Internet Marketing and Digital Media Strategy Sydney Australia

Whether your advertising, blogging, tweeting or updating your status, what's the angle? Is it interesting or just more noise?  What are you trying to say and can you please get to the point quickly - we all say we're time poor (but around 24% of Internet time is addicted to Facebook) and time is money baby!

We all know that in today's customer centric, digital communications marketplace that customer advocacy is the primary marketing objective - to create tens, hundreds, millions of loving, sharing, influencing fans and customers who'll spread our content; influence others and buy our stuff.

Global

On Sunday, Manchester United passed 16m Facebook fans (in less than 11 months); MU want to hit 17m by their July Anniversary.

We've been told that sport is only second to religion in terms of Facebook groups.

But the web is not just about quantity - that's the old mass media model, it's also about quality and niche digital marketing - right down to your local small business.

National

For example, let's take the NRL - National Rugby League (the toughest gladiator team sport in the world IMHO - that and ice hockey and UFC).  Rugby League is the major sporting code in the Australian states of NSW and Queensland.

Although league doesn't have the global reach and audience of soccer, the recent NSW vs Queensland State of Origin game reached a record 4m television viewers (the combined population of these two  states is only 12m) - ie 33%.  Note: The games media rights are up for negotiation at the end of the year (cha ching)

Within every major social tribe are sub-tribes, for example the Dragons (50K Facebook Fans), the Sharks (25K) , The Broncos (190K) and Russell Crowes Rabbitohs (51K).  Each team actively building and incorporating social media into their own marketing strategies, that is, connecting 1:1 with fans, creating compelling content that informs and shares (increasingly video); developing new digital inventory opportunities for sponsors; connecting and selling memberships, merchandise and game day experiences.  

AND, like all brands in all markets, they are not only competing against each other (and other codes) but for yours and my time and attention, as fans or customers, our piece of mind-share and heart against every other marketing message out there who wants to love us.  

Some do that better than others (more on that later).

So what are your fans and customers saying (are you listening and replying) and what do they love about you?  

The answer is often the things you're most passionate about are the same ones that attract new customers or deepen your relationship.

Creating Compelling Content

As mentioned, as consumers we're all bombarded with thousands of messages per day trying to get our attention and influence our buying behaviour.

We all make decisions on whether we like that product, service, person or not, whether a message earns our attention, book-marking, likes, purchase, trust and advocacy.

Case in point - there's a guy down the local mall who plays bad guitar and sings out of tune (I'm not saying busking becuase that's an insult to the trade) - I'll never be a fan - no matter how many songs he performs.  Many products, services, ads and sales people are like that.

If you're in tune with your customer then your messages should get cut-through and spread. 

The Ultimate Fighting Championship

Has 5.7m Facebook Fans and seen as one of the leaders in sports digital marketing.  They deliver content their fans love.

The St George Illawarra Dragons

The Dragons are a client - over six months ago we came on board to help them develop their digital strategy.  Some milestones include -

• Charismatic Ambassador Wendell Sailor on Twitter (now over 22,222 followers).
• Passed 2,000 members this week (highest level of digital customer) on mydragons.com.au - a new Fan Hub including user generated content (UGC), forums, blogs, polls, gallery and live game chats.
• The new Dragons i-phone app passed 15K downloads
• Dragons Facebook group page passed 50K fans
• New Dragons online merchandising store exceeding budgets

• Every brand would love to have the passion people have for their sports team.
• Sponsorship offers brands association with sports team (and usually good tickets at the game).
• The challenge is how to incorporate new sports sponsorship opportunities within the new social media customer experience.
• Digital media offers unlimited shelf space and the opportunity for sports teams to provide new highly scalable digital inventory.
• Sports teams already have assets that resonate with fans - for example - players, cheerleaders, mascots, grounds and other fans.
• They already have entertainment and drama (stories to tell) - competition, injuries, wins, losses.
• Their website becomes their own media channel.

It was February 9th so says the Google Apps shared document but my thoughts and discussions go back many months earlier.

This series of blog posts aims to chronicle the development of how a dissatisfaction of the status quo manifested into challenging our approach to what we do.

We were sick of the "hard sell", we were bored with our own brand approach, we wanted to focus on showcasing what we do best, less production focus and more strategic creative.  

I reminded of a quote  "The riskiest thing we can do is just maintain the status quo"  from Bob Iger, President and Chief Executive Officer of The Walt Disney Company.

I suppose there are many factors that instigate a need for change - either internal or external motivations - some we force upon the world and others are forced upon us.

Whatever the motivation, the one guarantee is there will be change.

When interviewing Ted Johnson, CMO, Minnesotta Timberwolves last year I was reminded that "attitude" is the one that makes the most difference.  "Attitude is Everything"

My dear dad (RIP) also said that it is not money, size, education, or privilege but the focused team that gets the greatest results. 

So my CEO challenge is to create a highly focused, innovative team with great attitude that resonates with our customers.

From a business perspective I suppose "attitude" is about culture - your people, your products, your customers experience,

It prompts the question what's the attitude and personality of your business?  Is it Friendly? Risky?  Innovative?  Conservative?  Arrogant and so on.

I'm suddenly back to snoozy Marketing and Psychology 101 lectures of Pavlov's dog, Maslow and Jung (Freud was just a sex fiend ).

In my current world of online advertising and media there's much discussion around online behavior and contextual advertising.

But I think it's less about sophisticated targeting algorithms and more about connecting with people, of dealing with customers who appreciate, like and advocate your work. 

How does your brand personality resonate with your customers?  Do they like you?  Do they share their experience with the friends?