Lately, a growing number of businesses are reaching their audiences via an exciting new method: microblogs. The growing presence of sites like Twitter and Yammer allow companies to disseminate information to their constituents and customers quickly. While some companies, like Whole Foods, take a nontraditional approach (their Twitter site is filled with everything from recipes to the texture of baked versus boiled potatoes). It all depends on who your audience is, how they tend to interact in the online world, and what they might see as beneficial.

Here are a few microblog strategies to achieve more traditional goals and examples from the companies that utilize them:

1. Customer Service:

As marketers we know the importance customer service plays on developing and retaining loyal customers, and the damaging power negative word-of-mouth can have. One of the best opportunities to provide great customer service is to communicate with your customer on their level, in their atmosphere, and in new and exciting ways. These days, one such location is Twitter.

If a customer needs assistance, allowing them to contact you via Twitter allows you to meet them on their level. Yet, the key is still follow-up, ensuring the issue or problem is solved and, above all, ensuring a satisfied customer. If this is the route you take, don’t forget to respond to the customer with a “Glad we helped you figure this out” or a “Happy it worked. Let us know if there’s anything else we can do.” Something short, to the point, and positive; Twitter makes it easy – they require you to be short and to the point!

One company utilizing Twitter for customer service is Comcast with comcastcares. Everything is a response to someone else’s comment, question, or concern. And, once the account is contacted, the customer and representative connect via Twitters DM (direct message) option, allowing them to communicate privately and securely.

2. Promotions (Incentives, Coupons, etc.):

If your business regularly offers incentives, coupons or other enticements, supplement these with microblog posts. The key here is to include a little description of the promotion, such as “Large 2 Topping Pizza for $10” followed by a tiny URL – a compressed URL that allows your link to appear in a minimal number of characters. Subscribers to your microblog’s feed will see your posts and, if they’re so intrigued, they’ll visit the link to read more about the promotion, print off a JPG of the coupon and use it in the store. This, like everything else on the web, is measurable.

It’s important to show restraint. You don’t want to Tweet (the clever name of a single Twitter post) too many incentives and/or promotions, or you may disengage your “followers” (those who subscribe to your Twitter feed). The important thing to remember here is quality over quantity.

Dell Computers excels at this form of promotion. They have a Twitter account for pretty much everything, including two promotional-based ones. DellHomeOffers focuses on the consumer, while DellSmBizOffers does the same for small businesses.

3. Events:

Like promotions and incentives, this is an easy one to implement. If you hold regular events, Tweeting is a good way to update your followers on event happenings, invites, etc. In fact, it was an event that drew everyone’s attention to Twitter and microblogging to begin with – South by Southwest (SXSW), an annual music, film and interactive conference in Austin, TX. Thus, it’s not surprising that SXSW has their own Twitter account.

4. News and PR:

HP and Apple disseminate news to their followers through Twitter. It is also an excellent supplement to sending out press releases to papers, a PR Web account, and news-based email campaigns. Another clever example using Twitter is from a small net-based record label called Aaahh Records – they drop in Tiny URLs linking to reviews about their artists.

With the growing presence of microblogs and the increase of data phones (allowing users to access the web remotely via their phone), utilizing new ways to reach your audience is becoming more and more important. Did you know that you can even update your Twitter account via text messaging? The same goes with accessing Tweets from those you follow - it doesn’t necessarily require a data phone. Incorporating these elements into marketing strategies is what will make today’s company succeed tomorrow.

I recently attended the Economic Forecast Dinner, hosted by EDASC. This event has been brought to the business community for many years and it is highly attended and anticipated. With all that has been going on of late, economically, this year’s attendance was impressive at just over 560.

We developed the logo for the Economic Forecast Dinner (among all other EDASC event logos) and it is definitely one of my favorites. I like the playfulness of it given the event’s serious nature.

This year, given our name change, we decided to become one of the sponsors. Don Wick, in his usual fashion, gave us great recognition. He is one of the best, if not the best, business promoter in Skagit County and is an asset to us all. The keynote speaker was Jim Paulsen, Ph.D., chief investment strategist for Wells Capital Management and a regular on CNBC and Bloomberg Television.

I very much enjoyed his talk as it had a light tone mixed in with powerful facts. He stated that we are not seeing anything different economically than we have historically. What we are seeing however is unprecedented fear. He said “yes, we are in a nasty recession, we are not near a depression,” and I paraphrase… but because of this fear people/businesses are essentially frozen. We are not feeling confident enough to make decisions to purchase and/or moving forward with our business plans.

Much of this fear issue was created by the news media. Everyday for months they have been telling us how bad it is. We just went through a political campaign where each candidate told us how bad we have it. We are seeing huge layoffs in our largest industries. Banks and large financial institutions are failing and we are seeing unprecedented fraud. OK, that all does sound bad, but the other point he made is every decade financial institutions fail – what about the savings and loan failures of the 1980’s. The other point was that 93% of us are still working and we need to pay attention to the 93%, to help them feel confident as well.

When he made that point, something clicked in me - as much as we need to take care of our employees, we need to take care of our customers. This is a point that I always try to make with our clients. Take care of the customer first. They are the reason you are in business and probably the reason you are able to stay in business. This could be just touching base with them to know that you are still here to serve them. If you disappear (visually) in these kinds of times, they might think you have disappeared like the companies that are being displayed as failures through the media.

So I do have one regret for the evening. I really thought to stand up and ask him, “Are you saying that, in order to get this country back, what we need is a great marketing program to get people confident again?” but it seemed a little self-serving.

We see and talk to our customers every day. We are all tentative yet we keep moving forward. Don’t fall into to the fear factor trap. Innovation is always strongest following times of recession. After all, recession and necessity breed innovation and invention. And that’s nothing to be scared about.

Well, the game was the most exciting in recent memory, possibly of all time. Last minute heroics led to a come from behind win for my beloved Steelers, so I was a happy man. The commercials were another mixed bag, as is usually the case. There were, however some funnier and more interesting spots this year than I remember in recent Super Bowls. Of course this is debatable since humor and creative tastes are subjective.

I have to say, considering the doom and gloom of the ever darkening economy, it’s surprising to see so many new ads being made for the most expensive timeslots available. Of course it makes sense that if you’re going to throw down the money on a Super Bowl ad, you’d better make sure it’s worth it. It was a bit odd to see ads offering cash for your gold jewelry (a kind of mail order pawn shop) alongside commercials for pre-paid private jet hours. Both sides of the economic coin were well represented for sure.

There were a few regulars missing from the line-up this year. FedEx was absent for the first time in over 10 years. They’re usually among the most memorable ads to run during the big game, so it was a noticeable void. I think there were more local ads in place this year, possibly filling in for unsold spots.

Another big surprise (or little in this case) was Miller Brewing’s one-second-long commercial. If you missed it, you may have been blinking at the time. In what was the shortest commercial to ever run during the Super Bowl, the Miller High Life delivery man seen in several previous spots associated with this campaign had only enough time to boldly blurt out “HIGH LIFE!” before the second was up. Simple. Effective. Not quite epic, but it did more for me than equine love stories. Again… it’s all subjective. I’m sure people exist who’ve always wanted a pony and the Budweiser Clydesdale spots probably speak to them on a level I’ll never get.

There were some well executed cross-media ads which beckoned for your participation beyond the TV screen. An ad for Monsters vs. Aliens was broadcast in 3D, and in order to fully enjoy it, you needed a pair of 3D glasses found at display cases in stores across the country. And while you’re there, you may as well grab a refreshing soft drink… I think you see the point here. Getting potential consumers more involved, giving them more to experience, and thereby enhancing the brand is becoming more and more valuable. Another series of ads from GoDaddy.com were just as provocative as ever. Only this year, they left viewers wondering what happened AFTER the commercial ended. The audience was then directed to visit a website to find out how each scene ended. While the concept is great, leaving viewers hanging in suspense as to what happens next, GoDaddy’s execution lacks in true creativity. Relying on sexism and lowest common denominator humor is hardly the best way to expand your market. With a TRULY creative approach, this cliffhanger concept is a great way of generating interest in a product.

So, you see how having the most colorful packaging and depending on shelf presence alone is no longer enough to sell your product–you now need an entire brand experience. Companies sell their products using a broad spectrum of ideas, emotions, and tools. For me, the bizarre and funny usually work best. Like my favorites from this year:

And for more of our favorites, check the comments…

Its that time of year once again. The biggest day of television advertising, also known as the Super Bowl. This is probably the one time each year people turn on their sets and tune in, actually looking forward to watching commercials. Many don’t even know the difference between a field goal and a safety.

Being in the advertising/marketing field, I too enjoy the spectacle of commercial creativity that the big game brings. As designers and advertising professionals, we look at these ads a bit differently than the average viewer. While there is always an assortment of interesting approaches to ad content, it rarely relates directly to the product being sold. And that’s ok. In fact, the commercials that create the most buzz are usually the weirdest and most irrelevant. If it’s enough to create a memorable experience that people will be talking about for days and weeks following the broadcast, then it may be considered a success.

The creativity and uniqueness of an ad can directly affect the success of a product and even a company itself. It obviously boosts awareness and sways a percentage of people to try a brand they might normally overlook. Entire annual advertising budgets have been spent on a single 30-second spot during the Super Bowl resulting in historic sales for some companies.

So, is it worth spending massive amounts of money to air an ad during the big game? It definitely can be, especially if the product is properly supported beyond the broadcast.

The truly great campaigns may start with a Super Bowl ad, but it will need more. Marketing materials placed in stores, online, and out among the public help to keep the message fresh in minds. In-store displays featuring visuals from the commercial will help to solidify the campaign and generate sales prior to and after the ad airs. Shorter commercials creating a bit of mystery or suspense in the weeks leading up to the game can also increase the effectiveness of the big ad. So it shouldn’t be limited to an interesting 30 or 60 seconds, it should have consistency, carrying over multiple mediums such as print and web. Otherwise, the message is momentary, coming and going almost as quickly as the game itself…

Here are a few of the greatest ads from Super Bowls past. And one final thing… GO STEELERS! (Not an easy thing, being a Pittsburgh fan here in the Pacific Northwest following Super Bowl XL.)

Mean Joe Greene Coca Cola Ad

Talking Stain Tide Ad

1984 Apple Ad

Hi, my name is Andy, and I am a blogger. At first, the affliction was minor – small personal entries on a personal blog that detailed failed relationships and day-to-day meanderings; it was overly moody, filled with attempts to be a “true writer” and efforts to be “cool and noteworthy.”

That tapered off in grad school. Due to an abundance of self-satisfaction, I had run out of ideas. Also, I just didn’t have the time. Sleep came at ungodly hours and lasted what seemed mere moments. Then I graduated, and it came back – instead of being personal, I steered my new blog toward a different addiction: music.

It all began on June 6, 2006. Fense, my KZUU radio personality alter-ego, started to write about music. My day job may be Project Manager here at BrandQuery, but I have a full-fledged night job – running FensePost, my blog. I write album reviews and feature bands articles, cover music videos and music documentaries, and manage a small team of contributors.

So, what does it mean to be a blogger? In my case, it means little sleep, a constant ear out for the next big sound, an overcrowded e-mail inbox, and too many promo CDs to count. That may sound negative, but I couldn’t imagine life without it. Blogging for me is a labor of love.

Blogs come in many forms and fashions. First, there’s the industry blog, like mine. There is an overabundance of personal blogs, made even easier thanks to sites like Blogger. And then there are company-driven blogs, like this one.

Today’s marketplace is vastly different from that of yesterday due to the power and presence of the Internet, and blogging is simply another way for companies to reach their audience(s) in an ever-changing world. The power of word-of-mouth marketing has been magnified thanks to the Internet, and making it work for you can be as simple as communicating through a company blog, disseminating information in a non-traditional and often informal manner. It gives your company a personal, relaxed touch.

Whether your blog is tailored to an industry or based around a company, the key is providing content intriguing to your audience. On FensePost, it’s a blend of hyping the bands I enjoy and discussing bands about which very few have knowledge. On BrandQuery Blog, it’s about engaging with clients and friends, sharing helpful information about the industry, and discussing fun and quirky industry tidbits.

Here are a few key questions you should ponder when starting a company blog:

1. How will your blog reflect the company brand?

2. Who is your target audience?

3. What will motivate your audience to read your blog?

4. How will you attract and retain readers?

5. What information do you wish to relay to your audience? Sub questions: a) does it line up with their motivations, and b) does it serve your brand?

Granted, some of these questions overlap, but they’re all important in creating a successful strategy behind your blog.

The recent weather got me thinking about how, sometimes, too much of a good thing can turn very, very bad.

For example, the latest round of flooding throughout Washington reminded me of one form of bad advertising etiquette. Similar to the way too much water in a short period of time can be devastating a region, too much information can have the same effect. While flood waters overflow riverbanks and cover or destroy the path beneath it, a lack of focus can have the same overload effect on advertising.

Any given advertisement has size restraints which in turn limit the amount of information that is effective.  It is important to manage what goes in and what stays out. Granted, details are important and it is generally a good idea to provide as much information as you can when marketing a product; the problem comes when too many details are included. It becomes too much to absorb and leads to overflow with the defining point being buried among the least important details.

Revealing the message in a simple, effective and elegant manner is the road best taken. There is no need to clutter up an advertisement or smother a campaign when it can be pared down to a few valuable truths.

To give your message a clear voice and make it appealing to your audience, think about the core elements of your brand - those key items that differentiate it from the competition.  Stay focused and keep your audience safe from an overabundance of information.

Here’s an interesting video that demonstrates the drastic differences in the way two very well-known companies approach this issue - Microsoft and Apple.

BrandQuery’s Top Five Interactive Strategy Adds

BrandQuery is now offering interactive services.  But what exactly does that mean?  Thus far, the interactive strategies and plans we’ve developed include a range of items that will create more visibility for our clients.

When BrandQuery began as BMR Design+Advertising in 1992, the internet was pretty much nonexistent. How times have changed! My graduate studies (Washington State University, MBA ‘06) required a laptop, which meant half the students paid full attention and half multitasked by reading news, watching YouTube videos, and monitoring their social network accounts.

For the younger generation like myself, who grew up in the 90s, this is the world that dominates practically everything we do.  It’s where we get our news.  It’s where we watch our favorite TV shows.  It’s where we seek information on what products to buy, read consumer product reviews, and query where to buy the items we desire.  These days it’s even moving to our phones, especially if we’re lucky enough to have a 3G phone.

However, it’s not just for younger audiences — all audiences are utilizing the internet for information; they gather, decipher, and even create it. Ensuring your business is up-to-date in today’s marketplace (i.e. the online world) is important in targeting your audience. 

Here’s a top five countdown of ways we can assist your company via our interactive strategies:

5. Social Monitoring and Participation

Social Monitoring is perhaps the simplest item on the list; participation, on the other hand, requires a bit more finesse. Monitoring includes the knowledge of who is talking about your business online, and the observation of what they are saying. Participation includes the various reactions you may take or make in response to the online chatter.

4. Microsites

Once thought a tool for only nationwide companies, it’s becoming more and more common for local and regional companies to utilize this form of interactive marketing. Microsites can focus on a specific product or service, showcase a special offer, or simply be an alternate way of targeting a new, desired audience. It’s a way to differentiate your brand, while remaining ingrained in its tradition. For example, companies can use microsites as landing pages for online ads, supplementing their marketing campaigns.

3. Blogging and Microblogging

As you can see, we’ve been implementing an interactive strategy for ourselves. This should be obvious — after all, you’re reading our blog! Creating a blog can be as simple as signing up for a Blogger account, but making your blog visually true to your brand is another matter altogether. We can assist not only in this area, but in the strategy behind the content your blog will feature. 2008 also saw the booming usage of Microblogs, like Twitter and Yammer. Microblogs allow users to post brief messages under 160 characters; similar to text messaging, these blogs can even be updated by phone. They are simply a new way of communicating and, in many ways, may ultimately replace instant messaging. Both these tools can help your business generate followers and reach its target audience(s).

2. Online Display Advertising

These days, advertising online can be made easy and cost-effective through Google AdWords and AdSense. Likewise, there are several tools to assist in finding and reaching your audience, from keyword and categorical targeting to narrowing ad visibility to a specific region by geo-targeting. And, we can also help in the design of your advertising campaign.

1. Search Engine Optimization

This is probably the item least utilized by companies and also the most important.  Our recommendations, through an audit of your website, can help boost your placement in searches relevant to your company.  Search Engine Optimization can extend beyond company-based websites to include simple items that one might not typically think of doing — for example, enhancing your Google Maps listing.

There it is, five elements of our interactive strategy. But our strategies go far beyond this list; and for the items noted above we can easily go into far greater depth. This is simply an example of how BrandQuery is working to better help our clients to gain greater exposure in the online marketplace.

Have you ever bought an item of clothing that fit well when you first purchased it and you liked it so much you wore it regularly? Over time you found it just didn’t feel as good when you first wore it and you weren’t as confident in it as you had been initially?

That’s how I felt with our former name BMR Design+Advertising.  As we have grown and expanded our level of service, the name didn’t feel like it fit anymore.  It didn’t feel like it properly reflected to our clients the sophisticated nature of our services as they have grown and developed.

The name change began over a year ago as we worked to define how we work with our clients. We felt this name identified not only the business, but our process.

So how does it feel after 16 years to change the name?  It feels great. Everyone in the office is excited by the change.  And, we are all happy to complete such a large project!

We work with companies to develop names, to change names, to change identities and to introduce these changes.  Knowing the right time to make these kinds of changes is very important.  The need for change may come to you internally or externally. Either way it has to be done with confidence and everyone in the organization needs to embrace it, otherwise it won’t be successful.

How you convey the change in your office, to your clients and your vendors is very important.  Communicating with them first is foremost in maintaining their confidence in you.

This is the first of many blog entries.  I hope you find what we write is relevant and interesting to you and your business.  We look forward to your feedback.

By the way, Happy New Year!