The art of promotion: providing product to Bloggers

From traveling to conventions and events to paying employees and suppliers, money can be tight and PR/marketing often falls off the bottom of the to-do list for businesses. Advertising can cost a fortune and traditional PR takes time and patience. But have you considered the new--and less costly--alternative of promoting your company with the help of bloggers? Whether your business is in the food, wine and spirits, fashion, or sporting goods industry, there is a blog out there that has hundreds or thousands, or hundreds of thousands of readers...readers anxiously waiting to hear about what’s new.

With thousands of blogs in the interactive world and hundreds in categories that your company would fall into, interacting with bloggers is marketing tool that is underutilized--especially by many small business owners. Many bloggers host giveaways, in which they promote a good/service in exchange for the product, which they will provide to one of their readers. After a review of the product on their blog, many bloggers will ask their readers to enter by commenting on the particular brands Facebook page, tweeting to the company and spreading the word about the contest and giveaway for extra entries. The result of those mentions/interactions with your social networking profile? According Adweek, “Facebook users who like a brand's page on the social networking site use its products regularly or occasionally and, after following the brand on Facebook, more than a third want to buy this brand's product more.” So, as those tweets and posts about your product add up, so does your army of brand ambassadors. The cost to you? Your product to give away.

With all that said, how do you find the right blogger? You probably already know the best ones in your industry. (If you’re lost in the blogosphere, your public relations agency can be determine which to target, whom to contact, and facilitate the giveaway).

From Dick’s Cottons sunglasses on the blog Sarafit.comSarafit.com to Pop Chips on A Knack for Nutrition, bloggers are making it easy for companies to get their names out there. According to Bizammo.com, a leading resource for small business owners, there are three major steps that are important to recognize when offering up a product to a blogger. First off, “think outside the box.” This may seem obvious to you--you wouldn’t create the same exact product as a competitor, right? Don’t decide to just give something away because you have tons of product left in stock, just sitting in a warehouse. Think about it. You want to find your target market, so find a blog that gets attention and traffic from readership that is similar to those who buy your product or service. Then, find something that your business produces that these readers would need, or desperately want. Second, make sure whatever you provide to the blogger is easy to find and purchase. “The whole reason the item is free is so that as many people as possible benefit from it and learn about your company – if the customers can’t find the product, you may as well be charging for it.” Lastly, give it time. In Public Relations and marketing there are no immediate results--but there is value in raising awareness and engaging potential future customers. As long as your product is useful and is being promoted through different mediums, attention will follow.

The Allure of Social Media in the Luxury Marketplace

We’ve discussed before how massive the digital movement is, and with so many mediums to communicate a message it’s no wonder that the luxury market has “struck it rich” in social media. How can you “strike it rich” too? Look no farther than some of the largest and most influential businesses in the fashion industry--Bergdorf Goodman Department Store, Breitling, Bvlgari, Diane von Furstenberg, Dolce & Gabanna, Ermenegildo Zegna, and Marc Jacobs.

By zoning in and breaking down the approaches of each of these brands, we can explore what is setting each apart from their competition. From there, we can adapt these strategies to fit your business model. But before we start analyzing, remember: social media is not learned overnight. With a few changes and adjustments to your current social media programs, your brand can blossom and develop. 

To start, we will focus on Bergdorf Goodman, the luxury department store that is always at the forefront of fashion and “high-class” living. Bergdorf focuses mainly on Twitter and Facebook, which are two platforms that in our opinion attract the greatest audience due to the high volume of participants. On these sites, the brand engages with it’s fans, posting everything from makeup tutorials to style tips of the day. By answering the questions of their followers and appearing more like a person than a large company, they are not only approached by their clientele but bombarded by them. 

Swiss watch makers Breitling and Italian Jeweler Bvlgari focus more on Facebook than any other medium, and they are darn good at it. Ever think of promoting contests, offering prizes and creating games for your fans? If not, you can learn from these fashion dynamos. Breitling pushed a “Spirit of Aviation” photography contest on Facebook in which fans of the brand submitted pictures in an attempt to win flying lessons with the Breitling flying team in Dijon, France. The contest was also connected to the legendary movie-star and flying-enthusiast John Travolta. By asking their fans to “link-up” with the contest and spread word to Facebook friends, the brand got even more attention and contest entries. In a similar instance, Bvlgari teamed up with a celebrity, actress Kirsten Dunst. An Enchanted Garden Facebook app was launched which provided links to its Facebook commerce microsite where consumers could purchase jewelry and fragrances. The interconnectedness of the app to the commerce site displays the importance of cross promoting. Have at least two forums to promote your company? Utilize both and gain traffic. 

Lastly, Marc Jacobs may be the most inventive designer in the digital world. The brand took their company one step further and aligned themselves with bloggers. Bloggers are no longer the up-in-coming freelance writers of the digital world, they have staying power. Bloggers are gaining designer sponsorships, partnering with magazines and becoming just as influential as timely designers. The designer bought “advertising on NOWMANIFEST.com and held a photo-shoot with blogger Elin Kling to celebrate 10 years of the Marc by Marc Jacobs line.”  This social media move was so large that the Marc Jacobs website saw over 94,000 impressions after one day of advertising on Elin Kling’s blog! 

From these success stories it’s apparent that social media offers major opportunities to luxury firms. Whether your business is a corporation or a start-up, it is crucial that you entertain digital marketing. After all, luxury brands are selling not only products, but also a lifestyle, so engaging a client within his or her own lifestyle is imperative. Social media provides just the platform to do so.

Bergdorf Goodman makeup tutorial

DVF Facebook page

Marc Jacobs advertisement on blog

Now that’s a Sparkler: Diamond Rings in the Forefront of Spring Fashion

Spring is the ultimate “new beginning.” After all the marshmallow snow melts, we are left with a magical season of sunshine, blossoming buds, and fresh starts--a perfectly romantic time to become engaged. And who does “perfect romance” better than a celebrity couple? Recent tabloids and magazines have been bursting with images of engagements; full page spreads answering the who, what, why, when, where questions, but mainly focused on the big, diamond ROCKS!

Judging by the success of magazines and tabloids alone it is safe to assume that the status quo of America is “I’ll have what he/she is having.” With tons of endorsement deals and promotions for products by celebrities, it is plain to see how much of an influence celebrity lifestyle has on the America public. So, let’s zone in on how celebrity culture is impacting the diamond industry this season.

The most recent high-profile celeb engagement announcement has been between reality television superstar Kim Kardashian and New Jersey Nets basketball player Kris Humphries. The ring presented to the future Mrs. Humphries is a 16.5-carat emerald-cut center stone flanked by two 2-carat trapezoids. Now, we could take the “emerald” cut style as a personal preference of Kardashian or we could look deeper into the trend. What other mega celebrity and recently engaged movie star received an emerald cut sparkler? None other than Kate Hudson. Proposed to by rocker beau Matthew Bellamy, Hudson proudly displayed her emerald-cut diamond, flanked by two sparkling baguettes, to the entire nation on the Today Show.

Kate Hudson

Kim Kardashian

A major trend? Yes, given the star power of Kardashian and Hudson, it would seem so. So, how can a jeweler or designer capitalize on this bridal trend? A seeming downside is that the broad, open facets of the emerald-cut diamond means that any inclusion or discoloration will be particularly obvious, and most individuals do not have hundreds of thousands of dollars to spend for a flawless stone. However—carat for carat—an emerald cut stone is less expensive for a customer to buy and the extensive publicity about celeb emerald-cut diamonds, customers may be willing to increase their planned budget (the upside!).

So, this spring, brush up on this beautiful diamond cut to prepare for celeb-obsessed brides-to-be who will be inquiring about emerald cut diamond engagement rings. One beautiful example: this socially responsible and eco-friendly ring crafted by AnaKatarina Eco Gioielli.

AnaKatarina Eco Gioielli

SEO AND SOCIAL MEDIA: A PRIMER

Good vs. Evil, Light vs. Dark, Carbs vs. Lean Protein… all things that are essential and on going struggles to help find balance. Another recently evolving struggle that is creating a lot of buzz across the internet and business communities is the deliberation of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) vs. Social Media Networking for marketing purposes. The differences between the two are vast, but we often hear small businesses weighing one against the other in terms of where to invest. While SEO has a faster ROI rate on a website’s traffic than Social Media, a Facebook page with 100,000 ‘Likes’ and ongoing engagement has an amazing ROI as well. With that being said, let’s just get down to the brass tacks, nitty-gritty, and seedy underbelly about what these Internet marketing tactics offer.

SEO: WHAT IS IT?

What can be said? It predates the whole concept behind Social Networking, and is still vital to an overall marketing strategy regardless of what you’re promoting. What it is in Layman’s terms is basically search engine marketing: how to get your website to appear high in results when someone searches Google or another search engine.

First, there is pay for play SEO; you know that ‘suggestion box’ that comes up when you start typing in things to Google or Bing? Those brand names paid to be there; they also paid to be at the top of your search results or along the side in those ‘other search suggestions’ columns.

If you start typing things into Google, the Google Instant bar comes up and starts guessing what you’re typing. Unfortunately it searches just about the whole span of the Internet when you hit enter. That means that not only are you bombarded right off the bat with information that you don’t need, but then you see all these big name brands that you might not want.

Like all things we had to learn with the creation of the Internet was the thought process of navigating your search engine results. Depending on what I am searching for, I do not always look at the first link that comes up, in fact I don’t really look at the headlines that Google or Bing gives me, I look at the blurbs that are underneath them and if that information matches what I’m looking for then that is the site I want. Like everything else, people have different ways of navigating their search results, but most just haphazardly click where they see fit.

Because people are so consistent, they will continue to click one of those three links that come up, which means that those companies will clearly gain the most traffic to their website consistently. That is where SEO comes in, with keywords in your website copy, inbound links, and other things that help Google and other search engines rank your site higher. But the problem that too many companies over look is: once you get that traffic to your site, how do you engage and keep them there? (thus the argument in favor of focusing on social media)

SOCIAL MEDIA: TO ‘LIKE’ OR NOT TO ‘LIKE’?

What needs to be grasped about social media is the sheer volume and presence it all has. For example, just about everyone (500 million people, to be exact) has a Facebook profile used to interact with others in a different atmosphere than (crazy concept) speaking with them face-to-face or even over the phone. Side note: I had to find out through Facebook, twice, that a favorite cousin was getting married.

Now, the ever present Facebook, Twitter and the like have been emerging and growing faster and faster, have people really come to rely on them as a place to get new information? That answer might surprise you. Consider, for example, that Facebook has almost surpassed Google as the top visited site on the Internet.

The difference between Google and Facebook? (And, therefore, the difference between SEO outreach and social media outreach)… People go to Google when they want basic information or a phone number; people go to Facebook to form a long-term relationship with a brand.

The things you can do with a Fan Page on Facebook are essentially endless. But all have common ROI: an ongoing association with prospects and clients, and the creations of not just a visitor who clicks on your website once, but someone who becomes a brand ambassador.

SO WHICH IS BETTER?!

At the end of the day, there are different companies that can benefit from more SEO than Social Media, and vice versa. Both are completely different in their approach of finding new information and getting it to the public.

SEO and Social Media have their places, and greatly help each other. Without a search engine you can easily find out whether your favorite company had a social media presence on top of finding their website. Both feed off of each other and help give the other meaning. Essentially, both SEO and Social Media Marketing are good things to take part in, it all depends on the business and the marketing strategy you want to execute.

If your resources are limited, which to choose? When deciding, remember that people are using search engines to look for something that is in the moment; they want to find what they’re looking for fast and with little problems. When people are logging onto Facebook, they are looking to engage and connect… be it to see what their friends are doing, play games, or, increasingly: learn of news, promotions an updates from their favorite brands.

P.R...What does that even mean?

What is "public relations"? Colloquially, it has become a discipline with an ambiguous job description that means a lot of different things to a lot of different people. "If you ask ten random people what PR is, there will be 10 very different answers" (see here). Contrary to colloquialism, however, it is a very definite area of marketing. 

While—especially in this age of ever-changing forms of communication—PR is a somewhat open ended area of marketing, a basic definition of public relations is to "shape and maintain the image of a company, organization or individual in the eyes of the client's various 'public.' What is a 'public' exactly? A public, in PR terms, is anyone who ever has, or ever will, form an opinion about the client (more). Essentially: a public relations agency is there to present their client in the best light to their audience.

As a publicist, being tasked with making someone look good (despite a positive or negative situation) is no easy assignment—especially because PR is not pay-for-play advertising... a publicist instead focuses on gaining FREE publicity for their client. How? By drafting professional press releases and relevant pitches, a publicist is creating a compelling story for potential newspapers, magazines, radio and TV stations. It is imperative for a publicist to not only communicate why their clients’ goods, services, and/or personal history is important—but, most importantly, to understand the mind of an editor. Thus, some of the best publicists are those who have served time as editors. 

A professional publicist or PR agency will also create media and press kits, along with look-books—crucial packages that must be written and designed with knowledge of what the press wants (and needs) to know. In sum, these kits "contains everything the journalist needs to understand who the client is and what the client does.” (more). 

Defining “public relations” is no easy task, but even harder for companies is determining what makes a great publicist. Think about it. You are entrusting your company, your welfare and business' image to another person or agency. A publicist must believe in what they are doing, who they are promoting and what is being asked of them from a client… but being a great publicist runs even deeper than that. A great publicist can "create opportunities for publicity from thin air...invent a story that the news media will eat up" (more). How do they do this? By keeping a pitch light, positive and relevant. 

Finally, when considering a PR agency or publicist, make sure they follow these 10 PR commandments:

• All press is not good press: the easiest way to avoid bad press is to separate private and public life.   
• Perception is reality: the first images the public sees are extremely powerful.   
• Create a brand: What are your brands attributes? Who is your target audience? How loyal are they?   
• The truth seeks its own level: there are no secrets, the truth is out there, don’t hide from it.   
• Energize a base: define an audience and communicate effectively with it.  
• The media will not wait for you: play offense not defense; do not wait for the media to come to you—pitch away! 
• There is no wall between public and private: attend events because of the press line. Say good-bye to intimate parties. 
• The medium is still the message: remember who you’re talking to and who their audience is.   
• You can go home again: comebacks exist; the public loves someone who keeps on trying so don’t get discouraged if something doesn’t work out the first time.   
• They are only building you up to knock you down: Live your life like someone’s watching, because they are.

 

Remember: PR is a dynamic and ever-changing industry. With the constant creation of new and improved social media sites and broadcasting platforms, it is both easier and harder than ever to promote a company or deliver a story. Choosing the right medium is important and delivering the right angle on a story is necessary. 

When you hire a publicist, ask questions; among them:

Do they have contacts and credibility?

Have they generated successful campaigns in the past? 

Will they treat you as a person, not as just a giant enterprise? 

Is their approach custom to what you crave or do they follow the same approach for all of their clients? 

While P.T. Barnum said, "all publicity is good publicity" we must disagree...all publicity is good publicity only if you have a good publicist.

Fashion Forecast: Earthy, Swingy, Delicate

What's BIG this Holiday season? Fashion editors, bloggers and designers have been focusing on all things tassels, stone, and lace. From fine to fashion jewelry, these trends can be seen everywhere from fashion editorials to the catwalks of Paris and New York.

Stones and bones which are polished and cut are one of the most anticipated trends of the Holiday season. Why so popular? From the palest canary yellows to the deepest ocean blues, stones offer a natural and relaxed vibe to any outfit. Additionally, stones connect one to nature--minimally processed, shaped by the elements, rough and asymmetrical. Perfect for a Holiday romp to the rocky beaches of St. Kits or the concrete jungle of New York City.

Lace...delicate, intricate, lady-like, elegant. What comes to mind--wedding gowns, dowdy Grandma-esque "schmatas," the Victorian era? Not anymore. The lace trend can be seen in many different capacities this holiday season. There are feather-light fabric earrings as well as intricately patterned and metal detailed necklaces and bracelets. The trend represents a type of sophistication that is easy to wear and able to make a statement.

Whether they are swinging, dangling, or jangling, tassels are making a major appearance. With all trends pointing towards an antique and aged aesthetic it is no wonder that fringe forms are predicted to be the biggest trend of all this season. No longer the oldest form of Western adornment, the tassel is the easiest thing to throw on to get noticed. Reflecting light in metal forms, and creating tons of swish-swish movement, tassels are the perfect piece to invest in.

So there you have it--predictions about the trendiest Holiday looks, straight from the horses Miamore Communications' mouth. Which of these looks will you be trying out this Holiday?


(Images: 1, 2, 3)

Social Media's Influence on High Society: The Royal Wedding

On April 29, 2011 the world witnessed history; a royal wedding between Prince William of England and his "commoner" bride, Kate Middleton. It is no mystery why this wedding is the topic of every conversation from the grocery aisles of a quite suburb in Oklahoma to the over flooded streets by Westminster Abbey, a real fairytale took place! What else is magical about this union? From a branding standpoint the wedding created a ton of coverage for various mediums. As speculated by PR specialists everywhere, "The marriage of Prince William and Kate Middleton is the latest big global event which media companies are falling over themselves to cover with new digital products" (article here).

First off a Mashable.com article stated that news stories regarding the wedding (according to Bing.com) were up to 7 million searches/day. Additionally, blog posts "more than doubled from 46.7 million on April 5 to 102.9 million." What else? Tweets about the wedding quadrupled, about 5,000/hour over the last week.

Live coverage of the wedding was viewable from the BBC website. However, on the wedding day the news channel reported a glitch-- too many people were trying to access the site and "Visitors were intermittently greeted with an error message saying the website was experiencing 'abnormal traffic' around the climax of the ceremony after 11am." Abnormally high numbers of attention to the Royal wedding is commonplace, in 1981 the "wedding of the century" between Prince Charles and Lady Diana attracted an estimated global television audience of over 750 million people--the most popular program to ever broadcast. Despite this impressive statistic, the 2011 nuptials had nearly 2 BILLION viewers according to a recent article on paidcontent.org.

The entire wedding was so covered by social media (SM) that it is as if SM was an invited guest to Buckingham Palace. The modern couple chose to share their wedding with the public...in a very modern way. First off there was a royal wedding website which informed guests and the pubic about every event that was to take place pre and post wedding. Additionally, there was an official royal You Tube channel that was expected to get over 400 million hits. If you didn't want to watch the live stream and preferred reading updates, there were official Twitter and Flickr accounts dedicated to documenting and covering the entire occasion. What if you had the urge to buy the handsome couple a gift? Social media made it easy to do that as well. With a royal wedding registry, guests could donate to multiple charities in the names of Kate and William themselves.
Social media covered almost every aspect of the royal affair--from details about the cake (made by Fiona Cairns Ltd of Leicestershire), to Kate's hairstylist (the talented Mr. Richard Ward), nothing was kept secret. Additionally, since guests were allowed to use social media while at the wedding, sites like Twitter updated the world about Lady Catherine's second wedding dress, also created by Sarah Burton, before the official pictures were even leaked says Forbes Magazine.

The royal wedding set world breaking records in the realm of social media. Besides tweeting, facebooking, blogging and posting about the event, individuals could download phone applications which connected them to videos, games, news stories, photos, etc. There was no shortage in coverage of the royal wedding; apparently intimate gatherings are no longer personal affairs in this day and age.