Mandala Life Media » marketing

We Believe in Positive Word-of-Mouth

Mark — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 15:37:15 +0000

Many marketers still struggle with the loss of control over their brand that comes with the ability of consumers to discuss them—and have those messages widely disseminated—across social media. But most brand-related chatter, both online and offline, is positive. And positive buzz carries more weight with consumers, according to research from Keller Fay Group.

In a study of hundreds of thousands of conversations, the firm found about two-thirds of word-of-mouth brand references were “mostly positive.” Those can be powerful.

Two-thirds of study respondents thought positive word-of-mouth was credible, compared with fewer than half who believed negative buzz. Positive information was also more likely to be passed on to others, more than twice as likely to get people to look for more information, and had nearly four times the chance of pushing consumers to make a purchase.

Overall, word-of-mouth is generally positive, but some industries do get better buzz than others. Children’s products and food brands tended to get the most positive mentions, while net advocacy on behalf of companies in the telecommunications, financial services and healthcare industries was lowest. But even for those brands, the majority of word-of-mouth was still upbeat.

The Keller Fay research supports findings by women-focused marketing and communications firm Harbinger, which reported a greater motivation to share good brand experiences than bad ones among female internet users in North America. Consumers trying to give others advice seem to be more interested in directing friends and family toward brands they like than away from brands they have had a problem with.

via emarketer.com

I like to see this story and research about how consumers prefer to spread positive word of mouth over negative. This is something I’ve believe has been happening ever since we’ve had the desire to help our families and communities thrive.

The article says:

- Recommendations are more powerful than warnings
- Most brand related chatter is positive
- 2/3 of word-of-mouth brand references where positive
- Positive information was also more likely to be passed on to others, more than twice as likely to get people to look for more information, and had nearly four times the chance of pushing consumers to make a purchase.

Personally I think this is great news for our small businesses that connect with their fans and create remarkable experiences.

Posted via email from Mandala Life Media

Create a Strategy of Outstanding Uniqueness

Mark — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 21:30:05 +0000

We can debate the countless intricate ways that companies can use to create a strategy of difference, but it all pretty much boils down to:
1) Better product
2) Better process
3) Better relationships

In my opinion focusing all of your strategic thinking, goal setting and actions on building a better process or better relationships is the surest and maybe simplest way to create a true competitive advantage that someone might care about. Would you rather lean on your 5% better product or price or on something so totally outrageous and innovative that people can’t stop talking about it?

via ducttapemarketing.com

John Jantsch of Duct Tape Marketing fame offers up these words of wisdom in his post where he challenges businesses to stop trying to be better than the competition, the opportunity is in the ways you can be different.

Create a strategy of being outstandingly different in your processes and relationships and you create something remarkable and worth talking about. Consistently amazing customer service experiences get spread around. Innovative ways of improving your business can yield exponential results.

We we owned our salon and spa we made huge investments in people and culture with our training systems and team development. These investments kept our business way out in front and made us significantly different in our market and consistently successful.

What do you think about creating a strategy of outstanding uniqueness? Where is your opportunity to be different?

Brand U.O – Personal Branding

Mark — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 14:31:43 +0000

David Armano shares a great video presentation on personal branding which is an excellent follow-up to my previous It’s All about the Relationships in Personal Branding post.

Personal branding is necessary skill to develop to increase your opportunities for success in pretty much anything you choose to do in the world.

Developing your personal brand starts with taking a look at the story you’re telling yourself and the story you’re sharing with society. Make sure your story lines up and put yourself fully in the center of your story. Continually refine your story so every fiber of your being is flowing with the story you want to share. When you clearly align with your story and send out a consistent message success will come to you.

It’s All About Relationships in Personal Branding

Mark — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 18:11:58 +0000

Are you building your personal brand to help grow your business?

@tommytrc does a great job explaining why it’s important to start building a personal brand. Tommy has some great advice to help you get started creating the brand of you.

How does having a strong personal brand translate to building a successful business? If people can relate to you on a personal level they will be more likely to want to do business with you.

It’s all about relationships and I agree with Tommy that relationships are coming back. Personal branding and social media is fundamentally about relationships. With the wonderful tools available today it’s easier than ever to start building your extended relationships. You can grow a personal brand that will continue to evolve and grow as your talents and interests grow. Your personal brand is a reflection of your passions, gifts and talents.

Be the Real You

When your building a personal brand it’s important that the story you’re sharing is real and authentic.

3 Steps to Starting your Personal Brand

@tommytrc shares 3 great simple tips to starting a personal brand.

1. Start slow, start small and build your personal brand

2. Just do it. Jump in

3. Be Yourself

These are great tips from Tommy. There is much wisdom in remembering these basic ideas.

Adding my thoughts on Tommy’s 3 Steps:

- Start Slow! If you’re new to building your personal brand there is no way you can know everything you need to know about all the various ways to build your brand. Start small and start simply with one or 2 things. Once you’re comfortable then add more to your personal branding mix. Personal branding takes time and is a long term proposition, actually it can be a lifetime activity.

- Just Do It! I talk to people all the time that are overwhelmed with all the possible ways they can use technology to build their brand. Honestly, you have to jump in and find what works best for you. The beauty of the tools and technologies available today is that most of them can be adapted to fit you. Remember, you are build the brand of you. You need to DO social media the best way for you.

- Be Yourself! It is impossible to build a personal brand without being yourself. As Tommy mentions people want you. Put yourself into everything you share and do. Be consistently in alignment with who you truly are. Be the real you.

How are you building your personal brand?

Please share your thoughts about personal branding in the comments.

Thanks to @tommytrc for sharing with us your great example of the personal brand you’re building daily.

10 Practical Marketing Strategies

Mark — Tue, 12 May 2009 03:53:54 +0000

: Image by JohnHallAssociates via Flickr

Knowing how to market your business is one of the most important parts of building any business.

Here 10 tips for creating a cost-effective business marketing plan.

1. Know Yourself

Selling is about trust, and those with the best, most trustworthy stories win over customers. Businesses need to clearly articulate the reasons potential buyers should do business with them.

You must define who you are and live your brand!

2. Know Your Stuff

Confused consumers don’t buy, so businesses need to clarify the reasons why consumers would want to buy from them. Listening to the needs of the consumer is critical. Be knowledgeable about how your service or product can fill those needs, and you can discover how you can be helpful and connect with customers.

Know your product / service inside and out so you can focus on adapting to the needs of your customer.

3. Don’t Go to Market Without a Plan

Know your markets
Select a target audience. You can’t be all things to all people.
Do a thorough analysis of competitors.
Understand the challenges and opportunities within your market.
Communicate your objectives.
Have a clear and compelling story.
Become the go-to source for local media.
Develop a realistic marketing budget (about 2% to 5% of sales).
Write a timeline for implementing the plan and decide who is responsible for implementation.
Develop metrics for success. ( Many metrics aren’t easily measured. It doesn’t mean they aren’t important )

4. Develop a Compelling Message

A successful message is one that is unique, meaningful, and credible; that addresses consumers’ emotions and intellect; and that decisively sells a company’s demonstrated results.

This is the time to be direct and promote the benefits to your customer. Testimonials are a great way to support a compelling message.

5. If You’ve Got the Knowledge and Experience Share It

Let consumers know about your training and certifications. Customers what to know they are doing business with a pro. Take the opportunity and let consumers know that you know your stuff.

6. Fish Where the Fish Are

Be where your customers are. Know who they are and where they hang out. From local networks, to international social networking, know your audience and what they value.

7. Choose the Tactics That are Right for Your Audience

Must-have items in a successful marketing plan:

Necessities: uniform logo, tag line, letterhead, business cards, signage, presentation materials, an attractive Web site and involvement in social media.

Recommended: referrals and a public relations program, press releases about your company.

Blogging, Facebook and Twitter are wonderful way to connect with customers.

8. Get Quality Marketing Support

Hire a pro to help you develop your company’s marketing plan, strategies and tactics.

9. Speak the Truth

Trust is so important in today’s business world. Tell the truth, be consistent and be in your integrity all the time. It’s important to believe in what you do, you spend most of your life doing it. You deserve be true to yourself and everything you do.

10. Raise the Tide

Help your industry grow. Be helpful and supportive within your industry. When consumers understand the benefits of your industry everyone benefits. You can chose to be a leader that shares with your industry. Sharing your knowledge and stories can grow your entire market.
Do you have any additional marketing strategies you would like to share? Add your voice to our comments.