Tag: St. Louis Marketing

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St. Louis Social Media Innovator Series: Nestle Purina

By: Connor Agniel, Hayley Alexander, Jake Bryant, Nikolas Presat, Lexi Tocco
945130_10151491842253857_354667803_nNestle Purina Petcare is a St. Louis-based subsidiary of Nestle. In order to well-define Purina’s strategy and communication goals, we have to first understand Purina’s core target. According to several researches on the web, this audience is composed of men and women between 25 and 54 years old. Most men and women of those ages are using social media. Purina is present on social networks and try to meet their customers’ expectations. Purina is present on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, Instagram, and Pinterest.
Here are some indications about its online presence:

  Facebook Twitter Google+ Pinterest Instagram LinkedIn
Subscribers 460K + 40K + 1.2K 8K 22K + 80K
Type of content Pictures
Videos		 Pictures
Videos		 Pictures
Videos		 Pictures Pictures Company information
Pictures
Frequency Daily Daily 2-3 / week N/A 2-3 / week Daily
Engagement rate* 1.12% 0.02% 0.27% 0.42% 2.27% 0.07%

* based on the 5 last posts
Purina shares pictures of dogs or cats with advice and tips for consumers. Users can identify themselves with these pictures and are able to share their experience with the community. It’s an excellent example of inbound marketing. Thanks to this content, Purina is attracting people to its website in order to increase the visibility of its products. We can also notice that when Purina is sharing something on Facebook, you can find the same information on the other social networks. They are all interconnected. We also notice that Purina is extending its strategy by creating specialized pages. For example, on Facebook you can find a lot of different pages for many of Purina’s products, and the same on Twitter, rather than just a single, centralized page for the company. These specialized pages are aimed to specific consumers with particular needs. There are excellent tools to increase engagement and advocacy from consumers. Thanks to these pages, Purina is getting closer to its consumers and better answer their needs.
In 2013, Purina developed the “Feed” with Deep Focus, a New York-based digital marketing agency. The Feed’s employees — which number about a half dozen — reply to Twitter posts people make about their pets. Huddled in a room with more than a dozen computer monitors, a Feed staffer responds to a person’s tweet about their dog or cat with a personalized message using the Twitter handle @Purina, which has more than 18,000 followers. Since The Feed launched, @Purina has sent more than 20,000 messages on Twitter to pet owners, and many of those messages are then shared again on other sites, including Facebook, Tumblr and YouTube.
Each month, Twitter estimates there are about 1.7 million tweets related to pets. Through its software that identifies relevant tweets, The Feed’s team members read 5,000 tweets a day and respond to about 1,000 a week. Most companies have a response rate on social media of less than 10 percent for their brands, but Purina’s response rate using The Feed is more than 80 percent.
Thanks to these actions, Purina is getting closer to its community. Purina has well identified customer’s needs and expectations as well as adapted its strategy in order to offer quality and relevant content on social networks. They create a discussion with consumers and try to involve them in order to increase their engagement. Moreover, Purina chooses to personalize its messages. Thanks to the different pages, interaction on social networks, as well as special advices and tips users are feeling connected with the brand. It’s an excellent strategy for Purina in order to increase advocacy, generate quality leads, and traffic to its website.
Sources and Learn More:
Wikipedia, Updated April 19, 2015, Nestle Purina Petcare
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nestlé_Purina_PetCare
Jessica Taylor, May 16, 2010, Get in-depth with the Top 10 global petfood players http://www.petfoodindustry.com/articles/673-get-in-depth-with-the-top-10-global-petfood-players

Nestle Purina Petcare, December 2012, Our company
https://www.nestlepurinacareers.com/why-purina/our-company/
KDSdesign, November 17, 2011, Nestle Purina Campaign, Slideshare
http://fr.slideshare.net/KDSdesign?utm_campaign=profiletracking&utm_medium=sssite&utm_source=ssslideview
Lisa Brown, May 8, 2011, St. Louis Post Dispatch, Purina Finalists vie at cat callbacks
http://www.stltoday.com/business/local/purina-finalists-vie-at-cat-callbacks/article_f4d9eff8-95d1-51dd-a5f7-e1112a00fa96.html
Lisa Brown, December 15, 2013, St. Louis Post Dispatch, Purina leads pack with personalized social media
http://www.stltoday.com/business/local/purina-leads-pack-with-personalized-social-media/article_1da448e3-72d5-5052-bd13-cf3fca42b42d.html

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St. Louis Social Media Innovator Series: AB InBev

By: Connor Agniel, Hayley Alexander, Jake Bryant, Nikolas Presat, Lexi Tocco
376342_439388222758789_29673647_n
AB InBev has been working on their social media marketing for a few years. Their current focus on social media is their fans and connecting with them. Not only are they focused on growing the absolute number of fans, but they want to grow with fans who are truly engaged and interested in their company. Their social media strategy as a company is simple and straight forward; they want to connect themselves with many different fans and grow their social media accounts in order to market to their fans. This is true across all of their different brands. AB InBev wants to branch out to more social media sites such as YouTube in order to create content to help with self-distribution. This stems from their fundamental beliefs are that the consumer is the boss. If they can follow the consumer’s media behavior and entertain the consumer with their different brands and products, then they will be able to succeed as a company.
In 2013, the Ad campaign that AB InBev ran using Bud Light involving Facebook ads gained them SIX times what they spent on the campaign in returns! They found that the campaign got them a 3.3% sales lift among households that saw the ad vs. the control group that did not. “Some 22.8 million U.S. households —20% of the total — were exposed to the campaign.” This is a huge example of how proper use of Social Media marketing can play a major part in furthering a brand and its image. AB InBev is not shy to try to reach their consumers through new methods either. In 2012 they were the first company ever to do a live stream with Pandora, one of the largest music steaming websites of all. Then in 2013, they decided to do another stream with yet another music streaming giant, Spotify, all to try and really reach out to their consumer and connect.
AB InBev has realized that Social Media and digital interaction are huge parts of their consumer’s life, “…our target consumer is engaged with it 24/7/365″(Inside Anheuser…) The hardest part is figuring out the right way to engage with their consumer. To deal with this, AB InBev chooses to interact over “virtually all digital corridors and avenues and offer the consumer choice in how they would like to connect to our brands…” (Inside Anheuser…) They call this strategy “Fans First,” and have used the strategy to connect to over 30 million fans worldwide! AB InBev has different brands on all kinds of Social Media, such as Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and more!
AB InBev has indicated that for their next moves in Social Media marketing, they want to continue to evolve as their customer does. Gaining more followers and continuing to engage with the ones that they already have.
Sources and Learn More:
Bud Light Offers Proof that Facebook Ads Work
http://mashable.com/2013/04/30/bud-light-facebook-ads/ – 20rm2CFM38qW
A-B InBev sports marketing to focus on digital engagement
http://www.bizjournals.com/stlouis/blog/2015/07/a-b-inbev-sports-marketing-to-focus-on-digital.html
Inside Anheuser-Busch’s Digital Strategy
http://digiday.com/brands/inside-anheuser-buschs-digital-strategy/
How does A-B InBev measure Facebook Success?
http://adage.com/article/digital/a-b-inbev-measure-facebook-success/244526/

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Better Your Marketing Skills With These October Events 

By: Ricky Cheers, Lingru Kong, Lyndsey McKinney, Akeeva Pork
October and November are known as the busiest months for most companies and schools across the nation. School is well underway and summer vacation is behind us all. Here are some events that you may want to attend to get ahead or beef up your professional skills – especially if you are working in Digital Marketing or majoring in Marketing or Digital communication. Check back with us in November for the top November events.
logo#1 AMA Monthly Luncheon – Matt Kamp of Influence & Co.
When: 10/15/15, 11:30am
Where: Maggiano’s Little Italy, 2 The Blvd, Richmond Heights, MO 63117
Educational luncheons cover a variety of topics under the marketing umbrella, and offer time for networking and lively Q&A. To register or for more detailed information click here.
12036793_10153165205153596_84553444218231416_n#2 Gateway to the Future: A St. Louis Young Professionals Summit
When: 10/09/15, 8:00a.m. – 12:00p.m.
Where: Missouri History Museum
Presented by Launch St. Louis, this 3rd annual conference will feature notable young St. Louisans discussing contemporary issues that impact the city and its young professionals. This event will provide with the opportunity to acquire knowledge, network and get involved within the St. Louis community. To purchase tickets or for more information click here.
#3 UMSL Marketing Club Golf Outing
When: 10/10/15 and 10/11/15, 12:30pm
Where: Creve Coeur Golf Course
Sign up for the UMSL Marketing Club’s Annual Golf Outing and enjoy some outdoor fun before the winter comes. Everyone is invited to play – high handicappers, weekend warriors, scratch golfers, members and guests welcome. Join us for lunch and stay for an afternoon round and networking. Make your reservations early, space is limited!
10659425_10152785509383118_3631733900502392827_n#4 Public Relations Society of America – St. Louis
Crisis Communications: Perspectives on Race Relations
When: 10/13/15, 7:30am – 9:00am
Where: Missouri History Museum
Join us at the Missouri History Museum on Tuesday, October 13, 2015 from 7:30 until 9:00 a.m. for a panel discussion moderated by Reena Hajat Carroll, MSW, executive director of Diversity Awareness Partnership with panelists Denise Bentele, president of Common Ground Public Relations, Johnny Little, president of eLittle Communications Group, and social media expert Liz Sharpe-Taylor. Advance registration is required for this event. No walk-ins will be permitted and all students will need to show their student ID at the door. To purchase tickets or for more details please visit here.
#5 Brand-Building Workshop with Roberto Garcia of Listo Claim Academy
When: 10/10/15, 10:00am and 10/11/15 5:00pm
Where: 515 Olive Street #600 St. Louis
From Roberto Garcia, founder of Listo and former brand manager for Anheuser-Busch, comes a full weekend of interactive workshops focusing on the beginning stages of a brand. How do you build a brand from scratch? How do you break into existing markets or create markets of your own? What are the best, most cost-effective tools for extending your next promotional dollar? Find out during Roberto’s 10-hour seminar. Sign-ups will open soon, so mark your calendars!
To purchase tickets or for more information please click here.
#6 Mid-Missouri PRSA Annual Fall Conference
When: 10/22/15, 9:00am-4:00pm
Where: Columbia, MO
The annual Mid-Missouri PRSA Conference brings communication and marketing professionals together for networking and to learn top trends affecting the industry. Whether your day is spent in state government, healthcare, education or at a local startup, you will take away key points for successful marketing, social content and new tools used to engage your target audience. Meet and learn from other mid-Missouri professionals to gain relevant insight from those sharing similar career challenges and experiences. To purchase tickets or for more details please visit here.
logo#7 Agile Marketing / Content Marketing Bootcamp – Kansas City, MO
When: 10/06/2015, 8:30am-4:30pm
Where: AJi – IdeaLoft, 210 West 5th Street, #103, Kansas City, MO 64105
AJi Software is hosting a one-day Agile Marketing and Content Marketing bootcamp for marketing professionals in Kansas City, MO on October 6th, 2015. This bootcamp will help you and your team answer these questions and others you might have about agile planning and execution. We will break the content planning process down throughout the entire day and split up into groups for more interaction with the tools to ensure you have the time to harness your skills before the day is over. To purchase tickets or for more detailed information please visit here.
What other Digital Events are going on in #STL in October?

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State of Digital Media Marketing Conference 2015 Takeaways

By: Amy Cabanas
I attended the #UMSL Digital Marketing Media Conference 2015 at The University of Missouri St Louis on April 17th hosted by Professor Perry Drake. Professor Drake sure handled it and then some. When I arrived I was graciously greeted by well-informed volunteers that were able to lead me to my small swag bag and my agenda. I spent a little time walking through speaking to various companies, including people from CIC until it was time to head into my first break out session.
I choose “Marketing Yourself for That Ideal First Job” with Betsy Mack of Technology Partners. It was from 10:00am – 10:50am. I arrived at 9:30ish so my timing was perfect. As a motivated younger professional I felt this would give me an opportunity to learn more ideas on how to market myself better, and learn more about social media. 2Betsy began with introduction, then jumped right in with discussing how it is important to remember to always be open so that you create strong partnerships which you develop over time. Also by doing this you create your own personal brand with many different aspects and let them evolve as you do. Also, that I should remember that I am an extension of my brand in which I want to represent for when I land my first ideal job.
Speaking of landing that job, she also helped with some etiquette. The follow up is always key on social media sites like LinkedIn. Be authentic and don’t post inappropriate content. Package yourself fully. Betsy also mentioned to not have two version of you, so be real. Networking is key and the need to be uncomfortable means to be successful as well. Go at it alone or with one person. Always follow up and even think about a handwritten letter. Betsy also said to never forget you elevator pitch and I would have never thought to be ready at any time as an important aspect of networking. She also mentioned to remember your audience, as well as, keeping it to a minimum.
Finally, what I took out of this sessions was her checklist:
1. Create a Strong Brand
2. Networking
3. Introduce yourself
4. Connect
5. Follow up, (Twice)
This portion was the most helpful for me, due to this content can be used in all the aspects of looking for a job and even after I land that job. Great speaker if you get the chance to see her, take it, well worth my time.
And then there was Chris Brogan…I was present for his 11:30am keynote speech. He is well known for being an authority on owning your game and boy did he make me feel like, he at least, owns his. Extremely engaging speaker, he had my attention right from the beginning and kept it the entire time. I can honestly say I took less notes and Tweeted less because I was so engaged that at times I almost forgot about my phone, WHAT forgot about my phone, yes! That’s how good he is, Chris went through a brief introduction, of what led him here and why he does what he does, so well might I add. One tag line that did stand out during his 50 mins was, “if we can buy from anyone, why should we buy from you?”
3
This is a key concept a lot of managers, not just marketing and media manager, need to consider. Another huge light bulb for me was “make your buyer the hero”, great advice to have especially on the sales side. All in all, like I mentioned above, Chris was so engaging and his ability to be such a great speaker was outstanding. This is something I struggle with from time to time, so I paid attention to his movements and how he handled himself on stage. His timing was key and not standing still, made the audience feel more relaxed or at least I did. No surprise he is a successful CEO of Owner Media Group. Oh and then there is the fact that it was just nice to hear an East Coast accent. #homesick
Probably one of my most favorite conferences I’ve been to in over a year!
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#UMSLDigital Conference Speaker Preview: An Interview with Kari Rippetoe

Kari_RippetoeBy Taylor Bartley
At the 2015 State of Digital Media Marketing Conference, we have speakers coming from all over the nation to speak about their specialties in digital marketing. One in particular is Kari Rippetoe, a jack of all trades in the digital marketing world. Not only does Kari understand the importance of content, but she is an SEO expert and can brand a business with the best of them. We got the chance to talk to Kari about the her favorite aspects of digital marketing and along with the challenging aspects. We also got great tips for fellow digital marketers! Check out the full interview below: Continue reading “#UMSLDigital Conference Speaker Preview: An Interview with Kari Rippetoe”