My Digital Marketing Journey

Please read my report on personal branding, it’s importance and how to use it on social media.

What is Personal Branding?

Personal branding is the process of creating and influencing the public perception of an individual or a company^1,2. It involves presenting unique experience, knowledge, and expertise³, as well as a consistent look, message, and presence⁴, to set oneself apart from the competitors and establish authority and influence^2,3. The purpose of personal branding is to advance one’s career, increase one’s circle of influence, and have a larger impact².

Why is personal branding important?

Personal branding allows you as an individual (or a business) to stand out from the crowd. It’s an opportunity for you to show your potential customers why they should choose you in what is potentially a very crowded marketplace. It allows you to truly connect with the people that you want to reach and start to build a good business base. It should be a reflection on who you are and what you stand for. It should highlight your skills, values, beliefs and passions to allow others to identify with you. By being authentic it allows you to earn the trust of the people you want to influence and in so doing it increases your credibility.

How to use social media for personal branding

Social media platforms like LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook are excellent tools for establishing and growing a personal brand because it allows you to reach more of your target audience. It also allows you to control your brand’s narrative, so when others look you up, you know exactly what they will find⁵. 

Social media allows you to reach a larger audience than ever before. When establishing your personal brand it’s important that you have a consistent look and feel regardless of the social media platform that you choose to use – use the same imagery, tone, language etc. This ensures you are not confusing the audience as to what you are about. You need to post regular content that is relevant and of interest to your audience that helps to establish your brand. You don’t want to post too often so as not to bombard everyone with information. It’s also important to post regularly to retain interest in your personal brand and so you should have a content schedule for doing so⁶.

You should also vary your content to keep it interesting for your audience – you can use videos, articles, imagery to gain attention and engage with your audience in order to gather valuable insights.

Good examples of using social media for personal branding

Mark Manson is an author and creator – his branding is consistent – he uses the same profile picture across all social media platforms, the same tagline (5 minutes that could change your life), same colour palettes – there is no confusion and it’s clear that all these accounts are from the same person. He uses a good mix of articles and imagery and doesn’t seem to bombard followers with too many posts.

Mark Manson (@IAmMarkManson) / Twitter

Mark Manson | Facebook

(50) Mark Manson | LinkedIn

Mark Manson – Life Advice that Doesn’t Suck

Bill Gates is another great example of personal branding on social media. Like Mark the profile picture is consistent, the bio is similar and the imagery used as the background is consistent – leaving the follower in no doubt that these accounts are all linked.

Bill Gates | Facebook

Bill Gates (@BillGates) / Twitter

(48) Bill Gates | LinkedIn

References:

1. Julian August 2022 (last accessed April 2023) Personal Branding: Why It Matters | The Branding Journal
2. 2022 (last accessed April 2023) Defininition – What is a Personal Brand? | PersonalBrand.com
3. November 2022 (last accessed April 2023) What is Personal Branding: Basics | SendPulse
4. Adam Heitzman May 2022 (last accessed April 2023) What Is Personal Branding & 4 Reasons Why It’s Important (searchenginejournal.com)
5. Chris Giarratana March 2022 (last accessed April 2023)  5 proven strategies to build your personal brand through social media (metigy.com)
6. Kevan Lee Jan 2015 (last accessed April 2023) 5 Actionable Personal Branding Tips for Social Media (buffer.com)

For this task I visited the websites of the following 3 companies before writing the below report:

• Hyundai Cars
  • Hyundai | UK | New & Used Cars | Hyundai Car Deals
• WILD Deodorant
  • Sustainable Natural Deodorant That Works | Wild Natural Deodorant – Wild UK (wearewild.com)
• Hello Fresh
  • HelloFresh: #1 Recipe Box Delivery Service | Dinner is Solved

Following my review of their websites I have decided to report on the inbound marketing methods used by Hello Fresh and Wild Deodorant.

What is each organisations approach to Inbound Marketing

Hello Fresh

They seem to be really bought into attracting customer to their site. On an initial search using Google their website came up as paid ad and it was also first on the list when you directly searched for the name as well as some links to the answers to key. When you search something more generic (ready to cook meals delivered to your door UK) their website is no2 in the paid ads and then not listed in the first page of the search. You had to go way down to find it.

Wild Deodorant

When you do a direct name search for WILD their website is top of the list. If you search for sustainable deodorants the first 3 hits are links to articles rating the best in this field. When you get to the product websites, WILD are 3^rd on the list. When you get to their website there are offers to entice you in and the website itself is very vibrant and colourful.

Strengths of the Inbound Marketing approach used by each company

Hello Fresh

They have some great introductory offers when you first go onto their website that entices you to make a first order and those enticements go on beyond that – 25% off for the first 2 months and receive 3 free gifts. It’s encouraging the visitor to the site to find out more and become a longer term subscriber. They have a BLOG which is updated regularly with fresh menus which again encourages visitors to go back and see what’s available now – it keeps interest in their offering strong. The BLOG opens in a new window so you don’t actually navigate away from the main site. You can opt into a mailing list and again receive discount from your orders. They have good presence across social media in Instagram, Facebook and Twitter with Instagram having 247,000 followers compared to their Facebook group with 2.4m likes. They also have good customer testimonials in the form of Instagram posts which grabs the attention as they are pictures.

Wild Deodorant

Similar to Hello Fresh they have some great introductory offers for new customers. They offer 10% off your first offer is you answer the question – What matters to you about your deodorant? This is clever as they are getting market research back and building a strong message of what their customers find important. They are trying to solve a plastic waste problem and seem to want to appeal to the younger demographic with their use of colour. They have an option to refer a friend and have them receive discount but doesn’t seem to be anything in it for the current customer to do this. They do change up the products that they offer with new scents so this can entice you in as well. They do have social media presence but in order to join the Facebook VIP group you have to answer questions to join and it’s not immediate.

Weaknesses of the Inbound Marketing approach used by each company

Hello Fresh

All their offers seem to be for new customers rather than encouraging existing customers to stay with them. This might be something that happens via emails once you are signed up but if it isn’t then it’s something that they need to consider. There are no podcasts or videos around preparing the meals which I think would add additional content to the site.

Wild Deodorant

They don’t have a BLOG, videos or anything slightly more interactive. There is an option to join a mailing list but it’s hidden at the bottom of the page and not immediately obvious.

Which organisation was best at Inbound Marketing and why

In my opinion Hello Fresh appear to be doing a better job with Inbound Marketing. Their website is engaging and there are lots of different sections to interact with – the have a clear calendar for providing new and interesting content via their Blog and with Instagram interaction. Although a lot of this is also done well by Wild I feel that they are missing the mark slightly.

How could each organisation improve their Inbound Marketing

Hello Fresh

It would be great to see what they can offer existing customers and reward them for their loyalty when there are several other companies offering this service. Adding videos of how to prepare the recipes would be a great addition – as we know more and more of us are watching video content online and often get our education this way.

Wild Deodorant

They should look at making signing up to their mailing list more obvious as this could help attract new customers. Would also be good to see offers for existing customers so that they help maintain loyalty to the brand.

I have been researching some travel related websites and looking at how content marketing is used. I’d like to talk to you about the 4 best examples of what I’ve found and hopefully these can give you some ideas about how content marketing could work for you.

Here’s the script for my pitch:

Thank you for the opportunity to pitch to pitch to you today. I have been researching some travel related websites and looking at how content marketing is used. I’d like to talk to you about the 4 best examples of what I’ve found and hopefully these can give you some ideas about how content marketing could work for you.

The first example I have chosen is the Blog on the Rome2Rio website – In this particular example, it asks the question, A two-week Europe trip with only carry-on luggage – is it possible?

I thought this really stood out against some of the other blog examples as it is immediately engaging – it makes you want to read on and find out if it really is possible.

It also provides value to the reader as it really answers the question that they asked upfront. It’s personable and relatable and looks at travel from a different angle rather than just providing the usual list of what to do when you get to a destination.

It also shows a good understanding of their audience – they know what the problems with checked in hold luggage are and offer a practical solution.

My second example is from the Intrepid travel website where they use video to really good effect. On their home page they have examples of the types of tours they can offer. As an example, if you click into the Cycling it offers an engaging video of what you can expect from one of their tours.

They have understood their audience as they recognise that the customer will potentially want more information before booking and this is a different way to convey the information rather than just writing about it. It sets them apart from competition in this way.

It too provides value to the customer – they are able to see an example of what they would get if they booked a tour with Intrepid.

My third example of good content marketing comes from the Tour Compass website in the form of a practical guide to a particular destination.

It sets out to answer a lot of the practical questions that travellers may have about a country but does it in such a way that it doesn’t overwhelm you with lots of text and information.

Instead, it provides a list of over 20 things you may have questions about – from Vaccinations and Visas to lunch & drinks on the safari in Kenya and the time difference. Each topic is easily  expanded for more information.

It’s a clever way to ensure their potential customer gets only the information that they need without having to read through lots of text to find what they’re looking for.

It provides the customer with value as the list is printable and downloadable so they can take this with them in whatever format is easiest for them. They have understood their audience in giving them practical information that will be useful to them… and all in one place. It’s the sort of information that you would Google and maybe have to go to several pages to find.

My final example is again from the Intrepid travel website and their testimonials pages.

They are engaging in that you can search for reviews based on the type of activity you are looking into.

You can immediately see how many reviews they have and what they average score is.

It provides value to the reader as it allows them visually to see where the scores for all trip ratings but it goes a little further than that as you can look for reviews specifically within certain months of the year.

Thought this was really clever as you want to know what a particular destination is like at the time you are expecting to travel – it’s a great way of making it more relevant to the reader by really understanding what they’re looking for.

The reviews are also relevant as they are date ordered and recent so not outdated.

That’s my pitch to you complete. Thank you for listening and I hope that this has given you some great ideas for your content.

Slideshare presentation: Private Presentation (slideshare.net)

YouTube Link: Assignment 5 Content Marketing Pitch – YouTube

Hi. My name is Lindsey Douglas and I wanted to talk to you today about how consumers are using technology and what impact that has on their lives.

Technology has advanced greatly since the birth of the internet. Gone are the days of dial up when you couldn’t use a landline whilst online, I can still remember the noise it used to make whilst connecting. The time it used to take to access anything was dreadful and I’m sure I wasn’t the only one to dread the phone bill coming in at the end of the month… the internet wasn’t cheap to access. It wasn’t always easy to access either, where and when you wanted it and internet cafes sprung up all over the place.

As technology was moved on, we now live in a world where handheld devices allow us access online wherever we are whenever we need it either via Wi-Fi or 4G and now 5G where it’s available.

In 2020 only around 5% of the world’s population were using the internet and this has grown quickly over the last 20 years and we’re at a point where nearly 70% of the population are online at some point. That’s around 5.5 billion people – that’s a HUGE number with a lot of zeros.

Not only is the internet easier to access but it is also faster making it easier to use. Between 2007 and 2017 the average internet connection speed increased by over 500% hitting a peak in Q3 of 2017 of 16.9 megabytes per second. However today speeds are averaging around 50 Megabytes per second. This has also had a significant impact on the type of material that we access online. This has hugely helped the consumption of video online – something that just wasn’t possible when the internet first came into being. Now we have video sharing sites such as YouTube and TikTok and streaming sites for movies and TV programmes such as Netflix and Amazon Prime.

As I mentioned earlier, we now have access to many devices on which to get online. In 2020 Smartphones accounted for 60% of the device usage for internet access – laptops came in second at 16% followed closely by tablets at 12% and desktop computers with just 8%. This is really showing us that being able to access the internet on the go from anywhere is crucial to our everyday lives.

How we search for information has changed over the years too – we are all familiar with search engines and Google still dominates as the go to search engine of choice. We are also looking for review sites to find out what other consumers think – we’re always being asked to leave reviews online and these are important to businesses and products. A bad review can do untold harm. We also use social media to look for information – we join groups on Facebook which bring together people with shared interests to discuss and exchange information.

Let’s have a look at what we buy online when we get there. We use websites and apps to access what we’re looking for. 55% of respondents to a survey showed that clothing remains the most popular items to buy online with attractive returns policies make this a great way to buy without leaving the comfort of the sofa. And what better thing to do whilst browsing for your next pair of new shoes than order a delivery to help satisfy your appetite. There is pretty much nothing that you can’t buy online these days and sometimes you can get all that you need from just one site.

Let’s talk about how Amazon has changed since it started out. In 1994 Amazon was an online store that only sold physical copies of books but it very quicky changed and in 1998 started selling CDs and DVDs. It introduced 1-click pay in 1999 and started selling toys too. They moved into clothing, food stuffs, created their own smart speaker and launch Amazon Prime for viewing. Along the way it’s also moved into Digital books making sure it holds on to some of its heritage. Amazon now sell over 250 million product lines!!

Our consumption of videos online has grown enormously too mainly due to availability via companies like YouTube and TikTok but also due to improvements in internet speeds as I talked about earlier. One of the easiest ways to demonstrate this is to look at the length of time Netflix subscribers spend on the platform. Back in 2009 each subscriber barely spent any time watching videos with less than 1 hour being viewed. In 2020 that had increased to 3 hours per subscriber. There’s obviously more content available and of better quality as time goes on so keep us engaged with them.

Finally, I wanted to look at trends in accessing social media platforms and although Facebook continues to be the market leader you can see that in last 3 years the growth of TikTok has been steep and it now becomes the 2^nd most used social media platform. As we spend more time online, we are looking for information and entertainment in bite sized chunks and so videos are becoming shorter and snappier to satisfy that appetite.

To summarise we have better access to the internet than we did 20 years ago through the advent of technology and internet availability. We can access it o n the go and through a variety of devices, most of them mobile. We have access to a wealth of information online that has made our decision making easier although sometimes it does make it harder as there’s just too much to sift through to get to what you really need. Video is becoming more important not only for entertainment but for education and information as well.

Technology has made a huge impact on how we live our lives and most of that is positive. But you must question whether perhaps it has gone too far and where it will stop.

Slideshare link: Assignment 2 Task 1 (slideshare.net)

YouTube link: Lindsey Douglas – YouTube

PRODUCT

Khomathy Mathy Business Insider (n.d) History Timeline

I chose this image to represent product as I think it’s a great depiction of how the product design has changed over the last 100+ years. The changes have been subtle maintaining the classic contour shape that we have come to equate with the brand. By not changing the shape it reminds me that this is a brand that has stood the test of time and gives you confidence that it is a brand that you can rely on.

PRICE

Daily Mail Online (6^th January 2018)

This was an interesting visual to explain the fact that Coca-Cola refused to decrease the amount of sugar in their products but in fact would get around this by selling a smaller bottle (less sugar content) and hen charging a higher price. Not something you usually see depicted in this manner.

PLACE

Marketing Week (28^th April 2022

I love this image! As marketing a brand goes this is genius and we have seen many brand do it – M&Ms for example. What better way to get your name and branding seen by more customers than to make customers buy branded merchandise to wear and do your promotion for you.

PROMOTION

Footy Headlines website (29^th September 2022)

Sponsorship is another great way to get your marketing message out to the masses. It gets seen by a lot of people who then associate the Coca-Cola brand with a hugely successful team or sporting event. Consumers are likely to want to be associated with this brand because of their love for their team.

PEOPLE

Coca Cola website (October 2020)

This was a powerful image Coca-Cola used to discuss their increase in demand after the COVID pandemic. It reminds me that there are people working on the production line and having to take COVID precautions in order to deliver the products that consumers want. It also reminds me of the process behind the production of products.

PROCESS

Wondershare EdrawMax website (October 2022)

This is great image to demonstrate the carbon footprint behind a product like Coca-Cola and powerful to see that packaging plays the largest part of that footprint – reminding us that we have our part of play in that footprint by recycling!

PHYSICAL EVIDENCE

Business Insider (April 2017)

Another powerful image that demonstrates the leadership in the market place by Coca-Cola by showing just how many more restaurant chains they are in versus the competition. It could be seen as having a double meaning by driving Pepsi lovers to places that only serve that product… rather than a consumer being exposed to Coca-Cola in another establishment.

Introduction

Coca-Cola, was invented by John Stith Pemberton in Georgia during his attempts to find a substitute for his morphine addiction. Originally the recipe was a coca wine and Pemberton registered the drink as a nerve tonic in 1885. In 1889, the recipe was bought and the Coca-Cola Company was incorporated. Today, the company owns over 500 brands for a wide range of products, including Sprite and Columbia Pictures. (M Ridder 2022).  Promotion has been a key contributing factor to their success making them the leading company in value in this very crowded market place and ensuring that they stay there  (Coca-Cola Website 2023). In 2020 they spent around $184 million advertising Coke alone. (M Ridder 2022)

Overview of Coca Cola’s Promotion

Coca-Cola follow an aggressive promotional strategy through advertising across multiple mediums and channels, such as TV, online advertising, print, branded merchandise and sponsorships. (CoSchedule 2023). They have also moved into having their own Coca-Cola stores where you can buy a range of branded merchandise.

Effectiveness of their Promotion to achieve marketing success

The marketing strategy employed by Coca-Cola has been hugely successful, keeping them at the market leader in their field. They have used many types of promotion over the years and in their sponsorship deals they are associated with successful teams which helps promote their positive brand status. They create a feel good factor around their product and although evolved, their messaging has been relatively consistent for over 100 years.

1904      Delicious and Refreshing

1956      Coca-Cola … makes good things taste better

1988      You can’t beat the feeling

2016      Taste the feeling

(Coca Cola website 2023)

How have Coca Cola evolved their Promotion over time

Coca-Cola has been around since 1885 and over this time has changed tactics slightly with their target audience, although the underlying message has always been the same – refreshing, great taste, the Real Thing.

Early on the adverts included pretty and elegant women to appeal to the upper classes but then evolved in the 1930s to appeal to the working class man as a drink to refresh them during a break. They also created the now iconic image we all think of when we hear Santa Clause – he wears a red and white coat, their branding colours, and invokes a general good feeling that you associate with drinking Coke. The most memorable promotional slogan they used was promoting Coke as The Real Thing­ -referring to it being first to market and trying to set itself apart from Pepsi as it’s main competitor. (KronosAnanthsimha 2019).

They have embraced the digital world that we live in today and have a strong presence on all social media platforms. Their Facebook page has over 100 million followers and likewise on LinkedIn they have over 7 million followers demonstrating their global presence and leadership.

Towards the end of 2021 they launched their ‘Real Magic’ promotional campaign with the aim to bring humanity together after the pandemic and have a positive experience with Coca Cola being the item that unites people and allows the real magic to happen. (CommunicateOnline 2022)

In April 2022 they opened their first new concept store in London – what better way to promote your product than have others pay for wearable merchandise and have them promote it for you? (Coca Cola UK website 2022)

References

Coca-Cola website 2023: About :: The Coca-Cola Company (KO)

Coca-Cola website 2023: History of Coca-Cola Advertising Slogans – News & Articles (coca-colacompany.com)

Coca Cola website 2023: History of Coca-Cola Advertising Slogans – News & Articles (coca-colacompany.com)

Coca Cola UK website 2022: Coca-Cola Opens First European Retail Flagship in London

Communicate Online 2022: The True Insight Behind Coca-Cola’s ‘Real Magic’ Philosophy (communicateonline.me)

CoSchedule: Coke Marketing Strategy: Their Recipe for Success (+5 Achievable Strategies) (coschedule.com)

KronosAnanthsimha Brief History – Evolution of Coca-Cola’s marketing campaigns – (kronosananthsimha.com)

M Ridder: Coca-Cola’s net operating revenues worldwide 2021 | Statista

M Ridder: Coca-Cola Co.: ad spend 2021 | Statista

I’ve finally started on my Digital Marketing learning journey… nearly 18 months after signing up to take on the Diploma. Time wasn’t on my side when I signed up but new year means new resolutions and sticking to the time blocked out in my diary to work through the course.

Coca-Cola logo 2023

Am looking into Coca Cola for my first assignment – a well known brand but not one that I have ever critiqued from a marketing perspective. It’s a world away from the field that I work in – I market medical devices to the NHS and this includes pharmaceutical products. We are covered by the ABPI and have strict rules over what we can and cannot do with marketing. I don’t market to patients – a whole other ball game which I why I’ve chosen this company. Will likely get jealous at their campaigns and freedom to be really creative…. but here we go.

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