Two Pennies and a trip to Africa

I will be blessed with the opportunity coming the end of March, to go to Ghana Africa as part of Alighted Lantern Productions and Two Pennies Ministries to do a documentary at the Countryside Orphanage.  Two Pennies Ministry started working with Countryside Orphanage just last year to help them re-start their chicken farm that was totally lost to disease.  Two Pennies started a campaign to raise $10,000 to allow them to purchase 2000 chicks, 3 workers to work the farm and proper inoculations to keep the chicks healthy.  I will be part of a small team telling the Two Pennies and Countryside Orphanage story.  I will keep updates in this blog about how this project is going.  As a Chicago advertising photographer, I will be way out of my element and comfort zone.

Small Business Owners and Online Advertising

The Internet has become one of the most popular places for advertising in today's world. Advertisements using traditional media such as TV, radio and newspapers are slowly losing their appeal, as more and more people choose to go online to get their daily dose of news, entertainment and interaction.
Small business owners, who usually rely on word of mouth to spread the word about their brand, are also taking advantage of the various means of advertising that can be utilized on the Internet. Nowadays, an online presence has become vital for brands to succeed in their chosen fields and industries.
In a recent study conducted by Toluna PLC for Adpropo (2011), where they assessed the opinions of 1,013 adults over 18 across the US, it was discovered that consumers spent an average of 98 minutes for online leisure activities. Online games (19.6%), social media (18.9%) and entertainment viewing (12.4%) were the most common activities, but many people also spent time using search and classified (11.9%), shopping and auctions (9.7%), entering contests (9.1%), finding information on brands and products (9%), and looking for deals. (7.4%).
They also surveyed what the people's attitudes toward different forms of online advertising were. Most of the people who were surveyed believed that pop up ads (70%) and floating/animated ads (58%) weren't effective and can even be annoying. Audio (57%) and mobile ads (52%) were also seen in a negative manner. According to the survey, consumers were most positive toward email, video and Facebook ads.
When it came to people's feelings about interacting with brands through Facebook and Twitter, the majority of those surveyed either had no interest on following brands (25%) or are neutral and follow a couple of brands but don't really pay much attention (25%). 21% are fine with having brands in their social networks, 16% believe that it's a great way to get information and engage with their brands, while 13% don't want brands in what they consider as their personal space.
So what do these results mean for small business owners?
Small business brands should realize that most people who go online don't really enjoy being bombarded with blatant advertising such as pop ups and animated ads. These are more likely to annoy people than to get them to obtain whatever products or services you're selling.
Email advertisements, however, seem to be a lot more acceptable to people. This is probably because these forms of advertisements are less blatant and obtrusive. Typically, people who sign up for emails or newsletters are people who are really interested in what the brand is offering, unlike when you simply visit a site and then all these advertisements suddenly pop all over the place. And it's only right that you get a person's permission first before bombarding them with all these ads of products and services that they aren't really interested in.
With social media, people seem to be more divided about brand interaction. Some don't really care, while others actively seek to engage with brands through these sites. Small businesses who want to connect with consumers through these platforms should make sure to offer timely and relevant content that engages people as well as advance information on promotions and upcoming discounts. They also need to interact with their consumers, answering their questions and concerns, offering them entertainment and apps that would make their experience of the brand a lot more interesting.
Small business owners should also remember that just because a person likes their company page doesn't mean that they're willing to put up with blatant advertisements and shameless promotions. When it comes to social media, people usually like it better to build a solid relationship with your brand first through exchange of information and value offerings.
Truly, online advertising can be extremely valuable for small business owners simply for the mere fact that it's a lot less expensive compared to traditional media advertising, and can even get you better results. But the key here is understanding where people are most likely to accept forms of advertisements instead of pushing promotions and ads on them that they didn't really sign up for.
So make sure that your online campaign is on target. Flash, animation and pop ups may get a person's attention, but it's usually not the kind of attention that you really want, since they're more likely to be annoyed and irritated. The best way to reach your consumers is through subtle advertising such as email marketing and social media, where you should first offer value before expecting consumers to even consider getting the products and services you're offering.

Maria Elena Duron - About the Author:

"Maria Elena Duron, CEO (chief engagement officer), buzz2bucks | a word of mouth marketing firm, is skilled at making networks "work" and harnessing powerful online and offline buzz, she facilitates online visibility services and word of mouth coaching and workshops – taking companies and professionals from buzz-worthy to bucks-worthy, http://buzz2bucks.com."

Jewels By Parklane Fall Catalog

Check out the latest catalog that Sierra photographed. I shot about 97% of the images in this catalog. Thank you Parklane!