Making a BIG Buzz on a Small Budget

1. Making a BIG Buzz on a Small Budget Cheminne Taylor-Smith Senior VP of Brand Marketing Tobi Fairley & Associates

2. Making A Buzz • Created a buzz about High Point Market with very little budget. • Used the formula I’ll show you today. • Staff for all marketing, events, social media at the Market Authority was me and one other person. We used an agency for advertising, but I did all social media interaction by myself. • So it can be done.

3. Creating the Buzz • Make It Personal • Online Buzz • Social Media Buzz • Event Buzz • Grassroots Buzz • Involved Buzz • Tying It All Together

4. Make It Personal

10. Personal buzz • People want to make a connection. They want to feel that you not only have products to offer them, but that you care. • Consumers no longer trust traditional advertising. They don’t want to be “sold.” But if you show them you care about them and their lives, they are sold.

11. Get Personal. Ask yourself… • What is my brand’s personality? • If your brand was a person, would you want to hang out with it? • How do I convey brand personality online? • Is that personality also evident in my store, my employees, in everything we do? • Do I care? How do I show it? • How do I start my conversation?

13. Personal buzz • Once you’ve determined your brand’s personality, write down 5 words to describe it. • Use those words in all aspects of building buzz. Tie it all together throughout your marketing channels. • PAY ATTENTION – monitor what’s being said about you. • But most of all, be sure to have fun and interact!

17. Create Buzz Online

18. Old School vs. New School • “Marketers need to become more savvy in digital. Most companies continue to treat digital as a separate ‘channel.’ The :30 spot still rules and attracts the big budgets, but the center of their customers’ lives is no longer the living room couch.” Lauren Weinberg, Yahoo

19. Old School vs. New School • “The market uncertainties are strongly influenced by the younger generations (Generation Y and the upcoming Generation Z) that are changing standard consumption habits. They are born digital, with a digital brain. They are creating a new language via technology, and if you don’t speak the same language, you are out.” Guido Rosales, Coca-Cola

20. Old School vs. New School • “A year ago, it was still okay for people — especially if you were over 40 — to simply state ‘I don’t like Facebook and I hate Twitter’ as a reason not to get involved with and understand social media. I think we’ve reached the tipping point where that is now just considered unprofessional.” David Lang, Mindshare

21. The Good News • For small to medium businesses, the shift to digital is a boon. • Digital allows you to do so much more with smaller budgets. • But you have to know your business, and its place in your market, more than you ever have in the past.

22. Buzz Up Your Website • Add personality to your website, and drive traffic with a blog • But don’t just sell your products, that isn’t having a conversation • Write with a “voice” • Add current events – mention holidays and entertaining, write about how much a local park means to you, talk about things that mean a lot to your customers

25. Know Your Numbers • Use your blog to drive traffic by knowing the buzzwords. • Those are words that increase SEO (search engine optimization) • Simple way to find those buzzwords:

26. Buzz Up Your Social Media • The annualSensis Social Media Report revealed that just 30% of small businesses have a social media presence. Of this group, 88% are using Facebook. And only Facebook.

27. Buzz Up Your Social Media • There are a LOT of other social media channels • Tumblr • Google+ • Instagram • Twitter • YouTube • FourSquare • Pinterest • LinkedIn

28. Buzz Up Your Social Media • Do your homework. Who is using these channels and who are you trying to reach?

31. Buzz Up Your social media • Pinterest is the biggest thing to happen to the home decor industry online • Home fluctuates between #1 and #2 most popular topic on Pinterest • People spend an average of 1.27 hours on Pinterest • Pinterest is still driving more traffic to websites and blogs than Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, or YouTube. • They are looking for great products and designs and YOU have them.

32. Create a Buzz on Pinterest • Entertain, teach, and inspire your audience. • Link to your webpage and more product info in your profile • Pinterest referrals spend 70% more money than those from other social media sites. • Pins with prices on them generate 36% more LIKES than photos without prices. • New rules for business pages on Pinterest allow you to receive analytics about your boards

33. Build the Buzz • You don’t have to follow every user who follows your brand • But do repin content from some of your customers to engage them • Encourage customers to repin their favorite products from your board • Select one of them randomly to win a product from your board. • Check out boards of customers who made recent purchases from you. Like and repin from them. • Create a board of your products that caters to their interests and email it to them.

34. Social Media Buzz • Engage with your customers – on whatever channels you choose • Keep it up – nothing is worse than a brand that stops talking to its customers • Be timely – if you plan ahead you can do amazing things

37. Create Buzz with Events

38. New School • “People need events that are exciting in the physical experience and engaging in the digital. More than ever, digital, traditional and experiential marketing need to dovetail in order to create an experience that will actually grab the attention of a Generation Y, and even the older generations who are trying to keep up.”Mark Saunders, DigitLab

39. Experiential Marketing • This is the hottest thing in marketing now as people want to experience brands as much as they want to interact with them online. • For stores, this is much easier – you have the space already in your physical store • So the key is to bring consumers in and engage them while they are there

41. But take it one step further • Is there an unusual or local holiday you can celebrate? • Be seasonal in a new way – if it’s time to eat outdoors, feature outdoor grilling event at your store • Have a charity event – this also shows you care • Are there local customs/characters you can pull in for a big event? • Host book clubs near your recliners and shelves, Put the garden club in your outdoor furnishings • Reach out to local designers, artists, and bloggers for expert events. They want the exposure too.

44. Event Buzz • Use your social media to create a lot of talk about the event • Create a special hashtag just for the event • Get creative in your partnerships locally, to allow you to cut costs. • Example: Local Honey Salon + Meadery = Sweet and Successful Event

45. Grassroots Buzz

46. Grassroots Buzz • Find local design bloggers in your area • Engage with them on their blogs • Invite them into your store to be “experts” • Make them feel special and they will tell others • They are influencers in your area and beyond

47. Grassroots Buzz • You are also the expert in your area • Reach out to local media – they are understaffed and need coverage for home topics • Offer to bring back “trend reports” from major shows • Pitch them seasonal decorating and home ideas

48. Grassroots Buzz • Create partnerships with other local groups/artisans • Offer win-win scenarios

49. Involved Buzz

50. Feel the LUV • Community building is key to brands today • Let them share with you – ask for their photos at home using your products • Show you care • Give them what they need • Make their lives easier • Give back to local charities and organizations