By Tena Hartwig
April 19th, 2010
If a tree falls in the woods and no one hears it, does it make a sound? If a marketer sends out a Tweet and no one reads it, does it make an impact?
With ratings data, demographics, psychographics and the like, it can be easy to figure out when people listen to the radio or watch T.V. But, how do you know when they’re logging onto Twitter?
According to Fast Company, the best time of day to Tweet in the U.S. is 9:00 a.m. PST, because people are getting to work on the West Coast and taking lunch on the East Coast. The best time to Tweet if you want to be re-tweeted is at 4 p.m. on Friday.
But what about YOUR target audience?
Luckily, there are a couple tools that will reveal when your followers are logging on:
- Tweet O’Clock is ideal for seeing the best time to Tweet a particular person
- When to Tweet analyzes ALL of your followers and recommends the best time to Tweet
Another thing to consider is repeating your Tweeting. It’s OK to repeat a.k.a. re-tweet useful Tweets because people log on to Twitter at different times throughout the day. Once every six to eight hours is a good amount of time between re-tweets. Be cautious not to do this ALL the time, because it could border on spamming. Speaking of Spam, please don’t Tweet about what you ate for lunch.
How do you decide when to Tweet? Have you tried either of these tools?
By Tena Hartwig
March 16th, 2010
I have social media on the brain. Again.
It’s evolving, mysterious and a blank canvas for marketing creativity and strategy. I think it’s safe to say that everyone involved in social media is learning as they go. And, while there are some nay-sayers about ROI for social media, there is one point that can’t be argued. Social media can help improve your Search Engine Optimization (SEO), when done effectively, of course.
So, HOW can social media improve your SEO?
- Direct Links. Social media sites provide links. Lots of links. Google likes links. Google ranks sites with lots of links to them higher than those with very few links. Add links to your Web content on sites like Twitter or leave comments on blogs with relevant links to your site.
- Keyword-optimized content. Have you noticed Tweets showing up in Google search results? Google and Yahoo index Tweets, so keep adding content to social media platforms for added visibility. The more valuable your content, the more likely someone else is to share it with their network.
How are you optimizing your social media content? Here are some helpful tools for Social Media Optimization.
By Tena Hartwig
January 29th, 2010
The largest marketing event in the world will be upon us next weekend. A magical five-hour time frame when people actually WATCH commercials. When they turn UP the volume to avoid missing the punch lines, rather than missing the commercials altogether while taking a potty break.
Super Bowl XLIV will not only be chalk-full of brilliant strategies on the field, but smart marketing moves from the advertisers as well. For instance, Pepsi’s decision not to run any ads during this year’s game in order to allocate more dollars to social media and community outreach.
Some say Pepsi’s move is risky, but I disagree. I think this bold decision demonstrates that Pepsi knows it’s necessary to adapt marketing strategies to complement how consumers get their information. Even though the Super Bowl presents a captive audience, advertisers should realize that people are watching the commercials for their entertainment value, and their purchasing decisions are not likely to be influenced by a clever 30-second spot.
The lesson to be learned here, for B2C and B2B marketers alike, is just because something has worked in the past, doesn’t mean it’s the right way to go. Think about where and how your target audience gets information and base your strategy on those factors.
Do you think Pepsi made a wise decision? Do you think more advertisers will pull out from the Super Bowl in the future?
By Tena Hartwig
January 14th, 2010
We might be seeing more up-trending financial charts, but overall, the economy is still in the tank.
And with tough economic times, comes price-sensitive customers. Manufacturers know that raising prices could be a recipe for disaster, so they’re opting to shrink the size of their packaging instead.
For instance, Georgia Pacific, maker of Quilted Northern toilet paper, chose to hack ½” off the length of its standard roll in lieu of increasing the price. This pricing strategy has become more prevalent in recent years, and I can’t help but wonder what impact these sly practices will have on companies’ bottom lines in the long term?
We all know the value of a loyal customer and this frequent downsizing seems to be nothing but a sneaky price increase that will surely upset customers once they catch on to it. While the smaller product might go unnoticed at first, customers may switch brands permanently when they realize these manufacturers are shrinking products behind their backs.
What do you think, should manufacturers “wipe out” these dishonest practices? Would you switch brands because of shrinking products?
By Tena Hartwig
October 30th, 2009
(That’s caveman for Happy Halloween!)
Today, Canyon’s Halloween celebration took us back in time to an era when things were a lot less complicated. When the latest must-have gadget was the wheel (not the iPhone) and when raw food was necessary for survival (rather than something we get at a sushi restaurant).
This year we all dressed as cave people or prehistoric figures, and while we did see our fair share of pelts and animal prints―you’d be surprised at some of the creative costumes the Canyon team sported. Here are some of the highlights:
- Adam: T-Rex hatching from its egg
- Kristina: Prehistoric tree hugger
- Emily: The near-extinct daily newspaper
- Sabrina: Coprolite (fossilized dinosaur poop)
- Jacque: A cockroach (they’ve been around for about 300 million years, you know)
We had a great lunch of buffalo burgers, pterodactyl (deviled) eggs, molten-lava cheese dip, dirt pudding and fossil fudge. We also participated in a caveman triathlon (pin the tail on the mammoth, name that grunt and spear hunting (darts)). The final event of the day was scavenger hunt (and gather).
Thanks to this month’s Canyon Culture Club team for planning such a memorable ex-spear-ience!
