Marketing Communications Today is a collection of resources for marketing communications
professionals filled with industry research, marketing trends, and career
information about integrated marketing and data-driven communications.
Learn industry insights through the Marketing Communications Today blog,
podcast, as well as Integrate Online.
Metrics are simply standards of measurement by which efficiency, performance, or
progress can be assessed. Yet in social media it can get complicated quickly with
amount of data and options of what can be collected and where. In this podcast,
join Keith Quesenberry as we cover the basics of collecting social media data, tracking social media
metrics and identifying KPIs (key performance indicators). We also consider
how to link social media actions to business goals and marketing objectives for
social measurement and optimization.
Cindy Greenglass: Keith, you have said that Social media metrics can quickly get complicated, can you explain
what you mean by that?
Keith Quesenberry: Yeah, you know, just for example if we look at some
of the top social media channels and what is actually available through their analytics
programs, their insights programs. So Facebook insights, it can give you all kinds
of data. It can give you metrics on page posts such as likes, unlikes, organic
likes, paid likes, reach, engagement, engagement rate, impressions, demographic
information. It can also give you detailed video stats including views for three
seconds, 30 seconds, 95% of total video length.
As the holiday season begins, many individuals find themselves looking for ways
to spread cheer by giving back. For marketing communications professionals, this
time of year is about creating compelling messaging to inspire advocacy and charity.
Today, two WVU Marketing Communications alumni share insights about their career
in nonprofit communications during the "giving season."
Vice President of Marketing and Development for Goodwill Industries of Greater
Cleveland and East Central Ohio
Host Matthew Cummings speaks with award-winning designer and creative director Nathan
Pieratt about the three ways data impacts the creative process: it informs, it
adds complexity and it uncovers insights. Pieratt shares stories from his more
than 15 years of industry experience to illustrate how data helps determine the
right channels, audience segments and messaging. While adding complexity and time
to the creative process, data can uncover behaviors that lead to more insights…making
the extra time and effort well worth it.
Matthew Cummings: With today's focus on creativity, how does data
impact that creative process?
My name is Leah Schoolcraft and I am a
Brand Ambassador for West Virginia University’s
Integrated, Data and Digital Marketing Communications online programs!
I recently finished up my first semester in the program. I have learned a lot in
my first two classes and I’m excited to share them with you!
I decided that the
IMC program was for me because I felt stuck in a career and knew that I always
wanted to continue learning. I had ventured down just about every avenue that I
thought was possible within my skillset, and kept coming up short when I realized
that none of them sparked my curiosity and creativity, but rather hindered any
possibility of growth. I wasn’t alone in thinking this either, a few of my coworkers
were feeling the same way. After a couple of talks with them, I decided to take
a deeper look. After doing some research online and reaching out to program advisors,
I applied. The program was completely different from the industry I had gotten
my undergraduate degree in and been working in for more than a year, but marketing
was a skillset that I always wanted to learn more about. A few short weeks after
applying, I found out that I was accepted and would start in the 2020 fall semester.
When I first started the IMC program, I was nervous about juggling a full-time job
and graduate-level school work. I tried to follow the same process as I do for
my fast-paced job, which is more of a constant stream of always doing something.
I found out quickly that setting up a schedule was necessary for me to succeed
and take care of my mental health. Here are a few tips that helped me coming in
from nearly a year out of school.
The holidays are here and it’s a time of giving. How do marketers plan for this season
as they work on fundraising? Leandra Clovis joins us to discuss how she is navigating\
the giving season in her work as Senior Director, Walk to End Alzheimer’s at the
Alzheimer’s Association, Central and North Florida where she manages the development
and implementation of peer to peer fundraising campaigns.
Cyndi Greenglass: Can you define for us what peer to peer fundraising
is?
Leandra Clovis: Peer to peer fundraising is a really specific area of
fundraising that encompasses all of the different events, where our donors are
asking their peers to donate to them. That covers walk events, bike events, marathons—any
kind of event where someone is signing up, and then they are soliciting donations
to support them in their endeavor to do whatever that specific event may be. Thus,
the peer to peer, because it's really those constituents asking their donors for
the money. It’s a different type of fundraising than direct marketing or major
gifts where the development professional is soliciting those large donations themselves.
Our money really comes from our individual walkers, reaching out to their friends,
their families, their employers, hosting unique fundraising events themselves and
raising those dollars. The main source of money that we solicit would be sponsorships.
The use of digital advertising has been on the rise and has seen continuous growth
despite these unprecedented times. How do you stand out in a crowded digital space?
Storytelling. Join Sukhi Sahni, head of corporate communications at Capital One
as she discusses how to sell stories in a digital world.
Amy Teller: Could you start us off today by describing, in your own words,
what is digital storytelling?
Sukhi Sahni: I think at the heart of storytelling is how humans connect,
right? So, if you think about how you connect with your families, your friends,
every conversation, if there's a story that's a part of it, we tend to remember
that story. You might not remember the occasion, you might not remember the people
in the room, but if there was a story that was told in an impactful way, you tend
to relate to that. So, I think at the very essence of storytelling is just the
way humans connect, and what's more important these days is that we are connecting
in a lot of different ways and a lot of different channels.
Last year WVU Marketing Communications produced a piece predicting the biggest marketing
trends to come in 2020, before the year took a dramatic turn. In light of many
unforeseen events, the biggest trends of the year drastically changed. COVID-19
and other events pushed marketing communications professionals to test their creative
capabilities and ability to pivot, forever changing the industry.
In light of another unpredictable year ahead, the WVU Marketing
Communications graduate programs hosted a Twitter Chat discussing "Predicting 2021
Marketing Trends" to encourage staff, faculty, alumni and students to consider
what will be the next biggest thing in the industry.
On November 17, Twitter launched a new feature called “Twitter Fleets.” The new feature
mimics the popular Stories feature that is available on Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook
and most recently LinkedIn.
Twitter positioned the rationale for Fleets by stating the brand hoped to empower
users to share content or thoughts that typically would be left in drafts. Users
can share text and image posts that are only visible for 24-hours. Beta testing
of the feature prior to launch in the U.S. showcased that users were more likely
to “join the conversation” when they knew their post would only be available for
24 hours.
Much like Instagram Stories, user’s Fleets are only visible to their followers. For
those with public profiles, anyone who has access to see a user’s public page will
be able to view their Fleets. Reactions are also available for Fleets. Individuals
who view a user’s Fleet can reply with just a simple emoji or DM a full text message.
Amanda Sains is the head of marketing at Joolies Organic Medjool Dates in Venice,
CA. She was part of the brand launch at the trade show Natural Products Expo West
in 2019 with only packaging prototypes and a stand-out booth design. Now, about
a year and a half later this July, the brand is distributed nationally in over
1,500 doors with many different products including Dates and Date Syrups and flavors.
Join Amanda as she discusses brand management and her experiences in launching
a brand.
Karen Freberg: Tell us a little bit about your role and how did you get to become the head of marketing
for Joolies?
Amanda Sains: When I joined, it was the two founders, the CEO, and then myself. We had 500 acres
in the Coachella Valley, and we had a lot of dates, but we didn't have a logo or a package
yet. Together as a team, we created the brand that you see today. The name Joolies
came from our founder, David Kohl, and his family being date farmers. They just
wanted a really fun and cute way, to refer to as medjool dates, it's a little
bit of a mouthful, but Joolies is kind of a cute thing.
The holiday tradition of Black Friday shopping typically comes with crowded stores,
camping out in close quarters and a high-touch environment. In the face of COVID-19,
this holiday and shopping season will face challenges in logistics and marketing.
Here are some trends to watch for as we move towards the holidays.