Tag Archives: business owners

Brand Focus #11: Interactive Videos As A Social Media Marketing Campaign [Wing Heong]

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The local dried barbecue meat industry in Malaysia has always been competitive especially when the Lunar New Year is around the corner as it is commonly made as gifts during the festive season. The delicacy producers, however, have been relying on traditional promotional methods over and over again – television commercials, radio commercials, print ads, in-store promotions, roadshows to popular shopping malls, giving out free samples and etc until recent.

The Change

Wing Heong, one of the producers of this delicacy decided to make a change. A change in which was told (after the campaign) that yielded unexpected results and a visible increase in sales – all through a single interactive video (as below) shared primarily on Facebook.

My first reaction was: “Whoa! This is REALLY smart!” and I instantaneously shared it. The thing is, I wasn’t the only one.

Here are three (3) important aspects to learn from this interactive video social campaign:

#1: One size cannot fit all… Know who you’re targeting

The barbecue dried meat has been a delicacy for years especially among the Chinese community during the Lunar New Year. This product has been popular among the older generation and Wing Heong wanted to go beyond that – to also reach the younger (tech savvy) generation of today which led to the development of this campaign. If you would to think about it, a full-fledged digital campaign may not be able to reach their existing (more mature) customers as there’s a digital divide – it was a risk they were willing to take which leads to my next point…

#2: To know them well… And use the right approach

“We came out with the Superhero character called ‘Yok Man’ to represent the new generation and to rebrand Wing Heong so it would be perceived as a young and vibrant brand as opposed to a traditional brand.” – Wilson Pee, creator of the interactive video campaign

Wing Heong took time to understand their audience. They knew they needed to be different from their competitors who were also using digital animation to reach out to the consumers. They created an animated character that was closely representing kungfu legend Yip Man that was made popular in a recent Hong Kong made movie, a movie the local Chinese were able to identify to easily.

On top of that, the fictional storyline is closely knitted to Malaysia and the introduction of another popular local delicacy, the Seremban Siew Pau (baked dumpling) to draw a greater relation with the Malaysian-Chinese target audience.

#3: Drive them home… By giving them something to remember you by

Marketers understand the importance of creating memorability with their consumers. Visuals and content are both important and great but what makes a campaign memorable? With a young and engaging story line in place, the creators of the Wing Heong campaign allowed their target audience to actively interact with the characters itself by punching in commands to assist ‘Yok Man’ in defeating his enemies.

The Results

This interactive video garnered 565,792 views to date, shared over 131,000 times and “Liked” over 243,000 times on Facebook.

If an average Facebook user has 130 friends, the video and the name ‘Wing Heong’ has potentially reached more than 17 million impressions on the most popular social network in Malaysia. Sure, anyone can create an interactive video and it may garner even more views but what made Wing Heong’s campaign standout wasn’t just the video but the ingredients and groundwork behind it that made it work.

The combination of the above made the character ‘Yok Man’ into an immediate icon simply because the consumers are now able to identify a kungfu legend and an engaging story line to the brand.

Stop Thinking Like a Big Brand and Go Small

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I can’t help but to notice a pattern among small business owners and start-up entrepreneurs as it would seem that the buzz word among them is “global”. Now, don’t get me wrong as I’m not against being visionary and ambitious but overindulgence in this “global” concept can very well be a mindset that comes into your way in growing your business.

Take any sport as an example – you do not challenge the course with the highest difficulty when you start out simple because it will probably leave you injured or killed (depending on the type of sport). However, it is good to look forward in challenging that course in the future – when you’re fit for it.

So, why should you not think like a big brand? Here are 4 reasons:

#1: Budget

I’ll skip the part explaining the difference in marketing budget between a big brand and a small business but know this – branding and marketing is not dependent on how huge your budget is. Money simply has the potential to speed up the growing (or declining) process of your brand.

Thankfully, the web is favorable to small businesses especially with the introduction of social media. If your target audience is on Facebook, focus on building a relationship with them and grow your network organically. This will create long term traction for your business with significant savings on cost. Don’t be fooled by the misconceptions of social media.

#2: Manpower

With limited manpower on your team, you may not be able to go on a labor intensive campaign such as roadshows or huge events. Forcibly doing so may spread your workforce so thin that it may hurt your business in return. Instead, use this limitation to your advantage by being able to provide a closer communication with your customers.

One of the beauty of a small business is communication. Big brands often let the account managers, sales or marketing team do the job while in small businesses, you as a business owner work on it hands-on and that makes a difference. Focus on providing personalized services and that will keep you ahead of your competitors. Even big brands are moving into personalized services.

#3: Systems and Procedures

Big brands in general have various systems and procedures to keep them in check whether it is for sales, requesting for support or even to get a marketing campaign approved. Sometimes, it takes weeks to get a request approved due to the many departments involved. While the control is there, it is not what your small business should be doing.

Small businesses usually have the luxury of being quick and fluid in decision making thus allowing a shorter turnaround time. Use this to your advantage and keep the ideas going and experiment on them.

#4: Networks and Reputation

Most big brands are already well connected and engaged both online and offline. Having that said, it is likely that their marketing campaigns will automatically gain a whole lot more participation or visibility than what you can achieve with your small business.

Turning that around, you can establish your reputation in local communities and this is something big brands are unlikely to follow. Be targeted in your marketing campaigns and reach out to your target audience individually and grow together with them – this will lower your overheads but gives you a laser-point focus.

Go Small but be Scale-able

Likewise in start-ups or small businesses, instead of thinking about going global and becoming a big brand, think of how can you start SCALING your business towards becoming global. Remember, even big brands started small.

Are Businesses Today Still After Zombies?

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The past month was a very interesting yet busy one. One of my companies, OpenMinds Resources underwent a complete overhaul with the establishment of a new team; launched the largest gathering of online fashion entrepreneurs (MOFEW) in Malaysia for the 2nd time and published a research paper in the recent Global Communications Conference (GCA). These events allowed me to speak to many students, business owners and academicians from all over Malaysia and when told that I help businesses position their brand online using social media platforms, the immediate question would be:

“How many fans / likes can you guarantee?”

My answer: “None.”

You can imagine the shock and horror written on their faces. But it is true – no one can guarantee the number of likes or followers on your Facebook / Twitter page and here’s two simple reasons why:

#1: Followers are human

And because they are human, anything and everything can be a reason to follow / unfollow you. It could be personal preferences, peer pressure, trend, curiosity, to win something, to lodge a complaint, to spy, to learn and yes, even by accident.

#2: Even if they could guarantee, they’re zombies

Given all these situations, how do some social media gurus out there guarantee, you ask? Simple. They are bought and this is no longer something new. Anyone can purchase hundreds or thousands of followers at a very affordable rate and most of these followers are either real, involuntary followers (bad), bots (worse) or fake accounts (worst) – and all 3 will not benefit you.

Before you click away in disbelief, here’s one of my favourite fan-purchasing experiment I’ve read on AllFacebook.com:

Fake accounts with fake pictures

fake facebook accounts. source: AllFacebook

 

On a serious note…

While you may want to have a huge fan / follower base across social media platforms, getting guaranteed fans is merely instant gratification. If you’re serious in growing your business using social media, forget about locating a social media specialist / consultant / guru / master that will guarantee you followers. You do not want a horde of zombies following you anyway. Last I checked, zombies aren’t sociable.

14 Attributes for Your Entrepreneurial Success from Silicon Valley Icons

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What makes a great entrepreneur? Is it the skills, the mindset, or perhaps the money? So I had a golden opportunity to attend a 2-day conference – Silicon Valley Comes to Malaysia and this conference brought together many great entrepreneurs including Shawn Fanning (co-founder of Napster), Jawed Karim (co-founder of YouTube), Jeff Hoffman (co-founder of Priceline.com), Konstantin Guricke (co-founder of LinkedIn), Naval Ravikant (founder of AngelList), Jonas Kjellberg, Paul Bragiel and many more to encourage and assist local entrepreneurs here in their endeavors.

Silicon Valley Comes to Malaysia

The two-day conference was filled with power packed sessions and the opportunity to network and build relationships with other entrepreneurs was amazing. I even bumped into Krystle (@mskrys) from Twylah for the first time beyond the avatar.

Okay, enough talking. Let’s (finally) dive into the 14 attributes of how you can make it as an entrepreneur I took home from the Silicon Valley icons themselves:

#1: Codes are the new literacy.

You cannot afford to be technologically illiterate when the world is now built on codes. Learn to code!

#2: Do something that can accelerate and you like.

Start something that is scale-able. Not because of the money, but because it is your passion.

#3: Know what your customers want.

Never get your friend to test your product. Go to the customers.

#4: Given a choice and a limited budget, spend on marketing, NOT an office.

You want to have an office like Google but that can wait. Focus on growing your business first.

#5: You cannot do this alone. Get a co-founder.

You’ll definitely need help. If not for extra hands, you’ll need him / her for morale support.

#6: You’re not as smart as you think you are.

The day you think you’re smart, that’s when you grow otherwise. Listen to what others have to say.

#7: Surround yourself with people smarter than you.

Don’t get intimidated by smarter people. You WANT smarter people to work with you.

#8: Play the role you play best and let others do theirs.

Never designate a role that others can’t play their “A” game in.

#9: Build your team around their goals. Not yours.

Have your team know what they want to achieve and work towards their goal. Support is important.

#10: Document your failure.

Never brush a failure aside thinking you’ve learnt from it. Get to it and examine the cause of the failure.

#11: Don’t hire resumes. Hire character and integrity.

Past experiences do not matter. Hire based on who they are and their contribution.

#12: Don’t change the work to fit the people. Your people should fit a specific business objective.

Don’t change your objectives because of your team. Have your team fit into your objectives.

#13: You will fail. More than once. Get over it!

Failure is a part of life. What makes you think you wouldn’t?

#14: Compile data, connect the dots and ask the big question – “What can I do today that I couldn’t yesterday?”

Be aware of what’s happening outside your comfort zone. Look out for opportunities that wasn’t made available yesterday.

My favorite – Q: “What is the secret to success?” A: “When you’re busy looking for that, I was busy working for it”.

Which of the above resonates with you the most?

Entrepreneurs, Is Defense the Best Offense?

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A football coach was looking for a new player for their team. Along with his assistant, they went to scout for the perfect footballer for their team. After several sessions the assistant had his eye set on a player that jumped back unto his feet the moment he was knocked down – even after 3 times. “That’s the player we need”, he exclaimed. The coach simply replied “Get the player that knocked him down 3 times”.
– Anonymous

This short story came as a great and timely reminder for me. Preservation is important for entrepreneurs but the continuos spirit to overcome hurdles is vital. Often you hear stories of how entrepreneurs persevered and obtained success but what’s more important is to learn how did they break through challenges after challenges without getting tired.

Which player are you? Or rather, which entrepreneur are you?

One that is on the defense or one on the offense?

The Problem With Being A Human Brand by @MargieClayman

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This is a guest post by Margie Clayman (@MargieClayman), the director of client development at Clayman Advertising, her family-owned agency. She is the third generation of her family to work there! Margie is the community manager at 12most.com, the librarian at The Blog Library, and the resident blogger at MargieClayman.com.

When I was first reading about social media, which was in about 2007, the levels of excitement that were surrounding this brave new world was hard to contain. Although the technology was cool, what people in my sector of the business world were really excited about was that brands were becoming personal. With social media, you’re no longer just a customer who buys a certain laundry detergent.

Now you were a face, a name, and interests on that manufacturer’s facebook fan page or on that company’s Twitter account. The other side of the coin was that the company was no longer just a company. Maybe the Twitter account was managed by a person named Jill. Well, now you were buying your laundry detergent from Jill, and Jill was selling to you, a real person with a name and a personality.

What could be greater?

Fast forward to almost five years later and the world online is getting a bit more complicated. While it’s true that brands are becoming more personal, a few problems are starting to arise because of scale and because of human nature. All great things must come to an end, or at least, they have to change, right?

Oh no! I gave away all of my best work for free!

One thing that online brands are realizing is that in the effort to really get to know their customers, along with other companies, they gave a LOT of information away. All of those blog posts you’ve enjoyed reading over the last few years have essentially been people giving away their expertise. Sure, some sites have always had ads on them, but we all know that online ads are mostly good for branding, not for clicks. And besides, even if someone clicks on an ad on your site, they’re not really buying what you sell. They’re buying something that someone else is advertising on your site, right?

Now, a lot of people are wondering how they can push the rewind button on that decision. They want to start charging, or they want to start charging more. With such close contact to their customers, they are hearing about this a lot more often and with a lot more vitriol than might have been the case a few years ago. This is an increasingly big conundrum for online brands.

Oh no! I don’t really think you’re my customer!

Another problem brands are struggling with right now is the realization that a lot of people that they follow, or who are following them, are not really customers. They’re not even prospects. Heck, they might not even be competitors. In the race for online clout (yes, spelled with a c, not a k), people raced to get as many followers as possible without stopping to wonder, “Hey, would this person ever buy from me?”

Now, people who have thousands or hundreds of thousands of people in their online communities are wondering how to filter through all of those people to get to the ones who might actually help them grow their business. As we’ve seen over the last few weeks with the “great unfollowing of 2011,” this can cause a lot of misunderstanding and discomfort, as is the case with so many adjustments. Again, because brands and customers have been so closely intertwined for the last few years, the blowback to these evolutions can be pretty severe.

Oh no! You want me to respond to you right away!

This is perhaps the biggest problem haunting online brands right now. When a lot of brands moved online in 2008 or 2009, there were not nearly as many people online as there are now, and nobody really knew what they were doing. It was all unchartered waters. Brands could respond to requests, suggestions, or calls for help lickety split. Five years later, customers and/or prospects still carry that expectation.

We have been taught that social media enables brands to execute customer service better than ever before, and that response times should be in minutes, not hours. Due to scale, however, responding that quickly to everyone is no longer an option. If the person managing a brand’s account did nothing but respond to people all day, they still would miss someone, and that someone would likely vocalize discontent.

Oh no! How can we get out of this mess?

Well, that’s the million dollar question. It seems like just like in the business world, social media is moving to a scenario where the smaller and more flexible you are, the better off you might be. Could we be moving to a brand new model where fewer followers is the optimum mode of operation? Could we be moving to a world where blog content is gated and must be paid for? All of these changes are going to be very uncomfortable, and there is likely to be a lot of rather hostile discussion as social media grows up and evolves.

Then again, I could be totally and 100% completely wrong. What do you think about the future of brands online? Where are we headed, and where are we now?

Watch Out! Are You Building A Frankenstein on #SocialMedia?

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Frankenstein somehow came out as an illustration in a recent discussion with a friend which I thought is a fitting example when it comes to creating a social media marketing campaign. How is it so?

5 Things to Consider When Building Your Next Social Media Marketing Campaign

Powering up the Frankenstein

1. Don’t build something you can’t power up!

Excited business owners and entrepreneurs often fall into the trap of building an idea fortress. You may have a grand scheme in mind but be aware of the time constraints, cost, knowledge, technical skills and practicality in making your plans a reality. Can it really be done with your current resources?

Always build a MVP – most viable product by first putting together what’s most important and practical to keep the costs down until you can afford something as big as a Frankenstein.

2. Watch your back!

Don’t let it haunt you in return. When Frankenstein came to life, it backfired and became a monster instead. Look out for loopholes in your marketing campaign that can bite you in return. It may be the terms and conditions, the sign up process, the voting process, the selection process or even the tools that you pick – you do not want to use a trial tool that ends before your marketing campaign ends!

A simple rule before launching your social media marketing campaign publicly is to test it and test it again!

3. Be innovative!

Frankenstein was created by stitching together different body parts. Your campaign can be created by stitching together different ideas from other marketing campaigns too! There really isn’t a need to reinvent the wheel for your campaigns. Understand existing concepts and inject your own flavor to make things different.

Be on a look out for great ideas both online and offline that you can implement in your next campaign.

4. Don’t build for your own pleasure!

Was there a need for Frankenstein to be created? Do the citizens of that time need Frankenstein? Not many people can create a new need like Steve Jobs did with the iPad. Build a campaign that your target audience would want to participate in. Don’t fall in the trap of building something cool just because the bigger companies are doing it. If your audience needs nothing more than a simple sweepstakes, so be it.

Always fall back to the basics: is this what my target audience wants? is my social media marketing campaign too complicated for them to participate? will there be any technological barriers?

5. Don’t give up!

Unlike Frankenstein, you do have an opportunity to make changes to adapt to the changing requirements of your target audience. Don’t give up when the marketing campaign did not progress as expected because you are dealing with humans and their preferences change from time to time. Take time to understand the flaws of your campaign and do better in the next.

Be reminded that your marketing campaigns are built for human participation therefore their preferences can affect your results.

Are you building a Frankenstein for your next social media marketing campaign?

What are your thoughts on building a social media Frankenstein?

Brand Focus #8: How to Manage A Groupon Campaign For A Small Business?

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usage of groupon in malaysia restaurants

Just a week ago I popped by a small restaurant just slightly away from town for dinner and managed to have a chat with a small restaurant owner.  Somehow the conversation landed on the topic of Groupon – he loves it.

Recalling from my past conversations with other business owners on Groupon in Malaysia, I instantly wanted to know more about this liking of his towards Groupon. What is it that made his Groupon campaign successful? Why is it that he is able to make Groupon work while others find it difficult to handle?

Here are some tips from our chat:

#1: Don’t Stinge on Quality

The restaurant owner insists that the proportion of the meals served during the campaigns have to be the exact proportion of how it is off-promotion, if not better. Customers can tell the difference – especially those that frequent you. Business owners should not opt for a cheaper alternative just because of a lower profit margin.

#2: Know How Much You Can Handle

If your restaurant operate 8 hours a day with a total of 40 seats and if each customer takes an average of 30 minutes per meal, you’re likely able to handle no more than 640 customers per day. And that’s if you operate back-t0-back without rest. This figure will let you know whether you’re able to take in X amount of reservations daily. This restaurant owner drew up a reservation chart to make sure he does not overdo it. By doing so, he will be able to operate at full capacity, yet maintain the quality and service efficiency.

#3: Know Your Limits

If the number of customers flooding your store isn’t a concern, how about the number of staff on duty? He pointed out a valid point – the more customers you have, the more manpower you’ll need and that will cost you money. If that still isn’t a concern, think about the workload – will your staff be able to handle two, three, or even four Groupon campaigns back-to-back? Give them (and you) a break…

#4: And Measure Your Results

The simplest method suggested is to give out vouchers for their next visit. Have them printed with unique codes / colors so you can track which campaign your customers are coming back from.

Have you purchased a deal on Groupon or similar sites? What is your experience with the businesses running the campaigns?

7 Ways to Avoid Consumer Backlash for Your Next #SocialMedia Promotional Campaign

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adampedleyThis is a guest post by Adam Pedley (@Adam_Pedley) is the founder of Binkd home of the Binkd Promotion Platform. Adam is also a great buddy and one with great insights on promotions. Enjoy!

As a business owner you want to increase your following and engage with your customers. A perfect way to do this is to run a contest. Give a way a prize, get people spreading the word of your business, every one wins right? Unfortunately this isn’t always the case. Here are 7 points you need to consider before running a contest to help avoid consumer backlash.

1. Avoid Voting Contests Or Apply Strict Rules To Them

If you have a voting contest, there are sites / Facebook pages out there that let you post your entry link and get heaps of votes from random strangers. Then you also go and vote on all the other entry links on these pages. A reciprocal exchange of votes from random strangers.

People get REALLY angry about this and this actually tends to be worse when you are in a predominately women focussed business (e.g. homewares or fashion).

You can either avoid voting contests, put in place strict rules forbidding people to post on these pages and if they are found to have done so, they can be removed from the contest, or do a vote for a chance to win.

Vote for a chance to win is a slight variation on a plain voting contest. Each vote they get is a chance to win, but not a guarantee, hence it limits the effectiveness of gaining votes from random strangers. This type of contest is available on the Binkd Promotion Platform.

2. Ensure Your Prize Is Highly targeted And Valuable

If you give away a cheap or not applicable prize to your audience not only will you lose credibility, you will anger your customers for wasting their time reading your contest or making them feel devalued and not worthy of your time.

A highly targeted and valuable prize will gain you more entrants and greater trust with your followers. They are also more likely to keep coming back.

3. Monitor Your Contest Very Closely

There is always the potential for things to go wrong in your contest. Maybe you made an error in the terms or setup the contest incorrectly. These errors normally surface in the first few hours hence it is best to launch a contest early in your working day. This gives you the ability to monitor your contest and correct any errors during the day, rather than waking up in the morning to discover a PR nightmare.

4. Don’t Change The Terms Once The Contest Is Running

Apart from being illegal in some countries, changing the rules of the contest after it has started never goes down well with entrants. If you think you may need something in the terms, write it in now and don’t add it in later. Your terms should be well crafted and looked over by a lawyer to ensure it is valid in the countries you are running the contest.

5. Avoid Humorous Prizes Or Language

While something may be funny to one person, it generally isn’t to others. To avoid negative feedback and have the best chance of people spreading the word, stick to widely accepted and wanted prizes in your niche.

6. Don’t Run A Contest For A Good Cause

If you run a contest with “I will donate $X to a charity or the latest global disaster, if I reach a thousands entrants” or something similar, you will get entrants who buy into this but you will also receive a fair bit of backlash. Generally people will say, why don’t you just donate the money now, people are dying over there you (insert expletive).

7. Make Clear Any Out Of The Ordinary Terms.

A lot of people don’t read the terms of the contest and then have a go at you when they realize it wasn’t what they expected. If you have any terms that are slightly out of the ordinary, make sure you put them in a place where people will read them as well as the in the terms and conditions. The more upfront you are about them, the less likely anyone will question you later after they have entered.

What is the Best #SocialMedia Tool for a Marketing Campaign?

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It is interesting to see how business owners or marketing people jump straight into Facebook when talking about using social media tools for a marketing campaign. Do Facebook fit into every marketing campaign there is? What is the best social media tool for a marketing campaign?

If you came here to find out what is THAT tool, I’m sorry to disappoint you because there isn’t one. But before you click away, let me tell you why:

#1: You can’t fix a window with a hammer

Similarly, you don’t saw with a pair of pliers. There is a tool out there for your marketing objectives and not every tool is the answer. Get this – even experienced social media experts fall into the trap of using too many tools just because they all seem to fit. Put your marketing objectives first and focus on what is it that you want to accomplish with it THEN select your tools. You don’t drill a hole in your wall only to find that it is too big or small to be used.

Here’s a simple tip that I use often to select compatible tools by using just a paper and pen:

planning an event with social media marketing ideas1. Create a master list of ALL the things you can do or can think of using social media
2. Put down your marketing objectives and describe your target audience
3. Now group the items on your list into 4 different categories: the ‘Must Haves’, ‘Good-to-Have’, ‘Maybe Next Time’ and ‘I Don’t Need It’

planning an event with social media integration4. Select your tools!

In this example, you may want to consider having a Facebook page, host a simple contest to get fans to share about the event, encourage fans to post photos from the event to win something, place QR codes at the event to uncover a mystery gift or use Foursquare to reward visitors at your event. As for ideas on how to improve your event further, you’ve got the ‘Maybe Next Time’ column to help you out.

#2: You cannot build a house with a single screwdriver

From the very same example you’ll also find that although your target audience are on Facebook, it should not be your only answer when it comes to social media marketing. At times you’ll be required to include other tools to complement your marketing campaigns such as a microsite (it can be a blog), a QR campaign for on-ground interactivity, a Foursquare special to reward loyalty or a mobile app containing an event directory and itinerary and more!

The larger your objectives are, the larger the campaign will be, and the more tools you’ll (likely) have to use but it all begins with setting the objectives right and keeping with it.

My Recommendation?

social media swiss knife

Get yourself a social media Swiss knife. I use the above method almost all the time. What about you?