Google's birthday, the transition and the 2014 of social media?

Good day everybody! You know what, there's only one place to start this week - who saw the Google page late last week? Wasn't it superb? I'm absolutely all for a little in-office competition too, so coming out on top of the Pinata-smashing is something that will live long in the memory. Happy birthday by the way Google. The last two weeks have also marked the one month anniversary into the world of work. As many of you know, it was the 29th and I have to ask, from now on can we please stop rushing to throw me gifts in the street at every milestone, it's really not too much of a big deal. THANKS.

In all seriousness, the past two weeks have marked a period of transition. I began to put my stamp on the way I get things done and produce things at work. I've been trying to focus on the development of my communication with business consumers, putting myself in their shoes and developing an understanding not only on how to issue clients with information, but how to make that information coherent and most importantly, actionable. The wheel is starting to turn and as time goes on, the results of my work are starting to reign in. Hoo-rah.

I also became a member of The Beans Group 'Marketing Challenge' team entered for the University Challenge style evening held by E-Consultancy - fantasmo!

Hoo-rah.

Such was this week's period of transition, I got thinking about the period of transition that the digitalised marketing world has entered. Woah, excuse me, don't roll your eyes - I know what you're thinking. Here's another social media post that's going to preach to me about the benefits of X business interacting with Y consumers which will lead to Z profits. No. Admittedly, social media has broken down barriers in terms of the way businesses can reach mere humans, but I'm not interested in repeating what is now perhaps common knowledge. Rather, I want to dig into those nitty-gritty movements that exist within the social media trend itself. Already, the recently developed digital world is developing, so lets take a look into three movements that we can identify as we move towards the new year. PS. That's right, it's less than a hundred days to Christmas.. I know you're excited. Ooosh.

1. Google+ - The Uprising

This is one I'm starting to get to grips with, but one I perhaps don't fully appreciate.. Yet. Perhaps that suggests that I, the one keeping up-to-date with the latest marketing trends, am behind the times. Why?

Google+, in terms of monthly users, is quickly gaining on Facebook and has more than Twitter with 343 million monthly users.

Put this down to what you will, whether that's the simply amount of businesses turning to Gmail, or the novelty of 'just' another social network and the pulling power of Google, it's turning itself into a goldmine of up-to-date personal information. With Google's focus on B2B relationships, Google+'s uprising is easily identifiable as part of Google's higher plan - with Search Engine Optimisation high on the agenda. Eventually, you can bet Google+ profiles will be an integral part to the algorithms used by Google's SEO program, but let's not open that can of worms. Rather, lets focus on Google+'s use in the business world. Social media platforms are utilised to target a specific target market, but Google+ truly seems to present a 'one size fits all' platform that can be utilised by the majority of businesses, big or small. A great example of this is the 'local business search' the platform offers - take a look at an example here. It's this 'one size fits all' metaphor that I envisage propelling Google+'s success as we move into 2014. Will it reach the lofty heights of it's dominant competitors?

2. The Instagram-Vine Monster

Time is valuable to consumers of all ages, there's no doubt about that. So who is there to benefit from a long, time-consuming story about a product? From a customer's perspective, it makes sense to keep things brief. So are Vine and Instagram the future? Potentially - I feel Vine videos may fail to break into the market of brand building, but Instagram's 15-second video's, coined Instavid's - truly do hold the potential to be used extremely effectively by marketers. But woah, hold up now, lets not eradicate Vine just yet, there are some excellent examples of businesses using the six-second framework of Vine. The question is, what would be the point in catering for the same audience, twice?

I think the key point here is Instagram's addition of an extra nine seconds to play around with. What consumer that has six seconds for a quick watch on Vine isn't going to enjoy the fruits of those extra nine seconds of entertainment? For marketers too, they can now delve deeper into their swirls of creative genius and rise up with a wider scope to position their message in the minds of the consumer with a deeper means of building their brand. SO, with that in mind, who's taking advantage of the potentially epic new social marketing phenomenon that is Instavid? Can it figure as a figurehead of a businesses social media marketing strategy moving forward? What is for sure, it's sent marketers into an frenzy of excitement - let's take a look at two companies initial use of Instavid, Nike and Jeni's Ice Cream.

Nike Inc use Instagram as a means to show their product in a realistic setting.

Jeni's Ice Cream - USA use Instagram to eminate the natural, home-made source of their product.

Two very different uses of Instavid, one very important purpose - infuse the message of the brand into the minds of the consumer. Is Instavid the future? You decide.

3. LinkedIN - The professional

Some will tell you that social media is key to communicate directly with your consumers, others will tell you that it should be used as an information tool. Really, and perhaps truly, there are myriad of platforms that can be used to transcend the boundaries between business and consumer. But what about business to business, or business to professionals? Enter, LinkedIN. Put simply, do you have a job? Are you looking for a job? Are you looking to build a professional relationship with like-minded individuals? You need to have LinkedIN. Why?

LinkedIN holds itself as the #1 social networking site for professionals with 238 million users.

But how will it grow in the future? What more is there to offer than a central meeting place for professionals? LinkedIN beat you to it, they got this. Over at Team LinkedIN they are most certainly not resting on their laurels. Despite not targeting a consumer to purchase, positioning in the minds of it's consumers looks to be on the top of it's agenda. The launch of it's influencers concept suggests that the platform looks set to become one of the largest sources of new content creation for the professional user. It's almost like one hefty constant on-line conference attending by like-minded professionals to share insights into their chosen markets. Already you can see the huge wealth of advocates, with content sharers such as so-called 'thought leader' Richard Branson amongst many others providing the insight. So who needs University? 

LinkedIN Professionals? Let's do this.

So, finally, you may have noticed Facebook and Twitter are nowhere to be seen with this post - that's because at no point have they shown any sign of immediate change in the future. They are the stalwarts of social media, every human being knows that.. right? In summary of this post is that it will of keen interest to see if they change the positioning of their respective brands and innovate as the rise of Google+, Vine, Instagram and LinkedIN networks begins to shine through. It's anyone's game - how exciting!?

2014 - Step up your games, social media platforms - entertain us.

CLD.

Absolut-ly Naked Youth Marketing and The Beans Group!

Good day all! Welcome back - it’s been a little while, hasn’t it? Since the last blog post, which you’ll all remember, I’ve found myself a job! I’m now plying my trade at The Beans Group - which I imagine most of you will be better suited referring to as ‘that company behind studentbeans.com'. In fact, at the moment I sit on the commute home with a pile of Tech-y looking books and my new Chromebook on my lap.. It’s been a good start.

It's been a good start!

Such is the diversity of my role, I’ve wanted to blog since I started. It has inspired new topics, drove me down new avenues and pushed new boundaries that I’ve not had the opportunity to grasp fully before in a commercial environment. So within that whirlwind of opportunity, what better reason to start this new chapter with a blog post on youth marketing? In the last couple of weeks I’ve genuinely learnt enough to talk your blooming ears off about communication with 18-24 year olds. From developing knowledge of the companies flagship website studentbeans.com, to the up-and-coming research publication side of the business, Voxburner, I’d love to divulge all my three weeks worth of knowledge, but as we all know the two rules in life..

You know it..

So The Beans Group is hosting The Youth 100 on the 10th October after extensive research into the identification of the best-perceived brands according to 18-24 year olds. That not only got me thinking about all the routes of communication a brand has at their disposal, but also how they must be tailored to suit the fast-moving youthful consumer in comparison to those at the latter stages of the customer life-cycle. 

If there’s one thing the last two weeks has taught me, it’s the value that young people brings, or indeed can bring to an organisation. Low in brand loyalty, but high in disposable income might the youth population be - Not only do they make valuable consumers - but they also influence the purchasing decisions of their family and friends, and, if caught early, can develop into customers for life. As such, businesses of all kinds of industries have long been developing marketing and advertising campaigns aimed specifically at the youth market. In fact, if you think about it, I can’t think of one industry that wouldn’t benefit from youth marketing. It follows that I took a float through cyberspace and rose up with two specific campaigns at opposite ends of the drinks spectrum which not only give great examples of direct-youth marketing, but also have rather unique methods of positioning themselves in the young person’s mind.

a) Au-Natural, transparent and organically-magic: Naked Juice
Naked Juice are all about transparency in their communication with their target consumers, just as they are transparent in their feelings towards the furore surrounding preservatives contained within certain juice drinks. Their thoughts: Simply. Add. Nothing. For example, print advertisements in magazines focus on 18-35s by utilising taglines such as 'fruit wants to chill with other fruit' whilst humanizing fruit by adding that adding no preservatives is it's 'higher purpose'. Such promotional tools eminate a promise between the brand and the young consumer developing trust and a real sense of brand loyalty. Ooosh!

With health constantly served up on the youth population's agenda in today's society, the trust the brand is able to create also maintains their relevancy in the market. Promoting it's promise in print advertising right through to the listing all of it's ingredients on it's bottle, Naked Juice is able to maintain it's position and prestige within the market as competitors offering juices with higher sugar and water content enter the market. The creation of trust builds the brand loyalty that's important within an FMCG product, it allows the brand to defend itself against incoming competitors, but also go on the offence by highlights it's transparency through it's marketing campaigns.

b) Authenticity, community and the bringing up the past: Absolut
The Absolut brand is going through a period of transition, and today's target consumers were mere babies, if they'd even been born, when the brand was first making a name for itself! Absolut is a brand that continues to be successful due to work, seriously hard work. Always keeping a close eye on the development of the youth market they identified that, despite facing an uncertain economic climate and a very challenging job market, the youth market is not always driven to the lowest-priced products.

Rather they are value driven shoppers, willing to pay more for those products they feel are relevant and authentic, the new marketing to buzz word on the block. 

Andy Warhol's pop-art piece!

It follows that the brand has taken to engineering authenticity, a feat that has perhaps been coined by the brand itself. In 1986, Andy Warhol created an original pop-art piece of work for the iconic Absolut brand, but now with that iconic partnership only a vague recollection in the minds of young consumers it's time for Absolut to tap a new generation! It's recently released a new global-ad campaign to reach a new generation of artists, maintaining it's authencity enriched in it's history. It's teamed up with four digitally-focused artists from Brazil (Rafael Grampa), France (Yiqing Yin & Woodkid) and the US (Aaron Koblin) in order to project the brand's authenticity to a new generation, just as Andy Warhol did some 30 years ago.

With 50% of the brand's media budget being spent on digital advertising, it's clear that this type of branded content is deemed as essential for the authenticity-seeking brand to reach a younger demographic. By presenting something that is both useful and entertaining, it's absorbs the consumer's interest and remains authentic in the minds of the consumer. Happy days!

Two entirely different contexts in which a brand has positioned itself within the minds of the consumer. The main message I think for brand's is that once that context is set nothing must detract from that context if the brand is to capitalise on it's target market and gain a following, that's the easy part - from then on, everything must be meticulously planned as not the detract from the context. Wonderful adaptations from both brands, it's really opened my eyes as to just how important the youth market is for all brands - they are the future of a brand's following :)

Have a great week y'all - let's attack the days. Any thoughts? You know what to do - post yo'self a comment!

CLD

BSc Sport Management Graduate - Loughborough University

Twitter: @callumldraper (https://twitter.com/callumldraper)

Facebook: Callum Leslie-Draper (https://www.facebook.com/callumldraper)

LinkedIN: Callum Leslie-Draper (http://lnkd.in/H74fAc)

Chimp Management, Instagram and Visual Marketing

Good day to everyone, welcome to the CLD Weekly. Woah, hold up there - weekly? Well after the myriad of topics last week, I realise I may have come across a little strong and completely battered you with content? I let blogger control me, I've got to control the blog. So lets cut it down to one per week.

More informative, and more opportunity for discussion. 

I've mentioned it before, but it's terrific to know there's more to life than academic books after the degree. This week saw me purchase Chimp Management by UK Cycling Psychiatrist Dr Steve Peters. I think it's the best book I've purchased to date. Managing the emotional response to all situations is so simple and so effective, if you learn to understand how the mind works. For a marketeer, learning to elicit a positive emotional response from their consumers is perhaps a key driver in the use of personalised marketing, a topic that was touched on during last weeks escapades (feel free to trawl through the posts, informative reading that).

Rather than learning our own mind, I think what's key is learning what makes the target market tick. Positioning the brand positively within the minds of the consumer is essentially the cornerstone of the marketing world. It follows that brands are desperate to market to the vast array of human beings on Instagram. To give you an idea of just the reason why - check out this fact:

Instagram has 130 million users who spend almost 260 minutes a month on the photography based platform.

That is simply outrageous. Similar user statistics also exist within a realm of other platforms such as Pinterest, Tumblr.. The list goes on. What ties all these together? It's the visual. They are all highly visual. Facebook is a closed network which inhibits virality, it's a world within itself. Visual interest-based networks are public, which leads to a very high degree of virality, high amplification, and bigger reach. A marketeers paradise.

Visual marketing first crept into the landscape when YouTube entered the social mainstream consciousness a number of years ago. Around a year ago, Vine took this to the next level by allowing the user to generate six second snack size videos. Instagram's new 15 second feature has marketeer's scrambling for creative inspiration to apply and leverage the new trend. By harnessing the power of the visual social media, images can transform concepts and intangible objects like a brand inspiration or value into something that people can envision and position in their mind.

Check out Urban outfitters simple, quick and easy use of Vine!

But how is it possible to position in consumer minds? I think this is the time to get creative! How is it possible to utilise the visual to position ourselves in the minds of our consumer and burst through the online clutter? I had a think, and took it to the basics. The product/service is something the consumer is going to use *alarm bells ringing* - by showing the product in a real world context the consumer is able to oversee the product in a context they can understand much more about the product within seconds. Apparently, it also makes it harder to doubt the product too - bonus! Let's take an example - check out Square's homepage, I think this is an excellent. The product is clearly being utilised in the natural famers environment. What a terrific niche product too?

I had a little think about the key - that we want people to remember our product - and what that requires. What does that require? I came up with a few ideas, but the recurring theme was to look different. Dropbox use memorable visual styles and (in)jokes to present the consumer with a reason to remember their product. By using child-like illustrations as a visual language and by doing so are differentiating themselves from other storage devices. MailChimp bring their brand to life by using a humouristic visual of a mailman monkey! It's almost a case of who can be the most creative. Creativity is endless, what is the limit to creativity? To me, there is none, and everyone loves a creation. So get creative, let's all see how many times we can say creative in three sentences. Creative creative creative.

DropBox use memorable visual styles!

MailChimp's humouristic visual of a Mailman Monkey!

Creativity is the future for me. Having it in your bones is a trait that should not be underestimated. I'm going to have a creative week and see where it takes me. I'll report back next week - remember that everyone - not tomorrow, but seven whole freakin' days. I don't know how you'll cope. Making it this far down this post tells me you'll be just fine.

Does anyone have any other great examples of visual marketing? What does it mean to you? Please add, argue, debate with me in the comments below :)

Cal

BSc Sport Management Graduate - Loughborough University

Twitter: @callumldraper (https://twitter.com/callumldraper)

Facebook: Callum Leslie-Draper (https://www.facebook.com/callumldraper)

LinkedIN: Callum Leslie-Draper (http://lnkd.in/H74fAc)

Marketing Trends: Personalised Marketing - what a Boggling topic..

Welcome to August all - how are we today? Has anyone ever played Boggle?

I'm feeling pretty triumphant this morning after taking the Demicoli's apart in last night's Boggle extravaganza. What a game - it went right down to the wire until I pulled 'weenie' out the bag for three points and that was it, game over. I wonder if a career in Boggle exists.. one to add to the job search pile. Since last night I've downloaded Boggle for iPad and iPhone, my record is 68.

It's what has happened since that purchase that is of interest from a marketing perspective though - I have been bombarded with emails, recommendations and all things 'can we take more of your money please?'. Case in point:

 'We see you have purchased Boggle.. How about these £50 extreme word-association apps?'

All of a sudden I'm a word-loving, anagram-solving, weenie-creating devil of a man. Everything is extremely personalised and tailored to my recent activity. It's the same when you purchase something online, on Amazon for example. Minutes later you receive an email on further products of potential interest, a week or so and there's a feedback email through - and don't forget that similar products are now plastered all over your Facebook like you're going to want to purchase the same pair of flip-flops again in alternate colours.

Visit an online store once and return to see that the website knows that you are male and like those £80 Nike Running trainers over there. The next email through - boom - it's been personalised with products that you visited while shopping online. The power of the world wide web has you now, it's capturing your habits as it reads the data, applying it's intelligence which is far superior to yours, unless your Tim Berners-Lee and serves up information that is relevant to 'you' on a plate.

And there we have it team, personalised marketing.

5. Personalised Marketing
What's clear is that this trend is being driven by technology using 'big data' to increase marketing effectiveness. Marketing-savvy brands are adopting such personalised marketing campaigns to generate their appeal to their target customers. A truly personal brand experience is an elusive commodity for consumers, and it's the desirability to obtain the elusive that drives the use of personalised marketing for brands. By cutting through cyber space and striking an extremely desirable chord with target consumers, it allows the consumer to perceive the brand as treating them as an individual.

Cutting through cyberspace...

Now I know you're all waiting for that word content again, so here it is. Personalisation is fairly simple, and it's clear to see how it works. Customers and visitors benefit because they receive the content that they want, quicker. Brands are able to respond to consumer needs and engage in dialogue which allows the brand to be more competitive in the marketplace.

Lets narrow it down ever so slightly and take this blog as a brand. As I understand, consumers (that's you guys) would rather be inspired by more personal navigation. It would be great if I could see your internet history (questionable) and discuss topics and use examples relevant to your choices. That way my blog could generate millions of views, I'd be an inspiration and we could all go home. This is the type of experience brands attempt to generate on a daily basis.

Relate that to the travel sector, travel is about experiences, seeing the world, meeting new people, finding new places and savouring the moment. These are the feelings that the travel sector seek to evoke with their consumers through their digital content. Personalisation is the key to offering such a service, Easyjet (link) have deliver a personalised home screen to registered users, based on past transaction and it's clear that both parties, both the brand, and the consumer benefit. Easyjet reported it's best ever sales record in it's 2012 homepage test with five sales per second.

Easyjet utilise personalised marketing incredibly well -
boosting their sales figures exponentially.

Unbelievable. There's the proof - integrate personalised marketing into your marketing campaign and value your consumer. The logic is simple and the rewards are clear. Terrific.

Don't think I haven't realised I've hardly spoken about social media today either, everyone needs a break. I'll cook up a surprise for tomorrow. I know that's all you procrastinating students require.

Take it easy all, have a great day.

CLD - BSc Sport Management Graduate - Loughborough University

Twitter: @callumldraper (https://twitter.com/callumldraper)

Facebook: Callum Leslie-Draper (https://www.facebook.com/callumldraper)

LinkedIN: Callum Leslie-Draper (http://lnkd.in/H74fAc)

Marketing Trends: Continuous job hunting.. Continuous Marketing.

Morning all, a brief aside to begin with - big week for all things employment. The combination of looking forward to hearing back from interviews/recruitment agencies plus no real day time commitments means long hours of sitting by the phone/email. The joys of the job hunt. How many more of us are in the situation? (silly question). Keep going and motivated I think is the key - call rather than email, be pro-active... Oh this isn't what you want to read and this isn't a graduate recruitment blog? Enough from me.

An extremely continuous process nonetheless. 

Indeed, with the hunt it is meticulous - it doesn't stop, any time you do stop, is a time spent knowing you're not going to reach employment. Any time you go out in the afternoon, is a time spent not searching for employment, or earning money if you'd prefer to think of it like that. Key word - continuous. There we go, I said it, and funnily enough, continuous marketing is today's marketing trend of choice. Relate that previous example to the marketing world of an organisation and marketeers must realise the strong current trend that is continuous marketing. If marketing stops moving, so does the brand. What a great coincidence. Here we go then..

4. Continuous Marketing
The bottom line is this, the marketing department should no longer think of just running marketing campaigns. It is too rigid. The continuity is today's society mean that being an online presence (found in the social network: Twitter/Google etc) requires constant publishing, marketing and content tailored to improve Search  Engine Optimisation activity. Again, for the fourth day in a row THERE is that word content again. It's everywhere, and is key. Creating and marketing content for social media must be relentless. Don't stop. The brand will be left behind and straight away you're lost of the huge social space that is the world wide web.

So, lets find an example. Take Manchester United - their following is absolutely huge. BUT, do they rest on their laurels? No. They recognise that constant contact with their fans present the opportunity to monetize, and that is why they keep continuous contact with them. Check Facebook and their recently developed Twitter and you'll see exclusive contact and information on their current developments (pre season tour of the Far East). What is the key thread through all social media platforms? It doesn't stop, and it doesn't sleep - this allows them to target their segments of fans throughout the world. Continuous.

MUFC continuously provide exclusive content for their world-wide fanbase

It follows that social media provides the driving force behind continuous marketing. It has created a marketing cycle that allows marketing professionals to diversify more quickly to take advantage of opportunities and fix problems as they occur. Customers can now be understood on a deep level and carefully crafted brand messages and content which appeals to them can be positioned in their minds and subsequently evaluate their marketing efforts through analytics. Social analytics provides the knowledge of customers and how they are responding to a product or brand. This enables marketing professionals to alter the message, and rather than confusing the consumer, they rather target the message they seek and push them out to social media once again.

The circle of marketing life..

It's almost a circle of life. Understanding the customer, market, messaging, content, placement, amplifications and evaluation only leads back to once more trying to understand the consumer better. With social media, the continuous cycle can happen quickly and at a lower cost than conducting market research. The ability for SM platforms to engage the consumer has already and is changing the very process of marketing in it's entirety.

Well done, you made it. Speak soon.

CLD - BSc Sport Management Graduate - Loughborough University

Twitter: @callumldraper (https://twitter.com/callumldraper)

Facebook: Callum Leslie-Draper (https://www.facebook.com/callumldraper)

LinkedIN: Callum Leslie-Draper (http://lnkd.in/H74fAc)

Marketing Trends: Oops we missed Sunday, at least we've got Integrated Digital Marketing.

Good day to you all and welcome back to the week. Isn't Monday a pleasant sight? Woah OK less of the expletives please - at least you have this daily blog to keep up with, this daily blog that became ever so slightly less daily over the weekend. Yes I missed Sunday, thanks to all of you that pointed that out.... My bad. Everybody knows that Sunday is the day of rest, so after the serious man hours spent posting this blog it's only fair that I took a day off right? It was only a one-off so chill your beans.

Whatever..

Speaking of one-off's, this word should be one of despair and sheer horror as a marketeer. One-off's are small islands of isolated tactics. One-off ad campaigns for example, even though they seldom exist can turn out to be rather funny - like this. They can no longer be considered as the cornerstone of a companies return on investment. To receive the full value of marketing in today's world - marketeers must be savvy know-it-all's who adopt sophisticated marketing strategies.

Enter - Integrated Digital Marketing.

3. Integrated Digital Marketing
Oooohh integrated - complex word Cal. You need to chill out today - Integrated Digital Marketing requires businesses to fully synthesize their marketing strategies which occur across various media platforms in real-time. Marketing campaigns can not, let me repeat, can NOT be perceived as vaguely interpreted, kind of measurable units of marketing expenditure. NO. Ensuring that a companies approach allows them to tie all efforts together as one business strategy will confirm maximum effectiveness as a goal for the organisation.

Tying everything together..

SO you've considered the various media platforms that your brand operates within - this is the bare minimum. At the moment, the organisation is currently the same as every. other. brand. The company has two options. Take the blue pill - well done, congratulations you satisfactory achiever you, you've created a presence on the internet just like every other brand. But, take the red pill, and rather than just creating a presence, you become a presence. You understand that the best way to achieve this is to understand that integrated digital marketing and the methods that underpin it are not just flowery ideas, but actually the axels around which your brand flourishes. 

Your choice.

Here's a snapshot of the few initiatives you'll be undertaking after gulping down that red pill.

Digital Presence Management - A business website is the cornerstone of a brands online presence. Looking back to the last blog post and the implementation of responsive web design, consumers will be able to access the website from their device of choice.

Content Marketing - That old chestnut, here we go again, this really can't be emphasised enough - content is king (see the blog post before last). Conveying their brand message through blogs and videos must not seem forced upon key target audience segments, rather the kind of stuff you might share with someone yourself.

Performance Management - You want to see some physical effects of that red pill? Obviously. By understanding the metrics of IDM the company will be able to monitor changes in consumer engagement so that we know what's working and what's not. Digital marketing analytics can inform a businesses ongoing marketing strategy and current interaction with consumers. Check out Google for a great example.

Online engagement - So you've established social media sites, so now each of them must be used within their unique capabilities. By using the different functions of social media the company is able to diversify the way they interact with consumers to find that right solution. By asking questions, taking feedback and tweaking their delivery, businesses are able to confirm their presence on the digital stage.

In this age, if you don't have an integrated digital marketing plan, you lose that opportunity to differentiate and you don't have an edge. Brands that don't interact with consumers digitally will eventually lose. That's the bottom line. Which pill do you take? That's not even a question, jump on the red board and form the kinds of connections with consumers that will make the difference in today's marketplace.

Peace out.

CLD - BSc Sport Management Graduate - Loughborough University

Twitter: @callumldraper (https://twitter.com/callumldraper)

Facebook: Callum Leslie-Draper (https://www.facebook.com/callumldraper)

LinkedIN: Callum Leslie-Draper (http://lnkd.in/H74fAc)

Marketing trends: Welcome to the weekend... Oh, and mobile marketing.

Day 2 - Hello and WELCOME to the weekend everybody. We did it. 

So, slowly post-uni the weekend is becoming fully distinct from weekdays. Isn't that a good feeling? That TGIF feeling this week - after spending the week working 9-5 (with an hour lunch break, don't worry about that) to find employment - has been fully embraced with a weekend of London Athletics. Any keen sports fan will tell you that there's no better activity on the box compared to athletics that's suddenly sprung upon you. No greater experience than observing Team GB perform the perfect baton change...... Really good today. (oops).

And that man Mo Farah. Absolutely unreal by the way. 2600m, one lap to go, signals to the crowd to cheer louder - and then waltzes away to beat the field by 50m, that man cannot be described in words. Unbelievable.

So good was he, that I felt he deserved a tweet or two from my iPhone 3G (old school - sorry), which leads me onto today's topic, and trend number two, mobile marketing.

2. Mobile Marketing
The ever increasing rise of smart phones, tablets and all things mobile naturally possesses the ability to catch many marketing managers off guard. Woah there marketing managers, chill your beans, it's not a criticism. BUT it should be noted that some websites record 30-40%+ of all traffic from mobile devices and well over 12 million people in the UK are now looking at the internet on their phones each MONTH. It follows, and is worth noting that consumers are now viewing content, receiving emails and buying products on impulse from those small screens that allow our fingers do the talking at the drop of a hat.

Mobile, mobile, mobileeeee...

That only leaves one question, what company wouldn't want to tap into mobile marketing? Dur. Well, let me hit you with some knowledge.

1. Only 25% of brands have a mobile strategy. (Econsultancy)
2. 45% of companies rely solely on desktop sites to showcase their content. (Adobe)

In all seriousness, what are we doing here UK? This is a criticism.

One simple way of incorporating mobile marketing into a business marketing strategy is to redesign websites and blogs (like this one) and make them 'responsive' (respond to all devices screen sizes for optimal viewing and usability) to ensure they are optimising for mobile devices. Responsive or device specific websites provide continuity between viewing contexts. The same website will present an optimized layout regardless of which devices is loading it.Try reading this on a laptop and then on a mobile, you'll get what I mean. For a business, without doing so is only costing money and also very importantly, missed opportunities. It's no coincidence that US Mobile Ad Revenue has quadrupled since 2009 (socialmediatoday.com)

What about all that content marketing and consumer interaction we were droning on about yesterday? Well, there are best practices a company should take when it comes to consumer interactions, particularly by utilising text messaging as a key channel through which they can make both direct and personal communications with consumers. Here - knowing your audience - is key, nobody wants to receive an offer outside of their interests, nor do they want an unattractive benefit. Segmentation of customers ensures a more effective approach.

Right person, right message, right moment.

The opportunity for an immediate discount, or the possibility to collect points and additional benefits as part of a loyalty program or even a gift from the brand provide perfect examples of beneficial consumer interactions. Example: O2 priority moments. They are great at just this - download their mobile app and as an O2 consumer - that discount to that film, or that free starter (who doesn't appreciate free dough balls) at a restaurant is only a finger click away.

Result: respect builds loyalty. By developing positive relationships with your mobile audience - customer retention increases. Customers remain engaged with your company - oh - and don't forget that key message from yesterday - people talk. If there's one thing I learnt from my degree course, it's that word of mouth recommendations provide a vital means of advocacy and brand awareness.

Beware, inspirational message:
So go marketing managers, out there is a world of mobile marketing - know your consumer, build that loyalty, deliver that free gift - you just might enjoy the repercussions. (film voice).

Over and out, czzzz.

CLD - BSc Sport Management Graduate - Loughborough University

Twitter: @callumldraper (https://twitter.com/callumldraper)

Facebook: Callum Leslie-Draper (https://www.facebook.com/callumldraper)

LinkedIN: Callum Leslie-Draper (http://lnkd.in/H74fAc)

Marketing Trends: Post Graduation Direction

Graduation from Loughborough University occurred over a week ago now - unbelievable week by the way - and almost as soon as that began, the job hunt began. It struck me as a time where I was now able to engage fully with the real world post-16 years of education and as such unearth and start enjoying the blog.

4000 page views by the way. 

Where on this Earth did they come from? It seems a lot of people take a lot of interest in marketing.

And so do I. Good lord, far and beyond was it the most interesting topic I engaged with during my degree. So after developing a serious interest in how a brand is able to interact with their consumers and beyond - it follows that this is an area I want to pursue post-lectures. It actually feels quite good to research into marketing trends non-academically and without the painstaking task of quoting or memorising guy I'll never see again (1972) and rather, consider the realistic value of certain tools. Try it graduates.

Anyway - reading around, I've identified seven main marketing trends which principally occur in the commercial business world. And so one a day, for the next week - I'll give a brief insight into each. Feel free to add anything!

1. Content Marketing

So I thought we'd start fairly basic - and also very traditional (key word - not boring). In all the furore of the modern world it seems fairly logical that businesses walk around with their eyes lit up with the F of the Facebook logo and only for social media.

Ah yeah FACEBOOK yeah! 

From a business and non-personal perspective (I know this is difficult) - YES it is a sure-fire way to interact and connect, on mass, with a vast array of current and prospective consumers. YES it's an opportunity to provide exclusive offers and deals. And YES it provides a source of procrastination to students and graduates (oops). But in all seriousness, in a recent publication by IBM, it turns out consumers are extremely pragmatic, most do not engage with companies via social media simply to feel connected. To successfully exploit the potential of social media, companies need to design experiences that deliver tangible value in return for customers' time, attention and perhaps most importantly, data. 

SO, here comes that key word again - CONTENT. 

After all, content is the cornerstone of all digital marketing and is the reason people read, view and share. Creating liquid content allows the brand to become digitally aware and is vital to maintain excellent perceptions of the brand from the view point of the consumer. By creating unique and inspiring content to publish and promote that educates, informs and entertains is a sure fire way to maintain interest in the brand. Studentbeans.com are excellent at this. Check out their website and you'll be bombarded with quirky lists that students absolutely love in those desperate few minutes (hours) before a lecture. Perfect. The power of sharing, tagging your friends, self-publishing is unlimited for a business - after all, we're all humans - such marketing in modern society really taps into our innate nature to INTERACT with one another.

Oh, and lets not forget Twitter, LinkedIN, Google+, Flickr, Foursquare, YouTube bla bla blaaaaa etc etc etc. Cor blimey - on your way commercial world - inspire us!

CLD - BSc Sport Management Graduate - Loughborough University

Twitter: @callumldraper (https://twitter.com/callumldraper)

Facebook: Callum Leslie-Draper (https://www.facebook.com/callumldraper)

LinkedIN: Callum Leslie-Draper (http://lnkd.in/H74fAc)

Yeah I'm social - but do I provide liquid content? Controversial.