Recently, I received an indirect inquiry from an association focused on preserving family purity. My initial reaction to being given the reins was ambivalent, but the more I delved into the subject, the more I realized what a fascinating challenge it is. Given the association's marketing activities were frozen for two years due to a crisis in 2022, developing an Action Plan and Competitor Research with a CMO as a Service became a crucial next step.
The freeze began after an investigative report on Guy Pines' show, which was followed by continuous negative coverage from other media outlets. Those who know me understand that I am a firm believer that crises create new and more precise opportunities for us.
The concept "there is no such thing as bad publicity" is indeed a cliché and often considered the most hackneyed in the field of marketing and public relations. However, there is no doubt that it is also debatable and not always applicable in every situation.
The idea behind it is that any form of publicity can be turned into a positive result through strategic communication and audience engagement. It relies on the notion that the subject generates attention, which can be beneficial in terms of raising awareness and sparking interest.
Those who follow global affairs recognize the influential role of the Woke movement, which focuses on engineering consciousness, and ambiguous agendas, and establishing them among mainstream audiences. This movement tirelessly advocates for changing society and the world, receiving backing and favorable coverage from media outlets supported by the wealthy.
The public in Israel, though it diligently consumes content distributed by mainstream media, has, in the last four years, begun to question the facts it provides and the reality it seeks to shape, but mainly its motives.
This skepticism has opened the door to a wave of alternative information channels, some of which have even been added to traditional viewing services.
The proliferation of new channels such as Channel 14 and Channel 15, alongside vibrant YouTube channels like TOV and leading podcasts such as False PosiTV, Matan Hakimi, Talking Podcast with Moshe Fabrikant, Daniel Dushi, and others, provide information and insights different from those presented in mainstream media. They reveal that the audience expresses complete distrust in traditional media and is actively seeking to disconnect from it permanently, feeling that it no longer represents their views.
Without delving into specific political preferences or the unnecessary right-left discourse, it is important to understand that this is a real revolution. The broader implication is that the public has stopped aligning and accepting the thought process that the media once skillfully shaped for it. Once the media bodies began to be perceived by large parts of the public as unreliable, anti-patriotic, and non-embracing of Jewish tradition, the end was near.
In the current reality, almost no commercial companies exist that do not at some stage utilize working with influencers on social media or invitations to launch events alongside PR articles. Why? Because it is simply a formula that has a fairly high probability of delivering immediate results.
Morning shows on mainstream channels have long served as advertising grounds for the highest bidder.
In the last four months alone, I received two offers from The Marker to buy an article and positive coverage on their site and in the newspaper section dealing with outsourcing services. Did The Marker bother to examine the quality of my services? As of the writing of this article, it hasn't happened, but I promise to update when that changes.
Is the mainstream media suffering from the "camel doesn't see its own hump" syndrome? Probably worse. The media operates to establish the public agenda, creating narratives that support the reality of many carefully pre-planned events. They blatantly ignore evidence, proofs, and events that contradict the agenda they promote.
After laying out my perspective, let's return to the negative coverage the association received.
Could it be that the association's only fault was recognizing the need to pay for the valuable time and exposure of the personal and relationship details of those key influencers?
It is important to note that these are specific influencers chosen carefully. They wholeheartedly believe in the cause and recommend it based on their personal experiences.
Is this worse than a typical morning show that sells segments to the highest bidder? Or a presenter for a smartphone manufacturer who switches to Android just because he receives a handsome payment, while secretly longing for Apple's iOS interface? This phenomenon has a name and picture in the dictionary: "hypocrisy."
Initially, I leaned towards initiating a campaign based on exposing the true face of mainstream media, but realizing that this has been successfully happening on its own in the last four years led me to a completely different conclusion. There is no doubt it was quite tempting to join their feverish efforts in digging the pit, but however deep it might be, the more interesting challenge is to create something entirely different.
The principle behind the new strategy is that embedding the value of "family purity" does not necessarily need to focus and be based solely on it. It can and should be a significant tool from a vast toolkit. For this purpose, I decided that we should establish a new brand dedicated to improving relationships and promoting enriching content through leading social networks, while the virtues and benefits of "family purity" will be gradually introduced as part of a broader program.
The guiding idea is that in the initial months of the channel's activity, there is no direct connection between the organization's activities "Shasani Isha" and the new activity.
At this stage, I proceeded to prepare the plan submitted to the client based on a presentation.
The pre-stage was dedicated to simplifying the work process:
Understanding the Organization's Landscape
Identifying the target audience
Competitor research
Evaluating digital assets
Cost estimation for adaptation
Developing a Marketing Strategy and Quarterly Action Plan
Initial assessment of quarterly marketing budget
Establishing relevant assets
Building a content strategy
Working Process with the Marketing Agency
Creating marketing content
Uploading it to advertising systems
Market launch and conclusions for an improved action plan for the next quarter
In the second phase, I focused on defining vision, goals, and operational steps to achieve the objectives.
Defining the overall goal:
Step 1: Understanding the Organization's Landscape
Identifying the Target Audience:
Demographic and socio-economic analysis of the potential audience.
Identifying the needs and desires of the audience.
Conducting Competitor Research:
Identifying the main competitors.
Analyzing the services and products they offer.
Identifying the strengths and weaknesses of each competitor.
Step 2: Evaluating Digital Assets
Evaluating Existing Assets:
Reviewing the website, social media, and existing content.
Estimating costs to adapt the assets to new requirements and standards.
2. Preparing Cost Estimates:
Build an estimated budget for each customization action.
Step 3: Developing a Marketing Strategy and Action Plan
Building a Marketing Strategy:
Define marketing goals and objectives.
Identify main marketing channels (digital and physical).
Quarterly Action Plan:
Prepare a detailed timeline for marketing activities.
Define roles and responsibilities within the marketing team.
Step 4: Working Process with the Marketing Agency
Creating Marketing Content:
Prepare content tailored to the target audience.
Upload the content to advertising systems.
Conclusions and Improvements:
Analyze the results of marketing activities.
Prepare an improved action plan for the next quarter.
Step 5: Understanding the Vision and Goals of the Organization
Vision:
Create a shift in relationship perceptions using scientific, educational, and cultural tools.
Goals:
Train relationship counselors.
Reduce divorce rates and improve the quality of married life.
Step 6: Operational Steps
Building a Content Channel:
Build a content channel for improving romantic relationships.
Provide a platform for professionals and relationship counselors.
Step 7: Competitive Landscape
Understanding Competitors:
Understand competitors and the unique aspects of the organization.
Identify main competitor websites.
Step 8: SWOT Analysis
SWOT Analysis:
Identify strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats within the organization and its competitive environment.
Step 9: Target Audience and Persona
Identifying the Target Audience:
Identify the target audience by age and platform usage.
2. Defining Personas:
Define key personas: single/married Jewish women, Jewish men.
Step 10: Strategy for Implementing the Agenda
Stage A: Building an Audience that Experiences a Problem
Identify the main needs and issues of the audience.
Stage B: Offering the Solution
Provide solutions through practical content and tools.
Stage C: Retention through Content
Continue creating quality content and retaining the audience through ongoing engagement.
Step 11: Summary of One-Time Costs
Establishing New Activities
Estimate costs for setting up a new website, producing podcasts, and creating additional content.
Cost Assessment
Prepare a detailed budget for all stages of establishing and maintaining the new activities.
If further details or additional stage breakdowns are needed, please update, and I will be happy to assist.
Here, the picture was very clear: the organization does not have direct competitors that promote a similar goal or offer identical products or services, so the competition will be with players providing alternative solutions. For example:
Competitors in the restaurant industry offering a similar menu.
List of Indirect Competitors:
These are companies offering alternative products or services that could compete. For example:
Competitors in the restaurant industry offering a different menu but targeting the same audience.
Step 3: Information Gathering
Websites and Blogs:
Visit competitors' websites and read their blogs to understand their activities and strategies.
Social Networks:
Follow their activities on social networks like Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter.
News and Articles:
Search for articles and news about competitors in reliable sources to get a broader picture.
Financial and Annual Reports:
For public companies, financial and annual reports can provide valuable information about the company's performance and strategies.
Step 4: Information Analysis
SWOT Analysis:
Strengths: What do competitors do well?
Weaknesses: What do competitors do less well?
Opportunities: What opportunities can you exploit?
Threats: What threats could affect you?
Marketing Strategy Analysis:
Examine how competitors market their products or services:
Which advertising channels do they use?
What are their key messages?
What content do they publish and how is it received by the audience?
Step 5: Building an Action Plan
Defining Goals:
Based on the gathered information, define clear goals and objectives for your action plan.
Developing Strategies:
Develop new marketing strategies or improve existing ones based on research insights.
Planning Actions:
Prepare a detailed action plan with concrete actions, responsibilities, and timelines.
Resource Allocation:
Ensure you have the necessary resources to execute the plan (budget, personnel, tools, etc.).
Step 6: Monitoring and Control
Performance Measurement:
Define metrics to evaluate progress and track them regularly:
Market share.
Website traffic.
Sales and profitability.
Making Adjustments:
Be flexible and ready to adjust the plan as needed based on measurable results.
Step 7: Reporting and Communication
Regular Reporting:
Update stakeholders on results and the status of the plan.
Internal Communication:
Maintain good internal communication with the team and ensure everyone understands and is committed to the plan.
And here are 11 recommended tools to assist you in developing a program:
Google Alerts: A free and handy tool from Google that allows you to receive automatic updates on mentions of specific keywords. Create an alert for a competitor's name or a specific topic, and receive email notifications when there are new results on that topic. The main advantage is that it's easy to use, completely free, and allows real-time tracking.
Google Ads Keyword Planner: A free and comprehensive tool for finding keywords. It is easy to use, provides accurate and accessible data, but requires an active Google Ads account. It is mainly focused on paid advertising but can provide search volumes to help understand the market size.
SEMrush: An advanced tool for SEO and PPC analysis that includes information on keywords, backlinks, site traffic, and more. Using it allows you to identify effective strategies of competitors and improve your performance accordingly. It offers a user-friendly interface and provides a wide range of data supported by detailed insights.
SimilarWeb: A proud Israeli tool that provides analysis of competitor website traffic and audience statistics. It shows where competitor traffic comes from and which content attracts most of the audience. There's a free version available, and it provides detailed information on traffic sources and in-depth user behavior analysis.
BuzzSumo: A content analysis tool that shows the most popular content shared on social networks. It allows you to see which posts, videos, or articles get the most shares and likes. The main advantage is in identifying trends in content, understanding trends, and getting a focused understanding of what the audience likes.
Serpstat: Another tool for SEO and PPC analysis that offers a wide range of data on keywords, traffic, and advertising strategies. It helps build effective PPC strategies and identify SEO improvement opportunities. Its user interface is easy to use, it has versatile capabilities, and it ultimately provides deep insights.
Ispionage: A tool for analyzing competitors' traffic and PPC campaigns. It allows you to see competitor ads, estimate their advertising budgets, and analyze their performance.
SpyFu: Another tool for tracking competitors' SEO and advertising. It shows which keywords competitors are targeting and how they rank for them. It's an easy-to-use tool that offers detailed information on competitors' SEO strategies.
WooRank: A tool for analyzing traffic, keywords, and backlinks that provides detailed reports on your site's and competitors' performance. It features a user-friendly interface and offers practical insights for site improvement and clear reports.
MozPro: A tool for tracking competitors' keywords and backlinks. It provides information on keyword rankings and backlink quality. Its main advantage is link analysis, ranking tracking, and integration with tools like Google Analytics, Google Search Console, HubSpot, Salesforce, SEMrush, Ahrefs, and more.
Ahrefs: A versatile and effective tool for analyzing backlinks, viral content, and keywords in competitors' campaigns. It allows you to see which competitors' content gets the most links and traffic. It undoubtedly offers high-quality competitor tracking and excellent keyword research.
Alexa: A tool for analyzing competitors' ranking and positions in different countries. It provides data on site rankings, traffic locations, and traffic sources, even for Israeli sites. Alexa offers audience analysis, popularity ranking, identifying opportunities and threats, and search trends in specific sites in Israel, giving a broad picture of the competition in the international and Israeli market.
Need an outsourced marketing manager? CMO as a Service can be the exact solution for you. Leave your details, and I will get back to you as soon as possible.
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