Isn’t the objective to make positive contacts through social marketing, and, voila, hordes of new potential customers will flock to your web site.  Yet, while you are gaining new “followers” everyday, they don’t translate into more sales leads. So, what’s the problem?

Perhaps, the problem is a lot like restaurant advertising that pulls traffic to a place that serves bad food.  In that unhappy situation, the more people the ads draw to restaurant, the sooner it likely will go out of business – unless it improves its menu offerings. Sure, great ads build positive awareness of the restaurant. They trigger action, attracting diners who come anticipating a great meal, as promised. But, when that meal fails to deliver, the negative effect can ultimately destroy the restaurant.

Or, to put it another way, when people meet you on Facebook or Linkedin or somewhere in the blogosphere, and are inspired to visit your web site . . .when visitors get there . . . and there is no “there” . . . you wind up with a net negative for your efforts.

Some marketers create their web sites first and do nothing with SEO or social marketing efforts to draw visitors to the site. So, no one comes. Nothing happens. You get no ROI for your investment.

Others go immediately into low cost efforts of social marketing with a minimum presence on their web sites, delaying the costs of developing a site with content that delivers the promise that enticed their visitors.  Plus, easy navigation that leads the visitor to take actions you desire. This approach, by itself, doesn’t work either.

If your objective is to get results that build your business . . . then the first thing you need is a plan that gives your efforts a chance to meet your objectives.

One size fits all is not the answer. Finding a source who has the know how to understand your particular company’s needs is a good starting point.

Bill Shoss is Senior Vice President at R&S Marketing, a full service advertising agency in St. Louis providing web development, social marketing, and search engine optimization. On the web at www.rsmktg.com or by phone at 314.576.4944.

Check their background, don’t be dazzled by a lot of techno speak…and believe me there are those who will do exactly that. You get to the point where you have no idea what they’re talking about! What I’ve found is they don’t either! They’ve skimmed a bunch of articles, picked up the “buzz words”, know how to use a computer (at this stage, most 4th graders can, too, or at least that’s what I was told when I asked a question), picked up some program understanding…and they’re off…sometimes – literally! Insist on knowing past clients and then contact them. Ask who are their current accounts/clients, how long they’ve had them as accounts/clients, and get contact numbers. Be diligent!

Do they really know SEO – Search Engine Optimization? Most do not. They are techno geeks, nerds, existing in virtual worlds with little care about who can find the masterpieces they convince you they can develop. I’m not talking about everyone, because I’ve worked with partners through the years who promise only what they can deliver, without “hissy” fits. They are professional, their contact is professional and they deliver what they promise. I’m not talking about those, I’m talking about the ones that never need to deal with the public, customer, client, or anyone else…ever!

Maintain Control. No matter what program, what server, what app, whatever…make sure you know what it is and you control it. Unscrupulous web developers will use this as a control tactic, threatening to “pull the plug”, if you don’t forego your questions and inquiries. It’s your client, your property…do not give it away…no matter how fast they talk. This is one of the most important things you can do.

Run from the web developer who keeps saying, “you gotta’ have this app, program, widget, etc.”. Run fast and run hard. This is the guy who wants to spend your money on a product he wants to check out. After a little time, he’ll find another one to replace the first one, then insist on that, “and the wheels on the bus go round and round”! You’ll need a score card to keep track of this kind of developer.

Never give them access to your client! This is a fundamental rule to adhere to…if you do, you’re asking for it! Unless you have a history with this web developer, or know clients they’ve worked for – don’t do it! It will come back to haunt you like the scariest movie you’ve ever seen.

I will be writing more on this topic due to its importance and I have a lot more to talk about on this subject. If you have questions, or want to hear first hand, my phone number is on our website, www.rsmktg.com or by emailing me at info@rsmktg.com.

When you are writing content, you should ask yourself – why is the information important? Is it in line with my goals? Is it line with my client’s goals? Is the content relevant? Can I predict the results?  If you can answer these questions with a resounding “yes”, you are on the right track. Sometimes the articles might be news items that are pertinent to the client or to you…it must provide information that is of interest and readable to your audience to have any impact.

It is important to convey the information in a clear way without all the big words, buzz words and techno-speak. Make it easy for anyone to glean the material for facts that address their issues or questions.

After you add the information to your/client’s website, check the impact through analytic tools available.  Probably the most common, or certainly well-known, is Google Analytics, however there are many other programs and apps available that will help you establish relevant keywords and phrases for your content.

Providing current content…ongoing…is the key to standing out among the herd who are trying everything possible to move their rank. The basics are simple – new information, ongoing, pertinent , relatable, and easy to read and understand.

For more articles on search engine optimization – SEO – check our blogs at www.rsmktg.com or send us an email at info@rsmktg.com. There are many great sites where you can find additional information on this topic.

Keywords: SEO, Search Engine Optimization, Content, Rank, Website Optimization, Social Media

There are basics of posting and I don’t mind telling you this piece of information about marketing to Facebook took me forever to discover.  Oh, and there are plenty of shortcuts when you do figure it out but that’s for another time.  We’ll talk about the basics of the Facebook.  Tumblr is creeping up fast and so is Pinterest – with a bullet!  Again, we are just talking about Facebook now.

Facebook – The best times to post are 7-9am, 5-7pm and 10pm-12MN.  Logical…it’s like drive times in radio or prime news areas for television.  All the research shows these best times to get your content seen and better yet, responded or
commented on.  If you are a business page, it’s really important.

Intervals on Facebook.  We’ve covered when are the best times to post, let’s cover the best days.  There was just recently an article I read that spelled out the days which would work the best, but this is what I’ve found…Thursday afternoon through Monday afternoon gets the best response and the best engagement. That time frame will create your marketing curve. Almost everyone available will see your status updates every four hours.  So if you update with that window, almost everyone will see new information.  If you can get them to comment on something you say will increase your “talking abouts”, and that helps grow your followers.

Unlike your personal page where you can find people to like and Facebook suggests people you might like…with a business page, you have to entice them for the add of your page.  Very, very different and decidedly more difficult.  There’s Facebook ads, you can solicit on Linkedin, beg your friends and every other way you can think of…but bottom line you have to become a resource. Not only a resource, but one your friends can “like” and trust.

I will continue to update through my trial and error method.  With my continued reading and research and more changes in Facebook…this might all be different….Stay tuned.

R&S Marketing is a St. Louis Advertising Agency.

Advertising Made Simple - Traditional Media vs Social Media

That’s just it…advertising is not simple!  It’s kind of like throwing spaghetti at the wall…throw it long enough and something might stick.  Possibly the reason social media is the most popular kid in school right now.  It’s really a matter of how much time are you willing to spend to discover what makes your customers or clients tick, or do you hire someone to do it for you?  Big question!  Big answer!

Social media is like everything else, there’s a formula to make it work.  Then depending on your type of business, it’s the offer, how frequently do you tell your customers/clients,how long does the offer last, etc., etc.  Just like traditional media, only new forum.  However, the same rules apply…nothing has really changed except the platform.  It’s funny to me that television, radio and print are now called traditional media.  Did you ever think that would happen?  Now, it’s youtube, Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, StumbleUpon, oh, and let’s not forget Pinterest…still same goal but now with a moving target.

One of the local radio stations just sent me a promotion for Facebook, television did it last year.  Is it any wonder that everyone stays confused or at best…dazed?  If “traditional” media (corporate groups with big budgets and big research departments) are looking at the new outlets and trying to figure them out, what hope is there for the local business guy trying to compete in his market?  Doing it himself?

Whether 1972 or 2012, it’s still customer service and recognition that pays off, doesn’t matter if it’s through traditional or social
media.  People are still a product of their last conversation.  The best thing you can do is keep “talking” , cross your fingers and hope it sticks!

R&S Marketing is a St. Louis Advertising Agency.

Clients, customers, vendors and such, at times can really make you burn! Who doesn’t want to tell somebody off when they’re in a bad mood? It can be extremely satisfying and a total release of emotion…for about a nano second…then in a cyberspace moment, you get the results of that release! It could be a response that has the ring of finality. Certainly something you want to avoid.

If it makes you feel better, write it in a word document and save it. And never do it in a draft email…NEVER! It could get mistakenly sent and you can’t un-ring that bell. The document will work, you can enjoy re-reading it, editing, adding…totally satisfying without the repercussions. It’s not near as “death-defying” or “adrenalin filled” as giving them the full onslaught of your two cents but definitely will have a better long term effect.

So, when you get really mad, hear the voice of your parent saying, “listen when I tell you something”, “I only tell you what is good for you”,  “Mommy knows best” or any of the axioms from your childhood will do. Here again, is a real example of “always listen to your parents” and zip it when you get ticked off…and whatever you do, don’t send an angry email!

By Alice J. Ross

Want a free “second opinion” on your current advertising and marketing program? Contact R&S Marketing HERE or call us today at 314-576-4944.

By Alice J. Ross

Having worked in the advertising and marketing world for more than 30 years, I’ve found that one thing never changes and that’s something is ALWAYS changing.

Just to stay on top of the curve (we’re not talking “ahead”) and continue to create effective and successful strategies for your clients, you must constantly educate yourself to the newest technologies and outlets for marketing and promoting your clients.

The 1990’s brought everyone in to a new world with the onset of the internet and it’s been a racecar track ever since.  First, it was just “being there”.  As Google, Yahoo and other search engines became major influences with connecting with the world, website designers became more focused on how sites looked.  What started out as small world suddenly exploded and the race was really on.  This competition for developing the most search engine accessible site has only increased and the art of website optimization became a very complex science.

Not only did the web change where we went for information, it changed how we went about getting it.  Remember the fax?  Obsolete, now.  Our correspondence is now via email…not only personally but as a means to connect to prospects.

As the web grew, so did the segmentation and the demand for new ways to reach target markets.  Hello, social media!  Not only are we now influenced by one-way traditional media communication, we’ve moved into interactive dialogues.  Peer groups created through social media sites influence each other in real-time in their buying decisions.  Prospects and suppliers now ask questions and receive immediate responses which have dramatically affected sales cycles.

Social media, SEO, websites, are just ways to expand your presence in the growing web world.  What never changes is the consumer wanting a relationship with the business, brand…and we’ve come full circle …only now, it’s done in the virtual world.

Like us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/RSMKTG
Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/rsmktg

"Like" Us On Facebook and Maybe Win A Kindle Fire

Growing Facebook business pages is no walk in the park, it takes time, strategy, marketing and a big ole’ dose of luck.  We’ve scratched our heads, considered the possibility of being totally clueless, thrown that possibility out and puzzled over what we were missing.  So, we started watching promotions, engagement strategies and just out and out pleading by Facebook owners trying to grow their likes.  It’s a tough world out there…especially in social media marketing…taking everything in to consideration…wait for it….

We finally arrived at this conclusion…everyone is bombarded by one request after another…could you fill out this, can you answer a few questions, can we get your reaction, etc.  We decided – keeping all this in mind - to make it as easy as possible.  It’s simple…no craziness, no catches, no pleading…just like us on Facebook and you can win a Kindle “Fire”.  You have a 1 in 250 chance, it’s everyone who likes our page, not just new likes. You can just click on the “like” button right on this page or you can find us on Facebook.com/RSMKTG.

We look forward to hitting our goal and picking a winner…Good Luck!

R&S Marketing is a full-service St. Louis Marketing and Advertising Agency providing media services, website development, social media, SEO and Direct Mail Marketing.

Marketing and advertising is just one aspect of achieving a client’s goals. Let’s start with broadcast media. It’s not as simple as pulling a ranker against the demo…even though many do it this way. Media planning and buying is a lot more complicated than that. Each market has nuances that make it almost impossible to decipher from just a ranker.  Not to mention that each household/person surveyed and how they respond relates to all persons in that market as a percentage or share of the same users.

Simply put…one person/household can represent tens of thousands of persons/households. It’s like living in an apartment complex and saying the guy in building one, in apartment one watches/listens to this station…then everyone in the entire complex watches/listens to the same station. We all know that’s not true but it is nearly impossible to get any better indicator.  That’s one of the reasons understanding marketing and the market is crucial to the success of any broadcast campaign.

That’s just to get started…then you have to evaluate-

• Number of stations
• Market Size
• Affiliations of each station (that reflects programming in television and format in radio)
• Market Profile of Viewers/Listeners
• Employment Profiles (shows if it’s heavy manufacturing, corporate, collegiate, etc.)
• Market Layout (how is the Metro defined…does it overlap? include multiple counties? cities? big city-small county, small city-big county, etc.)
• Center of Business (relates to commutes-especially important in radio)
• Educational Profiles (determines creative strategies)
• Cable Saturation (relates to television placement)

If this is already making you dizzy, there’s more -

• Formats
• Demographics Rating Points Cume vs Quarter Hours (AQH)
• Household (HH) vs People Viewing (PVT)
• Audience Turnover Ratios
• Time Spent Listening
• Exclusive Cumes
• Cost Per Points (CPP)
• Reach and Frequency (reach x frequency = gross rating points)
• Shares
• Duplication
• Commercial Breaks/Limited Commercial Breaks
• News vs Music Sponsorships

And more!

And then comes the big question – BUDGET? How do you decide what will work for you…can you spend enough to make it work? Let me say this – “Everything Works” – it’s just a matter of degrees. You can put a flyer on telephone poles giving away 12 cars and in little time all will be gone. You can see, it’s not that simple and with all the changes in options, channels, networks, choices, it’s getting even more difficult…

To learn more, visit our website at http://rsmktg.com. Check out our tweets at http://www.twitter.com/rsmktg and like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/RSMKTG.

It seems that everywhere we hear that branding and social marketing are the only ways to go to build sales and profits. If, “they” say, people find you on FaceBook, Twitter, or another digital community and have a positive experience, then social marketing is doing its job — right?

Maybe, and maybe not.

What if your company depends on a steady flow of inquiries from qualified prospects to keep profitable sales going for your business. And, what if website visitors are not buying anything as a result of their time spent with your electronic marketing presence?  What options are left for developing qualified leads, aside from where you’ve already invested.  Whether you market direct, through sales reps or distribution channels…aren’t sales leads what many of us really need to grow?  In other words, sales action must follow along with the brand enhancement. This is especially true for small businesses.

So, if digital-social marketing is not getting all the action needed for your business, where do you turn?  For many successful marketers the answer is direct mail, used in an integrated program of branding and social marketing. Why? Because direct mail still works, when used appropriately. You may be surprised to hear that 12% of all advertising expenditures are made on direct marketing, and that pattern has endured for the past 20 years. Hard to believe?  It’s true!

Certainly, the power of branding and social marketing is well proven, and cannot be ignored, but they are not necessarily the only solution to all marketing problems — especially for small business and business to business marketers. Think outside the branding box, and you might find that direct mail is still the action medium for your situation and will enhance your overall marketing efforts.

By Bill Shoss

Visit our website at http://rsmktg.com.