MarketingSavant

Why Your Company Should Adopt a Mobile Marketing Platform

2012-02-03T12:23:38Z

Anyone who’s ever experienced the joy of receiving a text message with a coupon for a free Redbox rental or a complimentary small fry with the purchase of an Arby’s roast beef sandwich understands the great benefits of mobile marketing. It’s push marketing that consumers actually want to be on the receiving end of. Here are just a few reasons why your company should get on board with mobile marketing today.

Higher Open Rates

The most popular form of mobile marketing is Short Message Service marketing (SMS), or text marketing. As I mentioned above, customers tend to be very receptive to SMS as long as your texts provide them with some kind of value. In fact, customers can’t receive your text messages unless they specifically request them due to opt-in laws. What that means for us as marketers is higher open rates with mobile marketing campaigns than that of say, e-mail marketing. How much higher? About 75%! Higher open rates should translate into higher conversion rates, provided you’re doing your part to offer something of value in your text messages.

Easy Access

People don’t always have their laptops handy, but you can easily make the assumption that a person will have their smart phone on them at all times. People have more frequent interaction with their phone than their computer, so creating a web presence that is compatible with mobile devices is critical for businesses, now more than ever.

People LOVE Their Mobile Apps

Mobile apps are great tools to help simplify a task for your customers and for you as a business owner or marketer. Do you own an accounting firm? Hire a developer to create a mobile app for clients to use to estimate their tax refund with. There are tons of ways to get creative with mobile apps, it’s just a matter of recognizing an opportunity and finding a way to incorporate a mobile app into the solution. There are 4 billion cell phones in use right now, and a quarter of those phones are smart phones. That doesn’t even take into account the number of tablet-users who love to download the latest app from their favorite restaurant. Cash in on this enormous market with a mobile app of your own.

Provide “Just-in-Time” Info

With mobile marketing, you have a better chance of capturing in-the-moment consumer behavior. I’ve covered this pretty extensively in a previous blog post, but it’s worth bringing up here too. Consumer behavior is highly influenced by “just-in-time info” that is retrieved on cell phones. For example, imagine a savvy customer out shopping for a lawn mower. He finds what appears to be the perfect lawn mower, but this particular customer doesn’t spend over $100 without first checking product reviews. Here’s where that “just-in-time info” comes into play. If your mobile presence is up to standards, the customer should be able to pull up your website and find product reviews and specs in a matter of seconds.

There are so many reasons to incorporate mobile marketing into your marketing platform. If your company has already established a mobile marketing initiative, what are some of the benefits you’ve noticed so far?

Facebook Page Dimensions Cheat Sheet Download

2012-02-07T12:30:53Z

We’re often asked questions like:

What is the size of the profile picture in Facebook?

How wide and deep can you make a Facebook tab?

Well, the folks over at Dream Grow have put together a great post on all of the Facebook page dimensions along with a handy download of PDF Facebook dimensions cheat sheet.

Check out their post on the subject and download the cheat sheet. Very cool, and very useful

Everything You Need to Know About Google Hangouts

2012-02-03T12:23:08Z

If you didn’t know about Google Hangouts before, I’m sure you do now after President Obama utilized the social tool to address the nation the other night. Just in case you missed the buzz surrounding the event, Google Hangouts can be described as a virtual meeting place that takes place through Google’s social network, Google Plus. Other celebrity figures have held Google hangouts as well, but I think marketers and other business professionals can find great uses for Google Hangouts too. Here’s the skinny on Google Hangouts.

Who

Google Hangouts are a great way to interact with your clients, social media followers, and colleagues. The only caveat is that participants must have a Google Plus account. Hangouts limits the number of people who can participate in the Hangout to 10; however, if you choose to make the Hangout ‘public’ you can invite as many viewers as you want.

What

As I mentioned above, Google Hangouts is a feature offered on the social network, Google Plus, that allows users to hold virtual meetings online. Hangouts are perfect for teaching, collaborating or brainstorming, and getting feedback from some of your trusted clients.

When

Google Hangouts can be held anytime. I would recommend scheduling the Hangout well in advance so that invitees have time to fit it in to their busy schedules.

Where

Well this is pretty obvious: Google Plus, of course! Physically, you can host a Hangout anywhere you have access to a solid Wi-fi connection…your house, the office, hotel room. I would strongly suggest finding a quiet place to avoid picking up unwanted background noise from say, a coffee shop. Also, I can’t stress enough the importance of a good internet connection. With a choppy internet connection you can’t expect the Hangout to run very smoothly.

Why

Google Hangouts are an efficient way to interact with multiple clients at a time. It shows that you are accessible and that you care about what they have to say.

How

When you are logged into Google Plus, you’ll notice there’s a “Start a Hangout” button on the right side of your profile.

Click the button and you’ll be required to install the Google Voice and Video application, which should only take a few minutes.

Once you’ve installed the app, you can select the people you want to join the Hangout, and if you want anyone to be able to view, choose the option to make the Hangout public. When you’re ready to start the Hangout, simply press the “Hangout” button below the video screen and start hanging out.

Hangout Extras

You’ll notice a link below the Hangout button called “Hangouts with Extras.” Extras offers a suite of extra functionality that Google is currently testing out. The features that I find to be the most useful are screensharing and shared notes. If you think any of these features would help facilitate your Hangout, go ahead and press the “Try Hangouts with extras” button.

How to Prepare

Just as you would prepare for a meeting, conference, or webinar, you’re going to want to get organized before the Google Hangout. Try to sketch out a rough outline of what you want to talk about and what you want to get out of the Hangout ahead of time so that you go in with a clear game plan.

Since this is a very new form of online interaction, it might be a good idea to attend someone else’s Google Hangout or just hold one with some friends to get a better feel for the technology. That way you’ll be an old pro when you use Hangouts for important business matters, and your Hangout will go off without a hitch. Have you had a chance to experience Google Hangouts yet? If so, what did you think?

Your 5-Step Guide to Facebook Ads

2012-02-07T11:19:05Z

Social media marketing has spread like wildfire over the last couple years, with a huge portion of the participation taking place on Facebook, the Grand Daddy of all social networks. One reason for that is Facebook’s business-friendly platform, Pages. One of the marketing tools offered by Facebook Pages is Facebook Ads. If you’ve been on the fence about Facebook Ads due to skepticism, uncertainty, or a small marketing budget, read on to clear up any misconceptions you have regarding Facebook Ads. Here is a step-by-step guide for learning and implementing Facebook Ads.

1. Set Goals

You can’t expect success without first clearly defining your goals. If you already have a social media marketing campaign chances are you’ve already laid out goals for the overall campaign. Your goals for Facebook Ads may or may not be the same as your social media goals, but there’s a good chance your goals for your Facebook Ads are more specific. For example, perhaps you want to run a series of ads to promote a specific event for your company or a product launch. On the other hand, you could stick with more general goals, like attracting more targeted fans or driving traffic to your website.

2. Define Your Target Market

Facebook Ads allows you to target your ad campaign toward specific groups of people based on demographics, likes, interests, marital status, and even level of education. Think about your primary customer base and their defining characteristics when choosing your ad target. Be careful not to be too exclusive with your parameters to avoid cutting out potential leads. However, you also don’t want to cast your net too wide. You don’t want to waste your ad dollars on people who have no interest in your company or what you’re trying to promote.

3. Set a Budget

For those of you who’s main argument against using Facebook Ads is a tiny budget, you’re going to want to read this part carefully. You can pay as much or as little as you want to run an ad campaign. Facebook allows you to put a cap on the amount of money you spend, either on a daily basis, or for the duration of the entire campaign.

There are two different payment options; there’s the “Cost per Click” (CPC), which charges a set amount for each click your ad receives, and the “Cost per Impression” (CPM), wich charges a set amount for every 1000 views of your ad. For example, if you choose to go with the CPC method with a budget of $25 per day, you pay a certain dollar amount every time someone clicks on your ad until your daily budget of $25 is reached. Cost per impression works in a similar way, but is based on the number of users who see your ad, but don’t necessarily have to click on it.

What do the two different methods mean in terms of marketing strategy? It really depends on your goal for the campaign. If your campaign is action-focussed, say you’re trying to get people to RSVP to an event or get people to visit your e-commerce website, the CPC method is probably best for you. However, if your campaign is meant to simply raise awareness or get your name out there, CPM might be your best bet.

4. Call to Action

Facebook gives you 135 characters to write your ad copy. Make sure that within that 135 characters you have a clearly defined call to action that is in line with your goals for the ad. You can also include a picture with your ad, so choose one that stands out, but also one that people can easily associate with your brand.

5. Review Performance

Once you launch your ad, the work doesn’t stop there. Just like with your Facebook fan page, you have access to data and metrics that allow you to track your ad’s performance. Facebook’s Ads Manager allows you to see statistics about who’s viewing or clicking on your ads. Study this information daily and make adjustments to your ads accordingly.

Facebook does a great job of explaining Ads, so even if you run into questions as you’re setting up your Ad, chances are there is a [?] symbol nearby. Simply click on that symbol for further instruction. Have you already tried Facebook Ads? If so, what was your experience?

Three Reasons Why You Should Use Social Media for Customer Service

2012-02-06T23:43:09Z

It’s a new day in the world of customer service.

The days of an 800 number and email address being the sole communication tools for customer service departments are over. Today, social media has entered the scene, and as the early returns indicate, it’s a win-win situation for both customers and businesses.

If you think social media hasn’t provided a breath of fresh air in the world of customer service, check out what’s happening in the hospitality and telecommunications. Here are some pertinent examples of how businesses are dazzling customers and turning complaints into a golden marketing opportunity:

A sales representative staying at the Orlando Marriott World Center had a room that overlooked some air conditioning units. He tweeted, “I have the crappiest room in the hotel.” A front-desk employee saw the tweet, and immediately upgraded the client to a room with a view of the pool.

AT&T is ramping up its “social media customer care” division to respond to the over 10,000 mentions per day about AT&T and its products and services and “shape the online conversation”.

A guest who moderates and edits a website about Blackberry news tweeted that he wanted “a cold beer.” A hotel employee picked up the tweet, and replied “Can I buy you a beer? Stop by the front desk.” When the guest visited the front desk, a bucket with 10 beers for the client and his friends was waiting.

A hotel guest staying in the Bahamas was becoming frustrated by a lack of towels and the absence of a rollaway bed in his room. With no response forthcoming from the front desk, he posted a note about it on the company’s Facebook page. Within the hour, his towels and rollaway bed were delivered.

These examples clearly indicate that not only do businesses react to social media, but many customer have quickly placed a premium on their response.

But why? Isn’t it enough to simply pass the complaint to your staff and put them in the queue with other customer service issues? The answer is an emphatic “NO”, and for a reason that may surprise you.

Social media customer service is a marketing opportunity

When you consider that any complaint voiced in social media isn’t just a one-on-one conversation between you and your customer but rather a part of the entire online conversation about a brand, the stakes for organizations are much higher.

In the case of the influential Blackberry guest listed above, his extensive list of Twitter followers could see exactly how the hotel handled the comment. It was a tangible example of the hotel’s customer service staff in action.

Using social media for your customer service can effectively help you on a number of fronts. Here are the three reasons why you should make it part of your program:

Address customers where they’re at. Social media is within easy reach for most people and they expect you to respond. According to blogger MG Siegler who applauded Comcast’s efforts to reach customers in social media, "A lot of people complain about Comcast, but when they get someone person-to-person reaching out, a lot of people feel better, even if it doesn’t actually serve long-term problems."

Generate positive exposure with a vast audience. Simply showing that you’re quick to respond to issues and resolve customer concerns in social media can be worth more than any corresponding effort spend on advertising or marketing.

Use it for invaluable market research. The comments you receive can also give you a real-time indication of where you’re falling short. If you respond to those tweets and posts, you gain valuable insight to what’s really irritating and motivating customers.

Skeptics may shy away from the no-holds barred world of social media, but for the business truly focused on customer satisfaction, this is a golden opportunity.

You can prove yourself, market yourself, and better yourself all at once. It’s why social media has quickly become the norm among companies intent on providing innovative customer service solutions.

In a Social World, Go Direct

2012-02-03T12:22:12Z

Image via Wikipedia

In a world that seems overrun by the daily chatter about social media and the need for every business to jump on the bandwagon, there are some businesses that have been notable holdouts and that are doing just fine by their decision.

Spring-Green Lawn Care is one such organization that prefers the direct approach to going full steam ahead into social media. In an article for NBC Chicago, James Young, president of Spring-Green talked about their decision to focus a majority of their efforts on direct mail and how they supplement the mailings with social media.

We tend to like direct mail. It’s very transactional. You have to go with an aggressive promotional offer. We can target it and it’s focused. But we absolutely need to provide all the different demographics with the vehicle to come back to us. Whether that’s a blog where they have questions and I can answer them… we’re not quite to live-chat, but we’re certainly looking at it. Social is still a very small part of our overall campaign.

Spring-Green’s approach fits well with its go-to-market strategy which employs local franchies at the point of service so that even the reply envelopes from their direct mail overtures route back to the local franchise. Their targeted direct mail pieces are customized down to the neighborhood level based on local franchise knowledge. That’s something you can’t get with social media.

According to Young, social media does have its place, however.

Social media to us is more about loyalty and retention than it is about acquisition. In other words, there isn’t this natural place or metric for us to go into social media channels and talk about lawn care. There isn’t a cult-like following or community around people who want to outsource their lawn-care to somebody because, quite frankly, it’s counterintuitive.

Take a fresh approach with an old standby when trying to grow you business. Go direct to the customer.

Source: http://www.nbcchicago.com/blogs/inc-well/Spring-Green-Lawn-Cares-President-Mows-Down-Traditional-Online-Marketing-124422484.html#ixzz1lJunYUPd

What NOT to Do With Social Media Marketing

2012-02-02T13:12:53Z

As a marketer, I spend a lot of time teaching people about how to use social media for marketing purposes. We talk in great depth about what to do in order to be effective social media marketers, but I haven’t yet touched on the pitfalls to avoid with social media marketing. Here is a list of 10 social media faux pas. Try not to make the list!

1. Create an Account and Promptly Abandon it

The only thing worse than having no social media presence, is having a social media presence and letting the cobwebs creep in because you let it sit for weeks or months at a time without touching it. There are a couple of ways to avoid this:

Don’t launch your social media marketing campaign until you are absolutely ready
Make time for it once it’s launched. You don’t have to invest hours on end, 10-20 minutes a day is enough to actively participate

2. Update Your Status 100 Times a Day

A sure-fire way to lose followers and fans is to Tweet or update your Facebook status every minute of every day. I know this sounds awfully picky: “don’t let us forget about you but also don’t be too involved in social media.” But trust me there is a fine line between being active in social media and bombarding your followers with your status updates and Tweets. Only post or Tweet when you have something truly interesting to share and try not to annoy your beloved followers with an overactive Facebook or Twitter presence.

3. Post Links Without Captions

It takes very little effort to post a link to an article on Facebook or Tweet a link to an article. Find a way to add your own personal touch to the link. Highlight your favorite part of the article, extract a quote, or ask a thought-provoking question. Do something to show followers that you actually read the article and you know there is valuable information within.

4. Text-Only Facebook Status Updates

Yawn. Excuse me, sorry were you saying something? No matter what you’re posting about, try to include some type of attachment to spice it up. Try to find a picture, a link to an article, a video, or statistic to make the post more dynamic and encourage engagement.

5. Share Political Opinions

Politics always have been and always will be a hot-button issue. No matter how tempted you may be to share your support or disdain for a candidate or political topic, don’t. I’m sure you have friends on Facebook that do it, and maybe you even do it on your personal account, but your political beliefs have no place on your Fan page and Twitter account. It may result in some support from a few followers, but you’re guaranteed to make enemies in the process, possibly even resulting in lost customers. People take politics very seriously. It’s a topic best left alone.

6. Go Share- or Like-Happy on Facebook

Does a Facebook Like even mean anything anymore? It’s so easy to do that people end up abusing the Like and Share buttons on Facebook. Do your part to cut down on arbitrary liking and sharing of content on Facebook. If you really like something then go ahead and press the Like button or share it with your fans, but at least have the decency to add an insightful comment to go along with it.

7. Ignore Your Fans’ Comments

If a fan takes the time to comment on one of your posts or write on your wall, they’ve earned a response from you no matter what. Social media should consist of a dialogue between you and your fans, so when someone talks to you, make sure you talk back!

8. Act Like a Broken Record

We know, we heard you the 5th and 6th time you mentioned the upcoming clearance blowout sale at your store. If something’s really important to you and you want to make sure people hear about it, mention it on the social networks and send out an e-invite so people put it in their calendar.

9. Retweet Everything

The repeat Retweeter is just as bad as the habitual Facebook Liker I mentioned above. Retweet with caution and consideration and you should be in fine shape.

10. Badmouth the Competition

Remember what your mother told you, “if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.” People can see straight through petty bad-mouthing. Stay positive on the social networks and you can’t lose.

It’s easy to be critical and point out the bad behavior on social networks, but of course nobody’s perfect so if you find yourself slipping up in one of these areas, don’t beat yourself up over it. Try to focus on the things you’re doing right and always strive to improve.

5 Marketing Podcasts You Need to Listen To

2012-01-31T23:26:37Z

Podcasting may not be something that you’re actively involved in as a marketer. I get that. You can’t be doing everything in social media. Podcasting, while mainstream, isn’t exactly burning up the charts, according to the most recent (meaning, 2010) from Edison research. That said, you can benefit from podcasting by listening to podcasts from the smart marketers on the Internet who’ve been doing this for years.

Since you can’t spend your entire day listening to podcasts, I’ve put 5 podcasts in here, one for each day, that you can gain something from each week. Even if you only listened to one podcast each week, you’d be a better educated marketer than your peers who aren’t learning along with you.

1. For Immediate Release – The Hobson & Holtz Report
Frequency: Weekly
Avg. Length: 1hr
Topics: Marketing, PR, social media, current events in PR, interviews, book reviews

Well into podcast 630+, Shel & Neville have been podcasting since 2005 and have covered all of the trends, interviewed all of the greats and have some keen insights into the world of marketing, PR and social media. If you listen to no other podcast, Hobson & Holtz is really a must listen to.

2. Six Pixels of Separation by Mitch Joel
Frequency: Weekly
Avg. Length: 40-50 minutes
Topics: Social media, interviews, technology

Mitch Joel has a real sense of the social media marketing pulse and that, along with the great interviews and tech topics make this podcast a must listen to. Keep a notepad nearby when you listen (actually, that goes for all of these). Mitch’s podcast is almost at episode 300. He knows podcasting and how to get the most into 40 minutes of marketing better than most.

3. I Love Marketing – Dean Jackson & Joe Polish
Frequency: Weekly
Avg. Length: 1hr – 1:20
Topics: Social media, interviews, technology

Dean and Joe cover all forms of marketing and I get at least one good idea from every podcast. Check it out and listen in for some of their specific ideas, action items and so on.

4. Marketing over Coffee – John Wall & Christopher Penn
Frequency: Weekly
Avg. Length: 20-25 minutes
Topics: Social media, interviews, technology

Hosted by John J. Wall and Christopher Penn, the podcast Marketing Over Coffee is among the best marketing podcasts on the Internet. The podcast covers both classic and new marketing and is recorded in a local coffee shop every week. They get some great luminaries for their interviews and ask great questions.

5. On the Media from NPR
Frequency: Weekly
Avg. Length: 52 minutes
Topics: Social media, interviews, technology

While On the Media is not a traditional marketing podcast, per se, this podcast hosted by Bob Garfield and Brooke Gladstone is one of the most entertaining to listen to (of course, as it’s produced first as a radio show for NPR, so production quality is high) and keeps you up to speed on the world of traditional and social media. They cover the controversies of the day and interview some of the most interesting people in the world of media.

[BONUS]

6. Inside PR
Frequency: Weekly
Avg. Length: 13 – 20 minutes
Topics: Social media, trends, PR news

Inside PR is a Canadian + US podcast about public relations and social media, hosted by Gini Dietrich in Chicago, Joseph Thornley in Ottawa and Martin Waxman in Toronto and produced by Thornley Fallis. Each week, the three industry veterans take a look at the state of the PR industry, explore topical and provocative issues, discuss listener comments, and even interview an interesting guest or two.

Why People Can’t Get Work Done at Work (Hint: M&Ms)

2012-01-31T23:28:10Z

Jason Fried has a radical take here on social media (and why it’s the modern day smoke brake) and work and why work doesn’t happen at work.

[Sidebar] I actually shared the stage with Jason back in 2006/7 when we did AMA social media events in Chicago. He’s gone on, obviously, to do amazing things!

5 Ways Service-Based Businesses Can Use Social Media for Marketing

2012-01-31T17:10:24Z

You can’t touch it, see it, smell it, or hear it, so how does one go about marketing it? If you’ve been presented with the challenge of marketing an intangible “product” you know how difficult it can be. Maybe you run a consulting business, or perhaps your company sells some other type of information service. Without the luxury of a tangible item to present to prospects, it can be quite challenging to prove the quality of your service. Especially when it comes to social media marketing, where visual media is so important. That doesn’t mean there’s no place for social media within your marketing strategy, it simply means you must get more creative. Here are 5 ways service-based businesses can use social media to market their business.

1. Customer Reviews are Paramount

Since you don’t have anything tangible to show for your business, people have to rely on your word, or more importantly, that of satisfied customers when deciding whether or not to patronize your business. There are plenty of opportunities to collect reviews and testimonials online. LinkedIn provides you with a great opportunity to collect testimonials from satisfied clients with their Recommendations feature.

Another way to showcase happy clients is to feature client reviews on your website or blog. There’s no shame in asking satisfied clients to jot down a few thoughts about your business, and most people will be happy to do so.

2. Get Creative with Facebook and Twitter

So you don’t have a product to showcase in your photo strip or weekly discounts to promote to all of your followers and fans, but Facebook and Twitter can still play a significant role in your online marketing strategy. As always, you can use the social networks to draw attention to your website and new blog posts. But going beyond that, you can find ways to reward your followers. Once a week select a fan to receive a free or discounted consult. If that particular fan was on the fence about hiring you, the free consult may be just what it takes to tip them in the right direction.

3. Create Content

There are so many ways to go about creating and sharing content. Pick one or two that work for you and get into a schedule of creating content on a regular basis. For example, blogging is a great way to share advice with your followers and drive traffic to your website. Webinars are another more creative way to show potential clients that you really know your stuff.

Especially in the consulting industry, a big concern people express to me is that if they give all of their secrets away, who’s going to pay money for their services anymore? Won’t people just take the free advice and run with it? The answer is no. People will appreciate the advice and possibly even employ some of it on their own, but by and large people still want that one-on-one interaction with you and the custom advice that goes with it.

4. Show What You Know

When you provide a service it’s okay to be a smarty pants because people will only hire you if they think you know more than them. You can use social media to show off your expertise in your given line of work. Make sure that you’ve filled in your LinkedIn profile as thoroughly as possible, including all degrees, certifications, and related accomplishments. Celebrate any major achievements among your staff on your social networks. It’s important to back up your claims of brilliance with hard evidence. Use LinkedIn Answers to provide thoughtful and original answers to the questions posted that relate to your business.

5. Reward for Referrals

Since service-based companies often rely heavily on referrals, you could start a referral program that rewards fans for referring their friends to your Facebook page and your company. If your clients truly are happy with the service you provide, they will be more than willing to tell their friends about you. After all, this is the recommendation generation.

Just because you don’t have a physical product to sell or a store front to attract people to doesn’t mean you can’t take advantage of the marketing benefits social media has to offer. The more creative you can get in your social media strategy, the better results you’ll see.