This is a brief abstract of an important article appearing in AdAge this week that we felt was worth sharing with our readers. At Billups Design we’re engineering solutions that enable advertisers to focus on interest-based advertising that delivers the right message at the right time and place in every consumer’s consideration process. We agree with AdAge that current (outmoded) methods of retargeted advertising result in massive media spend waste and actually create negative brand-association with consumers. It past time to do it a better way – and we have the media strategies, technology and creative insights to help retailers…
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Kickstarter: Everything You Need To Dive Right into The Deep End of Digital Marketing
It’s really hard to predict exactly what great new social media sites are going to take the internet by storm. Even companies like Google need three tries to break in and even now it’s still not a guaranteed shot. Every site has a social media expert who has said it’s the next big thing. I was a big fan of Formspring for a long time and it hasn’t taken off like I thought it would, the same goes for Justin.TV. Although with original sponsored programming coming it could be in for a boost but that’s not this article. This time I want to highlight a site that is already starting to pop in a big way, Kickstarter.
Read MoreHow Borders could have used Social Media to boost their Chances of Survival
When I did marketing for one of the riverboat casinos in the Chicago area I was told a lot of excuses for why a particular day didn’t draw as many people as they wanted. Some of my favorites were. “No buddy wants to go the casino in the winter. It’s cold and snowy. People just want to stay in.” “No one wants to come out in the spring.” “Kids are still in school and they want to be outside after being cooped up inside all winter.” “People don’t go to the casino in the summer. They want to be outside…
Read MoreIs Google Plus Finally Getting Google a Foothold in Social Media?
One of my favorite quotes, and one I use when talking about digital advertising, comes from hockey legend Wayne Gretsky. He said “Don’t go where the puck is; go where it’s going to be.” In a nut shell I mean that if you are looking to invest in a new form of digital media you probably aren’t going to be successful if you just do what everyone else is doing. Facebook wasn’t a success because it just copied MySpace, it connected you with people in your school with similar interest, once it got big doing that then it branched out…
Read MoreUsing Coupons to Boost Your Social Media Presence While Keeping Fans
As I’ve said here on The Stairwell many times, one of the keys to social media marketing is to give your fans something new as much as possible. That can be everything from new information or even just a laugh, or something to talk about. That can be okay for a bit. But if you really want to build a following and convert your social media presence into genuine customers you need to give them something concrete – either a giveaway for something real or coupons they can come in and use. A great social media giveaway accomplishes two things.…
Read MoreHow to deal with customer complaints and negativity on social media. (And no you can’t just block them all)
The first time I launched a social media site we talked a lot about answering questions and dealing with complaints. We tried our best to prepare as much as possible and plan for what things we thought would come up. That was our first mistake. You have to realize two things when your work in digital advertising and social media. First of all the internet is a magical place where anybody can come out of anywhere and become a national brand no matter where you are as long as you have something people want. The second thing you need to…
Read MoreFighting a PR war in a Digital Age: How Playstation can move forward after a disastrous few weeks
Damage control isn’t easy for companies these days. With an increasingly media savvy consumer base, it’s hard to get past a damaging story. You don’t really have control over a news cycle and it’s hard to tell if stories are going to linger or if they’re going to die. The folks at Playstation are currently going through this and a few more problems. First, Nintendo announced their next generation video game console, both Dish Network and Direct TV announced plans to branch out into download-able content ( a big selling point for Playstation) and then, what could be the beginning…
Read MoreHow Big Deals Can Change Things for Every Business Looking to Get Online
The thing about the current social media scene is that it’s still very much in its infancy. As far as new forms of media go, it’s about what television was 5 or 6 years after it was available for the masses. Just like those early days of television things were a little chaotic. The networks were scrambling to slap together content. When ABC and Disney struck a big content deal in 1954 it completely changed the face of the medium and went a long way toward stabilizing the way people made television. Social media is still at a position that…
Read MoreCombining Social and Physical Media
A few articles back, I talked a bit about packaging and how you can tie all your different social media sites together to make them even stronger. Some companies have taken things to the next level by packaging everything together, including their print and online ads. Particularly, companies like Kraft Foods and Pepsi have started using social media to boost their print campaigns and vice versa. It’s a great thing because it calls attention to their social media while giving them a unique marketing campaign.
There are some drawbacks to using your social media along with your print media. Well,…
Read MoreSmall Business Marketing on Tablet Computers
One of the first articles I did here, well over a year ago, was about the launch of the IPad. At the time the tablet computer was a brand new medium that could have gone the way of the PSP. (Although it should have been obvious that nobody would watch a movie on a 4.3square inch screen but I digress) It gained a sizeable following despite people saying it was “just a big Iphone.” Like all new technology it takes a generation or two for advertisers to really get behind it. Streaming video has been around for almost a decade…
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