Online Marketing for Local Business
Posts tagged ROI
Special Guest Post – Buy, Buy, Buy = Bye, Bye, Bye… Derek Weber
14 years
by admin
in Uncategorized
If you haven’t noticed, the way consumers make purchasing decisions has drastically changed over the last few years. With all of the information available with Google searches, ratings, reviews, and smart phones, the consumer is now extremely educated about nearly every major purchasing decision. I mean, you can literally download an app on your iPhone that will scan the bar code of an item in a store and give you consumer ratings and price comparisons of every store that carries that item within 50 miles of you…now that is a well-informed shopper. So, what does that mean for you?
It means you have to stop selling and start teaching, or as my good friend Scott Ginsberg would say, “Don’t sell, enable them to buy.” You might be able to get a one time purchase through the old manipulative marketing efforts or trying to compete on price and features alone, but as our society’s interaction with one another is being reduced by technology, consumers are looking for more than just a transaction, they are looking for a business relationship with a company they like, a company they trust…a company they can personally identify with.
I was having lunch a while back with Steve Hughes of Hit Your Stride fame, and he asked me my opinion on social media and if it could be effectively monetized. My response was that social media, as popular as it is right now, is not necessarily for everyone. Social media is best used for businesses and organizations that can truly develop a community around it’s brand and service. More importantly, I don’t think social media necessarily needs be used as a tool for direct monetization, it should instead be used as a forum for businesses to interact and educate their “fans” (or ‘likes’ now) about who they are, what they are doing, and most importantly why they do what they do. If you try pushing your product or service, screaming “Buy! Buy! Buy!” from every possible location, including social media, your prospects will emphatically respond with the “Bye, Bye, Bye”.
So, take the time to give some valuable information to your customers and prospects. Take the time to let them know who you are and what you are all about, get to know more about them, and stop having every message coming out of your organization only being about good-buys from you or you’ll end up getting a lot of good-byes from them.
Derek Weber derek@goBRANDgo.com www.goBRANDgo.com 314.754.8712
Why Companies Fail With Social Media
14 years
by admin
in Uncategorized
Social media marketing is difficult for most organizations, and it’s not all that hard to figure out why. They start strong, but after some time lose interest or get frustrated with their results. In general, they view social networking as an event – not a process.
The Super Bowl is an event. Setting up a trade show booth or attending a sales conference is an event, or having sales promotion. These have a distinct beginning and end.
On the other hand, dating is a process; losing weight is a process (if done correctly!); building a brand is definitely a process. And once success has been achieved, it must be maintained.
Events are a lot easier to manage, to budget and pay for, and get excited about. (Think of the excitement generated by the Super Bowl, for example) They can be placed on a calendar.
But this isn’t what creating an online community or following is all about. Often social media doesn’t have an immediate, or easily identified, ROI number that you can assign to it, as you can with most events.
A process builds results for the long haul. Go into your social marketing and communications with this in mind, and you are far more likely to be successful.
Top Myths About Social Media Marketing
14 years
by admin
in Uncategorized
Myth #2: I Can’t Measure the Impact / ROI of Social Media on My Business
The social media return on investment debate has been picked apart by so many intelligent and creative marketers, you would think it wouldn’t make this list. But it continues to rank high on the list of objections about social media and I completely understand why.
Since the interaction mechanisms are different with social media than traditional marketing, judging purchase intent and likely customers from social media behavior is a completely new skill for many marketing professionals.
But there are methods to measure the impact of your social media campaigns:
Include Your Phone Number – If your business has more of a consultative sales process, starting conversations on your social networks or blog is a great way to generate more leads. And then be sure to include your phone number in every update or post that you make. You can use a separate Google Voice number that allows you to track the number of inbound calls you receive from your social media activities.
Promote offline events – Facebook has a robust functions for creating events and promoting them. You can post pictures and event location information, while also inviting your entire fan base to participate. You can also send reminders as the event draws nearer.
Offer Coupons Exclusive to Social Media Channels – Make specific offers through each social media channel you use, like 15% off a purchase if you print a coupon from Facebook, or a buy one, get one free if you use a code that was sent out via Twitter. Keep a spreadsheet of the different offers and what the response rates have been, to allow you to optimize your marketing campaigns for each channel.
Connect Your Social Media and Email Campaigns – Many businesses have established email lists they use to stay in touch with customers. Drive visitors on your social media accounts to sign up for your email list to receive more information about your business. Getting social media visitors on your email list can connect you with people you might not otherwise reach with social media. Bolstering your email list gives you an additional way to inform people about offline events and specials, in case they don’t see a specific offer you make on a social media channel.
The important thing to note is that you CAN tie online behavior to purchase decisions or offline actions, so you can track the impact social media is having on your bottom line. Also, pay close attention also to the referrals from social media sites on your web pages and these people’s behavior compared to users who get to your site through other means.