Bringing customer service to your social media strategy

Tuesday, January 31st, 2012

It’s well known that social media can do wonders for a brand. Now that it’s 2012, many businesses have at least a Facebook page, if not also Twitter, Google+, YouTube, and Yelp, among others. These are great ways to promote brands, yet so many don’t take full advantage of this incredible opportunity.

Setting up profiles on social media sites and posting interesting things is just the first step. The key to truly getting the most out of your social media strategy is to have an actual conversation with your customers. Build a relationship with them by being responsive, engaging, and appreciative.

For example, if someone tweets your company on Twitter just to say they love your product, take this opportunity to thank them and learn more. Ask questions – find out how your product fits into their lives and what improvements they’d like to see. Get to know them and strengthen the personal connection they have with your brand. At the same time, get some free market research!

Or maybe you’re in the restaurant business and someone posted a negative review on Yelp. This is obviously not an ideal scenario, but it can be turned into a huge positive if given the proper attention. Post a genuine and empathetic reply expressing regret for disappointing them, then ask that they give you another chance to prove yourselves. Not only will the person who posted the review feel heard and appreciated, but potential new customers will see how much you care about their satisfaction. Don’t just respond to negative reviews, though! Make it a point to connect with everyone who takes the time to post a comment. Even the most loyal happy customers will feel more valued when you give them some of your attention.

Looking at social media from a customer service perspective can give your brand so much more value than just using it as a marketing tool. Organizations that are dedicated to participating in online discussions about their brand will build a devoted fanbase and gain an invaluable advantage over competitors.

No Comments | Tags: brand value, social media
Posted by Anthony in Online Marketing

Facts About Mobile That Affect Your Online Strategy

Monday, August 8th, 2011

A few years ago when internet-capable smartphones began gaining popularity, most people shrugged it off as a fad. The vast majority of businesses continued to focus solely on traditional computer users when building their websites & developing online marketing strategies, because investing in mobile seemed like an unnecessary expenditure for such a small group of users. Now that it’s 2011 and the future is clearer, it’s time to reconsider this approach.

Mass market adoption

Mobile internet usage is booming as more consumers get their hands on iPhones, iPads and Android devices. An infographic from earlier this year – shown below – illustrates a number of surprising facts. The biggest jawdropper? In less than three years, mobile internet usage is expected to surpass that of traditional computers. That means your customers will be more likely to visit your website on a phone or tablet than on a Mac or PC.

The future is now

Even today a sizable chunk of your audience is using a mobile device to find information about your organization. Right now one-half of all local searches are performed on mobile devices, with most of them leading to immediate action. Smaller businesses have a fantastic opportunity to make a splash by focusing in this area. And it’s not just people on the go; multiple studies have shown that a majority of current mobile internet browsing is done at home.

Get involved in social

If there’s one thing to take away from this research, it’s the large role social networking should play in an effective online marketing strategy. Over one-third of Facebook’s users are mobile, in addition to more than one-half of Twitter’s user base. YouTube video views are skyrocketing on phones and tablets, too. It’s incredibly important for businesses to be involved in social media to remain relevant as consumers purchase millions of new mobile devices and spend even more time using these services.

No Comments | Tags: Facebook, social marketing, social media, social networking, Twitter, YouTube
Posted by Anthony in Online Marketing

The Beast Behind the Engine

Thursday, March 11th, 2010

Some of us use Google, while others of us just google. Either way, Google has dabbed a bit into everyone’s life, to say the least.

Don’t know what the capital of Poland is? Google it.
Don’t know how to make the yummy Brazilian dish Frango com Catupiry? Google it.
Don’t know who sings those lyrics you love? Google it.

But what do you really know about Google?  Beyond providing information on virtually anything you ask for, most know it as another option for an email address. Or that you can pay to advertise on it.  But there’s another way of looking at this all-knowing, all-powerful search engine. In just that way, one could say, it strives to be all-knowing, all-powerful — to have a hand in everything you do.

The video below will share just a piece of what else Google is about.

What do you think? We’d love to hear what you have to say regarding… well, anything! Google, Marketing, Media, whatever!

No Comments | Tags: advertising, Google, online advertising, social media
Posted by Paulina in Web Technology

Use Your Tools

Thursday, February 18th, 2010

It’s not the tool but how you use it.

You can have a group on Facebook, an account on Twitter, a photo collection on Flickr, and a channel on YouTube, but what does that mean to your brand?

Online marketing is more than just creating accounts online and hoping the search engines lead potential customers to them. You have to be active with your fans, followers, and subscribers. Social media is an important part of Internet marketing that allows you to build a more solid brand by having a human connection. Current customers are more likely to suggest your product to friends if they have a good experience.

However, if you leave your accounts idle, you are missing out on communication opportunities. Even if your potential customers don’t need your product or service right now, keeping them posted with fun facts, transfixing trivia, and pensive pictures will keep you at the forefront of their mind when your product/service becomes a need.

Not only that, but the more relevant information you post, the more searchable your brand becomes to potential customers. And with Google as today’s #1 search source, pleasing the Google Search Engine Gods could lead you down a path of Internet sainthood.

Ready? Set? Rock!

No Comments | Tags: advertising, blog, Facebook, Google, Internet marketing, marketing blog, search engine, social marketing, social media, social media marketing, Twitter, YouTube
Posted by Paulina in Online Marketing

A Shift in the Forces of Media

Thursday, February 11th, 2010

Studies are proving that TV advertising is becoming less and less reliable. According to an article on MarketingProfs.com, “in 2010, most advertisers plan to move budget dollars away from traditional media to social media (77%), online advertising (73%), and search engine marketing (59%).”

There is talk that allowing fewer commercials per pod may be more effective, but with the population turning to search engines to find a resource to fulfill their needs, having a strong online presence is a must.

Social marketing tops the charts as the number one source advertisers and marketers will turn to for brand building. Through various social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and others, a strong brand strategy and marketing plan can have a huge effect on brand awareness. With these vehicles, you can build brand loyalty and an overall solid presence in today’s competitive market. By having a strong presence in social media, you allow your product/service users, fans, and, on occasion, addicts to feel like they belong have a place in the world of your brand.

But what good is being searchable when your web content is weak? That’s where web development and brand identity design come into play. Once your product or service reaches your target, the images they see need to tell them how you fulfill their need.

So give into the online tidal wave. Swim with the social media current. Develop a strong online marketing plan and you too can have a brand with substance.

Ready? Set? Rock!

No Comments | Tags: brand development, brand value, Facebook, Internet marketing, online advertising, Online Marketing, social marketing, social media, Twitter, website development
Posted by Paulina in Online Marketing

Bloggers, Are You Ready?

Monday, November 30th, 2009

Bloggers, YouTubers, Tweeters, and Facebookers!

Tomorrow is December 1st, and in the midst of all the pre-holiday craziness have you remembered that the new FTC guidelines go into effect tomorrow? Don’t worry, it’s not that scary. Some important clarification has been made that makes the whole thing much easier.

The thought process behind these guidelines is to add more transparency to the internet reviews and endorsements we see almost everywhere. Have you ever seen a magazine ad with “paid advertisement” at the bottom? What about those endorsement ads with the “paid for by…” blurb at the end? That’s exactly the sort of transparency the FTC is aiming for us to have here on the internet.

The “$11,000 fine” that was talked about? Does not exist. The FTC guidelines are guidelines, not laws. They do however enable the FTC to pursue charges against someone and get a court order so that someone can be fined. Don’t fret, the FTC is much more likely to go after advertisers than bloggers. Think about it from their standpoint. The internet is saturated with bloggers. It is much simpler to just make sure advertisers understand the rules and expect them to communicate them to the bloggers they work with. Since without advertisers sending things to bloggers this would be a non-issue, I feel this is the much smarter way to go. The FTC does not have the time or resources to go after everyone in the blogosphere. This is not to say that you shouldn’t make an effort to comply! Just that you should not be freaked out that the FTC is going to come knocking on your door.

What needs to be disclosed:

1. Paid posts (that includes videos). If someone gave you money to post something, you need to disclose it.
2. Free services/product. If a company or its PR representative sent you something for the purpose of using it and then sharing it on your blog/YouTube, etc. you need to disclose it.
3. Affiliate links. If you use affiliate marketing (ie LinkShare, Commission Junction, or are partnered with one of the many companies that do their own affiliate marketing), you need to disclose it.

What does not need to be disclosed:

1. Free samples anyone can receive. If you bought a shampoo that had a sample size goodie taped to it and you want to review that free sample, you do not need to disclose anything.
2. Things you bought yourself. Likewise, if you want to review the shampoo itself.  Since you bought it, you do not have to disclose anything.
3. Gifts. If you bought the shampoo for your sister who wants to review it on her YouTube channel, she does not have to disclose anything.

I have also seen many ask if these guidelines are just for U.S. bloggers. Yes, they only apply to bloggers in the U.S. since the FTC is a U.S. entity and has no jurisdiction over bloggers from other countries. However, don’t go moving your servers to an underground bunker in the Ukraine any time soon – you are considered a U.S. blogger if your physical body is blogging from the United States. It is not determined by where your server is.

One last thing that came as a huge relief to me is that these guidelines are not retroactive. You do not need to go back through hundreds of blog posts and add disclosures. Thank GOODNESS.

The disclosures themselves do not have to be anything complicated. They do not have to be in legal jargon. In fact, it is best if they are not! They are meant to be read by your readers, not their attorneys. Simply putting a short blurb along the lines of “This post was paid for by _____.” at the bottom will suffice.

Bottom line, just use common sense and you will be A-O-K.

No Comments | Tags: blog, Online Marketing, social media, social media marketing, Twitter, YouTube
Posted by Alyson in News, Online Marketing

Don't Be A Clogger

Wednesday, October 21st, 2009

As quoted in the New York Times recently, there is a new social media slang in town: “clogger”. Cloggers are the type of bloggers who just use their blog as a platform for receiving free goods or event invitations from PR companies and brands themselves. The term differentiates these freeloaders from the dedicated bloggers who receive press samples from those they build relationships with after having proved themselves in the blogosphere.

It’s pretty easy to identify the cloggers out there. They’ll be the ones brazenly asking for free goodies to post about on a blog that you’ve never heard of because it’s only been online for a day and has no readership. These bloggers also tend to post press releases in a copy and paste fashion without any commentary or individual voice. They’re just in it for the freebies.

Cloggers are a major thorn in the side of good bloggers out there. As Amber Katz states in the New York Times article, they are a big part of the reason the FTC now has guidelines for blogger disclosure of press samples and paid posts. These new rules for disclosure will weed out the cloggers. Unfortunately though, many bloggers who hold themselves to traditional journalistic standards feel punished and condescended to. The result is a culture of responsible internet journalists and consumer reviewers made to feel as though they are not ethical or trustworthy enough to provide unbiased reviews because of those out there that are just trying to work the system.

As both a blogger and marketing professional myself, I see both sides of the argument for and against the FTC guidelines. I think for those of us bloggers who were already doing things the right way it will just be a mild irritant, one more thing to think about. Additionally, it is important for marketing professionals to help the blogosphere remain a trusted source for consumer reviews by choosing not to work with cloggers. That’s good news for us, because the blogs that continue to do well will be of a calibre we want to work with to help promote our clients. Despite the patronizing press pieces that paint bloggers as a bunch of freeloading slackers that resulted from the FTC’s ruling, eventually the change will result in a win-win situation for us all.

No Comments | Tags: blog, social media
Posted by Alyson in Online Marketing

Is Twitter living up to the hype?

Tuesday, August 25th, 2009

A surprising poll result from LinkedIn and Harris Interactive shows a lack of faith in Twitter from the business community. Only 8% of respondents consider Twitter to be “very effective”, while half considered it only to be “somewhat effective.”

Some would say that either businesses don’t fully understand the potential and are using the tool incorrectly or that Twitter is over-hyped and will eventually fizzle out.

I think Twitter will change it’s business model and use all the attention and data to introduce a more relevant tool for businesses. They have a ton of brand recognition and a large user base, now they just have to figure out how to make a tool that businesses can’t live without.

No Comments | Tags: brand value, social media, Twitter
Posted by Nathan in Online Marketing

Kids These Days – Teenagers and Media

Wednesday, July 22nd, 2009

I don’t think kids these days realize how spoiled they really are.  They want what they want when they want it.  I myself am pretty spoiled when it comes to media.  I want instant updates for news, to fast forward commercials, record my TV shows, and my Internet to move super fast.
I like this report done by a FIFTEEN year old intern, Matthew Roboson about how teens view media.
Here are a few passages:

• “No teenager that I know of regularly reads a newspaper, as most do not have the time and cannot be bothered to read pages and pages of text while they could watch the news summarized on the internet or on TV.
• “Teenagers never use real directories (hard copy catalogues such as yellow pages). This is because real directories contain listings for builders and florists, which are services that teenagers do not require”.
• “Most teenagers nowadays are not regular listeners to radio. They may occasionally tune in, but they do not try to listen to a program specifically. The main reason teenagers listen to the radio is for music, but now with online sites streaming music for free they do not bother, as services such as last.fm do this advert free, and users can choose the songs they want instead of listening to what the radio presenter/DJ chooses.”
• “Every teenager has some access to the internet, be it at school or home. Home use is mainly used for fun (such as social networking) whilst school (or library) use is for work. Most teenagers are heavily active on a combination of social networking sites. Facebook is the most common, with nearly everyone with an internet connection registered and visiting >4 times a week. Facebook is popular as one can interact with friends on a wide scale. On the other hand, teenagers do not use Twitter.”

How have you become spoiled with your media?

View the full report here.

No Comments | Tags: media, social media, Twitter
Posted by Jessica in Market Research

Michael Jackson and Social Media

Wednesday, July 15th, 2009

I found out about Michael Jackson’s death from my boss, who read about it on Twitter.  Within ten minutes that I found out about his death, I received four texts from friends and family with the news.   Immediately after I heard about it, I went online to get the 411.  I pulled up CNN’s streaming video about his death while I sat and watched my Facebook home page fill up with updates about his death.   When I tried to logon to Twitter, it was not working with “too many Tweets.”

Turns out, I am like the rest of the world who naturally turns to social media sites for my information.  They have been saying that Michael Jackson “broke social media” in all senses.  He literally broke the websites like Twitter and Facebook when they were down for a period of time with too many users. He also broke all social media records.

On Facebook, the most popular person before Michael Jackson’s death was President Obama with 6 million friends.  One week after his death, Jackson went from 80,000 fans to just over 7 million creating the largest fan base on a social media network.
During Jackson’s memorial service all trending topics on Twitter were about Michael Jackson.

Social media went crazy that day when some tried to take advantage of the situation. Bogus stories about Jackson’s death or other false claims about the deaths of people like Harrison Ford, George Clooney, and Jeff Goldblum.  These false stories brought an even bigger frenzy to the internet with people trying to find out the truth. (Enjoy a funny clip here).  It was quite a day for social media sites when Michael Jackson died.  I am learning along with the rest of the world how powerful social media really is.

2 Comments | Tags: Facebook, social media, social networking, Twitter
Posted by Jessica in Online Marketing

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