Page 64 - DLIS402_INFORMATION_ANALYSIS_AND_REPACKAGING

Unit 3: Information Products

Clarifying your brand | it’s about assessment and objectivity. It’s about messaging and positioning. Notes
Sometimes it’s about identity, such as logo development. But it always includes figuring out who
you are–whether that’ s through external means, such as surveys, focus groups or customer insights–
or through internal means, such as employee feedback, ROI, or where the company thinks it’s going
versus where it has gone.
Simplifying your brand | it’s about bringing it back to the basics. Taking what may have become
unwieldy and turning it into something that makes sense. It’s about looking at product and service
lines and determining best practices. It’s about aligning your business plan to your brand strategy
(not the other way around).
Amplifying your brand it’s about making your messaging and positioning work for your brand.
It’s about taking advantage of the RIGHT marketing vehicles and capitalizing on publicity,
networking, and relationships, advertising, government relations, etc. It’s about doing the right
things–for your customers, clients, guests; employees; community; family.

3.13.2 Social Media

Social media is being woven into the fabric of society as a conduit for meaningful exchange between
businesses and their audiences. As a platform for promoting your business, it warrants a deeper
understanding of how to engage your audiences through social networking, blogging and other online
interfaces.
Networking can be a “push” type of communication, where an entity pushes information out to
audiences that may or may not be interested. Adding a “social” element, in which audiences have
the option of providing feedback, is one of the most integral ingredients of successful social
networking activities. This can be said for blogging and e-mail, which also allows the author to
respond to user comments.
Which is why you need to get REAL, an approach to social media someone has developed to help
my clients understand the most important activities they can undertake in this medium to achieve
significant results. REAL expands on the tenets of traditional marketing principles, applying them
to the online realm.
To get REAL, organizations need to be Relevant, need to know how to engage their audiences, need
to be Authentic and valuable, and need to Listen and learn.

3.13.3 Relevancy

If you aren’t relevant to the needs of those you’re reaching out to, you don’t exist. Regardless of the
effort you put into your product or service, or the coupons you throw at customers, or the blogs you
spend hours writing, if none of it strikes a chord or if you’re on the wrong sites, you won’t benefit
from any of it.
How do you make sure you’re relevant? Just as you would for a traditional marketing campaign,
do your market research. Know your audiences. Know where they get their information. Know
who their opinion leaders are. Know what’s important to them. Know your own messaging.

Engagement

The rules of engagement in social media are ramped up. Here, you have the opportunity to have a
dialogue with your audiences. This is a way to build trust and loyalty. And, audiences are quickly
coming to expect it. If your online strategy is to simply post information, your audiences will turn to
your competitor, who’s engaging their customers in two-way communication.
The key take away is to not only promote yourself, but be receptive and responsive to your audiences.

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