Thursday, June 19, 2014

Make Sales With Twitter in #MONCTON!




I started talking about different social media tools last blog, and this time I'm just gonna discuss Twitter. I remember seeing a similar post on Twirp Communication's website a few weeks back, and I thought I could use the same idea for Moncton instead of Halifax.

I have too many clients who think that being on Twitter is irrelevant. I'm going to show you multiple examples of why being on Twitter can land you some $$ in Moncton. And hey, if it works in the small town of Moncton, it'll work virtually everywhere! ;)

Here are a few examples of searches and the results you can get [Of course, every search has "Moncton" + the following words]. I have some from random dates, just went through them quickly to give examples:

Search for "Recommend"

Anyone out there a photographer? Looking at Tina Robichaud, I'd say there are opportunities to get some work in the area! Go out there, look at what's going on, and reach out to potential clients! You can look at the conversation to see where it leads. You need to be on Twitter so people can recommend you!

Search for "Where can I"

Now, this is another simple one! Someone's looking for rubber boots ...you sell some? Tell her! I'm sure the Service Shoe Store on Mechanic street sells some!

Here, I saw this post from Michelle looking for a cooler. I KNOW Home Hardware sells them, so our local franchisee should be on top of that!


Now, nothing against Olivia, but I guess there are still people in this world who want to buy Crocs?? ...No idea who actually sells them, but somebody could make a sale!

With all these MIA Tweeters, it's nice to see someone using it properly. Susie is looking for a new phone ...observe:


Damage Control

Twitter can be useful on many fronts: you can also manage "crises'" through social media. Look at the following tweet of our friend Chase Wallace:

What the restaurant might see as good publicity turned bad. Look at what Chase's friend had to say about the restaurant:

Talk about a double-edged knife! Make sure you're on top of that, to reassure everyone of your food quality and the control and efforts made to sell nothing but the freshest ingredients in town :)

And, for the record, I've been to Guacamole Mexican Street Food restaurant many times and I can say it's delicious, and I'd have no worries about food safety - just someone crying wolf ...

You hear of great success through Twitter and great fails as well, but it's nice to be brought back to Earth and acknowledge that, even in the small town of Moncton, you can achieve marketing through social media!

Ad of the week

I must admit, it's simple but I like it. I guess when you have an unlimited budget for advertising, it's easier to try different things...


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Pierre Babineau is an MBA graduate from Laval University. Currently working as an Industrial Marketing Advisor at FPInnovations, he has worked in Canada, USA, South Africa and India in numerous positions such as International Development Agent, Head of Trade Mission, Director of Internet Marketing and an Independent Consultant for various companies.

You can reach Pierre Babineau on Twitter, LinkedIn or on his personal website.

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Friday, June 6, 2014

Social Media Marketing for Dummies - Part 1

According to Statistic Brain's research that was published in January 2014, the total percentage of 18-24 year olds who use social media is 98%. Overall, 11% of the world's population are active members on social media.

However, numerous companies are ignoring this marketing platform. You have to wonder why they are avoiding such a enormous accessible population, especially when the monetary investment is so limited!

I've only been in my current marketing consulting job for 8 months, but I'm starting to realize there's still important barriers for most companies to invest time in their social media presence. Here are a few aspects to consider when planning out your social media marketing campaign:

What is your goal?

Just like any other marketing campaign, you need to know WHAT you want to achieve.

Many companies join Facebook, post a few pictures, and then disappear for 4 months. And then, when I ask them "Have you ever considered social media marketing?", they'll answer "Ah yeah, I've tried it ...useless, never got anything out of it!"

Guess what - if you buy a time slot on TV, film a random video and send it out, do you really think you'll get an interesting ROI?

Listen, I know it's new technology, but STOP BEING AN IDIOT (is what I'd want to say but don't...).

If you're going to put some effort into your marketing, do it right! First thing's first, WHAT IS YOUR GOAL? Raise awareness? Get more likes on Facebook or more followers on Twitter? Drive more traffic on your website? Get more sales on your online store? Everything can be achieved, but they all take a different route to reach the desired outcome.

Oh yeah, and a little kicker on the side: social media presence will boost your search ranking within search engines, increase your reach and influence, help your overall branding, and plenty of other yummy stuff.

Great, I know what I want. What now?

Well, let's get one thing straight. Even if Facebook dominates the social media world with over 1.2 billion users, a company needs to do their research before starting a social media marketing campaign.

Time for a guessing game - which country has the most engaged population on social media (how many hours per month are spent per person, in average, in the country). USA? Canada? Maybe in the UK?

I had a client who wanted to sell in Israel. He told me there was no way social media would work - they're not in North America so they probably don't use it a lot like us.

Guess what - comScore's report has Israel #1 with an average of 11.1 hours per month back in 2011. Where was the USA? Not even in the top 10!


Now that we agree that social media is everywhere, let's get another thing straight: going on Facebook isn't always the answer!

Depending what your goal and your target audience is, there are a multitude of options. Whether it be Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Google+, Tumblr, Instagram, or even foreign sites such as Sina Weibo, Vkontakte, Renren or Odnoklassniki, the possibilities are numerous.

For instance, if you want to export to Russia: being a very populous country with engaged users, is Facebook the right choice? NO. Russia's #1 social media website is V Kontakte. Do your research people!

 Once you know who your target audience is and which social media platform offers the greatest reach, you're on your way to create a whopper of a marketing campaign (speaking of whoppers, how great was the "sacrifice 10 friends, get a free whopper" Facebook promotion? ...yeah, Google it you millennium caveman!)

OK, sooo what now?


 I usually tend to discuss this with the CEOs from the start - if you want to do a quick marketing campaign, just snoop around on your competitors' social media websites. You'll get a good idea of what to do to keep up.

If I'd finish my prep talk there, I'd be a pretty shitty marketing consultant eh?

The real good stuff is in thinking outside the box (I hate overused expressions...) which means you snoop on your competition to know what NOT to do. Unless you're selling blenders - better start blending some iPhones and golf balls to try and catch up with Blendtec!

You need to think of:
1. What is your goal?
2. What is your target audience?
3. How will you create something engaging to create interest?
4. How will you know if it's working?

 This and much more coming next week!

Until then, here's the "Ad of the Week [that's not an actual ad but should be]..." - Enjoy! :)

original advertising 300x168 A photo definition of Originality

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Pierre Babineau is an MBA graduate from Laval University. Currently working as an Industrial Marketing Advisor at FPInnovations, he has worked in Canada, USA, South Africa and India in numerous positions such as International Development Agent, Head of Trade Mission, Director of Internet Marketing and an Independent Consultant for various companies.

You can reach Pierre Babineau on Twitter, LinkedIn or on his personal website.

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