Archive for 2009
Still Ignoring Social Media?
Saturday, November 14th, 2009A convincing argument that social media has evolved from passing fad to seismic shift in online communications.
What does Bing have that Google does not?
Thursday, October 22nd, 2009Your Facebook feeds. Well, potentially. While details have yet to be released the deal between Bing and Facebook suggests that some of 40 million daily updates will be included in Bing’s search results. Users will have the ability to opt in or opt out using tools provided by Facebook.
In another deal Microsft’s Bing will also include Twitter feeds in its search results thus bringing real time search to the Web. While Twitter feeds have always been public they needed to be accessed using Twitter search or Twitter apps.
However the Microsoft deal with Twitter is non-exclusive and Google isn’t about to let Microsoft have the spotlight or a foot into real-time search alone. Marissa Mayer, Vice President of Search Products and User Experience, announced today that Google will be including Twitter’s feed in their search results as well. (more…)
Build your brand and your sales by combining social media with mobile technology
Tuesday, September 29th, 2009Geared towards restaurant operators, this upcoming seminar explores integrated marekting using cutting edge technologies and social media. Space is limited so call today to reserve your seat.
The world has gone wireless, and new media marketing has taken on a life of its own. But what does it mean to SMS text, tweet, friend, or become a fan?
In this seminar, we’ll explore how:
- Social media has impacted marketing strategies and mobile exposure. (more…)
Technology is Changing Our Businesses and Our World
Monday, August 24th, 2009This video is from a presentation Sony played this at their executive meeting this year. It clearly shows the impact of technology on our lives and our world. It makes you think.
You can watch the entire video on YouTube by clicking here.
Get off my lawn you Twittering punk!
Thursday, August 13th, 2009Another resume for a “Social Media Marketing Expert” landed on my desk. Every month, I see several of these. But for some reason, this one grabbed my attention. I didn’t examine the curious sense of importance I subconsciously attached to this particular resume but I think I knew why–I’m looking for the moron who was Twittering at the movies the other night so I can waterboard him.
Okay, I can’t be sure he was Twittering. But despite 50 feet of Technicolor straight ahead of me, once the glare of his Blackberry seared my retina, this jerk became the focus of all my attention. Attempting to count his thumb strokes, I determined that his manic bursts never exceeded 140 characters. Aha! Must be Twitter. Besides, he reekked of self-involvement that seemed clearly at odds with his lack of self-consciousness. I bet those were his best sweatpants-nice choice.
Looking at the resume again, I decided to set up a phone appointment to see why the candidate so freely used the term “expert.” To me, that implies some track record of success and I wanted to find out more about how he defined a successful social media campaign. I suppose to protect his real world reputation we should give him a name. Let’s call him Earl. I made the call. (more…)
So What’s Your Story?
Sunday, August 2nd, 2009Before joining the online conversation you and your staff better get your stories straight.
What’s your story? Can you tell a colorful story that paints, from a customer perspective, a vivid picture of what it’s like to do business with your company? Describe every interaction at each of your touch points. Before you can make the social web work for your business, be certain you and everyone in your company can tell the same story to every customer.
Your story may start with someone answering the phone. How many times does it ring? What does the person answering your phone to greet your customer say? Perhaps your typical customer experience starts with a physical visit to your store, office or practice. What does the customer see, smell, hear–what grabs his or her attention immediately. Be a fly on the wall and describe the conversation between the customer and the person representing your company. Let’s give him a name and job description. How about Beau? (Why not Beau–you have a problem with Beau?) (more…)
Avoid common do it yourself email marketing mistakes.
Thursday, July 23rd, 2009It’s almost impossible to browse more than a few websites or listen to drive time radio without being exposed to an ad from a company offering do-it-yourself email marketing solutions-and most of them are pretty good. Yet most of the small businesses we meet are disappointed with the results. Well you can’t expect advertisers to say “email returns more sales per dollar than any other direct marketing vehicle but it’s a mindfield of common pitfalls”. That’s what bloggers are for.
Part one of a recent client engagement was to evaluate their past email marketing efforts. We found a lot of the same mistakes that other businesses , large and small, make every day. The email software providers aren’t to blame, except maybe for making it seem too easy. And most have good information on their websites. But obviously the best practices are not being read there. So on the fat chance that they’ll be read here I thought I’d share the most commonly made email marketing mistakes small business make and some advice on how to avoid them. (more…)
Clicks to Cash (Part 2)
Sunday, July 19th, 2009One of the more powerful aspects of pay-per-click advertising is the ability to control which ad copy and headline is displayed in response to a prospects search. This is also one of the most neglected. Paid search marketing gives us the incredible power to target customers at the exact time of need, while they are actively looking. Taking the time to understand the searcher’s intent and grouping keywords in to tight groups specifically focused on that intent can increase the number of qualified visitors, lower your cost per click and greatly increase your profits. It can be a tedious task unless you keep the end in mind-more profitable sales.
I was working with an auto dealer who was determined to market his way through these tough times and asked for some help in evaluating his current Google AdWords ad campaign. What we found was fairly typical in the campaigns of those new to paid search. (more…)
Stop losing your best customers
Wednesday, July 1st, 2009Existing customers can be an ongoing source of profitable sales. If you’ve met your service promise and given them value, email marketing to existing customers can help make tough economic times a bit brighter—if you remember that permission based email is a relationship built on trust and expectations. Permission based email implies a promise. By sending only relevant, timely, personalized, valuable messages based on customer preferences you’ll have a much longer and profitable relationship.
Make a good first impression with a well crafted welcome message. Email marketers consistently discover that interest fades quickly. A strong welcome message reminds the customer of the reason he or she signed up to receive your communications in the first place. It also re-enforces your brand name recognition. The “From” line is a critical factor a customer considers when determining whether to open or delete and email. By seeing your name as soon as possible after signing up, they are apt to quickly recognize it again in the “From” line of your next message. This is also a perfect opportunity to recap what the subscriber can expect from you. If you deliver on this promise you’re apt to keep the subscriber engaged. (more…)
Spring Brings Major Changes in Search
Friday, June 26th, 2009The last few weeks have brought significant changes to the search landscape that could have huge implications on ones current search engine marketing strategy .
Microsoft’s Bing.com is out of beta and initial stats show interest was high and in alignment with Microsoft’s goal of becoming the number two search engine within five years.
Launched as a decision engine as opposed to a search engine, Bing’s initial focus is on travel, shopping, health, or local search. If the concept of being a decision engine translates to users, those of us in search marketing might discover a higher proportion of users are further down the purchase funnel, ready to buy. Bing has tremendous implications for pay-per-click advertisers as searches at this end of the funnel could lead to better conversion rates and require reallocating client keyword portfolios. Time and testing will tell. But for our clients in the travel and local search space we are considering diversifying their spend. If the early trends hold Yahoo will need to respond to survive. (more…)
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