Hit the Ground Running in 2013 – Start Social – Start Small

By Brittney DeRuiter

Based on current marketing trend reports, 2013 will continue to capitalize on the popularity of social media marketing.

Part of the allure –social media marketing tactics are budget conscious by taking advantage of platforms such as Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter and Foursquare. The beauty of social media is two-fold because not only can you reach a wide, engaged audience, but you can do so affordably.

The best way to decide where to start is to evaluate which platforms are optimal for reaching your target audience. For example, Pinterest rose in 2012 to be the second largest utilized social media platform. However, it is not necessarily the best avenue for every type of business. Evaluating the different social media offerings and their reach will help you decide where you should invest your time and efforts.

Once you know which social avenues to travel, it’s time to make a commitment to create continuous and current content. Without this continuous effort negative impressions can occur. Simply placing messages on Facebook or other sites is not enough to create a relationship with consumers. If social media is going to be part of your company’s 2013 marketing plan, have an outline of how it fits into your overall marketing efforts and be ready to stay committed. With that commitment, you will be able to capitalize on the opportunities given through social media. The best strategy is to start small, be engaging and be visual.

Introduce one social media avenue into your plan each quarter and focus on just that. Start with one outlet. Engage users by sharing, liking and placing comments to enhance your awareness levels and credibility. Share videos, photos and ideas. Once you have a strong following on one medium, move to another that can be easily intertwined.

The 2013 online marketing trend will continue to spotlight social media, so profit from starting small, being engaging, and using visuals to push your business’ presence to the next level.

Making Websites Work

By Stacey Harris

According to BusinessInsider.com, there are currently more than 644 million active websites on the internet with more than 6 million new URLs registered in the fourth quarter of 2011. To say that consumers are bombarded with digital information daily is an understatement, and the competition for their attention continues to grow.

Therefore, it’s never been more important to ensure that your company’s website is working for you.

What makes a website effective?

Think like your customer and take a good look at your company’s website.

• Is the site easy to navigate?
  Visitors need to be able to easily find the information they are looking for – and quick! Make navigation simple. Make it easy to find and clearly defined. Put important information on multiple pages with clearly labeled links.
• Is it attractive?
  Websites are sometimes the first and only impression a potential consumer receives about your organization. Make that impression count! Use appropriate color schemes, fonts and meaningful graphics. Don’t clutter the site. Quality photography, line breaks, and bullet points can capture the visitor’s attention.
• Remember content is King (or Queen)
  Content rules when it comes to the quality of your site. Is the content meaningful? Useful? Does it serve the purpose? Is there a call-to-action? Content must hold value for a site’s visitors. Provide truly interesting and valuable information and visitors will be back again and again.
• Is it Dysfunctional?
  Each component of your website should work accurately and quickly. Poorly constructed or broken components will lead to frustrated and disenchanted customers. Links and items such as site search, event registrations, and contact forms should work as expected. In addition, double check all copy, figures and facts. Functionality is about making the site work for your purpose.
• Usability
  Usability includes content, functionality, navigation and more. The best way to make sure visitors stay on your site is through valuable content, clear organization and attractive design. Pages should load in less than 20 seconds and offer minimal scrolling. Layout and navigation should be consistent, and the site should be compatible on all browsers.

What’s the Purpose of your Website?

By Stacey Harris

The first website was published on August 6, 1991 by a 36-year-old physicist in the Swiss Alps. Since then, websites have changed considerably – thanks to major advances in technology and valuable lessons society has learned since that first site.

In the beginning companies wanted a website because the internet was new and exciting. Then it became essential to have a company site because “everyone had one.” Back then, it didn’t matter what your website looked like or whether or not it served a purpose. The main thing was simply to have a website.

Today, the marketing game as it relates to websites continues to evolve. Fancy and colorful websites that are cluttered or hard to navigate aren’t necessarily functional. Just having a website presence isn’t enough. As the internet continues to grow more complex, so do consumers.

That’s why the first question we ask our clients is “what is the purpose of your website?”

This question may seem simple, but it requires a great deal of thought. Do you want to drive visits to a brick and mortar storefront? Will you sell products or services online? Is the website meant to be informational only? It’s necessary to think about your business needs.

Identifying the reason behind your website will help dictate how the site should look along with the functionality. Sites can have multiple purposes. If that’s the case, then those purposes need to be prioritized so that the content and design can follow. Keeping the purpose(s) of your site in mind will help during the building process and will allow your organization to better reach and engage your target audience.

Extending the Brand: Social Media

By Brittney DeRuiter

Five years ago, Facebook was still in its infancy; Twitter was only a year old, and Pinterest hadn’t yet made its debut. Today however, these three social media platforms are leading the way as a means to enhance brands. More than ever, companies are discovering that capitalizing on social media outlets will stretch awareness, create consumer engagement, and serve as self-promotion and networking platforms.

For example, TheBeachCoast.com is a digital, lifestyle magazine that features stories and events occurring in Berrien County Michigan, and Lake, La Porte, Porter, and St. Joseph counties in Indiana. The online magazine strives to cover each county and social media makes this goal more attainable every day, thanks to the engaging and relationship building between TheBeachCoast.com, its readers and advertisers.

Businesses must look to social media as a gateway to networking opportunities. Following another business or individual is simply not enough to help brand awareness. Simply having a Facebook presence is not enough. Activities such as posting regularly, engaging in conversations, and building relationships, are pivotal for growth both online and off.

What’s unique about social media is that it doesn’t take long for you to have an impact on a brand. In fact, it only takes a moment to comment, like, re-pin, and share posts from other individuals who have similar views and goals. TheBeachCoast.com capitalizes on these network opportunities by liking and sharing videos from community events, posting ideas on followers’ questions, and much more. If done right, social media enhances key objectives of brand awareness, consumer engagement, and positive image.

What’s in a name?

By Stacey Harris

Your name – it is perhaps the single most important defining element as to who you are – as a person or a company. It’s how everyone knows who you are and in the case of a company, what you do.

Our agency recently changed its name. Once known as Morse & Company Advertising Communications, our new moniker is Morse + Harris Marketing. This name change came in part because the cast of characters changed. A new partner – a new name.

Even more importantly though - we wanted our name to better reflect what it is we do. More than just a creator of ads, Morse + Harris Marketing is a better representation of the various skills and talents our agents of creativity possess. Our arsenal includes writers, designers, developers, programmers, strategic thinkers, bean counters, public relations practitioners, social media mavens, comedians (well on a good day), and problem solvers (for those bad days). We not only think outside of the box, but also within the limits of our clients’ guidelines and budgets.

It’s been a lot of fun for all of us here at Morse + Harris Marketing to undergo this change and the redefining of our brand. In the end, we know that everything we do, write, say or post will be a direct reflection of our brand. The Morse + Harris team looks forward to continue building relationships and making a marketing difference.

Marketing: Engaging Consumers and Promoting Products

By Brittney DeRuiter

Coca-Cola has done it again! The company’s “Unlock the 007 in You” campaign is engaging consumers via a very public stage - train stations:

If the player doesn't work:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RDiZOnzajNU

This campaign does 4 things really well:

Engage Consumers: From the first interaction with the Coke Dispenser until they finally receive the end product, consumers and spectators are immersed in a give and take relationship.

Capitalize on surprise: Consumers approach the vending machines, unaware of the situation in which they will soon find themselves. Upon that initial interaction, the individual is launched on a mission.

Entertain: Coca-Cola does a great job capturing the consumer’s attention by creating a fun and playful mission. The consumer turns into his or her own version of James Bond as he or she embarks on the mission – coming face-to-face with obstacles, challenges and comical mishaps. Unknowingly, spectators throughout the train station become a part of the mission and bring their own source of entertainment to the situation. At the end of the mission, the consumer and the public join forces – leaving lasting impressions beyond one consumer.

Build Awareness: Upon the initial interaction at a vending machine, consumers knew that Coca-Cola was responsible for the experience. Strategically placed individuals wearing the signature colors of Coca-Cola, are found throughout the train stations holding clocks and encouraging participants. Coca-Cola is a signature characteristic of the entire experience. Awareness increases due to intrigue and excitement. Ending image – a campaign banner leaving a direct to consumer message.

It may be much easier to simply dispense a soft drink, and have each consumer go on with his or her day. Partnering with a juggernaut such as the James Bond franchise and combining brands for an awareness-building mission is a lot more fun – and memorable, long after the soft drink is gone.

We proudly introduce ...

By Stacey Harris

I believe the phrase goes “the cobbler’s children who had no shoes” or maybe “the mechanic’s car that never worked.” Two adages that admit, we sometimes fail to do for ourselves what we do everyday for others.

Marketing is no different. As a marketing agency, we create and implement full-service strategic marketing plans for clients of all sizes and scopes, yet one of the hardest tasks we undertake is overseeing our own marketing efforts. There just doesn’t seem to be enough time to take care of our clients and our agency as well.

All that is about to change. This week the agency announced that we have changed our name from Morse & Company Advertising Communications to Morse + Harris Marketing. As you can imagine, changing the name of any company is a pretty big deal. There is a list of to-do’s that goes on for pages. Finally, we are taking the opportunity to do for ourselves what we successfully manage everyday for our clients.

It’s been great fun planning the launch of Morse + Harris Marketing. Thinking through each step and creating new images to effectively communicate our brand has been energizing and exciting. We are embarking on a full-size, comprehensive marketing plan that includes everything from social media engagement to website enhancements, client surveys to outdoor signage, and all the marketing materials in between.

Each and every day we promise our clients that we will deliver the very best in creative and customer service. We tell them that we will do everything we can to ensure that their marketing efforts are strategic, measurable, and effective. Now, it’s our turn. In the end, not only will we have a fabulous new look to an established brand, but we will also have a wonderful new example to demonstrate our abilities and dedication.

I guess you could say that the mechanic’s car will be running beautifully and all of the cobbler’s children will have wonderful new shoes. With that, thank you to our friends and family as we embark on the new adventure now known as Morse + Harris Marketing!

PR – What does it mean today?

By Stacey Harris

My goal today was to write a blog post highlighting the virtues of a solid public relations plan for small businesses. However, as I started writing, I realized that many individuals reading this post would have a differing opinion of Public Relations.

Having been in this industry for more than 20 years, I have witnessed the practice of public relations change significantly. I also have heard dozens of descriptions and definitions for this marketing tool. Thus, I decided to research society’s common view of PR.

Google “What is PR” and you’ll find 1,690,000 results. Time being a constraint, I reviewed only the top 10 results.

To some PR means having a slick-dressed word-smith stand in front of a microphone at the press conference and throw out words few understand. Others see PR as the dance a company does when a situation goes terribly wrong.

While these assumptions are not exactly right, they are not far off base either. According to Wikipedia, Public Relations is the practice of managing the flow of information between an individual or an organization and the public.

Most often, the aim of PR is to persuade others to maintain a specific point of view about a company or organization, its leadership, products or services. Public Relations can take the form of a well-planned campaign or a spur-of-the-moment reaction to a situation. Yet, it can also be found in everyday moments such as the greeting callers receive over the phone or the handshake employees give at social functions.

 In other words, effective PR means representing your company at its very best during each and every interaction with others – both online and in person. In light of the fact that PR means different things to different people, it makes sense that a solid public relations plan includes how your company will allow others to perceive it during each and every interaction – no matter the situation.

Internet Marketing - 2012 Summer Olympics

By Brittney DeRuiter

The 2012 Olympics are currently on everyone’s minds – especially on the internet. Multiple logos are available on Google Images, videos on YouTube and the London Olympics continue to trend on social media platforms. How did these games become fodder for such an effective Internet marketing campaign? The answer can be found in the power of the engagement - individuals interacting with the product and events.

Even before the main event, social media marketing has allowed the Olympics to become an interactive experience. Facebook and Twitter posts shout the number of days till kick-off, competition updates, athletes’ pictures and special contests. All of which allow personal interactions between the fans and the events. These efforts are creating a viral campaign of support for the favorite athletes and events.

Athletes have become relatable thanks to YouTube. Moms, dads, siblings and kids can view videos of an athlete’s life stories, dreams and fears. These videos demonstrating an Olympians’ personal emotion and use of everyday products help viewers to feel connected and drive support. YouTube establishes audience excitement with sneak peaks, therefore ensuring a captivated audience during the airing of favorite events.

Contests on the Internet are highlighting our sense of competition and thriving on our own dreams of achievement. The feeling of being involved gives the audience to be part of the whole Olympic experience therefore in our own way we are allowed to be an Olympian. Contests involving trips to the games play off our desire to be a part of the bigger picture.

Overall internet marketing has been widely successful with regards to the summer Olympics because we as an audience can be a part of the glitz, the glamour, the dreams and the achievements. Logos, events, contests, and videos are reaching for audience interaction and support. These efforts provided the Olympics with a special opportunity to increase awareness and build interest before the first event even began.

Design Trends: Minimalism

By Zac Neulieb

White space is the new black in design and not all white space is well, white. Maybe that’s a misnomer – let’s say negative space is the new black. Now it doesn’t work as a joke anymore, but I digress. Minimalism in design, particularly graphic design has been surging in popularity recently. From movie posters, type, advertising and everything else under the sun, designers are leaving everything and the kitchen sink behind in their designs. However, this is where the core concept of minimalism in design gets lost in translation and ultimately fails at accomplishing its intention

Rather "blah" design for Superman.
It doesn't paint a picture for the viewer.

In order for minimalism to accomplish its dreams and goals, the designer has to strip down the intended concept to its bare bones while still leaving the soul intact. The core idea has to be represented in the most simplistic way possible without leaving the visual consumer wondering what they are indeed consuming and for what reason.

For example, minimalist movie posters have been all the rage lately. Someone might take Superman’s iconic curly-q hairstyle and slap that shape on a solid colored background and call it a Superman poster. Yet, while you’ve stripped everything down to the bare bones, you also took the soul out of Superman. This is where the popular “minimalist” style in design fails more often than not.

Clever, well executed minimalistic design
for Little Red Riding Hood. 

You might recognize Superman’s iconic hairstyle but so what? Where do you go from here? The designer needs to capture Superman’s essence and character in a different way. He saves people on the daily, is in love with Lois Lane, represents protection and serves as a vanguard for the city and its people. Capture all of that in a poster while using the bare minimum and then you could call it an accomplished minimalist design. Seems a lot harder now doesn’t it? This is why the famous minimalist artists are so good – they can accomplish this huge feat.

The design fundamentals of function and form all tie into this as well. Some argue that this is where art and design differentiate. Art is more concentrated on form; the evocative nature of the piece takes precedence while the function of the piece is secondary. Design is the opposite; you have a problem that needs solving whether it be to advertise for a car, movie, band, etc. In the Little Red Riding Hood design on the right, the story and even characters are developed in the most simple of ways. You get the feeling the big bad wolf is the antagonist while our sweet, Red Riding Hood is the protagonist. The functionality of the design now takes precedence while form falls behind.  Minimalism, in design, requires a function or purpose to drive the design all the while stripping down its form. 

Just Google It!

By Sharee Morse

It’s amazing that we were able to survive before Google. I remember when my parents bought our family a set of encyclopedias for the most current information…or wait…that dates me. Anyway, accessing information now is a piece of cake. Everyone from my 88 year old father to my 10 year old granddaughter Google. We needed a fun attraction for a 10 year old while on a recent family trip to London. While days were filled with cathedrals and art, our 10 year old granddaughter found a super exciting TUBE stop side-trip for Kings Cross station…on Google of course.

Remember, from the books and movie, when Harry Potter must board the train to Hogwarts for the first time? He is told to report to platform nine and three quarters at Kings Cross station. Yes. You got it right. Our persistent Olivia found, on Google, that we could actually go to that platform. Again Google saved the day!

Genius Marketing

By Sharee Morse

 

Recently I was able to preview the 2012 London Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park – first hand! The countdown to the Summer Games is winding quickly, and construction continues in preparation for everything the Games will bring to London.

 

First impression is that the Olympic Park is massive. As you step off the tube stop for the Park and Olympic Stadium, you immediately see an enormous red steel “something.” Is it a venue for an event? Is it a partially built structure? What is it?

This large red steel structure is the ArcelorMittal “Orbit.”

I was so proud to learn that this sculpture has strong ties to Northwest Indiana with ArcelorMittal locations in Burns Harbor and East Chicago. Our own office staff has several family members who work at our local ArcelorMittal plants. It is beyond fun and that Northwest Indiana is represented across the ocean for something as significant as the Olympic Games. It’s genius marketing at work.

This public art is a landmark sculpture showcasing the versatility and strength of steel. And, oh yes, it’s showcasing ArcelorMittal, the world’s leading steel company that is present in more than 60 countries. What a genius marketing move for the steel company. This sculpture will be a legacy symbol for London 2012 as well as a regenerating East London. The Orbit will also bring in revenue as it will be a ticketed visitor attraction. The world will get to know the ArcelorMittal brand as a result of this unique venture with the Olympic Games.

Go ArcelorMittal and Go Team USA!

Shirt Design Appears on TV

By Zac Neulieb

Outside of Morse & Company we all lead pretty normal lives, taking a break from saving the world from bad advertising. My nights usually consist of two things: food and tv - pretty run-of-the-mill schedule, right? TV tastes run the gamut too – from reality shows about housewives and the exorbitant amounts of money they think they have to what’s happening around this third rock from the sun we call Earth to men dressed in drag competing against one another. One show I like to indulge in is a little gem on the MTV Canada/LOGO channel aptly named, 1 Girl 5 Gays.

Let me paint a picture for you: 1 girl, an MTV Canada personality named Aliya-Jasmine Sovani, and 5 gay guys sit around in a circle and are posed questions about life. The questions range in a “what would you rather do” scenario to more deep insights such as what it is like growing up and living as a gay man in our current day society. They are all from Toronto, one of the most gay-friendly cities in the world, and you have all shades of gay represented on the show which shows true in their interactions with one another.

Through the wonders of social media I’ve come to befriend a panelist, Mike Yerxa (yurk-sa), and our love for one particular contestant on LOGO Channels’s, “RuPaul’s Drag Race” has spanned hundreds of miles (or kilometers if you’re Canadian), birthing an opportunity for me to design a t-shirt for our much beloved drag queen contestant, Sharon Needles (clever name, no?). He needed an illustration for a shirt he was going to have printed at one of those express shirt print shops to wear for a taping of an upcoming episode of 1 Girl 5 Gays. Inspired and thrilled at the opportunity, I drew up this illustration of Ms. Needles for Mr. Yerxa to print out and wear. 

 

He was so delighted with what I had designed for him that he took a picture of it to share with his growing fan base before the taping of the show. Well, a couple of weeks later the episode with him and the shirt aired on MTV Canada and is now in line to air on LOGO, a sister station of MTV global. It’s quite the exciting experience to see something you’ve designed on the television we all seemingly worship after work. Plus, Mike’s a great guy and has credited me each time he’s mentioned the shirt, indirectly creating a buzz around the design. Who knows, maybe Sharon Needles (who ended up winning the whole competition) will want the design? 

 A boy can dream.

 

Look for the episode to air in a couple weeks on LOGO. New episodes air on Tuesdays at 11/10c or you can check the show and full episodes out on their website, www.logotv.com.

Social Media: Build by Engaging Personality

Social Media – the key word here is “social.” Being social means engaging in conversations, interacting with your target audience, and listening to what others have to say.  Your audience wants to know about your brand’s personality.

Brands such as Progressive and All State have taken the idea of an engaging personality to a higher level. These insurance giants have distinct characters they use as part of their advertising campaigns and they have included the characters as key strategies within their social media efforts.

Flo, the Progressive Girl, has close to 4 million likes on Facebook; while All State’s Mayhem is up to almost 1.3 million. Each of these companies has incorporated their respective fictitious characters into solid facebook personalities.

Mayhem’s followers post how he has interrupted their days with unexpected calamities, and he responds – dark humor and all.

A recent Mayhem post – “I'm the annoying radio song drivers scramble to change when they should be watching the road. Who can guess what song I am?” More than 3,880 people responded with their least favorite song.

Flo, the Progressive girl, is sunny and positive – similar to her television persona. She gushes about photos progressive owners have shared and celebrates random events such as National Poetry Month.  By posting photos of Flo in everyday situations, Progressive invites you to believe she is indeed an actual person and not just a public persona.

Progressive and All State understand that interacting with their audiences online is key to increasing brand awareness. They are not simply posting company updates, but are welcoming their followers to share stories, photos and thoughts as well. It is proving to be a successful combination for the two insurance giants.

Not all of us have a Flo or Mayhem to use as our social media personality, but a takeaway is that by combining the same messaging in our social media efforts as we do with other marketing tactics, we can strengthen the conversations with clients.

Your brand is your personality, and it should be visible and relevant whatever the marketing medium you are using to voice the message and engage your clients to be a part of that message.

How social media changed the PR playing field

By Stacey Harris

Ten years ago I presented a workshop on basic public relations strategies for small businesses. The room was filled with realtors, bankers, retailers, restaurateurs, and shop owners. We spent hours discussing useful PR strategies and by the end the consensus was that word of mouth was by far, most effective.

Word of mouth is still among the most effective ways to reach an audience – intentionally or unintentionally. Only in today’s marketplace, it is more commonly referred to as social media.

Social media has infiltrated almost every industry, and its impact is continually being analyzed. Social media channels such as Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ have changed the way we communicated and share information with our friends.

Remember the commercial for “Gee Your Hair Smells Terrific” shampoo? “He’ll tell two friends. And they’ll tell two friends…” Today is more like “he’ll post to 300 friends, and they’ll post to another 300 and so on.” The speed at which messages move forward has increased dramatically.

We no longer have to wait to call our friends and tell them of the fantastic (or horrible) dinner we had last night. Chances are good that we posted our location, took a photo of our entrée and rated the experience – all before the check was paid.

This instantaneous nature means that PR practitioners need to engage constantly. It also means we need to be proactive in our messages, taking a long-term approach to our conversations via social media and facilitating two-way communication with our customers.

Embracing the advantages that social media provides, will allow us to plan accordingly and in some cases – think crisis communications – react accordingly.

3 Marketing Trends to Try in 2012

With a new year, comes new marketing trend ideas that many businesses will try and implement to keep up with those consumers calling the shots. Marketing needs to move where the customers are consuming information and the best way to do that is to research these trends for 2012 that Morse & Company Advertising knows will take your business to the next level.

Keep up with the new year's trends by:

1. Understanding the Mobile and Tablet World

Since the introduction of the first iPad, tablet interest and usage has skyrocketed, yet, many companies continue to channel much investment into web presence. Expect that to change in 2012. Tap into those who have untethered and have become roaming targets for a whole new field of marketing. Harnessing the power of consumers on-the-go will be key in 2012.

2. Using Facebook Other than to Spy on Old High School Friends

With the amount of time spent on social media now exceeding 23% with 90% of that time spent on Facebook, it has become clear to companies that Facebook is a tangible resource for marketers. Companies need to realize where their customers are really spending their time - and it's not reading the paper any longer. Reallocating resources from traditional media to Facebook will be a huge shift in 2011 spending but definitely the right decision for target marketing.

3. Harness the Power of Influencers

You don't need a Kardashian to get influencers talking about your product. Companies like Klout now assign “influence” scores to web users, allowing marketers insight into who might be most likely to talk about their brand based on how much clout they have in the digital world. Expect companies in 2012 to focus marketing on those customers most likely to be influencers or brand ambassadors to get the right people talking about a product.

It's a new year - experiment! Test these ideas to see if any will work well for your customer group.

What's Trending in the World of Social Media for the New Year?

Stick to your 2012 social media resolutions!

A new year means an opportunity for a new social media strategy for you and your clients. It's time to move away from the mundane and kick up your social media efforts into high gear. Don't just stick to those resolutions you've set to better yourself - better your communication!

Sue Reynolds of Carmine Media wrote an article for Business Insider about her social media wish list for the year. Ultimate goal? measurement. Here are some of her top ideas:

  

Interest Data Graphing - Facebook Insights is a common example of collecting data from social media and analyzing it to better your output. Excellent information on fan page demographics including key factors like gender, age and external referrals can really help you target your specific markets. Use this as a main reference when planning a content schedule.

Social Media Dashboard - A helpful tool combining all your social media efforts into a one-stop shop can really utilize your time and effective further your social media reach. Dashboards like Hootsuite can really propel your social media into the spotlight.

Trending Data - Twitter offers tools through its platform to make it easier for account to keep up with trending topics and other trending information. If you need to stay abreast of a certain topic, Twitter's new layout makes it much easier to navigate and respond. Keeping up with this popular data is key to make your social media account shine.

Good luck this year. Social media strategies aren't born over night - they're called strategies for a reason. Create content calendars to streamline your digital approach and soon you'll have a go-to spot for information. Tweet on!