Commentary
Reduce, Reuse and Recycle to Recover
At the recent Life Services Network conference for senior housing and services, attendees came to be inspired and renewed with ideas and solutions. Certainly, the frustration of our economy and new healthcare reform confound marketers, managers and owners. However, it is also clear that the rules of engagement inherent to social media have permeated all their marketing efforts.
Reduce your marketing to goals.
Social media is based on the premises of transparency, generosity and caring. As a result, it has earned more than a pat on the head and a passing nod in the C-suite. Today, marketeers in nearly all industries integrate social media principles and practices into their goals for sales, clients, donors, etc. The goals are tangible and are established with hard numbers: how many sales do you want to make? website views? requests for information?
Reuse your messages.
Sharing is now a very big deal. Share what you know and excel at, if it could be of value to your prospects. However, do it with a purpose in mind and know what you want the reader to do with the information you have just given them. Do you want them to pass it along to others? Do you want them to write a comment to your article (then end with a question)? Do you want them to pick up the phone to learn more from you? Don’t make your reader guess, tell them what you want them to do with the information you have imparted.
Recycle your efforts.
Cross-promote your message with great care and attention to detail. It is likely that everything in your marketing tool box has the potential to work in more than a single capacity. For example, your print ads and direct mail pieces have often been related. Press releases can be posted on line, to your website, e-newsletters, social media venues. Then published articles can also be printed and mailed as direct mail, reprinted for your brochures, framed and posted in a photo gallery. Your posts can be shared on RSS feeds, among your accounts on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter, along with your myriad of other related blogs and outlets.
Recover by responding.
When you get a response, give a response. Say “thank you” often and quickly. If you receive a negative comment, address that personally if possible. If not, do it as soon as possible and with full transparency for the best possible outcome.
These are the essentials of marketing in today’s world. Thinking in terms of recycling and you will find ways to reduce your marketing costs, reuse your marketing efforts, and recover from the challenges of today’s marketplace.
Fancy New Features with Google+
Anyone who attends IVY’s presentations knows that we like to give you a heads up about what to watch in social media. Hot new products aren’t always worth your time to explore them but when a giant like Google attracts 25 million people to their new social media platform in just a few weeks — we think that’s worth a glance or two.
Google+, also known as Google Plus, is taking a swipe at Facebook, Twitter and FourSquare with their new social media platform. It’s got some pretty amazing features…
“Circles” allows users to choose the circles of people you want to communicate with in different ways. For example, you might chose to have one circle for your family, one for your friends, another for classmates, colleagues and an entirely separate one for your work supervisors. This handy little feature means your mom or your boss can’t stalk you as easily as before. You are able to share the different sides of yourself with the appropriate group of people.
Challenging FourSquare is “Hangouts.” This feature lets you alert chosen people where you are located in real time. If they don’t come to see you personally, conference your text messages with the Google+ feature, “Huddle.” Automatic photo uploads from your phone are much easier with “Instant Upload” and you selectively decide which of your circles should be able to view your photos. This is a nice privacy feature Facebook does not offer. Even better, Google+ will allow you to permanently delete the photos and other content you post.
Finally, the engineering wizardry of Google’s search algorithms comes alive with “Sparks” where content that interests you is sent as soon as it is available; so when you are ready, it’s there for your consumption.
According to a published report in PRWeb Magazine, nearly 2/3 of over 2,000 web developers surveyed by Appcelerator/IDC, believe Google can catch up with Facebook in the social networking scene with Google+. When asked why, 68 percent of developers say that leveraging Google’s assets (eg: Search, YouTube, Maps, etc) trumps Facebook’s social graph lead.
Information about business applications for Google+ has not been released yet and may still be in the research and development stages. Developers are spending their time working hard to respond to the few early adopters who were asked to test out the platform. Google+ appears to really be listening to suggestions.
Clearly the battle of the Internet superpowers is gearing up. Facebook is attempting to develop search engine capabilities and “Facebook Mail” while Google enters the social media fray for a second time (Google Buzz died amidst a flurry of unresolved privacy issues). We doubt you’ll want to be on the sidelines for long with this great new technology ready to be tackled.
Remarkable Content
Don’t think you’re a remarkable writer? Then write about something remarkable.
Remarkable content is within your grasp every day. What made you smile today? What made you angry, or sad or surprised you? Dozens of simple, possibly significant triggers come into your life daily. Capture them, break them down into their basic parts. Think about why you reacted as you did and what greater impact that revelation could have on people with the same interests and you — especially those interested in your online content or blog.
It’s really very simple. Let’s say you see a field of daffodils. You find them beautiful and it pleases your sensory receptors. Ask yourself: why? Do you like the color of the yellows and whites against the rich green leaves with the blue sky backdrop? Although being in that field of daffodils might be a “you gotta be there moment” what the colors mean to you and others could be an intriguing topic. Throw in a few serious facts about color, such as studies that support the claim that yellow sparks creativity, green generally means freedom and the blue from the sky is calming. Invite others to think about color, what it means to them, how they use it, what the “universal” opinion of certain colors may be. Take a photo or video of the daffodil field to accompany your commentary. You just wrote a 400 word article that is interesting to read, relevant to your audience, about something… remarkable.
This very easy process can be applied to anything in your life whether it is work-related or personal. Every day you face new challenges. You have new ideas. Again, just think about them in a wider context to test the topic’s ability to be developed into something interesting for many readers.
All writers suffer from ‘writer’s block’ from time to time. They don’t know where to start and nothing is intriguing them. That’s when you get out the Guinness Book of World Records or Google something very strange and interesting. It will spark your creative juices and your fingers will be dancing over that keyboard in no time.
Another writer’s tip is to start in the middle rather than the beginning of your story. The opening to your narrative will show itself when you have written the body of your copy. In fact, since many people write two or three paragraphs before they even get to the true lead of their topic, starting in the middle can work out just fine.
The moral of this story is that your don’t have to be a remarkable writer, you just need something remarkable to write about.
How to Construct a Social Media Plan
It’s true: those who fail to plan, plan to fail. While social media is often perceived to be random, rudderless and routine (and sometimes is), a well-structured Social Media Strategy can make a significant difference in your communications with prospects and clients.
Your plan must start with a good, interactive website, rich with ways to help people improve whatever they might want to improve. Your website should have an active blog with new posts at least once a week. These two pieces are the hub of your marketing effort and the cornerstone to your Strategic Social Media Plan.
Your website/blog should sport:
• Value to others in many forms: physical, mental, emotional or financial.
• Innovation and Humor.
• Consistency. Make your posts as frequent as possible — at least weekly.
• Media of all sorts from articles, to photos and videos should be easily accessible from your website.
• Your brand on every page: logo, colors, phone numbers, etc.
• A call to action. Free stuff is very, very good!
2) Your Plan should identify what social media vehicles, groups and blogs to join. Be selective and strategic about what groups you choose. Then, keep up with them. Participate. Add value to the conversation. Make “offers” to them that will improve something they are interested in. Send them to good links (not just your own).
3) Leverage the communities you are in to publish your informative, helpful and humorous information. It CANNOT be self-promotional.
4) Choose the right networks. YouTube is the best place to host your videos but Facebook is a great way to have a conversation.
5) Build your relationships by being available, trustworthy and helpful in all your interactions. Do NOT sell!
6) Listen to the conversations. If you hear or see something worth sharing, pass it along with a link so the credit goes where it is due.
7) Integrate your traditional marketing into your social media marketing. Cross promote your website and blog with brochures, events, advertising and give-aways.
8) Measure your results. How many new “friends” have you made? How many more subscribers do you have to your newsletter? How times have your comments or content been shared with others?
9) Sign up for free company listings with search engines.
10) Re-evaluate and re-tool when necessary; but remember, it takes a long time to build relationships so give it a year or more to determine if you are being effective with your Strategic Social Media Plan.
Did Social Media Remove a Dictator?
Social and peer pressure has long been known to cause change. But if you still believe there is no real power in social media, one post at a time, one hashtag per thought, you have not been paying attention to the debate about the Egyptian Revolution. And, although Hasni Mubarak could oppress and dictate the lives of Egyptians as well as, try to block the chatter among Internet users, he could not stop the Revolution that brought down his dictatorship of 30 years.
Certainly no social media revolution can succeed without a pervasive desire for change. Egyptians wanted to stop the oppression. Their cries struck emotional cords and allowed people their individual voices. This Revolution, much like President Obama’s campaign and the peaceful transition of power in Tanisia, became a collaborative outcry of brave, committed people whose physical presence created change in a country.
On January 27, two days following the beginning of the peaceful protest in Cairo’s Tahrir Square, Mubarak shut down the Internet in an attempt to squelch the swelling crowds. A young Google employee from Cairo named Wael Ghonim was arrested on January 28 and secretly detained until February 7 — he was the then-anonymous founder of the “We Are All Khaled Said” Facebook page and initially called for and organized the January 25 protest.
The “We Are All Khaled Said” Facebook Page mission states: “Khaled Said, 28 years old, was tortured to death by 2 Egyptian Policemen in the street. The incident has woken up Egyptians to work against the systematic torture in Egypt and the 30 years running emergency law. We need international supporters to help us stand against Police brutality in Egypt. We invite you to support our cause.”
The Egyptian nation is a country of 82 million people. Techcrunch http://techcrunch.com/2011/02/11/feb11/
reports that there are around 17 million Internet users, 60 million cell phone subscribers, 7 million home phones, and 5 million Facebook users that essentially created the largest flashmob ever, with around 8 million protesters in the streets across Egypt, according to reports. Dozens of other countries, hearing the online pleas from Egyptians, gathered in their own country’s streets to rally support for the protestors in Tahrir Square. From posting videos on YouTube, to using PhotoShop to create symbolic logos for the opposition, to using Facebook to organize protests, the events of the 18-day siege undoubtedly played out online.
According to NPR, organizers promised one another that they would each bring at least ten non-connected people they knew to the protests. They even agreed on messaging tactics in advance. In order to better succeed at recruiting poorer, less-educated Egyptians to join them, they focused on economic issues as a rallying cry, not torture.
NPR further reported that the fact that everything was very organized from the beginning made people feel safe and more willing to participate. It was not a random or spontaneous upheaval; it was well planned and organized. This web-based planning was critical, given that the vast majority of people on the “We Are All Khaled Said” page — and those who entered the streets on the 25th — were not veteran human rights activists and bloggers.
Jeff Jarvis, who blogs about media and news at Buzzmachine.com, authored What Would Google Do? (HarperCollins 2009), is associate professor and director of the interactive journalism program at the City University of New York’s new Graduate School of Journalism, has this to say about the Internet and how we can and should use it:
http://thefastertimes.com/mediaandtech/2011/02/13/facebook-twitter-and-the-egyptian-revolution/
1. We have a right to connect.
2. We have the right to speak.
3. We have the right to assemble & act.
4. Privacy is a responsibility of knowing.
5. Publicness is a responsibility of sharing.
6. Information should be public by default, secret by necessity.
7. What is public is a public good.
8. All bits are created equal.
9. The Internet shall be operated openly.
10. The Internet shall be distributed.
Of course, the Internet did not create this or any other revolution. In fact, it creates nothing but a way to share, to listen and to be heard. Whether we want to revolutionize ourselves, our business or our passions, the Internet is a powerful tool for each of us to use.
The Marketing Smoothie Recipe for Older Adult Services
Take your direct mail, your advertising, your website, Facebook page, special events and put them all in a blender. Combine, mix on high and serve immediately. The rich flavors will create a marketing masterpiece worthy of your finest efforts. Yields: New customers. Will keep for at least one year.
It’s true, every ingredient you add to your marketing mix is going to enhance the effectiveness of your campaign especially when you combine them and let them work together to support each other. This is especially true when appealing to older adults. Seniors usually read direct mail and watch or listen to commercials, hence the expiration date for these mediums is further out than say, print advertising. That .5% response rate you get with direct mail may bring people to your community, your store or your website. Use it wisely because it is quite expensive; however, it can boost interest and awareness about your organization when you promote your website, blog, Facebook, etc., in the mailed piece (email or snail mail).
Special events are a great place to have people sign up with their email addresses. Offer something for free, or an opportunity to win cash or a give-away and you’ll get more email addresses. Take your online magazine or website on the road — to senior fairs, to trade events, anywhere you can. Then let people see what they can learn, enjoy and gain value from by participating in your online activities.
Of course there’s a menu of options for those folks who like to consume the latest communications trends of Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and blogs, too. First, connect your Facebook page, Twitter, YouTube and LinkedIn accounts via any one of a number of new social media management services that are often free. Then link all of that to your website. Connect the paths among all these accounts to your blog or online magazine, to reputable referral sites and of course, your RSS Feed. Promote your events on your site, within these accounts, offer special discounts, etc. via these mediums. You can even try pay-per-click advertising on search engines and referral sites.
In your monthly statements or newsletters, provide links and special advantages to using your organization’s online tools. Use signage throughout your venue to promote your online and make it worth a prospect’s while to seek out your business on the Internet.
Online strategies are far less expensive overall and are proving to be about 60% less per lead than traditional tactics. However, a slow but steady shift of funds and efforts away from the traditional methods into the online is a far more successful way to reach the older adult market. Use the next year or two to change your lead-generating diet to mostly online.
Since Mad Men
A personal account of advertising agency life by Debra Sheridan, President of IVY Marketing Group on its 20th Anniversary
For those of you who watch Mad Men on AMC, you are probably stunned by the antics of the early 1960′s advertising agency creatives and partners. Well, when I entered the large advertising agency scene in the early 1970′s, things weren’t much better. I had to lie about being able to type over 90 words per minute so that I could get into the creative department rather than the secretarial pool. Oh, and yes, I was asked to be my boss’ “friend” with the assurance that doing so would bring me great career advancements, on more than one occasion. After a particularly trying large agency experience, I found that better-behaved creative and business people could be found in smaller agencies (perhaps there were just fewer place to hide, people to blame). But as anyone who works in this business knows, once it gets into your blood — you’re hooked.
As a writer and account executive, there was a great deal of freedom to work from home. A perfect solution for my husband and three children. As always, all things come to an end and the agency where I was working, decided to close in early 1990. To keep my flexibility and serve my five clients as promised, I started IVY Integrated Marketing, our original name until one of our receptionists changed it to IVY Marketing because she thought it was entirely too difficult to say. We made that official in 1997 with IVY Marketing Group. IVY is named for my parents, Ruth and Paul Ivy. Since the name ends with them, I wanted to give them a legacy that would be a tribute to their intelligence, integrity and creativity.
Business in 1990 was very different then, than it is now. For starters, I only needed a computer for word processing and a laser printer. The big question was “should I buy an Apple or an IBM computer?” Apple offered the Apple II or the Mac but there was also the PC, a far more affordable option. A printer, calculator, our brand new logo foil stamped and embossed on business cards, stationery and envelopes resided on newly-purchased used furniture. A postage meter was not in the budget; neither was a fax machine which was now popular in the business world but priced in the thousands of dollars range. The only vestige from the first days is an HP laser printer which remains faithful by my side, kicking out every page I ask of it. We’ve been through scads of printers and computers since our opening day. I will take it as a sign that I should retire if my little printer ever gives up.
I was fortunate to pioneer the cellular phone for AT&T. It was installed in my car requiring several hours of technical know-how but had a feature that allowed it to be disconnected so it was portable. While I don’t remember its weight, it was about the size of two reams of paper when in its case.
On August 17, 1990, IVY Integrated Marketing was incorporated. With me was my wonderful graphic designer and now dear friend, Noreen Mancini. She comfortably worked at her drafting table, with a razor blade usually resting between her teeth, hot wax gun in hand and Letraset, sheets of dry transferrable lettering, at the ready. I had my PC computer, my little printer and collection of supplies. Getting Noreen off the drafting board and onto a computer was very challenging. I bought her the nicest Mac we could afford and sent her to class. It took years before I heard her whisper that she loved the computer.
We grew the company to serve many clients and 18 employees in 3 short years. Our business expanded to include senior housing, residential developments, retail and office asset management companies along with state and local governments. We were surrounded by electronic gadgets like scanners, copiers, printers, cameras along with our computers and printers.
Agency life got sweeter when we started using email and the internet. After years of rifling through books and periodicals at the library, I could find information at my desk via my state-of-the-art one-gigabyte computer. We loaded up on fancy software, even an expensive accounting system so we could bill not just by the hour but by the copy, the fax or the postage amount. We could even cut down the time to complete projects and better communicate with clients with e-mail — wow!
But, I was about to get my own professional jolt in 2005, when the world of marketing, advertising and public relations was reinventing itself. With a foundation in public relations, our concern grew when paper and magazine pages dwindled and public service announcements were only at 2 a.m. That meant IVY Marketing Group needed to change with the technology. Today, we have sharpened our skills to include anything online — social media, blogs, public relations and advertising.
It’s still a mad, mad world, but we love it. And, so today, 20 years later, we are excited about the amazing people we’ve worked with and for… the plethora of communications opportunities available to our clients… and what we will learn and implement tomorrow.
Borrowing from Real Estate Cousins
Location, location, location is, and always has been, the mantra for real estate which applies to every sector of the industry. It speaks to convenience, present and future value, proximity to people and places and preferences. That’s why residential real estate can borrow from retail and resort sectors, senior housing can borrow from residential and industrial can borrow from office. And, we can all borrow from each other.
So how are residential real estate agents marketing their products to weather the financial storm?
We all recognize that the real estate housing market was a critical factor in the recent demise of our economy. If affects all real estate sectors but when it comes to where we live, it really hits home. The classic: a sign in the yard, a pictures on the church bulletin, an MLS listing and broker specialties, such as “specialist in senior housing” still anchor the real estate market. However, successful agents showcase their product to the internet via interactive websites, video tours with lifestyle components to them, online classified ads and social media.
New technology allows agents to really give a personality to their listing, just like this video from Planomatic (http://photoplan.planomatic.com/viewer.php?propertyTourID=3275). There is also a considerable amount of detail about the property that is right at your finger tips. In fact, you can make your Planomatic video and property information an app on your iPhone.
Twitter and mobile media are good tools for urgency. If a property is just up for sale, just reduced, just received a bid or has been sold, the real time status is just a click, ring or buzz away. Could this be used by sales people everywhere to create urgency for your sought after product, service or property? What’s happening in the community right now? Let the prospect ponder, “What would my life be like if I were there?”
Senior housing specialists have never considered their products to be real estate but rather lifestyle. Clearly, it is a complicated sale with that nagging sense of finality to it. However, generally speaking, consumers still fund their housing with real estate. An online classified ad might bring that all important lead, especially if you have a great story to tell to go along with the real estate. Twitter or Facebook are options to bring news to people where they get their news, especially as we talk to the adult children of older adults.
Residential real estate agents are quick to let people know what is conveniently located to their listings. Savvy agents also add local calendars, real estate values, links to different events and locations that give someone a sense of place. This is added to their interactive websites, Facebook with links to Twitter, LinkedIn and other relevant groups that can either assist with the sale of the product or the potential end buyer.
According to the Inman News Company (http://www.futureofrealestatemarketing.com/), which is a wonderful resource for residential real estate brokers, social media rules apply for real estate, just as they do for other industries.
Rule 1) don’t just talk about yourself.
Rule 2) Post great content along with your listing.
Rule 3) Never claim someone else’s content as your own.
Rule 4) Don’t give out too much information.
Rule 5) Learn the language of the network, group, constituents you are taking with and use it.
We couldn’t agree more.
Providence Life Services Realizes Social Media Success
When you have a 90% score on your website that Hubspot grades against all websites in every industry… over 7,000 people visit your site monthly… and, you use technology resources to distribute your messages to over 100,000 active emails accounts, you are leading the pack in online communications best practices. Such is the case with Providence Life Services (PLS), a not-for-profit Christian ministry serving seniors and headquartered in south suburban Chicago.
A four person staff designs, writes and manages the marketing for seven communities, four home and community based service groups, four rehabilitation centers as well as the parent organization, PLS. Along with PLS’ website functionality that is content rich and frequently updated, the marketing team manages the Facebook pages for the corporation along with their independent and assisted living communities.
“Originally our participation on Facebook was driven by a desire to provide a ministry for the families of residents. The snippets of daily life caught in photos, stories, videos, etc., are a wonderful way for the families to see what the lives of their loved ones are like,” commented Director of Communications, Melanie Jongsma. Mary James, Vice President of Communications and Marketing added that it has become a great marketing tool, too!
“Introducing social media into the Providence Life Services marketing and communications strategy is a result of three years spent rebranding our organization which included a name change from Rest Haven to Providence Life Services,” according to James. “Credit must be given to our CEO, Rick Scott, for his vision to embrace social media and technology as a significant component of our communications strategy.”
Peggy Hiemer designs and manages the website, Facebook accounts for PLS and its communities along with e-newsletters to various constituent groups. Ms. Jongsma and Ms. Hiemer led a training class for community marketing directors to teach them how Facebook works. Their community Facebook pages launched three months ago. “The success of the Facebook pages are directly related to the interest and dedication of the onsite point person. The more buy-in there is at the local level the more successful Facebook is as a communication tool for the residents.”
Mary James added, “We consider it critically important for the staff to participate in the online discussion since each community is a ‘family’ of staff and residents.” PLS never screens the comments that are made on the site or Facebook, however, they are monitored closely. “When a not-so- complimentary comment comes into the conversations, we are quick to find something to offset it,” says James.
Traditional marketing methods are still used by PLS since the target market responds to direct mail and events. However, whenever we feel we can transfer a message via the internet, we will,” exclaimed James.
Debra Sheridan, president of IVY Marketing Group was invited to present a workshop at last month’s Life Services Network Conference in Chicago. The prestigious event drew hundreds of professionals in all areas of the senior housing industry. “Being invited to be a presenter was really an honor as this conference draws the very best in the field,” said Debra.
Debra spoke about the importance of keeping good ideas flowing in order to advance the sales process with more interesting content used within blog posts, social media updates, videos, eBooks, newsletters and webinars. “This content serves you in many ways as it improves search engine rankings, drives traffic to websites, helps to nurture leads and assists in establishing you as an expert in your field,” she said. “But it can’t be just any content. It has to be relevant and remarkable.”
Generating a constant stream of interesting topics is challenging. Debra offered some tricks for indentifying intriguing topics.
One of the best tips of all is to keep a backlog of stories and/or topics handy. This should include, but not be limited to, evergreen content. Not everything needs to be hot or trending or the latest buzz. Evergreen content includes topics that are always interesting to your audience regardless of seasonal trends, economic conditions or other external factors.
Debra concluded that, as is the case with beautiful women, “all content is more attractive if it is well accessorized. Use photos, videos, links to other sites, research, case studies, quotes ad anything else that will enhance the content of your publication.”
Dare to be Fascinating Presentation 2012