Thursday, July 25, 2013

Foursquare Gunning For Yelp

http://news.cnet.com/8301-14013_3-57573704/foursquare-gunning-for-yelp/


Craigslist Alternatives

If you are looking for a Craigslist alternative to post free business ads online, there are a few options you should consider. 

eBay Classifieds:
This is a great site with most of the same categories as Craigslist. It is geo-specific and allows for both product and service listings. Check it out here: http://www.ebayclassifieds.com/

Oodle:
Oodle is one of the lead challengers to Craigslist. It allows for social media integration and can display posts from eBay and Facebook marketplace. Oodle also can be downloaded and managed as a mobile app. Check it out here: http://www.oodle.com

Backpage:
Backpage is another classified posting site gaining a lot of traffic. Though Craiglist still boasts a larger user base, Backpage is catching up. With a similar layout and feel as Craigslist, Backpage does not have as many vexing restrictions. Check it out here: http://www.BackPage.com


Social Media Today Article Reveals LinkedIn is 277% More Effective than Facebook, Twitter in Generating Leads


View the article here:
http://socialmediatoday.com/index.php?q=socialbarrel/1596276/using-social-media-lead-generation-infographic&utm_source=hootsuite&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign%2520value=hootsuite_tweets

Use Video to Market your Business

Creating video is a great way to market your company. It is well documented that video can be more engaging than text! Everyone has heard a picture is worth a thousand words. Well, how valuable does that make a video? Infinitely more!

Video can express a great deal more than static text and in a way that can be more colorful and interesting to your audience.  Video can even be easier to understand and more informative, particularly if you have a more complicated business model or product/ service you are evangelizing. 

In times past, business owners may have felt daunted about creating video.  Now, with applications such as Vine and Instagram video, it is easy to create and share videos. The benefits of this are manifold. 

1. It's cheap: You do not need to hire a production crew or buy/rent a sophisticated camera. With Vine and Instagram, you can film right from your smart phone if need be. 

2. Promote products/ services: Video is a great way to display the products or services you offer. A visually strong product is better represented through video than even the most articulate of written descriptions. 

3. Personalize: Video gives you an opportunity to show who you are or express what your company is all about! This will give your audience more insight into your culture and create more connection. Per the touted adage in writer's circle, show don't tell! By showing your audience your message, it is considerably more credible and authentic. 

4. Educate: Video provides a platform to educate your audience and provide information. This may be done to directly provide information about your company, products or service offering. It is also a way to showcase your expertise in your given industry by producing your own video podcast. 

Monday, July 22, 2013

Social Media Infographic


What Exactly is Google+?



The Wikipedia entry states that Google+ is a multilingual social networking and identity service owned and operated by Google Inc. It is the second-largest social networking site in the world, having surpassed Twitter in January 2013. It has approximately 359 million active users.


Yes, that's right, Google+ has surpassed Twitter! Yet, despite its increasing prevalence, many are still ambivalent about what the social networking service is and how it can benefit them. 

To better explain what Google+ is, it is a social layer that integrates Google products/ services such as e-mail, search, blog, Youtube and so on. By adding a social layer to this integration, Google is using your data to create a more personalized experience across these platforms. 

As Eric Schmidt said:
“We’re trying to use the identity infrastructure to make the Google products really interesting. The most obvious one has to do with like You Tube recommendations search recommendations so forth, so on. We can do this based on who you are accurately and more so who your friends are.”

The key shift here is social. Previously, Google surveyed links and connections between sites. Google is now looking at connections between people. 

Sunday, July 21, 2013

The Benefits of Social Media Marketing

A shroud of mystery sometimes surrounds social media marketing. Traditional marketers and companies are not always aware of how to employ social media to benefit their business. Some may question its efficacy and even the more faithful may fail to measure their social media campaigns and how they assist the company's sales performance. Yet, businesses that recognize how to use the power of social media are quick to declare its benefits. No matter your perspective, it is clear that social media is embedded into the modern social and business spheres. Social media is here to stay and businesses must learn to use its power (for good of course!).

Businesses must foremost understand that social media is used to engage and connect. It allows businesses the opportunity to directly interact with fans/ followers resulting in the exchange of ideas and information. This results in a number of benefits for the business spanning promotion and even market/ consumer insights. For instance, a business may receive feedback on a new product or idea.


Let's consider further some of the benefits of social media marketing:

Sales Growth
Studies have shown that social media, particularly when used over time can help bolster sales. For many, this may seem the only benefit worth discussing. After all, what is the purpose of marketing if not to sell? But, more than ever, consumers do not like to be sold and are disenchanted with advertising blitz. Marketing in today's climate is more dimensional and dare we say meaningful. Effective marketing is about creating relationships, generating word-of-mouth so that a company can share its value. It is this value that enriches lives and society as a whole. The social media platform is a great way to develop such relationships and these relationships ultimately beget increased sales activity. Examples of relationship building through social media may include direct fan interaction over Facebook or creating strategic alliances or client relationships through LinkedIn. Increased sales are also connected to other benefits imparted through social media which we will discuss below.

Increased Exposure
By expanding your social media following, you will invariably increase the exposure of your business and build brand recognition. By creating worthy content, you will also encourage followers to share information with their friends and family not only through social media directly but through their actual in-person interactions. This word-of-mouth proliferation helps to generate exposure and galvanize buzz about your business.

Strategic Alliances/ Partnerships
More and more, businesses are using social media to create new business partnerships. Such partnerships may help you expand your product/ service offering, save costs within your supply chain, become an outsource agent for similar or complimentary businesses and so on. The point is, social media can be used for creating relationships not only at the consumer level but through B2B channels as well. 

Increase Traffic/ Search Engine Rankings
A social media presence can improve your business' online presence and help bolster search engine rankings. Both through improved search ranking and through the fan base you establish, you can generate more traffic to your website, augment email subscription lists, etc.  






Tuesday, July 16, 2013

5 Tips to Boost Your Next Cause Marketing Campaign’s Reach


Businesses with a clear purpose perform better and are more likely to succeed.  A business’s purpose should serve as the hub of its ideation — in other words, every decision a company makes should be an extension and affirmation of its purpose. Having a sense of purpose allows a business to better navigate its challenges, often providing clear solutions in even the most trying of times.
Plus, purpose-driven businesses have a great marketing advantage — they are more likely to engage consumers. Tailoring specific cause marketing campaigns to your business’ consumers can be an effective form of consumer outreach, as well as a means of evangelizing for your business purpose.  
When planning your own cause marketing campaign, these 5 tips can help increase your chances of success:
  1. Be authentic. Consumers are quickly fatigued by disingenuous companies and hollow claims. If you are partnering with a charity organization for your campaign, find a cause that has personal relevance or that serves as an organic alignment to the brand. Consumers recognize authenticity, and can spot campaigns that don’t have it.
  2. Allocate charity benefits. Allocating a percentage of sales from a product to charity is a simple and effective way to set up your cause marketing campaign.  The campaign can operate for a specified period of time, or can serve as a permanent campaign.  In addition to our various campaigns, we have a permanent profit-share model.  
  3. Create branded products. Create T-shirts, hats and other articles to promote your campaign. Sales from such items can then be directed to partner organizations. Physical items such as T-shirts are also a means of furthering the campaign’s message and gaining exposure, and allows the consumer to engage with your brand and feel like they’re part of the cause.
  4. Host events. Events help declare the message of the campaign and attract focus to it. Events can come in many guises, including parties, educational seminars, festivals and concerts. However, defining and planning a successful event depends on the nature of the campaign.  
  5. Distribute press releases. Marketing campaigns provide opportunity for press and greater company exposure. When a cause campaign is launched, follow it with a press release to local media (or national, if relevant) concerning the campaign. It may even be appropriate to schedule a press conference highlighting the campaign, its purpose and associated products.

Creating More Effective Real Estate Ads

Recently, we have performed some work for real estate clients. We decided to dedicate a post to creating more effective real estate ads. Creating effective real estate ads is about declaring your unique selling proposition (USP). How are you different/ better than your competitors? Customers always want to know: what's in it for me? Do your ads translate features into benefits?

People Ignore Most Ads
People are overwhelmed with more advertising than ever, bombarded through TV, radio, print and web. People have become conditioned to ignore advertising. Most real estate ads attempt to sell the prospect. This violates a basic business principle- prospects do not want to be sold. They ignore most real estate advertising.

The Failure of Image Ads
Many agents attempt to attract prospects through image ads. These ads are often flashy, colorful ads that feature pictures of the agent with the redundant promises of service and quality. All of these ads look the same- it is difficult to distinguish one agent from the other. Because these ads look and read like other ads, they will be ignored! These ads are trying to sell the prospect. Again, the prospect does not want to be sold!

Have a Unique Selling Proposition (USP)
All people want to know one thing- "what's in it for me." The purpose of marketing and advertising is not self-promotion; the true thrust of effective advertising is to attract prospects by appealing to their wants/ needs. This is a simple process. 1. Determine what your customers want/ need 2. Determine which of those wants/needs you can fulfill 3. Find a way to clearly communicate to your customers that you can fulfill those needs/ wants. Fulfilling a customers needs or wants is your unique selling proposition or USP. Your USP is what makes you different, it is what separates you from your competition. Your USP is the value that you offer your prospects and existing clients. Every company says they offer the best service, quality, price and dependability. They rely on vague and emoty superlatives such as we are #1, we're the biggest, we're the best. You must develop a meaningful USP that connects to the actual benefits you offer your clients. Effective USPs have the following characteristics: 1. Unique: You must offer something different 2. Specific: You must be clear and precise about what you offer. If you can be specific, your USP is more believable. 3. Relevant: You must be relevant to the needs/ wants of the client. Connect on a deep emotional level. Focus on benefits over features. Remember, people want to know, "what's in it for me."

Editorial Ads
Editorial style ads are presented as news, not advertising. Editorial ads can be an effective way attract prospects without selling them. Essentially, you are offering information that is relevant to prospects. This type of advertising generates a 500% greater response volume than image advertising. Because the ad appears as news, not advertising, prospects will not dismiss it. The information presented in an editorial ad must set up a problem and solution. It must be communicated that the information provided will solve a problem the prospect cares about or provide them a benefit. Positioning, appearance and the publication are all important considerations in creating effective editorial style ads.

Classified Ads 
Classified ads are different from editorial ads in that they are more direct and overt. Classified ads can underscore an agent's general service offering or reference a specific property. Many agents try to sell a specific house with an ad. You can't sell a house with an ad! The purpose of creating a property ad is to attract prospects. Often, when prospects call regarding a specific property, they ultimately purchase a different property. Creating effective classified ads invariably requires creating a USP that connects to the needs/ wants of the prospect. Strong ads connect to a prospect's emotional triggers. For instance, first time home buyers need to feel safety. Prospects purchasing an upgrade or second home want to feel prestige and esteem. Large brands and companies spend many millions to create emotional links to their products and services. Remember to determine your prospects wants/ needs and communicate how you can appeal to those wants/ needs.