Tag Archive for: 2010

Wrap up 2010 with thoughtful presents to build your presence

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Christmas is known as a time of giving and showing goodwill. A fantastic way to show you care about the people you have worked with all year is by sending them a simple Christmas present or a Thank You card. In today’s world of cyberspace it’s rare we send a card or a gift to someone through traditional mail. E-cards, Facebook messages and even Christmas texts are sadly all too common.

Sending traditional ‘snail mail’ presents or cards are often overlooked as relationship builders, yet if  used wisely they can help retain clients and show your suppliers you care. Relationships go a long way in this business and while some will argue a client will never stay just because you sent them a gift, a client that feels valued, knows the agency cares and who has a personal relationship with the team will find it much harder to sever the ties.

Before you send anything you should conduct a little bit of research – notice what your clients or suppliers eat and drink at functions, listen to comments about interests outside the office and pay attention to how they react to criticism or compliments.

Our top presents for suppliers or clients:

Fruit can make a refreshing change

1)      Chocolates (you’ll know their favourites from your preliminary research)

2)      Well packaged alcohol (as above)

3)      Quality gourmet hampers or fruit baskets

4)      Gift vouchers

5)      Flowers (if they aren’t allergic – again find out their favourites before hand)

Stay away from:

1)      Heavily perfumed products

2)      Foul smelling food items such as blue cheese or items with garlic

3)      Anything that could smash or leak in the delivery process

4)      ‘Joke’ presents – any item that could be misconstrued and taken offensively

5)      Cheesy photos of your team

Source: Bad Humour articles

Think class not crass

As for choosing cards, our general rule is to stay away from comedy, flirtatious words or the cards with music or voiceovers inside.

Select cards that look professional but still have an element of style that matches your business personality.

You can also get creative with gifts and provide something memorable and different. We give boxes of cherries to clients because they are not typical and it is something they can share with their team or take home for the family.

Merry Christmas!

Treading the minefield of Xmas office functions: tips on how to party ‘professionally’ this silly season

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OK so it’s that time of year again – office parties and business networking events a plenty along with the flow of alcohol. Love them or hate them, corporate Christmas parties are an integrated part of business life and perfect for cementing relationships with your clients and associates, as well as being a chance to source new leads and expand your network. However, before you get into the reindeer outfits and knock back the egg-nog, there are a few (PR) partying rules you should follow. An alcohol-fuelled Christmas party is not a good enough reason to throw your professionalism out the window. So if you are serious about setting the bar and keeping your career alive, follow our top PR partying tips:

1) Drive to the party.This way you won’t be able to get drunk as you will have to drive home. You might also become the knight in shining armour as you will be able to drop off any drunk colleagues (or even clients) if necessary.

2) Eat before hand and at the event (if possible). Even if there is only mini-cocktail sausages or deep fried spring rolls, something is better than nothing. If you are running the event, don’t be a scrooge, supply some food!

3) View the party as a time to secure relationships and potentially network with suppliers or clients. Touch base with all of the key people but try not to hassle the boss or Managing Director too much as their job is to also network with their team.

4) Dress appropriately (no boobs, tank tops or thongs visible – and we are not just referring to footwear here).

5) Keep the business talk to a minimum. There’s nothing worse than someone pushing their products on you when all you want to do is enjoy a vino and have a laugh with your colleagues. Have a few topics on hand to make conversation and keep it light.ie. football scores, latest news that day, fun industry stories

6) Balance the timing – don’t leave too early and don’t be the last person there. You want to make an impression and have fun but at the same time you don’t want to be known as the drunk hanger-on. It’s easy to become known as a drinker and this can affect your professional reputation.

7) Have fun. People are more relaxed at this time of year so it’s ok to have a laugh – just don’t make a joke at someone else’s expense. That’s a definite no-no.

Connecting with your social media community

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With the continuing evolution of the social media sphere, we are finding more and more clients are looking towards social media networks to generate leads and raise awareness about their brand.

However, the way most companies are approaching social media is fast and furious.

You can rush things through to catch up with everyone else but if you haven’t thought your approach through properly you won’t get the desired results.

For some this topic might seem a bit ‘101’ Social Media but we continue to come across businesses that don’t really understand how it works and the power it possesses in influencing a brand positively or negatively.

Social media is a real-time medium that has to be approached differently to other mass-advertising channels. Social media networks are more about the ‘soft sell’ rather than the hard sell – no-one likes being sent hundreds of spam emails or receiving unsolicited telemarketing calls – and your social media community is the same. Blatant advertising material on social media channels is unacceptable as most people have joined for a bit of fun. The exception to this is when it is a specific promotion page and people are aware of this when they sign/ join up/follow.

With this in mind, it is important to have clear objectives for why you want your brand or business to engage in social media. Is your target market reached easily via this channel? It’s not good enough just to be ‘on’ it.

Brands can benefit  from building genuine connections with the market on social media but it needs to be consistent with the overall marketing strategy, which includes integrating above and below the line elements. Social  media requires a a long-term commitment but there are a few things you can do to engage fans quickly and easily. Simple things like asking questions or running specific online promotions through applications are two strategies that encourage engagement.

Roger Federer is one of the biggest sports brands in tennis (and sport in general). Part of the reason he continues to remain popular with both sponsors and fans is through his innovative approach to social media. Roger and his team consistently put in efforts to connect with his Facebook & YouTube fans and this has paid off with his number of Facebook fans recently hitting 4, 811, 836. His comments and videos regularly attract feedback in the thousands. I am sure many of you are aware of his recent video for Gillette, which went viral on the internet

The screen capture below is a great example of a recent post he made calling  for fans to ask him any questions they would like answered. Note: this one post attracted 9, 261 comments and 13, 9223 ‘likes’ – one of his less popular ones!

'The Fed' is a social media ace

 You will notice it actually seems like Roger himself is using this page – it is not all marketing material and this is a key element in its success as a fan page.

As a business owner it’s important to start with the end goal in mind so before doing anything consider what you really want to achieve in the social media sphere then act accordingly. Do research, check what competitors are doing and ensure you are familiar with social media tools so you can truly understand how it works and can be applied for your business.

If your business is already engaging in social media, assess how successful it is and  make sure there are consistent efforts to engage and connect with the online community.

Social media is a powerful communication tool but it is not a one size fits all medium.

Trends for 2010

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The end of 2009 is fast approaching and here at Ignite we’ve been busy wrapping up activity for clients and finalising marketing plans for 2010.

I’m sure many of you are used to seeing the “top 10 trends for the coming year” float into your inbox or appear in articles or blogs around this time each year, but if you are an SME you may find yourself thinking “well that’s great but I’m not sure how I can capitalise on these trends?”

Let’s look at three top trends for 2010.

1. The rise of a more demanding consumer

As globalisation continues consumer expectations and demands continue to increase, which means the companies that will be successful will be those that move with their target market’s desires and preferences.

So what are you doing to ensure you know the desires and preferences of your target market? It’s a given that social media has exploded in popularity, so if your target market is using social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Bebo etc it would be smart to ensure you are on those sites following what they are saying about your brand.

Having said that, there is no sense in having a social media presence just because everyone else is, particularly if your target market is not using that media. Perhaps your target market share their ideas and opinions via a particular radio show or industry publication. Perhaps you need to do an online survey of your database – there are a few cost effective options available such as www.surveymonkey.com – to gauge their views and opinions. Think outside the box but always keep your target market in mind.

Also, remember, an integrated marketing approach  always work best so try to incorporate a full communication mix – Public Relations, Strategic Marketing, Advertising (print, radio or online), Local Area Marketing.

1. Virtual networking merging into face-to-face networking

Online lifestyles are prompting “real world” meet ups and are shattering all predictions about a desk-bound, virtual, isolated future.

You can actually be a part of this by joining groups that share common interests with you and participating in face-to-face meet ups. For example, one of my colleagues here in the office is a regular Tweeter virtually meeting and interacting with a number of professionals in our industry who are interstate. When she tweeted one day that she was planning a holiday in Sydney a few of those interstate contacts were interested in meeting with her in person.

Our agency has also made a number of business contacts through Twitter which we have been able to call upon when in need of particular experts for specific client campaigns. We have proceeded to meet with these business contacts in person and developed strategies with them for our clients.

2. Increase in risqué marketing techniques

2010 will be even more opinion-driven, outspoken than 2009 thanks to the “anything goes” online world. What will you do to follow this trend?

It’s not about necessarily engaging in guerrilla marketing tactics but it is about thinking creatively to strategically catch the attention of your target market and stand out from the crowd. Some good examples of brands/companies which have done this in 2009 are:

These are a few of my thoughts and experiences but of course you can do some strategy planning by doing a bit of your own research on trends for 2010.

Happy planning!

Lyla Lopez – Account Manager