The Cutting Edge of Online Marketing

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then Pinterest must already be worth billions. I recently signed up, and want to encourage you to sign up and/or pass the following on to all on your email lists.

http://pinterest.com/latonyk/manufactured-home-lifestyle/

We can add to this, of course, this is a start.

The idea is simple. It can benefit what ever it is you do in manufactured housing. Here is how.

We show appealing photos and a bit of copy with an image that showcases what is good about the Manufactured Home LifeStyle. This isn't selling one company's homes – it is selling the lifestyle – which will lead people to retailers and communities over time, which will sell homes.

It is a soft sell, not a hard one.

There are links back to our new MHLivingNews.com site. As you know, this MHProNews.com site is for Business 2 Business professionals, so we really don't look for ANYONE outside of our Industry to jump in here (not hiding it, just keeping it focused on professionals).

The new MHLivingNews.comis different. We want people far and wide to see this site! Pinterest will be one way to get them there.

If you decide to do a Pinterest board, let me make a suggestion. Do something that will attract attention In Addition to manufactured homes. In my case, I used Chicago Botanic Gardens. I may add others interests later as time permits. But the point is that if someone likes the Gardens, and they end up on the board, they are likely to see what else that person – in this case me, but it could be thee! – is interested in.

When politicians are using Pinterest to connect with voters (and they are) on a personal level, it is one of millions of reasons for us to use this as a simple and free tool to showcase manufactured and modular homes. The more people see, the more they will get curious.

Drops of water over time will fill the bucket. We can't “pin” our hopes on that alone, but if we do some pinning along with other things like MHLivingNews.com, it will only help our Industry's image – and that will drive more sales and satisfaction.

http://pinterest.com/latonyk/manufactured-home-lifestyle/

Please, check it out and pass the hotlink above along! ##

Post by
L. A. 'Tony' Kovach
www.MHProNews.com
www.MHMarketingSalesManagement.com or www.MHMSM.com
Innovation – Information – Inspiration for Industry Professionals

Office – 815-270-0500
latonyk@gmail.com or tony@mhmsm.com

http://LATonyKovach.com
http://www.linkedin.com/in/latonykovach
http://pinterest.com/latonyk/manufactured-home-lifestyle

I read an interesting article the other day about the power of moms. It's not 'new' news to anyone how powerful moms are. They are and have been the rock of the family. They keep the kids (and husbands) healthy, on time, on task, well fed, well dressed, and so much more.

But the article I read focused on the influence of moms, specifically mothers who contribute opinions, ideas and thoughts through the internet. They’re called “Mommy Bloggers” and some have huge followings throughout the country. They have blogs that discuss child care, meals, shopping, entertainment, children's health, issues of working moms and other things pertaining to the daily life of moms.

This article focused on two companies who tapped into the power of these Mommy Bloggers, Johnson & Johnson and McDonald’s. In the case of Johnson and Johnson, they sent these Mommy Bloggers free product sample to test out and write about, created contests for moms to post YouTube videos of them using their products. These were great ideas that stimulated conversations about their products among a large pool of their potential clients.

McDonald’s took it a step further. They actually invited many of these Mommy Bloggers to McDonald’s headquarters outside of Chicago. They could see firsthand what the company does in its test kitchens, throughout the corporate complex and also in actual restaurants. They wanted the people that influence and make a family’s dining decision to see what goes into a McDonald’s meal. With so much negative attention surrounding fast food, they felt the need to be proactive and introduce these influencers to what goes on behind the counter.

Mom shopping with a child
photocredit wikimedia commons

Initial follow up shows that both of these outreach programs have worked to defuse some cases of negativity and increase family purchases.

Think about your business. Is there an opportunity for you to influence the influencers, moms or who ever they may be? If so, do it. The idea is to get people to gain a better understanding of your product, to see the advantages of your product and for them to open an educated dialog among your target audience. A trusted, like-minded voice will be heard by many.

Tony Kovach and the MHProNews (MHMSM.com) team have launched a similar effort. Check out MHLivingNews.com, if you have not already done so. See how our team seeks to remind the millions who own or live in a mobile and manufactured homes of the value of their lifestyle. By influencing current owners, they can influence others. This is a proven way to grow sales and satisfaction.

Thousands have logged onto http://www.MHLivingNews.com/ last month, and its bound to spread. Check it out, and help influence the influencers. The new sales you may influence could be your own. Don't believe it? Just ask a mom. They live in our industry’s product and influence people all the time.##

I was speaking to an ad buyer at an advertising agency the other day. I thought I was doing a heck of a job selling him, when I proudly told him that our Click-Through rates were much higher than what Google recently reported as their averages. His response…

“Jeff, I really don’t care about click-through rates.”

What? An ad man that is interested in buying online advertisements isn’t concerned with click-through rates?

He told me that with online advertisements it’s all about “viewability”. The opportunity for prospects, who spend a great deal of time online, to see his client’s ad. He explained that McDonald’s doesn’t advertise online to sell you an Egg McMuffin that minute. They do it to stay in front of their audience. They know most people won’t click their ad and even if you click their ad, that purchase won’t happen immediately.

You only get about 3-8 seconds to view a highway billboard.
(Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)

He further explained that the value in online advertising is the “measurable viewing time” that an ad has with a visitor. A billboard on the highway is seen for just a few seconds, a commercial for just 30 seconds, but online news and information sites have much longer viewing times. For example, on this site, the average visitor will read about 7 – 8 pages (think different stories) during their time spent on our site. That allows a much longer “measurable viewing time” than most other advertising opportunities. And that means the advertisers name, product or service is making a much larger impression on the visitor.

For Real Estate, the mantra is location, location, location.
For Marketing, the mantra is Repetition, Repetition, Repetition.
Where online is also important, go for a website that puts you
routinely in front of your target market.

In the end, what impressed that advertising professional the most about www.MHProNews.com was the 112,245 visitors (think, MH Professionals, Execs and Owner readers), 817,745 page views and 2,023,635 'hits' this past month. This is more than all the other similar business to business resources in the Industry combined. That meant the industry professionals that his client wants to reach are on our site in large numbers and for a lengthy duration.

So, learn the same lesson that I did…when it comes to online advertising, think beyond click through rates to view-ability and readers viewing time. # #

Office – 815-270-0500
latonyk@gmail.com or tony@mhmsm.com

http://LATonyKovach.com
http://www.linkedin.com/in/latonykovach

Help us help you help our Industry with the MH Advancement Project (MH-AP). Your company could drive more business and profits while protecting and promoting the manufactured industry. Before we dive in, let's briefly set the stage.

Paraphrasing what more than one well known manufactured housing personality has said to me:

'In Washington DC, the manufactured housing industry
is a like a pimple on an elephant's behind.'

So on issues such as changing the SAFE Act, Dodd-Frank and the CFPB with legislation such as HR 3849, the experts agree we don't have an easy road ahead. With HUD, the EPA or other regulators, MH Industry associations and their members generally don't carry the influence we need by ourselves. Which is why MHI and others often seek to leverage relationships to enhance advocacy and influence.

But haven't we missed one of the biggest influencers of all? A group we should be able to tap readily? I think the answer is 'yes.'

We can dramatically grow our influence by aligning the interests of manufactured home owners - and pre-HUD Code mobile home owners – with MH professionals. If there is one thing that politicians need as much or more as campaign funds it is votes come election time!

Image of the political power of a crowd of our customers and residents getting ready to vote…

With and estimated 8.8 million pre-HUD Code and post HUD Code manufactured homes in the U.S. and with some 19 million residents in those homes, that represents about 6% of the national population. By organizing enough of those MH voters, we can tip the scales in elections for or against a candidate. Think about the polls and voting. 6% can often make the difference. When an interest group shows up at the polls during elections, that 6% can be even more powerful because so many do not show up to vote.

The journey of thousand miles begins with a single step.

- Lao Tzu

While ambitious, there are relatively easy steps we can take to accomplish this goal, and we have already begun the process. Please join us in this effort. Those who do can benefit short, medium and long term.

MHLivingNews.comis a new website that we have just launched focused on the MH Home Owner and MH Residents. We will carry periodic stories, but a key focus for us will be the ALERT system we are building.

Over time, we expect the MHLivingNews.com site to have far more traffic than our site here at MHProNews.com because there are about a quarter of a million estimated MH connected professionals, employees and business owners. But there are some 19-20 million MH owners and residents!

• Anyone can send their customers or residents a free link. With MHLivingNews.com being 'a third party,' it is potentially more powerful than you making the same request directly of your customers or residents.
• For those who work in the communities world, you already know how a story can spread 'in the park.' When someone gets motivated, they tell their neighbors. Certainly the impact of Dodd-Frank and SAFE Act on the values of mobile and manufactured home owners is so significant, once residents 'get it' they will have a reason to change it.
• FYI – Select http://www.mhmarketingsalesmanagement.com/advertise(MHMSM.com a.k.a. MHMarketingSalesManagement.com) will get a special package, that will include free banner ads on http://www.manufacturedhomelivingnews.com/alert.

We will continue to add content to www.MHLivingNews.com, which will attract and retain a growing number of readers coming. Help us, help you help our Industry.

FYI, I've already contacted my Congressman and he is on board with HR 3849. This is easier than you think. Get an email for a staffer, send them this link, which is an all in one brief and shows those already signed on. Then, ask your staff and team members to do the same.

How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. How do you impact Congress? One request at a time. How do you begin the journey of a thousand miles? With a single, simple step. Please take yours today to tomorrow. Working together, we can make this happen. # #

Post by
L. A. 'Tony' Kovach
www.MHProNews.com
www.MHMarketingSalesManagement.com or www.MHMSM.com
Innovation – Information – Inspiration for Industry Professionals

Office – 815-270-0500
latonyk@gmail.com or tony@mhmsm.com

http://LATonyKovach.com
http://www.linkedin.com/in/latonykovach

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Whether you think you can or whether you think you can't, you're right. – Henry Ford