Corporate Blogging & its Uses

Blogs have evolved into a new medium of communication for the companies to communicate with the customers. The way ideas are communicated can have an impact on the company overall. It is very difficult to engage the customers to read the blog. We have to be very creative in writingthe content for corporate blogs.

The factors which should be considered while corporate Blogging are:

The blog should promote the overall Company branding. Just going for a blog is notuseful. Blog is one of the powerful tools for promoting the brand value.There should be a team put in place in the company OR can be handed over to a PR agency to handle the blog.

The content should be checked thoroughly before posting onthe blog.The comments by the customers should be allowed subject to moderation. This is the most important thing in corporate Blogging. There should be guest Blogging by the VP, CEO or any top management frequently. Thiswill allow the customers to develop a good rapport with the company.There should also be a section for the employees to blog like Product Manager Blogginga bout the New product development.

The blog should be promoted through forum signature, email marketing, websites, pinging, company products & wherever possible. This helps know about the company blogWith the rise of Social networking & social media, it should be utilized in the blog properly. Videos of interview with the customers & employees, photos, customer testimonials, RSS feeds, subscribe to blog by email & others can be included in the blog.

This helps to get updates about the blog in real time for the customer.Blog must be updated regularly. This will help develop a confidence in the customer thathe is getting updates about the company & products.The blog can be a powerful tool if used properly. This can be used to take feedback aboutthe products/company/service & the same can be incorporated for improvement

Apple App Store hits 25 Billion Downloads

Apple’s app store has hit 25 billion downloads. A statement on the site reads A Billion thanks. 25 times Over. This is a great news for Apple as the App store has continued to remain the top apps destination despite the rise of Android store. Apple is expected to announce a new iPad in the coming days. Apple was also running a counter on the site showcasing the no. of downloads. Apple has not yet disclosed who is the winner & also the the app downloaded. Apple will give away $10,000 iTunes giftcard to the 25th billion app downloader. The App Store was launched in July 2008 & it reached 10 billion downloads in Jan 2011. Apple’s shares have hit a record high in the recent days making it the most valuable company.

Facebook Commerce

Facebook with millions of members provides great opportunity for brands to provide for shopping through their pages. However, the facebook commerce hasn’t taken off in a great way. Some of the brands which have opened their shops on facebook pages have closed it down. There are several issuses like facebook being a social networking site, people may not be interested in purchasing a product & also the issue of privacy.

People are used to buying a product or service on ecommerce or company website. They may be averse to purchasing the product on facebook. Some of the brands which opened stores didn’t have significant sales & also not much return on investment. The range of products available also is limited compared to their ecommerce site.

How to Customize Facebook Fan Pages to increase customer Engagement?

Facebook with millions of members provides a great way for companies to create fan pages & engage with them. Before a user likes the fan page, there should be clear mentioning of advantages they will get by becoming fans. The USP’s of fan page will provide them with an incentive to click on the fan page. Brands can include various offers presently running on the facebook page. Pics, Videos & other items can be included to increase customer engagement. The images used in the page should convey the overall brand image.

Downloads of the favorite tunes, videos will increase customer interaction. Behind the scenes pictures and videos can be posted on the wall, providing fans various ways to comment. Pre-release product teasers provide a way for fans to interact. Companies are also launching campaigns on their Facebook fan pages. Several top brands have their fan pages on Facebook & where members can post on walls, discuss & post photos/videos. Fans are taking to fan page to air their feedback about the product/service & this is also helping companies to better connect with the customers.

Hero Billion Voices – Role of Crowdsourcing in Advertising

Hero Billion Voices shows the role of crowdsourcing in Advertising. Users can sing the Heroes song & shoot a high resolution video of it & upload the video. Those selected will have the opportunity to participate in TVC. The Heroes song is about facing the fears big or small or pushing yourself beyond. Hero Billion Voices mobile app is also available on Android & Apple’s mobile app store. Facebook & twitter is also playing a major role in this concept. This is a very creative method of advertising & use of crowdsource in advertising. Several companies are using this new idea in advertsing. Several videos have already been uploaded. With the rise of internet & social media, it has made possible to use this concept.

Red Hot chilli Peppers – Look Around Interactive Music Video

Red Hot chilli Peppers has released interactive music video of their Look Around Music Video. With Click & Drag feature, Users can interact & view different scenes in a panoromic manner. Non-interactive version was released on Jan 26th. Many bands are releasing interactive version of the videos to get more engagement with the users. This helps them develop better rapport with the users. Augmented reality, interactive videos are some of the new methods of engagement with the users. Check out the video at Interactive Music Video

Social Media Experts in 2062

Top Branded Facebook Fan Pages

Facebook with millions of members provides a great way for companies to create fan pages. Several top brands have their fan pages on Facebook & where members can post on walls, discuss & post photos/videos. Currently facebook has the highest no. of fans at 60,950,064. Some of the other top branded pages are youtube, Coca-cola, Disney & MTV. Companies are also launching campaigns on their Facebook fan pages. Fans are taking to fan page to air their feedback about the product/service & this is also helping companies to better connect with the customers. Companies are also announcing new updates on the wall & this is being shared & liked by fans.

Finnair’s Republic Day Celebrations – Creative Marketing

Finnair’s republic day celebrations on its flight from Helsinki to New Delhi on the republic day. The crew members danced to the song from Om Shanti Om movie. The crew shook legs, waved hands & danced to the tune of the song ‘Deewangi Deewangi’. The act lasted for around 2 mins & it took the passengers by surprise. It is a very creative marketing stretegy. The video posted on youtube has got lakhs of views. This helps position the brand to a very specific audience & also helps in branding.

How to Create buzz for Pre-launch through Digital Marketing

Companies are using digital marketing to create buzz for pre-launch activities. social media, Mobile marketing, Teaser campaigns, microsites, banner ads, facebook/twitter & others are some of the methods used for buzz building. Contests on microsites can be used to create interest for the product/service. Sharing buttons for social media sites can also be embedded to encourage uses to share the info. Teaser Banner ads linking to a landing page is another commonly used method to create buzz.

Facebook, twitter, youtube & other social media sites provide great opportunites for pre-launch. Mobile apps & games realted to product/service also help in building buzz for the launch. Viral Videos on youtube provide a great opportunity to create buzz. A social media aggreagator can be used to provide all the info related to social media channels in one place. Fan pages can be created on facebook along with special offers/contests to increase the fan base. Contests like photos with maximum no. of likes, witty comments & others can be used as themes.