Local Media Buying

Local Online Marketing Works - Take it from Groupon

Friday, August 27, 2010 by Betsie Richardson

Being in the business of local advertising, we at Balihoo are often asked by our small business owner clients about how to utilize local internet marketing. They hear buzz that their customers are overwhelmingly adopting online media. But the internet appears to our business owners as, well, the world wide web - rather daunting, and they don't know where to start.

Our retail store owners in particular spent much of their local marketing efforts in the past few decades hanging coupons on doors and running inserts in the local newspaper. This method simply doesn't cut it in today's fragmented consumer marketplace.

Online advertising is a great way to market on a tight budget and reach a targeted demographic. Google Paid Search (pay-per-click) and SEO efforts should be top on any local business marketer's list. Then consider what your local media outlets offer on their online properties.

Groupon's online display campaign in the NYTimes.com illustrates a great example of local targeting through online news sites. Admittedly, I was reading an article about Snooki, but my shame aside, Groupon's ad on "Boise's Best / Up to 90% Off / Get Today's Special" caught my eye, and I found myself adding to their click through rate. The special today happens to be laser hair removal at a high end spa in Boise. Well targeted at me - a young female professional reading the Fashion & Style section of the NYTimes.com.

Groupon is averaging 500,000 new subscribers a week. After they ran an $11 million promo for Gap, they gained 750,000 subscribers (see Advertising Age's article).

What to learn from Groupon's online marketing:

Identify your target demographic and only buy top-rated pages against that audience
Keep your message concise and easy to read (the less words the better)
Focus the message on the call-to-action
Leverage the measurability of online advertising - track your results closely and optimize as you see upward/downward trends

Are you a franchise owner looking for guidance with local store marketing? Check out Balihoo's white paper.

Let Us Organize Your Skittles

Friday, August 20, 2010 by Paul Price

Imagine a big jar filled with Skittles. The Skittles are randomly distributed throughout the jar; a jumbled mishmash of red, green, yellow, purple and orange. The jar is on a machine that shakes it vigorously. Now, imagine that this shaking action is captured on a video and played in reverse.

There is no way that you can tell the video is being played in reverse. When the video is played backward, the candies bounce just as they would when played forward. You have no way to know if the video is playing forward or in reverse.

Now, record a new video in your mind. This time, start with a jar where the Skittles are arranged in colored layers. Moving from the bottom to the top, you have red, green, yellow, purple and finally a orange layer. As the machine shakes the jar, the candies bounce and collide until they are again randomly distributed.

In this video, you can easily distinguish a forward playing recording from one that plays in reverse. This experiment illustrates the effect of entropy known as the arrow of time. The basic principle of this model is that without the help of an external exertion of energy, a system tends to become less ordered over time. Interestingly, this is the only physical property that seems to define the flow of time from past to future.

I got to thinking about this principle as I was mowing, weeding and maintaining my yard yesterday afternoon. Everything in life follows this principle: yards, cars, homes, computer systems, roads and even business strategies including your local advertising strategy. It will slowly fall apart and become less effective over time if you don't continually test, measure and refine it. For example, if local internet marketing was not a part of your strategy a few years ago, it may not have hurt your sales. But, today, if you aren't investing in local internet marketing, then you are almost certainly losing opportunities.

Even if you are executing a successful local pay-per-click campaign today, it is almost guaranteed to be less successful in the future if you don't continually test, measure and refine your approach. The same goes for all other mediums, strategies, tactics and local marketing ideas. You have to stay up-to-date on the new tools and techniques or your competitors who do keep up will leave you behind.

As a national brand, local affiliate, reseller or independent small business owner, you have a lot to worry about, and probably don't have time to get into the nuts and bolts of fighting local advertising entropy. That is where Balihoo comes in. We do that work for you; from ad builder software to email campaign automation, microsites and local media buying. Click here to take a look at some of our whitepapers and case studies. If you are a franchisee or product reseller, then direct your national brands to Balihoo, so that we can help them and you to get your skittles (aka: local store marketing strategy) to look more like this:

Dental Implants - How Much is Quality of Life Worth to You?

Monday, August 16, 2010 by Betsie Richardson

Working on the local consumer advertising side of the dental implant industry, I understand the barrier of finding financially qualified leads. This procedure is still young, and consumers are simply uneducated on the cost parameters. Once they see the high out-of-pocket cost, they have to ask themselves how much they would pay to smile proudly again, eat apples and steak, speak confidently, and eliminate the stigma of dentures going in the sock drawer at night. What is the price tag on quality of life?

The New York Times posted a good article on this topic on July 29 - read it here.

As Lesley Alderman writes in this story, insurance typically only covers up to $1,500. When a single implant procedure runs $3,000 minimum and full-arch implants start at $20,000, you can imagine the sticker shock experience for a consumer who just wants to eat steak again.

Based on our experience, the best prospect-to-patient conversion rates in dental implant marketing happen as a result of public education seminars and our local media buying experts have given clients great results by recommending advertising in newspapers. It turns out to be a key medium for the target of this specific marketing campaign with these demographics (female in house, 55+, household income of $75,000+).

We worked with a dental implant center in Boise that ran their third public education seminar last night. They had 21 attendees, of whom 17 had missing teeth (the other 4 were supportive spouses). Not bad for two hours of the surgeons' evening! These were These attendees scheduled personal consultations on the spot, and when they walk into their appointments, they will have a solid understanding of the benefits and costs of available procedures.

If you are interested to learn how Balihoo's dental marketing arm can provide local marketing ideas to benefit your business, contact us: www.dentalmarketing.balihoo.com.

The ABCs to Know Your Audience

Friday, August 13, 2010 by Tiffany Schrenk

Recently, I have had multiple, similar conversations with Balihoo clients about the importance of identifying target consumers..

Establishing a target audience is one of the most important aspects of a successful local marketing campaign. Without this, advertisers cannot accurately identify likes, dislikes, and habits of potential consumers which are critical to the success of the overall integrated strategy and marketing plan across multiple mediums.

Unfortunately, more often than not, those who manage local advertising make a mistake assuming that their target audience consists of individuals just like them. As a case in point—based on a recent situation I had to correct—most females older than 35 are not listening to sports radio during their morning commute.

In general, this ABC approach provides a good starting point for identifying target audiences. It is a simple model with some good succinct advice and is a great exercise for local advertisers developing a local marketing strategy.

A - Audience - Define the characteristics of your target audience. You can't serve everyone and so you must weigh specific characterizations with generalities. You are often better to lean toward specifics.
B - Behavior - What actions do you want that target audience to take now and over time.
C - Conversion - How will you turn that prospect into a customer. Consider the paths from their position to your product and leverage people, processes technology to influence your target to become a customer.

Common sense should be your measuring stick in all local advertising and local media buying practices.

Beersbee: Power Tools and Local Marketing

Friday, August 6, 2010 by Chuck Mitten

At our company campout last weekend, I was introduced to a great new game called Beersbee. It's a combination drinking/skill game that's pretty simple, and a ton of fun. IMO, it's a great addition to any backyard barbeque.

Inspired, I was walking through Lowe's the other day in search of some PVC pipe to build my own Beersbee kit, and I just couldn't resist the pull of the power tools section. You don't really need power tools to make a Beersbee kit. I just dig tools (pun intended). They help you do stuff. And when you have exactly the right tool for a job, it's an awesome thing. The right tool makes you powerful. Smart. Efficient. Productive. Confident. You get the job done quickly, and done right.

I was in the process of admiring a table saw that I know I can't fit in my garage when I realized: Balihoo really provides power tools for local marketing automation. And a lot of the brand builders that I talk to on a daily basis are closer to hacking things out of stone (from a marketing perspective) than they are to using power tools.

The cool thing is that when they see how easy Balihoo makes ad building (across all media types), co-op management and local media buying and marketing execution, they get that same feeling I quietly enjoy at my local hardware store: Zen. Appreciation of the artful match of purpose and capability.

Balihoo: Top quality power tools for Brand Builders. Give me a call, post a comment or drop me a line. I'd love the opportunity to show them to you.

And if you want to know what it means to trust your power tools, check out this amazing video.

Transforming Granite

Monday, August 2, 2010 by Matt Borud

Last Saturday, Balihoo had the pleasure of presenting at the Granite Transformations annual franchise convention in New Orleans. Now this was a significant occasion for several reasons beyond franchise marketing - namely it being my first time in the Big Easy. After the celebration of Balihoo's arrival subsided, it was time to get down to business and talk local store marketing with some eager and engaged franchisees.

The marketing team at Granite Transformation has taken an active and aggressive approach to solving issues that countless franchise organizations face. How can a national marketing team better support local franchisees? Is your brand's creative material compelling and effective - does it help sell your product? How can your marketing team manage seemingly limitless local customizations for hundreds of franchisees across the country? How can you ensure your franchisees are using brand approved advertising material in their local advertising efforts, and how can you track and report on the results? How can your franchisees leverage Facebook, Twitter, local PR, SEO, blogs and YouTube? This list goes on and on - and frankly it requires much more than sophisticated ad builder software or someone to manage your local media buying. It requires a team of dedicated marketing experts each specializing in key challenge areas your franchisees face.

Kudos to Carl, the Granite Transformations FAC, and the rest of their marketing team for building a strong network of marketing and advertising experts for their franchisees to leverage. From PR to creative agency, online and social media marketing to franchise marketing software - Granite Transformation has covered their bases and giving their franchisees the tools necessary to thrive in a competitive and challenging market. There are certainly more hurdles to overcome, but the question becomes, whether you're a marketing executive, a franchisee looking for local marketing help, or a prospective franchisee checking out different opportunities - is your organization bold enough to take the steps Granite Transformations has taken to ensure they're franchisees have the most innovative local store marketing tools in the industry? If the answer to that question is 'no' - it may be time to reevaluate your franchise marketing strategies and talk with Balihoo about what we can do for your organization's marketing effort. Because at the end of the day, you're competing with Granite Transformations, whether for home improvement business, the consumer's limited budget and mindshare or your next well-qualified potential franchisees - and they just retooled like the Miami Heat.

From all of us at Balihoo, we're very excited to kick off our relationship with the Granite Transformations team next week. Thank you for your hospitality last weekend and the opportunity to partner - we're looking forward to a successful relationship!

New Advertising Services - We're Listening

Friday, July 30, 2010 by Betsie Richardson

When Nobel Biocare asked Balihoo to partner with them to provide local consumer advertising for their dental implant clinician clients, we jumped at the opportunity. We initially rolled out a subscription service that provides clinicians with a soup-to-nuts advertising campaign. We are excited to announce that we have added two new subscriptions to our service offerings. We have our clients to thank for communicating what they want, and we listened!

In the initial "Platinum" Subscription, we start by diving into the market to develop a cross-medium annual strategy with budget allocation, detailed tactics and demographic research. The service also includes a suite of creative material that includes TV, radio, print, direct mail, online, internet paid search - the full gamut. We load this material into our proprietary co-op marketing software where clinicians can customize it to their brand and objectives. Finally, we perform local media buying and post-buy analysis.

Having consulted with hundreds of dental implant clinicians over the past year, we have learned a lot about what they want in an advertising campaign. Importantly, we learned many clinicians are not ready to dive into a mass media advertising campaign, the cost barrier aside. They are simply not ready to see their name on TV or a billboard. This puts them in a defensive position with their GP referral base that they may not be ready to manage. They are, however, very comfortable with Internet marketing and hosting free patient education seminars through their local newspaper.

These learnings combined, we came up with the Gold and Silver Subscriptions.

Gold includes:

Print (newspaper & direct mail)
Online (Google AdWords bidding & E-mail)
Microsite (w/customizable offers that update immediately)
Media Buying
Account Management

Silver includes:

Online (Google AdWords bidding & E-mail)
Microsite (w/customizable offers that update immediately)

The Gold subscription includes material focused on marketing patient education seminars. Silver will eventually include microsites that market dental services other than implants (i.e. wisdom teeth, veneers, crowns and bridges, etc.) We will continue to deliver services as our clients ask for them and always welcome new ideas!
Are you a Nobel Biocare customer? Are you interested in local marketing ideas to grow your dental implant business? Go to www.dentalmarketing.balihoo.com to learn more or download our whitepaper here.

The Local Marketing Puzzle

Friday, July 30, 2010 by Paul Price

Are you a local advertiser who is trying to figure out the most efficient way to drum up more business? A few years ago when asked about local marketing, a small business owner may have expressed the kind of frustration this cat is feeling:

It was kind of hard and frustrating, especially with no opposable thumbs. And, as in the case of a color blind cat, it was difficult to really understand the effectiveness and results of your efforts. That was then. Now local store marketing is something a little more akin to this:

You'd think that it would be getting easier, right? I can reach out to individual consumers with all this new whiz-bang technology, right? But with all of the fragmentation of publishers, and new complexity that sits between them and the advertiser it can be a pretty daunting task to just understand the landscape, let alone achieve tangible results. We're talking about agencies, ad servers, media buying platforms, creative optimization, analytics, data suppliers and aggregation, data optimizers, ad exchanges, ad networks, performance analysis, print ad builders, yield optimization, social tools, publisher tools, etc. How do you make sense of all of these puzzle pieces and get them to work together seamlessly?

At the end of the day you simply want more people to spend more money in your store. It would be really nice if it were handed to you like this:

Ok, nobody is going to hand you a completely solved marketing solution. Every business and market is different, there is no perfect one-size-fits-all solution. But the tools and expertise to help you get there are available. Check out our white papers and cases studies to see how Balihoo, the premier provider of local marketing software and services, can help you solve your local marketing puzzle so that you can spend more time chasing mice and playing with balls of yarn. Oops, I got my analogy a little mixed up.

Marketing Software Tools Continue to Impress PART DEUX: Chasing Your Consumer

Monday, June 28, 2010 by Alex Fascilla

I'm exasperated as I reach the top of the 4th floor stairwell and jump-kick the steel bar that stretches across the fire door, gaining entry to a long hall. I'm sprinting now, the noise coming from the pounding of my feet hitting the end of the hall and bouncing back at the speed of sound, echoing throughout. I take a sharp left down an adjacent hall, immediately noticing a large window at the other end, stretching to the floor. "Should I Die Hard-it and dive through the double-pane glass, hoping to land atop the building below? Or do I Master-Key-Guy-Off-The-Matrix 2-it and duck into any one of the rooms I'm passing now at a rate of two per second, instantly launching me to a new corner of the earth?"

Neither, see, because I'm only figuratively escaping the pursuer. I know, boring.

In all actuality, last week, while scanning Eastbay for footwear that's a little less enclosed (flops) than what I've currently got, I 'picked up a tail' as they say in every cop movie ever made. Spending approximately three minutes looking at a particularly interesting pair was my first mistake. Unfortunately, this totally harmless activity gave the re-marketing 'parasite' enough time to 'latch on'. I know this because for the next three days a good 80% of the websites I visited featured multiple Eastbay ads--and not just any old banner ad, but a banner ad featuring the exact shoe I was looking at! Perhaps the most remarkable thing, however, was that this was on everything from big sites like MSN.com, all the way to little local news sites like KATV.com.

As I blogged in early March via an article in MediaBuyerPlanner, this re-marketing technology enables retailers to serve future ads on other sites to try enticing buyers that browsed but didn't buy into returning to remind them what they've left behind. The article pointed to how underutilized this marketing software tool really is. Well, I'm here to tell you, while parasitic, this technology is both ingenious, effective, and quickly becoming less than underutilized. How do I know they're effective? Well, allow me to finish the story...

...Being old-fashioned concerning chase scenes, I quickly choose the former, ripping my jacket off as I sprint and swinging it around my body to cover my torso and head as I punch through the curiously easy-to-shatter window. The jacket floats down into the alley below as I miss my landing, hitting the edge of the building's top, dangling with both arms fully extended, fingers curled around the lip of the stone that caps the building's waist-high wall. Kicking my feet against the edge of the building, I pull myself up and over onto roof and collapse with a grunt. I look up to realize I'm surrounded by goons. With guns. Caught.

That's right, I know re-marketing is effective because what really happened is I clicked on the damn banner ad the third day and bought the damn shoes hook-line-and-sinker. [To get the ads to go away? or because I wanted them? Hmmm...]

Nice work, Eastbay--retail marketing at its best. I can't wait for others to adopt this technology. I'm sure they can't either!

For more information on cool marketing software tools, download Balihoo's whitepaper here.

Facebook and Ford Explore(r) New Product Launch Marketing Tactics

Friday, June 11, 2010 by Alex Fascilla

If you've been alive the past two months (which, you have, if you're reading this--also, if you've only been alive two months but you're reading this, congratulations, you're the smartest baby in the world) I guarantee you've seen at least one ad in Kia's New Sorento campaign--the damn thing spans magazines, television, social media, online, and includes a "The Official Mid-Size Sport Utility Vehicle of the NBA" sponsorship--even as sponsorships continue to become more ridiculous in their specificity like, "ULINE: The Official Contractor-Grade Staple Gun of the WNBA". Seriously, how many other staple gun manufacturers were clamoring for that distinction? [Answer: they weren't, I made that up.]

As far as the social media component of the (I'm assuming) successful--and I forgot to add earlier, giant-toy-themed--Sorento campaign is concerned, Kia has a Sorento-specific Facebook Fan Page (of which, as a Sorento owner myself, I am a fan... alright, who cares if I own the '04 model? I can still like the new one--especially its gas mileage, which infuriated me when it was first posted: 26 mpg. My '04 seriously gets fifteen. Fifteen. Miles. Per. Gallon. 15 MPG! I didn't realize when I bought it that it came with an invisible 22-foot trailer) as well as a Sorento-specific Tweets via Kia's Twitter feed. These two mediums are great, but I first discovered the new Kia via TV and later Wired Magazine. It wasn't until I saw these and then the Facebook page that I became a Fan.

So how effective would their product launch marketing have been if Kia had decided to forgo the traditional mediums--and even *GASP!*, a major car show like the Detroit Auto Show--and rely solely on the Facebook marketing? You'd think not as much. Who would ever gamble on that kind of strategy, though? Interestingly enough, our own Ford Motor Company. As Marketing VOX recently reported, Ford plans to roll out the new Explorer--yeah, you know, like the most famous SUV of all time--on just Facebook alone.

That's correct, one of America's largest and most storied corporations--a pillar in our nation's industry--is fully embracing the power of social media to market one of their flagship products. Many (presumably, large traditional media-buying agencies) are questioning the decision, especially considering Ford isn't even going to announce the new Explorer at any auto shows. If you ask me, this is exactly why Ford is head-and-shoulders above GM and Chrysler (who?) in the domestic car-manufacturing race:

They're religious about collecting customer feedback, they experiment with alternative mediums (see: Fiesta Movement), they embrace unique designs and, in doing so, they connect with buyers, especially younger ones, on many levels. And it's those younger buyers that will be the key to their continued success. Ford should be lauded for this new Facebook strategy. Why? You mean besides the fact that they're a [serious] multi-billion-dollar corporation not afraid to take risks on unproven social media retail marketing tactics? Because it will probably work for them. And if it works for them (Ford of all companies!), expect others to follow suit.

{Insert clever conclusion here}

For more information on product launch marketing and other marketing methods, please download our Local Franchise Marketing Playbook here.

There's More To Local Than Yellow Pages

Friday, June 11, 2010 by Ian Mundorff

How'd you find my blog? Did you let your fingers do the walking?

My guess is that you fell back on that little box in the upper right hand corner of your browser and let Google or the like tell you where to go. And while we in the Balihoo Media Buying Team don't encourage the 'focus group of one' mentality, you're right this time around.

Sure, the local advertising landscape is considerably more complicated than just Google, with the local shopper going through about 8 different resources to find their best local shop. Still, Search Engines have eclipsed the traditional print Yellow Pages.

A recent report finds that while the Yellow Page book can still be found in 84% of homes, only 28% report using it as their primary source for local business information, down from 33% in 2007. Meanwhile, Search--both standard Search Engines and Local Search Sites like Google Maps--is the primary source for local business information for 40% of the population. The rest of that pie is sliced up almost entirely by other online tools. Aside from being the first choice for local shoppers, Search Engines are also used more than 1x a week by 71% of users. Compare that to Yellow Pages rate of just 40%.

There's a lot to the data, and in many cases Yellow Pages can still complement a local media plan. However, if your marketing strategy consists of renewing your Yellow Pages ad, it's time to reevaluate your options.

If you're ready to take it up a notch and you're one of our beloved co-op or franchise marketing partners, check out how Balihoo can help with your local media planning. If you're still looking for a Local Marketing Automation solution, make sure to check out our demo. If you're not sure if you're ready, you might want to try that box in the upper right corner of your browser.

Identifying What Your Local Customers Wants: 4 Needs and Desires to Consider

Wednesday, June 2, 2010 by Marcie Blagden-Ellison

Question #1 of the day: "Why do customers buy the product or service you provide?
Question #2 of the day: "Why do your customers buy it from you?"

Chances are your answer is something along the lines of: because they want what I offer. Which is fair enough...But why do they want it - and why do they want it from you?

As a product manufacturer with local store marketing needs or a franchisee with local advertising needs, if you want to to increase sales and grow your business, you have to get to know what makes your local customers' tick. What do they want and need? And ultimately, what makes them make that final purchase decision?

While developing or reviewing your local advertising strategy, consider these four kinds of needs and desires that drive customers to buy:

1. True, Immediate Need (Often Basic): These are short-term needs that are realized suddenly and typically acted upon quickly. Typically, this need/desire requires very little comparison shopping. Ex: "It's 2:15 PM and I am starving!"

TIP: If your typical customer is like this, you should advertise very frequently (to ensure that your brand is top-of-mind when the moment arises) and consistently emphasize your rapid service, low prices and convenience.

2. True, Longstanding Need: These needs are real "needs" that are usually more costly and merit cost comparison. Ex: "My car is constantly in the shop, I needs to be replaced before it totally gives up!"

TIP: If your typical customer is like this, you should advertise frequently, stay in touch with previous customers (referrals are often the best form of advertising), check to ensure that your store/products/services have been positively reviewed on local website review sites.

3. Perceived Need/Desire: These are desires that people crave for various reasons. While not a true need, these desires/wants are often perceived by the person as a "need". Ex: "I need a whiter smile before my blind date next week."

TIP: If your typical customer is like this, make sure you emphasize the enhanced personal status or benefits that your product/service can offer customers with these desires. Including testimonials, specific clients or before/after depictions will help to emphasize your company or product's quality and merit.

4. Unrecognized Need/Desire: These are desires that aren't immediately recognized. These needs are very common in the technology industry but also in fashion, beauty, home goods, automotive, etc. (Ex:, no one would have thought twenty years ago that they would one day "need" a 5 ounce, 4" x 2.5" device that allows them to carry +20,000 songs anywhere (oh, how I love and need you little iPod!).

TIP: If your typical customer is like this, emphasize the innovative and cutting-edge nature of both your company and products and make sure you explain both the actual benefit(s) of the product, as well as the 'ahead of the game" image owning it would present to others.

The above noted needs and desires likely look like they fall into categories based on product (opposed to the actual consumer) but if you really consider each, each (with the exception of 'True, Immediate Need' can be applied to just about any product depending on their target audience and the manner in which they make purchasing decisions.

Takeaway Law: Know thy customer and tailor your local marketing and media efforts for them.

(Creepy Photo Time!)

Brand Affinity Technologies = Celebrity Trafficking + Local Store Marketing... Huh?

Friday, May 28, 2010 by Alex Fascilla

Hey folks, let's kick this off real quick and review our old standbys when it comes to advertising approaches/appeals (Caps indicates yelling):

    * BANDWAGON APPROACH
    * HUMOR APPROACH
    * SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE APPROACH
    * TESTIMONIAL (Hint: this is the one this blog is about!)
    * GLITTERING GENERALITIES APPROACH
    * SNOB APPEAL
    * APPROACH APPROACH

That last one was included to make sure you are paying attention. There is no such thing as an 'approach approach'. [Seriously, I just typed that word so many times it looks weird to me now.] Anyway, that may not be the most comprehensive list of appeals used when advertising but we're only going to focus on one; one that I'm sure is in the list... I think.

As Wired Magazine and the New York Times recently reported, garnering celebrity endorsements (and more specifically, professional athlete endorsements) for TESTIMONIALS is about to become quite the turn-key affair. A company called Brand Affinity Technologies has created an online marketplace that connects local advertisers and what Brand Affinity might call a 'regional celebrity' for use in local marketing and media creative.

So, while you may not be the fanatical Vikings fan that I am (which I find incomprehensible) and thus probably do not know their starting Center is John Sullivan, those in Minneapolis that see him in a Burger Jones ad are going to recognize him and subesequently take him up on his recommendation to "come on down and take the Sully Burger challenege!" Burger Jones is banking on that fact, anyway. As well as the fact that out-eating their favorite center in the National football League is something all Minneapolins (Minneapeeps?) aspire to do.

Garnering celebrity endorsements is something that's traditionally been very difficult. Time, expense, lengthly contracts, and just tracking down the damn celebrity, have all hobbled the process. With Brand Affinity promising to rid the ordeal of long-term contracts and reduce negotiation times to no more than 96 hours, most of those pain points are removed and a platform that makes creating celebrity testimonials more simple emerges!

So... with their catering to local/regional marketers, wouldn't it just go over like gangbusters if Balihoo and Brand Affinity Technologies teamed up and a BAT component was integrated into our ad builder software? Now that's a top-to-bottom marketing software tool! Imagine this, my local marketing audience: Balihoo creates your brand, plans and buys your media, produces and builds your BAT-supplied, celebrity-infused ads, and then follows up with constant campaign optimization... AND it all takes place within one easy-to-use platform? DONE. Nailed it.

And hey, as I'm leagally obligated to say, even without the Brand Affinity Technology component, our software can do incredible things. Check it out! In the meantime, however, I suggest you incorporate more of the bandwagon approach into your ads. Why? C'mon! Because everyone else is!

Stuff Marketing People Like

Friday, May 21, 2010 by Megan Heath

We're a pretty low-key group of folks here at Balihoo, and there's little in the day-to-day that causes contention. Among the would-be controversial elements in the office is my quasi-inflammatory desk calendar: Stuff White People Like.

If you haven't read this blog, you're missing out. If you think the content is more inappropriate than funny, you might consider lightening up. But I digress.

Inspired by my environment and a daily dose of SWPL, I've compiled the first unofficial list of Stuff Marketing People Like.

Jargon: If you hear someone at a party trying desperately to work the words "mechanicals," "reach and frequency," or "channel marketing" into a conversation, you can be confident that they're with an agency. If you hear them say "co-op marketing solution," "ad builder software," or "local marketing readiness," they're with Balihoo.

PowerPoint: With gifted designers and creative producers at their disposal, you'd expect marketing pros to have a better presentation format than PowerPoint. Check those expectations - we love us some branded slide decks.

Ridiculous Competitions: Mustache May... enough said.

Having Better Clients Than You: We're really blessed to work with innovative brands like Kohler, Specialized, and Chevron. That's not name dropping; I really mean it.

Being a Mac or a PC: It's not just about picking sides and talking trash. It's about having an identity: you're either a smart, efficient Account Manager or an edgy, nonchalant Creative Designer. The rest of the agency is slightly irrelevant, but encouraged to join the debate none the less.

Adult Beverages: Beer isn't just a drink, it's an attitude. We have plenty of both.

Big Budgets: You have a million dollars and an ambiguous goal? Please join me in front of my PC for a PowerPoint presentation on how I can triple your reach & frequency. Can I get you a beer?

Small Budgets: Big budgets are for kids and execs. A hardcore marketer loves a small budget, an awkward, disjointed market, and an impossible deadline. This is where heroes and ulcers are made.

Seeing Their Own Work: Back in my media buying days, I got a real kick out of seeing and hearing my clients' ads. And if you think that box under my desk is full of old betas and newspapers, well, you're right. Just dying to see some old dental commercials and smoothie ads? I thought you might be.

Logos: It's not vanity. But the metal is just shiny enough to see your own reflection among the many, many client icons.

When Trying Harder Stops Working

Monday, May 10, 2010 by Kallen Hayes

I read a blog by Seth Godin a few months ago titled ‘Try Different’. In the three brief paragraphs of the blog, he brought up a great point, and one that I’ve been mulling over ever since. Seth’s idea was that trying harder is tough to do when you’re already trying as hard as you can. He said that sometimes, all you need to do is try different.

The more I thought about his suggestion, the more I realized that many times in my life my efforts to try harder had only caused me to sink deeper into the same rut I’d been following for too long. If you're trying harder to do the same thing, and it’s not working, it’s likely you need to make some sweeping changes to your game plan, not just improvements to the same one. A quote that was given to me by a coach a long time ago follows this same school of thought, ‘If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got’.

I’ve spoken with a number of franchise owners that have done the same kind of advertising for twenty years. It’s a very frightening moment for them when they suddenly realize their ‘tried and true’ advertising approach has stopped working. While I hate to see it get to this point, I’ve also learned that sometimes it takes utter failure on behalf of an advertising medium for a business owner to realize a change in their advertising plan is imperative to the success of their business.

One thing I love about Balihoo’s channel marketing software is how it makes it really easy for small business owners to try something different. Planning and executing advertising in today’s vast market of media vehicles can be extremely daunting. It’s hard to know if a strategy is the best one for a company, audience, and media market.

Of course, Balihoo will always recommend a comprehensive and professionally-developed integrated marketing plan, but if that isn’t feasible for a small business owner, it’s great to have a resource like our platform from which someone can customize and place a media buy with a few easy clicks. Our online software makes it easy to test all the traditional media outlets, and it even simplifies the process of experimenting with the new wave of social marketing.

Trying harder, if you’re already trying as hard as you can in a given direction, isn’t going to turn you in right direction. You have to try something different. And while that’s not always an easy task to accomplish, there are no excuses if you’re a Balihoo client looking for a new route to take with your local store marketing. You’ve got a whole team of advertising experts just a few clicks away, who are dedicated to helping business owners just like you try something different and exceed.

A blog about blogging dentists...

Monday, May 3, 2010 by Matt Borud

When most people outside of the tech sector, Gen Y or Millennials think of a blogger, the unfortunate image of a socially awkward Dungeons and Dragons aficionado planted in front of a computer screen with little more than Mountain Dew and Doritos as sustenance is the first thing to come to mind. However in recent years as "New Media" has taken greater hold and many blogs have gone from a journal-like hobby to a legitimate source for breaking news and ultimately revenue generation, the blogger has also become more mainstream and, dare I say, even cool.

At Balihoo, we help businesses better connect with local audiences through more relevant local advertising and marketing ideas. One of our finest clients, as a colleague so eloquently described last week, is Nobel Biocare and their network of dental healthcare providers. Nobel wanted to partner with Balihoo for our stable of marketing software tools and local advertising experience. One question that often comes up when speaking with Nobel practices is "how can my practice better leverage social media and local internet marketing?" Certainly a Facebook page and a Twitter account is a good (and free) place to start but as I've been paying more and more attention to the dental industry, and more specifically the dental implant community, it's becoming clearer and clearer that a practice blog is more imperative than ever.

One of the biggest challenges we run into when developing a local advertising and media buying strategy for a dental specialist is how do we effectively educate the consumer about dental implants and the accompanying procedures. The short answer is it's difficult to do in a 30-second TV spot, radio ad, billboard, or direct mailer. However, an up to date and relevant blog can provide those answers, unique to each practice, in one easy to access forum.

A dental blog gives your practice an opportunity to speak directly to the consumer in a controlled environment and tell them what's unique about your practice, your procedures, and overall experience. A quality and informative blog will ideally drive more traffic to your door by answering qualified consumers questions and spurring them to come in and meet with you.

There are a lot of questions surrounding a dental implant procedure. How much does it cost? Will my insurance cover it? What's the process like? Is it painful? Just as you would take great care to answer these questions with a patient in the chair, your blog will give you the same opportunity to speak to all those consumers looking to learn more before spending time on a consultation in your office. I suggest posting something relevant once a week. Be creative and involve everyone in the practice. Blog about changes or improvements to your office, interesting new procedures, successful patient experiences along with the more standard general information like insurance, FAQ's or procedural expectations.

Local marketing and advertising is all about connecting with nearby consumers in a unique and individualized fashion. It's about relating to their interests, communicating that you care about what's important to them, and treating each relationship with importance of the one-on-one interaction that it is. When looking for new and better local internet marketing ideas, a blog is a great way to make that connection and provide local consumers with the information they need to make an educated decision.

AdMongo - Teaching Tweens about Advertising and Marketing

Tuesday, April 27, 2010 by Marcie Blagden-Ellison

The FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection has developed a program to help tweens (4th through 6th grade) better understand marketing. The idea is that if they understand how advertising works, they can make better, more informed choices when they shop or when they ask their parents to buy specific brand items. The program is built around a website called Admongo that offers tween users an "ad-ucation" via a game that uses mock products that resemble others they might find in the real world.

“Advertising is all around you,” the homepage states and encourages youngsters to always ask three questions: “Who is responsible for the ad? What is the ad actually saying? What does the ad want me to do?”

C. Lee Peeler, president and chief executive of the National Advertising Review Council, explained to the New York Times that the bureau’s effort will “teach kids how to swim in the ocean of advertising,” and yet takes “a straightforward approach that does not go a step further and demonize advertising.”

The belief that youngsters ought to be given additional tools to assist them in deciphering sales pitches has gained support as local advertising, retail marketing and franchise marketing have ramped up their use of internet marketing, and in particular, social media.

It seems to me that by in large, children, tweens and teens are far more aware of advertising today then I was when I was their age. As media consumption has skyrocketed (across all demographics) I think further education regarding advertising can only be beneficial - and not just to our youth but to national brands and franchise marketing professionals. Kids are changing and so should the advertisements and messages that are tailored for them.

Do People Really Pay Attention to Brand/Product Referrals from Facebook Friends?

Tuesday, April 20, 2010 by Marcie Blagden-Ellison

At a quick glance, there are currently about 5 or 6 brands noted on my 'Top News' facebook page. For anyone not familiar with facebook (**crickets**?) the 'Top News' page is populated based upon the total number of comments or 'Likes' a relatively new post or update receives. The more comments or 'Likes' received, the more likely a person's "story" will land on their friends 'Top News' pages.

What is interesting about the brands that have managed to make it on my 'Top News' page is that they've all managed to get there by eliciting at least a little bit of discussion or 'Likes' from people, my "FRIENDS", who simply chose to "Like" or comment on the brand (or brand mentioning) in passing.

So when I saw this eMarketer graph and read its accompanying article I was curious as to whether I had subconsciously purchased anything based upon a facebook comment....

A glance around my kitchen, through my pantry, and up and down my closest left me a little surprised (and slightly annoyed - turns out I am easily led!?!). What (or perhaps whom) had inspired me to try buy a new brand of jeans, select The Help for my book club, try West Cape Howe shiraz, seek out Coconut M&M's (Walgreens carries them - thanks Kate!)....You guessed it - Facebook. And what's even more interesting to me - I only immediately knew who mentioned two of the products above...it took me a few seconds to remember the other friend/referrers. What resonated was apparently just having someone, even if I hadn't spoken/seen that "someone" since my high school graduation, caused me to consider (and then purchase) their mentioned brand, store or product.

For local marketers unsure of social media's impact, know this - your brand or company has more than likely been discussed online - perhaps it (or you - gasp) are being discussed right now. Make sure that you don't overlook social media while determining your local internet marketing strategy. Today, social media is so widespread, that not including it in your local store marketing playbook is simply foolish - especially with the increasing body of research validating it's power to boost brand awareness and generate sales.

The Bentley of Ad Builder Software

Monday, April 19, 2010 by Caroline Moore

I recently had a client tell me that we have the Bentley of Ad Builder software and offer it at Volvo pricing. I thought, "How nice to be regarded as such a great value." I began to think about what made our Balihoo Solution fit this analogy. Is it the world class print ad builder itself or is the pieces of the solution that surround it? Is it the focus on local marketing automation or the co-op marketing solution that make it great? Does the local media buying bring more value to the client or is it the one-stop-shop platform with over 17 integrated media vehicles that really meets the client's needs?

I eventually arrived at a conclusion. It is all of the

pieces of the Balihoo Solution that make it great. Though we may not have the heritage of Bentley as of yet, we share two pivotal characteristics that drive our brands. Passion and dedication. We both embrace modern technology while ensuring commitment to ambitions of quality and engineering. Many different elements are combined to produce strength of function and performance in a product that upholds that standard. Every day an entire team focuses to build on that brand and product to make it better. Trying to be both revolutionary and evolutionary in a time when value is important and your commitment to the valued customer is even more important. If we can continue to deliver a quality product that meets and exceeds clients' needs, we will be successful for a long time.

Co-op Advertising Issue #5 - Administrative Burden

Thursday, April 15, 2010 by Shane Vaughan

As mentioned in a previous post, I'm currently writing a whitepaper about reseller adoption of co-op advertising programs. I've identified the key underlying problems with this issue, and this series of posts will dive into each of the issues a little deeper to understand what they are and how to fix them.

Co-op Advertising Issue #5 - Administrative Burden

Explanation:

The single-most quoted reason for not participating in manufacturer co-op advertising programs is the administrative burden placed on the reseller. Additionally, programs that are administrative-heavy for the resellers also carry a significant burden to the vendor – resulting in high workforce or outsourced costs.

Fixing the Problem:

Offer your resellers a complete end-to-end web-based solution that incorporates creative and media planning and buying. Under this model you’re able to incorporate “instant” discounts on the activities which can nearly eliminate payment delays and automate proof-of-performance reporting for both parties
Be overly-transparent with your approval and claim processes so partners know exactly what to expect.
Provide and promote online and live help options. Offer webinars to train resellers on using the platform and to share best practices and guidance on how to be most effective with their local marketing efforts.

Results:

By removing the administrative burden and automating everything possible, you’ll not only remove the single most important limiting aspect of your program, but you’ll also remove significant cost out of the equation for both you and your partners.

As I finish up the whitepaper, I'll continue to post my thoughts, so stay tuned.

In the meantime, check out our other co-op advertising whitepaper: How to Build a GREAT Co-op Marketing Program.