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Green Bloggers - Good Marketing Opportunity for Tech Companies

If there were ever an opportunity for VPN, Remote Access Software providers, and web/video conferencing technologies to boost their sales, it's now. With the gas shortage in the Southeast, U.S. and the increasing emphasis on green, CEOs are looking - or should be looking - to save energy. And one of the top ways is reducing employee travel.

So, how should these technology companies reach beyond the IT departments? One way is to advertise in sustainable web sites or contact green bloggers. Any decent CEO, CMO or their staffs is reading these sites for ideas to green their organization.

Since I spent some time in the green space - as VP Marketing for Farmers' Almanac TV - I thought I'd share a list of some good sustainable blogs, plus their descriptions. Hope you enjoy it. Better yet, I hope your technology company starts reaching out to these bloggers today. At the very least, it should create some interest in your technology offering, and potentially generate online leads.

1) Tree Hugger:
TreeHugger is the leading media outlet dedicated to driving sustainability mainstream. Partial to a modern aesthetic, we strive to be a one-stop shop for green news, solutions, and product information.
2) Eco Geek:   
Technology for the environment
3) Conscious Earth:
Earth-centred news for the health of air, water, habitat and the fight against global warming
4) Cleantech Blog:
Commentary on technologies, news, and issues relating to next generation energy and the environment.
5) Environmental Action Blog:
Environmental Action Blog - Current environmental issues and green energy news.
6) The Future is Green:
Thoughts on the coming of a society that is in balance with nature.
7) The Green Skeptic:    
The Green Skeptic is a blog devoted to challenging assumptions about how we live on the earth and protect our environment. There are four focus areas: global climate change, social entrepreneurs, microfinance, and clean tech innovations.
8)The Lazy Environmentalist:
Sustainable living made easy.
9) Lights Out America:
A grassroots community group organizing nationwide energy savings events.
10) Sustainablog:
News, information and personal meanderings related to environmental and economic sustainability, green and sustainable business, and environmental politics.
11) These Come From Trees
An experiment in environmentalism, viral marketing, and user interface design with the goal of reducing consumer waste paper.
12) Lighter Footstep:
Sustainable living ideas.
13) The Farmers' Almanac Green Blog
Every day tips for Earth-friendly living

Technorati Tags: green blogs, VPN, Remote Access Software, Tree Hugger, sustainable

Internet Advertising Up Again

Not a surprise. Internet advertising is up again. According to the Interactive Advertising Bureau, online ad revenues exceeded $21 billion in 2007, up 25% from 2006.  (The same group, though, reports that Internet revenue growth has slowed a bit, after posting gains of 35% between 2005 and 2006).

What amazes me is that Internet advertising is only 10% of the U.S. ad spend - still! With Americans addicted to web surfing, increasing access to the Internet, broadband availability up to around 70% of U.S. homes and better-than-ever wireless connectivity to the web, it would seem that advertisers would want to put a greater chunk of their ad spend online.

After all, the idea of advertising is to be where your customers and prospects are - online and off-line. And, the Internet can not only reach potential customers, but it can afford some efficiencies that traditional media does not.

But for some companies, online advertising is still untested or unfamiliar ground. So, it might be a good while before online advertising achieves 50% of the U.S. ad spend.

Mobile Marketing: Yes in Europe, No in U.S.

Oh what a difference a continent makes!

In Europe, Mobile Marketing is widely accepted and growing at a reasonable clip. In fact, according to a blog post by Madrid's Javier Correro, 50% of Spaniards have received a SMS message to acquire a product or service, compared with 17.6% of American mobile users, 27% of British mobile users, 45% of Italian mobile users, 29% of German mobile users and 44% of French mobile users.

Moreover, the Spanish trust the mobile phone as a source of entertainment and advertising, Correro writes.

Not so in the U.S. According to a recent article by eMarketer, few Americans want ads sent to their phone. The article claims that nearly two-thirds of Generation Y respondents said they were unlikely or definitely unlikely to subscribe to texted retail offers sent to their handsets.

It goes on to say that four-fifths of mobile users in a different survey said that text messages sent by companies would be totally unacceptable. Accordingly,

Of course, what made mobile marketing more acceptable to American users was the content.  "It is one thing to ask if someone wants ads sent to their phone and another to ask if they would like free music in exchange for viewing a mobile ad," eMarketer wrote.

Technorati Tags: mobile marketing, eMarketer, advertising

Rebranding costs?

While I understand the value of advertising, I'm still dumbfounded by the projected costs to rebrand AT&T (to at&t).

According to an article in Forbes, the cost of rebranding the telecom giant could hit $2 billion in 2007, if its BellSouth deal wins approval. That would rank AT&T with some of the nation's biggest advertisers, such as GM and Procter & Gamble.

Yet, what's probably more eye-opening is that the rebranding is even more costly when you factor in the daunting $10.5 billion in ad spend for promoting SBC, BellSouth and Cingular over the past five years, according to the Forbes article.

I just have to wonder: Will the same type of dollars be spent in customer experience enhancements? I hope so, because a good customer experience has a lot more value than flashy ads - for most customers.

Technorati Tags Customer Experience Brand Building

Cheat Death - An ad to think about

While marketers preach "keep the message simple", few actually do so.

So, it's no surprise that wireless phone, broadband wireless and others try to cram every feature, available rate plan, bonus offer, etc. into one radio spot or web page.

How many times have you heard a 60-second radio spot mention 4 promotional rate plans, 3 new wireless devices, two special offers (only if you act now) plus legal copy. Or what about a broadband wireless web site that lists 27 free features, including firewall, streaming music, downloadable games, etc.

Next time you hear or see one of those ads, think of this one. It's simple, to the point and effective: Cheat Death.

Your Tax Dollars at Work?

This seems so basic that it's not worth mentioning. But before you launch your web site or send anything to the printer, proofread it many, many times.

Guess they didn't do that in LA (check out how dollars is spelled). Your tax what at work?

Spread the word...

Link: BuzzMetrics - Word-of-Mouth Research & Planning.

According to recent studies by heavy hitters in the marketing industry, Word of Mouth "WOM" is drastically increasing in importance: in 1977, 67 percent of U.S. consumers called WOM one of the best sources for ideas about new products, versus 92 percent in 2005."

What does that mean? It means that word of mouth is now becoming a media channel, much like television, print, radio, etc.

It means that media companies will be judged by not only the content they create, but the  conversation formed around that content.

And it means that marketers also will be considered successful if they get lots of people - particularly their target markets -  talking about a brand.

Of course, some things are far more glamorous than others to talk about. Just compare cool wireless phones with wireless providers. What would you rather discuss?

Nonetheless, wireless service providers and wireless broadband providers should still pay attention to this ever increasing channel.  Getting a core group of influencers who are passionate about the service is a great place to start. Thoughts?
 

 

 

Online Time vs. TV Time

Link: Time Spent Online Catches up with Time Spent Watching TV MarketingVOX.

Here's a stat to consider for your media buy: Online users are now spending about 14 hours a week, on average, surfing the internet. That's the same amount of time they are spending watching T.V, Media Life reports (via MediaBuyerPlanner)."

Of course, your broadband wireless, WiFi hot spot and mobile phone customers may have different viewing habits, depending on the demographics of your target market. And, they still may find television ads more impactful. However, this statistic provides even more reason to develop a web site that's:
1) easy to find via Google
2) offers a good customer experience (easy to navigate, has logical information architecture and is very readable)
3) rich in good content - including  product demos, interesting articles (even podcasts) about how to use your mobile phone or broadband wireless' advanced services, etc.
4) translated into Spanish for your Spanish customers

I'm not a big fan of intrusion marketing (although I do think there are times when it makes sense). I would caution against using pop up ads to get customers' attention, but I would consider judicious use of pay-per-click advertising, as well as banner ads. Thoughts?

Marketing Spin or Lies?

Link: Adrants � Toyota Tacoma Super Bowl Commercial Less Than Honest.

I'm sure Toyota considers it "marketing spin". Many others, including one of the top advertising newsletters around, considers it a lie.

"Toyota ran a time-lapsed commerical for its Tacoma during the Super Bowl in which the truck is parked on a rocky beach and subjected to the rising tide and heavy waves that smash it against the rocks. Of course, when the tide goes out, the truck is undamaged even though it was toss all over the place during high tide. That would explain the disclaimer at the bottom which stated this was a dramatization. More like a lie."

My advice: don't stretch the truth. If your broadband wireless service can't deliver the high speed or connectivity or service it promises, don't pretend it can. And certainly don't pay an expensive advertising agency to convince you otherwise. Consumers are smarter than that. They want companies they can believe in.