All Posts Tagged 'Social-mediapage2'
Social media is becoming increasingly important to businesses as customers are influenced and make purchasing decisions based on social recommendations. Brands and businesses that aren’t harnessing this potential are already behind. Building an engaged social community takes time and strategy; it is not something that happens overnight. So how does one begin to get started in what may seem like foreign territory? Here are some tips: Read the rest of this entry »
Originally published on
As we cope with and revel in a new business environment – with opportunities and challenges we’ve never faced before – we’re also busy developing a new language to describe that environment and those channels and conditions. Unfortunately, the language of social media sounds almost as buzzy and insincere as those cringe-worthy business terms we see peppered in so many presentations and business documents. How many times have you heard about the “holistic” business approach used to “leverage” “best practices”? Too many, whatever your answer might have been. Read the rest of this entry »
Originally published on
Last week, RightNow and Harris Interactive released a study on consumer response to retailers’ use of social media during the 2010 holiday season. The study detailed the astounding result that listening to consumers and responding in a timely, effective way has a positive impact on their propensity to return as a customer or to advocate for the brand even when a complaint launched the original interaction. While I don’t mean to sound cheeky (well, maybe a little), this somewhat obvious and intuitive observation might profit from even a bit more exploration.
Clearly, whether online, in social media, or in stores – responding appropriately and quickly to customer complaints can yield positive results. Not responding to heartfelt complaints adds salt to the wound and, given the current communication tool set available to consumers, can spread that injury well beyond the original complainer and the original problem. The issue is not so much that retailers don’t understand this, but that they have limited resources and many have yet to become comfortable in social media.
In the early days of e-commerce, retailers often had insufficient experience and insufficient resources to respond quickly to e-mail inquiries. Retailers had to overcome resistance, training, staffing, process, and other challenges to begin using the communication mode that their customers clearly preferred. There were many debates at that time about removing e-mail addresses from the site if you could not respond in a timely fashion. This would be unthinkable today. Read the rest of this entry »
Originally published on
As an industry, we’re writing thousands of articles a month exploring how marketers and business people can incorporate social media into their businesses. New books on the topic along with social media workshops and webinars are multiplying faster than rabbits and still we continue to pump out case studies and white papers to help frame this newest channel in a business environment that is simultaneously intrigued and confused.
While it does represent a significant shift in thinking for many business people, with all this academic and practical exposition, you would think that by now the mysteries would all be revealed in the glaring spotlight. I believe that part of the reason business is having trouble figuring out social media is because we continue to insist on thinking and talking about social media as one thing. Read the rest of this entry »
Originally published on
Yeah, you heard me, but I will deny it if you misquote me. I did not say we could reliably create a viral phenomenon on behalf of your brand, nor did I say we could guarantee zillions of free impressions. We can, however, create a smart platform and program to help facilitate sharing and exposure of your content and give it the best possible chance to soar.
Most of the great viral stories tapped successfully into the communal zeitgeist, often tickling their funny bone in an unexpected way. Most of them also had a plan to help facilitate sharing, not leaving it all to chance or hope. If you have the kind of content that can potentially appeal to or entertain the masses, then achieving “viral” status may be that much easier. Ninety-nine percent of the opportunity for something to go viral rests with the quality and/or mass appeal of the content and whether, in fact, it does meet the zeitgeist test. It’s critically important to make sure that your content is appealing to your target consumers, and that it has enough value for them to inspire and facilitate sharing among their friends, who by association may very well be potential customers. That may be 99 percent of the work, but you’re not done. Here are some tips to help spread the word. Read the rest of this entry »
Originally published on
Immediately following the last (or any) snowstorm, there was a secondary flurry of reports on online activity during the bad weather. During, or just prior to, a storm, people increasingly check their mobile devices to stay informed on weather trends. Site stats for weather sites of course pick up, but people also access weather apps or sign up for weather and news alerts via tweets. They most definitely increase their social media, online shopping, gaming, and gambling behaviors, but they may also be searching for indoor activities for kids, a new e-book to download, recipes to do some comfort food cooking, how-to videos to help them light a fire, and a thousand other activities that may be relevant to your business goals. They may be more likely to use the unplanned respite and additional hours from everyday work and activities to research everything from new diets to high-ticket purchases online. Discount and coupon codes can be very productive at this time.
All this online weather-related activity is not restricted to snowstorms. During peak travel periods or prior to and during holiday breaks, you will see some of the same patterns – people go online. There are many ways to capture the incremental attention and these short bursts of unusual activity, but some of them require thinking ahead. Weather-triggered strategies or ads are not new. Weather sites and desktop applications have long sold ad inventory activated by localized weather conditions focusing on pollen counts, temperature, and rain or snow estimates. Makers or marketers of allergy medications, suntan lotion, yard or gardening equipment, and tropical vacations or ski parkas will all be familiar with the drill. Catch people when they are miserable with the current weather conditions and offer them tools to cope, or alternatively, a dream of escape. Weather has the ability to create a frame of mind as well. A beautiful day puts us in the mood for a game of golf or a bike ride. Why wouldn’t promotions for a golf vacation or new clubs or a new bike be more effective when we are predisposed? Read the rest of this entry »
Originally published on
Just like you, I get hordes of messaging on social media. And this is in addition to all the other work you might be doing in the area — conferences, summits, your own personal social media activities. The list goes on. When I was asked to write this article, the focus was on how to make these social activities digestible, actionable, and relevant to marketers, media, and those who work with them. And even while writing this piece, news of evolving trends was pouring out at a dizzying rate.
To give this article more long-term relevancy, I’ve categorized the trends I will discuss into interconnecting “ubertrends” — the trends that will directly impact the emergence and growth of supporting micro-trends and how they might relate to your business. Make no mistake about it, there will be more progression as we move into the new Yyear and beyond — and there is a vast beyond. Read the rest of this entry »
Originally published on
The team in our agency that handles social media is deeply engaged every day with facilitating conversations and interactions between brands and their customers but so are our search and media teams, the creative department, the technology experts, the e-mail group, and the client service and project management folks. Social media has changed all of us in digital marketing not just those involved in the day-to-day practice of social media. The impact is pervasive.
I thought I would poll our subject matter experts across the agency and get their take on some of the ways in which social media has influenced them and changed their process, communication protocols, and client opportunities. Read the rest of this entry »
625 Ridge Pike, Suite E 200
Conshohocken, PA 19428
t 888-758-7468
hello@thinknetplus.com
Client Login
Careers
© 2012 Netplus Marketing, Inc.
All rights reserved.
