Monday Mornings with Madison

Category Archives:
Online Marketing

October 14, 2013

Fake Reviews – Part 2

Issue #301

With the advent of the Internet, word-of-mouth referrals, written recommendations and printed reviews have spread into the online world. All manner of websites now allow consumers, experts and trusted sources to write reviews about any product or service… or person, for that matter. Such sites abound including Linked In, Yelp, Trip Advisor, Angie’s List, Urbanspoon and countless others. They allow people to rate everything from restaurants and hotels to retailers and professionals. The problem is that as much as a quarter to a third of all online reviews are totally fake.
Some companies spend a lot of time and money to get good fake reviews or generate bad reviews for competitors. Why do they do it? Is it really all that beneficial to the business? And, if so, what’s to stop all businesses from writing fake reviews until no reviews – even legitimate ones – will have any credibility? Continue reading →

Leave a comment
October 7, 2013

Fake Reviews – Part 1

Issue #300

It’s been said that people do business with people they know, like and trust. That is considered by many to be a basic truth of business. The key ingredient of that formula is trust. Customers want to do business with companies that they trust will do a good job and treat them fairly and courteously. Long before the Internet, consumers used the old-fashioned but reliable method of identifying worthy vendors: Word-of-Mouth. It was understood that past performance was the best indicator of future behavior. From doctors to department stores and from Realtors to restaurants, people would frequent nearby businesses recommended by a family member, friend or colleague. A business that was highly recommended generally could be trusted to deliver a good product or service.
With the advent of the Internet, however, consumers had more choices of companies with which to do business, including companies that were much farther away than their neighborhood. The global village offered more choice but with it also came the challenge of knowing which businesses to trust. The old-fashioned method of identifying worthy vendors was updated for the Internet age. Word-of-mouth referrals evolved into online customer reviews. To facilitate the process, websites sprung up that allowed consumers to write reviews about their experience with that business. Sites such as Yelp, Trip Advisor, Angie’s List, Urbanspoon, Chowhound, and others, allowed customers to rate vendors; everything from restaurants and hotels to retailers and professionals. Problem solved? Not exactly. It now appears that as much as 25-33% of all online reviews are completely bogus. Called astro-turfing, the problem of fake reviews is a growing. Continue reading →

Leave a comment
September 9, 2013

The Scoop on LinkedIn’s Skill Endorsements Feature

Issue #297

About a year ago, LinkedIn — the preferred social media site for professionals (especially in the U.S. and U.K) — rolled out a new feature called ‘Skill Endorsements’. According to LinkedIn, skill endorsements were meant to be “a great way to recognize your 1st-degree connections’ skills and expertise with one click.” They were also supposed to “let your connections validate the strengths found on your own profile.” In short, Skill Endorsements were meant to be a simple and effective way of simultaneously building your professional brand and engaging your network. Fast forward one year. LinkedIn has recorded over 1 Billion Skill Endorsements to date. Yet, it also appears that the Skill Endorsements feature typically either baffles or bothers users most.

Questions about it abound. Beginners want to know how to give or receive Skill Endorsements? Others wonder whether they should endorse former employees or colleagues. Some want to know why LinkedIn implemented this feature at all. What is the point of Skill Endorsements? Still others want to know why LinkedIn’s Skill Endorsements feature functions as it does and, more importantly, is there a way to make it stop? These are all good questions. Let’s consider the methods, motives and madness of LinkedIn’s Skill Endorsements. Continue reading →

Leave a comment
August 19, 2013

101 Questions to Ask When Considering Marketing Strategies

Issue #294

The best marketers know that, when it comes to marketing, variety is necessary in order to cut through the fog of competition and the vast noise of the marketplace and be able to reach each customer where he or she lives. Regardless of the industry, there is no single marketing channel that is best. The key to successful, long-term marketing is to reach people in the myriad of ways in which they prefer to receive or are most open to accepting messages about products or services. Just as people come in all different shapes, sizes, colors, religions and cultures, so do their preferences for interaction and their receptivity to messages. Some people prefer email promotions. Others look at direct mail circulars. Still others are influenced by billboards. And others listen to radio ads. Some even look at good, old-fashioned print ads.

A marketing channel that is totally ‘outdated and passé’ to one person, such as a branded desk calendar, might be ‘old-school cool’ or just plain practical for someone else. And a new edgy marketing strategy that may make no sense to one person, such as mobile ads, may hit the bulls-eye with someone else. The key is to not fall into the trap of thinking “This doesn’t speak to me, so therefore it won’t appeal to anyone else.” The smartest marketers keep an open mind.

But keeping an open mind and embracing variety has a price. While a diverse marketing program is important, that approach – if unchecked – can also be prohibitively expensive. Given the ever-broadening number of marketing channels available, it is impossible to advertise or promote a company everywhere all the time. So how does one decide which strategies to try and which to ignore? It is a matter of analysis and assessment. The first step is to ask a lot of questions. Continue reading →

Leave a comment
August 12, 2013

In Search of The Best Marketing Channel

Issue #293

It’s been said that variety is the spice of life. Different strokes for different folks. To each his own. These expressions all communicate the fundamental truth that every individual has their own preferred way of doing things or approaching life. What resonates with one person may make no sense to someone else. What one person loves, another may detest.

Take, for instance, how people like their steaks cooked. Some like their steak cooked ‘medium’ which is pink at the center. Others like their meat a little less cooked, ‘medium-rare’, which is pink with a little red in the center. Still others go in the other direction and want a steak ‘well-done,’ cooked through until the meat is gray (which typically offends chefs and gourmands). At the other extreme, some prefer their steak so rare that it might still ‘moo’ on the table. So which customer is right? Is there one best way to cook a steak? When it comes to the restaurant business, the answer is that there is no single ‘right way’ to cook a steak. While chefs may have an opinion on the optimal temperature to cook meat, restaurateurs understand that they must serve it however the customer prefers. The customer – who is paying for the food — should get what they want the way they want it… and preferences vary greatly.

Is that also true of marketing? Is there one best way to deliver a marketing message to customers? Or do preferences vary greatly? If you ask most anyone in business about marketing, they likely will tout the virtues of one or two particular marketing channels above all others. Indeed, company leaders are perpetually in search of the single ‘best’ marketing channel. And they will argue vehemently in favor of the one they deem is ‘best.’ But is there one marketing channel that is consistently superior over all others? Continue reading →

Leave a comment
September 24, 2012

What is Brand Social Currency?

Issue #251

In recent weeks, we looked at reputation, brand and brand value as variables that impact a company’s worth in the global marketplace. We reviewed the various brand ranking reports that determine and monetize the value of the biggest brands in the world annually, including Interbrand’s 100 Best, Brandz’s Top 100 and Credit Suisse’s Great Brands. Those annual lists use a myriad of criteria to assess each brand’s value.

However, there is now a new report that examines ‘Brand Social Currency’, rather than brand value. Is there a difference between brand value and brand social currency? Apparently so. Brand value is about determining the worth of a brand based on internal factors such as clarity, commitment, protection and responsiveness, and external factors such as authenticity, relevance, differentiation, consistency, presence, and understanding. It looks at a company’s financials, sales, marketing, operations and reputation to monetize a brand’s worth.

Brand social currency, on the other hand, focuses on the point at which a brand intersects with, speaks to and integrates with customers within their daily life. Due to the increasing social nature of the Internet and mobile technologies, consumers and customers adopt these technologies and platforms and integrate them into daily life routines and contexts, such as using a phone to identify the closest store that carries a desired product at the best possible price. In order to survive and thrive, companies are finding new ways to allow their brands to interact with customers. Those efforts, in short, are what build brand social currency. Continue reading →

Leave a comment
August 13, 2012

Brand Reputation: Ruins, Revivals and Damage-Resistant Part 1: Rebranding Strategy

Issue #245

It used to be that a company’s reputation was based on the overall quality of the products or services it delivered, the value it provided, and the customer service it conveyed. Gaffs were generally forgotten over time. Sometimes, customers never even heard about minor issues in quality or service.

That is no longer the case. Television and radio made it easier for customers to become aware of any major company defects in quality, value or performance. Computers, the Internet and social media added to the public scrutiny of most any company’s brand and reputation. Today, companies must be exceedingly careful in protecting their reputation and brand.

Brand reputation is an integral part of a company’s strength or weakness. In some cases, a badly dinged reputation can add the final ‘f’ that turns an ailing brand into a failing brand. But a bad reputation does not always lead to brand death. Some companies have succeeded in redeeming badly damaged brands while other companies are able to sail through major corporate blunders with barely a scratch to its Teflon reputation. What makes a company’s brand either vulnerable or impermeable to reputation problems? Why do some corporate reputations end in ruin while others can be revived and still others are simply impervious? Continue reading →

Leave a comment
August 6, 2012

Sometimes All That Is Needed Is A Fresh Start

Issue #244

Recently, the IRS rolled out a new “Fresh Start’ program offering to wave failure-to-pay tax penalties for those who have been unemployed. The idea was to give people who have fallen behind on their taxes the chance to get their financial house in order and start fresh. To qualify, the person must have:
• been an employee who was unemployed for at least 30 consecutive days between January 1, 2011 and April 17, 2012,
• been self-employed with a 25% or higher reduction in business income in 2011
• had income that did not exceed $200,000 if filing jointly, or $100,000 for single or head of household, or
• had 2011 taxes due not exceeding $50,000.

With this program, the IRS understood that a ‘fresh start’ can be an empowering, uplifting and engaging force in life. The opportunity to wipe the slate clean and start again can give those who are tired and forlorn a renewed sense of hope and energy. Moving to a new town. Going to a new school. Beginning a new job. These events all inspire a feeling of ‘starting anew’ that can be invigorating. Underlying it all is the chance to do more… the possibility to be better… the prospect of improving in areas where one fell short in the past. But the concept of a ‘fresh start’ is not limited to people, programs and time. Companies also understand the power of a ‘fresh start.’ Embracing the concept, businesses have used the notion of a ‘fresh start’ to jumpstart areas of business that have lost focus, pep, or luster. Continue reading →

Leave a comment
July 9, 2012

What A Company’s Website Says About That Company

Issue #240

Ever visited a company’s website and thought ‘ugh?’ A website says a lot about a company, and it is often the first point of contact between the company and the customer. Business people know that image matters. Some would even go so far as to say that image is everything and that the public’s perception of that image is reality. The image that a company portrays becomes its reality. If a company’s image speaks of success, then that success becomes real. In fact, so many business people think this is true, that they take it a step further and advocate a “fake it ‘til you make it” image philosophy.

Even hardliners who insist that a company’s business model, products/services, management and operations are what primarily drive success will usually concede that a company’s image plays a pivotal role in a company’s ability to grow and thrive in today’s marketplace. And, today, a company’s website is a major part of its public image. A company’s website can either undermine or oversell a company’s success by telling the wrong story. And that can be damaging. What does your company’s website say about your company? Is your website telling the right story? Continue reading →

Leave a comment
July 2, 2012

What Do Search Engines Value In Websites?

Issue #239

What do search engines value in websites or web pages in order to rank them higher? This is the million-dollar question. No doubt that anyone who could definitively and conclusively give a complete and correct answer to this question could become an instant millionaire. But it basically is a trick question because anyone who can answer it, would only be able to answer with regard to how one particular search engine’s algorithms work, not all, and even that is an ever-moving target. The answer valid today would be obsolete tomorrow… or soon thereafter. It is a question over which SEO professionals obsess and marketers distress. And the question to which few will confess that what is believed is as much supposition and speculation as insight and intelligence.

The truth is that except for the computer engineers who work at the major search engines such as Google, Yahoo, Bing, etc., most people don’t entirely know all the variables or and weighting given to the myriad of signals used to determine a website’s rank by any search engine. It’s like the secret recipe for a great stew. There is a clear sense of what the main ingredients are, but not necessarily all of minor ingredients or the exact measurements for each or how they come together. So what are the most important ingredients and why keep them such a secret?

Anyone who is not deeply entrenched in the world of search may wonder why search engines are so secretive about how they do what they do. Why not just tell everyone how pages are ranked? The reason is simple. Search Engines keep their ‘algorythyms’ under wraps to prevent (or at least limit) people cheating, manipulating or skewing search results for their own benefit. Nevertheless, most SEO gurus agree that there are certain basics every website should have in order to rank well. Does your company’s website have them all? Continue reading →

Leave a comment