Archive of "Marketing" Category
January 6, 2012
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Technology analyst Gartner, Inc. has come out with it’s hottest mobile applications for 2012. All related to high-end devices ($300 average price tag), the pros at Gartner have named their top 10 cutting-edge technologies and trends for next year.
Winning mobile apps are no longer just extensions of online services – they offer specific, unique features that cater to the mobile environment.
“Mobile applications will be a highly competitive marketplace that attracts the interest of many stakeholders,” said Sandy Shen, research director at Gartner. “Increasingly, mobile applications will define the user experience on high-end devices and device vendors that proactively integrate innovative apps and technologies at the platform layer will have the competitive edge.”
Did you know that mobile apps generate a huge amount of revenue ($15.9 billion expected in 2012), but will also drive hardware sales, advertising spending and technology innovation.
Gartner tells us that more and more big brand companies will shift more of their marketing budget to the mobile channel, and experiment with cutting-edge apps. Companies must focus on the latest technology to help their products and services stand out in a highly competitive marketing environment. Here’s the top ten:
1. Context-aware consumer location-based services that take the user’s location, personal preference, gender, age, profession, intention and more, offering a much more-intelligent user experience than basic location services can. Gartner analysts believe context-aware services are a key trend for mobile apps, and location is a key enabler of that.
2. Mobile social networking, the fastest-growing consumer mobile app category of the 19 currently followed by Gartner.
3. Mobile search - advancing price comparisons product information searches to the next level, where apps allow users to take actions based on the result, such as making a call or reservation, buying a ticket, placing an order, and other similar functions.
4. Improved mobile commerce applications that let consumers “check in” to a store to alert a retailer and the ability to add items to a shopping cart simply by taking a photo of an item or bar code in the physical store.
5. Mobile payment solutions that improve ease-of-use and implementation for users without compromising security.
6. More context-aware apps that improve user experiences by using the information about a person’s interests, intentions, history, environment, activities, schedule, priorities, connections and preferences to anticipate their needs and proactively serve up the most appropriate content, product or service.
7. Object recognition (OR) where the mobile camera, as well as other device sensors, will act as a communication tool when OR capabilities are combined with more-traditional app functions, giving users advanced search capabilities and extended entertainment and productivity options.
8. Mobile instant messaging (MIM) that offers new types of unified communication (UC) clients, provided by over the top (OTT) service providers like Skype.
9. Mobile email – Gartner expects mobile e-mail users worldwide to increase from 354 million in 2009 to more than 700 million by 2014, accounting for 10.6 percent of the global mobile user base.
10. Mobile video applications that work with YouTube and other popular video providers, with mobile device manufacturers integrating HD and 3D capabilities in their high-end devices and bundling content pre-loaded or as free downloads through an app store.
Mobile services are all about the user experience. These exciting app trends will continue to focus on what consumers really want for entertainment, productivity and ease of use. We are looking forward to all the new and exciting apps yet to come this year! What app is on your wish list?
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Marketing, Resources, Small Business, Social Media, Software, Technology, Uncategorized
June 28, 2011
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In case you were wondering, social media news site Mashable is once again hosting a global Social Media Day.
This year’s (second annual) event takes place Thursday, June 30th and is proclaimed to be a “celebration of the technological advancements that enable everyone to connect with real-time information, communicate from miles apart and have their voices be heard.”
If you love social media – and come on, who doesn’t? This can be a fun way of connecting with local social media enthusiasts in your community. It’s a great way to socialize with your online community – at a real life location near you.
Mashable asks you to host a Social Media Day Meetup in your area. A Meetup Group is nothing more than a local community of like-minded people. A Meetup Group hosts the actual Meetups, which are face to face meetings between members and Organizers.
A Mashable Meetup can take place where and when it works best for your group. Need some ideas? For planning tips, check out Mashable’s how-to guide. To get the latest updates between now and Thursday, you can check out Mashable announcements on Social Media Day by following its @mashsmday Twitter account and its Social Media Day Facebook Page.
From Mashable, here are some tips for how you can join the fun:
- Sign up to attend or organize your own event on the Mashable Meetup Everywhere page.
- Share what you’re doing for your Mashable Meetup or leave suggestions for others in the comments below.
- Use the #smday hashtag on Twitter.
- Find your Mashable Meetup community:
Last year’s event created more than 600 Meetups in 93 countries with nearly 12,000 attendees. Go ahead – mash it up and get involved in your local Social Media Day Meetup!
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Marketing, Small Business, Social Media, Uncategorized
February 17, 2011
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You see them all the time. Chances are you would recognize the Pepsi Logo or the Nike Swoop anywhere. These icons are an example of the kind of logos that branding hinges on. However, these are huge companies so a common question is-does branding work for small businesses?
Many logos are simply graphics that are designed with little to no thought about how the logo becomes a brand. There are many things to take into consideration when branding a small business because your brand is your identity to your customers. However, does it make a difference in the marketing of your products or services?
In the case of Nike for example, the “brand” was already in place before a clever marketer made a slogan which will forever be connected with that swoop. The phrase “Just Do It” in many minds is interchangeable with the “brand” itself. So, did the swoop help sell shoes? The answer is no, the brand in itself identifies the product on the shelf. If a person is already looking for Nike shoes they will be able to pick them out.
There is no branding substitute for a good product and great service. Nick Rice who writes for SBB had the following to say:
The design of your logo really doesn’t matter. Would you choose MSN as your search engine over Google because of their logo? No, having a nice professional logo is great, but it very rarely increases sales. I’m all for a professional logo, but don’t think you need to spend a fortune on it. It’s more important to include your logo on every piece of communication. Put it on business cards, letterhead, envelopes, invoices, yellow page ads, building signage, newsletters etc..
Stand for something. People latch on to something they can understand and appreciate. If you’re trying to be everything to everybody, chances are you’ll attract no one. If you think it’s too controversial to choose a niche, remember the power of being seen as an expert. Experts are not good at everything, they’re awesome at one thing. This allows you to better position yourself and charge more for your services. People seek out experts, not generalists
So, while it may not be a substitute for a great product, your brand may be the difference when you already stand out as a company. Keep in mind that the Logo you choose will be identified with your company indefinitely. Like a tattoo, make sure its something will be proud of and that you can live with. While some companies have successfully done it, changing a logo years after you are established can be tough and risky. It takes a sizeable effort to re-brand your company.
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Clients, Marketing, Resources, Small Business
November 12, 2010
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It’s great to build email lists, and we know that your subscribers love to hear from you – but how often? If you are a prolific emailer, your favorite subscribers may end up hitting the delete button before the ever open your message. Eventually, they may even unsubscribe just to lighten up their email boxes.
So why not help them lighten their load? With a couple of content changes and technical switches, you can create email lighter frequency lists that give your subscribers the options to get your broadcasts weekly, bi-monthly or monthly. Here’s how:
Condense your content:
- Highlight the top news stories or tips each day
- Remove any announcements for timely events that will be obsolete
- Merge related articles
- Create topic lists that link back to the full story on your Web site
Tweak the Opt-In
- Make sure that your subscribers who opt in to lighter frequency aren’t still on the original daily deluge list
- Create a self-explanatory Web form for each list that makes it clear they are signing up for fewer emails
- Create confirmation messages that spell out what they have signed up for and when they will get emails
If you make the decision to offer lighter frequency email content, now may be the perfect time to reach out t your subscribers who haven’t opened your emails in a while. Send them an email that lets them know they can opt- in for your email lite version. Write a subject that lets them know it’s a new opportunity. Ask them to select a frequency option and link them to a Web form that will set them up seamlessly. It may be just the way to get their attention again!
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Clients, Customer Service, Marketing, Resources, Small Business, Virtual Assistants
November 3, 2010
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If you aren’t using some type of Web analytics and Web usability tool, you should be. Now we have new, free usability tools springing up that are worth checking out and running on your site, even as a test. The latest cool tool is called Youseeble, a brand-new Internet tool that lets you see your Web site the way your visitors do.
Do you have your most important content in the right place? What are your visitors (and potential customers) really looking at? What gets ignored?
Youseeable doesn’t really replace a comprehensive Web analytics tool (Google Analytics is one that you can use for free), but it does let you see how people interact with your Web site, which is really the name of the game these days. Here’s how it works:
- Youseeable records the activity of each visitor then creates three different “heat maps” that show where people go on your site
- The Interaction heat map shows where visitors go and what they ignore; the Attention heat map shows cursor movement; and the Visibility heat map shows what visitors actually see on your pages based screen resolutions and browser differences
- Just insert a couple of lines of segments of HTML code into all your pages, then create a test
- Youseeable also offers a playback function that lets you watch the actions of a real visitor
The real benefit to Youseeable is the ability to take your visitor numbers and actually understand them by looking at the behavior patterns. It’s free to try – all you need to get started is an email address and the ability to add the code onto your pages.
Today’s Web marketers must be relevant, real and responsive. Tools like Youseeable help you create and place content and design to keep visitors on the site and to give users the information and applications they are looking for in Web 3.0.
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Marketing, Resources, Small Business, Software, Technology
October 8, 2010
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Email is one of the quickest and least expensive ways to reach a target audience with a sales or marketing message and email marketing campaigns are more popular than ever. So why is the road map to creating a successful email marketing campaign still a secret? Many questions still need answered such as how can you stop bounce backs? What is the best time to send the email and what exactly is an opt-in form?
Professional marketing companies are reluctant to commit to the ‘formula’ for success, stating that too many variables exist to be able to give you a specific ‘how to’ guide.
Sure, there are a lot of variables, but there are some good basic guidelines you should follow as well. Here are five keys to email marketing success:
- Subject Line – It all starts (and may end) here. A good subject line should be short – 50 characters or less, and to the point. The main feature found in the body of the message should be noted in the subject line. Think about you subject line as if it is a newspaper headline. You want the reader to see it and want to read more.
- Message – The message should also be short and sweet and not full of marketing ‘spin’. Make sure that your offer is clearly spelled out and include a call to action. Use tactics to build trust rather than actually sell. The call to action could result in a direct sale, but more likely, you should try to drive the customer to go to your Web site or a campaign specific landing page, or call to set up an appointment.
- Design – Apply the basics of good marketing design first and then layer on the specific techniques for online marketing. The page should be clean and not cluttered. Check grammar and spelling. If you must use HTML code, apply it carefully and make sure it is error free. Test any links contained in the mail message.
- Understand SPAM – Use a double opt-in (users must verify information) and also allow the opt-out option. Good opt-in forms also help you gather good information, like a secondary email address, that can help cut down bounce backs. Test your content against some of the primary email platforms like Yahoo!, Hotmail, Gmail, and AOL. You may want to use an online content checker to see if your message comes across like SPAM. Also, most SPAM is sent in the early morning hours (between midnight and 4:00 AM), so don’t set your server to send messages overnight.
- Incentives – Offering an incentive is a great call to action. Try to determine what you want to accomplish from the message before determining the giveaway. Incentives are also based on the demographic – white papers and special reports are great for business people, but won’t interest teen consumers. Be careful of giving away expensive or trendy items (like an iPod or TV). If you have a high dollar gift, link it to setting and keeping a sales appointment.
Open rates (the customers who actually open the email) have improved as more and more people have transitioned into doing transactional business online. Experienced marketers can find rates of 20-25%, with lower rates attributed to direct sales message and a higher rates coming from e-newsletters or informational pieces. Following the five keys above can improve your open rate and your bounce back rate and get your message across to the people you really want to reach.
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Marketing, Small Business, Technology
June 26, 2010
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The great thing about doing business online is that you have an array of ways to promote your business and products, among other things. If you want a really nice and easy way to promote or sell your products though, you should start thinking about webinars. Think of a webinar as a viral video, they are like phone conferencing, but with added video options. Many different people can end up seeing this webinar, and they will reach out to you when they need your services. You can also choose to promote your webinar through targeted audiences as well by choosing specific keywords and sites to put your webinar on.
While a webinar is a great way to get clients to buy what you are selling or to use your services, you can also use them for other aspects as well such as product presentations, live demos, how to topics, tech talk, and social meetings. Webinars can be utilized for a variety of tactics. While this is a really nice way to increase sales, you will still have to put some marketing behind it. But, as with most other things online you have about one hundred ways of going about this.
You can either put it on a website and blog about it, you can get someone to do article marketing for you, post links on your website domains, contact various people you know and customers. Many people are using social media like Twitter and Facebook to promote as well. Make sure if you do post it on Twitter, Facebook and those other social sites, that you make the account from which you are posting the link relevant TO the webinar,this will allow you to target your audience.
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Marketing
May 30, 2010
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If you host telesemiars on a regular basis, having your seminar calls trancribed to help you generate additional income. By having transcribed seminars, you can reach a wide audience while earning extra cash and spreading the word about your company, brand name and seminar’s message. You can generate extra income by selling your message in various forms of printed media to seminar participants and to those who were interested in attending the teleseminar but were unable to make it. You can also offer a transcript of the seminar as an added incentive to those who are attending the seminar, potentially adding additional attendees.
When presenting interesting and relevant material, seminar presenters may tend to use many technical terms, speak fast and with enthusiasm or cover a great deal of material. These are all reasons why seminar attendees would be interested in purchasing a teleseminar’s transcript. Whether the transcript is used for reference or as a guide to share with co-workers, many are willing to pay for the convenience of this most accurate form of note taking.
If planning on writing a book, with information relevant to the teleseminar, a transcript of the seminar would be an excellent addition. This bonus material is a great marketing tool and can be used to promote the book plus the “free” bonus. When advertised to the appropriate audience, combining the book launch with other teleseminars can help cross-promote both mediums and allow for greater book and teleseminar sales.
Another idea for seminar transcripts is to include them in a promotional package. If offering a service, adding the teleseminar’s transcript allows persons ordering or registering for your product or service to gain full access to the missed event. Because the entire seminar is transcribed, it allows buyers to read the transcript in their own time and implement the given ideas or discussed thoughts at their own pace. Throughout the trial and error process, users can refer back to the seminar’s transcript to perfect and refine their techniques. Once satisfied, the transcript can be passed to another person or kept for long-term reference.
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Marketing, Small Business, Uncategorized
February 23, 2010
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Today’s economy is hitting small businesses hard. It’s dog eat dog out there and if you want to survive, your business has to stand out. Taking into consideration cutting overhead, laying off employees, doing more work yourself and the pressures of everyday life, you may be thinking that it’s easier to close up shop. Wrong. There are people still spending money out there, you just have to get noticed so they are spending it with you.
Set Goals
I don’t know how many times I’ve read or heard the phrase “set goals for yourself”. Most people shrug it off, but if you are going to run a business you can’t afford to. One of the most important things you will do is set goals for your business. Start simple, goal number one should be your start date. Sounds easy and it may be, but keep setting goals and they will get harder and harder to reach, the satisfaction and profits will be well worth the effort.
A System
One major thing small business owners forget to do or get so busy they forget they did it, is implement a system. Many small business owners, even big business owners don’t have a business or accounting degree. What they have is determination and that’s great, but if that determination doesn’t have a goal or a road to follow on the pursuit of that goal, then it’s wasted. Get a system in place, stick to it and keep track of what you’ve accomplished. If you’ve set the goals this is the map of how to reach them.
Partner with a non-profit
Locate a local non profit in your area, for example find your local Breast Cancer awareness group and ask what kind of events they have going on in your area. Depending on your business you could increase sales by offering up a pledge for certain items sold, this not only raises money for the cause it also gets more people through the door. It’s never a bad thing to be socially conscious or donate to a cause.
Press Releases
Send a press release to your local newspaper about special events, business news or anything exciting you have planned. Starting with a grand opening or even a re-grand opening, don’t stop there, keep going with employees of the month, anniversaries, sales or new products. Your community won’t know what you’re up to unless you tell them.
Website
The internet has put small businesses on the map, saved many from ruin and it can help you too. Create a dynamic and informative website, put your products online, hit the free advertising sites and springboard into the world wide web. Get on Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin and the dozens more networking sites out there. With the potential to reach millions versus hundreds, creating a website is a no-brainer.
Posted in
Clients, Marketing, Small Business
January 7, 2010
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Now that the new year is here and most businesses are formulating their business strategies for the year…are you putting your attention on marketing or advertising? I ask because there is a difference. According to Dictionary.com advertising is: the act or practice of calling public attention to one’s product, service, need, etc. And marketing is: the act of buying or selling in a market. So what’s the difference? There are a lot.
If you start an advertising campaign you may start by putting an ad in the newspaper or on the radio. You may even have a budget big enough to afford a commercial or billboard. While these are great strategies, they only work if you are targeting the right people. The average person may not be interested in the fact that you offer copywriting services to the technology sector, rather you would have more success from a marketing strategy rather than an advertising campaign. On the other hand, are you a dog groomer in a small area that has no other dog groomer, then these traditional methods would make more sense. Just make sure before you jump into a “big expense” advertising campaign that you look at your key demographic not the frills and want to be in the spotlight.
Let’s go back to the copywriting scenario for a moment. A marketing campaign would be ideal for this type of business. You could create a better more “targeted” campaign that is also easy to follow up on and track its progress. Go to your trade magazine or yellow pages and think about what type of companies could benefit from your services. Now from that targeted list send out your marketing materials such as postcards, emails, or faxes. Quickly track your responses and change what may not be working in your campaign before you continue. You can also taper the campaign; say sending out 15 postcards at a time instead of 100, saving you both time and money.
Getting a business up and running and keeping it running is a gigantic task and expensive to boot so make sure that you research the best ways to get your name out there for your business to make sure that you get the best bang for your buck. You don’t have to go it alone, have a virtual assistant help with the marketing plan and getting everything set up, you will see return on your investment!
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Marketing
