Posts Tagged Social Networking
Social media marketing is catching on
Posted by Paul McSweeney in Social Commerce, Social Media, Social Networking on July 30th, 2010
Social media is becoming an important marketing tool for businesses, and now that Foursquare is starting to draw a following in the UK, some companies are trying to take advantage.
Foursquare has been around since March 2009, but it wasn’t until recently that it has become available in the UK. The social-networking tool allows people to “check in” at places they visit, whether it’s a local coffee house or bar, to keep friends updated on where they are spending time.
Companies have recently began offering incentives for Foursquare users who check in at their businesses.
They are among a growing number of businesses using social media tools such as Foursquare, Twitter and Facebook. More than half of companies worldwide now use various social networks, and about 40 percent of companies say they’ve had success in finding new customers using them, according to a survey by Regus, which provides workplace solutions to businesses.
The benefit of offering an incentive – a free coffee for every customer who checks in for example – is that it gives customers an incentive for supporting the business. But the power of a site such as Foursquare is limitless because every time a user checks in at a location, a message goes out to his or her friends and followers on Twitter and Facebook, telling them of the user’s location.
It also provides companies analytical information about who is using the site such as when people check in, whether they make a return visit and the demographics of who is checking in.
So Foursquare is another affordable way to market your business, particularly to the younger generation.
Have you got social influence?
Posted by Paul McSweeney in Facebook, Social Commerce, Social Media, Social Networking on July 29th, 2010
This has been playing on my mind for some time now. Social commerce has taught us that the companies who listen to their customers and then sell, are the ones that succeed. That is nothing new; but social media has brought this to the fore.
The ability to engage in conversations with customers in real-time, has led to a new explosion of selling possibilities. Customers can not only make or break your products by sharing their opinions and experiences with their peers; but they can do so much more.
In the early days of social media, it was all about celebrities and Twitter accounts. But now, I see a new type of social media celebrity evolving. One with large networks and plenty of opinions to share with them. These celebrities are just “normal” people; but with huge social influence!
So have a think about the social influence you have? How can you leverage it? Perhaps you could start a small business on the back of it. A third-party hub or a community, for example, with content that is recommended by trusted friends and professionals in real-time. Real people participating in social media can unearth incredible amounts of actionable information, with limited barriers to acting upon it quickly.
And once you have a branded community, you can monetise this. Companies will pay you to feature or mention their brand in real-time, and in a relevant context. The more members you encourage to join your community, the more possibilities you will find. You would have created an unpaid army, which companies will want to involve in their own R&D processes, and to help create new applications, or products.
Think about your existing customers, and your own social networks. Identify which accounts you have that are currently underserved. Perhaps, you can generate new business for them, by reviewing their products and inviting your social networks to come up with ideas for them. This will give you a good reason to contact them for new business.
All of us who participate in social networks have a degree of social influence. Your opinions count to your friends. See what you can develop through that. You may surprise yourself!
Facebook reaches 500m users milestone
Posted by Paul McSweeney in Facebook, Social Networking on July 23rd, 2010
Facebook reached a major milestone this week with five hundred million users signed up the social networking site.
The internet site was started six years ago by Mark Zuckerberg with only a few hundred users.
But in the last 15 months, the company has exploded, adding around eight new users every second.
According to Facebook each of its users have around 130 ‘friends’, and will share 70 different bits of their life with them each month, from pictures, passions, home movies and more.
This year the US social networking website announced that it was simplifying its privacy controls and applying them retroactively, so users can protect the status updates and photos they have posted in the past.
The announcement came amid growing concerns about privacy on the website – most recently complaints that the site forced Facebook users to share personal details with the rest of the online world or have them removed from Facebook profiles altogether.
Congratulations to Facebook. Over 500m users in 6 years..phenomenal!
Social Commerce..it’s the future. Try it!
Posted by Paul McSweeney in E-Commerce, Facebook, Online Marketing, Social Commerce, Social Media, Social Networking, Thoughts & Opinions on June 18th, 2010
Social networking has been growing exponentially and throughout that speedy process newer and newer platforms have been evolving and making a name for themselves in small niches. Marketers have realized there is money in this evolution and they are targeting it more than ever. As eCommerce merchants we need to embrace the growing change and the need to be “informed” and target our audience through the free spaces that exist like Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. The only investment needed is time and resources as you continue to grow.
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.
Social Networking via your Smart TV…the future is closer than you think:
Posted by Paul McSweeney in E-Commerce, Facebook, Online Marketing, Social Media, Social Networking, Thoughts & Opinions, Traditional Marketing, Web Development, World News on May 18th, 2010
A year from now, according to Intel, television will have been reinvented by a concept it calls, Smart TV. Google and Intel are widely expected to announce a significant breakthrough into consumer electronics and the broadcast industry with the announcement of the launch of a “Smart TV” platform.
Intel says it’s chips and software will enable not just internet video streaming but could also allow operators to turn set-top boxes into video game consoles with games served over their connection.
Grid-style TV guides will be replaced by interfaces blending broadcast TV with internet content.
Samsung, Sony, LG, Vizio, Sharp and Panasonic are all releasing internet-enabled TVs this year with features such as Skype video calls, Netflix movie streaming and on-screen widgets that offer news, weather, financial quotes, social networking and internet radio.
With TV’s, Blu-ray players and set-top boxes rapidly adding wired or wireless internet connectivity to their features, a host of companies are tailoring and integrating web-based content for living room entertainment.
Apple has yet to mount a serious challenge to. It’s Apple TV box allow users to buy and rent movies from its iTunes Store to play on their TVs. But apart from YouTube videos and Flickr photos, it’s access to the wider web is limited.
Intel Chief Executive, Paul Otellini, told analysts last week that “The revolution we’re about to go through is the biggest single change in television since it went colour”. It already has a backlog of 1m units for its latest Atom Chip; which offers better audio and video performance, wider and open software support and is cheaper than the competition.
For it’s part, Google is expected to call on its Android developer community this week to create applications for TVs and its software could prove popular if it also promises advertising revenue for TV manufacturers.
The Social Networking page of the future…
Posted by Paul McSweeney in Facebook, Online Marketing, Social Media, Social Networking, Thoughts & Opinions, World News on April 26th, 2010
How can we as a web design agency help you maximise the potential of your social networking pages? For us, the key to a successful social networking strategy is ongoing interaction of users with your company.
With this in mind, you should start to view these pages as an integral part of your web site. Another way for your users to engage with you, whether it be for customer service, product reviews, or other relevant content that you upload to these areas.
To get users to interact with you, we suggest enabling several important functions. Allowing your customers to leave their own product reviews, invite them to provide input on new products you plan to introduce, or to share their shopping carts with friends. Facebook and the like, to a certain extent, already provide the community part. It is up to you to provide the interactive and engaging elements. Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace, for example, they bring the people to you. So you should leverage that by targeting your audience within these communities and providing them with what they want.
So take a look at your current web sites, and think of innovative ways, you can invite users to comment upon your products or share information with their friends. Get their input..they are your customers after all!
Newspapers face a problem..a big one.
Posted by Paul McSweeney in Facebook, Social Networking, Thoughts & Opinions on July 14th, 2009
Newspapers are dying out..there is no doubt about it. Competition from online media sources has meant they have had to adapt.But they have hitherto not found the answer. Especially amongst the teenage readership where numbers are ever depleting. If this continues, we will have no newspapers in 20 years..Old habits die hard and teenagers are already used to getting all the information they need online via their PC or mobile phone. Moreover, 24 hour televised news channels and online news sources are free. Newspapers need to grab the interest of teenagers; for older generations they have an enjoyed an unconditional relationship. (old habits again)
Radio is suffering the same fate. Ipods allow teenagers to choose what they listen to and when without the endless radio chat and adverts..Radio faces similar challenges..their future customers are turning away from them. The Ipod is by far the most favoured listening device among teenagers.
But their main source of entertainment are social networking sites such as Facebook. They need to be seen to be on the latest crazes and feel under pressure to do so. Facebook enables them to create an achieveable illusion of themselves through the constant updating and refining of their profiles. Furthermore, they can engage in conversation with others..Facebook and My Space users continue to increase.
So what for newspapers..if they are going to attract any teenagers, my suggestion would be they need to target them first and foremost. What are teenagers into? Reality TV, Hollyoaks and the like; fashion, celebrity gossip.. So with that in mind, political expenses, interest rate predictions, inter alia. won’t cut it with these teenagers..A newspaper that focuses on teenagers will sell..but you can’t just throw out a generic product and hope it will fit all shapes and sizes..newspapers need to realise this.
