Have you ever found yourself wishing that your print ad could reach out, grab your customers and reel them in… literally?

In traditional marketing campaigns, such as print, outdoor, radio, and TV, the ability to gauge and track customer response has been limited.  These campaigns have primarily been one-way marketing tools, and even though including website URLs and phone numbers help to create a call to action, marketers are still often left feeling uncertain about the results and without a direct connection to potential customers.

With the rise of the mobile phone (91% of the U.S. population are using mobile phones), these traditional marketing tools can now be turned into lead generating opportunities.

Text coupons allow a marketer to reach a potential customer directly, on their mobile phone, and at their request.

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Can you recall the number of billboards you drove past today on your way to work?  How many times you were encouraged to buy a product or service while listening to your favorite radio station?

Consumers are exposed to hundreds of ads and marketing messages every day.  And with this ever increasing exposure there is a greater likelihood that they won’t pay much attention to any of them.

It’s more important than ever to find innovative ways of getting inside the minds of your customers and making your message stick.

One way to do this is by offering an element of surprise.  Things that are new or unexpected create surprise because they are different and require further investigation.  People are automatically conditioned to react to things that are surprising because we have to quickly decide how to respond.

I love this video of an experiment called The Fun Theory, sponsored by Volkswagen Sweden, because it clearly demonstrates how the power of a new and unexpected concept can change people’s mindset and behavior.  Take a look at what can happen with a little creativity and ingenuity:

Being new and unique requires hard work and creativity.  But developing experiences that are exciting, surprising, rewarding or fun can attract a large number of customers and will keep them coming back for more.

Has Facebook really taken over the internet?  From the sound of things, one would think they’d taken over the world!

The buzz surrounding the new announcements from Facebook CEO, Mark Zuckerberg at the third f8 developer conference has been non-stop.

But what does it all mean?  As a marketer and an avid Facebook user, I’m a bit on the fence with this one.

There are three key changes that will have a significant impact on marketers and users:

Social Plugins - will allow users to share content from any website with their social network just by clicking on a “like”/“recommend” button.  This offers huge word of mouth potential for companies that have this like button installed on their website. And it makes it very easy for users to share their likes and interests.  However, all of these websites will now have access to our Facebook profiles and data.

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Last night I went to the store to buy a new blow dryer (yes, it’s a bit girly, I know).  As I scanned the aisle of blow dryers, I knew in 2 seconds which one I wanted.  Why? Because it was shiny and orange.  To me orange says “fun”, “lively” and “full of life”.  And the idea of having fun blow drying my hair was enticing!

When creating a brand identity, color is one of the most important components to consider.  It can have a significant affect on people’s perception of your product or brand. Research shows that color actually has an affect on a person’s emotional state and their ability to concentrate or learn.

The CCICOLOR - Institute for Color Research reveals that people make a subconscious judgment about a person, environment, or product within 90 seconds of initial viewing and that between 62% and 90% of that assessment is based on color alone.

The proper use of color is vital in creating a memorable and positive image.  It should set you apart, work with your industry and image and tie to the promise of your brand.

Colors can have different meanings depending on culture or various industry, but in the US studies show some universal meaning when it comes to advertising and branding.  I love the following list of colors and definitions provided by Entrepreneur.  As you read through them, take some time to think about how they might apply to your brand.

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No texting while driving.  Hands free head set only.  We’re so crazy about our mobile phones that laws have been created to regulate how and where we use them.  It’s predicted that by 2013 there will be over 5.8 billion mobile subscribers worldwide.

Smartphones have already obtained a loyal following among business professionals and they’re changing the way professionals communicate. For B2B marketers, this creates a huge opportunity to integrate a new form of outreach and connect with customers on a whole new level.

So where do you start?  Begin with your company website.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve tried to access a website from my Blackberry and it pops up looking like a scrambled mess.  Professionals are attached at the hip to their phones, yet most corporate websites are not optimized for mobile viewing, are difficult to navigate or impossible to read.

If your website is not mobile-friendly, your prospects will move on to one that is.

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During a recent visit to a local park, I thought it would be fun to feed the ducks in the lake nearby. With a loaf of bread in hand, we walked to the edge of the water only to find one lonely little duck.  I tossed in a piece of bread, the duck quickly ate it and quacked. Suddenly, three more ducks appeared.  Just a couple bread pieces and quacks later, we were surrounded by a huge gathering of ducks, geese and pigeons devouring bread and happily quacking away.

Watching these ducks gather,  I was reminded of the power of word of mouth and how it can spread so quickly.

Word of mouth is one of the most influential and trusted sources of information consumers rely on when making a decision.  And the increasing use of the Internet and social media networks take it to a whole new level,  it’s word of mouth on steroids!

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We all know last year was a tough one for marketers everywhere, but things are looking up and forecasts are good!  The 4th Annual Marketing & Media survey just out from Datran Media provides insight from over 5,000 marketing executives from Fortune 500 brands.

The majority of marketers are optimistic that 2010 will bring an upward swing in revenues for their company and an increase in marketing & advertising spending. And over half of that spend is expected to be applied to digital marketing channels.

Although marketers plan to increase their involvement in social media, email marketing was rated the top performing advertising channel over all others.

This year will also see a majority of companies developing their messages and websites specifically for smart phones like the iPhone or Blackberry.

Do you have a plan for optimizing your companies marketing mix in 2010?

“Social Media is for teenagers. My B2B customers are older than that. How do I know they’re using these sites?”  I hear this question often.  While the buzz might suggest otherwise, statistics show the average age social media user is 37 years old.

According to a recent study by Royal Pingdom, the largest single group of social networking site users is between 35 and 44 years of age. Nearly 60% of all visitors to social media sites are over 34 years of age.

In the study, age statistics were collected using Google’s Ad Planner service for these 19 different social network sites: Facebook, LinkedIn, MySpace, Twitter, Slashdot, Reddit, Digg, Delicious, StumbleUpon, FriendFeed, Last.fm, Friendster, LiveJournal, Hi5, Tagged, Ning, Xanga, Classmates.com, Bebo.

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As I sat down in front of my computer to write this blog post, I opened my browser and was immediately distracted by the headline of an article appearing on the Yahoo homepage “iPhones highest rated in a new survey”.  I scanned the article, clicked on a couple links and before you know it, found myself on the Apple website, calculating the days until my wireless cell phone plan renews and I qualify to upgrade to the latest and greatest iPhone.

Ok, back to my blog post!

A survey last month by the Opinion Research Corporation found that Internet users were most likely to act based on reading an online article with brand information.  And nearly six in 10 Internet users said they frequently searched for products and services they read about in online articles.

Does this apply in the BtoB world as well?  Absolutely.

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As the mother of a four year old, this weekend was filled with Easter egg hunts. One of them a community event packed with hundreds of kids, full of anticipation and eagerly waiting behind a man-made fence for the starting signal. The children watched as the plastic eggs were tossed onto the field, their excitement growing.

The whistle blew and mass chaos ensued as the kids collided trying to get their hands on as many eggs possible. In seconds the hunt was over and my daughter returned with tears in her eyes. She, as many of the others, had only managed to collect one egg.

As we were leaving, still disappointed about the result of the hunt, we walked by the sponsor booth and bumped into an acquaintance who happened to be working the event. After telling him of the one-egg result, he grabbed a big bag full of eggs from behind the booth and poured them into my daughter’s basket. It was now over-flowing!

As we left that day, I was reminded of a very important lesson. It’s all about having the right connections.

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