Social media moves fast.  Tweets, updates, status… they are there for a moment and then pushed down the list as others post their messages. As marketers, your goal is to keep your message in front of potential customers.  So how do you prolong the life of a social media message?

Cross-pollination.  By “cross-pollinating” or leveraging the different marketing tools available and using them to work together, you can develop a campaign that creates lasting buzz and extends the life of social media messages.

I came across a set of on-line commercials for the Wheat Thins brand called “The Crunch is Calling”, that are a fantastic example of maximizing exposure and prolonging a social media message.  Not only is the idea clever, but the short commercials are fun to watch.  The concept of each on-line commercial is based on a consumers single tweet on Twitter.

Wheat Thins took each tweet to the next level, by actually physically tracking down the consumer, responding to their tweet in person in creative ways and filming the response.  These recordings were then turned into short on-line commercials and YouTube videos.

Below is a clip of one of the videos.  You can see all of the videos here.

Wheat Thins was able to extend the life of single tweets, adding a personal touch through in person follow up and incorporating on-line video.  One tweet that was viewed by hundreds will now be seen by hundreds of thousands.

Take your social media messages to the next level by tying them in to a variety of other marketing avenues.  Social media moves quickly, but your marketing message can live a long life.

As iPad sales have soared and people have come to rely on them daily, new research is emerging as to how they are really being used. There has been much talk about the advertising opportunities the iPad will create.  As marketers, this research is important in capturing those new opportunities and making sure our marketing messages are reaching the hands of the iPad users.

A recent study,“A Play Date with the iPad, by Ball State University examined how attitudes toward iPads changed after owning one for 24 hours.  Participants reported that content creation was difficult, but the iPad was ideal for content consumption, more of an entertainment device.

In the UK, a survey by copywriting firm Cooper Murphy Webb found that iPad owners also felt the same, the iPad was great for entertainment purposes.  Two in five said they used the tablet at least 10 hours weekly, and almost a quarter said it had become their primary entertainment device, ahead of TV and trailing PCs by just 9 percent.

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There are a number of different opinions surrounding outbound and inbound marketing and the roles these play in developing a marketing plan.

There are those who believe outbound marketing is passé and suggest focusing only on inbound tactics. Others have done a great job of building up their outbound channels, but have neglected to develop any inbound marketing strategies.

Can you have one without the other?

Sure.  But you’ll get a heck of a lot better results if you incorporate the two.  Together they deliver a one-two punch, pushing out your marketing message, sparking consumer interest, and then drawing them in to learn more as they go online to research more about your product or service.

Outbound marketing consists of the more traditional tactics we as marketers have implemented for years.  And although the internet is now a part of our everyday lives, these off-line avenues are still very important.  Print, radio and television ads, direct mail, email and tradeshows capture attention and spark interest.  These tactics provide a broad reach and offer far more brand impressions than inbound marketing alone.  Outbound campaigns help drive potential customers online to find out more and engage in your inbound avenues.

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I just bought a new camera.  But what’s interesting, is the process I went through in making the decision to purchase one and which to buy.  A sales flyer I received in the mail featuring the newest pocket sized cameras sparked my interest.  I have a very large heavy camera, but with an upcoming trip to Disneyland planned, a small camera seemed like just the thing.

I took the next step, turning to the internet to read reviews, search social media sites and read about the different cameras on the company websites.  After several days of conducting my own research, I settled on the perfect one.  I just received it in the mail in fact and so far, I’m a happy camper.

If I were to ask, most of you would probably say you make a lot of your purchase decisions in much the same way. Something sparks your interest in a product or service, maybe an ad in a magazine or an email you received, and then you head online to research it a bit further.

Outbound and inbound marketing.  Both of these marketing tactics played a significant roll in my camera purchasing decision.  Let’s take a look at the difference between the two.

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Imagine what used to be your traditional print ad… moving, growing, talking and interacting with your customer.

With the development and growth of Apple’s iPad, traditional print publishers have been rushing to develop an app version of their publication that will allow them to offer issue downloads and digital subscriptions via the iPad.  The iPad has created some new and exciting opportunities for traditional book, magazine and newspaper publishers, which in turn is opening the door for advertisers in these publications to offer a completely new level of customer interaction with the content in their ad.

The iPad gives marketers some creative and unique opportunities for engaging consumers and developing meaningful experiences through advertising.  The ads are embedded in the publications app, which allows marketers to really focus their efforts and provide content rich, interactive ads, enhancing the consumer experience with animated graphics, 360° product images, video, music and games.

However, to fully take advantage of the new platform, new ad formats will need to be designed, developed and customized specific for the iPad.  It will not be enough to simply make existing ads larger. It’s leveraging the rich media capabilities of the iPad that makes this a truly unique opportunity.

Just last week, Wired magazine announced the launch of their first digital edition of the magazine, specific for the iPad.  The result of this yearlong effort is a pretty amazing interactive consumer experience.  You can catch a glimpse into the power and possibility of this form of multi-dimensional interaction here for yourself in Wired’s video about their new iPad digital edition:

As print publishers begin to move into this arena, advertising opportunities will grow.  Now is the time to begin thinking about and planning for interactive content that can be incorporated into the iPad platform.  By doing so, you will be prepared and ready to take advantage of the opportunities as they arise.

I have been obsessed lately.  No, not with coffee or chocolate or the latest episode of Glee (ok well, just a little addicted to Glee)… but with fonts!  You know, the typeface that is all around us.  Signs, packaging, magazines, websites… it’s everywhere.  And lately, I can’t help but notice how it’s being used, effectively or not, to communicate and create emotion about a message.

Typeface can affect brand perception and create an instant emotional reaction among consumers. So, choosing a typeface for your brand that represents the positioning and personality of your company is absolutely essential. Whether used in a logo, advertisement, email or even for body copy, font choice is critical to the success of a brand.

Often the design of the typeface speaks louder than the words themselves, impacting the way the reader sees and feels about your brand or message. When used appropriately, it can convey a certain mood, attitude or tone about your products and services that reinforces your message to your customers.

The same set of words can create very different feelings and impact the reader just by font type alone.

Typefaces with big round O’s and tails are considered more friendly, whereas linear fonts evoke overtones of “rigidity, technology and coldness,” according to a study “The Psychology of Fonts” conducted by psychologist Dr. Aric Sigman. “With artistic flourishes such as a tail on a lowercase “a,” serif styles “conjure images of trustworthiness,” whereas uncluttered sans serif styles “carry less emotional baggage,” he says.

The SURL (Software Usability Research Laboratory) also conducted a comprehensive study on the perception of fonts.  It’s quite informative and if you have some time to read through it, you can see the entire study here.

It’s important that the fonts you use portray what it is that you want to say to your customers. Take time to understand your market and create a look using the appropriate typeface that speaks to them.

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.

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?