Posts Tagged Twitter
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.
Foursquare..a stalker’s dream or genuinely useful?
Posted by Paul McSweeney in Facebook, Social Media, Social Networking, Thoughts & Opinions on July 28th, 2010
Foursquare is the latest social networking tool to generate online buzz. It promises something new. It leads the way in a wave of “geolocative” social networking tools. In addition to offering the communal connectivity of Twitter and Facebook, Foursquare also uses a smartphone’s global positioning system (GPS) to broadcast your precise location to your “friends” and, should you wish, to the wider world.
Companies have been quick to realise the potential of this technology with Starbucks, Debenhams and others offering loyal customers who frequently check in to their stores, rewards such as a free cup of coffee.
It’s potential gives a whole new meaning to the supermarket loyalty card.
But with such power comes responsibility. It might be great for a free latte, but at what price to your privacy? There is a big worry that you don’t know who can read your information, as to where you are. Accept a friend request in Foursquare without due care, and you are potentially opening up your personal diary to a complete stranger.
But many say Foursquare’s primary motivation is growth, and not the privacy of its members. They need a critical mass of users to make the service more useful. Critics point out that a warning of the risks should be prominently displayed to users when they set up their accounts.
Foursquare has recently reached the 2m users landmark, and this figure is growing all the time. The issue with location-based information, is that it exposes a new layer of personal information if you like; our exact physical location at anytime, anywhere.
So the decision is up to you. If you want everyone to know exactly where to find you, then Foursquare is perfect for you. Our advice is this..only accept friend requests from friends. And make yourself fully versed on the what this all entails and the risks that it involves. Participate in online communities of course, but with care.
Tapping social media for your market research
Posted by Paul McSweeney in Facebook, Social Media, Social Networking, Thoughts & Opinions, Traditional Marketing on July 22nd, 2010
The failings of survey panels are nothing if not well-known to market-researchers and clients alike, but still they remain widely used—albeit expensive and slow—tools for collecting data. Aiming to provide higher-quality results at a lower price, Chicago-based Lab42 conducts its clients’ surveys not in artificially assembled panels but in the social networks where target respondents naturally spend their time.
Clients begin by telling Lab42 about their products and their target consumers. Lab42 then helps to craft a survey, with the option of focusing it based on gender, age, location, lifestyle and interests. Next, Lab42 takes the resulting survey to Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and smaller niche social networks, using highly targeted incentives to garner attention and responses while consumers go about their day-to-day activities. Two packages are available from Lab42: a premium one for $ 500, with results in three days or less; and a preliminary one for$ 300, with results in 5 days or less. Custom arrangements are also possible.
It’s always refreshing to see services that have traditionally been performed slowly and expensively rethought and remade to reflect new technologies and new societal shifts. Perhaps this is one to try out when researching your next big thing…? Early feedback suggest that people enjoy giving their opinions and can share these with their friends, thus providing you with potential real-time feedback.
When will shopping become truly social?
Posted by Paul McSweeney in M-Commerce, Social Commerce, Social Media on July 16th, 2010
The concept of “social” shopping / commerce has been circulating for a few years, but the idea has yet to reach critical mass. Given how intertwined the purchase consideration process and social media have become, it is surprising that social shopping / commerce still seems to be in its infancy. So, if we aren’t yet ready for social commerce, what do we expect as we use social media to support our purchase decisions?
We expect to be inspired (awareness) – the April launch of Facebook’s Universal Like button and social shopping sites like Kaboodle and Woot! enhance our awareness of brands, products and services we didn’t even realize we even wanted…or needed. They allow us to browse brands and products without being tied down to any one retailer and importantly, they give us a window into what our friends think are must haves.
We expect deals (engagement) – you may not be a coupon clipper, but it’s hard to say no to a good deal. Social media has proven itself to be an effective channel for finding and sharing deals, promotions and coupons. The lure of exclusivity has buoyed deal-a-day services and made them increasingly attractive to retailers, manufacturers and social media platforms (e.g. Twitter recently announced its @EarlyBird service which will share time-bound deals from participating advertisers, Amazon acquired deal-a-day site Woot! in June). In fact, the promise of exclusive deals tends to be a key motivator behind why consumers “like” brands on Facebook or follow them on Twitter.
We expect a megaphone (advocacy) – social media gives us a platform to talk about the brands we love and the ones we want to make sure our friends avoid. A happy customer is a brand’s best marketer.
We may be conditioned to click on deals through Facebook for, say, a TV, but we aren’t yet fully on board with making our purchases through social media platforms. How do you think social commerce will evolve and when do you think making transactions within social media will be commonplace? Will mobile be the catalyst?
Twitter is now into e-commerce
Posted by Paul McSweeney in Facebook, M-Commerce, Social Commerce on July 8th, 2010
On Tuesday Twitter unveiled its first foray into selling products.
The company announced @earlybird Exclusive Offers, which will be time-sensitive deals on products and events that will appear on the @earlybird Twitter account. People can follow that account to get access to the deals.
The idea borrows from private and limited-time sale sites, like Gilt, Groupon and Woot (which was recently acquired by Amazon), a recent trend in online shopping. It also takes advantage of what companies like Dell, which attributes millions of dollars in sales to posting deals on Twitter, are already doing.
The deals could be on products, like iPods or nappies, or on events, like concert tickets or travel. In a post on a company blog, Twitter hinted that it could filter deals by category, like clothing or gadgets, in the future. Twitter stressed that it would be selective about which deals were offered and “try and make these deals interesting and of value to you.”
The retailers will determine the price of the items and how many are available. Twitter will earn money from the sales. It is experimenting with different models, like a cut of each sale or a fixed price per deal, said Sean Garrett, a Twitter spokesman. The retailers will collect shoppers’ credit card numbers and otherwise fulfill the transaction.
This is a different approach to e-commerce than the one Twitter were potentially toying with last year, in which retailers could offer transactions on the site based on what people are writing about. A running shoe retailer, for example, could offer shoes to people who asked about the best shoes for running on trails. This might still be possible with annotations, a new service that Twitter says it is rolling out soon so that people can add so-called metadata, like a way to make a purchase, to Twitter posts.
The first deal will appear soon, Mr. Garrett said. They will initially be nationwide, but Twitter is considering offering deals specific to cities or countries later on. If @earlybird takes off, Twitter could become a competitor to Groupon and the many other local daily deal sites, as well as to Woot, Gilt and others.
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.
