Archive for category Online Marketing
The future of f-commerce being played out..
Posted by Paul McSweeney in Facebook, Online Marketing, Social Commerce, Social Media on August 17th, 2010
So P&G are developing quite a taste for f-commerce – selling on Facebook. In the UK, with their Amazon-powered Facebook store for the makeup of makeup artists brand Max Factor, and in the US, now a Facebook Campaign Store to support and capitalize (literally) on their heavily promoted and much talked about Old Spice Man campaign.
From the Facebook storefront, Old Spice aficionados – yes they now exist – can buy branded merchandise from the Super-Bowl-to-Real-Time-Social-Media ‘Old Spice Man’ campaign featuring shirtless baritone and ex-NFL player Isaiah Mustafa, replete with washboard ads and comedic timing.
As with the UK store, P&G has outsourced all the heavy lifting with the Old Spice Man Campaign Store – the Facebook store is simply a storefront linking through to an external e-store managed by a e-commerce partner in Massachusetts that looks after fulfillment and customer service.
So one of our predictions we make when speaking about the future of social commerce is no longer a prediction – the emergence of Facebook campaign stores to support and monetize marketing campaigns – pop-up f-stores – engage with the promotion; buy the merchandise. The P&G Campaign store is elementary, and no doubt could be improved, but all the elements are there. And it’s there. Welcome to the world of Facebook Campaign Stores.
Why do we think pop-up (temporary) Facebook Campaign Stores are the future of f-commerce? They’re quick, cheap and easy to set up, they help monetize campaigns, and ultimately, because they may help solve the century-plus old problem encapsulated in the famous quote of disputed origin) origin “Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted; the trouble is I don’t know which half”.
Whilst much advertising, including the digital variety, is and should be focused on building lifetime customer value (AKA ‘Brand building) rather than producing sales bumps, any integrated campaign that creates a digital trace between advertising and buyer behavior can only be a good thing.
So if you manage a brand, why not take a leaf from the book of the biggest advertisers in the world, and throw up a Facebook store for your next campaign? And if you are an agency, why not consider teaming up with the burgeoning number of f-commerce solution providers out there and start proposing campaigns with real ROI?
Making the social media opportunities work for you
Posted by Paul McSweeney in E Mail Marketing, Online Marketing, Search Engine Optimisation, Social Media, Social Networking, Thoughts & Opinions on August 9th, 2010
One of your main online marketing strategies should be through Social Media outlets.
Why?
Because it’s 2010 and that’s just how it’s done. When using Social Media sites your main focus should be on sending direct targeted traffic to your site, building an arsenal of quality back links, generating online exposure by strengthening your websites online presence, attracting potential clients/users, shining a light on whatever it is you’re providing and building trust.
The four main pillars of social media that you should focus on are:
- Blogs
- Social Networking Sites
- Social Bookmarking Sites
- Forums
Social Media: Blogs
First if you don’t already have one, you’ll need to set up your websites blog that you will also need to optimize for the search engines: You’ll need it to connect to an array of services that will help get the word out about new content on the blog and site via the blogs RSS feed. You can then submit the RSS feed to a number of popular RSS aggregators that relay snippets of recent blog posts made and a link.
You’ll also use the site’s blog to generate exposure for the website through social media news sites such as Technorati and others like it. With a blog, people are more likely to link back to articles posted which in turn would help the site’s overall authority in the SERPs (Search Engine Result Pages) and Page Rank.
Social Network Sites
Networking is the key to any online marketing strategy, as it brings us that much closer to our targeted audience, and one-to-one with potential clients. Through Social Networking sites you should generate a following, a reader base, and interact with them in a way that will help shine the spot light on the company or product/service you’re offering.
A few of these sites include:
- Tumblr
- Myspace
- PartnerUp
- Qapacity
- Ryze
- Talkbiznow
Search engine spiders troll these sites looking for links to something new and relevant so you should always utilize all the profile pages on these sites. You can easily do this by placing you site’s link and a bio where appropriate. Remember, keep your bios keyword rich and targeted but not spammy, that’s the key. With twitter for example, the Bio in your profile ends up being your profile pages description so keep things like that in mind.
Social Bookmarking Sites
These are an entirely different breed of social media sites and often confused with social networks. With social bookmarking sites, you end up generating exposure for the individual blog posts and articles. This is done by creating accounts on the top social bookmarking sites and submitting your article links as interesting to read content and spreading the word that way. Among those sites are a few popular bookmark giants such as:
- Delicious
- StumbleUpon
- Digg
Remember, the key to making any Social Media campaign work is interaction and one-on-one marketing rather than mass marketing and spamming people.
Forums
Further exposure can be achieved by registering on some of the web’s most popular forums, posting a few relevant threads, posts and general topics then adding links to your site/blog in both the forum signature and profile. DON’T join a community to spam them or talk incessantly about your website or business because like any community, listening, commenting, and making a genuine contribution here and there would yield better results and land you more potential clients, especially when people search for your business and find knowledgeable individuals representing your company helping others in the same industry online. It’s all about becoming an industry professional online!
In addition to forum marketing, you can also tap into e-mail based discussion lists and groups.
If you need any advice on how to maximise these different options for the benefit of your business, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us on 01694 724 899.
Social Commerce- how to gauge the effectiveness of user-generated content
Posted by Paul McSweeney in E Mail Marketing, E-Commerce, Online Marketing, Social Commerce on July 20th, 2010
Here are two ways we recommend organizations measure real success.
Do Before-and-After Comparisons
It’s possible to compare key metrics – such as average order value, sales conversion, and traffic to the product page, among others – before and after user-generated content is added to the site. The key is to look at the same (or very similar) products at specific points in time over a broad period and avoid any external factors (such as promotions).
Here’s an example of a before-and-after test of reviews on a classic kitchen mixer that sees predictable sales throughout the year. Key metrics would be captured for a full year before reviews were launched. Once reviews were launched, the metrics would be compared quarterly, with a full comparative analysis done at specific points in time one year after launch.
As a best practice, compare metrics using “percent of change” rather than a simple difference, so you can compare the performance of different products to one another and make additional observations. For example, using percent of change, you may see a correlation between the number of reviews and overall conversion. Every marketer should know the percent change formula, but for the sake of convenience, here it is: % of change = [(new value - old value)/old value]*100.
To check the accuracy with this method, you can compare that mixer’s results with a mixer in the same category that doesn’t have reviews for the same period, or you can compare it to other products in the same category. And compare it further to products in similar categories and the site overall. With a few comparison points, assuming you have a large lift for the mixer, you can confidently support the results.
There’s always the question of external factors in a before-and-after analysis, but if the results are substantial, this method can work well on a product-by-product basis on established products that have sold consistently over time. It’s important to take seasonality and other factors into account, too. For example, recent nationwide economic factors played a role in many sales downturns.
Run an A/B Test
While an A/B test can take time and effort to plan, it’s one of the most accurate ways to measure success, when done correctly. A/B testing takes two otherwise identical groups and makes one change to one group. That group, version “A,” becomes the test group, and version “B,” the group without the change, becomes the control group. You then measure the performance of these two groups, and determine what impact the variable made on the results.
For example, if you wanted to test the success of an e-mail campaign, you could do so with A/B testing. You would first split your receipt list into two groups. The control group (Group A) receives a standard e-mail, and the test group (Group B) receives the same e-mail, but with the addition of review content. You then measure key performance metrics, which, in this case, might include response rate, click-through rate, and conversion. We have seen lifts in revenue per e-mail as much as 50 percent with this method. We’ve also seen online retailers do A/B split tests on their websites and show lifts from 10 percent to 50 percent.
Since the only difference between Group A and B is the inclusion of user-generated content, any difference in the performance metrics can be attributed to the presence of that content.
When used correctly, it is powerful, but, if done incorrectly, it can provide misleading results. To run a successful A/B test, take time to plan ahead, base your sample size and time frame to gather enough data to show clear, realistic results, and make sure to just test one variable at a time, so you can confirm that results are based on that one variable.
Other Key Points to Remember
Look for at least a three-month test window to help make sure your results are sound. While some specific campaigns may take less time to gauge results, three months is usually a good rule of thumb.
It’s also important to make sure you have the right Web analytics tags and data capture methods in place. For a holistic view of how user-generated content is working for you, tag all interactions your site visitors have with this content – including online and offline encounters. And align your tagging methods with your business’ overall success metrics.
Final parting thought: If a data point doesn’t matter to the bottom line, think about why you’re really measuring it.
Social Location Marketing: How can it benefit in B2B?
Posted by Paul McSweeney in E-Commerce, Online Marketing, Social Commerce, Social Media on July 12th, 2010
As with so many channels within social media, social location marketing, the process of utilizing Social Location Sharing platforms such as Foursquare, Gowalla, MyTown and others as a marketing channel, seems most difficult for the B2B sector. Meanwhile, the opportunities for the B2C space seem almost endless, especially for those with physical locations.
However, for the B2B space it is a much tougher proposition. After all, many B2B organizations do not have locations that are open to the public. A financial services firm is unlikely to be interested in rewarding a visitor for becoming mayor of their offices. They might, however, want to be a part of the location revolution and include it in their marketing mix, but how?
The challenge here is to resist the “buzz” and understand the “why”. Why would this be an appropriate marketing channel for a lender, software company or office supply company? All too often, organizations feel that they should be “doing” something in social media and every time some new platform comes along they feel the pressure to add that to their mix. While understandable, it is also very unrealistic. Not all businesses are suited to all forms of marketing, and especially not all forms of social media.
The most common point of entry at present for B2B organizations is through events. These give them a temporary physical location that can be “checked into” and that they can build a reward system around. However, given the short term nature of events, they have to be well thought through and ensure that the data captured around the rewards and check-ins are maximized in a way that benefits the organization.
In the past, this type of event marketing might have been as simple as a fishbowl draw, where attendees dropped their business card into a bowl and got the opportunity to win a prize (iPad anyone?). Now the same type of draw can be operated with broader messaging behind it. By creating a “game” that has people checking in and adding a specific comment to be qualified to enter, an organization can leverage attendees’ sharing habits to promote their company message, and all without additional cost.
Another method of entering any of these spaces, and Social Location Sharing/marketing in particular, is to expand the vision. By altering the point of entry to the process, many B2B organizations can find opportunities that they would have otherwise overlooked. For example, an office supply company might not have an offering directly to the end users of Social Location Sharing tools, but their customers might.
Obviously, this is only the briefest of overviews of how the B2B space can leverage social location marketing, but the opportunities are definitely there, and for those willing to make a few leaps, so are the rewards.
How to start benefiting from social commerce via Facebook
Posted by Paul McSweeney in Facebook, Online Marketing, Social Commerce, Social Media, Social Networking on July 9th, 2010
Facebook is where your customers are. And social commerce is rapidly on the increase. So we thought, we would put together a few ideas as to how you can meet in the middle of this growth; and benefit!
1) Integrate the Facebook Like button to any product description page.
This is a must for any e-Commerce site. It is easy to implement, and an instant win.
2) Advertise on Facebook to drive traffic directly to your product pages.
3) Use Facebook Login for your e-Commerce site
Facebook Login is a great way to authenticate people on your eCommerce site. This functionality does not only enable the easy sharing of thoughts and likes on your products, but is also a great win if you want to increase your user base fast. It is an ease of use for visitors in order to quickly login to your site in one click.
4) Build your eCommerce application on Facebook
Companies are planning to develop their own applications on Facebook. An e-Commerce application on Facebook has three major advantages,
- Presence: Your customer is already there (They don’t come to your web site every day)
- Ease of use: Making it simple for your customers to shop, “fish where the fish are”.
- Trust: People may well have less trust issues on the Facebook space than your company-specific domain.
If you have not already applied social commerce tactics for your company or are resisting social commerce reality, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. We can help smooth you into the process by assisting in setting up your Facebook presence!
The social future of loyalty rewards programmes
Posted by Paul McSweeney in Facebook, M-Commerce, Online Marketing, Social Commerce, Social Media, Social Networking, Thoughts & Opinions on July 2nd, 2010
A new social twist on loyalty rewards programmes has been announced – the launch of Topguest, a new service that will allow people to use their favorite location-aware social networks for something more than tricksy points, badges, mayorships and the odd mobile voucher; reward points and air miles from loyalty rewards programs of which they are members.
We think this fusion of loyalty rewards programs with location-aware social networking is smart – and an idea that is worth considering for brands with loyalty or CRM programs. By ‘checking in’ to hotels, bars, stores and other destinations on location-aware social networks such Foursquare, Gowalla, Brightkite, Whrrl, TriOut, Loopt, Yelp and now Twitter, Google and Facebook, customers could earn reward points, bringing them to stores selling your wares, whether online or traditional.
For TopGuest, who are looking to become middleware between location-based services (LBS) and travel/loyalty rewards programs, their service is in preview mode, with a partnership with luxury hotel chain, Standard Hotels (reviews on TechCrunch, ReadWriteWeb and Cnet). What’s appealing about the TopGuest service is it’s simplicity, there are no apps to download, you can just ‘check-in’ with your social networking site and start getting rewards. Whilst there is a natural fit between an emergent category of location-aware loyalty rewards programs and travel, we think non-travel brands could develop similar services.
Imagine, for example, if Sony ran a contest during the World Cup in which people checking in to bars screening matches on Bravia TVs won reward points for the SonyStore (if they posted images of the match to TwitPic). Or if every time you checked in and picked up a car at Avis, points were added to your Avis First rewards program. Or, whilst following the travel tips of luxury brands on Foursquare such as Louis Vuitton, Marc Jacobs and Coach, you won loyalty points for following the tips and visiting stores.
How to use Twitter for business: Case study:Pepsi
Posted by Paul McSweeney in Online Marketing, Social Media, Social Networking, Thoughts & Opinions on June 30th, 2010
@Pepsi or @PepsiCo
Pepsi may be a classic brand, but it’s using 21st century tools to collaborate and build relationships with customers. For years, PepsiCo, has had a toll-free number that consumers can call to share product feedback. People call in all the time, and the company considers the line successful.
But when Pepsi brand managers wanted faster and more personal ways to connect with soft drinks enthusiasts, they looked online—and in January 2009, the team started using Twitter to listen to and talk with consumers. (The brand twitters as @Pepsi; the corporation twitters as @PepsiCo.)
“We’re trying to humanize the brand, to make it more accessible to consumers,” says Anamaria Irazabal, brand director for Pepsi. “On Twitter, they can complain or praise, and we can use it as a way to gauge how people are feeling.”
Reaching a new audience
Interestingly, the company finds the conversations on Twitter are different from those on the toll-free line. The callers, says Irazabal, tend to focus on products.
Twitterers, on the other hand, tend to have opinions not just on the products, but on promotions, too. “They feel they’re invited to give their opinions on the how the brand should move forward, and they’re very detailed.”
After the spring 2009 launch of Pepsi Throwback—an initiative that involved packaging with a retro look and real-sugar sweeteners—the company was able to collect quick reactions on Twitter. The company has also found asking questions works well on Twitter. Even something as simple as “How many Pepsis do you drink a day?” generates a lot of chatter.
“Consumers own the brands as much as we do, and they want to share their interests and likes,” says Bonin Bough, director of social and emerging media for PepsiCo. “Twitter is the only medium where we can have a two-way continuous dialog about the brand.”
Fast response
Pepsi brand managers find that Twitter is useful not only for quick responses from consumers but for quick responses from the company, too.
When Michael Jackson—who made high-profile commercials for Pepsi during the 1980s—died suddenly in July, the company used Twitter right away in its “Thank you, Michael” tribute, engaging with fans. “We can move at the speed of culture,” says Irazabal. “Twitter means we can react to something that happens and provide a platform for dialog, That’s the key word. It’s about engagement and building the relationship.”
Dealing with complaints
Although Pepsi finds that nearly all of the conversation on Twitter is very positive, people do sometimes complain via tweets. The brand managers try to address negative comments very quickly.
“We try to gauge the overall tone and type of problem,” says Josh Karpf, manager of social and emerging media for PepsiCo. If somebody doesn’t like a piece of advertising, the company accepts that. But if a person has had a problem with a product or is attacking the company in some way, Pepsi has a process in place to resolve the issue directly. The company responds once in public, and if the person stays negative, they switch to DM and then to email or phone if needed. Internally, a cross-functional team can help solve problems.
The logistics
Pepsi’s assistant marketing manager, Rachel Mills, works closely with two agencies to coordinate the @Pepsi Twitter account. With Mills’s oversight, one agency does the day-to-day twittering. But Mills sees all the tweets, and she gets involved if there’s a problem of any kind. Another agency helps Pepsi develop its digital promotion calendar three months ahead of time.
The calendar—along with guidance on tone of voice and how to respond to certain types of comments—help Pepsi maintain a consistent brand presence across the Web, including its Twitter account.
Finally, Pepsi requires that staffers maintain personal accounts on social media sites—not to interact on behalf of the brand, but to learn about the channels. “It’s very hard to talk to agencies if you have never used the tools,” says Irazabal. “So we ask our teams to use these tools to learn what we can get out of them.”
Measuring success
Like many brands, Pepsi looks at the number of followers it has. But the company also looks at the sentiment of tweets, rating them on a scale from positive to negative. The balance changes from week to week, and the company—which considers itself to be in experimental phase with Twitter—is still figuring out what affects consumer feeling and how to measure it.
Takeaway: “We’ve got a lot ahead of us, and we’re learning every day.” In other words “Have a go”
Advertisers embrace social networks
Posted by Paul McSweeney in Facebook, Online Marketing, Social Media, Social Networking, Thoughts & Opinions, Traditional Marketing on June 29th, 2010
Advertisers and their agencies have embraced Facebook and Twitter, as social media reaches a size and scale few brands can ignore.
Many leading brands have used some form of social media, which agencies contrast with traditional advertising slots bought on television, billboards, or in print.
Unilever’s Dove Soap brand, and P&G’s brands Pantene shampoo and Pampers Nappies have active presences on Facebook, and Coca-Cola this week launched adverts on Twitter.
The leaning is toward “earned media”; the term coined for messages which spread by word of mouth. Even recent controversy over privacy has failed to dent advertisers’ enthusiasm for Facebook in particular, which has almost 500m members and is planning to expand in Asia.
If privacy can be managed properly, many leading advertising agencies, feel that Facebook is something which is incredibly strong, and which will represent a big new platform of communication going forward.
It surprises me just how long leading agencies have taken to commit fully to social media. No doubt, brands are resistant to change, especially when budgets are increasingly under threat. But the measurability of social media can be much more clearly defined than magazines or television. Sure, you can track who has seen it, through readership or viewing figures; but you can’t measure the response to it, as closely as you can through social media.
Consequently, this enhanced level of measurability, enables you to essentially tailor your message accordingly in future campaigns. And this can be achieved at a more cost-effective rate. That is a much stronger proposition in my mind.
Social media is particularly powerful for consumer goods brands. People talk about brands, and companies need to be part of the conversation. If not so much to steer it or indeed influence it, at least to be participative in it.
Social networks create a deeper relationship with consumers, that simply cannot be achieved through TV or magazines. This is why Facebook is, for me, the world’s largest message board from a brand perspective.
Coca-Cola has achieved strong results through its sponsorship of a “trending topic”; using “promoted tweets” to be involved in this week’s World Cup discussions.
This is not so much the future, but the present. The main point, is that you can achieve a closer relationship with your customers, and in an instantaneous and completely measurable fashion.
10 tips on how to keep focused on social media marketing
Posted by Paul McSweeney in E Mail Marketing, Facebook, Online Marketing, Search Engine Optimisation, Social Commerce, Social Media, Social Networking on June 28th, 2010
Some of our clients tell us how frustrated they can get with all this social media stuff. Despite the hours they spend on it, they just don’t seem to engage in as many conversations as they had envisaged at the outset. And they start to question whether it is really all worth it.
The flipside is that Social media marketing can be so compelling and addictive that if you are not careful an hour is gone and you haven’t done a thing. Friends and colleagues often make the observation that there is so much valuable information and tempting headlines that compel us to read and view that like the temptations of the mythoglical Greek Ulysses ‘Sirens’ who lured away away ancient mariners we too can be turned from away from our destination.
So how do we keep on track so that the ‘Sirens’ of Ulysses don’t distract us to destruction and ensure we meet our goals?
1. Check your goals
Why did you set up your social media marketing channels in the first place? Is what you are currently doing on social media moving you towards those goals. Some goals may be quite specific such as to to increase inquiries by 20%. It may be a more general goal such as to connect, engage and communicate or create more brand awareness. It may be to write one blog post a day.
2. Get Focused
You have now checked back to your original goals and now you need to refine and continue to determine what are the most important and prioritize them. For me one major goal is to write our blog post on a daily basis.
3. Set a Schedule & A Routine
Providing yourself with a schedule and a deadline can ensure.. mostly… that the activity is done and then you can move on to the next task.
4. Planning , Creating and Developing Content
To ensure that we have information to place on the social media channels that we are using we need to be constantly brainstorming and keeping an eye out for content to post that provides value to your clients and answers their questions and helps solve their problems.
5. Optimizing your Channels
So you now have the content on your social media platforms….are they set up to ensure that people will find them online and when they get there they will find it easy to view and read. A blog may need some search engine optimisation tweaking and with the changes to Google’s search with the recently announced ‘Google Caffeine’ having more recent content on your web presence is more important than ever. Do you have your LinkedIn profile public and do you have your website, blog and facebook pages entered in the page?
6. Promoting Your Brand on Social Media
A lot of people think that once they have published their blog or posted that the online world is just going to turn up… they won’t .. so you need to tell the world. Tweet it (a few times). Place your content on as many channels as time, money and resources allow. Take your eNewsletter and embed social media buttons at the top and the bottom of the email and also place buttons and links to your blog.. email can be integrated into your whole social media activities.
7. Measuring and Monitoring
Set up measuring and monitoring tools and use them as these can provide the feedback on what is working and what isn’t,
8. Analyze and Adjust your Activities
You now have the numbers on your different activities…. use this tweak and fine tune your activities to ensure that they are producing the best result for the least effort.
9. Communicate and Engage with your Social Media Tribe
Ok .. so you have had your head down and tail up, pumping out great content and doing fantastic things but you haven’t had time to listen and engage. You need to ensure that you are not just doing but also connecting otherwise one day you will look up and the tribe has dissappeared
10. Help Someone in your Social Media Community
Take time to promote and help someone in your online community achieve their goals and you will be find that reciprocation is often forthcoming and your efforts will be paid back in spades.
How do you keep focused?
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