Shel Israel writes The Social Beat blog column at Forbes.com and has authored four books about digital media’s impact on business. He’s now working on his fifth book, 

I got a chance to catch up with Israel to talk about the latest trends in marketing: context, personalization, and the debate over tracking cookies. Here’s what he said.

Q. Can you tell us a bit about your upcoming book, The Age of Context? What are some examples of “context” we already see around us?

A. We look at five converging technology forces: mobile, social media, data, sensors, and location. As we see it, they are creating a huge contextual superforce in which technology becomes far more personal and capable of predicting what we want even before we ask.

The book has more than 100 examples, even though we are only at the dawn of this new age. We talk about how sensors will adjust traffic lights in real-time response to accidents or events like concerts, and how first responders can wear Google Glass or another smart eyewear device so that they understand where injured people or hazardous material is located in a burning building. 

We write about how retailers will use sensors and data to offer real-time rewards when a shopper touches an item, and talk about a new personalized guide that will select programs, movies, and sports events based on your preference and the channels in your cable plan. 

We also discuss how the New England Patriots are leading the NFL into an era when contextual technology allows in-stadium fans to have cold beers waiting for them at the moment they need them in the nearest concession stand. 

We explore avenues such as business, health, education, and a great deal more that shows how the life and work of almost everyone is about to change — hopefully for the better.

Q. The debate over third-party cookies is getting kind of heated. I understand why people want to shut off cookies and get rid of annoying advertising. But I wonder if we might go too far, and if perhaps we’ll lose the ability to deliver useful, relevant, targeted and contextual content. What do you think? 

A. Cookies are definitely a trade-off. They allow businesses to do all sorts of good stuff by knowing about each user. But they feel sneaky and make users very nervous about the data being collected. Take that anxiety and combine it with the frustration that the advertising is most often irrelevant to our interests, and it makes sense why people vilify cookies today.

I think you are right. If we just turn cookies off, we’ll lose something. Still, I think users should have the right to opt in whenever they possibly can — it’s very different from opting out. Users may make the wrong choice, but it’s their wrong choice to make.

Q. Some people are saying that cookies are old-fashioned and will die off, and then we’ll find new ways to track users and deliver better content. What are your thoughts along those lines?

A. All technologies age, and right now it’s happening at an accelerated pace. I don’t know of anything that can replace cookies today, but I’d be happy to see a less insidious technology. That being said, trying to ban cookies and stop tracking users altogether isn’t going to happen. Cookie-haters who try to win the fight this way are like people standing on a beach and trying to stop a tsunami rolling in. First, there’s no way you’ll succeed, and second, you’ll be in very deep and troubling waters really quickly.

As far as better advertising, I have a mere glimmer of hope that contextual technologies can make a difference. Cookies tell advertisers what we want at a time when we need it. But there is no technology to get them to stop when we no longer need something — nor is there a financial incentive. 

For example, one Sunday afternoon in January, I shopped around online for a hotel on Cape Cod in June. I made my selection a couple of hours later, booked my car and flight, and was done with the issue. A day has not gone by since then when I haven’t received special offers for hotels on Cape Cod. Advertisers do this all the time. It pisses people off. It hurts the credibility of otherwise decent brands. But the ad folk themselves really have no reason to stop sending me those offers. I’ll probably grow old and die, and still these offers will be sent to the online remnants of me.

Q. In the “age of context” how will brands learn about customers and deliver information that they will find useful rather than annoying?

A. In the coming age, our personal data, location, and likes will be known, which will help influence the scenarios I mentioned in my first answer. Our book doesn’t deal with one factor — time. It’s the fourth dimension. There is a time when I want to see deals on a new car, refrigerator, or Cape Cod holiday package. And then there comes a time when I don’t — I’ve already made a decision or purchase. A huge step is for advertisers to understand and measure the loss of goodwill that occurs when they produce more noise than signal across all communications channels. 

If you take it further, contextual ads can someday customize what each household sees on TV. They can even personalize the content you see on the screen in the back of a taxi. The first step, however, faces the biggest barrier: an industry that doesn’t understand that doing what they have always done will not remain effective.

Advertisers are in a cold war with the people they are trying to reach. They make TV ads noisier — we invent the mute button. They stick in more ads — we get a fast forward button. This isn’t the way to build a trusted relationship. 

What do you think the Age of Context looks like, given the recent cookie tracking debate? Share your predictions with us in the comments below. 

The post The Future of Inbound: Shel Israel Looks Ahead to the 'Age of Context' appeared first on Sphinx Web Design Experts.

What does loyalty really mean?

Customer loyalty is a valuable commodity and a loyal customer can pay dividends in more ways than one. But what does loyalty really mean?

Loyal clients and customers are the most valuable assets of a business, and should be treated as such. They stick with a brand even though they have other options because they believe they are being given a better experience, better value and benefits than they would get from other brands. Customers like that are worth their weight in gold, and can usually only be created if they are made to feel they are a business’ number one priority. Here are the top reasons why you should treat them like royalty:

• Marketing, advertising and incentivizing is an expensive business, and it costs a business about 5-10 times more to acquire a new customer than it does to retain and sell to an existing one – so catering to your current clients will save you money
• They love to do the hard work for you. When a client or customer truly loves what you do, they want to tell people about their positive experiences. These are the consumers who use in-person and online conversations to regularly share and endorse your products and services. In short – these brand advocates are the crucial difference between having average audience interaction and genuine influence. This small yet extremely valuable group of advocates should be highly prized because their support, endorsement and recommendations can not only increase awareness, but they can provide social proof to considerably boost your Google rankings. They engender trust and reinforce your business amongst consumers who are unfamiliar with and new to your brand to drive them to ACTION.
• Up and cross-sell strategies are more effective with loyal fans. They trust you, so they are more inclined to be adventurous with their choice of products and services, and they tend to buy for longer, too
• Loyal customers spend on average 67% MORE than new ones with repeat purchases – making them high ROI prospects. Research shows that return and repeat purchasers have higher average order values and conversion rates than shoppers with no previous purchase history
• They can improve other aspects of your business. Loyal customers are more inclined to freely give genuine, quality feedback that is invaluable for knowing what you’re doing well and what areas need improvement. They can also give insight and ideas for product and service development too – they could be your next big money-spinning inspiration!
• Loyalty gives your business the power to endure through a tough economy. When the competition is hotting up and everyone around you is cutting prices, you will stay afloat and keep trading. Why? Because your loyal customers aren’t interested in getting the cheapest price for what they want – they want real value, and that comes with the experience you offer them and the benefits they perceive your products give them, aside from price.
• When you have to raise your game, loyal customers will play along. Everyone has to raise prices, whether to combat inflation or just because you deserve a better profit margin. Fortunately as with the previous point, your faithful client base is dependable. Because they perceive that you offer a greater value they will be willing to pay more for a quality product or service

Many businesses offer monetary incentives in exchange for people’s loyalty, but maybe they should have indulged their beatnik tendencies, because those Beatles were right – money can’t buy love, and it can’t buy loyalty either.

Discounts = Desperation

No matter how much you dress it up – and even if you pretend to be okay with it – cutting prices hurts. You’ve worked hard on your business, and it’s a real come-down to have to get a whole lot less that you deserve in return. Providing services at a lower cost can be the start of an ugly cycle – to cover the cash shortfall other quick hits are needed, which is the start of a dark, downward spiral that forces you to keep prices low and before you know it you’re in a hole too deep to get out of.

So is there anything else you can do to redress the balance? You guessed it – you have to take something away from your product, and that can be a real blow to quality and integrity.

You might have to reduce the efficiency of your delivery service, or cut down on client aftercare, or strip valuable features away from your carefully crafted offerings, leaving them mutilated and limping. This in itself is bad enough, but consider the consequences… What will your clients think of all this corner cutting? Well, in short – not a lot. These days people are swift to condemn sub-standard products and services, and thanks to the boom in social media they like to do so publicly (it does have its flip sides). Be prepared for a serious dent in your reputation as well as your wallet. Here are some more powerful reasons NOT to discount:

• Prioritizing growth over profit means your business runs a significant risk of never reaching profitability.
• You will need a substantial cash buffer to stay afloat if you’re going to vastly discount your products – and that can be difficult to come by for most small businesses.
• If you offer lower prices you have to make up for the shortfall by working harder than your competitors to make the same amount of money. This is bad news as there are only so many hours in a day, so you may not be able to make up your profits without exhausting yourself – if at all. This means your competitors can be more relaxed, and they’ll have bigger financial resources at their disposal for marketing and advertising too, making them more powerful adversaries.
• A basic understanding of the psychology of consumers is essential when running a business. The majority of people have a ‘You get what you pay for’ psychology, so if they see a cheap offer, they immediately perceive it as lower quality. This can significantly devalue your services. This is bad for your reputation as it positions your business as ‘cheap’ rather than representing quality – and the negative impact on your business will be long term and difficult to repair.
• If what you put out is low grade, what you get back will be low grade too. If your products are seen as cheap they will attract the wrong kind of client – bargain hunters. These are the bottom dwellers of the consumer pool. They are demanding, have a skewed perspective, zero loyalty and they’re not afraid to shoot their mouths off. They are also often indecisive and bad payers, and they can suck up the resources of your company and spread negative energy like a disease.
• A low or discounted price implies you have a lack of faith in your own product or service – particularly if it is ‘high-end’ – and if you don’t believe in your product, why should anyone else?
• Setting a low standard makes it much harder to raise your prices as your business grows. Even if you make it clear that the lower price is “introductory” only, this is almost always ‘forgotten’, and getting people to pay higher prices once you go back to normal will be really tough, let alone when you inevitably raise your prices.
• What happens if you are discounting products or services your existing customers have already paid full whack for? I can tell you one thing for sure – when they find out they are not going to be happy bunnies. The likelihood is you’ll have to either give them a partial discount or risk losing them forever. And they’re quite likely to spread the word about their shoddy treatment too…

How to win the hearts of your customers

Ok, so if you can’t discount and you don’t want to compromise quality – you may well be wondering if there is anything you can do.

In fact there are a ton of fantastic options for you to differentiate yourself and stand out from the crowd to increase awareness, keep your existing customers satisfied AND win new clients. What you must do is add value in some other way that will truly benefit them to create a far deeper and long lasting loyalty.

Here are some proven major strategies that work across any industry – apply as many as you can and you’ll soon begin to develop a much richer relationship with your clients and customers.

1. Provide an ‘experience’

We live in a virtual age where reality is subjective, and the more things get digitized, the more people instinctively feel the need for something genuine. The new breed of consumer differentiates between product and service choices on a whole new set of criteria to the ones marketing types are used to. What they are searching for is an authentic experience rather than just gimmicks or features from self-serving companies – something that enriches either their lives or has a positive impact for the greater good. Businesses with a strong focus on charity or community offer a compelling reason to commit and stay loyal.

Attentiveness, recognition and personalization are also key players, with the latter being particularly powerful. Amazon is one of the great artists of personalization techniques like personal recommendations based on previous purchases and browsing history. Think what you could do to ensure your customers know that you not only pay attention to their preferences, but remember them and cater to them for each and every transaction.

…And don’t forget to show your clientele the appreciation they deserve, they will love you for it. Reward them spontaneously with free and valuable insights, articles, games, competitions and other treats. Be there in the right place at the right time to give them the experience they crave.

EXAMPLE: SPECIAL K

Special K paid close attention to the feedback from their customers and devised a comprehensive weight management system. As well as giving women a selection of diet plans that can be tailored to the individual and the support they need with articles written by experts and forums cleverly divided into larger topics like ‘others like you’ and ‘nutrition’ as well as about the diet plans, Special K offer a set of valuable tools like a BMI calculator and eating out guide and a food diary to keep track of everything.

The crowning glory of the Special K diet plan experience however, is a neat little iPhone app that enables dieters to plan meals (with recipes provided) according to their chosen plan. These plans then automatically generate a shopping list made up of all the ingredients in every meal. From there it’s a simple step to add these ingredients to a shopping basket on the Tesco website (a major supermarket chain in the UK) and have everything delivered to their door.

And best of all? Everything is FREE.

2. Mitigate ‘pain’ points

Every customer has concerns – it’s only natural – but worries and fears are barriers to commitment and loyalty, so you must do everything you can to assuage them.

If you know your target audience well enough and listen to them often enough, you will have a fair idea of what makes them tick and what reservations they have. Offering excellent customer service, fast results or delivery, and exceptional guarantees is a good place to start, but tailor what you do to deal with the problems that affect your clientele specifically.

Show your personality to reassure people you are a flesh and blood being with feelings, dreams and aspirations – and problems – just like them. Be empathic and encourage emotional bonds to develop. Make them feel comfortable and secure and they will most likely happily return to you time and time again.

EXAMPLE: APPLE

They are renowned for their excellent customer service and over 60% of Apple employees are actually out there in stores, which demonstrates the importance that the company places on going that extra mile to keep clients happy. Apple employees are trained to understand the needs of customers and solve their problems rather than to ‘sell’, and their employees have no set sales targets or commissions. Even the Apple name has been used to create a customer service-centric acronym:

• Approach customers with a personalized warm welcome
• Probe politely to understand all the customer’s needs
• Present a solution for the customer to take home today
• Listen for and resolve any issues or concerns
• End with a fond farewell and an invitation to return

With customers being supported by friendly, helpful (and fair) advice throughout the buying process and afterwards, it’s no surprise that customer feedback is excellent. Phrases like ‘I felt appreciated’ and ‘I feel completely secure with my purchase’ are commonplace from Apple’s many advocates.

3. Show them what you’re made of

Prove your worth by demonstrating the truly unique attributes that set you apart from the rest – they don’t have to be conventional, in fact it is better if they’re not. With a unique selling point you effectively remove yourself from the competition and create a comfortable niche for yourself that creates demand and inspires loyalty. Think creatively to determine the unique traits of your products, services, mission or image that make you special.

Position yourself as knowledgeable and an authority to be respected by demonstrating your unique expertise and experience through useful and informative articles, contributions to forums, webinars and other social interactions.

Not only is this good for your image, it also develops your image by giving something back to those that follow you. Build on this reputation and show that you follow through on your promises. Be proud and showcase excellent referrals, reviews and testimonials from satisfied customers and clients – and the beauty is that the more loyalty you gain, the more willing people will be to freely give you glowing feedback.

EXAMPLE: JACK DANIELS

Jack Daniels’ unique value stems from their unique heritage – it’s an iconic brand with a personality that’s genuine, authentic and unpretentious. With a bottle of Jack comes a snifter of traditional America. The JD website places heavy emphasis on this with a timeline entitled “Our Story of Independence” which reads “This isn’t a history lesson. This is a story about independence and craftsmanship” and that is what appeals to millions around the world – they want to be part of the bona fide American story and feel they have that true, independent spirit.

This is reinforced very effectively with videos about the craftsmanship involved in production, associations with rock stars and music, Jack Daniels culture and the people who’ve made a difference to the Jack Daniels story.

Emphasize the virtues of your product or service, and not the price. First you must step back to see the bigger picture, then you must hone in on the all-important details – because when you put enough of them together it is those details that will keep customers returning to you over and over, not dropping your prices and making compromises.

Demonstrate enough true value and not only will you turn your clients and customers into loyal advocates who do your marketing for you, you will also place yourself in a powerful position that will over time will enrich your business and your level of achievement and satisfaction, make you stand head and shoulders above the rest, and allow you to commanding the big bucks – even when those around you are floundering.

About James T Noble: James makes small businesses bigger. He’s worked with some of the world’s largest brands and companies to market their products and services online – including Disney, Microsoft, 20th Century Fox, Virgin, Coca Cola, MTV and many others. Find out more and read business growth tips at http://www.JamesTNoble.com

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The question to ask yourself, your team, and those at the top of your organization is, “Do we have the base (occasional donors), and more importantly, the reliable core (recurring donors) in our fundraising pyramid to sustain our nonprofit for long-term growth?” More specifically, the question to ask in terms of your current strategy is, “Are we marketing to and nurturing these individuals to eventually move them up the pyramid and become major donors?”

If the answer to both of these questions is no, then your organization needs to do some soul searching, and you need to adjust your current strategy so the answers are unanimously yes. But, have no fear! Here are a few suggestions for how you can shift your focus and turn those shameful “no’s” into loud, confident “yeses.”

How to Shift Your Nonprofit’s Fundraising Focus

Strengthen and grow your core. 

No, I’m not talking about doing more crunches at the gym. I’m talking about the core of your fundraising pyramid — recurring and annual donors — consisting mostly of the Millennial (20-35) and Gen-X (36-50) generations. This is the most important part of your fundraising pyramid to focus on to guarantee sustainability for your organization in the long run. These recurring donors are providing the most consistency and security for your nonprofit. They are giving often and in larger amounts than the bottom of the pyramid, your base, or occasional donors. Your core is showing commitment to your organization, and as they get older, their wealth will grow along with their donation amounts.

“How do I do this?” you ask? In the same way you’re cultivating and nurturing your major donors. I’m not saying to take every recurring donor out to dinner every month or write 1,000 handwritten thank-you letters. But there are ways to engage this audience effectively in the one-to-many fashion. The key is to be personal and creative, and here are some ideas to get you started …

Start a tiered incentives program for your core.

Based on how much they pledge each month or year, these incentives are a way to say thank you to your core constituents. They can be anything from a direct thank you on Facebook or Twitter, to free tickets to your annual gala, to a trip to a project site in the field. Giving them something they can boast about is even better, because their friends and family will want to get involved as well, growing your network through theirs.

Communicate and share impact on a consistent basis.

The number one thing donors say nonprofits do poorly is to show and communicate the impact of their donations. By sharing exactly where the money they are giving is going, you’re able to engage your donors consistently over their lifetime. Keep them updated on your fundraising initiatives and share pictures of projects in progress or recent endurance event results. Send them an email with this information that corresponds to when they make their recurring donation (monthly, quarterly, yearly). This can easily be done with any email service provider, a well managed donor list, and some writing skills.

Ask them for something other than money.

That’s right! Ask your donors for something else besides another donation. While a majority of these individuals don’t have that much time to physically volunteer, they could have professional skills, whether its public relations, accounting, or design, that your organization could use for upcoming marketing and fundraising campaigns. Who wouldn’t want to do what they do best for a good cause? Its great for a young professional’s resume, and it’s great for your nonprofit.

Don’t focus on the dollar. 

Simon Joyaux said it perfectly: “The fundraising pyramid focuses on the rich. The pyramid devalues people. Ascending the pyramid forces fundraising into a particularly narrow focus, big bucks — and only the rich have those big bucks.”

How about this wild idea? Invert the fundraising pyramid. This shifts the focus to your “base” and “core.” Now you’re forced to focus your marketing and development on engaging, inspiring and cultivating these NEW relationships with MORE people. They will naturally move down the inverted pyramid, and over their lifetime, become those major, rich donors that you know so well. If you focus on building the relationships with these individuals, sharing stories they can relate to and providing information they are looking for, you will be indirectly affecting the dollar.

Treat all donors equally.

If your marketing and communications are the same for your major donors as they are for your core and base (i.e. personal, appreciative, direct, and informative), the connection with them will be much stronger. Using inbound marketing tools like email, your website, and social media makes it easier to manage and execute these tactics to larger groups of donors, while still keeping it personal.

Try this: Take the last thank-you letter you sent to a major donor, and read it as if you were sending it to everyone but your major donors. Does it still work for the intended audience? Sure, you’ll have to personalize the donor’s name and take out that inside joke, but 9 times out of 10, it works. Now add a line or two about how these individuals are the core of your organization, include an update on an initiative they are contributing to, and send it out. Do the same for new and one-time donors. Make them feel special, like you can’t do it without them. Doing so on a consistent basis will help maintain these relationships for the long term and keep your donor retention high.

Offer more ways to give. 

Yes, your major donors are much more comfortable writing your organization a check, but Millennials and Gen-X’s are not. They want a simple, fast, virtual way to contribute to your organization. Whether it’s adding a ‘Donate Now’ button to your website or offering peer-to-peer fundraising for your events, your core and base want options. If you have different ways for your constituents to give, but you aren’t seeing results from specific channels, make sure you’re clear in your marketing that there are various ways to give. Put the top two options you prefer your core and base to give in your email signatures and on your homepage, linking to a page with all the other options. Don’t make it hard for those who want to give to do so.

Marry “Mary Marketer” and “Debbie Development.”

If your marketing and development teams aren’t sitting near each other (if not, side-by-side) and speaking on a consistent basis, they should be. Marketing and development are dependent on one another; Development needs Marketing to drive new prospective donors and volunteers, while Marketing needs Development to keep those constituents engaged so they donate over and over again to fund the organization. More importantly, bringing these departments together will be essential to keeping your strategy consistent for all parts of your fundraising pyramid. Marketing will be able to focus on growing the base and core, while Development will be able to focus on keeping them engaged, as well as nurturing them into major donors over time. Eliminating any silos between these departments will be the key to making these changes efficient and effective, and allow for avenues of constant, open feedback.

Extending the life of an organization and spreading awareness of the mission is an important goal of every organization. So why invest a majority of your time and resources on the smallest group of people with the smallest potential of growth? Invest in the future of your organization by investing in those individuals who will get you there.

How does your organization allocate time and resources to your fundraising pyramid?

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Mobile Devices Account for 14% of Global Web Traffic

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When you have a small business or even a large one, it is important to share online competitions for your customers. This will not only help you to introduce a new line of products or services but gain more customers in the long run.

You can reach other customers you may have never reached by hosting an online competition. Here are a few tips on how you can run a successful contest online to promote your business and drive sales.

1. Advertise

Marketing your contest is the first step in gaining followers and new customers. If they do not know your running a contest, they can’t enter.

Be sure you advertise on your business’ Facebook, Google+, Pinterest, and Twitter pages. There are lots of ways to put this contest out there. Try advertising in your retail location or sending out fliers to customers that will be enthusiastic about the competition and advertise the new product.

2. Get people engaged

Don’t just broadcast promotions through social networking outlets. Rather, get folks involved with your brand or organization.

Create something that allows people to interact directly with your brand — it’s key to getting traction and conversation going in your social media communities.

3. Social Media

This is one of the best ways to get your customers interacting with your business on their personal pages. They can like your Facebook page or your Twitter page so that they can enter a contest.

Becoming fans of your business page helps to increase your customer reach. These routes are a great way to go when you are offering a contest.

4. Have a purpose

Don’t just do a contest for the sake of doing a contest. Make sure all of your promotions have a specific purpose.

While you want to create buzz and excitement, you also want to think about the other goals that you want to accomplish. Do you want to increase attendance, fundraise, generate discussion, build an e-mail list or deliver another metric?

5. E-mail Blast

If you have an e-mail list that you use for updates, then you can send out an e-mail blast to announce it. You can also send a link so that your customers can easily enter the contest.

Your customers can sign up to get e-mails when you are having sales and contests. You can keep them informed of new products and services that are soon to come.

6. Make it easy to participate

Complex games are fun but many attract less participants. It’s great to use the “flavor or the month” technologies out there, but keep your players in mind and don’t make them do anything that will generate more questions than actual participation.

7. Coupon Codes

For those who do not win it is always nice to offer a discount or coupon code after the competition. By offering this to the customers who do enter, it’s a nice way to say thank you for their time and entry.

This is also a great way to promote the new product so they may be more apt to come back and buy even if they did not win this time.

8. Create fun and excitement

People love contests and the chance to win prizes. Make them interesting and people will play.

Convey excitement through messaging. Make your promotion different and, of course, inject personality into it.

Offering prizes to those who enter the contest will help you to draw more customers to your site as well. People love to win prizes. Giving something away will help widen your reach and your customer base.

9. It’s the total campaign that matters

Promotions are most successful when they are part of a larger, integrated campaign. Involve your creative department and promote on the website and through e-mail. The most successful campaigns are seamless and can be played through several social networking platforms.

10. Don’t stop!

Promotions help to create traction and momentum. Continue the conversation, get others involved and grow your supporters. In other words, be a smart marketer.

By keeping these ideas in mind, you can make your next business competition a huge success.

Remember to market your competition as much as possible. Snail mail, e-mail and social media are just a few places to start. You will be glad you kept these tips in mind when you see the new business it brings and your competitions are widely successful.

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Tips On Using Contests To Drive Sales

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A mailing house has the potential to increase clients in three ways. First, it will help you plan and devise strategies for managing bulk mail projects — in a nutshell, brand recognition. Second, most mailing houses (although not all) will provide your copywriting, list certification, and mailing needs.

Lastly, to ensure that you get the desired results, a mail house will make sure your ads will reach your target audience and track the data collected. It will also refresh your mailing list. This is important because, even if you have a mailing list on hand, if it is not updated on a regular basis, your mail marketing won’t reach your target audience.

According to research by the U.S. Postal Service, 20 percent of people in a specific neighborhood will move after a year, due to job changes or other similar factors. This is a large number of potential clients that will not receive mail, not to mention quite a huge chunk of your budget for mail marketing. If your mail house of choice doesn’t provide the last step, which is the updating of your mailing list, this could spell disaster for your supposedly cheap advertising strategy. This is why some people say mail house services are pricey, when in fact they are not.

The beauty of availing mailing house services is, whether you’re a small-scale or large-scale company, you will enjoy the benefits of direct mail marketing. So what are the benefits?

• Cheapest alternative to other mailing programs or newspaper ads;
• Helps you alert an entire neighborhood for sales or special offers;
• Assists in handing out detailed information about your business and the services you offer. (Restaurants have been known to mail entire menus while grocery stores send in coupons directly to nearby neighborhoods);
• Directly delivers customized messages to the right audience.

But keep in mind that because mail house services are cheap, not all companies will offer all the steps needed to direct a successful mail marketing campaign. Some companies only offer the actual mailing process but not the necessary steps that come before and after — mainly the design process and the processing of data. If you really want to save money but achieve the desired results, opt for a company that offers the complete package from start to finish, namely:

1. Planning of the marketing strategy;
2. Designing of the actual mail/letter/ad;
3. Implementation of strategy and printing;
4. Sorting and mailing to desired neighborhood;
5. Processing of data collected.

A company that offers all of the above will help you save money in the long run because you will gain a better understanding of your target market if the strategy is consistently implemented. From the design plans to the actual folding, stamping, and affixing of extra items, a company that knows the marketing and design plan right from the beginning will be able to give consistent results and a better bang for your buck.

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Will Mail House Services Benefit your Business?

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Top 4 Digital Marketing Trends for 2013

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Dell’s Project Ophelia, a PC the size of a USB stick, will start shipping in July for roughly $100.

The Android-based device, which was unveiled at the 2013 CES in January, enables users to change any capable TV or monitor into an “interactive personal display device” without using any other technology.

The Wi-Fi and Bluetooth-enabled gadget plugs into a display’s HDMI port and can then run applications or access files stored remotely. It is built on Android 4 OS to support Web browsing, social networking, media playback and Android apps with a possibility to extend to other services.

“Built on Dell Wyse software technology already used on millions of devices, Project Ophelia transforms ordinary displays into a window to entertainment, communications and a person’s own personal cloud,” reads a company press release. “The device also allows business users to instantly turn a display into a flexible, securely managed, communications-enabled thin client for work, demos or presentations. These capabilities are packed into a device barely larger than a USB stick that is self-powered through a monitor and easily fits inside your pocket.”

Leap Motion Demonstrates Compatibility with Windows

Leap Motion will be fully functional with Windows by the time its 3D gesture control device launches July 22.

Leap Motion has released a video depicting how its 3D gesture control will work with Windows operating systems, an integration that will be key considering the company’s partnership with Asus and Hewlett-Packard, both which run Windows.

“From the second you plug in your Leap Motion Controller, you’ll be able to browse the Web and interact with your computer just by moving your hands and fingers in the air,” the company said in a blog post.

“With Leap Motion technology and Windows, you can do everything that’s possible with multi-touch inputs — without actually touching anything. This also means that existing applications in Windows 7 and 8 will respond to your natural hand and finger movements.”

Leap Motion said Mac OS X is next on its list.

The Leap 3D motion control system — which is 200 times more sensitive than existing motion-control technology — allows users to navigate and interact with computer applications using natural hand and finger movements. The technology can track movements to 1/100th millimeter and the controller has a 150-degree field of view, and tracks individual hands and all 10 fingers at 290 frames per second.

Flikr Gets Much-Needed Makeover

Yahoo has launched a handful of updates to Flikr, in a bid to make its photo-sharing site “awesome again.”

The changes include 1 TB of free storage for all users, a redesign with larger images and the capability to upload full resolution photos.

“The look and feel here is about photos and being unbounded,” CEO Marissa Mayer was quoted by CNet. “That’s what Flickr is about. Photos make the world go round. We want to make Flickr awesome again.”

Yahoo also unveiled a redesigned Android app for both Smartphones and tablets, which is available immediately, the company said.

Yahoo acquired Flikr in 2005 for about $35 million.

Post from: SiteProNews: Webmaster News & Resources

Technology News Briefs — May 21, 2013

The post Technology News Briefs — May 21, 2013 appeared first on Sphinx Web Design Experts.

Google will replace Checkout this fall with Google Wallet, a platform that “enables merchants to meet the demands of a multi-screen world where consumers shop in-stores, at their desks and on their mobile devices,” Google Wallet senior product manager Justin Lawyer announced in a blog post. Retailers can continue to accept payments via Google Checkout until Nov. 20.

The move is not surprising. Google announced three upgrades to it Wallet service during its I/O conference last week:

• Integration with Gmail

Gmail and Google Wallet users can now send payments as a mail attachment, no matter which e-mail service the recipient uses.

The integration of the two services means U.S. users can “quickly and securely” send funds to friends or family via Gmail for free as long as the user’s bank account is linked to Google Wallet or the funds are being sent from an existing Google Wallet balance.

The feature is rolling out in the coming months to U.S. residents 18 or older.

• Google Wallet Objects API

This new tool allows users to add all of their loyalty cards, offers, tickets, and membership cards to Google Wallet for easy access via Smartphone.

Google Wallet Objects API will also benefit businesses that choose to offer loyalty programs. The tool allows businesses to do three things: showcase their products and services, acquire users and keep those users coming back with instant loyalty sign-up, real-time updates and offers.

Retailers and developer, can learn more or sign up by clicking on the links.

Google Wallet Instant Buy

Google Wallet Instant Buy is an Android API that makes buying via Android apps “fast and easy.”

Shoppers using Android apps can check out in as few as two clicks because they do not have to manually enter their billing or shipping information. Google Wallet then securely sends the data to the developer with the user’s permission.

Transactions are screened for fraud around the clock and are protected by Google Wallet Purchase Protection so merchants can offer a safer shopping experience.

The Transition from Checkout to Wallet for Retailers

Retailers that don’t have their own payment processing will need to transition to a different solution in the next six months.

“To make things easier, we’ve partnered with Braintree, Shopify and Freshbooks to offer you discounted migration options,” Lawyer said. “If you are a U.S. merchant that does have payment processing, you can apply for Google Wallet Instant Buy, which offers a fast buying experience to Google Wallet shoppers.”

The Transition for Google Play developers
Developers selling through other Google properties — Google Play, Chrome Web Store and Offers Marketplace — will automatically be transitioned to the Google Wallet Merchant Center in the next few weeks.

The Transition for shoppers
“Shoppers can continue to use Google Wallet to make purchases on merchant apps and sites (such as Priceline, Uber, and Rue La La), as well as on Google properties, such as Google Play and Chrome Web Store,” Lawyer said. “Just look for the Google Wallet button to make safer and more secure payments.”

Google will host a live webinar May 23 at 10 a.m. PST to give retailers more details on the transition. Information can also be found on Help Center.

Post from: SiteProNews: Webmaster News & Resources

Google Retiring Google Checkout in Favor of Google Wallet

The post Google Retiring Google Checkout in Favor of Google Wallet – Retailers Have Six Months to Make the Transition appeared first on Sphinx Web Design Experts.

Hangouts now supports only inbound calls for users with Google Voice numbers.

“We’re working hard on supporting both, and outbound/inbound calls will soon be available,” said Google product manager Nikhyl Singhal said in a Google+ post to address user complaints about the lost ability to make outbound calls.

“In the meantime, you can continue using Google Talk in Gmail.”

The revamped Hangouts combines text, photos and live video across Android, iOS and PCs.

Google’s senior vice-president of engineering Vic Gundotra laid out the features of the free app in a recent Google+ blog post:

• Messaging that is “richer, and more responsive.” Photos and emoji can be added to conversations “while real-time activity indicators really bring them to life,” Gundotra said.

• Conversation history allows users to swipe back in time to look at old posts and photos. Users also have the option of turning history off.

• Once a users sees a notification on one device, it will be cleared from all of their other devices and PCs. Users can also “snooze” notifications if they are busy.

• Free video calls to all contacts.

Singhal described Hangouts as “the future of Google Voice.”

“Making/receiving phone calls is just the beginning,” he said. “Future versions of Hangouts will integrate Google Voice more seamlessly.”

Post from: SiteProNews: Webmaster News & Resources

Google Working on Bringing Outbound Calls to Updated Hangouts

The post Google Working on Bringing Outbound Calls to Updated Hangouts appeared first on Sphinx Web Design Experts.