Michelle McCormack from Boston, MA asked:
“How do you decide within the agency who does the actual engaging in social media? Do you have a content strategy? Is there one voice determining the message and execution? Is the message decided by committee and then one voice execution?”
Those are excellent questions, Michelle. Posner Advertising has been around for over two decades, specializing in traditional and new media marketing for the real estate, healthcare, hospitality and luxury market. We take pride in serving these markets and continue to find and implement new ways to assist and educate our clients.
When our agency hires a manager to look after our social media presence, we look for a person who is knowledgeable about the aforementioned markets. Our social media manager must also be organized, have superior common sense, be able to communicate with a professional, authentic and ethical point of view and most importantly, he or she must possess good listening skills – because as much as we want to be “social,” our priority is in finding out what our clients’ needs are.
Additionally, we strive to create an informative and empowering marketing platform for our potential and existing clients. Therefore, even though our agency’s voice may appear to be very focused and singular, it is in fact a grouping of shared ideas from many of our top marketing executives.
Jules Hecht from New York, NY asked:
“Self-publishing is the easiest way to produce a book without having an agent or a publishing house. What course of action would you take to promote a book to push it toward the bestseller list?”
Thank you for your question, Jules. Though our agency does not specialize in marketing books, we believe the best course of action for your shoestring budget involves leveraging the power of word-of-mouth and social media.
We would start by first branding the book and author. Have you determined the official typeface for your book? Will you be using artwork for the cover? Do you have professional headshots for press? Once you have created a clear brand for your book and yourself, you can start the marketing process.
Begin by sharing your book with your established fans – your friends and family; ask them to help by recommending your book to others. We would also partner with businesses within your community to organize book reading and book signing events to promote your book on a local level. Expose your book on a national (or even global level) utilizing social media. Set-up a Facebook page as a platform where fans can engage and find out upcoming tours and news items. Set-up a Twitter account and align yourself with like-minded individuals. Set up a blog and write informative articles that relate back to your book. Be sure to use good SEO tactics!
Lastly, stay on course. Word-of-mouth and social media marketing takes time. Be patient and if your book is any good, we’re sure you’ll make the list.
Charles Trevor James from New York, NY asked:
“Everything is digital now. Will print advertising be as relevant?”
Hello Charles. Your question seems to be on the top of many minds. In the past five years, our agency has experienced a surge in new media clients. We have also seen a noticeable shift in media buys, with large budgets being allocated to digital spheres. What this says to us is that digital is here to stay.
But while there are many benefits to working with digital media such as efficiency, trackability and lower costs, there are also set backs that should be considered.
This year, the average user spent one minute and 12 seconds with online news compared to the 3 hours and 25 minutes an average user spent online in 2010. This indicates that our online engagement is actually declining even as our digital spaces are growing. Not surprising, our engagement for print is substantially higher, averaging a total of 50 minutes for newspapers and magazine readership per day.
So to answer your question, we believe print advertising is still relevant today, as it provides a space for marketers to invest in consumers who are truly and thoughtfully engaged.