10 years of Facebook

On the 4th February 2014, Facebook celebrated 10 years of…..well 10 years of what?

• Enabling friends to talk to friends?
• Enabling friends to locate friends that they may have lost touch with over the years?
• A means of sharing photos, and information about what they’ve been up to with their friends?
• Allowing strangers to form some sort of friendship online? A match making service?
• Bring people together who share a common interest such as a sporting group, college group, or art/dance group?
• Companies to connect with customers online?
• Companies to get real-time feedback from their customers in an open and very relaxed environment?
• Can you think of any more?

From its inception as a “hot or not” online game at Harvard University, where students would rate two images of students against one another, Facemash, which then became thefacebook and now Facebook has come a long way. What we are interested in is how it has shaped a company’s marketing strategy.

When you start a company, ideally you should have a goal and purpose moving forwards. This is not necessarily unique to your company but there are general attributes which tend to be present in most i.e. profit or not-for-profit, area specific or world domination. Before we look at how it has shaped a company’s marketing strategy it is possibly worth putting into groups the reactions we have had from clients when we mentioned the word Facebook.

The non-starters
Those who are not on Facebook and who have no interest in being on Facebook.

The reluctant
Those who have a page, but don’t know how to use it efficiently and therefore cannot see the benefit it can bring a company’s bottom line.

The proactive
Those who are active on Facebook on their own profiles and who connect with companies and brands they have an interest in.

When Box PR first started out back in 2009, we think it is fair to say we were surrounded by the non-starters, and those who could not see the purpose of Facebook (or any social media) or understand how it could help them as a company. Five years later, there has been some progression. We now find people are less reluctant and want to work with us and help grow their audience. Why is this?

More and more Facebook is being talked about, as friends and family communicate more through online methods, increasingly more people get involved. Perhaps it is the fear of being left out? When we now login not only do we see what our friends have been up to, but more so they are sharing posts, things in the news, offers from companies friends have chosen to share and also sponsored links. It is these shares, considered online word of mouth, and the sponsored links which is how companies can get involved and target their customers who are most likely to have a profile on Facebook.

Facebook is keeping us on our toes and whilst reports of the popularity of Facebook becoming stagnant, today it is predicted that there are over 1.2 billion monthly active users. Facebook is an additional tool, that if used effectively it can increase the brand awareness of your organisation and hopefully therefore increase your bottom line.

To avoid some common mistakes, here are our tips to Marketing and PR managers. Facebook is not:

Your company website

You still need a company website. As a company creating stories and news, you should always where possible link back to your company website. This will enable the interested party to see what else you have to offer.

Your only online presence

Facebook is part of your overall online strategy. It is a portal that may be used in addition to any online advertising and articles you may be involved with. Other social media sites (Twitter, LinkedIn, Google +, Pinterest, Flickr, YouTube, Instagram) may also provide some relevance to your organisation and should be reviewed.

Your strategy

Facebook can be part of your strategy, but it should not be your whole strategy.  As a company you need clear goals that are in line with your corporate and marketing plans, and Facebook follows this strategy not the other way round.

The only way you communicate to your customers

Whilst it is probably fair to say the majority of customers now have access to the internet in some way or another, not all your customers are online and therefore whilst Facebook may be part of your online marketing, remember your traditional offline methods too.

Sites are already gaining pace with Facebook, however is it a relatively low cost marketing tool you can afford to be without?

We do not promise that by having a company page on Facebook your bottom line will improve, however a relevant active page, which interacts with your customers and suppliers (in many cases) is good for corporate image, your brand and ultimately it can help to bring your company to the forefront of the decision making process.

If you would like further advice on Facebook and other social media platforms please contact us through any of the following means on our website here.

Keeping us on our toes - Twitter

The best thing about social media is that it keeps us on our toes. Yet the worst thing about social media is that it keeps us on our toes. If you embrace social media, you must be prepared to learn, as well as keeping up to date and in the game.

Companies use platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Flickr, You Tube and Instagram to communicate to their target audience, and these platforms are forever changing. The rules remain the same, yet the boundaries and the means to get the end result, whether that is a sale or to increase brand awareness, are ever moving. So how do companies keep on top of such changing platforms and make sure they are using them to their advantage?

In organisations large enough to have an extensive marketing budget, roles such as Social Media Manager, Editor and Community Manager are appearing as job tiles. However such a luxury is not always the case and therefore the role of managing social media often falls to the marketing department.

At Box PR we manage our own social media pages and we work alongside clients to help to position their pages accordingly and develop their own social media platforms. As the boundaries move we work with our clients to make sure they adapt with it.

We were recently involved in an online seminar led by Twitter. Our philosophy has always been to give a little to receive a little and therefore we use this blog to share some tips so you can get Twitter up and running effectively for you and your organisation.

Here are a few pointers to get you started.

Tone and behaviour:

• Be human
• Be responsive
• Be Flexible

Uses of Twitter:

• Share helpful informative content
• Make it playful, give teasers, jokes and questions to grab your followers attention
• The use of photos and videos will make your tweet more engaging

What is the purpose of being on Twitter? There are over 200 million active users on Twitter, with around 500 million tweets being sent a day (figures according to Twitter CEO Dick Costolo in October 2012). These figures are likely to be higher today as Twitter gains pace and people use it more to interact with friends and their favourite brands.

With such a large number using Twitter your tweets can easily be lost if they are meaningless, so therefore it is important that you have a clear strategy based around your corporate message.

Think about who you connect to and associate yourself with. The whole thought of creating content to keep a constant flow of tweets to your followers can appear quite daunting, but it doesn’t have to. Connect with influencers in your industry and associate yourselves with them. You don’t always have to be a producer you can share news and information others have created that you feel is of interest to your followers.

Things to help you get started:

• Listen and observe. Monitor the conversation around your business and be responsive.
• Find your own voice. Help potential customers relate to your business.
• Plan your content. Just like planning your gifts for Christmas, use resources and assets you already have.
• Create shareable content. Is your content re-tweetable, will it help you reach new audiences?

Don’t be shy, give it a try!

Follow @boxpr_ltd

Looking after your sponsors - Clipper Race Start 13/14

On the 1st September 2013, our client Perkins invited Lou from Box PR to attend the start of the 13-14 Clipper Round the World Yacht Race.

Perkins Marine Power has supplied new engines to the fleet of 12 Clipper 70's who will be taking part in this their first circumnavigation.

On approaching St Katherine's Dock, the place where the fleet have been moored in the week building up to the start, you could sense the atmosphere and apprehension of the crews as they were clearly excited about their adventure, but yet the emotion of leaving loved ones and friends behind was very apparent as the crews were taking to their boats and their homes for the next few weeks and months at sea.

We were welcomed at River Lounge by Clipper for breakfast, tea and coffee with a balcony overlooking the dock area. Here we met fellow sponsors from around the world all cheering on not only their boat but the fleet as a whole. In a very orderly fashion, the first four boats entered the dock ready to embark on their adventure, their they had the opportunity to take in the atmosphere of the 12,000 crowd all clapping, cheering and waving them off, Great Britain, One DLL, Derry-Londonderry-Doire and Qingdao were the first four followed by Invest Africa, Henri LLoyd, Team Garmin, and Mission Performance. Then the final four of Jamaica, PSP Logistics, Old Pulteney and Switzerland to took the dock.

At this point Laura from Perkins Marine and I boarded the sponsors VIP boat where we joined Sir Robin Know-Johnston, a well oil team from Clipper Ventures and other distinguished guests for a trip on board Symphony to watch the fleet sail past under tower bridge and back again before heading out of the Thames for the official start off South End on Monday 2 September.

After the boats had performed for their audience and set off out to sea, we were invited for a sit down meal which was another opportunity to meet other sponsors and learn about how they were looking to get the most for their sponsorship of the race.

This was a fantastic day and a good example of how race organisers can look after their sponsors whilst not letting their presence overshadow the race start.

Good luck to the 12 boats, their skippers and crew, we look forward to following your circumnavigation and welcoming you back into London in July 2014.

Follow the fleets progress on the Clipper website

Is eMail Marketing in decline?

At Box PR we work with our clients on various aspects of their marketing and PR requirements.  When the news is relevant our work includes composing and sending out an eNews to their database. We regularly see readership above 30%, and whilst at first that may not seem much, when you refer to Marketing Week 27th June they suggest 17% is a good readership rate….. 

Without wanting to blow our own trumpet…..we must be doing something right!

Here are the findings below.

E-mail trends

New research suggests that timing, as well as offering an easy way to unsubscribe, are important when maximising the effectiveness of e-mail communications. This study, which was conducted by analytics provider Return Path, is based on the top 50 e-mail senders in the UK by volume. It reveals that the shopping sector accounts for 77.3% of e-mails, with more than 50% of this generated by Amazon and Groupon. In general e-mails sent by brands have a better opening rate (17.3%) than deal aggregators (11.7%). Recommendations are made, including taking into account subject line length and the day of the week. The question of spam is also discussed and top-line findings from the research are included.

Marketing Week, 27 June 2013, pp26-28

Do you send out eNews campaigns? What is your readership rate? We would love to share your views on how to maximise this marketing tool.

If you want to find out more about emailing your database effectively contact us on hello@boxpr.co.uk

To post or not to post

It was pointed out to us the other day that we have not posted on our blog since November 2012…. oops. A year ago, Box PR pledged to do more and “practice what we preach” (see blog post February 2012), and we established Marketing Monday’s when we would share our thoughts, knowledge and (hopefully) expertise.

Whilst we were going great guns to begin with, we started to fizzle out and we got to the point where we were writing things for the sake of writing them……recipe for disaster!

Through effective use of social media and previous connections we discovered the creative and delightfully informative partnership of Sonja Jefferson and Sharon Tanton, who together have written a book Valuable Content. If you haven’t seen this book we highly recommend you track down a copy. This made us review what we were doing with our blog.

We want to earn your attention through creating interesting, useful and therefore ultimately valuable content which will keep you coming back to us. There will be no more empty promises or writing content for the sake up having something on the page, this is just not us. Any content on here we hope you will find useful as a reference now and into the future.

Is there something in particular you want to know more about (Marketing and PR related only please!), then let us know and we can research and provide some feedback to you.

We look forward to blogging more with you in the coming weeks and months. Until then.

Louise & Lou

Build up to METS 2012

Prior to a busy week at work, rest and relaxation should probably be high up the list, however we will be hitting the ground running this week as we head out to Amsterdam for the Marine Equipment Trade Show, more widely known as METS.

Over the past few weeks we have been planning, writing, brain storming, planning a bit more and writing even more.  From the 13 - 15 November we will be supporting our clients Baltic Safety Products (09.318), Clements Engineering (03.306) and Ocean Yacht Systems (03.114) who are all exhibiting at the show. We will be talking to journalists, finding stories to write about, even standing in to help when needed on their stands as well as meeting up with visiting clients, and potentially some new ones!

In addition to these exhibiting clients, Livewire Connections and Marine & Industrial Transmissions (MIT) will also be at the show.

Please come and visit us on the Ocean Yacht Systems stand (03.114) on Tuesday 13^th November from 1630 onwards, where we are having some informal drinks.

We are looking forward to an action packed 3 days, and hope to see you around the show, look out for the Orange box logo, we will be there!

Louise & Lou (aka the Two Lou's)

Is marketing at the heart of your business?

As marketers and PR professionals, we strongly believe that at the heart of any successful business is a clear, concise and well communicated marketing strategy.  This is why when we stumbled across the following on the social networking site LinkedIn, we thought this would fit quite nicely into our blog post for the week, even if it is a day or two late!

Richard Branson has highlighted 5 points to starting a successful business, and we see these 5 points as being as relevant for a successful marketing campaign as they are for a successful business venture, can you see the connection and put the following into practice?

1. Listen more than you talk

Richard Branson

We have two ears and one mouth, using them in proportion is not a bad idea! To be a good leader you have to be a great listener. Brilliant ideas can spring from the most unlikely places, so you should always keep your ears open for some shrewd advice. This can mean following online comments as closely as board meeting notes, or asking the frontline staff for their opinions as often as the CEOs. Get out there, listen to people, draw people out and learn from them.

Box PR

In order for our campaigns to be successful for our clients, we need to listen to them. We need to understand their business strategy, to make the marketing fit and adapt to the forces that are placed on the business even if they are not something the business can control.  Being PR professionals we clearly like to talk lots, so this one is a challenge, but when we put our minds to it we can do it!

2. Keep it simple

Richard Branson

You have to do something radically different to stand out in business. But nobody ever said different has to be complex. There are thousands of simple business solutions to problems out there, just waiting to be solved by the next big thing in business. Maintain a focus upon innovation, but don’t try to reinvent the wheel. A simple change for the better is far more effective than five complicated changes for the worse.

Box PR

Sometimes the simplest campaigns are the most successful.  We are always trying to help are clients stand out from their competition and do something different.  Copying someone else will not provide differentiation, however like RB says you do not have to go the extreme, simple tweak or adjustment on something that has worked successfully for someone else or for you in the past, might provide inspiration.  A little tip is, we sometimes look at what companies in other industries have done, and that is always good for opening new doors.

3. Take pride in your work

Richard Branson

Last week I enjoyed my favourite night of the year, the Virgin Stars of the Year Awards, where we celebrated some of those people who have gone the extra mile for us around the Virgin world. With so many different companies, nationalities and personalities represented under one roof, it was interesting to see what qualities they all have in common. One was pride in their work, and in the company they represent. Remember your staff are your biggest brand advocates, and focusing on helping them take pride will shine through in how they treat your customers.

Box PR

We can say that all we do we take pride in.  The work we do, not only reflects us but also our clients.  We cannot send out work or act in a way that does not reflect positively on all the companies we are associated with.  We work in a small niche industry and the relationships we have built up add value to our business, everything we do is about maintaining and building on those relationships.  Simply put, if we act in haste we will repent at leisure.

4. Have fun, success will follow

Richard Branson

If you aren’t having fun, you are doing it wrong. If you feel like getting up in the morning to work on your business is a chore, then it's time to try something else. If you are having a good time, there is a far greater chance a positive, innovative atmosphere will be nurtured and your business will flourish. A smile and a joke can go a long way, so be quick to see the lighter side of life.

Box PR

At Box PR we have fun.  Everyday is completely different from the day before.  We are constantly working on different projects as well as maintaining the status quo for our clients. We want to finish each day with the satisfaction of knowing we have achieved something positive for our clients and they are happy. We hope you can say that about your work? If our clients are not happy we have to work twice as hard to get them smiling and keeping them happy.

5. Rip it up and start again

Richard Branson

If you are an entrepreneur and your first venture isn’t a success, welcome to the club! Every successful businessperson has experienced a few failures along the way – the important thing is how you learn from them. Don’t allow yourself to get disheartened by a setback or two, instead dust yourself off and work out what went wrong. Then you can find the positives, analyse where you can improve, rip it up and start again.

Box PR

You should see our recycling pile…….! Mind mapping (brain storming) is the name of the game, the process is a long one, and the paper pile is high, but we don’t give up until we have a result.  The various ideas our customers see are only a small percentage of where we started.  One lesson we also learn is being diplomatic, and understanding criticism.  What we think is a good idea, our clients might not, and what our clients think is a good idea, might not sit right with us.  Either way, we work hard to make concepts come to life whilst maintaining good relationships with clients, our team and the media.  It’s a good balancing act, trust us!

To follow Richard Branson on LinkedIn see:  

http://www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/20121002115242-204068115-five-top-tips-to-starting-a-successful-business?trk=NUS_UNIU_PEOPLE_FOLLOW-megaphone

Let us know how you get on with applying the above to your business.

Until next time

Box PR team