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SAVE THIS HANDOUT - REQUIRED STUDY MATERIAL FOR THE CTSM EXAM CTSM REQUIRED SEMINAR SESSION 31510 March 14-18, 2010 | Mandalay Bay Convention Center Integrated Marketing Communications KATHARINE CHESTNUT, CTSM All Materials Copyrighted by EXHIBITOR Magazine / Katharine Chestnut, CTSM © 2010 Rochester, MN PRODUCED BY EXHIBITOR MEDIA GROUP
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31510-Integrated Marketing Communications

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Page 1: 31510-Integrated Marketing Communications

SAVE THIS HANDOUT - REQUIRED STUDY MATERIAL FOR THE CTSM EXAM

C T S M R E Q U I R E D S E M I N A R

       

 

SESSION 31510

March 14-18, 2010 | Mandalay Bay Convention Center

Integrated Marketing CommunicationsKATHARINE CHESTNUT, CTSM

All Materials Copyrighted by EXHIBITOR Magazine / Katharine Chestnut, CTSM© 2010 Rochester, MN

PRODUCED BY EXHIBITOR MEDIA GROUP

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Q U I Z P R O C E D U R E S F O R R E C E I V I N G C E U C R E D I T S

Review the following instructions for submitting your quiz answers to receive CTSM credit and CEUs for the seminars and/or work-shops you take. The procedure for applying for CEUs is the same whether you are in the CTSM certification program or applying for CEUs only. For more information, talk to a representative in the onsite CTSM office or call 507.424.4881.

CTSM CaNDIDaTES• Be sure you have completed a CTSM Enrollment Form online at www.ctsm.com.

• Confirm that you have paid your $90 transcript maintenance fee.

• All CEUs are paid by EXHIBITOR SHOW and awarded by Northern Illinois University (NIU) Outreach.

NON-CTSM CaNDIDaTES aPPlyING FOR CEUS• Complete a CEU only registration form online at www.ctsm.com.

• All CEUs are paid by EXHIBITOR SHOW and awarded by Northern Illinois University (NIU) Outreach.

QUIZ PROCEDURES1. Complete a quiz for each session that you attend. Quizzes are in the back of your session handout, but you do not need to have

them with you to submit your answers. The quiz questions are on the site.

2. To submit your quiz answers, go to www.CTSM.com. Under “Candidate Services” select “Submit Quiz Answers.” Hard copies of quizzes with answers written on them will not be accepted.

3. CTSMEX10 is the generic ID to use when entering the quiz site the first time. Use this for both the login and the password. If you have not paid your $90 maintenance fee, this must be done before your quiz answers are credited towards CEUs or certification.

4. Follow the directions for entering your own unique password and personal information. Be sure to write down your newly assigned login ID and the password you have chosen. Use this new ID and password when you return to the site. Your login number and password will change for each conference you attend.

5. Once your student profile appears on the screen, click the button next to “CTSM Quiz” before clicking on the “Take a Quiz” button.

6. Once you are on the site you will see that the quizzes are organized by seminar number and title. Select the seminar number for each quiz you want to submit. The quizzes are scored automatically, and you will see your results immediately. You can retake the quiz until you pass.

7. For sessions without a quiz, click on the affidavit request form button and follow directions to receive credit.

8. Your scores will be recorded in a student grade book, which you will be able to access while you are on the Web site. You may want to print a copy of your grade report to keep for your records.

9. The CTSM office will download your student grade book, update your transcript and mail the updated copy to you.

DEaDlINE FOR RECEIVING CREDITFor EXHIBITOR2010, Las Vegas March 14-18, 2010 Submit quiz answers online by Friday, April 2, 2010

C e r t i f i e d t r a d e S h o w M a r k e t e r P r o g r a M

CTSM

Sponsored by

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Integrated Marketing Communications – A CTSM Required Course

31510

Integrated Marketing Communications

The Basics A CTSM Required Course

Presented by:

Katharine A. Chestnut, Gold CTSM Director, Research & Measurement – Derse, Inc.

404.386.0069 – [email protected]

About The Instructor Katharine A. Chestnut, Gold CTSM is a marketing and measurement expert with over 20 years of creative design, communications, marketing and measurement experience. Graduating with a degree in fine art, Katharine worked as an art director at several large advertising agencies before broadening her horizons into the marketing communications arena. She brings inventiveness and a practical working knowledge to every project. By being involved at every level, she creates integrated marketing programs and exhibits that work. Katharine has worked in a variety of industries: consumer electronics, natural foods, software, geo-technical engineering among many others prior to moving to the exhibit supplier side of the industry. One thing she has learned from her experience is that the principals of marketing remain the same, regardless of the product or service. Katharine has also been a contributing writer for Exhibitor magazine, served one year on the magazine’s editorial advisory board and has been featured in Business Marketing and TradeShow Week magazines. She has also served on the conference committee of the Exhibitor Show and has been a speaker since 1998 at the Exhibitor Show. Now turning her skills to the supplier side of the exhibit industry, her two areas of responsibilities are:

1. Providing knowledge to Derse internal account team and creative departments during the developmental stage of a trade show program

2. Developing strategic and tactical measurement programs that justify, measure and ultimately improve a client’s trade show results

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Integrated Marketing Communications – A CTSM Required Course

Table of Contents ELC 1: Defining Show Objectives .................................................................2 ELC 2: Matching Show Objectives to the Right Marketing Technique .......................4 ELC 3: Recognize Your Target Audience .........................................................8 ELC 4: Identify Budget Requirements .......................................................... 10 ELC 5: Set Measurement Benchmarks .......................................................... 13 ELC 6: Pre-Show Techniques - Reaching Attendees in Their Offices ...................... 14 ELC 7: On-Site Techniques - Reach in the Show City, Show Hall & Exhibit .............. 19 ELC 8: Post-Show Techniques - Reaching Attendees After the Show...................... 25 ELC 9: Analyze Your Results ..................................................................... 29 Appendix............................................................................................ 30

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Defining Show Objectives – Effective marketing require pre-planning. By meeting with your show team, you will develop a clear understanding of what your company’s objectives are to exhibiting at the show.

Matching Show Objectives to the Right Marketing Program – Each marketing discipline has unique strengths and weakness. Understanding these is key to success.

Recognize Your Target Audience – Understanding and defining your target audience profile will further identify which types of marketing campaigns will likely be more effective for your target audience. Also knowing the size of your potential audience will further establish budget requirements.

Identify Budget Requirements – Comprehending your available budget is critically important to your success. By consistently setting aside a percentage of your overall show budget, you will be sure not to short change your marketing programs or other necessary elements of your show.

Set Measurement Benchmarks – By establishing the benchmarks of show performance, you will be able to measure your strengths and weaknesses for each specific show AND be able to demonstrate future improvement in show performance.

Pre-Show Tactics: Reaching attendees in their offices – Pre-show marketing tactics are examined in terms of their advantages, disadvantages and ability to accomplish objectives and goals.

On-Site Tactics: Reaching attendees in the show city, in the show hall and in your booth – At-show marketing tactics are examined in terms of their advantages, disadvantages and ability to accomplish objectives and goals.

Post-Show Tactics: Reaching attendees after the show – Plan post-show marketing tactics along with your pre- and at-show tactics for maximum results. Post-show tactics are examined in terms of their advantages, disadvantages and ability to accomplish objectives and goals.

Analyze Your Results – Understanding and documenting your specific and overall strengths and weaknesses is critical to the continuous improvement of your program.

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Effective promotions require pre-planning regardless if the specific show is a large horizontal show or a small vertical one. Understanding what your objectives are will provide an understanding and vision for the show.

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Ideally, choose no more than one objective from each category and prioritize. Remember that your marcom plans must integrate with your lead capture, messaging, and all customer interaction, pre-show, on-site and post-show.

Don’t forget that you’ll be measuring the effectiveness of each of this as well.

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Quite simply, you need to know your audience before you can select an effective promotional technique. So how do we do that? By studying the audience profile.

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So how much should you spend? According to a Exhibitor Magazine survey, the average exhibitor that uses promotions spends 13% of their trade show budget on marketing programs. But the RANGE of spending goes from $50 to several million annually. It is easy to understand why it’s difficult to give a blanket figure on what to spend on a marketing plan.

Managing Your Budget • Budget management begins as soon as the show planning begins. • Refer to your objectives for the shows when defining the marketing budget. • Use historical budgeting from previous year’s shows as a benchmark • Ensure your exhibit presence is not jeopardized by over commitment to marketing or other elements that enhance your booth.

• Budget adequately for transportation, drayage, I/D, services, etc. • Be realistic and add a 10% contingence to your overall budget

• Budgets should be itemized to understand and collect estimated costs and actual costs • Changes in objectives from year to year can help to define the appropriate funding:

• Space rental • Exhibit structure • Transportation • Services • Marketing Campaigns • Lead Management & Measurement • Personnel expenses

• Initial estimates should be developed to ensure choices before programs are implemented. • As the program is developed, changes must be captured. • As one area is defined, funding may become available for other areas of the program.

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Marketing Program Budgeting Guide For a general idea of what your money will buy, review the following chart. Use this information only as a starting point. Get solid budget estimates before deciding on a marketing strategy.

Under $1,000 What you can do depends on the size of the show. At a large show, your money is best spent adding a tagline to you’re existing ad and purchasing space in the show daily. Press exposure is generally fairly cheap as well, but critical if you have a strong news story. At smaller shows, you will get the most impact with on-site giveaways or a drawing with one or two nice gifts. With those tactics, you can count on on-site visibility and word-of-mouth programs.

$2,500 - $5,000 You can design a special (albeit simple) ad for the show daily or show issue of your trade publication. You could also offer a special gift item for qualified visitors or select a single marketing strategy (such as under-door stuffers at the hotel).

$5,000 - $10,000 In this range, you can handle a simple direct mail program of 2,000 – 3,000 mailers, along with a giveaway drawing. You are still limited but can begin combining marketing tools here. You might beef up the program just a bit by adding a teaser tagline to your existing advertising.

$10,000 - $20,000 Now you can afford to begin integrating some marketing techniques with some real impact. You could offer a contest and prize drawing, market it with a self-mailer and offer a simple gift to each participant.

$20,000 - $100,000 With this budget, you could conduct a comprehensive program with a mailing, giveaway for responding to the mailing, a hotel room drop reminder, billboards or publications advertising, experiential marketing and a grand prize drawing.

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For objectives relating to image / awareness or new product introductions, a greater percentage of the budget should be allocated for marketing programs in order to achieve the objectives.

Smaller exhibitors may want to spend a higher percentage of their budget on marketing media than large exhibitors do, particularly in pre-show plans. Understanding that until the attendees get to the show, they generally have no idea what size your booth is. Size does impact attendee’s memory: bigger booths are better remembered. Prior to the show, you’re on a equal playing field (somewhat). Techniques such as direct mail, email, web/microsite, telemarketing, and trade publication advertising are key ways to reach attendees prior to the show.

Consider the show environment. Is it filled with elaborate marketing campaigns? You may have to do something to compete.

What is your competition doing to market themselves?

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Establishing specific benchmarks for each type of technique will not only assist in measuring your success for your current show, but will serve as a benchmark for similar activities in the future.

Be aware of the type of benchmarks you must set for different types of objectives.

Plan for benchmarks that can be repeated year to year to show progress made with a target market or show audience. Note: Use Potential Audience formula, traffic density information, etc.

Identify the target number for quantifiable benchmarks per objective. • Leads (quantity & quality) • Audience (quantity & quality) • Marketing Techniques (# and percentage of responses to various programs) • Message Effectiveness (determine through in-booth and post-show surveys) • Competitive Presence (quantity & quality) • Audience Behavior • Sales Opportunities (# of meetings, # of proposals, forecasted sales) • Press Impact (# of interviews & post-show coverage) • Speaker Placement • Negotiated Savings (did you save money?) • Overall Event Performance

Identify the nature of the outcome for qualitative benchmarks. • Buzz at the show about a new product announcement. • The use of incentives, such as bags or buttons, seen around the show floor. • Comments from visitors during an in booth exit survey. • Compliments given by customers following an event. • Comments

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When identifying your pre-show marketing techniques, think outside the box. Research new techniques that can draw more of your target audience to see your company. Consider a virtual booth with pre-registration and potential rewards for those who do visit you at the show. Plan beyond the show, how the pre-show techniques may be able to be reused or tied to on-site and post-show activities and at a potentially lower cost.

How can programs be integrated from pre-show to on-site and post-show?

All pre-show techniques should drive targeted audience traffic to your booth. • Be clear about what is there for them to do when they arrive at the booth • Unique experiential marketing program • Enter drawings / contests • See presentations / demos • Meet with executives or technical staff • See examples of where technology has been implemented • Customer testimonials, applications, hands-on areas

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Trade publication advertising – Learn as much as you can about the publication and its readership before placing the ad. Be sure to include all the essential show information – show name, booth number, and any special offers, if appropriate.

Direct Mail –According to an Exhibitor Magazine’s survey, direct mail is the marketing technique used most often by readers. Most report an average response rate of 19%. In other words, almost one in five of those attendees receiving their mailers came to the booth. That’s substantially higher than the overall direct mail response rates, which average 2-3%. What does the average exhibitor mail? Most use standard business letters or invitation-style cards. You can gain visibility by choosing a more original format.

The average direct mail piece costs ranges from .75 - $2.00 each.

Email Campaigns – With federal legislation governing Spam, or Unsolicited Commercial Email (UCE), do your homework before purchasing a list to send pre-show emails. Sometimes show management will do the work for you (at no extra charge!) so be sure to check all your options. You can request a report regarding the 2004 legislation and how to best reach your customers and prospects at www.customerparadigm.com.

Once you have the right audience, consider the best time to send email. Tuesdays & Wednesdays have the highest click-through rates (CTR). Source: Lyris.com Also, personalized messages get higher responses.

Average CTR = 3.2 – 16.4% Average cost per opt-in email message = .20 Source: eMarketer

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Telemarketing – Many attendees welcome a scheduled meeting to ensure they get the information they need at the show. Check with sales to find out what works best to get appointments.

Press releases and editor contacts – Remember to find out deadlines for submitting materials far in advance of the show. Many publications close out show issues several months prior to the show.

pURL/Microsite – Consider dedicating a portion of your company’s site to providing information and incentives regarding the show. Web banners can be used on your company’s site easily but consider sponsoring something on the show site itself or a partner site. Web casts/web seminars can deliver all or part of your message prior to the show and drive traffic.

Social / Viral Media – The concept basically centers around the notion that everybody is connected to everybody else in the world by a maximum of six degrees of separation. So what? Whether you believe the theory or not, the concept links intrinsicly with social media. Remember if your viral is good, your followers will recommend and refer it to friends. If it is bad, at best they won’t do anything with it, at worse they will tell everybody how hopeless it was and tarnish all your efforts.

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Brainstorm on all types of activities to bring your target audience to your booth while at the show. What has worked to draw you to booths at shows you attend? Then prioritize and plan for the most effective techniques at an affordable cost. Implement to your best ability and leave no detail undone.

What will build traffic on-site at the show?

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Airport / Mobile / Billboard Advertising - How are attendees traveling to the show and how many ads / placements will you need to be effective? Billboards can be expensive, and often require reservations far in advance of the show. A good location for your message is the baggage carousel, since that’s one of the few places people pause at an airport.

Hotel Advertising / Room Drops – There is typically a headquarter hotel for the show where you can reach attendees. Door drops of literature are the most commonly used hotel room promotions. There’s a lot of room to get creative here. Offerings at one show included little bottles of liqueur, nighttime snack of cookies, sweatshirts, T-shirts, a beach blanket, etc. If you have a small budget, choose your top prospects and do something special for them.

Sponsorships– Sponsorships often include conference bag inserts, hall advertising, hospitality events ,etc. Be sure a large part of the attendees are your target audience.

Hospitality – Hospitality events don’t always have to be an evening cocktail reception. Breakfast events are a good, low-cost alternative. The key is to really target your invitation list and invite the best prospects. How can your message be memorable and drive traffic back to your booth?

Show Directory / Show Daily Advertising – Often these can be included in a sponsorship. Find out the process for distribution and how many will be distributed. These often increase traffic but can be expensive. Is there a discount for early placement? Bellybands can be used to encourage visitors to complete an entry form and return to the booth. A directory bookmark can also keep your message visible throughout the show.

Hall advertising – The most common type of hall advertising is the freestanding module. Column wraps are also a good option.

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Press Briefings / Opportunities – TV/ photo / media opportunities abound at trade shows. Find out if you need to make an appointment with your key trade publication in order to get an interview. If you are doing a briefing, make sure you have included appropriate pre-show techniques to ensure a good turnout.

Celebrities – If you plan to use a celebrity, think carefully about crowd control and traffic flow through the exhibit. Also, make sure the celebrity “fits” well with the company and message.

Live Presentations – A live presentation can provide a tremendous edge and does not have to be expensive. You can create buzz and deliver your message to more attendees. Additionally, find out if show management offers free or inexpensive exhibitor presentation times on the show floor.

Contests, games and drawings – Consider your target audience well when planning. Adults retain information better when using interactive learning techniques.

In-booth premiums /giveaways – Ideally, you want your premium to deliver your message long after the show. Fewer items for a more select audience and a higher perceived will outlive many other giveaways. What type of giveaway is an incentive to allow the capture of visitor information? There should be an exchange for the giveaway whenever possible.

Partner booths/ suites – Do you have additional opportunities within a partner booth? Joint messaging, speaking opportunities and product demonstrations are all possibilities.

Social / Viral Programs – Continue your pre-show social media programs with live updates from the show floor. Consider programs that drive traffic to events, demonstrations, speakers, hospitality, etc. These should be tied to all other programs and communicating the same message.

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As you make your choices from these lists, remember to reflect your original objectives and goals. If your budget allows, try to choose multiple techniques to cover each objective .

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Post-show techniques are usually planned when the show ends. However, to have a fully integrated marketing program, you must plan your post-show techniques well before leaving for the show and make sure that these techniques support all pre-show and on-site programs. Some areas to make sure you’ve integrated include: message delivery in fulfillment packages, web pages, lead qualification calls and post-show calls to action such as drawing entries over the web.

What will you do when returning from the show?

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Email • Should a follow-up (thank you) email be sent to all visitors or selected visitors? • Should the company purchase the attendee list from show management to include in a follow-up email? • What URL should they be sent to for updated information after their on-site visit at the show? • What addt’l information will be sent? • What addt’l literature can be sent or emailed?

Direct Mail • Should follow-up (Thank you) mailers be personalized to each visitor? • What additional literature should be sent with a follow-up mailer? • Should there be different items sent to different types of attendees? • Are we already contacting them via email?

Telemarketing • Should the most qualified leads be called immediately after the show? And by whom? • Who will define the call guide and what questions should be asked? • What resources do you have available for follow-up calls and at what cost?

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URL/Microsite • What locations are available for post-show web banners? • Where will the target audience go on the web after the show that might be different from before the show? • What additional information or prize reward will be of value that a visitor would register online after a show? • If you have videotaped activities at the show, have the video files been encoded and posted during the show? Or will they be available after the show? • What additional partners (those who were videotaped) would provide links to your virtual booth with video on-demand from the show? • What are the costs for providing VOD and how long after the show will the VOD be available?

Social / Viral • Post information / links / video about important or notable happenings at the show.

Follow-up with Press • How many press editors did not attend the show that were planning to attend? • What information can you provide them to assist with their follow-up articles from the show, gaining more coverage for your company?

Grand Prize Drawing • What additional prize would be of value to entice visitors back to the web page? • Is there budget to allow for purchasing another prize? • Are there specific questions that should be different or more detailed for this drawing?

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Comprehension of what went well and what could have been improved is the source for continual development of your program and of yourself as a trade show / events manager. Document and employ ideas from your experience from show to show, remembering that there is always room for improvement.

What did you learn for the next show?

Analyze for Future Success • It is important to distinguish what aspects of a marketing program were successful in achieving the overall objectives for your show. • By gathering evaluations from multiple sources and reviewing the benchmarks you put in place, your program will continue to improve. • In different types of shows, you will come to learn which types of marketing techniques work better than others for your specified target audience at different shows.

Steps for Program Analysis • Before leaving for the show, inform staffers that you will need their evaluations and feedback after the show and to be aware of what works and what doesn’t. • Upon returning from the show, send pre-defined evaluation questions to staffers that participated in planning and those that worked at the show. • Include quantitative questions to gather measurements to be benchmarked. • Gather the evaluations and review all comments. • Setup a Post-Show staff meeting before leaving for the show. • At the meeting, review all benchmarks, highlight key comments from staffers and encourage further discussion on ways to improve. • Document all ideas and refer back to them for future planning.

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Integrated Marketing Communications – A CTSM Required Course Page C

Appendix

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Integrated Marketing Communications – A CTSM Required Course Page D

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Integrated Marketing Communications – A CTSM Required Course Page E

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Integrated Marketing Communications – A CTSM Required Course Page F

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Integrated Marketing Communications – A CTSM Required Course Page G

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Integrated Marketing Communications – A CTSM Required Course Page H

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Integrated Marketing Communications – A CTSM Required Course Page I

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2/3/10 5:43 PMHow Does Viral Marketing Work? « Richard Clark's Marketing Blog

Page 2 of 5http://richclark.wordpress.com/2009/05/01/how-does-viral-marketing-work/

richard clark roi search SEO social media top 5 top 10 tv twitter yahoo youtube

How Does Viral Marketing Work?Posted on May 1, 2009 by richclark

Viral – How does it work?

I have been in the online Marketing game now for a number of years. I have seen successful andunsuccessful viral campaigns. I have probably been involved with a few (I won’t say which end of thespectrum mine were). But how does it work? The whole point of viral marketing is that it spreads. Peopleeither reference your material by sending e-mail to their mate or just telling others about it.

How it used to Work

When I first started in online advertising there were no social networks. No social bookmarking. Very fewblogs. So how did it work? Well creativity was absolutely crucial (remember people didn’t have broadbandthen and they were in the main still paying by the minute), what you had produced wither had to bethoroughly entertaining or have an ultimate payoff (generally simple games or competitions). Very fewwere visually arresting as the connection speeds were too slow for video or extended sound files.

Your material would then get sent via your e-mail base, if you had the budget you would support with adisplay advertising campaign and if you were particularly clever you would do some seeding in forums orchat. rooms (the early social networks). Some worked some didn’t.

The distribution was still with the end game to get your message out to as many people as possible. However it was potentially more difficult to do it in a cost effective manner. Later came areas such as FHMand Lycos where you could get your viral listed in their Viral Charts. If you made either of the Top 10 younormally had a relative success on your hands. There are many more routes nowadays which I will expandon later in this post.

Six Degrees of Separation

There have been many articles written on this subject (so I won’t try to explain the concept in detail) and ithas even inspired numerous plays, books and films. The concept basically centres around the notion thateverybody is connected to everybody else in the world by a maximum of six degrees of separation. Sowhat? Whether you believe the theory or not the concept links intrinsicly with social media. You often seeon sites such as LinkedIn – you are connected to this persons network by x level. Social sites such asFriendster also play on this concept. The social sites use it as a way to help you expand your directnetwork, i.e. if Serena Privett knows James Booth, Serena is shown in my network even though I don’tknow her myself. I may never have come across Serena if James wasn’t in my network and now I canmake contact if I wish.

This was an example on a professional site. Imagine this same scenario on Facebook. You know JoeBloggs, Joe Bloggs is friends with …. and so on and so forth. That is the whole premise of socialnetworking. You know Person A, they know Person B that has similar interests, you see this and conenct toPerson B, you have now made a connection. In theory you can connect to any other person in the worldthrough only six steps. Obviously the Facebook and LinkedIn scenarios are limited to the fact that people

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2/3/10 5:43 PMHow Does Viral Marketing Work? « Richard Clark's Marketing Blog

Page 3 of 5http://richclark.wordpress.com/2009/05/01/how-does-viral-marketing-work/

need to be members of those sites for the theory to be applied.

Taking this into consideration, I am connected to anybody who reads this blog within amaximum of six degrees of separation. Taking it to the extreme, I am linked to anybody in the world withinsix degrees of separation, whether that is former Countdown presenter Carol Vorderman or US PresidentBarack Obama. A social networking site call SixDegrees.org has been launched by Actor Kevin Baconwith this theory in mind. This started with celebrities showcasing their charities and now anybody canshowcase their good cause.

Just to add further credence to the theory, over 4m people have downloaded the 6degrees app in Facebookand at present the average degree of separation is 6.12.

OK but what relevance does this have?

Distributing your message

Well we have all heard the phrase “Its a small world”. The 6 Degrees theory is an illustration of thatsaying. So social media hasn’t told us that it has merely highlighted it in a visual and practical way.

What it also allows marketers to do, is to track those relationships. While in the good old days we relied onpure creativity, contact lists and good fortune. We can now target much more precisely the type of peoplewe want to get our message across. Social networking presents these opportunities because of the depth ofdata on people’s interests, hobbies, relationships and most importantly networks. We can target people ifour message is broad e.g. we’re Coca Cola or if the message is niche, e.g. replacement parts for MitsubishiEvo cars. If one person engages, then their entire network picks up on it. If one of them engages, theirnetwork picks up on it. You then in theory can reach mass audiences extremely quickly.

Social networking sites are just a component of distribution though. Social bookmarking can be a greattool, use sites tools such as Del.icio.us and Digg, make sure you load your bookmarks with tags people willassociate with your message. The same theory of six degrees could come into play.

Send it to your e-mail base and ask them to refer it on to their contacts. There is nothing more powerfulthan a direct referal from somebody you trust. Seed on forums, chat rooms and on specialist sites, the oldtactics are still as relevant today as they were back in the beginning. Remember, just because people areused to engaging with brands online through social than perhaps they were in the past. Do not, start massseeding your material everywhere. Be open and transparent. If you find a relevant forum, ask the forumadministrator for permission to post a link. Obviously if it is a forum you are active on already, you willknow if its right or wrong.

However, I would recommend you don’t just rely on, build it, they will come and they will forward it. Youneed to put some money into it as well. Support with some advertising spend, maybe a PPC campaign orreward affiliates on new sign-ups. Work out who the influential bloggers are in your areas and try to getthem to blog about your activity.

Making it work

So it sounds easy. Create something. Put it on some social sites. Chat in a forum about it and do somePPC. Bang, it is viral. No! If it were that simple every single marketer in the land would be doing it. Themagic of viral is still in what you are actually saying.

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2/3/10 5:43 PMHow Does Viral Marketing Work? « Richard Clark's Marketing Blog

Page 4 of 5http://richclark.wordpress.com/2009/05/01/how-does-viral-marketing-work/

Your viral has to be entertaining or informative but above all engaging. No matter how successful yourdistribution strategy, there is no guarantee people will look at it or respond favourably. Don’t seed in out ofcontext environments, and make sure your viral has something to offer the recipient.

Remember if your viral is good they will recommend and refer it to friends. If it is bad, at best they won’tdo anything with it, at worse they will tell everybody how hopeless it was an tarnish all your efforts. Thebest chance of referral is to offer them something they probably haven’t seen before or something with amoney can’t (generally) buy reward.

Super surfers

If you examine any SEO texts or read any social networking commentary you will know that they arealways referencing influencers and super-users. I call these people super surfers. They are the ones thatengage with numerous tools and in theory are as important as traditional media sources such as ITV or TheSun. They are the active people on YouTube, regular forum posters and bloggers. They may only have adirect influence over 100-300 people, but those people are normally engaged. They can be talking aboutvery niche subjects such as Ex-Battery Hens, but if you are marketing a range of hen food, this is a perfectaudience. There may be only a few hundred on that forum, however they are bound to know others, whoknow others etc etc

That was a specific example, but there are many others, if you want to attract teenage girls to a new line ofmake-up you may target a forum for girl band The Saturdays. If you were trying to promote a traditionalcorporate venue to professional people you may want to influence a Freemason forum. Just remember thereare sources there for every walk of life, with these super surfers who have the acorn of influence over awide array of people.

Key Steps

Identify super surfersGet your distribution strategy rightCreate an engaging viral that offers the audience something they haven’t seen before

Has it worked?

Something a number of people neglect when creating viral campaigns is the review of has it been a success. At the brief stage, be very clear about what you want to achieve. Don’t forget that objective throughout theprocess. Is it mentions in the press, e-mail sign-ups, increase in brand consideration or just views? Whatever it is make that guide the process and don’t get carried away by the creativity. Make the creativeprocess support your end objectives.

Above all, ensure you have the correct mechanisms on place to track behaviour and performance againstyour KPIs. Otherwise you may be able to provide anecdotal evidence to say it has work, but there are nohard facts. Otherwise you may have to wait a while until you can do another viral campaign.

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Attention Planning – Social MediaSocial Media, its decline and the youngsters5 F’s of Social MediaBe in touch with your friends and family members through Social Networking

Filed under: General, Online Display, Social, viral | Tagged: Actor, Barack Obama, bloggers, blogs, Brandconsideration, broadband, broadband usage, Carol Vorderman, celebrities, Connection, Countdown,Delicious, Delicious.com, digg, Digg.com, Direct network, display advertising, Distributing Message,distribution strategy, e-mail, e-mail base, e-mail sign-up, entertaining, Ex-Battery Hens, exbatteryhens.com,facebook, Facebook app, Facebook application, FHM, FHM.co.uk, Forum, Freemason, Friendster, girl band,How does it work, Influential Bloggers, itv, James Booth, Joe Bloggs, Kevin Bacon, Key stages, KPI,linkedin, Linkedin.com, Lycos, magic of viral, Mitsubishi Evo, online, online advertising, online marketing,presenter, Professional, recommend to friend, refer, richard clark, Saturdays, SEO, Serena Privett, sixdegrees, Six degrees of separation, SixDegree.org, small world, social bookmarking, social networks,

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Integrated Marketing Communications – A CTSM Required Course Page J

Integrated Marketing Communications - Quiz

1. Appropriate goals for a trade show include: a. Generating leads b. Increasing image awareness for your company and its products. c. Seeking press attention d. All of the above 2. Before launching your marketing program, you should: a. Check out the latest premiums catalog b. Develop your goals and budgets c. Buy the pre-show registration list from show management 3. One important question to ask regarding your marketing program is: a. Can we get a “hot” celebrity to promote our product? b. Who is our audience for this campaign? c. What do we have in the storeroom that we can use as a giveaway? d. Should we use a baseball or a basketball theme? 4. Sources for defining your target audience and their interest are: a. Sales staff b. Show management c. Associations d. All of the above 5. Effective pre-show marketing techniques for reaching attendees in their offices include: a. Mobile advertisements b. Telemarketing c. Hotel room drops d. Show directory advertising 6. For an in-the-hall marketing technique that offers broad exposure, consider: a. Sponsorship b. Show directory advertising c. Show issue / trade publication advertising d. All of the above 7. Contests, games & drawings can draw traffic to your booth, but: a. Aren’t a good choice for new product introductions b. Can draw too broadly c. Can’t generate leads d. Don’t work well as hotel campaigns

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Integrated Marketing Communications – A CTSM Required Course Page K

8. In-booth marketing techniques help the exhibitor: a. Book sales b. Pre-schedule appointments c. Generate leads d. Have a good time 9. When seeking an effective marketing technique in the show city, consider: a. Pre-Show mail b. Airport, mobile & billboard advertising c. Press briefings / interviews d. Celebrity appearances 10. When you come back from the show, you should: a. Request staffs to return evaluations and review all comments b. Have a post-show meeting to review all benchmarks, highlight key discoveries and discuss

way to improve future shows. c. Document show results. d. All of the above