The internet & The Local Business.

Local businesses and brands that use local businesses to market / sell themselves understand the power of "word-of-mouth" marketing. However, it is normally expected that the internet marketing is the domain of larger corporates and that your local store is immune to its impact. 

Contrary to that belief Milo, an online product locator, has put together this infographic that speaks volumes about the power of online reviews for local businesses.

According to the Small business Search Marketing Survey by American Express OPEN, U.S. small businesses can still count on word-of-mouth as a top way for shoppers to find them. Close behind, however, is the Internet. Local consumers now heavily rely on search engine power when shopping locally. 

This trend binds in very well with the AaramShop's strategy of bring the local neighborhood grocers online, thereby get them future-ready.

View the full infographic here

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Superb Marketing Campaign for Nature Valley Granola Bars.

This is a fantastic marketing initiative by General Mills Nature Valley Granola Bars.

Awesome objective, great strategy, superb brand fitment and creation of not just a great campaign, but something that will be used for years on end by a thankful target audience. 

I rate this as one of the best marketing initiatives that I have come across. 

The video link below captures the process and the impact and I would suggest that you experience it here on the website

The Social Media Advocacy Model

In theory, as social media becomes more common place, organizational audience engagement objectives, strategies and tactics should evolve past acquisition towards advocacy. Mark Smiciklas is quite sure some consumer brands are heading in this direction but, in his experience, many companies and agencies still seem to be focused on driving audience awareness and using “likes” and “follows” as success metrics.

To spark some discussion on the topic Mark thought it might be helpful to present an encapsulated view of advocacy. This brilliant infographic aims to present advocacy at a glance, explaining where it sits on the audience relationship spectrum while visualizing the steps organizations can follow to move connections towards becoming advocates.

Here are a few notes on the process and the model:

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