Mediaboss Marketing

By Humeyra Atilgan Buyukovali and Ilker Girit

IZMIR, Turkey

Just a week before a landmark referendum on major constitutional changes, Turkey's president stumped for Yes votes in the Aegean province of Izmir Sunday afternoon.

"April 16 will be a historic milestone," Recep Tayyip Erdogan told a massive rally at the central Gundogdu Square in Turkeys third-largest province, following a similar mega-rally in Istanbul Saturday.

"Izmir, let all of Europe -- not only the Aegean region -- hear your answer," he said, asking the crowds:

"Will you say yes on April 16 for a great, strong, prosperous, and stabilized Turkey?"

The crowd enthusiastically shouted "Yes!"

Young people in parliament

The president also rejected claims by the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), which has argued against the changes.

He denied the party's claim that the changes would leave the country under one-man rule, adding that party leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu should "look back at the CHP's own history."

On another change which would see the minimum age for parliamentary candidates lowered to 18, the president also rebuffed claims that those young deputies would be exempted from compulsory military service.

"Serving in the army is of course sacred [...] But serving as a deputy is also not something ordinary," he said, adding they would find a way to deal with the issue.

"Our young people will take their place in parliament."

Erdogan claimed that Izmir -- a traditional CHP stronghold -- "will ruin the plans of the CHP in next Sundays referendum.

He encouraged the people of Izmir to cast a "record number of Yes votes."

The republic is ours

Also addressing the rally, Prime Minister Binali Yildirim stressed unity, saying that the country cannot be divided over how it votes in the referendum.

"We victoriously concluded the War of Independence together, we founded the republic together, this victory is ours, the republic is ours," Yildirim said.

He added that since the Justice and Development (AK) Party came to power in 2002, winning 363 out of 550 seats in parliament and forming a government without needing a coalition partner, they have never interfered with anyone's language, culture, ideology, or faith.

Next Sunday, Turkish voters will be asked to vote Yes or No to an 18-article constitutional reform bill which would shift the country from a parliamentary system of governance to a presidential one.

The Yes campaign is backed by the ruling AK Party and opposition Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), while the CHP has argued against the changes.

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With 1 week until referendum, Erdogan stumps in Izmir - Anadolu Agency

Every boutique hotel brand wants a credible link to the local community. It could be the types of clientele you attract that arent from out of town (think the Ace New York), it could be the types of linens you use in the rooms, it could be the staff you hire and develop. But all too often these types of initiatives come off as contrived and shallow.

A recent trip to Guatemala unexpectedly introduced me to a hospitality brand that is doing social goodin a sincere, very deep way. I had no idea walking into the Good Hotel Antigua; it looked like a solid, serviceable boutique hotel I hastily booked online when I was in town for a wedding. But over the course of a few days, the mission revealed itself to meorganically through small and deliberate touch-points.

Good Hotels, aside from the SEO-nightmare of a name, is a series of boutiques (London, Antigua, Guatemala and a pop-up experiment in Amsterdam) focused on detailed community impact. And it isnt just lip service for PR. All of the staff at the hotel in Guatemala were single mothers from the local community. Proceeds from stays went to educate children in need.The company operates by investing all profits back into its training programs.

The founder, Marten Dresen, a former oil and gas lawyer, had the idea after opening schools via an NGO in Guatemala but realizing that education was nothing if employment prospects locally were grim.

According to the brand, Each Good Hotel partners with local NGOs and offers a custom-made training which offers hospitality training to individuals from disadvantaged communities and people with tough backgrounds, helping them to (re-)integrate in the job market

During a pop-up year in Amsterdam, they turned 70 long-term unemployed locals who were on welfare into highly trained hospitality workers.

The impact work doesnt stop there. All ingredients for food, materials, and labor are all locally sourced from small business owners and craftsmen, supporting the communities in which they operate. In the case of Antigua, there were a solid network of experiences out of the hotel that were boosting and supporting the local community. Even small details like the crafts given as small gifts to guests were handmade by local artists.

Its a concept that struck me as incredibly sincere, at a solid price point, and making super tangible contributions to the local communities in which they operate. Eight further locations are up for development by 2020.

See full article

Photo Credit: Promotional image of patrons at the bar at Good Hotel Antigua. Good Group

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Good Hotels Has a Better Approach to Building Community - Skift

The report from Immediate Future (IF), 'What Has Social Media Ever Done for Us?', found that more than half (58%) of B2B marketers describe their ability to measure social media between 'average' and 'very poor'.

According to Immediate Future CEO, Katy Howell, the report reveals "a widening gap between the marketers that have mastered social measurement and are impacting the bottom line, and those B2B brands that are struggling with some of the basic metrics".

Most marketers (82%) said they were comfortable tracking website traffic data resulting from social marketing, and 65% said the same of content downloads. However, the struggles begin when tracking softer metrics such as email opens and website conversions. Yet, it is these metrics that are needed in the boardroom.

More than two-thirds (67%) of respondents are upbeat about the future and confident that their ability to measure social will improve in the next two years. Half plan to increase budgets and resources within the next year.

"The confusion and disconnect in measuring social media makes it a challenge to prove a case for further investment," added Howell. "But it appears marketers are optimistic and committed to social media regardless, as they have plans to invest more and get better at identifying the metrics that prove business value."

Tags: campaign measurement, metrics, research, social media, UK

The rest is here:
Report reveals widening gap in marketers' social media ... - BizReport - BizReport

Watching the presidents daily tweets, we must see that social media continue to evolve. Theres this guy named Donald Trump who, if you didnt know what Twitter was, you do now, social marketer Jim Sterne says.

Sterne wrote Social Media Metrics: How to Measure and Optimize Your Marketing Investment in 2010 opening the book with 100 Ways to Measure Social Media (p. xx). Weve moved beyond measuring buzz, as social media managers focus on goals, strategies and tactics.

Brand marketing communication may be more sophisticated, but Sterne told my Social Media Measurement and Management students that there remains no good way to separate human from chat bot followers, although we can analyze growth and find meaning in context, emphasis and sentiment. So, the analysis part is always necessary, and measurement is a piece that you use to get some raw material.

Jeremy Harris Lipschultz

Statistical analysis may help social media analysis develop a predictive social marketing mix model that focuses on outcomes and business value. Sternes eMetrics Summit this summer is offered at a discounted rate for educators, and I will be in Chicago with funding from my universitys Center for Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Franchising.

An effective social media engagement strategy moves beyond reach and instead focuses on conversation and relationships. Social media real-time listening helps brands to move in the direction of audience-centered communication talking about what they are talking about, Sterne says. Planning, then, is about meeting customers where they are, and reflecting their words.

Sterne says trusted brand representation, for example, distinguishes between exploitive and meaningful hashtags, and it requires planning and organization before events happen.

Even for small non-profit organizations with a Facebook page and a website, specific tactics depend upon, what are you trying to do with it, Sterne says. Knowing the answer should drive a plan that helps guide measurement goals.

For every brand, there is a baseline conversation, and the easiest place to begin is with social media customer service and support, Sterne says. Let them know that you are available, and make it somebodys responsibility to respond. From there, a brand may work on outbound promotion. Non-profits have a need to cultivate donor relationships through social media channels. The key is to learn just enough to engage with them in a personal way, maybe post a fun picture that those people will share with their friends... thats the power of social.

Electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) can be used to raise awareness and spark social media engagement that move people toward desired actions. This may begin with earned and owned media channels that eventually inform an organization how to leverage limited resources for paid and promoted social media posts.

Too often, organizations pay for advertising without knowing the most effective ways to reach and engage brand fans.

Sterne, like a lot of social marketers, suggests photographs, gif animation and video as effective tactics once an organization locates its target audience and social media channels. While marketing ultimately requires great content, it may fall flat with the wrong audience on the wrong channel.

Short, digestible social media content tends to be viewed and shared more often than long-form media. In the competition for marketplace attention, content tone matters, Sterne says. Public relations (PR) may try to push their tone on the audience by crafting messages: its disingenuous, it is hard work, it is not necessarily valuable, Sterne argues. The real challenge is not can I get you to take on my tone, but can I take on a tone thats appealing across the board, and its not corporate speak.

Were just beginning to understand the impact of big data on social media marketing. Cambridge Analytica, for example, has claimed that its highly personal social media data helped the Trump campaign target malleable voters in key electoral states.

Sterne places an orange flag on the claims because social media marketers need more research on the effectiveness of artificial intelligence (AI) in the process. In the long run, Sterne believes we all will have our own AI assistant negotiating with brands about what information to send, and even paying consumers to receive desired content.

Consumer empowerment through personal filtering may take the edge off of data privacy concerns. It is clear that micro targeting based upon consumer needs and wants is the future of personal social media management communication.

Pre-order Social Media Communication: Concepts, Practices, Data, Law and Ethics (2018).

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Social Media Marketing: It's Personal | The Huffington Post - Huffington Post

It was going to be a glorious age. A pristine age. An age without advertising. Social media was going to kill everything from TV commercials to display advertisements. People were going to 'engage' and have 'conversations' with brands instead.

Too bad it was completely wrong.

Someone might want to tell that to Adidas chief executive Kasper Rorsted, who recently suggested that the company is dropping television ads in favour of pursuing digital "engagement".

Who do people follow on social media?

According to Socialbakers, here are the top US-based Facebook pages:

Count the brands.

The top UK-based Facebook pages:

Count the brands.

According to Twitaholic, here are the top Twitter accounts in the United States based on the number of followers specifically there:

Count the brands.

The top Twitter accounts in the United Kingdom based on the number of followers specifically there:

Who do people follow on social media? Celebrities, sports teams, politicians and political causes, and news sources. Not brands. For most companies, only a small percentage of current and potential customers will want to follow them on social media.

With whom do people interact on social media?

Here are two mental exercises. First, go and look at your past 20 actions on your personal Facebook and Twitter accounts. Better still, look at 50 or 100. What percentage involved the pages of brands, and what percentage involved friends, family members, that person you secretly like and other flesh-and-blood human beings?

Second, imagine yourself entering a supermarket. Ask random people normal people, not marketers if they want to have a relationship with any of the products in their shopping carts. Theyll probably punch you in the face for being a pervert. (Due credit: Ad Contrarian Bob Hoffmans Refrigerator Test was the inspiration for this example.)

People use social media to catch up on the news, connect with friends and family and get updates on the things with which they have intense, personal connections such as their favorite celebrities and sports teams. The last thing that they think about is interacting with brands.

What is the reach and engagement rate of social media?

As of February 2016, the average organic post by a Facebook page is seen by only 11% of the companys followers. According to a late 2015 Forrester report, only 0.22% of the Facebook followers of major brands engage with organic company posts. In other words, only 1 out of every 455 followers will see as well as 'engage' with an organic post by a major brands Facebook page.

(I put engage in quotes because no one really knows the value of online 'engagement'. If I am watching the latest episode of Westworld, then my undivided attention is on the programme. I am truly engaged. But if I scroll through my Facebook news feed and like random posts that I will forget seconds later, what is the real value of each 'engagement'?)

Remember: Those organic reach and engagement numbers also take into account only the small number of consumers who have already chosen to follow a brand. The numbers are even lower in the context of the entire market.

In the United Kingdom, one has to go to number 30 in Socialbakers' list of the Facebook pages with the most followers in the UK to reach the first brand: Coca-Cola.

While a Coca-Cola Great Britain spokesperson would not divulge the number of Britons who regularly drink Coke specifically, the official told me over email that 46 million people in the UK have a soft drink every day. Coca-Cola has been estimated to have a 50% market share in the global soft-drink market, so I will use that percentage in the following calculations

A similar calculation found that Oreos famous Super Bowl tweet reached less than one percent of that products market.

The common response to these points is that it is valuable to target people who have actively chosen to follow a brand because they 'love' it. But most of the revenue of many brands comes from light, occasional users. I buy a small bottle of Coca-Cola Zero every day or two just like countless other people but Im not going to follow the companys Facebook page. I want no more engagement than simply to buy a bottle at the local kiosk every so often.

Seven years ago, Matt Dixon and Lara Ponomareff wrote almost exactly that in a Harvard Business Review article on the rise of self-service aptly entitled 'Why Your Customers Dont Want to Talk to You':

Maybe customers are shifting toward self service because they dont want a relationship with companies. While this secular trend could be explained away as just a change in consumers channel preferences, skeptics might argue that customers never wanted the kind of relationship that companies have always hoped for, and that self service now allows customers the 'out' theyve been looking for all along.

How social media can actually be helpful

Social media will never 'create relationships' between brands and consumers. But there is another problem that is worse than marketers falling for that grand delusion. Bad marketers have been spamming the world with crap marketing.

Digital marketers often talk about social networks in the context of the hack-infested world of 'inbound marketing' in which people do whatever it takes such as putting clickbait headlines on useless pieces of garbage 'content' to maximise direct response social shares and website clicks, no matter what the long-term brand damage will be inflicted.

But social media has the potential to be so much more if only marketers would think about it in the correct way.

People are never going to 'organically engage' with most brands. The solution is simply to treat social media platforms merely as new, additional channels over which marketers can choose to do traditional marketing activities. After all, no one ever said 'television marketing' or 'print marketing', so no one should say 'social media marketing'. Its not a 'thing'. One does not 'do social media'.

Its time to fix the promotion mix by recognising and then viewing social platforms for what they really are additional mediums that can be used in brand advertising, direct response marketing, public relations, personal selling and sales promotions.

Using social media in the promotion mix

Brand advertising

Remember 'Back to the Future Day' in 2015? Lexus released an ad campaign on Facebook that featured its prototype hoverboard a working hoverboard! and received 14m views. That is not 'social media marketing' it is doing brand advertising over social media channels.

Direct marketing

You know those ads that you see in on almost all social media networks those 'suggested posts', sign-up forms, product advertisements and 'click to learn more' calls to action? That is not 'social media marketing' it is doing direct-response marketing over social media channels.

Sales promotion

Pizza Hut Israel is one of the few brands that I do follow on Facebook but only for the coupon that I see in my news feed every week. Ill usually order Pizza Hut once every weekend. (I have a problem.) That is not 'social media marketing' it is doing sales promotions over social media channels.

Personal selling

Salespeople love the telephone. But many of those conversations start elsewhere and sometimes they begin on social media. That communication is not 'social media marketing' it is doing personal selling over social media channels. (Note that I am talking about a flesh-and-blood person on social media. See the next point.)

Public relations

People hate when brands 'insert themselves into conversations' on social media. But people do talk to the real people who work for brands. Marketers can use social media when doing media relations, community relations and other PR work. That is not 'social media marketing' it is doing public relations over social media channels.

In the future, there will be no 'social media jobs'

Traditional marketers often approach strategies in this manner:

1. Determine and prioritise the different activities within the promotion mix mentioned above based on the companys goals and objectives.

2. Research the targeted audience segments and develop a specific media mix of channels over which to execute the campaigns.

Today, however, too many (digital-first or digital-only) marketers jump to 'social media' or even to specific platforms such as Facebook or Twitter without even bothering to determine if those channels should be used. If you ask, What are we doing on social media? before you even ask, Should we be on social media? then youve got a problem.

Its called being channel-neutral. Anyone who says that a specific marketing channel is always important is selling something.

And thats why there will be no 'social media jobs' in five years. Advertisers will do advertising over social media. Community relations people will do community relations over social media such as when they host Twitter chats. Publicists will do publicity campaigns over social media channels. Customer service representatives will do customer support over social media.

We need to separate marketing activities from marketing channels. Activities are done over channels. In five years, people will integrate social media channels into their existing activities at work just as print advertisers later had to learn how to do advertising over television.

Why? Imagine that a PR team wants to grow a community on Twitter. Which is easier to do:

Add it up, it all spells #duh.

Want proof that so-called 'social media marketing' will disappear? Earlier this year, MediaPost named BBDO as the 'social media agency of the year' for 2016. After you parse the overly complex language of the announcement as Hoffman noted at the time it turns out that the agency won for simply running ad campaigns on Facebook.

MediaPost summarised with this statement: The solution: Utilise Facebook not as a social network, but a media channel.

In other words, an agency won a 'social media agency award' for simply doing advertising over that particular channel. The company got applause for treating a social media platform just like how a brand would consider television.

Still think that 'social media marketing' is a separate and distinctive 'thing' unto itself?

The Promotion Fix is a new, exclusive biweekly column for The Drum contributed by Samuel Scott, director of marketing and communications for AI-powered log analysis software platform Logz.io and a global marketing speaker on integrated traditional and digital marketing. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook. Scott is based out of Tel Aviv, Israel.

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'Social media marketing' is completely useless but it could be a lot better - The Drum