Last time, I wrote about the craze of location-based marketing and how it is really changing the way people choose places to eat and things to do. And of course we can't forget how it's all being tied in with the social networking world. Well this morning on Good Morning America I watched a piece about the latest and greatest location trend - GPS Dating!
Most people have become comfortable with the idea of meeting people online, and targeted dating sites are still going strong - eHarmony, JDate, Match.com and plenty more. But it seems that online dating is so last year. There's now an app for that - meeting singles instantly that is. The basis of GPS dating is you create a profile and download an app for your cell phone and magic happens! Well not exactly like that, you still have to do a little work - once you go to the app you can see all the singles that are in the same vicinity as you and if you like someone's profile you suggest meeting right then and there.
So far this has caught on with singles in large cities like New York and San Francisco but will likely expand much further if the buzz keeps going. The couple featured on the GMA story today found each other through the app, met up for a cup of coffee that very day since they were actually working in the same building, and are now engaged! Of course every dating app story probably won't turn out this way but then again every Match.com date didn't turn into marriage either. And there is always the issue of privacy and safety with sharing location information but the companies behind this phenomenon such as Skout assure users that others can't see exact street addresses.
We've heard this phrase used in terms of buying a house, picking a vacation spot, finding the best restaurants but with social media?! Well, yes that is what the social world is becoming all about - location, location, location!
For a while now millions of people have been checking in on the apps of their choice - Foursquare, GoWalla, MyTown, and more. Each one operates slightly differently and has their own rewards system, for example on Foursquare if you check in enough you can become the mayor of your local pizza shack and get a special coupon. All of these apps connect friends and let them share their whereabouts and tips and opinions on the local businesses which can be great for small to medium sized companies.
But now the game changer - Facebook! It's the largest social networking site with a current count of about 500 million users and now they launch Facebook Places. This is going to be the largest geo-location effort to date and make it even easier for people everywhere to stay connected and share their location. Of course as with new ventures in the past, Facebook may have some hiccups along the way, especially in the Privacy department. But this time they are being smart and rolling out only in the US first and following with other countries once it's perfected.
This week I saw two things popping up: email and social media - and more importantly how they can work together. So you have decided to join the masses and create a social media page - on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, etc. But now what?
Experts are saying to use your email marketing campaigns to leverage your social media initiatives. You probably already know to use your social network links on all your email messages to get people to ‘like' or ‘follow' you. In fact, according to eMarketer, a staggering 71% of companies worldwide are already integrating email and social. But for most, it stops at promoting your presence on the social scene. These days social media is becoming more and more of an influence on people's purchasing decisions, brand loyalty, willingness to try new brands, and more. With social media being more influential, it's time to be a little more creative with integration.
One easy tip is to make sure to incorporate share buttons in your messages so email recipients can help you expand your follower base. Another idea is to promote a social media contest or giveaway into email campaigns to gain more presence. So far most of these ideas seem to skew towards B2C companies. But another recent study by eMarketer proved that business professionals actually like getting and reading the email newsletters they have signed up for. So why not use your email newsletters to increase traffic flow to your social media pages as well!
When businesses first began using Facebook, Twitter and other social media I thought of it as being beneficial for companies that are already a household name. Of course I would become a fan of Victoria's Secret or Express but I never thought it would grow to be the kind of media every business everywhere should be involved in. Guess I was wrong!
An article in USA Today reports findings of a variety of small business surveys and it turns out more small businesses than ever are either Facebook, Twitter or location based marketing like Foursquare. Since small businesses make up 90% of all companies in the U.S. this is pretty significant! Of all the options, Facebook still seems to be the most popular. I suppose this is because it's easy to use and companies can assume most of their target customers will already be users. With traditional media advertising being so expensive, small businesses are really starting to favor these social media networks for building brand awareness, keeping in touch with customers and, of course, gaining new ones.
The adoption of social media by small businesses has doubled to 24% in the last year alone! I can only imagine what another year of growing technology will bring. Although Facebook is the clear choice by a landslide right now, if location based marketing continues to progress to the marketing giant it is predicted to small businesses everywhere will no doubt join in! Imagine the convenience this will bring - a local pizza joint is having a slow Tuesday night, to bring in business they send a $5 coupon to everyone in a 2 mile radius and business comes strolling in! Well the hope is this is exactly what will transpire! For now, all I can say is if you don't have a presence on any social networks - get on it!
The other day I picked up a copy of Entrepreneur magazine and saw on the cover "Junk Mail no More," so being in the direct marketing industry, I had to read on! The article is all about this new company called Dukky who claims they are revolutionizing direct mail. I know you may be thinking, how one of the most traditional forms of marketing be revolutionized?
Well, the answer is of course to use a multichannel approach! Dukky's main goal is to ‘integrate the online and the offline.' For years, direct mail marketers have had a hard time measuring results and avoiding the trash can. Dukky's brilliant plan is to send out mail that is personalized for each recipient but in order to get the actual offer you have to go a step further - online. So when you get an offer for ‘20% off your purchase' for example, you will also get a personalized link or PURL printed on your mail piece and you are required to go online to this link, fill out brief information and only then you can print your coupon.
Criticizers may say this takes too long for the consumer but Dukky's argument is that "people's online and offline lives are pretty intermingled now." In other words, if you have a good enough offer, people will take the extra step. To top it off while the recipient is on their PURL they can instantly share the offer with friends via social media helping it go viral. In the process of redeeming the offer, customers are helping the marketer build a customer database when they have to enter their name, email address, gender and birth date. Really, it's a win-win for the business, because of the social media sharing effect they can spend less money on direct mail pieces and get more clientele in return.
For the past year all anybody in the marketing world talks about is mobile, mobile, mobile. And all I've been talking about is seeing the big picture and using a multichannel approach. Finally a brand that's doing it all! Sorry ladies, this one's for the men out there!
I recently came across this story in Mobile Marketer about Unilever and their Axe product line. For anyone that's behind the times, Axe is a men's line consisting of deodorants, shampoo, body wash, etc. The article claims this new campaign for Axe "marks the largest multichannel advertising program in the United States market using mobile 2D bar codes." Unilever realized if they wanted to stay relevant to their target market - young males ages 18-24 - they were going to have to jump on the mobile bandwagon. I know this group and I can say for certain that they are never without their phones! But instead of jumping ship on all traditional media, they found a way to integrate the old with the new and go multichannel!
As far as the technicalities, there really aren't many. Unilever is using something called a ‘Jagtag' (essentially a 2D barcode) to allow consumers to connect with mobile web content. Basically, someone comes across an ad in a magazine or sees a one on a poster and snaps a quick picture of the barcode using their camera phone. They can then instantly see some pretty humorous video featuring Axe. It's all a pretty brilliant way of engaging consumers to the next level.
Rarely does a movie come around that influences everything from advertising to fashion. But the girls are back - that's right Sex & The City 2 premiers this week and it seems like media outlets everywhere can't get enough. Everything I've seen read or heard this week has to do with Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte and Miranda. Although if you're a guy reading this I'm sure you've failed to notice.
Let's start with the basics - I'm sure you've seen ads for the second installment just about everywhere - online, TV, radio, Facebook, you name it. In the digital age we are living in of course they have to get creative! The trailer is also available on your iPad, iPhone, Smartphone - you name it! But on top of creative ads for the movie premiere, other retailers have gotten inventive and taken on Sex and the City themes. Just yesterday on ideeli.com (a private sample sale site) they had an entire collection devoted to Sex and The City - everything you could ever need to look just as fabulous as the fierce foursome! On The Early Show this week, there was a segment dedicated to the hair, the clothes and of course, the Cosmos!
Even restaurants are doing themes around this premiere - drinks and you would catch the girls sipping - on the house maybe? Small plates you might find in Abu Dhabi? These are just a few ideas of the creative ideas that come out of a movie so influential. If you haven't taken the opportunity to use this mega hit to your advantage try something out this weekend - give away movie tickets on your Facebook page perhaps? Just a thought. When something comes around like this that influences the masses (in this case women everywhere!) it's a good idea to try and incorporate into your online or offline marketing plans. Think about how many more fans you would gain if you announced giving away those tickets for example! Sorry men - they'll be something to spark your interests next week!
Recently all I seem to read about is how Social Media is taking over our lives. It's true in a sense. One recent study found that some people are updating their profiles before they even get out of bed in the morning! Call me crazy, but I just can't imagine Facebook being the first thing on my mind when I wake up.
The craze has gone as far to influence what mom's may be getting this year for Mother's Day. USA Today reported that E-Trade will offer consumers the chance to customize a message from their famous talking baby which can then be emailed or uploaded to social media sites. Another unique one - SpaFinder.com will be giving out gift certificates to those who Tweet the best mom stories. Don't get me wrong, these along with some of the other ideas are pretty fun and new; I just hope these social media trends don't replace the traditions of flowers and cards. Or better yet, getting out from behind the computer and visiting Mom on her special day!
For companies it is just another way to engage consumers. It is a brilliant idea for E-Trade; I mean who doesn't love that talking baby? But I just hope all the statistics about social media taking over don't get any higher! It's crazy to me that some people can't even have a meal without checking their Facebook or Tweeting a picture of their delicious dinner. Social media does in some ways make it easier to connect with people, but all I'm saying is don't let it be your only connection - especially this Mother's Day!
Back in January, I wrote about Apple's announcement of the great iPad. Well now it's April and it's here! (The first version anyway, the 3G version is due to come out any day now). At first I kind of agreed with the critics - I thought it was a pretty cool device but if it doesn't really replace the laptop then what is the point? But this past weekend I was sucked into the Apple store at the mall.
There were tons of people in there surrounding the iPads, playing with them, asking questions, and buying! So I used one for a little while and I have to admit it is great! I'm sure Apple agrees, what with selling more than 300,000 iPads on the first day! That's amazing enough, but experts are predicting Apple to sell more than 5 Million in 2010.
On top of all the buzz about the iPad, Apple also announced the debut of iAd. The innovative ad platform expected to be very different from the current forms of mobile ads out there, in particular, as CEO Steve Job note, ‘more engaging.' Everything is bigger and better on the iPad than on traditional smart phones, so of course it needs better advertising. It's too early to tell if iAd will catch on but keep an eye out; it could mean great new opportunities for adding mobile advertising into marketing plans.
It shouldn't be news to anyone by now that every business and/or brand should have a Facebook page. (If you're reading this and your company doesn't have a page, go run and tell your boss now!) However, there's still debate over what one should do once the page built and fans are on board. The basics include creating friendship and loyalty with consumers, encouraging fans to become a community, and offering coupons or specials only available to fans.
Recently, Facebook has made a technical change to its business pages; instead of choosing to ‘Become a Fan' of specific page, the button has been replaced by a ‘Like' link with a thumbs up symbol. This is the same thing you would click to say that you ‘Like' your friends' status updates, pictures, comments, etc. The difference is, once you click this ‘Like' button for business pages, you automatically become a fan and get all the same access and updates as you would if you had chosen to ‘Become a Fan' yourself. Although Facebook was doing this with good intentions, it seems a little sneaky to me.
The researchers of the social media giant found that users are much more likely to click the ‘Like' symbol than choose to ‘Become a Fan' of something - so for businesses this means they should start seeing a jump in fan base, especially if they employ ads. For consumers, the ‘Like' button has a much different meaning than ‘Becoming a Fan' and getting bombarded with all the page updates. So it seems to me that Facebook is starting to favor what's best for the brands and not the users (who are the basis of the whole site)! While it's a small change and shouldn't matter much, Facebook wasn't too upfront about it. In the past they have been blasted for changes to privacy related matters so I hope any more business page changes will get a heads up! By the way if you have a business page, jump on the opportunity to gain more followers!
