Post by Nick Grant

Facebook and Myspace dominate social networking, but the emergence of African-American social networking sites proves the importance of appealing to different cultural views and values in creating communities.

There are 22 million African-American Internet users. Sites like BlackPlanet.com, MinoritySpace.com, and AfricanAmericanOpinion.com, which market directly to African-Americans, though they are not exclusive to them, have become extremely popular among African-Americans. For instance, BlackPlanet, has over 20 million users, 10 million monthly visits, and ranks highest amongst minority-driven social networking sites according to Compete Stats.

There are many commonalities and differences the African-American community.  It is, in fact, highly segmented. Social networking sites are attempting to get deep in the African-American culture by creating online subdivisions and communities within the community. Sites generally target things African-Americans are most passionate about. The urban lifestyle is a big, as is hip-hop/rap music, clothing, and cars.  Another large target is African-American owned businesses. In essence, the virtual African-American community mirrors the actual.

Niche-specific social networking sites are great ways to establish your product. They provide opportunities to target a very specific groups, something that is difficult to do with traditional advertising.  African-American social networks give you the chance to become a staple in the African-American community.

There are 28 different bank brands in the Des Moines area.  Everyone of them has a checking account, a savings account a money market account, home equity loans, car loans and tellers ready to smile and deposit your money.  When management is asked what makes their bank better than the competition most will say their people, or customized personalized service, or nothing.  Some will point to when they were founded.

I recently had lunch with a former bank president who was a client of the agency’s a few years ago.  He left the bank and the bank was sold, resold and sold again.  His bank went from eight in the market to second in about five years.  I’d like to think with our help.  What made him successful was his willingness to be different.  To look at the banking business from the outside and to embrace creativity.

We’ve watched the contraction of the banking business in this market and the expansion of brands.  And once again there’s a giant opportunity for a bank president to make a name for their bank.  This market has become tame from a marketing perspective.  The big banks aren’t marketing effectively because they don’t have to.  The medium sized banks aren’t because they may be afraid to.  The small banks aren’t because they don’t have the budget.

Doesn’t this seem like an opportunity?  We think so.  So we’re calling all banks that want to succeed.  We’re looking for you.  If you’re tired of being just another one of the 28, now’s the time.  Be contrary.  Be bold.  Be smart. Compete. But do it now.

EPIPHANY!!!  A recent survey of marketing executives by Datran Media points out the change.  Sixty-three percent of marketing executives interviewed indicated that  the most important priority was the acquisition of new customers.   Nearly forty-three percent said that retention of current customer was most important.  Duh.

The study goes on to note  marketing directors expect mass media expenditures to decrease in importance in 2009.  I guess if you don’t have much of a budget that would be the conclusion.  Meanwhile, activities that cost less and are trackable like e-mail and search will experience an increase in spending as a percentage of the marketing budget.  Kind of a double duh.

Studies and factoids like these brew marketing Kool-Aid.  They support our belief that the world as we know it is changing.  The funny thing is that the world as we know it is always changing.  Change is the oldest thing in the universe.  What’s newer than new media?  New, new media?

We embrace these changes, but we try not to be awed by them.  We use them to our clients’ advantage and try not to get caught up in the hype while still being excited about the possibilities.  If we were to get caught up in the hype, we would recommend activities to clients  on the basis of the hype and not the expected result.  We would end up forgeting that our goals are to take care of current cleints and get new ones…that never changes.  And that is the epiphany we should be paying attention to.

11 a.m. February 10 was supposed to be Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner’s finest hour. The markets were eagerly awaiting what he had to say about how the administration plans to rescue the banking industry. The President urged the nation to tune in.

And what did we get? A lot of goo.

As a result, the news coverage barely mentioned the financial rescue plan. Instead it focused on Geithner’s disappointing performance.

While Geithner offers an extreme example, the same thing happens to marketers and CEOs every day. They get in front of the media or jump on their blogs and say things that aren’t newsworthy, or say them so badly that the message they mean to deliver isn’t heard.

It means audiences don’t get important information that can persuade them to buy, invest or change opinions. It can also kill a company’s chances to get attention down the road since the last “announcement” turned out to be a waste of time.

No matter how effective a spokesperson you think you may be, opportunities to tell your story to the media are too rare and too valuable to waste, especially with today’s tight marketing budgets. That’s why the most successful companies require their spokespeople to be trained on how to work with the media and to assure the stories they intend to deliver are the stories that get told.

If you’d like to learn more, give me a call.

The time of silo interactive activities is over.  The time for integrated interactive strategies is now.

Integrated interactive planning is about producing measurable results for less.  This economy demands the reinvention of your marketing plan.  Most companies can no longer rely on a fat media budget to drive business.  Now is the time to look differently at your interactive strategy because it may provide a way for you get through this recession and come out stronger on the other side.

The first thing you have to do is forget about silos and remember that all of your interactive, traditional and non-traditional marketing activities must work together.

The first thing to do is to realize that your web site is the most efficient sales tool/retail location you have.  It’s open 24/7, you don’t have to feed it, clothe it, move it, pay it(much), or insure it.  It won’t call in sick, argue with you or goof off on the computer.  That’s why we’ve put it in the center of the Interactive Integration Wheel.

Second, forget about silos.  Forget about branding being separate from web development.  Forget about search being separate from online media.  Instead, consider how they all can fit together.  Duh?  Maybe it seems like I’m pointing out the obvious, but we see all too many marketers who keep everything separate.

Specialists often find it difficult to think about the interaction all the different marketing activities that go into a successful integrated plan and prefer to work only in their comfort zone.  So, the danger is that one activity will receive more attention than another, creating an imbalanced marketing plan.  It would be like spending 90 percent of the budget on a beautiful website and only 10 percent driving people to it….or vice versa.

Third, think of every circle outside the hub as being a hub of its own wheel.  For instance, social networking would be surrounded by Facebook, Myspace, twitter, YouTube, blogs  and a few hundred others. It’s kind of like a never ending galaxy of opportunity and much of it is in the economy of free except for the labor required to make it happen.

Fourth, some activities on the wheel are one way communications and some encourage a dialog with your customers or sales force.  Dialog that makes or saves money should receive top priority.  Customer service is a prime example.  You can provide customer service online with FAQs, chats, e-mails and as a last resort, phone support.  If you’re successful in supporting your customer without a phone call, you’ll save money and return more to the bottom line.  The best part is you can document the ROI.  If you have a call center, imagine the savings if you could cut 10 percent of the cost of phone support.  Think you could find something else to do with that money?

Fifth, somethings won’t fit.  Just as some media won’t fit your target audience, some interactive activities won’t fit your marketing needs.  For instance, if you’re marketing to teens, twitter is not a good choice.  Myspace might be.  On the same hand, don’t discount an activity until you’ve thought about it.

The more you want to prove ROI, the more attractive integrated interactive strategies become.  You can see the results.  Your CEO can see the results.  And you can soften the blow of a draconian budget cut by redirecting a little of the money into a highly effective arena.

We’ll be the first to admit that on the surface, integrated interactive strategies can look a little intimidating.  But there’s gold here.  If you’re interested we’d love to talk to you about how we can move your business forward with a comprehensive interactive plan.  Not just a website, not just an e-mail campaign, but an overall plan of attack to make your marketing budget more effective.