I believe 2010 (pronounced “twenty-ten”) will be an unusual and exciting year. It’s a year that – for us – will require us to be nimble, mobile and efficient. They are our “three words for 2010.” You may as well make them your words as well.

Nimble, because the world of marketing and communicating messages is changing rapidly. Like fast. Really fast. Faster than ever. As I’ve noted in earlier posts, traditional media is being strangled as the cost of printing and running a newspaper or magazine continues to increase.

The smart media groups all have an online presence. What that means for you (and for us) is that we must pay heed to all online content. Why? Because that’s where your customers are also getting their messages. Most of our clients have gotten on board with two popular social networks – Facebook and Twitter. And so have traditional media. Most publications in the last six months have added Facebook and Twitter pages. And almost every newspaper has a blogger or bloggers of their own. And they tweet. And post to Facebook. They had to be nimble to survive. They realized that their customers (readers) were all online. Or on their smartphones. Being nimble in 2010 means being willing to change the way you disseminate messages. It means understanding that your customers might learn about your event or news on Facebook instead of in the newspaper. It means having a mindset that realizes that every customer of yours on Facebook and Twitter is the media, a third-party endorser or not. Unsure how to proceed? Ask us, we’re running over 40 Facebook pages for our clients and tweeting on behalf of another 15.

Having a website is not enough these days. It needs to be a mobile website – one that loads quickly for a smartphone. Your old website is now a holding site for your newsletter sign-up, as a place to join your Facebook page, or, to follow your news on Twitter. The next thing you will hear about is having your own iPhone app. We are pleased to have been the creators of the first one on Long Island for a restaurant: Vittorio’s Restaurant & Wine Bar in Amityville. Check it out. It keeps diners informed of the restaurant’s latest news and happenings, and offers video and photos. It’s awesome if we do say so ourselves. And by the end of January, we’ll have our own. You will be able to read this blog post on it and follow the feed of @WordHamptonPR on Twitter. Smartphones are hand-held computers. They have applications for Facebook and Twitter so that the new media – your customers – can say what a great time they are having at your restaurant – in real time. Like now.

Because time is money, we all have to be efficient. And the good news is that technology brings less cost. Yes, it costs time (labor) to create a proper Facebook or Twitter page and to create and add content. But it’s a heckuva lot cheaper than that full-page ad or a direct mail campaign or a television spot. As your marketing partners, we knew we had to learn about new media, social networks and become more technologically savvy. We saw, inherently, the opportunities to disseminate a PR message was a no-brainer on Facebook. Or Twitter. That it would be an incredibly efficient (and efficacious) way to share article links from the media, photos, and … strategically created news. We can post something on Facebook, Twitter and a website in minutes while sending that same information to traditional media. Soon, we will drop the term “traditional” (in the interest of being efficient) and simply refer to all receivers of your message as media. One thing about WordHampton PR, we are one efficient company. Always have been. Always will be.

Next post I will introduce you to the rise of text message marketing (check out LIFoodies) and a new geo-social app, foursquare. Both of these will be hot subjects as 2010 unfolds. Too much information, you cry? How will I implement these new tools? By being nimble, mobile and efficient.

Question: In a rapidly changing media landscape - let alone a brutal economy - how does a business owner know if their marketing program is effective? Answer: if you can’t afford to pay for measurement, it’s hard to know; but there are indicators.

Standard thinking is that a minimum of 4% of your gross revenue should be allotted for marketing. Let’s hope that you are monitoring that program on a quarterly basis. Now, more than ever, is the time to: 1) market yourself, 2) experiment. It has been said that a successful program combines advertising (radio, TV, print) and public relations. But now, in the 21^st century, with technology leading the way, an online presence is vital – if not necessary – for any program. That online presence can take the form of banner ads on websites, having a social media program (Facebook, Twitter – even YouTube) or email blasts. Smart operators are utilizing all these tools as traditional media outlets shrink in size and effectiveness. Crain’s New York Business recently noted that the New York Post’s circulation has declined by 20% since last year, the Daily News is down 14% and The New York Times and Newsday both down around 3%. We think they’ll survive – because they, too, will adapt. They’re all scrambling, but who isn’t?

Get Ears.

Measuring return on investment (ROI) is an exact science. Most small companies can’t afford measurement programs done by professional measurement firms that charge a minimum of $20,000 or more per year for that service. Therefore it’s imperative to have your frontline people – those who interact with your customers/clients – ask the all-important question, “How did you hear of us?” in order to track your marketing investment. And you may want to ask that question too if the call or customer comes to you directly. Coupons or “mention this ad” are always reliable but not necessarily in line with your concept. Sometimes a large piece of press – a feature article or review of a product or business – will have the phones ringing the moment it runs. When that happens, recognize it for what it is: powerful. Now the onus is on you as an operator to deliver. Online marketing also has its advantages: metrics are somewhat easily available to monitor a spike in engagement – whether it be increased fans to a Facebook page, or number of unique visitors to a website. As well, an increasingly recognized merit of Twitter is its search capability, enabling one to monitor one’s brand.

Take a Chance.

Now would be the time to stick a toe in the water of online marketing; it’s where marketing is headed because it’s relatively less expensive and it appears that customers are spending a lot of time online – whether it be at home, office or elsewhere. The other night, I was watching a ballgame that was broadcast from a small-market Midwestern city. As the cameras scanned the crowd, I noticed how many people were fiddling with their Blackberry’s or iPhones. Maybe they were checking their email, their Facebook page or checking out their favorite local website. I wonder what marketing messages were imparted to them in-between pitches?

Are you monitoring your marketing program? Have you embraced Internet technologies? Are you speaking regularly to your communication specialists? Do you feel the media . . . shift? What do you think? Comments welcome.

For those of you who missed it - I posted it immediately on my Facebook page and I Tweeted it - The New York Times announced this week that it was ceasing to publish two very important sections after May 17, 2009: the Escapes section and the Suburban Region section. If you recall, the Suburban Region section used to be called the Long Island section but a year or so ago they consolidated all regionals (Connecticut, Westchester, New Jersey and Long Island) to save money. The Times will save - according to the release - “several million dollars” by eliminating this coverage. The only local editorial that will survive will be restaurant reviews and arts listings, and they will now appear in a new incarnation in the Sunday section as yet unnamed.

This is sad news for all Long Islanders and this now eliminates an entire section that most of us held dear. Fleshed out articles about Freeport fishermen, Huntington non-profits, Brookhaven schools, East End artists, Riverhead development, and Islip political issues will not be covered now by The New York Times. This leaves Newsday(daily), and to an extent, Long Island Business News (weekly), LI Press (weekly) and LI Pulse (monthly) as the only reliable print news vehicles for Long Islanders to learn about what might be happening in other areas of Nassau and Suffolk. A major source of information is now gone. 

There are two issues for business leaders to address as a result of this news: 1) where will you reach that New York Times reader, and 2) How? It’s probably too much to assume that every New York Times reader is on Facebook or Twitter.  A portion of that readership is certainly one that keeps up with these new forms of exchange, in fact a 54 year old housewife from Manhasset commented to me on my Facebook page (after posting this news) that the Long Island section of the Times was the first section she read every weekend. That said, let’s note that the fastest growing segment of Facebook users are women 50 - 55; and that post proved it. 

To specifically reach that Long Island resident that you perceived to be a New York Times reader, you will have to purchase an ad in the Times’ metro section or tap local newspapers like The Long Islander, all the Anton Publications, Garden City Life, East and Southampton Press, Times-News Review, East Hampton Star, and the Port Times Record. Maybe that‘s how some of the print media will survive - a case of survival of the fittest! Out East, I’ve been receiving email news reports from 27east.com and hamptons.com via eNewsletters that come right to my email inbox – as news happens. I also receive The New York Times via email every morning. 

You tell me. How does the announcement of the closing of the Long Island section affect you and your marketing decisions? Is social media marketing now a more viable option? eBlasts? Ever consider a banner ad? Post your comment below and by all means call us to discuss specifics – that’s what we are here for!