Sounds of Summer

With the summer season officially upon us, we thought we would take today to acknowledge some of the newest hot and sizzling ads that have come about. In one way or another they put a clever twist on marketing techiniques such as: celebrity endorsement and innovation to name a few. Check them out and let us know what you think!

Social Media Tips for Business

With the popularity of social media on the rise, creating an effective social media campaign is on the fore front of many businesses minds. However; where to start and how to implement a successful campaign can be overwhelming for those who aren't familiar with it. Here are 4 social media tips all businesses should know.

• Keep Content Interesting:  A Facebook timeline or twitter feed is saturated with posts so you want to make sure that yours stands out. The use of  images, videos and links that are relevant to your brand and worth seeing can help get your customers attention. 
• It's Not Always About Sales: Saturating social media with promotions and sales posts will deter customers from returning to your social media pages. No one wants to be bombarded with constant sales pitches. Be sure to limit the amount of times per week these posts are made. 
• Behind the Scenes: The more consumers know about your business the better. Building trust and familiarity between your customer and your brand can create customer retention. Posting about your employees, daily activities and customer appreciation are just a few things you can do to show who you are and that you care.
• Ask for Customer Interaction: Asking customers to "Like" your post on Facebook or retweet on twitter are simple ways to expand your customer reach and keep your customers active. It could be as simple as "Like this if you have plans on this beautiful Sunday" to asking to retweet if they love the product they bought from you. 

New Years Resolutions Businesses Should Make in Social Media

Losing weight and getting in shape is a popular resolution for most individuals each year. However ; individual resolutions aren't the only ones that should be made in 2013. Businesses should have them as well to help jump start their New Year and get off on the right foot. Here are 3 social media resolutions businesses should make for 2013:

1. Create more social media focused specials: One of the main reasons customers become a fan of a business on Facebook or follow them on Twitter is to take advantage of special offers. If you haven't taken advantage of this outlet yet, start in 2013.

2. Interact more with your customers: As stated in the Twitter Numbers Game blog posted last week, it's not always about the quantity of people, but the quality. Social media is all about the networking. Start talking to your customers. Offer up surveys about new products and questions about current ones. Encourage them to share their experience with a testimonial and answer any questions they might have. Start building relationships and trust and you'll have customers for life.

3. Post more pictures: Current social media studies show that customers respond more to visuals than words. Show them your products in use or your employees hard at work. Anything that can make your customers get a feel for your culture and what you stand for will help you become more relatable to them.

What resolutions have you made for your business in 2013? We'd love to hear them!

The 3 E's of an Effective Marketing Campaign

Here at Evoke Creative Group we are all about storytelling and getting your products and services in the minds of your customers by creating a memorable and engaging story people can relate to. But what makes a visual marketing campaign effective? It’s simple, the 3 E’s.

Enduring 

At the end of the commercial, you want people to remember you and what you are trying to sell. The campaign needs to be durable and able to hold a place in your customers mind long-term. Long after the commercial has ended. This can be done by using a tag line (15 minutes could save you 15 percent or more on car insurance-Geico), a well known icon (Peyton and Eli Manning-Oreos), a humorous character or action that catches people attention (Talking Baby-eTrade).

Emotional

A story that engages a customer’s emotions is another way to create a lasting impact. Actions speak much louder than words, so let the visual do the talking and draw your customers in. Pulling at their heart strings or their funny bone is much more likely to resonate with them because they can feel it. A prime example of an emotional commercial is the SPCA.

Efficient 

An efficient commercial allows each customer to interpret the story for themselves. It allows them to answer the questions: how will this be valuable to me and how will I benefit from this. Any good story will convey a call to action to the viewer. This must be clearly stated in the story in order for the ad to be effective. Nike and their Just Do It campaigns have almost perfected this. Very little words, lots of action with no doubt what they are trying to convey and to whom.

I’d like to end this post with one of the newest commercials in 2012 that specifically touches on all of the above that I find quite ingenious and creative. It uses a celebrity to endorse the issue, the story line is humorous and by the end of the commercial you know exactly what message the commercial is trying to get across. Well done Play 60, well done.