Posted by TJ Goulet on Dec 18, 2012 in Advertising, Branding, Content Marketing, Marketing, Multifamily, Multifamily Marketing, Resident Communication, Resident Places, Social Media | Comments Off
Companies are often on the hunt for more “likes” for their Facebook pages, hoping to get more brand advocates and social media fans. However only 42% of US Facebook users think marketers should interpret a “like” in that way.
This data comes from a June 2011 study from ExactTarget, “Subscribers, Fans and Followers: The Meaning of Like,” which found that 25% of US Facebook users disagree that marketers should interpret “like” to mean they are a fan or advocate of the company.
Facebook users themselves have some preconceived notions about what to expect when they “like” a company on the site, and among those who do not become brand fans, many are negative. More than half of users expect to be bombarded with messages or ads (54%), while 45% do not want to give companies access to profile information and 31% do not want to push content from a company into friends’ newsfeeds. These possibilities have prevented users from making brand connections on the social networking giant.
On the flip side, many US Facebook users also have certain expectations of perks they should get after following a company’s Facebook page.
The ExactTarget study found that 58% of US Facebook users expect to gain access to exclusive content, events or sales after “liking” a company, while 58% also expect to receive discounts or promotions. Additionally 47% expect to see updates about the company, person or organization they “liked” in their newsfeed, which bodes well for brands as they work to have their content always show up for their followers.
Additionally, younger consumers, ExactTarget found, have fewer expectations and generally “like” brands as a form of expression, not to get certain perks. Meanwhile, older consumers want something of value for “liking” a brand. By listening to what their target fanbase wants out of the Facebook relationship, marketers can get more interaction on their page and encourage more people to “like” rather than avoid brands on Facebook.
About the Author: TJ Goulet (58 Posts)TJ Goulet has been a leader in sales and marketing for almost 20 years. His background includes both entrepreneurial endeavors and nationally recognized achievement with a Fortune 500 Company. He entered the local search and coupon industry in 2005, when he launched his first directory and coupon portal. TJ's expertise is in utilizing current technologies and marketing platforms to increase sales productivity across a broad range of products and services.
Posted by TJ Goulet on May 22, 2012 in Branding, Content Marketing, Marketing, Social Media | Comments Off
One of the questions marketers get asked most often starts like this. “I think I get content marketing, but what kind of content works best?” The short answer is that there are at least twelve types of content you can utilize as part of any content marketing plan.
In this case, the focus is on content that can extend your brand’s reach, beyond your website or blog. There’s no single type that works best for all companies. In fact, diversification and having a portfolio of content you can pull from is key. Here are the twelve types of content to focus on, and how they can be used.
1. Video and Motion Graphics
Yes, video belongs in your content plan, but not for the reasons you think. Don’t create a video with the intent that it will “go viral.” Instead, recommend to your clients that they use video to create awareness. No other medium engenders emotion the way video does.
Consider the video above — it’s motion graphics — from a Palo Alto-based startup called WealthFront. Here the company’s objective was to attract a world-class designer to its team. This video did not go viral but it did get seen by almost everyone in the target market — designers in the Bay Area.
2. Webinars
Tired of webinars? Everyone is. Still, our company recently fielded a webinar that had 1,500 people sign up to learn more about grammar. That’s right. Grammar. This webinar wasn’t the usual talking heads. Instead, it was Scott Abel (who blogs as The Content Wrangler) and Val Swisher (CEO of Content Rules) with the Grammar Girl herself, Mignon Fogarty.
The lesson is to make the webinar appealing by focusing on the types of problems your prospects are facing that your product or service can solve. Don’t go it alone. Instead, reach out to your favorite blogger or pundit and ask them to act as the MC, with your brand acting as the sponsor. And remember, no one ever bought anything because you bored them to death.
3. Infographics
Infographics are, well, graphics. If you make yours compelling, it will get picked up and showcased on sites like Cool Infographics or Good. This sounds great until you realize that everyone is sharing links that reference back to a site that is not yours.
This is why you should always post your infographic with embed code. Don’t know how to create embed code? Here’s a blog post that can help.
4. Q&As
This is content that goes up on a Q&A site like Quora or the answers section of LinkedIn. The content here isn’t very sexy, and it may not be all that findable in a search engine like Google. Still, we like this type of content a lot, mostly because we know that people who post questions here tend be further along in the buying process.
When answering questions make sure you actually post an answer to the question. People get irritated when you try to sell them on “your stuff” prematurely. So don’t. Be helpful, pay it forward, and make it apparent where your product or solution addresses their needs. Got a great example of a dialogue that worked for you and one that backfired? Share it.
5. Case Studies
You are going to need multiple case studies, sometimes called success stories. Ideally, you’ll serve up these case studies in a way that allows your potential customer to see or experience their problem being solved through your product or service. Case studies can be content you position in the media or on your own website.
Focus on making the case studies easy to find based on the problems your buyer is likely to face. If finding them proves difficult for a potential customer, then it can be a waste of time for both parties. Consider this case study on “best design” from Sun Power. This is one of four case studies. Presumably each case study was designed to speak to a specific benefit. But when we did a search on “best design solar panel” or “best designed solar panel” Sun Power did not show up on page one of the search results. Studies show that 60 to 70% of buyers aren’t going to get any farther than page one. This is a lost opportunity.
Case studies work throughout the buying process but especially during the early stages when the buyer is still trying to define their problem and the products and solutions that can solve them. Make search engine optimization a priority when it comes to case studies.
6. E-books | White Papers
White papers, now known as the more visual e-book, can make sense both early and late in the customer buying cycle. Early on, the buyer is looking to get educated about the category and how your product or service can solve their problem. Later the buyer is comparing your product or service to others on his or her short list. Either way, it makes sense to make a related e-book available only after your prospect has filled out some kind of form on your site.
7. Podcasts
Podcasts are relatively easy to create and are easy for people to watch or listen to on iTunes. When creating a podcast, target buyers later in the buying process who are eager to go in-depth on your product or service. Podcasts are particularly good at delivering the back story of your product or service. The one above is an example from Etsy called Handmade Portraits.
8. Reviews
The best reviews are objective and come from people who are seen as either similar to the buyer, someone who has expertise that the buyer values, or someone the buyer trusts. Think Walter Mitty (the favorite everyman), Walter Kohn (the Nobel-winning chemist), or Walter Mossberg ( a reporter at The Wall Street Journal).
If you can’t get reviews from one or more of the “Walters” then go for “wisdom of crowds” approach. Get a lot of reviews, and try to make most of them positive.
Reviews can also be used on your own site. For example, place excerpts from the best reviews on landing pages because testing shows that this placement lifts response by as much as a full percentage point.
If you have a longer review, such as an analyst report, handle it the same way you’d handle an e-book or white paper. Put the review behind a form and make the download something you can leverage to generate leads.
9. Presentations
Business-to-business buyers and consumers who are making a considered purchase will troll the web looking for information to aid them in the buying process. Presentations help buyers get the right information about your products and services.
We typically recommend that you set up a channel on Slideshare to house the presentations you are doing at trade shows and other industry events. By doing this, you are leveraging the Slideshare community, which at 60 million uniques, will drive additional traffic to your website. Slideshare does a great job of optimizing the content it houses for organic search.
10. Apps & Tools
Apps and tools are often used early in the buying process when the buyer is not yet aware they have a problem. A great example of this can be found at WealthFront. The WealthFront tool is for people working at startup companies who have just gone public and need to diversify out of their company’s stock. The idea is to bring people to the tool so as to acquaint them with the need to diversify out of their own company’s stock.
Notice how WealthFront is pretty low-key when presenting its service as the solution to the buyer’s problem. This is intentional. If you are too commercial at this stage of your relationship with the prospect you risk turning them off.
11. Curated Content
When you think curated content you probably think sites like Pinterest. While curated content could fit almost anywhere in the buying process, a site like Pinterest specifically works well early on to create awareness. This is especially true for products or services with a visual component and with a strong appeal to Pinterest’s primarily female demographic.
12. Email Newsletters
Does anyone read email newsletters anymore? Is this still a valid form of content? Yes and yes. Email newsletters can be very good at generating more leads, but there are some rules. Do email regularly, so as to develop your readership. The minimum frequency should be once a month. That’s how you keep most customers and prospects interested and aware of your presence. Also, make sure your design your newsletter so it is easy to skim with click-through links that direct people back to long-form content on your website.
A newsletter works to keep you top of mind with prospects and existing customers throughout the buying cycle and even afterwards. That’ when you want to turn customers into advocates and evangelists for your brand. To measure results, you are going to need some kind of analytics software.
via 12 Essential Tools for the Content Marketer
About the Author: TJ Goulet (58 Posts)TJ Goulet has been a leader in sales and marketing for almost 20 years. His background includes both entrepreneurial endeavors and nationally recognized achievement with a Fortune 500 Company. He entered the local search and coupon industry in 2005, when he launched his first directory and coupon portal. TJ's expertise is in utilizing current technologies and marketing platforms to increase sales productivity across a broad range of products and services.
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Posted by TJ Goulet on May 13, 2012 in Advertising, Content Marketing, Marketing, Mobile Marketing, Multifamily, Multifamily Marketing, Social Media | Comments Off
April 13th, 2012 by Luis Oliveros
For a lot of companies worldwide, moving their marketing to the social Web has got to be the most important decision they’ve made. Indeed it is, with all the benefits of leveraging on social media marketing tactics offering to make their businesses thrive online and get ahead of the competition. Because of this, more and more companies are getting onboard the online marketing train, learning the ropes, and finding the best ways to use the social Web’s real-time capabilities to achieve their goals.
An infographic published by VA Simple Services titled 2012 Social Media Marketing Industry Report: Key Findings, lists down a rundown of important facts. For starters, it says that spending more time on social media platforms helps brands understand the medium and, therefore, can easily provide insights which are essential in planning social media campaigns, and ensuring they are effectively targeting accomplishing their objectives.
And with the social Web’s real-time capabilities and varied features, it should not be much of a surprise that the brand’s business exposure online is the biggest benefit businesses are reaping from their social media uses. Here, Facebook tops the list of most used social media sites, unsurprisingly followed by Twitter, LinkedIn, blogs and YouTube.
Snapshot: Social Media Marketing Industry Report | Social Media Marketing.
About the Author: TJ Goulet (58 Posts)TJ Goulet has been a leader in sales and marketing for almost 20 years. His background includes both entrepreneurial endeavors and nationally recognized achievement with a Fortune 500 Company. He entered the local search and coupon industry in 2005, when he launched his first directory and coupon portal. TJ's expertise is in utilizing current technologies and marketing platforms to increase sales productivity across a broad range of products and services.
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Posted by TJ Goulet on May 8, 2012 in Coupons & Deals, Marketing | Comments Off
Unused Coupons Still Pay Off
by Rajkumar Venkatesan and Paul Farris
In 2010, U.S. consumers redeemed 3.3 billion coupons, cutting roughly $3.7 billion from purchase prices. That’s a lot, particularly since only about 1% of all coupons are ever used. Conventional wisdom holds that manufacturers and retailers see little benefit from the other 99%. But new research suggests that unredeemed coupons are highly valuable. In fact, the coupons that wind up in the trash ultimately deliver greater returns to a company than the coupons that are redeemed.
In a experiment with eight national retailers, we analyzed campaigns involving more than 500,000 targeted coupons, for items representing more than 300 brands, mailed out over 16 months. We found that consumers who received but did not redeem coupons still typically increased their purchases in the associated stores. In fact, as a group the nonredeemers accounted for 60% of the coupons’ “sales lift”—the additional amount spent on both promoted and unpromoted items. Customers who did not receive coupons served as the control group to establish that the observed lift came from the coupons and not something else.
How do coupons produce a lift among nonredeemers? They increase awareness of a brand or a retailer even when they’re not cashed in.
This finding isn’t surprising, but the magnitude of the benefit is. Smart marketers have long realized that coupons can serve as advertisements that attract new customers and inspire gratitude and loyalty among existing ones by delivering important messages about a company. The effect has become stronger in recent years as technology has enabled businesses to personalize their coupons. If businesses realized how powerful this increased awareness can be, they would take as much care with coupons as they do with other marketing materials, striving to delight customers, not simply to close a deal.
Our findings are especially relevant to new-media players such as Groupon and LivingSocial and their partner companies. Recent research and media coverage have criticized those services for attracting lots of bargain-minded customers who patronize a business only once. But when assessing the efficacy of a Groupon campaign, marketers should take into account the many people who become aware of the business when they see the coupon.
This isn’t to say that redemption rates aren’t important—a very low rate is the sign of a flawed campaign. But they’re only part of the story. If companies learn to think in terms of the broad exposure effects of their coupon offerings, they can open up whole new channels for attracting and communicating with customers—and add considerably to their bottom line.
Rajkumar Venkatesan is the Bank of America Research Associate Professor of Business Administration, and Paul Farris is the Landmark Communications Professor of Business Administration, at the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business.
via Unused Coupons Still Pay Off – Harvard Business Review.
About the Author: TJ Goulet (58 Posts)TJ Goulet has been a leader in sales and marketing for almost 20 years. His background includes both entrepreneurial endeavors and nationally recognized achievement with a Fortune 500 Company. He entered the local search and coupon industry in 2005, when he launched his first directory and coupon portal. TJ's expertise is in utilizing current technologies and marketing platforms to increase sales productivity across a broad range of products and services.
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Posted by TJ Goulet on Apr 23, 2012 in Branding, Content Marketing, Marketing, Mobile Marketing, Multifamily, Multifamily Marketing, Resident Communication, Search Marketing | Comments Off
Between the rise in location-based social networks, like Foursquare, and the mobile market’s meteoric growth, a new marketing avenue has opened up. Location-based marketing is a nascent frontier, and marketers are clamoring to take advantage of it.
Already, about 30% of smartphone owners access social networks via their mobile browser, and that figure will continue to grow, according to an infographic by Microsoft Tag. So, if your marketing plans include location-based networks, below are five ways to get started.
1. Push Notification Integration
One of the big reasons people don’t use location-based apps like Foursquare or SCVNGR is simply because they forget. Integrating push notifications into a location-based app is a great and simple fix.
Marketers often use these notifications to highlight activity, specials, announcements, and to further promote the app as well as the business. Allowing users to alter these notifications is an important way to give your audience some power. That ensures your messaging makes it to their phone without being a burden.
2. Loyalty Programs
Giving rewards to loyal customers for continuing to check in via a location-based networks is a great option. Arby’s marketing team did this on Foursquare by offering special reserved seating to their Foursquare mayors at 30 restaurants and 50% off on purchases. Ideas like these drive competition and increase use, which leads to greater exposure for the business being marketed on these networks.
3. Geofencing
Geofencing has been around for some time, but it’s increasingly becoming incorporated in more location-based networks. For those who aren’t familiar, geofencing is a virtual boundary set around a location, like a store. One way marketers are using geofencing on location-based networks is by sending messages to users who’ve opted in to a particular service.
Lets use Starbucks as an example. If a person crosses a Starbucks geofence, they will receive a message from their location-based app highlighting an offer, coupon, or just a reminder to stop by. This is similar to the idea of a push notification, except it’s only triggered by a person who comes into a geofence around a specific location. This messaging is more relevant to a user and more effective for a company.
4. Mixed Media
Apps like GetGlue and Foursquare both give you the ability to check in and incorporate other media. For instance, GetGlue allows a user to check in and share a favorite book, song or TV show. Optimize your content and forge partnerships with companies like GetGlue as a way to extend your reach among users that are more likely to view your content if recommended by their friends.
5. Better Content
As the king of the location-based space, Foursquare helps set the tone for innovation in this industry. Recently at South by Southwest, Foursquare CEO Dennis Crowley spoke about the future of location-based apps and how the company’s focus is shifting from checking in to other features that their audience uses more and that will help the company become more mainstream.
For instance, Foursquare’s “explore” feature is fairly new and allows a user to discover food, nightlife, shops, and more based on broad categories. It aggregates suggestions based on your checkin history as well as information available on the network about a location. This is why any content you add to Foursquare and similar sites should be optimized.
via 5 Ways to Market Your Brand With Location-Based Networks.
About the Author: TJ Goulet (58 Posts)TJ Goulet has been a leader in sales and marketing for almost 20 years. His background includes both entrepreneurial endeavors and nationally recognized achievement with a Fortune 500 Company. He entered the local search and coupon industry in 2005, when he launched his first directory and coupon portal. TJ's expertise is in utilizing current technologies and marketing platforms to increase sales productivity across a broad range of products and services.
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