Category Archives: Economy

Success of Social Media Marketing

Economy, , , , ,

It seems like today, if you want your business to succeed and you are looking for good marketing tips, it seems like everyone is in agreement on one area – social media. This would be great – and good for their businesses – if they understood how to use it to their advantage but apparently in that area, they are lacking.

Most people are looking for quality content which is probably why all types of newsletters (print and digital) are still popular. Ultimately it’s all about making a connection. The advice thus given by InformationWeek employee Michele Pepe-Warren is to “discuss topics that are relevant and interesting to your readers. If they know they’re getting useful information, they’ll continue to subscribe.” It’s also a good idea to keep it simple and ensure the design is clean-cut and not complicated since “poor design…can deter readers from any publication.”

According to statistics from iPressroom, Twitter is most popular with PR and marketing professionals, attracting a staggering 85.5 percent of users. But even with that there are 65 percent of users who believe Facebook will replace Twitter for media use.

So why is Twitter so popular? Apparently it is the “circulatory system of the news cycle,” which provides a “constant stream of valuable information and perspectives for PR and marketing professionals to watch in real-time.”

Social Media and Customer Service

Companies and organizations are starting to understand very quickly that potential clients are increasingly sharing more about their lives on social networks. Thus it is their role as a potentially successful business to “not just listen, but to understand what’s being said in order to act accordingly.” To jump on the bandwagon, companies thus need to assess the “combination of social tools” and work out how a “solid CRM strategy” can set up strategies between “customers, partners and other stakeholders.”

So there is much to be done and lots to learn for companies who want to stay one step ahead of what is going on social media today. While it may initially seem a bit daunting, once you’ve gotten the hang of these new social media tools they can help your business no end.

SEO Takes a Ride

Consumerism, Economy, Japan, , , ,

Suzuki Seeks Google Guidance

You wouldn’t necessarily put the two together – Suzuki and Google – just in the same way you might have gone “hmmm” the first time you were told to put peanut butter and jelly together (especially if you’re British). But somehow, just as the latter works supremely well in combination, the former might have a thing or two going for it as well.

It seems that Maruti Suzuki is going to be doing more than Googling for guidance on marketing techniques. In fact it is looking to “tie up” with the company in order to acquiesce a “more focused foray into the digital marketing space.” It won’t be restricting itself just to Google though since Suzuki is also looking into working with other “specialists” in the digital marketing field.
Suzuki is not stupid, fast recognizing that it has to respond to an eternally changing digital media world. Thus it understands the need to bring in specialist help, said the company’s marketing chief general manager, Shashank Srivastava.

Team Effort

Suzuki has thus already been working closely with Google on “search engine optimization and online reputation management initiatives,” which basically means Google is assisting the auto company in traffic keyword tracking. This enables Suzuki to thereafter respond as needed. For example if there has been a media posting (on say Facebook or Twitter) regarding the company’s services, it will be alerted and given an immediate opportunity to respond.

Marketing Surge for Suzuki

In general Maruti Suzuki has been surging forth in its marketing effort. Indeed the budget allocated to its promotion, doubled this year. It has “created social networking profiles of all its products,” with its prime hits being A-Star and Ritz since they attract the younger customers as well as netting in the most Facebook fans.

Suzuki Sells on its Own

The argument could also be made however, that the company’s cars speak for themselves. The new Suzuki Swift is even better than the one it replaced if that was possible since you probably would be hard pressed to find any complaints on that one. It is a great price and is truly able to “offer something that stands out from the comparatively bland and boring cookie-cutter crowd.” It boasts additional windscreen rake, a cool new front bumper, better angular headlights and some brand new tail light clusters.

Still, as the saying goes, you can never be too rich or too thin. Perhaps in today’s Facebook and Twitter world, you can never have too much SEO work on your product or service either.

Diamond De Beers Deplete?

Consumerism, Economy, , , , , ,

De Beers – the world’s largest miner and diamond supplier – may be heading for a depletion in sales this year. According to its marketing arm Diamond Trading Company (DTC) a “slowdown” is expected in the second quarter,” but there is hope that the industry in India will increase by 20 percent, according to Varda Shine, the company’s CEO. That would be good news if not being compared to the growth there last year which reached 31 percent. India is the world’s largest diamond exporter so this fact of course will impact a company like De Beers.

Of course, this data is only just estimates and forecasts and thus not even close to 100 percent accurate. Shine is still hoping for “a double digit growth in this industry in India and China as well every year.” In addition, DTC prices have increased significantly – more than 300 percent following the 2008 economic crisis. One diamond trader who chose to remain anonymous pointed out that “it has increased by an average by 15 per cent to 20 per cent during the first quarter, following a rise of 27 per cent through the whole of 2010, while sales increased by 10 per cent to approximately $1.75 billion during the three months.”

So perhaps after all despite some figures pointing somewhat to the contrary, diamonds will remain a girl’s best friend in the future. In addition, since there are so many different figures and opinions, it is almost impossible to predict the future of the industry.

Death of Marketing Giant Eddie Stobart

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Stobart’s Company Hit Jackpot

What was it about Eddie Stobart and his medium-sized haulage company that was so successful? At 56 years old, Eddie Stobart’s son (Edward Stobart) the man behind the Stobart Group (incorporating Stobart Rail, Stobart Ports, Stobart Air, Stobart Biomass, Stobart Ireland, Stobart Brand, etc.), passed away at University Hospital, Coventry, due to heart problems. But he sure did leave a huge legacy behind him. In fact, it has been said that Eddie Stobart was “a man responsible for one of the UK’s most idiosyncratic brands.” The father remains alive, in his eighties, but his son at 56, died suddenly.

What’s fascinating about the Stobart empire is that it was basically “offering the same product as its competitors” but totally sky-rocketed past any of them, becoming “a much-revered British institution.” Thus for companies looking for top marketing expertise and business success, the Stobart empire has to be the place from where to take lessons.

Stobart History

The Stobart haulage company basically began in the 1950s as an agricultural business, became a haulage company in 1976 (Eddie Stobart Ltd.). Around 20 years later “the brand was known throughout the land.” Big-known companies associated with Stobart include: Coca-Cola, Johnson & Johnson, Nestle, Proctor and Gamble and Tesco. It thus might not be such a big surprise that Stobart has around 25,000 members in its fan club.

Stobart Success

Whenever you were on any motorway journey throughout the whole of Europe, you would probably catch a glimpse of a Stobart truck; they really became household names of such. Today, the company is run by Eddie’s brother William Stobart who “continues the family involvement in his role as chief operating officer of the Stobart Group.” One of the things that made the company stand out perhaps was the fact that rather than the name truck drivers had accrued for themselves over the years of being somewhat sloppy and unkempt, the Stobart drivers were very smartly dressed. That for sure made them stand out.

Stobart Marketing Lessons?

So for those wanting to take their companies from average to something top notch by Stobart, one way to do this is by standing out from the rest. Do something different. Get yourself known for being the company that does it right; that does it better; that really takes pride in its work. That attitude sure did work for Stobart.

PTJ: Post Traumatic Japan

Consumerism, Economy, Japan, , , ,

Japan and Travel

The question on everyone’s lips of course is, how is Japan faring, post trauma? What does its road to recovery look like? According to Tourism Australia, pretty good. It looks like the company is going to begin marketing in the country next month again since “officials claimed they were confident of a swift recovery.” Marketing in Japan was put on hold last month by Tourism Australia but that things will be speeding up, pretty much because the company’s MD Andrew McEvoy sees how it is “in the Japanese DNA to travel,” so they won’t be sitting still all that much longer.

Japan isn’t set to sit in the sidelines forever. Indeed it is thought that the country is going to recover fast and “get strong again,” leading to increased growth. There doesn’t seem to be the need to be placing any ads but there are already notable signs that people want to start traveling again.

This is especially timely since next week it is Golden Week, traditionally a very major travel season for the Japanese. As well, schoolteachers were looking at Australian tour opportunities via Tourism Australia. Clearly the Japanese are not living in the past; in fact they are heading out to the future with enthusiasm.

Japanese Industry

As well, news today in Japanese industry is that as the country recovers, demand will increase in Japan for beef, copper and iron ore. According to Melbourne’s National Australia Bank Ltd’s commodities economist Ben Westmore, building up the country again could “drive demand for steelmaking materials and metals used in construction.” Given that the local protein supply was damaged, this will probably result in an increased need for imported dairy products and beef as well.

Further, there will probably be the need for more food imports due to the possibility of radiation leaks from the nuclear plant in Japan. So it looks like in general there will be more business inside of Japan and more travel outside during the coming months as the country goes from strength to strength following its recent travesty.