Mind about a book: “Friends with Benefits: A Social Media Marketing Handbook”

I read "Friends with Benefits: A Social Media Marketing Handbook" because it could be very useful to know why companies can profit from this marketing channel and therefore be able to use it ourselves for our project with Raisio. 

Social media marketing is using social media channels to promote a company and its products. This type of marketing is a subset of the company’s online marketing activities, combining traditional web-based promotional strategies like email newsletters and online advertising campaigns. Social media marketing qualifies as a form of viral or word-of-mouth marketing. Viral marketing is a marketing strategy which focuses on spreading information and opinions about a product or service from person to person by using the internet. So if I tell my sister about a restaurant I really like, only she hears about it. Maybe she tells her boyfriend or some friend about that restaurant, but my opinion doesn’t spread further than that and it moves slowly. But if I have a restaurant review podcast with 500 listeners, my opinion spreads much fasters and reaches many people. If a company is already taking advantage of marketing actions like trade shows, media relations, direct mail, and telemarketing, trying social media marketing is a logical addition to the marketing tactics. The primary goal of every social media marketing campaign should be a stronger web presence. Concrete metrics for an increased online visibility are: more visitors and more incoming links to the company’s website, better search engine optimization and an improved Google ranking. I think it is obvious that social media marketing is a useful instrument for a company to attract potential customers. But new site visitors are not buying customers yet. So a company needs to have a strategy how to convert the visitors into customers. 

If we decide to use social media for our project, we need to figure out a strategy to get these new site visitors to buy Raisio's products. I'm looking forward to  Kunstenniemi and then finally be able to present all we have figured out during the last few weeks :)

//Marie-Sophie

Mind about a book: Kotlerin kanta

Hey!

I red about marketing and I got good ideas and tips from the book which is called Kotlerin kanta- markkinoinnin maailmanauktoriteetti vastaa kysymyksiin (According to Kotler- the world's foremost authority on marketing answers your questions).

The main idea of the marketing is the way of thinking. You have to understand customers needs, the service and the manner how you will fill the customers needs. Mainly people think that marketing is just advertising and increasing the consumption. But these are only the tips of the iceberg. Strategic marketing is less visible but much more convincing.

Traditionally marketing is constructed with four parts; selling organisation, advertising, increasing consumption and marketing research. With these four areas you need new skills. Example; building the brand, customer relationship marketing, database mining, profitability analysis of the products and customers.

You should be able to think how to make the customers react positive way with the product, not only concentrating to selling. When the customer is interested of the product, after that you start to work with customer loyalty. When you want to have regular customers you have to create a regular customers program. You will award the customers who are loyal for the products.

Nowadays people are using internet more than ever. You should also concentrate to internet marketing. The company needs website which include the main goal of the action, history, products, visions and other things. It should be easy for the customer to take contact to the company. The website should be well designed and the graphic should be good. Customer friendly website includes also possibility to order the products online.

Marketing is really large area but I think the book gave good information, ideas and tips for the project with Raisio Group! Ready for the Kunstenniemi! :)

Rita

Working day 3 @Hanken

Hello!

Today was the last working day and it was held at Hanken. Rita and Maria were present and we worked on what has to be done before Kunstenniemi. We wrote a mindmap about important things that we have to do before the meeting with Raisio Group and Kunstenniemi. Examples of things that has to be done are:
- everybody writes a blog post about the books we've read.
- everybody has to come up with different questions to ask on Monday, when we meet Raisio.

Rita holding our mindmap

A close up of our mind map

 

Looking forward our meeting with Raisio Group and everybody is really excited about the camp at Kunstenniemi!! :)

 

 

On our minds: meeting at "school" aka Panimoravintola Koulu

Today we had a meeting at Panimoravintola Koulu in Turku. Our meeting consisted of planning what we have to do before Kunstenniemi and present were Minna, Maria, Rita and Anna. We talked about Raisio groups possible strengths, values, target groups and brainstormed about books we could read. For the moment we are looking forward to meet someone from Raisio Group and trying to search for more information

!

Mind about a book: Uusi näkökulma asiakkaaseen

I read this book: Risto Havunen - Uusi näkökulma asiakkaaseen ("A new point of view to customer")

This book didn't tell as much about customer as I wished. It's more about how to do business with customer; what are usually faced situations at sales negotiation and how to get through them without failing.

My job was to figure out some insights about customer. This far we don't know what is our final task so here is something that I found out and hope it helps us!

- When trying to sell something, always prepare youself and you notes well.
- Remeber that customer probably doesn't think just the way you do.
- You might appreciate different values than you do.
- Always look like a salesman is expected. Otherwise it will take too much attention out of the sales themselves.

- What a customer values most are: expertice (21%), seller understands buyer needs (15%), well prepared seller (13%), compromise (13%), the abality to listen (12%) and others.
- Customer is not buying bacause the product. He has a problem and he wants solution.
- It matters how you act.
- Be ready to listen! Make questions. Find out what is customer's actual problem.
- Focus on situation. Don't think what to tell next.
- Make sure that customer has enough information about your company.

These are some keys to better inteaction with customer. When someone is more into negotiation, is this quit good book for you. It got's bacis and tells you how to avoid them.

Minna

Portfolio_Rita

               Portfolio              

                              Raisio Group / Rita Aaltolahti

1) Spreading ideas & health promoting food

How to make a phenomenon of your product and to spread it?

Our project group is innovative, energy and hard working group with new ideas. We have been working in meetings face to face and through the social media in facebook. Using blog is also really good way to work. For us working as a group it’s easy and versatile.

Action plan! 

We have blog posts in our blog and we are using tags so it’s easy to see with one click what you have already done and what you have learned during this project.
We have collected links about promotion, how to spread ideas and how to promote healthy food. These links help us to find the right key elements and we can get different views and opinions if we first research the subject.

2) Raisio Group

1. What do you know about the theme of your project?

Client of our project is Raisio Group. Main point is to make a phenomenon of the product and to spread it. Spreading ideas and health promoting food are the first steps to do!

For the project our group members have to be innovative and very creative and hopefully we will end up with amazing ideas! Marketing, communication, social media, customers and promotion are important areas.

2. What do you know about your company?

When you enter to website of Raisio Group you will find out that they produce cereal products and animal feeds. The whole website is almost covered with green color and that’s their way to show to the customers that they respect "green" and ecologic values. Some of their products are very famous and there is few famous brands; Benecol, Sunnuntai, Elovena, Torino and Nalle. Those are the brands what I already knew but they have more brands and those weren't that common for me.

Their products are very healthy and value of the products is high. I’m big fan of Elovena products!

3. What do you know about the company’s customers?

Customers are interested about healthy and good tasting food. All age groups are target groups and customers of the company because their products are well-made and well-known so customers appreciate the brand image and of course the product itself.

I interviewed two persons about the company and it's products. I asked if they know which company manufacturer products such as Elovena and Benecol?

Other person (65 years old) new the Raisio Group and those products but other person (19 years old) didn’t know the Raisio Group. In this case I think the older people have more knowledge of the company and the younger people are more focused to the products.


4. What do you know about the industry of the company?

Raisio Group is an international expert in plant-based nutrition. Raisio’s strategic target is to grow organically and through acquisitions. Raisio’s operations are divided into two divisions:

• ·         Brands
• ·         Raisioagro

Raisio’s best-known brands are Benecol, Honey Monster, Elovena, Fox’s, Dormen, Juicee Gummee and Nordic. Raisio’s activities are focused on tasty, ecological, healthy and safe products. With those areas they want to meet customer’s needs. Company’s all operations are placed on sustainable development and continuous improvement.

“Raisio is a forerunner in healthy, ecological snacks with leading brands and an active developer of the sustainable food chain.”

http://www.raisio.com/www/page/Group                                          

5. What do you know about the competitors of the company?

There is few competitors of the Raisio Group. Competitors are also making healthy food and same kind of food. Other big companies are Danone and Myllyn paras. They have well-known brands and I think they all three are competing of the ideal marketing and the customers. When you make better research you also find companies Greencore and Danisco.

3) Tools

Using specific tools it makes the working easier. I have already used some tools before so working with them it’s not a problem. When you use a tool it makes your thoughts more “clear” and most important is to do brainstorms! When you have your ideas on paper you can discover some new ideas more easily.

                                                 

                       

Systematic thinking, innovative ideas and new visions come up after using good tools. I’m more creative and more open for new ideas when I’m working with people from different studies. They come with fresh ideas and with the different experiences than I so this is the best environment to make this project!

                                                                      Rita Aaltolahti                                            

On our mind: meeting day 13.11.2013

 

Today we were creating ideas about ways of spreading them. We designed an action plan for the next two and a half weeks until Kunstenniemi. The team members who couldn't attend the meeting can check there what has to be done. We also decided to create an Twitter account and will now start tweeting :)

During the working day we mixed the different groups and that way we got some new and innovative ideas from the other teams.