Not so long ago, businesses had a limited number of ways to reach consumers. There was print, TV, radio and the usual networking at events. Today, there is web- based, traditional, satellite and Internet radio and TV; print, mobile and social networking. Businesses have a myriad of ways – and even more options – by which to engage consumers. With all of these ways, means and choices by which to reach consumers, it becomes a question of which customer touchpoints … Continue reading
I am often asked, “What does it take to create a successful marketing campaign?” The reality, at the heart of it all, is the client’s brand essence; how that brand is represented and how to and perceived by the market. All successful marketing and advertising strategies spring forth from this basic tenet – brand essence. What qualities does the brand stand for? What can the brand do for me, as a consumer, or member? How can the brand enrich my … Continue reading
So, now, you’ve got your search campaign going. You’ve got your geofence and mobile messaging up. You’re taking ads out in specific print media and you believe that you’ve got your advertising covered. Yet, as you take stock of your efforts, you also notice other advertisements and messages. Some are similar to yours, some competing directly against yours, other different types of messages and advertisements vie for the attention of the same people you are trying to attract. You wonder … Continue reading
It all boils down to math, doesn’t it? Credit scores, deep sea drilling, profit margins, space travel, budget figures, golf handicaps, sales goals – what doesn’t amount to mathematics, in the very end? Why, some of the greatest philosophers and mathematicians such as Pythagoras, Plato and Galileo, to name a few, recognized this important truism. Shouldn’t a mathematical formula for converting customers exist, too? There are, in fact, two different (but similar) formulas gaining wide acceptance among cutting edge social … Continue reading
In the previous article, we covered the “attraction” aspects (relevance, value and motivation) of the customer conversions process. This article will deconstruct the “engagement” process of how consumers interact with your messaging and your brand. Friction, in the customer conversion process is anything that slows down, obstructs or otherwise confuses the consumer during the customer experience process. These are typically things in the design, layout and/or functionality of your marketing pieces that prevent the consumer from taking action. Anxiety, both … Continue reading
Now that you’ve got the dynamics of messaging down – from our last article – you can work on spreading your message using social networking and content syndication techniques. It’s all about getting your message out there! Creating and distributing your message via the Internet is more effective than you may initially think. From a customer acquisition perspective, customers you gain from syndicated messaging tactics are less expensive to acquire. They also tend to be more targeted and convert more easily. … Continue reading
Marketingsherpa.com reports that “Search is generating the bulk of B2B leads” That headline makes complete sense because all businesses have a website (well at least they should) and all buyers are using the Internet (or they should be) to compare price, quality, performance and other important factors when considering business-to-business transactions. Assuming this to be true, if your website isn’t optimized for organic search engine ranking placement (SERP), this should be high on your sales and marketing to-do list. In … Continue reading
The purpose of this column is to help you grow your business successfully during these turbulent economic times. Using technology-based solutions for marketing, business and economic development this column will provide insight and perspective for readers. It will explore cost-effective (and sometimes no-cost) strategies and tactics to address the growth challenges facing most businesses today. This article is titled ‘Business 3.0′ because we’re going to explore next-generation strategies and tactics that you can implement easily for your business. Solutions and … Continue reading
When most people think ‘search engine marketing,’ they generally think of the big three search engines: Google, Yahoo and Bing. Up until recently, if you were interested in Pay-Per-Click (PPC) advertising, your ad dollars would likely flow to these companies exclusively. And yet, were you aware that Facebook offers PPC advertising as well? And did you know that because Facebook can draw upon massive amounts of personal user data, Facebook PPC campaigns can be extremely targeted? Consider this: Facebook has … Continue reading
More services than ever are being made available on Smartphone’s; from access to maps, direction and news, to weather and traffic alerts – which means you can stay on top of everything while you’re on the go and right in the palm of your hand! Smartphones, like the Android, iPhone, Palm and Blackberry make it easy to connect to the internet, email, share data, manage your personal and work calendars, and even connect with friends socially. With Apps like Voice … Continue reading
