Consumer Marketing

The 3rd annual Franchise Consumer Marketing Conference is right around the corner... in Atlanta, at the Ritz-Carlton Buckhead, this June 25-26.

All the information you need for this year's event - agenda, brochure, speakers, venue, registration - is already online, so instead of repeating that here, to give you a sense of the energy, enthusiasm, and creativity of last year's conference, here's a look back at last year's conference.

Since its launch in June 2011, the Franchise Consumer Marketing Conference has become a must-attend favorite of chief marketing officers, brand managers, and marketing managers. Increased attendance by both franchise marketing executives and sponsors were a testament to the event's rapid growth...

We all know that social media links influence our rankings in search engines. They can increase search rankings when customers search for you, both in the local business directories as well as organically. This is because Google has started to give "social rank" authority, or credit for having authority in the social networks.

So what exactly does this mean for franchise marketers? It means that if you have a large following on Twitter, Facebook and Google+; and/or if you are associated with other high authority figures; and if your posts are shared, then you are considered an "authority" with Google and you will get credit for that. Not only will you get credit in the social networks, but organically in the search rankings as well...

A survey of 437 service industry franchisees conducted by Yodle in December 2012 revealed that 9 out of 10 respondents said online marketing support was a key factor in choosing a franchise brand. Major insights from the first Yodle Franchisee Survey include the following:

1) Franchisees are putting a high premium on online marketing support, and franchise networks must respond accordingly.

More than half of franchisees (58%) view online marketing as "very important" or "important" to the success of their business, while another 27% said it was "somewhat important." A vast majority (89%) also responded that corporate online marketing is an important factor in choosing a franchisor - indicating that it's imperative for franchisors seeking new franchisees to demonstrate their commitment to online marketing...

Small Businesses Need Social Media Help
Research by email marketing giant Constant Contact reveals that 60% of small businesses need help with social media marketing. Small businesses often find the time commitment needed to make good use of social networking greater than they anticipate, and many have trouble allocating resources and time to it. Also, social media continues to evolve quickly, and businesses often find their choices and opportunities confusing and hard to understand. Finally, it's rare that social media marketing drives sales directly: ROI may be hard for a small business to identify. Understandably, it's hard for them to have the patience to reap the benefits of sustained, strategically sound campaigns. Learn more here...

CMOs and branding executives looking for ways to more effectively engage customers online are frequently hamstrung by the relative newness of the technology and different social media platform, as well as by a shortage of time to "do it right."

Yet, as social media evolves, more automation and off-the-shelf solutions will continue to appear. Hubspot – an inbound marketing pioneer serving 8,000 companies in 56 countries – has created The Ultimate Library of Inbound Marketing Templates, which contains 11 free, downloadable templates to ease the burden for a variety of publishing and marketing tasks.

The 11 templates are:

David Buckley is a busy marketing executive. As CMO for Sears Hometown & Outlet Store, Inc. (NASDAQ: SHOS), he's responsible for development, planning, and execution of the consumer marketing strategies for not just one, but four retail chains under the Sears brand. He understands traditional media while embracing the advantages that digital media have brought to the marketplace. Before taking the CMO post with Sears, he served as global director of advertising for the Associated Press, where he led the advertising strategy for digital assets, focusing on mobile and tablet technologies.

Describe your role as CMO. I am responsible for the consumer marketing strategies for four unique formats: Sears Hometown Stores, Sears Home Appliance Showrooms, Sears Appliance and Hardware Stores, and Sears Outlet Stores...

The following article, which appeared on the Forbes.com website earlier this month, explores the ongoing shift in the balance of budgetary and decision-making power from CIOs to CMOs - and highlights the need for marketing and branding executives to expand their role and work more closely with IT to achieve their company's marketing goals.

The chief marketing officer is now in control of IT marketing spend. A few years ago it might have been the CIO but no longer, to hear the industry tell it.

"The era of the CMO is now here," Larry Bowden, vice president of portals and web experience with IBM told me a few weeks ago. The CMO is, it is now widely assumed, best able to determine what technology will once and for all identify what customers really truly want, what trends are lurking below the horizon that will affect the company and, for good measure, the meaning of life...

Spend your social media time more efficiently: a 10-step plan
Small businesses seeking to take advantage of social media face the same problem they have with everything they want to do that isn't absolutely necessary to keep the business going: time. There simply are not enough hours in the day to do everything that needs to be done and interact on social media - even though they know it's important, and that their customers expect them to be there. This 10-step action plan from blogger Heidi Cohen aims to help small businesses maximize their social media efforts and use their time more efficiently.

The "Three S" model of content marketing: search, snack, and share
Internet users receive an average of more than 3,000 brand impressions every day...

Welcome franchise colleagues. We're heating things up at the Franchise Consumer Marketing Conference in Atlanta this June 25-26, fanning the flame for all the million-dollar ideas generated at this high-powered event. We've broadened our Advisory Board, expanded our content and focus, and engaged a diversity of experts to share their knowledge and experience.
We are on track to continue doubling participation to 200+ brands, driven by word-of-mouth marketing from attendees who are sharing news about their powerful experiences at this exclusive conference.
My goal as Conference Chair is to ensure that CEOs, presidents, and marketing executives take home actionable initiatives, as well as new, meaningful relationships with other marketing professionals and suppliers...

In a digital world, it's no longer possible to have a gap between what you say and do. Everything, from the distribution network to the call center to R&D, must support a company's positioning. It's not just about consistency of message; it's a matter of survival.

Said another way, positioning is no longer a marketing problem, it's a company problem. The CEO needs to clearly articulate the urgency of this new reality and unite the organization.

Marketing is strategically important to the follow-through, both in terms of supporting the CEO in determining the right positioning and in becoming the glue that holds the different parts of the company together behind the promise. Why? Because armed with the voice of the market and an outside-in perspective, marketing is best equipped to help different areas of the company support the positioning...

Welcome to the era of the chief executive customer.

On a smarter planet, we've seen how predictive analytics can help transform everything from how we fight crime to how we improve things like healthcare, food safety, and utility grids. For companies, this has raised interesting questions about how to take advantage of the unprecedented streams of information generated by today's customers. These questions are increasingly falling on the shoulders of the chief marketing officer.

Our study of 1,700 CMOs worldwide confirmed that marketers believe their profession is being transformed by "big data," the proliferation of new mobile devices, and the emergence of social media. And only 48 percent of those we spoke with said they felt prepared for today's complexity...

Megan M. Conway is Director of Marketing at Service Brands International, franchisor of Molly Maid, Mr. Handyman, and Protect Painters. We asked her for her thoughts on how the marketing department at Service Brands fits into the company's "development culture." For more on this topic, see the first quarter issue of Franchise Update magazine, which focuses on the theme of building a development culture. Here's what she had to say.

I believe marketing is the heart of every successful franchise company.

Marketing affects all customer and franchise development aspects of the company, including the sales process, building brand awareness, attracting and converting leads, building and maintaining customer relationships, and efforts to entice people who are no longer engaged...

Janet is a savvy small-business owner. She successfully navigated her way through the recession and is enjoying steady growth. She's well-versed on her clientele and knows their individual likes and dislikes. She knows who her competition is and what they're up to. She keeps up with trends, so she has a Facebook profile and a Twitter handle.

So why has she seen a marked increase in the growth of her competitors' businesses and not her own? When she hears people speak of her product, why do they associate it with her competition? What can Janet do to make sure her company is foremost in her customers' minds?

Regardless of the size of your company, or your position within it, you know how important it is these days to be established on social media platforms, spending ample time actively engaging your client base...

If you are tasked with building a social media dashboard to track your efforts, look no further than this post. I have built many dashboards over the years, and as a personal resolution to making my job easier, I decided to cut to the chase and get to the metrics that matter most. That means cutting out the everyday metrics that litter and cloud up the social media manager's real success story.

Now I am not saying that tracking followers, fans, sentiment, etc. is not important, but those are the vanity metrics that tend to give social media a bad name. These types of metrics are great indicators, but they don't really tie back to your business bottom line: driving revenue. With that being said, here are the top metrics that I measure here at Marketo on a weekly basis...

Social Media Usage: What It Means to Marketers
A survey conducted by Ipsos Open Thinking Exchange can help guide your business in using social media. The average American Internet user spends about 2 hours a day on social media. Social media users average 3.6 hours a day. It's even higher for business owners, women, and senior executives. Your customers and suppliers are there, and you need to be, too. One in three Americans check brands' social media pages regularly; higher for under-35s and business decision-makers. Social media is a tool for these folks: take advantage of it. Half of Americans engage with brands in social media channels. Again, the numbers are higher for younger people and those who have jobs that involve gathering information about businesses and markets...

I am often asked how I define exceptional customer service. Here it is in a nutshell: speed, price, and technology - all built around service. That definition is especially appropriate today, given the fast-paced life we live and the budget constraints many of us face. When we are looking to make a purchase, we want to do it conveniently, we want it now, and we want it at a good price. That is true whether we are purchasing a car or carpet cleaning, an air conditioner or airline tickets.

How do you provide that exceptional service? Take a good look at how you deal with your customers, from initial contact to closing the deal. Are you welcoming, whether customers walk through your physical or virtual doors? Do you call them by name? Do you have a smile on your face and in your face? Do you provide the information that will help them make an informed decision regarding their purchase? Do you deliver what you say you will as quickly as possible?

Let me give you examples of three companies that go above and beyond to not only meet, but exceed, customer expectations...

Rich Hope has spent three decades in advertising and is comfortable planning marketing strategies and executing successful campaigns. Today, as CMO of Jersey Mike's Subs, he is on the leading edge of franchise consumer marketing. We asked him about the changing role of today's franchise CMO and a variety of related topics. (A longer version of this interview will appear in the second quarter issue of Franchise Update magazine.)

Describe your role as franchise CMO.
I have the best job in the world. Because of Jersey Mike's focus on giving, I get to help people every day - and interact with passionate fans who love our fresh subs. My role at Jersey Mike's is a bit different from many CMOs. In addition to the standard executive duties, because of my experience running an ad agency, I also oversee our in-house ad agency...

Have you heard the joke about the chief marketing officer who walks into a bar? Well neither have we, but if that got your attention, an article about the value of injecting humor into your consumer marketing might help you get the attention of your target audience online.

You can start with "7 Ways to Use Humor in Your Online Marketing," an article by Leyl Master Black that first appeared on the American Express OPEN Forum website (and reprinted on Mashable with additional graphics).

Here are the 7 ways that Black says can help you with your online marketing:

21 social media marketing predictions for 2013
Trying to get a handle on your 2013 social media marketing strategy? Good luck with that! In the meantime, why not see what 21 heavy hitters have to say about social media marketing in the coming year? And while you're at it, you can also check out their 2012 predictions to see how they did last year. Here are three predictions to get you started:

Knocking down the silos, integrating marketing and sales to align their efforts to boost both consumer and franchise marketing results, is a hot topic these days. A new report from Marketo and ReachForce examines the traditional split between sales and marketing - and what companies can do to bring these two critical functions together for the overall good of the brand. While the report focuses on B2B, the idea - and critical importance - of aligning sales and marketing applies to franchise consumer marketing as well.

This report, volume four of "The B2B Lead" series is titled Marketing and Sales Alignment: Playing on the same team to generate leads and drive revenue. The 16-page report, filled with both analysis of and tips for overcoming this historic organizational gap, is divided into 10 concise sections: