This document provides an overview of marketing principles and social media basics to help attract customers to a website. It discusses defining marketing and differentiating it from sales. Key marketing concepts covered include market research, developing a marketing plan, market segmentation, analyzing competitors, and establishing a unique selling proposition. Traditional and digital marketing channels are compared, with examples of using social media like Facebook, blogs, and video sharing sites. Risks of social media are also briefly mentioned.

1. Attracting customers to your site Part 1: Marketing and Social Networks

2. What you can ask me Marketing Web design Search Engine Optimisation Pay Per Click Usability Accessibility

3. Objectives Understand marketing principles Understand social media basics Be confident that YOU can use social media Decide which social media are appropriate

4. What is Marketing? The Chartered Institute of Marketing (www.cim.co.uk ) definition is:- “ The management process responsible for identifying, anticipating and satisfying customer needs profitably.”

5. OK, what is Marketing? Identifying (researching) needs Product concept The whole product The price Advertising Sales support etc

6. Marketing VS Sales Different departments? Marketing creates the opportunity to sell Sales - the presentation, upselling, cross selling, and the close Marketing supports the sales process Marketing makes sure sales staff are knowledgeable Marketing creates Point of Sale assets Marketing negotiates price Marketing maximises after sales returns Marketing feeds back refinements Captures customer information etc

7. Mind mapping

8. Marketing Basics Market Research Marketing Plan Market Segmentation Competition Product/Price/Place/Promotion Unique Sales Proposition Feature/Advantage/Benefit Objectives Strategy

9. Market Research Your market research should show: The size and requirements of the market (and details of assumptions made) Existing competition Competitors’ strengths and weaknesses The advantage your business has over the competition An informal conservation with a prospective customer may give you useful information. It will also tell you the language – vocabulary – that customers use when talking about your product or service.

10. Marketing Plan Where are you now? Where do you want to be? How are you going to get there?

11. Marketing Segmentation Market Segments talk to each other (Crossing the Chasm) Universe – the universe is the amount and all types of potential customers (e.g. “the general public” or “holiday-makers”) Segment – the next step is to segment your universe. What different types of customers are there? Can you categorise them? (by age / sex / income / location etc.) Locate and quantify – where are your customers to be found? How many are there? Are there enough? What do you need to know about your customers? (Buying habits and patterns, likes and dislikes, needs and wants etc.) Never assume! Analyse the results – What do your findings tell you?

12. Marketing Segmentation Identify customer requirements – What is most important to your customers? Relate customer requirements to your product benefits. Record keeping (identify which are your most profitable markets, how buying patterns are changing etc. A holiday lettings business produced an analysis of clients taking holidays at particular times of year and now uses this to fill specific vacancies.)

13. Competitors Identify customer requirements – What is most important to your customers? All businesses have competitors – either direct or indirect. A tyre and exhaust business competes directly with others. However Parker Pens™ compete indirectly with Ronson Lighters™ in the giftware market. You need to know who and where your competitors are. Identify their range, specifications, pricing, discount structures, promotional activity, delivery arrangements, minimum order quantities, terms of trade etc. You need to know their strengths and weaknesses – as well as your own. This can be done as a SWOT analysis to identify opportunities and threats.

14. Competitors As with your customers you need to go through a process to be aware of your competitors and their influence. Universe – Every possible competitor Segment – Identify the different types of competitor (size, resources, geographic coverage, business category and target markets). – Remembering both direct and indirect competitors. Locate and quantify – Where are they? How many? What access do your customers have to them? Research – What do you need to know? Analyse results – What does your research tell you? Do a SWOT see below! analysis identifying your competitors’ Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats. Does this present you with opportunities? Look at your product profiles and identify your USP (Unique Sales Proposition) see below! . This will help you differentiate your business from the competition. Keep records on the competition – record monitor and update this information.

15. SWOT Analysis Strengths Weaknesses Opportunities Threats

16. Unique Sales Proposition Identify customer requirements – What is most important to your customers? USP’ means unique selling proposition. Your USP can help your customers save time when buying a product or service. Your USP says why your product or service is different, and stands out from the competition. You can use different USPs for different products and markets. To attract attention you must be BETTER, FASTER or CHEAPER than your competitors. Every business needs a USP for its products / services. Identifying your USP helps you to focus on the key benefits that sell your products or services and contribute to your profits. You should use your USP in your promotion and sales activities. (See also AIDA ) To see USPs in action, look at a TV advert. This is the most expensive advertising media and the point needs making quickly! If your customers are switching to competitors or buying purely on price: Have you identified the USPs for your products and services? Are you communicating your USPs clearly to customers?

17. The 4 Ps The ‘Four Ps’ is a useful structure for looking at your marketing operation and for planning campaigns. There are basically four elements that you can change to encourage audiences – the Product, the Place, the Price, and the methods of Promotion. Here are some examples of the kinds of marketing planning that fall into each category.

18. The 4 Ps Product Which of your products and services could be made more appropriate for your target customers? The actual product you provide The atmosphere in your premises The way your staff relate to customers The facilities you have Place Where and when is your product delivered? Would any of your products/services be more successful via different outlets? Are the products/services available at the right time for the target customers? Where can people find information about the products/services? Where & how can people buy?

19. Price Is the price right for the target customers? Would you be more successful with a particular target customers if a “package” was offered? Would they value the products/service more if you it was a premium product? Does your discounting policy meet the needs of your target customers? Promotion Are you saying the right things to the right people, using the right channels? What would happen if you used different tactics to communicate with people? Remember that any changes you implement in these ‘Four Ps’ should arise from clearly understood customer needs. The 4 Ps

20. Feature, Advantage, Benefit The television HAS a Remote Control , WHICH lets you change the channel from a distance , SO you save time .

21. Traditional Marketing Telesales Direct Mail Press Ads PR Exhibitions Radio Cost, reach focus. oil rig components, cheaper phone calls, double glazing, clothes

22. E-Marketing The use of digital technologies to help sell your goods or services.

23. Benefits of E-Marketing Reach (as usual) Potentially lower cost (really?) Easier to measure/evaluate the results effectively (definitely) Flexibility (definitely) Your marketing message is always available (definitely) e-Marketing campaigns can be more engaging (definitely) Personalisation (definitely)

24. What is your marketing mix? Who is your target market? What are your objectives? (SMART) What is your budget?

25. E-Marketing Channels Website - A location on the World Wide Web e-mail – An electronic version of a letter or hand written note. Blog’s - A blog is a website where entries are made in journal style and often provide commentary or news on a particular subject, such as food, politics, or local news. Podcasts - Is a method of publishing files to the Internet e.g. audio or video file. RSS ( Really Simple Syndication) – Allows websites that want to allow other sites to publish some of its content. SMS Messaging - the transmission of short text messages to and from a mobile phone, fax machine and/or IP address. Online PR – Traditional PR extended online. Pay for click – Google adwords Other sites - ?

26. Examples Other considerations when choosing e-Marketing; Wiggly Wigglers – A gardening company which releases regular podcasts on various gardening topics. Here it goes again - The music video was filmed in one continuous shot and was uploaded to YouTube , where it has been viewed over fifteen million times. The video was popular enough to earn a Grammy award for "Best Short-Form Music Video" in 2007 and the YouTube 2006 Video Award for "Most Creative Video" . Will it blend – A series of videos made for around £5-600 each by a US blender manufacturer, which were placed on the internet last year. Within just a few days, the first videos had millions of views. This had a significant impact on sales. The campaign aim was to help build brand awareness and establish Blendtec as the premier blender manufacturer.”

27. Web 2.0 Interaction/conversation not publishing Customer Engagement Mostly consumers, often segmented Appealing to marketers Effective?

28. Characteristics Is increasingly used by individuals & more recently businesses. It is interactive. Informational & chatty.

29. Social Media Social media are primarily Internet- and mobile-based tools for sharing and discussing information. Increasingly used by business as a marketing tool.

30. Social Media Types Social Bookmarks Digg www.digg.com Reddit www.reddit.com Delicious del.icio.us What do they do? How can you use them?

31. Social Media Types Social Networks Facebook www.facebook.com (300 million users) Myspace www.myspace.com Linkedin www.linkedin.com What do they do? (online gossiping and networking) How can you use them? (advertising, engaging, networking, coupon distibution)

32. Social Media Types Facebook www.manchesterdigital.com/about.asp Website with News, Events, Digital Jobs, Tenders. It is more formal and its members tend to be the owners of digital businesses. Averages around 800 visitors a day. www.facebook.com/s.php?ref=search&init=q&q=manchester%20digital&sid=d7936699c741d97b59754c4a7e04cef2#/group.php?gid=6127014011 MD Facebook group has 283 "friends", is less formal than the website and is used to promote MD its events etc. to a wider audiance and help people from the digital sector communicate/connect/network. http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/pages/Spread-the-Word-Not-the-Bug/59309749879

33. Social Media Types Social Networks http://www.boonex.com/products/dolphin/ http://www.ning.com

35. Social Media Types Blogs Blogger www.blogger.com Twitter www.twitter.com Gizmodo www.gizmodo.com Technorati www.technorati.com What do they do? (updateable news, syndication) How can you use them? (SEO, industry monitoring, buzz creation, customer services)

36. Social Media Types Blogs - Twitter Twitter search - http://search.twitter.com Twitter monitor – http://monitter.com Twitter feed - http://twitterfeed.com Log in, RSS feed, email feed ( http:// tweetbeep.com / )

37. Social Media Types Blogs – Twitter Uses Lead sourcing SEO Industry monitoring Buzz creation Mini news / offers Subscription service – protected account

38. Social Media Types Media Sharing Youtube www.youtube.com Flikr www.flikr.com What do they do? (upload and share media) How can you use them? (virals, media distribution, media hosting, SEO/vertical creep)

39. Social Media Types Flikr www.flickr.com/photos/mdda/sets/72157604946062922/ Used to store images of an event.

40. Social Media Types BlipTV www.manchesterdigital.com/page.asp?id=3112 Used to store promotional video material.

41. Other Social Media Sites http://traffikd.com/social-media-websites/

42. Social Media Types Buzz Monitoring www. google .com/ alerts http:// howsociable.com /

43. The Risks Do you have the time? Do you have the money? Do you have anything interesting to say? Who is listening? You’re the boss!

44. Thank you