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.

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!

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.

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”

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.

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?

Social Commerce is defined as the relationship and fusion of eCommerce and social media together to help buyers and sellers make better purchasing decisions online. This combination is the next generation of interaction between buyers and sellers.

Take a look at these studies and see for yourself what respondents had to say.  And then ask yourself if you feel the same way.

According to Bazaarvoice:

“81 percent of respondents said they’d received advice from friends and followers relating to a product purchase through a social site; 74 percent of those who received such advice found it to be influential in their decision. 90% of consumers online trust recommendations from people they know…

Friends still play an important role in influencing consumers; 83 percent of online shoppers said they are interested in sharing information about their purchases with people they know, while 74 percent are influenced by the opinions of others in their decision to buy the product in the first place…

Users put great trust in their social networks…respondents said they considered information shared on their networks when making a decision…

Facebook, blogs, Twitter and customer reviews are considered the most effective tactics for mobilizing consumers to talk up products online…

Recommendations from family and friends trump all other consumer touch points when it comes to influencing purchases …Consumers trust friends above experts when it comes to product recommendation”

Users are finding the value in sharing online. They feel safer and they can trust that their friends can help them make better buying decisions. Helping a friend and/or follower make a purchase online is one of the best ways to build advocacy online and throughout your social networks. Try sharing one of your listings with your Facebook friends or Twitter followers and watch the interactions that happen. People are interested in what you are buying and selling and if they need it they are going to feel more comfortable buying it from you. What’s even more powerful is sharing a purchase you made with friends, pointing them in the right direction for the next purchase they may make online.

People love to share themselves and share their experiences with those who care to listen. It is human nature. In the eCommerce space buyers want to feel comfortable buying from sellers and sellers want to feel confident that they are targeting qualified buyers who want what they have to sell. Being uncomfortable has been one of the most important inhibitors that have existed over the last 10 years in the e-commerce space.

Your Homework for the Weekend: Ask a friend online or follower for some advice on a purchase or a product and see how they respond. Check and see who else responds too.

Businesses have been jumping onto the social media train, with Facebook pages and Twitter accounts, in addition to traditional Web pages. And it seems that if you and your business are not on social media, then your friends and colleagues see you as behind the times, not connected, and generally out of touch. It’s true that social media can be a useful tool for any business. However, the effectiveness and value of social media to your business varies greatly based on the type of product or service that you sell and how you use the resource.

Like any business activity, Facebook requires the investment of time and money by someone at your company. It is important that whatever your company might do on social media provide a good return on the investment. Should your company use social media, say Facebook? There are some key questions to ask before making a decision.

To begin, what level of involvement do your customers have when buying your product? If a product is expensive, something that affects personal appearance, or will be used frequently and visible to others, you are probably selling a high-involvement product. Certain types of clothing, cars, computers and appliances fall into this category of goods. For products of this type, consumers search for information. They will seek out and visit your Web site to learn about your product. However, they will probably not be that interested in your Facebook page nor will they become a Facebook “fan” or “friend” or a Twitter “follower.”

In the case of lower involvement products like frequently purchased items such as groceries, certain types of clothing (like socks), or inexpensive items, consumers generally don’t search for much information. Purchase decisions are more likely to be made at the store, maybe on impulse, and are almost always made with little pre-purchase planning. Social media does not really enter the equation.

So Facebook has little value to businesses, right? Wrong. The question to ask is quite simple: Can Facebook (or Twitter or Linked-in) help you to add value for your customers and your business? If it can, then you should use it. The goal is to achieve “top of the mind” awareness.

One of the big advantages of social media and social marketing is the ability to keep your brand’s name in front of your customers and potential customers. And in the world of social media, they must want you to interact with them. How do you encourage that interaction? It is easy for a sports team like the Red Sox — fans seek them out. But how do you get customers to become a fan of your company?

One way to take advantage of social media is to provide information to your customers. News of upcoming sales, special events, and news they can use is valuable. Help them see how your brand adds value to their daily life. Make your brand special to them, even something upon which they rely.

There are a number of small retailers and other companies that are on my Facebook friends list or that I follow on Twitter. I am friends with them or follow them because I support their business but also because they provide me useful information. That information is not just about their company or products, but about things that interest me that fit with their image. Think about a restaurant that shares recipes or a good source of organic items, or what to look for in fresh vegetables. Consider a clothing retailer that offers suggestions on stain removal. These are not items on a Web site, but updates that go to all friends and fans on a regular basis.

An important element of building a social media network is to get people to “friend” you or to become a fan. Traditional media is actually helpful here. Advertising that provides a reason for customers to find you on Facebook or Twitter is important. Drive them to your social media site with a special coupon or other offer that makes it worthwhile. Then add value through your postings, offers and information.

On the subject of advertising, some social media sites allow you to advertise with banners. You can reach very specific target markets in this way, and that has considerable value. A company can target an age group, geographic location, and even segment by customer interests. This brings target marketing to a new level at a relatively low cost, with very little wasted coverage.

Once you set up Facebook, or Twitter, or some other social media site, keep it current! Use the site. There are many companies that have set up their pages and then just let them sit there. Or they were enthusiastic for a while and it faded away. Don’t let that happen. It is a wasted opportunity, especially after you have a number of established relationships.

In closing, recognize social media for what it is. It is another tool in your marketing toolbox, but it takes a full suite of marketing activities to succeed. Social media alone will not get the job done. And when using social media, be sure to add value for your friends and fans to keep them interested and to help your site to grow.

If a customer could have saved more elsewhere, the Asda site, operated by Mysupermarket.co.uk , will print out a coupon against future purchases to cover the difference, plus a penny.

According to Asda, about 15,000 people a day are now checking prices on the site, which covers about 70 per cent of Asda’s comparable products and demand had “surpassed expectations.”

Price comparison sites are not new. PriceGrabber, Shopzilla, and Yahoo Shopping have become an established part of the e-commerce landscape.  But with the increasing adoption of web-enabled smartphones, the new challenge for retailers is how to deal with consumers who are able to check prices not just at home, but in the store too.

According to surveys, the percentage of smartphone owners that check prices through their devices, is increasing significantly. The shopper’s ability to check prices while on the move is also being enhanced by a new generation of mobile phone-focused search engines applications.

Shopsavvy and RedLaser, for instance, deliver comparative pricing information, and information on nearby stores, to anyone who uses their mobile phone camera to take a picture of an item’s barcode.

Retailers are reacting in different ways to the realisation that their customers could walk out to buy a product more cheaply elsewhere. Some say that retailers will try to obfuscate this by offering products that others do not sell, such as exclusive private label goods, or by creating bundles of products.

There will also be an increasing readiness among retailers to match prices instantly. One strategy, called geo-fencing or wireless marketing, is now being tested by a handful of retailers in the US. In the near future, it will be possible to have those messages triggered by a search engine to persuade a customer to complete a purchase – the digital equivalent of a shop assistant lowering the price or making a special deal.

When customers use geo-fencing, then it is safe to assume that they are pretty serious about buying something. Once they scan the product, the sharp retailers will offer a special offer right away to capture that purchase.

Retail is changing considerably. Levi’s have implemented customer-generated outfitting, as have Heels. Customers can match tops and trousers for example, and then share the images with their friends via Facebook to get their opinions. And now the rise of price transparency could put an end to the closed environment of modern retailing.

These digital initiatives may take us back to the oldest markets – where rival retailers call out the prices, and always prepared when necessary to haggle!

So, you as the customer, will finally be King!