Is communication an illusion?

To paraphrase George Bernard Shaw. 

"The biggest single problem in social media marketing is the illusion that communication has actually taken place."

How do you judge the success of your communications? 

Clicks, hits, views, likes, etc. Do not indicate that communication has taken place. The whole purpose of social media is to build a dialogue. For that dialogue to happen there must be someone there to respond to enquiries and most importantly make the sale.

Too often I see ad's vlog's blog's or even hear a podcast that piques my interest, I need to know more. I make further enquiries to find a website that is down and no one to answer my enquiries. By then I am talking to someone else who can answer my questions and convinces me that I really do need what they are offering and can negotiate a good deal. 

So, your advertising and marketing has worked, congratulations. Yet without someone there who can take the calls, field the enquiries, to make the sales. You have just given business away to your competitors.

Before embarking on an advertising or marketing campaign you MUST ensure that you have the infrastructure in place to handle the enquiries and sales that it will generate. If you don't someone else will.

Without effective communication, you have no sales. Without sales, you don't have a business.

Gavin Bryan-Tansley

VidFX+ Advertising.

Affiliate Marketing

Affiliate Marketing

On the 9th March 2017, the United Kingdoms Code of Advertising Practice. Published new guidance from the Advertising Standards Authority about recognising marketing communications. 

That is rules on how affiliate marketing must identifiable as an advert. 

Affiliates, need to ensure that consumers know that what they’re looking at is advertising. That means making sure it’s clear BEFORE consumers engage with it. Often, the context alone will make this clear. But sometimes the content might need to make it obvious that it is an advert.

This is often the case in social media, Vlogs, Blogs, news sites and voucher sites etc. Businesses, or individuals, who create content or websites that give an impression of independence. Must take extra steps to highlight content that is advertising for a third party. 

This new guidance, provides some suggestions, tailored to different platforms. Giving affiliate marketers some inspiration, but the key principles to bear in mind are;

• Where a piece of content wholly relates to affiliated products. It needs to be clear that the whole piece is advertising. Thus it may be necessary to use an identifier (such as ‘Advert’ or similar) in the title;
• If only some of the links and content to affiliated products. It is those aspects, that must be identifiable as advertising. By for example, labelling the relevant links/sections;

The guidance is also to remind businesses. That allowing their affiliates free rain over the content and targeting of ads. Does not absolve them of the responsibility for ensuring that marketing communications. That they reap the benefits from, must follow the advertising rules.

If you are an affiliate marketer. Or a brand that uses affiliate marketing. You can get up to speed with the new guidance shown here.

To swear or not to swear, that is the question.

Over the last few months, I have seen many articles advocating the use of swearing in advertising. While swearing, can be a powerful tool. It is not something that I would advocate using without seeking professional advice. Particularly if the general public could access the advert.

Where guidelines on this issue can be rather vague, established precedent is more specific. You cannot swear where children, vulnerable and impressionable adults, can see it. Nor in a context that may cause alarm or offence. 

Should you choose to use swearing, make sure that you have considered the context in which it's used. The product or service it is in relation to. As well as the chosen medium, its reach and the audience who will viewing it. Then estimate what the potential damage to your business could be. As well as the possible public reactions.

Even though some humorous use of swearing has used before. Other attempts have fallen foul of the regulators. For instance. French Connection used 'FCUK' as a high profile brand identity in the 1990’s. While they also used FCHK and FCUS, it was the FCUK logo that gained worldwide popularity. Yet, this popularity did not extend into the 21st century. While swearing maybe used as bit of a joke. Advertising for the ‘UNT mug’ fell flat on its face. (Google images for the ‘UNT mug’ to see why.)

“But it's only on my social media." 

"It's only for limited circulation."

"Who’s going to notice?”

These are some of the excuses I have heard.  None of these justify poor and inappropriate choices of words in your advertising.

If you are convinced that this is the route for you. There are some items to consider.

1. The UK Code of Advertising Practice, covers web-based media. This including websites, social media and online video. 

You are just as liable for an obscure web ad on your site, as for a national TV advertising campaign.

2. You are still liable, even if someone else shares your material. 

If you get your advert right, people will want to share it. Will your advert be compliant with the obscenity laws of other English speaking countries? Could it cause offence to other races or cultures? 

3. It takes only one complaint to have an advert taken down. 

That's right, just one single complaint. You had better be sure of your audience.

Importantly:

Why are you making an advert if no one is going to notice? The whole point of advertising is to attract attention, to get noticed. Hiding an advert where only a select few can see it is a waste of time, money and resources. 

Would I recommend that a client uses swearing in an advert?

Generally no. It mostly fails to achieve its objective. Currently too many are attempting to use this technique inappropriately. Which means the conditions that would make such an advert outstanding; do not exist at this time. Swearing no longer has the impact to gain the notoriety that is required for it to succeed. You will only be seen as copying a trend, not as the trendsetter.

Have I ever used such techniques? Yes. But that was in different time and a different place. When there was no Internet and values were different.

I would suggest that the pundits advocating the use of swearing in advertising. Are not the ones who will suffer the consequences if things go wrong.

Gavin Bryan-Tansley - Vid-FX+ Advertising

Can you afford to Do It Yourself?

Despite all the top business leaders advocating hiring the best people you can afford. There is still a thriving market for DIY books, webinars and tutorials, for business owners and managers out to save the pennies.

Yes, you can learn how to do almost anyones job if you set your mind to it. It is not that difficult, most college units can be taught in only 40 hours. There is certainly no lack of free advice on how 'I did it' online.

The question is, do you dismiss the years, even decades, of proven professional experience that other people can bring to you business, in order to say a few pounds by doing it yourself? What does it say about your business and your values, when you do it yourself? Will it inspire confidence in your potential customers that you are prepared to settle, for what is essentially an amateur solution, to a commercial problem?

On a more practical side. While you are focused on doing everybody else's job, who is doing yours?

Don't micro manage. Have a vision and use that vision to hire the best people to provide the services you need: They have more experience in what works and what does not. They can do a better job in less time and as a consequence are often cheaper in the long run. Hiring the best, inspires your clients and reassures them that you are not going to cut corners in their work.

Ok, there are times in any business, when cash flow simply prevents you from hiring anyone. But when you rigidly adhere to a DIY policy in every circumstance! Perhaps it is time to look at why you are in business. If you are in business to save money you will soon have neither money nor a business.

To this end Vid-FX+ advertising has set up a consultancy service to help you choose the best advertising and marketing options for your business. Advising you on how to build your business.

In of our experience one of the biggest concerns, is businesses choosing inappropriate advice. In the English speaking world, there are many countries using the same language yet with many different legal systems. It is all to easy to mistake good advice from one country and applying it to another, only to find that the advice is inappropriate for their legal system. For instance I was reading a book last night by a very, very successful businessman. Their advice was fantastic, I loved every word of it. The shame was that much of what was advised as good business practice in the 1960's had been made illegal 20 odd years ago!

As a rule of thumb: If advice uses a different currency, or spoken in a different accent to yours. Or if it is more than a few years old. Seek specific 'Local' advice to ensure that you are doing the right thing. The last thing you need is a letter instructing you that you are under investigation for illegal practices, false, or misleading advertising.

Gavin Bryan-Tansley - Vid-FX+Advertising