Posts Tagged ‘marketing tips’

Keeping an Eye on your Digital Profile: Food Network Star Learns the Hard Way about Importance of Reputation Management

Wednesday, 27 February, 2013 20:08
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At McCauley Marketing Services, we often discuss with our clients the importance of keeping a watchful eye on their business’presence online. As more and more people use the Internet as their first source of information and research, your business’s digital reputation can affect how existing and potential customers view your brand.
digital marketing profilesRecently, Guy Fieri, a Food Network personality, opened up his new restaurant, Guy’s American Kitchen and Bar, in Times Squares but received some negative press when the New York Times published a harsh review. This past week, Guy received more negative coverage when an individual purchased the domain, guysamericankitchenandbar.com, to create a parody website.  At McCauley Advertising, we always advise our clients to obtain multiple domain names. Not only does this help avoid the situation Guy is dealing with, but it is also much more cost effective to purchase a potential domain name before another business grabs it first.

Specializing in reputation management, we work to effectively address negative situations for our clients.  With numerous user review sites including Yelp, Kudzu, and CitySearch, individuals can potentially leave negative reviews. Responding to these reviews as well as positive reviews is imperative in showing potential and existing customers that your online reputation and customer relationship management are top priorities for your business.

If you are interested in learning more about our reputation management services, please visit our website. Be sure to connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn  and Pinterest for the latest marketing news and tips.

Decoding: Online Marketing Slang

Friday, 27 July, 2012 14:10
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It can be difficult sifting through articles and information online when the language often seems cryptic. Online marketing terms are often shortened, abbreviated, and incorporated in everyday business meetings and articles.  Although, this lingo can seem daunting at first, it’s imperative to understand these terms to keep pace in today’s digital marketing arena. McCauley Marketing Services is here to provide you with a cheat sheet of popular marketing abbreviations with a brief definition.

PPC = pay per click is a search engine marketing strategy used to direct traffic to your site and reach potential prospects.

SEO = search engine optimization is the process of making your business’s website visible in search engines such as Google, Yahoo, Bing etc. on search engine results pages.

SERP= search engine results pages include a list of web pages returned by search engines when a keyword or key phrase is searched.

CTR=click thru rate is a way to measure the success of your website’s campaign through the number of clicks on an ad divided by the number of times the ad is shown to someone.

CPC = cost per click is the measurement of cost paid per click-through.

FB = Facebook is a social networking site.

PR = Page rank is a numerical value that represents how relevant a website or page is on the web.

WP = WordPress is a blogging tool and a publishing platform that businesses can use to customize their website or blog. WordPress is the largest self-hosted blogging tool in the world and is used by millions of people and businesses every day.

SEM = Search Engine Marketing is a type of internet marketing that utilizes tactics such as search engine optimization, paid placement, contextual advertising, and paid inclusion to increase rankings on search engine results pages.

This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to marketing code, but understanding the basics will help your business stay in tuned with a dynamic marketplace and target new customers. At McCauley Marketing Services, we offer custom business analysis and strategic planning to maximize your company’s success.  Keep reading our blog for more marketing tips and information. Don’t forget to follow us Facebook, Twitter, Google +, and Pinterest to stay updated on the latest marketing news.

Seventeen Magazine Staff Signs Body Peace Treaty to Open Up about Photo Editing

Friday, 13 July, 2012 12:39
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As we divulged in our blog about Photoshop® mishaps and how to avoid them, graphic designers commonly use photo editing software to manipulate the pictures we see in print and online advertisements and other marketing materials. Although most photo editing is done in order to enhance an image to make it more aesthetically pleasing, some photo editing is deemed unethical. For instance, tabloids are commonly filled with manipulated photos in order to make a person believe something that isn’t true, and as we showed in our previous blog, they do not always pay attention to detail.
Although most marketing professionals can agree that releasing materials with glaring mistakes like a missing arm or foot is bad PR, some retouched photos are done in such a way that they appear real—so real that people begin trying to look like what they see. Sadly, photos of blemish-free, toned bodies greatly affect teenagers. However, Julia Bluhm, a 14-year-old from Maine, has made it her mission to get magazine publishers to open up about photo retouching.

A few months ago, Bluhm wrote a petition that went viral. Her demand was for Seventeen to include one untouched photo spread per month. The petition received 84,000 signatures. Bluhm fears that young women have lost the true meaning of beauty. They see images of perfect models and compare themselves even though the photos have been retouched, which can lead to low self-esteem.

On July 3rd, Seventeen magazine took the petition a step further, announcing a new policy, called the Body Peace Treaty, to be signed by each employee stating they would never change models’ bodies or faces and only use healthy models. Seventeen also plans to explain what goes on behind the scenes at their photo shoots. Seventeen isn’t the only publication feeling the pressure to limit Photoshop® use in advertisements and photo spreads as the American Medical Association and the National Eating Disorders Association agree that retouched images can lead to body image issues. Bluhm is ecstatic by this response, but she isn’t ready to stop there. She’s teamed up with two other young girls, Carina Cruz and Emma Stydahar, to continue her efforts.

While it’s easy to use photo editing software to enhance photography, there’s a fine line between what’s right and wrong. As we stated in our other Photoshop® blog, proofreading work, including flyers and ads, is extremely important to your company’s reputation or brand. When you are proofreading, take a moment to think about what you are seeing in the ad. If it’s deceiving or could make a person believe something that isn’t true, you may want to rethink the images or add a note about the changes that were made. Consumers respect businesses that are more transparent.

Keep reading the McCauley Marketing Services blog for more marketing tips, and visit our website to learn more about what we have to offer. Also, be sure to connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and Pinterest for more marketing news and updates.

How to Respond to Negative Reviews Online

Thursday, 29 March, 2012 14:54
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mccauley servicesIt’s every business owner’s worst nightmare—the negative online review. Impossible to control, people feel like they can say whatever they want behind the anonymity of the internet. Sites like Google, Yelp, and Kudzu allow consumers to rate and review everything from restaurants to plastic surgeons so other patrons can know what to expect. While these sites offer people a place to really sing your praises, they also give unhappy customers a venue for retaliation.

When you inevitably meet the day that you receive an angry review online, here are a few things to remember:

Don’t ignore it. It won’t disappear. You may think that negative reviews online don’t really affect your business, but the internet is becoming the new word of mouth. If your friends urge you to stay away from a restaurant because the waiters are jerks, you’re more likely to try a different place. By ignoring online reviews, you’re letting unhappy customers dictate what hundreds or even thousands of potential customers see as an online representation of your business meaning it’s equally important to respond in a timely manner. Furthermore, it’s meaningful to customers who write negative reviews for someone to reach out and let them know their voice has been heard. Replying to a negative review will not only redeem your company’s online reputation, but might even help you gain back a disgruntled client.

There are rare occasions you may want to ignore certain reviews like when you come across one from five years ago. It’s better to ignore that than open up an old can of worms. Seek professional help from an experienced reputation management company to get more information on when NOT to respond.

Never respond negatively.  Kill ‘em with kindness, but don’t be a pushover, either. While it’s easy to get caught up in the emotion of bad reviews, the internet is never a place to argue. Online etiquette is easily muddled when typed instead of said in person. Don’t blame the person or try to defend yourself in a belligerent way. Instead, phrase things in a reconciliatory tone that doesn’t reflect poorly on your business. If they get the facts wrong, correct them! If they’re complaining about the worst haircut ever and you’re a dermatologist—say so! If reviewers are making detrimental claims that can be refuted with evidence, we encourage you to link to that evidence in your response so researchers will have confirmation of your claims. For example, if someone is claiming you’ve been sanctioned by the Better Business Bureau, and your slate is clean, link to your BBB profile for validation. Additionally, giving them business contact information in your response is beneficial as it can help keep them from retaliating via online reviews that are visible to everyone.

Apologize for the bad experience, and make amends. Most often bad online reviews are about bad customer service. People write when their service expectations just weren’t met. Just because one customer had a bad experience, doesn’t mean your company is bad at customer service all the time, though. Without admitting fault, say you’re sorry that the client’s service expectations weren’t met and ask for an opportunity to earn back their business. Whether it’s a gift certificate or a replacement product, a repeat customer is worth the small cost of making sure their testimonial is a positive one.

If it’s serious, get assistance. While most people are genuinely disgruntled, there are some online reviewers who are just mad at the world. If negative online reviews turn into harassment, don’t hesitate to seek help. As a customer relationship management firm, we know that laws regarding evidence on the internet are still being firmed up, and it’s always smarter to cover your bases.

Maintaining your online reputation is more than keeping your website up to date and staying active on social media. Responding openly when you get a negative online review shows that your clients and their positive experiences are your top priorities. For more online marketing tips and the latest in internet news, follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

You’ve Been Promoted! Twitter Offers Advertising Options

Wednesday, 14 March, 2012 09:11
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mccauley servicesIf you’re a frequent Twitter user, you’ve probably noticed the tweets of people or organizations that you don’t follow have started showing up in your feed along with a little orange box. Twitter is now offering forms of advertising to companies looking to capitalize on the search-engine-like capabilities of the social media platform: promoted tweets, accounts, and trends.

According to Twitter’s website, promoted tweets are the space purchased by advertisers to show up on the Twitter feed of a certain group of people characterized by the people users follows and their interests. Promoted accounts are similar except they show up in the “Who to Follow” box, and promoted trends appear in the trend box underneath that. Promoted tweets and trends are currently in the Beta stage, while promoted accounts are available.

These forms of social media advertisements work on a cost-per-engagement basis in which a company advertising through a promoted tweet pays their bid price every time a Twitter user clicks on, retweets, replies to, or favorites your tweet. Bid prices can range based on the popularity of your topic and are available in Twitter search where they are targeted toward keywords. Promoted accounts are charged on a cost-per-follow basis, meaning the bid price is charged each time a Twitter user follows that account. Promoted trends are offered on a flat daily fee usually costing tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars, but your trend is posted at the top of each logged-in Twitter user’s Trend list, regardless of location.

The high cost of advertising on Twitter has turned off many potential clients including HBO and Toyota according to an article on VentureBeat.com. However, the article’s author, Tom Cheredar, speculates that this high cost is due to the fact that, “Unlike search engine marketing, those who advertise their message with Twitter have a better chance of creating a long-term relationship with consumers.”

The newest addition to Twitter’s list of promoted content includes an enhanced profile page to allow for more company brand identity than usually allowed on a typical Twitter profile including a header image (similar to Facebook’s new Timeline cover photo), featured content including automatically expanding videos in promoted tweets, and a matching mobile version of your profile.

While Twitter advertising may help companies target customers who are more likely to be loyal, does the high cost of their promoted options give advertisers a good return on investment (ROI)? The Twitter website offers case studies of companies who have taken advantage of the promoted offerings and used them to their full potential. One men’s apparel company, Bonobos, offered a sale on a style of pants only through Twitter, a “Twixclusive.” Over 80 people retweeted the offer in about 8 minutes, and the company reported a 1200% ROI in 24 hours. The case study also reports that, for Bonobos, it was 13 times more cost-effective to get new customers from Twitter than any other marketing approach.

While this case study is obviously meant to highlight the best case scenario, it shows the potential that Twitter’s promoted advertising offers companies. If your organization is looking into investing a large amount into social media advertising like that offered though Twitter, it’s best to thoroughly research your social media campaign.

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All data provided on mccauleyservices.com and mccauleyadvertising.com is for educational purposes only and should not be misconstrued as business advice. McCauley Marketing Services makes no representations as to accuracy, suitability, or validity of any information on this site and will not be liable for any errors, omissions, or delays in this information or any losses, injuries, or damages arising from its display or use. Market research and marketing plans and only be compiled with a thorough business analysis and careful observation of each business. It is highly recommended that you seek the professional guidance of an advertising professional before implementing any of the described avenues.