Blog / internet marketing

Humor in Marketing

Wednesday, May 20th, 2009

Everyone likes a funny advertisement. Whether it’s a catchy jingle on the radio, a silly picture on a billboard, or a laugh-out-loud commercial during the Super Bowl, funny almost always seems to win.

It is no wonder then that many marketers and advertisers are turning to humor to spice up their products and services during the recession. McDonald’s dropped their cheerful “We Love to See You Smile” jingle for the now-infamous “Filet-O-Fish” commercial, which became an immediate internet sensation on YouTube and hilarious, yet frustrating, jingle that no one can seem to get out of their heads.

Did this humorous ad bring McDonald’s more business than before? It’s doubtful. McDonald’s is an international company who is well-established among the masses. Since the McDonald’s Filet-O-Fish© sandwich has never been their biggest seller, we also doubt that millions of people ran off to McDonald’s to give it a try upon seeing the funny (yet slightly disturbing) ad.

So why go funny?

For one thing, everyone can use a laugh. As previously mentioned, McDonald’s is an established company, who is probably affected by the recession, but it is doubtful that they were previously suffering from lack of decent advertising. So why not give the people a laugh? It is good for mental health, for physical health, for productivity, and is desperately needed in this depressed economy.

Secondly, catchy humor can be incredibly useful for those companies who are not so well established. The Red House furniture store in North Carolina went from a slow, local business, to an internationally-recognized brand who can barely keep up with the ringing phones. Their latest commercial, filmed in the store and featuring real employees and customers as their actors, became an internet sensation on YouTube with over a million hits. The commercial is ridiculous, and features bad acting, bad lighting, bad comedic timing, a bad jingle, and a gimmick based entirely on the idea that The Red House sells furniture for black people and white people (“and Hispanic people too. And ALL people!”). The commercial is absurd, yet we here at Promoting Group dare you to watch it without cracking a smile.

In conclusion, using humor in marketing can work wonders—it can give people a brief lift and even put your business on the map if your commercial or marketing is funny enough. Be careful though—what is funny to one person isn’t necessarily funny to another. Also be careful when playing with things like race, sexuality, or violence. While some clever ads, such as The Red House one, can pull off saying things like “this couch is perfect for a black person…or a white person!” you never want your ad to come off as offensive. Make sure you screen your ad or marketing strategy by many people to ensure that your ad is both funny and non-offensive. With that in mind, keep the creative juices flowing and see what you come up with.

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Be Tech-Savvy but People-Friendly

Wednesday, May 13th, 2009

We here at Promoting Group are always encouraging our clients and other business owners to be tech-savvy and to keep up-to-date with the latest multimedia trends and innovations. It is important to network through social media sites, such as LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace for both networking purposes and also to let your clients know that you are in full knowledge of all the latest internet marketing and socializing trends. It is important that you can communicate with your customers on any technological level—through email, Twitter, Google Chat, Skype, instant message, text message, voice message, or message board. It is important to make sure your website is streamlined, user-friendly, and full of useful content. There should be no questions about your company or what services you offer—your website should answer all of those in an up-front and concise manner. These are the markings of a technology- and internet-savvy company, and a modern marketing and PR plan.

While it is immensely important for any company in this day and age to take advantage of internet, technology, and social media marketing advances, it is just as important to maintain traditional customer-service skills. Websites, technological innovations and communication devices, and social media networks are meant to enhance customer service and customer interaction, not replace them. It is imperative that a customer can access your services and information via a website, but it is just as imperative that a customer can call your offices and receive helpful, friendly customer service via the phone from a real person, not a computer-automated messaging service.

Even the most technologically-savvy of us have felt the frustration of being “locked out” of a company. There are contact forms, Frequently Asked Questions lists, question robots, and automated messaging systems everywhere, but sometimes nothing can compete with good old human interaction. Up-to-date technology systems show customers that you are modern, knowledgeable, and scientifically advanced; this will draw customers to your business. Friendly, helpful, person-to-person customer service shows customers that you care; this will keep your customers coming back.

So keep moving forward with social media networking, internet marketing, and technological advancements. This will keep your company looking fresh, working efficiently, and growing with the times. However, never forget the grass-roots of any successful business—customer service. Answer your customers’ questions, make friends with your clients, and always be ready to offer friendly customer service from a real person. There is nothing quite as impressive as a company with the newest technology, but there is nothing quite as comforting as a sympathetic and helpful ear.

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How to Write a Great Press Release for the Internet

Thursday, April 30th, 2009

Different companies and different mediums have various ways of writing press releases. Some of these press releases detail extremely particular nuances of a company and are published frequently, while others only announce truly huge events or happenings, and are not published often. Some are long and go into great detail while others are short and to-the-point. While each type of press release has its benefits in certain situations, creating the perfect press release for the internet requires a little more planning. The internet is still a fairly new medium, but it is one that at its heart is mathematical and logical, which means that press releases for the internet should follow a particular pattern and certain rules.

First, no press release should be more than one page, single-spaced, twelve point font, in either Arial or Times New Roman. This is a great guideline for press release length. Always keep it to one page, including the headers and footers.

Second, press releases for the internet should consist of four to six paragraphs, with the following format

  • Paragraph 1 should describe in very little detail what is happening. This is usually a sentence or two saying something like “Programming Group, Los Angeles’s leading internet marketing team, published a blog post today on their website. The post was entitled, ‘How to Write a Great Press Release for the Internet.’”
  • Paragraph 2 should give a little more information about the event or announcement, such as “The blog was posted on Thursday, April 30, 2009, just before noon, and included tips for how to write press releases for the internet, along with text and photo examples of said press releases. The original blog can be found here, on the Promoting Group website, and was written by a member of the Promoting Group marketing team.”
  • Paragraph 3 usually includes a quote from an important person associated with the company or organization putting out the release. This might say, “‘We believe strongly that blogs are the print medium of the future,’ said Promoting Group CEO John Doe, ‘We like to keep our blog updated regularly so that our customers can see what kind of work we do, and can also benefit from the tips and information we offer through them.’”
  • Paragraphs 4-6 should provide just a little more information on the announcement, expanding off of what the quote said. In our mock-up press release, this might be “Promoting Group has been blogging on their website since 2006. This blog was their third of the week.”

Third, all press releases should have short, concise sentences. These press releases are not the medium for demonstrating verbosity. Try to keep sentences basic and short, and when it doubt, make long sentences into separate, shorter ones.

Finally, all press releases should include headers and footers. Headers should give contact information for the company (or its public relations team), a logo from the company, a heading (left-aligned) that says FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, a centered title (ALL CAPS), and a centered subtitle (Title Case). All releases should start with the date and city the information is being announced from, and finally, all press releases need a boilerplate at the end of the release, with an official description of the company.

Our sample press release is below.


Contact: Promoting Group

310.796.9199

info@promotinggroup.com

pg logo3 How to Write a Great Press Release for the Internet

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

PROMOTING GROUP POSTS NEW BLOG ON WEBSITE

Blog Post Entitled “How to Write a Great Press Release for the Internet”

April 30, 2009 – Los Angeles, CA – Promoting Group, Los Angeles’s leading internet marketing team, published a blog post today on their website. The post was titled, ‘How to Write a Great Press Release for the Internet.’

The blog was posted on Thursday, April 30, 2009, just before noon, and included tips for how to write press releases for the internet, along with text and photo examples of said press releases. The original blog can be found here, on the Promoting Group website, and was written by a member of the Promoting Group marketing team.

We believe strongly that blogs are the print medium of the future,’ said Promoting Group CEO John Doe, ‘We like to keep our blog updated regularly so that our customers can both see what kind of work we do, and can also benefit from the tips and information we offer through them.’

Promoting Group has been blogging on their website since 2006. This blog was their third of the week.

About Promoting Group:

Promoting Group is an internet marketing company whose priority is to make your organization rise above the competition. We are a group of talented and dedicated individuals with a passion for marketing and demonstrated skill in public relations and search engine optimization. We will custom-tailor marketing strategies that are right for you and your business, while ensuring top search engine optimization and web-site design. Promoting Group has the answer to all your internet marketing needs.

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About Promoting Group

Who We Are: Promoting Group is an internet marketing company whose priority is to make your organization rise above the competition. We are a group of talented and dedicated individuals with a passion for marketing and demonstrated skill in public relations and search engine optimization. We will custom-tailor marketing strategies that are right for you and ...

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