An effective media plan starts with your domain name. Having an easy to remember domain name is essential to your online presence.  If I have to refer to your business card every time I want to access your web site, you may have some work to do.  I’ve recently encountered several companies who have a domain name that isn’t their company name but  some sort of abbreviation of the name because their comapny name is too long.  However, the abrreviation, which is usually letters from all the names pieced together, are not at all memorable and are not helping their web presence.   The general rules are to keep it short and easy to spell and it should sound familiar and be memorable.  But sometimes this isn’t easy to achieve. What if your company name is already taken?  What if your company name is long – like two or three last names? Here are some tips on choosing a domain name you may find helpful:

• keep it short and easy to spell.
• make use of keywords or popular search terms whenever possible.
• generic terms are great if you can get them.
• the more unusual but familiar sounding a domain, the better.
• add a twist, some domain names are remembered for being different from what you would expect to find there.
• stick with .com instead of .net, .me, .us, etcetera.  People may assume your domain is a .com and end up on your competitors site.

An effective media strategy isn’t only about targeting your audience.  It should also include creating a memorable domain name to that will pull your potential customer to your company, service, or message.

Studies show that more than 42% of direct mail recipients prefer to respond on line.  By including personalized URLs on your mail piece you can improve direct mail response rates, provide relevent content and engage each responder in a more meaningful way, and convert preferences into revenue.  This link explains how this combination works.  http://blog.mailprint.com/index.php/1253/social-media-and-direct-marketing/

Arbitron ranks media platform usage: 51% of U.S. on Facebook

In three years Facebook has grown from reaching 8% of persons 12+ to 51%.  Twitter reaches only 8% even though 92% of Americans have heard of it.   “One in four Facebook users follow a company or brand through Facebook.”

Ranking by Meia & Device "Reach"

How to Lose Your Customer’s Trust in Social Media.

Social media is about engaging and attracting your client and not finding ways to interrupt them in their personal space. If you have earned the trust and attention of followers in the social media world don’t damage that trust by pushing messages inappropriately to their private space that should be pushed through other forms of advertising. Read the rest of this entry »

Look Before You Leap Into Social Media

Employing traditional media tactics to a social media campaign can damage a business’s image. Properly moving into social media to develop long term relationships with clients requires a thorough understanding of how social media works to enhance relationships. While Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn may seem to be hot new advertising tools, don’t make the mistake of rushing into this scene until you’ve thoroughly thought out your social media strategy. Read the rest of this entry »