Why non-profits should jump onto that YouTube band-wagon

Sick of reading? Have a look at my YouTube video on the benefits of YouTube as a social media marketing tool for non-profits - please bare in mind that this is the first video I have ever created.



Tell me what you think!

Social Media Marketing Via Facebook: Are you doing right?

Brands are excited. Social media is an effective, cheap and easy way to communicate with our customers!!!! ….. Or is it?

It would be easy to assume that Facebook could be the solution to extensive amounts of time and money spent on marketing however, using Facebook to advertise is a lot more complicated than these companies realize..

You must remember that you are invading consumers “personal space”. People do not like to think of their Facebook page being owned Mark Zuckerberg and his team at Fabook HQ, they think of it as their own property. Their own piece of land in the online world. And the same reason why we ignore the paid advertisements that appear on the right hand side of the screen. Our experiences and perceptions tells us that these pop-ups and advertisements are all virus-causing, fake free iPod or penis enlarging advertisements. Placed there by mean nerds trying to get our attention and give us a virus. When in reality, they can be effectively targeted, cheap ways to provided us information about a brand or discounts on products and services.

There is another way to market you brand or product online. This is through the use of “Pages” that Facebook users can become a “fan” of or “like”. Yes, you can fill you page with images and information about your product for your customers to access, however you would be naive to think this is how Facebook works. Most Facebook users will see your “TimTam” page, think “I like Tim-Tams” and click “Like”. Thus making them selves seem carefree and exciting to the Facebook universe based the fact their own profile will now tell all their friends that they like Tim Tams. It is unlikely that this person will ever desire anymore more from the brands page again. Poor Tim Tam, and mre importantly poor Arnott’s.

Unless you offer them something of value, this is all you will ever be to them. A clever marketer will see this. They will find a way to give their customer value through information about new products and promotions while avoiding bombarding their “personal space” and all the while making them feel special. The increasingly popular Facebook Service of “Checking In” has meant that stores are now capitalizing on this element of social networking for marketing strategies – checking in by a socially prestigious (whether it be a celebrity or the queen bee of a school or the poplar one in the work place) generates brand awareness and positive brand perceptions. Brands are now offering promotions such as prizes and discounts to consumers who check in or become fans of pages which in turn gives the consumer value for visiting and seeking out the brand through Facebook. It encourages people to switch off the computer, leave the house and physically enter the store instead of choosing to shop online.

A Facebook Page I have been following is the Melbourne based boutique fashion retailer, Green With Envy. They use their page to do the obvious - such as to post images of new stock that is coming or has arrived as well as informing customers of sales and VIP nights. However, they have also hired a team responsible for their social networking sites. This team provides their customers with advice on how to wear certain styles and creates outfits for them to consider. It also asks for their input in what pieces from a designer’s new collection should the buyer purchase? And which style of shoe it their favorite? And thus gauging important information about what styles and quantities to order when making the important buying decisions – a task which can often be a risky guessing game referred to as “trend forecasting”. They even photograph their own sales floor team, visual merchandisers and buyers (looking stylish and decked out in the season’s latest products – all available in store). This not only utilizes the company’s employees as models, but builds respect and trust in the employees by showing them as real people who are aware of trends, are approachable and available to help style you when you need. They are aware that social media needs to be constant! It’s a 7 day a week and 24 hour a day responsibility.  People want the brands on Facebook to be as readily available as their friends – which these days, seems to be all day every day!

Facebook can also lead to negative brand perception at times. People who are ignored by the brand will feel neglected and not cared for. A boring page may lead to the brand being seen as dull, old-fashioned and undesirable. Nestle experienced this when GreenPeace targeted them in their virally successful video,  outing Nestle for using Palm Oil and thus sent the message that “if you eat Kit Kats, you may as well be killing and eating the chimpanzees and other wildlife that are being destroyed as a result of palm oil farming”. As a result, the Nestle and Kit Kat Facebook fan pages both experienced a rapid increase in people becoming their “fans”, however these people were only “liking” the page to express their anger, distrust and hatred for the brand. Nestle ignorantly did little to solve this problem. Some generic and dismissive responses were sent out but predominantly, consumers views were ignored – and as a result Kit Kat sales dropped remarkable. In contrast, Cadbury chocolate experienced a similar issue when they too began using palm oil in their products. However, they hired a team who interacted with consumers who had expressed their disliking of the decision. Cadbury explained their reason for using the ingredient in order to remain competitive and due to recipe constraints and agreed to label the ingredient so they would not appear dishonest and told consumers that their opinion was important to them and that they were investigating options that they could take to avoid using palm oil products in their manufacturing process.  

Marketers need to remember that consumers always want value! Whether it is in the form of information that they will have before others, styling advice, entertainment, discounts, prizes or competitions or even just something to bring up the next time they are having coffee with a friend.

If a brand decides to use social networking to market themselves, it will not be easy, free or quick to do. It will require an employee or team to take responsibility for the page; responding to consumers and remaining respectful and aware that they are representing the brand in the eyes of the consumer. While remaining aware that your page will not only give your fans a place to offer praise, but also a place for your critics to voice themselves.  

Remember, you are entering their personal space, so be respectful. Don’t bombard them with annoying advertisements but instead useful, interesting information as well as encouraging two-way communication for this is what Facebook is all about!

Is viral marketing the right fit for Tipp-Ex?

Viral marketing uses pre-existing social media to spread a piece of advertising or marketing material. It usually sets out to generate brand awareness or other marketing objectives such as to increase sales or consumers viewing a website. While viral marketing can occur through word of mouth, it is the internet and the increasing interaction through social networking that allows viral marketing to occur so effectively.

I was recently shown a YouTube video titled “NSFW. A hunter shoots a bear!”.

This innovative video allows views to interact with the marketing media and as a result has revolutionized the world of advertising and how advertisers think about generating two way interaction between consumers and a brand or product. 

The interactive video was created by Buzzman, a French ad agency, on behalf of their client Tipp-Ex (a common brand of correction fluid) which is owned by BIC. In the video (which is shot in an amateur, home video style), while camping in a forest, a hunter discovers a bear. The hunter pulls out a gun to defend himself and is about to pull the trigger when he asks the viewer to help him make the decision. He reaches outside of the screen to a near by advertisement for Tip-Ex on the webpage sidebar and whites-out the word “shoots” and asks the viewer to type a new word. Many typed responses lead to other hilarious YouTube videos in which the hunter interacts with the bear in the way the viewer has written.

Obviously, extensive time was spent interacting with IT guys and YouTube to see if creating this piece of media was even possible. And then countless man hours would have been spent generating different words viewers would likely type (even slang and swear words were covered) and then filming the scenarios in humorous ways.

The video unsurprisingly became a viral sensation. According to BIC’s official website, in less than 5 days the video was viewed more than 4 million times in over 200 countries – currently the original version has over 17 million views and counting.

In addition, individuals reportedly spent on average 6 minutes interacting with the campaign as they made more than 15 keyword requests per visit.

This advertisement, while seeming successful, has been criticized for having no call to action. There are no links to drive website traffic to an information or sales page – other than the often ignored advertisement slot on the sidebar of the YouTube page. The brand Tipp-Ex is not included in the video title or mention by the actors in the clip. Many have argued that too much emphasis has been placed on the number of views the video has received and not on the more practical measures of success such as sales volume and increases in revenue.

In a product category such as corrective fluid, brand awareness can be difficult to generate. Tipp-Ex and other correction fluide brands have fallen into brand wasteland along with shower heads, cutlery and other often vital products sold through brands with little or no brand awareness. White-out has been the main success story in the correction fluid category in Australia as it has transformed from being the brand name of the product to the name of the product category – most people will say “pass me the white out” rather than “pass me the corrective fluid”.  Thus, in my opinion Tipp-Ex was clever to seek an unconventional way to increase the awareness of their brand.

A large segment of their market would been teenagers and young adults as high-school and university students and well as young professions tend to be the most dependent on corrective fluid during their studies and work.

This form of media works because it doesn’t force a brand down your throat – which is a desirable trait for Gen Y’s who are growing tired of being constantly bombarded by advertisements to the point that they have began avoiding and ignoring them. Research is finding that viewers, predominantly Gen Y’s, are in the habit of ignoring areas where advertisements are usually placed on websites and close pop-ups instantly or block them altogether. This advertisement draws the viewers attention to the otherwise ignored Tipp-Ex advertisement on the upper right hand side of the YouTube webpage. The individuality of the advertisement has lead to consumers seeking out the creator or purpose of the ad rather than switching off to and otherwise brand. And in general wanting to talk about it with and show it to others – the Holy Grail for viral marketing.  

In hindsight, Tipp-Ex may have benefited from including a few more links and references to their brand name however in my opinion this may have led to the media being seen as another money-hungry brand trying to annoy you through advertisements.

Does this form of advertising appeal to you? Will this style of marketing become common in the future or are most brand still stuck in traditional mind-sets and are avoiding creative styles of marketing in fear they will be a waste of money and time? How do you feel about the brand Tipp-Ex after viewing the video? Or did the brand seem irrelevant and you couldn’t even recall it if you wanted to?