who tell you their advertising is the best, whether it’s true or not.
So I sell advertising, what makes me, Scott Howard different? Let’s start with a quote from one of my online profiles:
This is the Big Picture of Marketing, Advertising, and Media, down to the tiniest detail.
Combining the tools of today with the timeless, proven methods of the past and creating ideas that rely on honest, trustworthy human relationship principles.
This Big Picture concept is what makes me an advertising generalist. That’s also the term you could apply to most of the advertising agencies that offer a variety of services. But I’m not an ad agency and I have a unique perspective that’s different than most advertising generalists.
That’s also where the ScLoHo persona comes in. This unique perspective is that all of your marketing and advertising needs to be based on Human Relationship Principles or if they are not, you better have a very good reason why not.
Human Relationship Principles are the natural, organic ways we communicate with one another that promotes trust, and good positive feelings. You incorporate that into a marketing campaign successfully and your business will grow beyond what you could ever do with coupons and gimmicks.
I know how to do this because I’ve been a student of this for a few decades and there are hundreds of businesses in Metro Fort Wayne and Metro Detroit that were my real-life laboratories.
Along the way I also gathered intensive insider knowledge and wisdom regarding what could be called Advertising Specialties. These include:
- Print including newspaper, magazine and direct mail.
- Outdoor including the big billboards, the smaller signage, even the ads we see on city buses. Which brings me to …
- Vehicle wraps, promotional materials and company branded attire.
- Television advertising including cable TV.
- Social Media.
- Website design and structure.
- Search Engine Optimization and Search Engine Marketing.
- Email Marketing.
- Blogging, Vlogging and Podcasting
- and of course Radio Advertising.
Every one of these specialties I have direct experience in and have served on the board of directors for the local American Advertising Federation to enrich my knowledge and teach others. I have even taught branding at a local university, won awards from both my peers and from independent, impartial judging panels. I am not one to blow my own horn and say how great I am, that is out of character for me, but I really want you to know that since I made the transition from being a radio personality to an advertising and marketing specialist over 30 years ago, I have learned a bunch and am continuing to learn. All I want to do is help you with what I’ve learned.
Some of these Advertising Specialties I continue to do first hand and others I will either outsource, recommend others that I trust or at the very least serve as your marketing coach so that when someone tries to sell you their advertising specialty, you have an experienced professional that knows how it should be done and can help you in the process if it’s really something you should invest it. I, Scott Howard, work for WOWO Radio and we have a whole boatload of advertising and marketing solutions you can buy. The ScLoHo side of me helps you with the things I can’t sell you but can advise and guide you.
So back to my original question: Should You Hire An Advertising Specialist or Generalist? Why chose one or the other when you can have both in one person?
Let’s talk.
by Scott Howard | May 21, 2018 | Marketing and Advertising Insights, ScLoHo's Collective Wisdom, ScLoHo's Web World, The Not-So-Secret Writings of ScLoHo
What’s a ScLoHo Insider Extra?
It’s an extra article that I (ScLoHo) published that is not going to be available on the Genuine ScLoHo Media and Marketing Podcast. That’s the Extra part. You as a follower, are an Insider. Before I began the podcast in 2017, I would publish at least once a week, but sometimes more often. I still will write these Extra stories on occasion, so let’s dig in.
Awhile ago, I wrote about knowing the difference between Marketing Trends and Marketing Fads. Trends are long-term sustainable and even though they may go out of style, they are worth consideration. Fads on the other hand are dangerous and you need to be cautious if you are thinking of investing time or money in them.
Social Media has been filled with both Fads and Trends and marketing people are always attempting to be on top of both. I went to a Social Media & Marketing Breakfast in Fort Wayne last year that was devoted to Snapchat. I had mixed thoughts on Snapchat as a marketing platform before and after the event.
Granted, I’m not in the target demo for using Snapchat, but never-the-less, I’m a marketing dude who understands the big picture and the human relationship principles of marketing and advertising.
Turns out that Snapchat is falling out of favor with Social Media Marketers.
This is from Mediaposts Marketing Charts:
What’s trending in social media marketing? The latest annual Social Media Marketing Industry Report from Social Media Examiner, based on a survey of more than 5,700 participants around the world, offers some insights into marketers’ preferences surrounding social media platforms and content.
It’s worth noting at the outset that the majority of respondents are from small businesses (1-10 employees), so this report is likely not a reflection of the activities of larger enterprise businesses.
(I work with small and medium sized businesses for the most part.)
The first chart is shows where Social Media Marketers are going to spend their time with organic posts. This next chart shows where they plan on spending their marketing money:
Facebook and Instagram (which is owned by Facebook) are winners in both organic and paid activity. By the way, think of Organic as an investment in time and Paid as an investment in money. Having been a full time Social Media Marketing Manager in my previous full-time employment, I have the credentials to speak from experience.
When I had a budget for Twitter and Pinterest, I actually moved those funds to Facebook paid promotion instead. Also I personally don’t use Pinterest, but 5 years ago it outperformed Facebook for trackable sales for the B2C internet retailer I worked for.
I found the better use for Twitter was for customer service and turned our account over to that department to use.
Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram all require someone to run your marketing campaign that really knows what they are doing and are staying on top of the changes that are going on. None of this social media marketing should be left in the hands of amateurs if you really want to use social media to market your business.
Reach out to me if you have questions or want recommendations.
by Scott Howard | May 3, 2018 | Marketing and Advertising Insights, ScLoHo's Web World, The Not-So-Secret Writings of ScLoHo, WOWO Fort Wayne Radio Advertising with Scott Howard
Do job titles matter? I work for WOWO radio and a few years ago, our parent company, Federated Media began calling their advertising salespeople: Integrated Marketing Managers or Integrated Marketing Specialists or some other variation. The keywords are Integrated Marketing and it’s being used today to describe something that has been going on for a long time.
Integrated Marketing is simply the coordination of multiple marketing messages and outreaches that work together in harmony. For years this was a role of Advertising Agencies. Businesses would pay Ad Agencies to do all the advertising creative, buying advertising schedules and telling business owners what to do to be successful with their advertising.
Sometimes that works. Often the folks in an ad agency have talents and skills that the coffee shop owner, or boat builder, or carpet cleaner lack.
Ad agencies create the ads that we see and hear on a national scale. Some that come to mind are McDonalds, Home Depot, Google, car insurance ads, those are created by advertising agency professionals.
On a local level, most companies don’t have an advertising agency to do that work. Instead they rely on someone at the advertising outlets, like the TV station, the newspaper, the radio station to do the creative work. That might work out, but each of those individuals are only working in their advertising medium.
Or there are some advertising agencies that specialize in only one or two advertising mediums. Online, especially social media marketing has been the kind of boutique agencies that have popped up in the past decade. Some are pretty good, but most are pretty bad. The online world is constantly changing and the changes that Google makes to their algorithm, or Facebook to their news-feed, are out of our control.
But let’s get back to the subject of Integrated Marketing and job titles. The reason the Integrated Marketing Specialist or Integrated Marketing Manager job title has been adopted by several of my co-workers at Federated Media is because we actually do have the ability to work with more than one advertising platform and build marketing campaigns that are integrated across multiple mediums.
Right now, this month, I am running a few campaigns for different advertising partners that I call a Hot Leads program. I am using Email, Facebook, Text messaging, Radio ads on the air with WOWO and ads online. We gather names, contact information and a few specific questions for my advertising partners that will help them connect with people who want to be contacted by these specific advertising partners. This is truly an Integrated Marketing campaign.
However, I don’t recommend this to everyone I meet with. It’s not always appropriate, or the best marketing approach for the objectives we need to accomplish.
So my business card does not say Integrated Marketing Manager or Specialist. Instead I use terms that are very specific to what I do. Advertising Sales and Marketing Consultant.
I took a deep dive into that last week and you can read or listen to what I said if you wish.
My approach is to simply work with you in the way and manner that is most appropriate. I’ve been doing this since my youngest daughter was born and she’s now 32. I can help you sort out the jargon and advertising insider terms that others use to try and convince you to buy their stuff. And if you want an Integrated Marketing Specialist, I’m your dude too.
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