Posts Tagged ‘LinkedIn’
December 2nd, 2009
Have you noticed how fast word gets around? How there’s no waiting for the news…it seems like everyone knows? Have you noticed how your buying habits have changed? Yet it doesn’t seem so different…
The marketing landscape has been flipped upside down. Retailers, companies, businesses, buying and selling are all scrambling because of YOUR WORD.
Didn’t know you had that much power did you?
Looking at 2007, 2008, 2009 and getting ready to head into 2010, we’ve seen the shift changing right before our very eyes. We’ve watched the housing industry drop into an almost endless abyss, we’ve watch gigantic car companies plummet right behind them. We’ve also watched and heard retailers groaning from the east coast to the west. But in the middle of all that earthquake shattering chaos…we’ve watched other companies rise and increase. What do they have that you don’t?
The Power of Your Word.
What? I don’t get it you say? Well let’s look at some amazing short stories.
- Amazon…very large company. Offers alot of great deals and value. But here’s the secret. They also offer “the power of your word” – RATiNGS & REViEWS. What a consumer says about a product or service.
- Netflix – Simple yet straight forward. Great movies all the time at your convenience with GREAT customer service and RATiNGS. Seriously how likely are you to watch something with a 1 star rating?
- Overstock.com – GREAT values, great selections, Great shipping, and GREAT REViEWS. What the customer thinks about the item. WOW…the Power of Your Word! Will you buy an item with a negative review? More than likely the answer is NO!
This all started back when EBay made sure to inform people about sellers and buyers. If you wanted to make sure you bought from a reputable dealer….you checked his or her feedback/ratings for any negative feedback or problems other customers might have experienced. Before all this rating and review…most of us relied on the “commercials”, “ads”, “salesperson” and before that…it was “word of mouth” what our “friends”, or “friends friend” had to say about something. Today, it’s similar – “old world values” but “New World technology”. Just visit Facebook or Twitter ask and see what your “friends” say about an item or service. We could go on and on but you get the idea.
Advertising and sales has reached a crossroad.
Today’s consumer has the last word about what they think. With cell phones platforms changing rapidly to interactive means of talking, shopping and doing business, it’s up to you to either listen or risk falling into that deep abyss groaning. Social Media has emerged as the conversation platform of consumers. Social sites have “listened” to the consumer and answered. Internet Marketing is continuing to climb vertically, Mobile marketing is on the rise as are video marketing sites
.
It’s up to you to tune in to what’s being said….or tune out.
November 16th, 2009
Consumers have four universal needs.
Connection, Uniqueness, Comfort and Variety. These needs vary in importance for each individual and each person’s need can also shift resulting in trading off needs. Example: Connection during holidays might be very important to some….others might need comfort, others crave uniqueness (standing out in the crowd) while others yet might like variety or choices (visiting lots of friends/family).
Marketing has only focused on the middle of the curve area…and not worked with consumer NEEDS. So the consumer navigates through the world without the influence of marketing.
How can they do that?
Consumers have shifted their spending with an awareness using online reviews, social media sites, chats and emails from friends. This puts the reins in their hands, helping them make informed decisions. Meanwhile, marketing budgets have been shrinking making it harder for marketers to create awareness let alone interest in their products. With budget cuts tight, marketers need to lean to digital as opposed to traditional. Smart Marketers will take that jump using digital to enhance the brand experience with current customers and acquire new ones through “word-of-mouth” marketing.
As 72% of consumers say prior experience has driven their brand loyalty, 58% of online adults say they trust online reviews MORE than any other medium except chat/emails from friends. For marketers to do more with less dollars, they will need to STOP focusing on gaining and spend more with current customers. Those customers will be your “word-of-mouth” marketing campaign.
Also use digital means to enhance how you connect with consumers making your brand responsive and connected to the consumers ever shifting needs.
10 Things you can do:
In this Recession people have moved toward comfort and connection. Marketers and businesses MUST be reassuring and comforting to the consumer meeting their unique needs.
Bottom line – How available and helpful are you?
October 26th, 2009
…as the traditional marketing sector has also been affected by this recession. With companies slashing their marketing budgets from traditional means such as Television, radio, newspaper ads, SMM and RM has increased 10 fold due to it’s affordability and outreach.
The gas price inflation which in effect has kick-started this change, encouraged businesses to look for other vehicles or means to “get the word out”. Vehicles or means that were available but low-keyed in existence were: Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin, Myspace, blogs, ping, Youtube, Delicious, digg, StumbleUpon, Squidoo and countless others. They were vehicles just waiting to be boarded and boarded they were.
Twitter’s vertical climb was off the charts and couldn’t be harnessed because it was moving so fast. Facebook’s social outreach created such a landing place for personal and businesses pages that it also has morphed into a community which has blown itself off the charts with phenomenal growth. Youtube went from being a fun place to upload personal video’s to a wide open advertising market, with phenomenal growth continuing as it has and is becoming a tool for businesses & marketer’s having a lower price tag than television. (Consisting of someone shooting the video, processing it and uploading to their site, versus full blown production costs.)
Video itself is ubiquitous – existing or being everywhere at the same time…constantly encountered it also has helped change the market field. Businesses are changing their vehicles from traditional means to places like-YouTube, Facebook, Hulu, Metacafe, Blip.tv, which can host or provide links to user friendly self-help video’s, educational video’s, how to video’s and news-feeds.
Networking has become a part of who we are.
Businesses are reaching out to customer loyalty, which in turn creates “word of mouth” marketing in today’s world on an internet level. This is where Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, blogs, YouTube and others have become so important to businesses. People are talking in these places, talking to friends, relatives, and certain acquaintances/businesses. If they like your product or service, they will talk about you, to you, to family, to friends, to neighbors and connect with you.
Online ratings and reviews are an amazing tool that affects consumer’s buying decisions, and consumers really are using this information to make those decisions. Online companies have already realized this and business owners are now turning to this phenomenon as consumer’s are wanting to know how good the product is, how many people are liking the product and more. The consumer has become very active in researching product information. Businesses need to understand this.
Studies show that the average person has around 250 friends, acquaintances, business connections, etc. within their network/social life. Things to focus on – building relationships with your customer/client, not buddy buddy, but really listening to what they need, being helpful, finding the best deals and passing that on, being aware of what’s happening in your region. Keeping in contact with your clients, even sending thoughtful cards to them. These things will bring your customer/client back and open the door for “word of mouth” marketing, whether it’s in person, online with Facebook, Twitter or others.
The magic is this: If one customer likes your product/service, then you have the potential of reaching 250 more through that one connection. If you have 10 happy customers then you have the potential to reach 2500 connections, if you have 100 happy customers ….. well, you do the math 
Have you changed your playing field yet? 
If you’ve changed your marketing practices…leave a comment in the comment field below and let us know how it’s helped…
If you NEED HELP to change your marketing practices…fill in the contact form below:
[easy-contact]
August 13th, 2009
With power shifts continuing…marketing is morphing itself into a world that influences your brand, your product and your services.
Consumers have grabbed ahold of Social networks in such a frenzy that those networks have skyrocketed in growth five-fold. Building Social Strategies is vital to businesses surviving in this crucial time. To be successful, marketers must use a strategic, systematic approach in setting up this process.
*Listed below are seven practical ways to be efficient in this strategy.
- Socialize content.
- Word of mouth with Twitter
- Aggregate existing content.
- Crowdsource your support.
- Sponsor bloggers.
- Sponsor events.
- Let go with APIs.
*Additional things to do:
- Manage social media for the long term.
- Start small but plan for the long term.
- Accurately prove effectiveness through social application metrics.
- Measure based on objective
- Develop the right roles.
- Social media strategist and community manager
- Educate through social media supplements. Like Procter & Gamble’s social media lab
*Courtesy of Forrester’s Research.
June 10th, 2009
To dive into this further, go ahead and Google Social Media….Reading up on Social Media has been and will be an endless task due to the fact that Social Media continues to evolve even as we speak. While traditionally the Internet/Web catalogs what we have learned and carries an enormous amount of information; Blogs, Twitter, Facebook track “what’s on our minds”. Why does this matter? I’m a large corporation, what does this have to do with me?
As a business, think of getting an up-to-the-minute read on what the world is thinking. How can that help you? Studios have already started using blogs helping give insight of which movies are creating a buzz. Advertisers have also learned that they can track responses to their advertising campaigns. “I’m amazed people don’t get it yet,” says Jeff Weiner, Yahoo’s senior vice-president who heads up search. “Never in the history of market research has there been a tool like this.”
Top 100 Social Media Tools.
Social Media has also been creating new jobs in various marketplaces…visit Mashable’s site for more details.
June 7th, 2009
Today’s world of business revolves around engaging customers & clients with a virtual internet world.
What is a virtual business world? Wikipedia’s definition is: A virtual business (or Internet business), is a business which operates without a corresponding physical identity and transacts entirely via the Internet. Amazon.com is a great example of this…So is Ebay. An internet place connecting buyers and sellers with a product.
But I have a real building..how will this help me? Lately, professional services such as administration, design, and marketing services have risen in popularity with online delivery. Some examples of that include offerings to include services where the person providing the service works out of his or her own office providing services via the Internet or other technology solutions such as a Virtual Assistant.
PRlog explains it this way…
“An online business is quickly becoming one of the most successful ways to reach customers worldwide and rise above the current economic situation – but it works for some, and it doesn’t work for others. If you want to be in the “works for” category, approach your online business with a good vision and careful planning. Then get the help you need to handle the things that you’re not comfortable doing yourself.”
Why is it so important to engage in Social Media and online marketing? Due to search engines optimization and expanding your borders, both are critical in today’s business economy. You can find out what your customer is interested in or needing before they even walk out of their front door using: Facebook so they can become a part of your group and hear what newest product you have, have your own blog site so customers/clients can comment about likes and dislikes on your site. Tweet about what your doing, or adding as a product/service, Post your brand on LinkedIn so anyone can view what you are about, bonus with LinkedIn is that you can also join groups with other like minded professionals and have discussions/support that would benefit you and your business creating virtual support and counsel. 
Have you noticed how fast word gets around? How there’s no waiting for the news…it seems like everyone knows? Have you noticed how your buying habits have changed? Yet it doesn’t seem so different…
.
