Marketing

To Boost Sales, Think Like a Home Builder
May
17
2012
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To bag million-dollar sales, home builders depend on identifying personality types. There’s no reason why we can’t learn a thing or two from them. Here’s how they sell:

  • The detail hounds want to know every nugget about the home – from the brand of insulation to the caulking in the shower. They analyze every word you say and they’re not afraid to correct you if you slip up. So hit them with the minutia and expect them to take a while to make a decision.
  • The family types want to please everyone. They’re concerned with what their loved ones think, and they often change their minds based on others. Because they’re passive, they don’t respond well to pressure, so avoid the hard pitch. Be their friend and re-assure them about their purchase.
  • The bottom line types just want you to get to the point. They’re not concerned with the details or lengthy pitches. They make quick decisions and seem bullish because they’re impatient. So give them what they want: Reasons to buy and nothing more.
  • The flashy types wear expensive, brand-name clothes and love attention. They’re upbeat and care more about chat than business. Offer them praise, connect with their interests, and keep your pitch exciting and full of energy.

Remember, each person is a mix of at least two personality types. But once you pick up on the cues, focus on their traits and, hopefully, you’ll nab a sale.

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Marketing

Millennials Get a New Name. Who Cares?
May
15
2012
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You know them as millennials, or maybe Generation Y, or the Facebook Generation. But forget those names. Tech-crazed Americans aged 18-34 are now known as Generation C, according to the Nielsen Company.

The “C” stands for connected because millenials they’re hooked up to the latest technology more than any other generation. But, let’s be honest, the moniker doesn’t matter much. It’s how they consume media that has marketers salivating. Here are the facts from Nielsen:

  • They comprise 27 percent of all visitors to social-networking sites and blogs.
  • They own 33 percent of all tablets in the U.S.
  • The use 39 percent of all smartphones in America.

With that in mind, here’s a blog post on how to market to millennials, Generation C, or whatever you prefer.

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Social Media

How to Tame a Social Media Firestorm
May
10
2012
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These days, everyone from celebrities to big-name CEOs sets Twitter ablaze with personal meltdowns. So, what do you do if one of them is your client or disgruntled employee? It’s important to be prepared. Try these tips for handling a social-media crisis:

  • Assess the situation and respond accordingly. No two scenarios are alike, so gather the facts (like making sure the person is OK) and decide the best course of action. If your client Tweets a drunken rant, it’s probably best to delete the post and issue an apology. If your fired co-worker wages e-war, it might be best to post a public statement explaining the situation.
  • Educate your audience. If a disgruntled employee is falsely defaming your company, post a statement with the facts. But make sure you investigate and find out if there’s more to the story from the employee’s side.
  • Don’t engage in a public feud. The worst thing you can do is throw down the gauntlet and battle on Facebook or Twitter. Instead of disputing any claims, you’ll open your brand to a public spanking.
  • Time heals. Sometimes, the best remedy is to ride out the storm. Liz Vogel, Ideopia’s director of public relations, said, “Sometimes, just be happy you didn’t make it worse.” She’s right. You can’t always fix it, but you can control if you fuel or extinguish the flames.

As social media continues to grow in popularity, so will e-meltdowns. So be prepared. Looking for more defense? Check out our video on crisis management.

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Web Marketing

Too Much SEO? Google Nips Over-Optimized Sites.
May
8
2012
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Last February, Google released nearly 40 updates to its search service. Among minor ones, like improving and standardizing search images, is an entire set of changes that takes aim at over-optimized sites. This is huge because over zealous sites may lose rank, or get booted from the listings altogether.

Mathew Cutts, Google’s mouthpiece to the world, explained that this is an effort to diminish sites that game the system, and provide equal opportunities to sites with the most relevant content on any given search.

Warning Signs of Over Optimization

Even though your site has avoided black SEO tactics, check it for these signs of over optimization:

  1. Excessive number of links on a page, especially to the same URL. Count the links on navigational drop downs and your footer. The danger zone starts at more than 50.
  2. Overuse of keywords within copy, e.g. “Ideopia is an advertising agency, also known as an ad agency, that takes being an advertising agency very seriously.”
  3. Back links that lack relevance from suspicious domains.

Google is serious about finding the best content for users. And no matter where you are on the SPAM-SEO continuum, this is a good thing. Maybe now we can allocate more budget to create engaging content, and spend less on SEO.

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Agency Press

Ideopia Earns Healthcare Marketing Awards
May
3
2012
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Ideopia Wins Two Gold Aster Awards
Ranked Among the Top 5% of Healthcare Marketers Nationwide

Cincinnati, OH (May 3, 2012) — For the second year in a row, the Cincinnati-based creative branding agency Ideopia won honors for its healthcare advertising. The agency earned Gold Aster Awards in two categories: magazine advertising and mobile applications. The Gold Awards place Ideopia among the top 5% nationwide for advertising excellence, according to the Aster Award’s organization.

The winning magazine campaign on behalf of Reliance Medical Products leverages the company’s history of hand crafting its products in America. It calls on doctors to consider the U.S. economy when they make their purchasing decisions. Reliance has manufactured ophthalmic exam chairs and instrument stands in Ohio since 1898, sourcing most of the materials from vendors within 50-miles of its Mason, OH factory. Below the interactive portion of the campaign is also shown.

“Great advertising moves the meter,” said Ideopia’s Creative Director Bill Abramovitz. “Our marketing strategies for Reliance Medical have helped to fuel 21 consecutive years of double-digit growth for that organization.”

For New Jersey-based Topcon Medical Systems, a subsidiary of Mitsubishi, Ideopia created a mobile app that qualifies prospects by guiding them through five simple questions. It was designed for use during sales calls and at medical conferences, where the cost of staffing a booth has made it imperative for sales teams to use their time effectively. The Qualifier App works on iPads and is also available through Topcon’s website.

“The app works because it’s good for doctors and for Topcon,” explained Abramovitz. “It lets doctors determine for themselves whether Topcon’s Synergy software is the right next step for their practice. It avoids the relationship misstep of pushing a product to a practice that does not have the infrastructure to get the most benefit from it.”

A panel of judges chose Ideopia’s work from approximately 3,000 entries. Ads were evaluated based on creativity, layout and design, functionality, message effectiveness, production quality and overall appeal. Ideopia and its ads will be featured in the magazine Marketing Healthcare Today.

About Ideopia
Founded in 1992 Ideopia Advertising and Interactive is an advertising, public relations, web design and social media agency that believes in branding without boundaries. With headquarters in Cincinnati, Ideopia lives in the cloud at www.ideopia.com.

MEDIA CONTACT: Liz Vogel (office) 513-947-1444, ext. 18, (cell) 631-741-7700, email: lizv@ideopia.com

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