Facebook actually has a page called Super Bowl commercials 2013. Everyone knows about Super Bowl commercials, and for some, the ads are the best part of the show. Marketing professionals look to the crazy ads each year for inspiration, because that field is where the big dogs play. This year, Super Bowl commercials are going for $4 million for 30 seconds. That’s a lot of green to participate in this ballgame! In addition to the highly anticipated commercials, however, on January 3, we’ll see social media throw a spiral into the Super Bowl fanfare.
Hyundai, the car manufacturer, is hosting a Facebook ad campaign for their Santa Fe crossover SUV on Super Bowl Sunday. The “mobile experience” or “social experience” allows engagers to build a team of Facebook friends, each having an assigned archetype, like “bully” or “brains.” The campaign, called Find Your 7, correlates with this commercial:
http://youtu.be/uPZ8LZQMPys
Why all the hype around mobile marketing?
You expect advertisers to get excited about the Super Bowl commercials, but why integrate mobile marketing? Research tells us, during the 2012 Super Bowl, 15 million tweets occurred about the event, while only 3 million folks twittered about the big game in 2011. A growing number of people (consumers) love to communicate, play, shop, and share online.
In the last quarter of 2012, Facebook’s mobile users outpaced desktop users, and the revenue from Facebook mobile advertising was $150 million last year. After battling with company executives about mobile applications being important to Facebook’s growth, the company’s inventor, Mark Zuckerberg, says, “There is no argument. Facebook is a mobile company.”
It makes sense, then, that big advertisers would join the biggest TV advertising opportunity of the year with super-popular mobile marketing.
Why aren’t more brands following suit?
The short answer is, fear of miserable failure. McDonald’s Twitter campaign about their fresh fast food coming from farms ran for just a few hours before it was pulled because of negative commentary. McDonald’s St. Patrick’s Day campaign also failed miserably. But the hamburger chain is not the only victim of botched social media marketing. Skittles, Arizona Iced Tea, Belvedere Vodka…the list goes on and on. Social marketing is so new, marketing pros are learning by trial and error. Unfortunately, this is bad, really bad, for the companies that encounter failure. Until the marketing industry understands how consumers will react online—considering current events, sensitivities of various groups outside the target market, and your everyday negative Nellies—social media marketing is a danger zone for brands.
How can dentists avoid failure and enjoy success?
Fortunately, as a dentist, you have little to worry about as long as you refrain from controversial topics. Stick to positivity. Write about health, wellness, beauty, and clinical dentistry. Share your ideas on your profile and in groups on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn, and blogs that you frequent.
What to watch out for:
- You may receive negative reviews on Yelp! or Google Places, but you can respond to them and ask happy patients to post positive reviews.
- If you share a strong opinion about, say amalgam or neuromuscular dentistry, temper your statement with a phrase that suggests “this is my opinion, based on my experience.” Maintain an open mind and welcoming attitude.
The Basics of Mobile Dental Marketing
At MDPM Consulting, we regularly review our clients’ SEO reports from Google Analytics. We’ve found that, over the past few months, mobile search has become much more prevalent for our dentists. Whereas just a handful of potential patients were searching on mobile devices early last year, now we see 10-25% as the average for searches on phones and tablets. The most likely cause is the lower cost of mobile devices. Now, it seems most people own either a smart phone or a tablet, and many own both. According to our data, mobile users remain on a site for less time than desktop computer users do.
As a dentist who markets online, you should respond to this data with the following steps.
- Implement a mobile landing page for your website, featuring a link to the full website, Google map, and your phone number. These are logically the key items a user wants to see on a dentist’s mobile landing page.
- Make certain that your blog and website render properly on mobile devices. Pop-up boxes, images, elements of motion, and submission forms commonly need tweaking to work on mobile devices. Your websites must also be made to shrink and grow according to the user’s preferences.
- Engage in Facebook from your phone. After creating a Facebook business page with an eye-catching banner and your photo, make a habit of posting to the page daily. Post photos of local places you frequent, recommend recipes or service providers, and snap pictures of your team in action. All of these make great Facebook posts.
Get Help from Experts in Dental Marketing
If your current marketing company, website provider, or marketing manager cannot provide you with the level of expertise you need for a solid online presence, including a mobile marketing strategy, call MDPM Consulting at 972-781-8861. You can also email us at info@moderndentalmarketing.com. Our goal is to bring dentists new patients.