How to choose the right envelope for your direct mail campaign, part 2
The postage imprint on your envelope should look like metered business mail. Although you will likely be using standard mail, it should look like first class business mail in order to increase open rates and credibility among other factors. The envelope should also not give the city and state from where the mail was dropped, only the zip code. You want the recipient to assume it is local, first class mail.
It is also very important that you do not write anything on the envelope—especially not mortgage, insurance or whatever your campaign may involve. Your first priority is to have the prospect open your mail piece. Don’t blow it on the envelope! If they see the word mortgage or anything else written on the envelop they might throw it away before they see your fantastic offers inside. Let them open the letter and read all the great reasons to call you.
Another element that many companies tend to spend unnecessary amounts of money on is fancy envelopes. There are few scenarios where an envelope with a soaring eagle or a flag will result in higher opens rates as compared to a plain white #10 window envelop—which costs significantly less. If a regular white envelope will get your mail opened, save the extra 5-7 cents those expensive envelopes cost and send more letters. For the same money you can send around 15 percent more mail and reach 15 percent more customers or prospects. Spend your money wisely!
Finally, always keep in mind that in order to win customers, you must develop a level of credibility and trust. If your envelope is deceptive you are throwing these aspects away and losing a potential customer. The job of the envelope is to get your letter opened, so keep it simple, safe and professional, and know that you always have help from industry leaders like SKM Media Group when you need it.
SKM Media Group’s turn-key direct mail campaigns include data, creative design, print, envelope, postage and a free call-tracking system. If you’d like more information about our turn-key direct mail programs or would like to get your campaign started today, call 888.488.2918 or visit http://www.skmdirectmail.com.
© SKM Media Corp. www.skmmediagroup.com
How to choose the right envelope for your direct mail campaign, part 1
In post one if this two-part blog series, we’ll break down the envelope choosing process and provide valuable insight into one of the most important and under considered aspects of a highly effective direct mail campaign: choosing the right envelope.
The most commonly opened envelope in the United States is the plain white, #10 window envelope. All of your bills, bank statements and other important mail pieces come in this kind of envelope, and there’s a good chance that you (and most others) open them all. As such, the #10 window has developed a level of credibility and familiarity, and is the envelope you want to use.
Now that we’ve selected the right envelope, we can get into the details. The postage imprint on your envelope should look like metered business mail. Although you will likely be using standard mail, enhancing the appearance of the envelope to make it look like first class business mail is a simple and cost friendly way to increase the open rate. However, the envelope should not include the city and state from where the mail was dropped, only the zip code. You want the recipient to assume it is local, first class mail.
The first thing on the envelope your prospect will likely read is their name showing through the window. Because of this, it’s important to consider printing a customer account number directly above their name. It should look official and read, Customer Account # SKM012412- 6579, or something similar. When your prospect sees an account number they are much more likely to open the letter. In addition, by assigning each prospect a unique account number, you can easily look them up when they call, have their information immediately in front of you and track your response rates.
Stay tuned next week for part two or our blog series “How to choose the right envelope for your direct mail campaign.” If you’d like more information about SKM Media Group’s turn-key direct mail programs or to get your campaign started today, call 888.488.2918 or visit http://www.skmdirectmail.com.
© SKM Media Corp. www.skmmediagroup.com
Paul and Gingrich lead pack in first ever ‘Social Primary’
A recent study from social media consultancy Sociagility indicates that Republican primary candidates Ron Paul and Newt Gingrich are using social media more effectively than other GOP candidate hopefuls.
The study also suggests a “close correlation between candidates’ social media profiles and voting intention, in Iowa and nationally,” effectively creating what Sociagility and others are calling the first ever ‘Social Primary.’
To reach these conclusions, Sociagility analyzed a number of factors across multiple social media channels including popularity, receptiveness, interaction, network reach and trust of each candidate.
According to the study, Paul’s YouTube channel and campaign website, and Gingrich’s Facebook and Twitter profiles proved to be “most effective” as compared to the efforts of fellow Republican primary candidates. Further, Paul ranked highest in interaction, trust and network, and Gingrich ranked the highest in social media receptiveness.
Here’s a full breakdown of the study’s results:
Rank | PRINT Index(TM) | Popularity | Receptiveness | Interaction | Network | Trust | |
Ron Paul | 1 | 145 | 87 | 50 | 279 | 164 | 145 |
Newt Gingrich | 2 | 109 | 92 | 195 | 46 | 107 | 106 |
Michele Bachmann | 3 | 84 | 76 | 108 | 66 | 67 | 102 |
Mitt Romney | 4 | 79 | 86 | 38 | 69 | 98 | 105 |
Rick Perry | 5 | 78 | 170 | 94 | -21 | 148 | -2 |
Rick Santorum | 6 | 70 | 66 | 102 | 70 | 37 | 75 |
Jon Huntsman | 7 | 64 | 64 | 78 | 17 | 80 | 82 |
About SKM Politics:
SKM Politics is a division of SKM Media Group, a data services and marketing company based in Boca Raton, FL. SKM Media Group specializes in creating customized direct mail, email and data packages for our clients that help them achieve a high return on investment, acquire new customers, create company awareness, retain existing customers, enhance current initiatives, and reduce costs.
For more information, visit skmpolitics.com or call 888-488-2918.
Ron Paul Tops Social Media Scorecard in First Ever 'Social Primary', Says Sociagility -- By Sociagility
Politicians Are Starting To Embrace Social Media…Now What? -- By SKM Media Group
© SKM Media Corp. www.skmmediagroup.com
Is Black Friday a thing of the past?
Each new holiday shopping season seems to bring with it more and more creative promotional efforts. From Cyber Monday to T-Mobile’s “Magenta Saturday” to American Express’ “Small Business Saturday,” companies seem to be creating named events for each weekday of the holiday shopping season.
While Black Friday has been the shopping day of the year since the 1960s, it seems to be facing stiffer competition each year from these and other clever promotional events. And as Black Friday continues to develop a reputation of being crazy, crowded and even disorderly at times, will the seemingly endless stream of new promotions eventually make Black Friday a shopping phenomenon of the past? In short: maybe. Here are some reasons why and why not.
Since the adoption of its moniker in the 1960s, Black Friday has consistently been the busiest shopping day of the year. According to the retail data analysis firm ShopperTrak, Black Friday sales from this year totaled roughly $11.4 billion, up 7 percent (around $1 billion) from 2010. Stats such as these don’t lie: Black Friday is still a force to be reckoned with.
Alternatively, because Black Friday continues to become a victim of its own success in terms of the coinciding stigma of chaos and long lines, more people are beginning to take advantage of Cyber Monday sales or the slew of new and/or up-and-coming promotions such as AMEX’s “Small Business Saturday” or T-Mobile’s "Magenta Saturday." If you’re not a Black Friday type shopper, it’s becoming easier to find comparable deals a few days later or before, or sales such as outdoor retailer Gander Mountain’s “Camo Thursdays” that run each Thursday through Christmas. The consumer is still king and promotions such as these prove that point.
Many companies are also beginning to integrate social media such as Facebook, Twitter and Foursquare into their promotions. For instance, in order to take advantage of certain Small Business Saturday deals, American Express requires users to sync their AMEX card to their Facebook or Foursquare accounts (in addition to submitting basic information such as name, address, etc.) in order to find or add deals in their area. Industry experts anticipate that social media and smartphone apps will spark a new era in the coming years in terms of holiday marketing and promotions.
So is Black Friday a thing of the past? As of right now, the answer is: probably not. But who knows…perhaps Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, Cyber Monday and all of the other promotions can all live in peace and harmony together. Only time will tell!
If you want to create your own holiday marketing promotion, we want to help! To learn more about how SKM Media Group can help your business stand out from the crowd, please visit http://www.skmmediagroup.com or call 888-488-2918.
Social Media, American Express Helping Holiday Shoppers Get Good Deals -- By Christina DesMarais, PCWorld
Online Retailers Promote Cyber Monday -- by THE ASSOCIATED PRESS (via NPR.org)
© SKM Media Corp. www.skmmediagroup.com
Politicians are starting to embrace social media…now what?
Anyone who follows politics can likely relate to the notion that it takes a long time for politicians to embrace changes to the status quo. While the same old, same old routine may still reign supreme in many areas of politics, it certainly doesn’t seem applicable when it comes to the amount of politicians and campaigns that have quickly embraced social media.
According to the Associated Press, 80 percent of House and Senate members have social media accounts. Not even so-called millennials, young people between the ages of 18-29, have that high of a social media account percentage.
Here’s another surprising fact, this time from the Pew Research Center: 81 percent of the House and Senate’s 433 members use Twitter versus only 18 percent of 18-29 year-olds. This percentage is interesting at least for two reasons: one being that it shakes the perception that young folks dominate the Twitter landscape; two, that politicians seem much more willing to use Twitter instead of Facebook and/or other types of social media as their platform of choice.
So great, politicians and their campaigns are quickly embracing social media. Now what? How does President Obama use his nearly 24 million Facebook page likes to his or his campaign’s advantage? How will Herman Cain benefit from his nearly 160,000 followers on Twitter as the presidential race heats up? Good questions indeed.
A recent article from AdAge delves into this issue and offers the following step-by-step breakdown to politicians hoping to cash in so to speak on their social media presence:
Step One: Build a ConstituencyIs it that simple? Now that many politicians and their campaigns are using social media, will they be able to transform their audience members into voters or donors? What do you think? Click here to share your opinions.
Step Two: Create Momentum, Drive Discussion
Step Three: The Home Stretch [Calls to action]
Elections Will Turn on Which Candidates Use Social Sharing Most Effectively – By: Gurbaksh Chahal, AdAge.com
Romney hits Perry with social media 1-2 punch – via SKM Media Group blog
© SKM Media Corp. www.skmmediagroup.com
How to make social media work for your small business – part 3
In the third and final segment of our blog series How to make social media work for your small business, we’ll focus on using social media such as Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter to attract new customers to your business.
In terms of using social media to grow your customer base, it’s always important to consider a basic tenet of social media strategy (or any business strategy for that matter) in that you need to understand several key factors before you get started. These include having a thorough understanding of who your customers are, the industry(ies) in which you do business, and the goals you hope to accomplish (e.g. the number of customer or leads you hope to generate through social media, the number of sign ups you receive, etc.). You certainly don’t need to be a social media master to utilize its power to grow your business, but it’s a good idea to have a solid understanding of the social media you wish to use, or the willingness to learn at least about the major players such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. So, let’s run through a few examples of how you can use social media to increase your customer base.
Say you own a restaurant and you want to develop a Facebook contest that requires people to like your page in order to possibly win a free meal. You can promote the contest through a Facebook, Twitter and/or LinkedIn ad, and through additional social media you have a presence on (or wish to develop a presence on). This is a cost-effective way to achieve several ends: generating brand awareness, building your social media presence, and most importantly enticing current and potential diners to eat at your restaurant. And if you do things right, hopefully you’ll have a long-term customer who not only frequently dines at your restaurant, but visits your Facebook page on a regular basis for new and exciting promotions or info. All in all, such a promotion could easily turn into a win/win for your small business.
A promotion such as this, cross-promoted and/or advertised through your other social media channels and even through a direct mail or email marketing campaign, can have very positive impacts on your small business. This method may not work for every company, however, so here’s another example.
You own a small business that sells cleaning supplies. Instead of giving away a free meal for two, you can create a Facebook campaign in which everyone who likes your page enters to win free cleaning supplies or some type of product or service you provide. In this case, it’s important to consider utilizing the power of LinkedIn Ads to draw attention to your promotion, which will also hopefully lead to a dedicated following on your company profile as well. In terms of corporate social media, LinkedIn is no longer just for personal promotion. It now plays a huge role in company promotion as well, particularly for B2B businesses, and we strongly suggest considering this social media as a channel for promoting and growing your business.
So, is it that simple to generate leads through social media? Well, the answer depends on a number of factors such as the target audience and placement of your Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn ads (specifically, how much money you’re willing to invest in an ad), the creativity of the “contest” or “promotion” content/artwork used in relation to the promotion or contest, and many other factors. A good eye always helps when it comes to creative marketing, but sometimes it may be necessary to contact the experts for a bit of help if you don’t want to go it alone.
How to make social media work for your small business – Part 2
© SKM Media Corp. www.skmmediagroup.com
Study reveals direct mail leaves longer-lasting impression than digital media
In a world dominated by digital everything – digital marketing, smartphones, digital advertising, digital you name it – it’s often easy to forget that we still live in a physical world. It wasn’t long ago that physical media such as newspapers and magazines were the primary means not only for reaching customers, but also for learning and absorbing information.
With the rise of technology, however, it seems that more traditional media run the risk of going extinct. Yet in spite of the digital takeover of all-things marketing and advertising, direct mail continues to thrive and the following study examines the reasons why.
The study, conducted by Millward Brown last October, revealed that physical media like direct mail left a “deeper footprint” in the brain, as opposed to digital media absorbed through some sort of technology. Titled Using Neuroscience to Understand the Role of Direct Mail, the study sheds light on the fact that our brains react differently to digital vs. physical media, and makes a strong argument for why direct mail and other “tangible” media remain powerful marketing tools with superior resonating quality.
A recent article from Forbes.com breaks down Millward Brown’s study and examines some of its additional findings relating to physical media:
- Physical material involves more emotional processing, which is important for memory and brand associations
- Physical materials produced more brain response connected with internal feelings, suggesting greater “internalization” of the ads
- More processing is taking place in the right retrosplenial cortex when physical material is presented. This is involved in the processing of emotionally powerful stimuli and memory, which would suggest that the physical presentation may be generating more emotionally vivid memories
What do you think? Share your comments and opinions here.
In This Land Of Digital, Let's Not Forget The Physical – By Steve Olenski, Contributor, Forbes.com
In This Land Of Digital, Let's Not Forget The Physical – By Steve Olenski, Contributor, Forbes.com
© SKM Media Corp. | www.skmmediagroup.com
Finance findings reveal direct mail plays BIG part in Romney campaign
With their campaign and fundraising efforts seemingly in full swing, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and Texas Gov. Rick Perry are nearly even in terms of the money they’ve raised.
Both campaigns continue to rely heavily on donors who contribute large amounts of cash to each nominee hopeful. In fact, the LA Times reports that donation totals for Romney and Perry were in the “same range,” with Romney raising roughly $14 million and Perry raising some $17 million during the past few months alone.
Yet recent financial findings from each campaign revealed that Romney, unlike rival Perry, has been spending a significant amount of money on marketing efforts including a heavy dose of direct mail.
Perry on the other hand has run what the LA Times called a “lean campaign…dedicating nearly one-quarter of its funds to travel and $260,000 to payroll, and spending little on voter outreach, such as direct mail and phone calls.”
According to the LA Times, “The Romney campaign wrote checks totaling $2.7 million to direct-mail vendors, $1.2 million to employees and $2.2 million to fundraising consultants.”
These campaign finance filings, submitted Saturday, offer a glimpse into the inner workings of each campaign between July and September, and the Romney camp certainly seems more willing to invest in established political marketing methods like direct mail.
Based on the fact that direct mail allows politicians to deliver their campaign messages straight into the hands of constituents, potential donors and voters, it’s no wonder that Romney is relying heavily on the power of direct mail. Will Perry follow suit? Only time will tell.
Financial filings show differences in Perry and Romney efforts -- By Melanie Mason and Tom Hamburger, LA Times.com
How to make social media work for your small business – Part 2
In part 1 of our segment on how small businesses can make social media work for them, we discussed several main topics including the importance of developing a strategy before jumping headfirst into social media marketing, and the importance of determining which social media are the best fit for your small business. We also suggested that businesses with an existing social media presence revisit their current strategy to ensure that they’re spending their time wisely, meeting their goals and yielding positive outcomes from their efforts.
We originally intended this blog series to have only two parts. Yet since there are so many important topics to discuss, we’re making it a three-part series instead! For part 2, we’ll take a closer look at a very important aspect of social media marketing: the importance of developing meaningful relationships with your connections.
What is the point of social media if you don’t plan to harness the interactive element(s) of each media? Developing a meaningful relationship with your existing and potential clients via social media such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and others should be an important (and hopefully enjoyable) part of your overall strategy. And understanding and utilizing the potential of each social media you’ve identified as useful for your small business will help you achieve this end.
This doesn’t mean that you need to spend hours every day tweeting or posting to Facebook. Yet there’s no point in having social media if you don’t plan to interact with others or develop a relationship with your audience.
It’s especially important not to fall into the trap of feeling that it’s necessary for your small business to have a social media presence if you’re pretty sure that down the road, either you won’t have the time or resources to maintain this presence, or you think you’ll lose interest. In some ways, it’s better to have no presence at all than to start strong, develop relationships with current and potential customers, and then drop off the map.
Social media is all about being social after all. Yet you are the one who must determine exactly how much time you want to invest into the development and maintenance of your small business’ social media presence. There’s no right or wrong answer, just use common sense in answering this question and understand that just like most everything else, the more time you invest, the greater the return.
In Part 3, we’ll discuss how to use social media to attract new customers, and the general benefits of establishing a social media presence for your small business.
What do you think? Please share your thoughts and opinions here.
Steve Jobs: The passing of a true innovative genius
What was the world like before iPhones, iPods, or even iPads? Or, if you don’t own any of these devices, try this question: “How would you possibly survive without your smartphone of choice?” Without Steve Jobs (and Apple for that matter), we may still be listening to our portable CD players and – should I say it – reading a hard copy of something while we wait on line or for an appointment! Or worse yet, we could still be using typewriters or even awkward, non user-friendly desktops and laptops. Bottom line is that Steve Jobs played a pivotal role in changing the way we communicate, the way we store and listen to music, the way we use and access the Internet, and computing in general. With his passing, we’ve lost a true innovator and a person of remarkable creative talent.
In a brief statement following Jobs’ passing Wednesday, Apple said the following: "We are deeply saddened to announce that Steve Jobs passed away today. Steve's brilliance, passion and energy were the source of countless innovations that enrich and improve all of our lives. The world is immeasurably better because of Steve."
As stated above, Jobs possessed the uncanny combination of brilliance, passion and energy (not to mention talent). Most of us may possess one or two of these traits and are normally hard pressed to use them continually to our advantage! Yet for Steve Jobs, this mixture helped fuel his success in the tech world and gave him the right tools to create products that people wanted – not because they had an inherent desire or need for them. But because “A lot of times, people don't know what they want until you show it to them." This now famous quote from Jobs epitomizes his belief that technological innovation and practicality could go hand-in-hand.
In reflection of its co-founder, Apple.com featured a full-screen photo of Jobs with his favorite look – turtleneck, glasses and smile – along with this eulogy:
“Apple has lost a visionary and creative genius, and the world has lost an amazing human being. Those of us who have been fortunate enough to know and work with Steve have lost a dear friend and an inspiring mentor. Steve leaves behind a company that only he could have built, and his spirit will forever be the foundation of Apple.”
Steve Jobs, 1955-2011. May you rest in peace.
Steve Jobs: The Link Between Machines And Humans -- By Linton Weeks, NPR.org
Steve Jobs, 1955 – 2011 -- By Steven Levy, Wired.com
How to make social media work for your small business – Part 1
Anyone who owns or works for a small business understands the unique challenges these companies face in terms of staying competitive in the marketplace. Technological advances such as the Internet and websites have played a huge part in leveling the playing field for small businesses, allowing them to compete with the big boys without having to spend a fortune on things like TV or radio advertising. And as social media continue to emerge, small businesses have another golden opportunity to stay competitive with similarly sized or larger companies if they are able to harness the power of social media. In this two-part blog series, our goal is to offer some insight into how small businesses can make social media work for them.
If used correctly, social media can give small businesses a significant amount of exposure and provide yet another way to reach customers and potential customers in an interactive manner. Just like any other business endeavor, however, one can’t expect to have success without a plan. If you blindly throw time and resources at social media, don’t expect to have favorable results overnight. In fact, it’s important to note that social media is oftentimes like a fine wine: it takes a bit of time to mature, but it’s certainly worth the wait if are willing to invest even a minimal amount of time and energy into it. And if you take a few things into consideration before getting started, or take the time to revisit your existing strategy, you will drastically increase your chances of maintaining a mutually beneficial relationship with existing customers, attracting new ones, improving your branding efforts, and allowing your small business to stay competitive, among other positive outcomes.
First off, it’s important to determine which social media are the best fit for your business. It’s never a bad idea to maintain a presence on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. Yet the type of social media that are the best fit depends on many factors such as if you’re primarily a B2B or B2C business, what you’re selling, who you’re selling it to, etc. For example, if you own a clothing store, it may be beneficial for your small business to use Facebook to offer your customers deals if they like your fan page. This technique will help you increase your number of fans, help you connect with your customers and hopefully keep them coming back for more deals. It will also prompt your audience to help spread the good word about your Facebook page (and your company) to their friends.
You could also incorporate social media such as Foursquare, StumbleUpon or Yelp to increase your reach and grow your customer base. Ultimately, knowing which social media are best for your small business will require a combination of you being willing to learn more about existing and emerging social media (if you don’t already have an understanding), being willing to do some research on how your competitors are using social media, and developing a social media strategy that will serve as your roadmap to making these tools work for your small business.
In part two, we’ll take a closer look at the development of your social media strategy and discuss how you can use social media to attract new customers, develop meaningful relationships with your existing audience, and the general benefits of establishing a social media presence for your small business.
Romney hits Perry with social media 1-2 punch
If you think YouTube and Twitter are only for tweens and the chronically bored, think again. It seems that more and more politicians – and not just Barack Obama – are incorporating social media into their communications strategies. Among these is presidential candidate Mitt Romney, whose campaign recently used a combination of YouTube and Twitter to go on the offensive against rival contender Texas Gov. Rick Perry.
Perry certainly doesn’t seem shy about expressing his opinions regardless of the subject matter or arena. As such, he made the following statement about immigration during a recent Republican debate:
“If you say that we should not educate children that come into our state for no other reason than that they have been brought there, by no fault of their own, I don’t think you have a heart.”
Although such comments may not threaten his chances of winning the general election, they did likely anger many members of the Republican base – along with giving Romney fodder for what will probably become an onslaught of attacks. The Romney camp wasted no time getting started with such assaults, and social media played a part.
Shortly after the debate, Romney’s campaign released a one-minute video entitled “They Agree” containing such language as “Democratic Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley, President Obama, and Rick Perry all share the same position that illegal immigrants should get tuition discounts at taxpayers’ expense.”
Romney’s campaign uploaded the one-minute video to YouTube and used a Twitter ad to reach a sizeable and engaged audience – likely the members of the Republican base that Romney hopes to sway from Perry.
This one-two YouTube-Twitter punch from Romney clearly shows that he (and presumably other politicians) is not only willing to embrace social media, but to use it for strategic political reasons. And as the political arena heats up in lieu of the 2012 election, we are certain to see an increase in social media use by politicians for everything from garnering donations to attacking opponents such as Romney did.
What do you think? Share your thoughts and opinions here.
Squatters may "steal" your Google+ business profile before the social media is even unveiled
How about this figure: 25 million. That’s the estimated number of users Google+ racked up during its three-month, invitation-only launch period. That’s right, 25 million – even before the service was available to all users. Now that testing is complete and personal profiles are taking root, Google is reportedly close to unveiling the next step in its plan to dominate the social media landscape: Google+ business profiles.
No unveiling is complete without a bit of irony, however, and Ad Age reports that Christian Oestlien, group product manager for social advertising at Google, posted a blog in July stating that, “businesses should refrain from setting up profiles, noting a policy team was working to shut down profiles set up on behalf of companies.” Mr. Oestlien is actually the person who announced that Google is close to unveiling its + business profiles at Ad Age’s Digital West conference last week. Irony indeed.
Perhaps its just Google being tricky, or perhaps they weren’t 100% sure about Google+ business profiles. Whatever the case, there is legitimate concern among some businesses that squatters will fill up the network prior to its official unveiling with fake and/or unofficial business profiles – the “profiles” of businesses such as McDonalds or Macys – before the actual company can setup its official business profile.
At present, there are only two companies authorized to test the Google+ business profile waters: automakers Ford and General Motors. There are sloughs of companies just champing at the bit to create business profiles, though, and an excerpt from the recent Ad Age article Google+ Lays the Groundwork for Business Profiles highlights the concern of some companies regarding what they hope are their eventual profiles.
As of late last week, Ad Age found a host of top names on the network, including Burger King, Starbucks, Home Depot, Kraft salad dressing, Verizon Wireless, Snapple, The Wall Street Journal and Condé Nast. In the case of Coca-Cola, Best Buy and Louis Vuitton, there were multiple profiles for each. The situation is reminiscent of what marketers discovered on Twitter a few years ago when they tried to register for Twitter handles and found those corresponding with their company names had already been claimed. In one egregious situation, Hyundai's legal department wrangled with Twitter for months to obtain ownership of @Hyundai, to which an individual had posted racy photos.
What do you think? Will squatters eventually fill up the network with unofficial Google+ business profiles? Click here to join the conversation.
Google+ Lays the Groundwork for Business Profiles -- By Rupal Parekh, AdAge.com
If you’re not using Facebook to connect users with your brand, think again
When it comes to social media marketing, it’s crucial to identify your target audience, understand what channel(s) is best to reach this audience, and create messages that are both informative and two-way minded. If Facebook is your primary tool for promoting your brand and communicating with your target audience, the findings of a Edison Research and Arbitron study may make you very happy.
According to the survey, 80 percent of US social network users who responded to the study prefer to connect with a brand through Facebook. This is certainly no slight to Twitter, LinkedIn or other types of social media, which can and should play an important role in your communication strategy. Yet this percentage is certainly something to keep in mind when determining your strategy for social media marketing – or for reevaluating your existing techniques and practices.
A recent HubSpot blog post examines the findings of the Edison Research and Arbitron study and includes three steps that can help improve your company’s leverage and brand awareness while getting the most out of your Facebook page:
80% of Social Media Users Prefer Facebook for Connecting With Brands -- By Alison Savery, Blog.HubSpot.com
1. Share Your ContentWhat do you think? Will you evaluate your social media marketing strategy based on this study? Share your thoughts and opinions here.
Be active on Facebook by sharing various types of content to engage your audience in conversation. An easy way to share your content is to connect your blog with your Facebook account so new posts automatically publish to your Facebook page. When you do this, make sure you monitor the interaction with your fans. Don’t leave them hanging, and be sure to keep the conversation going and gather insights to understand what your fans want from you. This will help you decide which types of content your Facebook fans care about, and what to avoid.
2. Figure Out What Content Is Most Engaging
It’s easy to share your content through Facebook, but you should also be aware of what content is most successful for your business. Using Facebook Insights, Facebook's internal analytics tool for pages, get a deeper look into the performance of your content. The Insights tool allows you to see your page interactions and monitors new and lifetime likes over time. It will also enable you to pinpoint which of your updates and posts perform well (and which don't) so you can track trends and get a sense of the types of content you should post more of or avoid sharing in the future.
3. Segment (Then Target) Your Audience
On Facebook, you can now select which of your fans see specific types of content. When you create an update, you now have the ability to choose whether content should be public to all or viewable to only certain custom created groups. This is a great tool for marketers, because you can now create segments for your fans and then target them with relevant and personalized content, which research shows performs significantly better than content that isn't personalized.
80% of Social Media Users Prefer Facebook for Connecting With Brands -- By Alison Savery, Blog.HubSpot.com
Facebook thinks small (businesses)
In a move to get small businesses hooked on its advertising program, social media behemoth Facebook will unveil a plan this week that offers $50 in free advertising credits for up to 200,000 small businesses. Masterminded by Facebook chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg, the advertising charge hopes to attract small business advertising dollars to the world’s largest social network, and away from places like Google (Sandberg's former employer).
Prior to joining Facebook, Sandberg helped build Google’s lucrative search-advertising business while serving as the company’s vice president of global online sales and operations. Now at Facebook, Miss Sandberg seeks to enjoy similar success by capitalizing on the advertising potential of the social network’s 750 million worldwide users, and put into effect her belief that every small business should be using Facebook to grow.
A recent USAToday.com article entitled Facebook wants to be big among small businesses discusses Sandberg’s plan to attract the advertising dollars of small businesses to Facebook. Here’s an excerpt from the article:
"My dream is really simple," said Sandberg, 42, seated near a framed graffiti rendering of co-founder Mark Zuckerberg at Facebook's headquarters here. "I think every small business should … be using Facebook. We're not going to stop until all of them are using it to grow their business."
Next week, Facebook will unveil a plan to get small businesses hooked. The company plans to offer free $50 advertising credits for up to 200,000 small businesses. When a person clicks on an ad, there's a set rate predetermined for that click through — 5 cents or 25 cents, for example — the advertiser has to pay. Facebook will pick up the tab for the first $50 of such ads delivered under its offer.
This may seem like small stuff, but it's the core to an ad revenue strategy that could justify a monster IPO.
"Credits like that can go a long way," she says. "For $50, most small businesses can target every single person they need to target at least once, and then they can grow their business from there."
With Facebook, businesses can target their paid advertising with a precision not found in most other forms of advertising.
A wedding photographer, for instance, could advertise just to women in a specific ZIP code who list on Facebook that they are engaged. A movie chain could talk just to film fans.
Sandberg estimates that of the nation's nearly 30 million small businesses, 9 million are using Facebook to speak to their customers, and "hundreds of thousands" are spending money on ad campaigns, as well.Will Facebook’s advertising charge attract small businesses and their advertising bucks to the social network? We invite you to share your thoughts and opinions here.
Facebook wants to be big among small businesses -- By Jefferson Graham, USA TODAY.com
FICO updates its credit-scoring model: Will it affect you?
A recent update by FICO of its credit-scoring model could lead to big changes for some consumers. As a result of this revision, dubbed FICO 8, some people may see their credit score increase depending on such factors as past credit problems, etc. Yet other consumers may see a decrease or even no change at all in their scores. Initial evidence seems to indicate, however, that consumers who have middle-of-the-road scores are most likely to benefit from the new credit-scoring model.
According to myFICO.com, 90% of the largest banks use a person’s FICO score for credit decisions ranging from credit card terms to car loans to mortgage rates. The site also indicates that a 100-point change in your score could equal an additional $40,000 in interest payments over the course of a 30-year mortgage on a home loan valued at $300,000. Even a minor shift in your FICO score, however, could be the difference between whether or not you qualify for a home or car loan – an particularly important point for consumers in the middle of the credit score road who could benefit from this update.
A recent BusinessInsider.com article examines how FICO’s new credit scoring model could end up helping millions of such consumers over the coming years. Please see an excerpt from the article below:
Millions of Americans have solidly good credit; millions more are stuck with seriously low scores. But there are also millions of consumers in the middle—people with scores that straddle traditional dividing lines between “good” and “bad.” A rise or fall of just a few points could save or cost them thousands of dollars in extra interest payments.
It [the update] could even change their ability to buy a house or get a credit card. “If a consumer is applying for a mortgage and they tend to have higher utilization rates on their credit cards, it could (raise their credit score and) make a difference” in how much they pay for interest, says Tom Quinn, Credit.com’s credit scoring expert and formerly the vice president of scoring at FICO.
Especially for people caught in the middle, a recent update of the FICO credit-scoring model, called FICO 8, could mean big changes. Depending on the type of credit problems consumers have in their past, some people may receive slightly higher credit scores, which could make it easier to buy a house or get a credit card. For other consumers, the changes will hurt their scores, making it somewhat harder to get credit.
“For individual consumers, it depends,” Quinn says. “For some consumers, their FICO 8 score will be higher than their previous score, some consumers’ [score] will be lower, and others won’t change at all.”What do you think? Please click here to share your thoughts and opinions regarding FICO’s update to their credit-scoring model.
Are politicians ready to embrace social media? The answer may surprise you
These days, it seems that social media is everywhere: at home, at work and completely intertwined with nearly every aspect of our existence from shopping to dining. As Facebook, Twitter and other social media continue to creep into each nook and cranny of private life, politics has not escaped the reach of this expansion. And even though Washington can be very slow to change and accept new things, politicians continue to embrace social media and utilize its interactive power.
A prime example is the use of social media by politicians including Speaker of the House John Boehner, House majority leader Eric Cantor and Georgia Representative Paul Brown who used social media – Twitter in particular – to emphasize their opinions and/or field questions from users (who sent tweets using specific hashtags) before and after President Obama’s jobs address last Thursday.
Although the GOP congressional leaders did not organize a coordinated effort on social media for Mr. Obama’s jobs speech, the NY Times’ political blog The Caucus reported that Republican leaders and even GOP presidential candidates did plan to use social media to get their message across, yet ultimately left “it to members to say what they want about the president’s jobs plan.”
Democrats also planned to use social media to foster debate and interaction in conjunction with the president’s address. At the conclusion of the speech, a group of White House advisers took questions about Mr. Obama’s speech on Twitter from people who incorporated the hashtag #WHChat into their tweets, or who posted questions on the White House’s Facebook page.
The recent NY Times The Caucus blog Social Media Gears Up for Obama Address by Jennifer Preston quoted Macon Phillips, director of digital strategy at the White House, as stating the following about the importance of social media in politics:
“One of the most valuable things about social media is that rather than guess the questions that Americans have about something as important as President Obama’s plan to create jobs now, social media allows us to hear immediately from people about what they don’t understand, what they don’t agree on and what they want to know more about,” said Macon Phillips, director of digital strategy at the White House. “That allows us to answer those questions in real time, which is what tonight’s event after the speech is all about.”So even with Washington's track record of being slow to change and embrace new things, it seems that politicians are quickly adding social media to their chest of political tools.
Please click here to share your thoughts or opinions!
Is there a “social” secret behind those costly Super Bowl ads?
As yet another NFL season begins, many of us will likely kick back on Sundays and Monday nights (and eventually Thursday nights) to enjoy the amazement that is football. With woes of the strike and CBA negotiations a distant memory, it’s hard to believe that it’s September already and that the Super Bowl is just around the corner.
If you’re not thinking that far ahead yet, well, you’re probably not alone. Some people who are thinking that far ahead, however, are the advertisers who have already snagged up all but a handful of ad spots for the 2012 Super Bowl. And if last year is any indication for how these big spenders will conduct their campaigns, social media such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube will likely play a major role in helping to offset the big price tag for each spot and increasing the ad’s reach and momentum.
Writer Cory Bergman describes this in a recent LostRemote.com article:
As we saw last year — one-half of Super Bowl advertisers simultaneously launched social media campaigns — the unique nature of the Super Bowl can help spark social momentum like few other ad opportunities. For example, you may remember last year’s Volkswagen ad, “The Force,” which became the most-talked about commercial on Twitter, driving 12.5 million YouTube views before kickoff. Today, that YouTube clip has been seen 42 million times — free impressions that never would have happened at that scale without Volkswagen’s larger Super Bowl campaign.What do you think? Share your thoughts and opinions here.
If executed well, social media can help offset the expensive one-time cost of a 30-second spot, which certainly helps explain why advertisers are spending significantly more this year (was $2-3 million last year). Among the upcoming Super Bowl advertisers: Pepsi, Kia, Mercedes and Sketchers. It will be great to see what social media campaigns they dream up for the big day.
Facebook Fan page administrators beware
If you administrate a Facebook Fan page, this article from TheRegister.co.uk will likely come as a shock to your system. Written by Brid-Aine Parnell, this eye-opening piece highlights the dangers and ensuing frustrations (and potential loss of income) associated with having your Facebook Fan page "hacked," and you being eliminated as an Administrator. Please see the full article below:
Facebook deletes hacked Pages, destroying years of work
Businesses and individuals using Facebook Pages are getting booted off their fanpage with no way back on, and it's costing some of them money.
Typically, the administrator tries to access the Page, only to discover that someone else has managed to get admin privileges and then deleted their admin status.
Because they are no longer an admin of the Page, they have no standing with Facebook and no way of getting rid of the usurper and are usually told by the social network that the only option they have is to report it as "infringing or violating their rights" so that it will be deleted. But for many users, this is a difficult option to swallow after months, or even years, spent building up their fanbase.
Ali Naqvi, owner and director of 123vouchercodes.co.uk, lost his Page around three months ago at great cost to his business.
"We had 6,000 fans who were genuine followers interested in our updates and clicking away. The clicks brought in about 10 to 15 per cent traffic every month," he told The Reg. "My webpage does about 50,000 unique visits a month – it's not huge, but at the same time, whatever traffic is there, 10 to 15 per cent is a big chunk of that."
After months of trying to get help from Facebook, Naqvi has resorted to starting a new Page, but it's not a solution he's happy with.
"I've actually started a new Page already, but the take-up is slow," he said. "I spent two years building the 6,000 fan base and I've just started now so it's only a couple of hundred on there. It's not the same, it's not going to bring the same amount of traffic."
Many users believed that the original creator of the Page could never be removed as administrator, as stated in its own help pages, but Facebook denies this.
A Facebook spokesperson told The Reg that original administrators could be removed, adding that this had benefits for businesses because they could delete people who had left the company.
Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant at Sophos Security, said this presented serious risks for businesses using Pages.
"I'm sure there are many people who run Facebook Pages who take the help page's word [on original creators] at face value, and believed it to be a safety net should anything ever go wrong. I certainly believed it to be true, which is why I was so surprised when I tested it for myself to find how simple it was to kick out the original admin," he said.
Without that safety net, someone outside the company could convince an administrator to give them access for marketing purposes or some other service and then take control of the Page, or any legitimate additional admins could have their computer hacked, resulting in everyone getting kicked off the Page, Cluley added.
"If you run a Page with a lot of fans that's a big problem – both for the fans (who might receive spam, malicious messages etc) and for your firm's brand," he said.
Other users who have lost their Pages have taken to the forums to vent their frustration at the lack of help from Facebook, and at the oft-quoted phrase from company that Pages "cannot be hacked".
The spokesperson also said that Facebook Pages could not be hacked and said the only way they could be taken over was if the email and password login were found out somehow, for example through phishing – which might be a little too much like splitting hairs for a lot of users.
"As long as the current administrators of a group keep their login details secure, keep their account enabled, and do not allow any suspicious people to become admins, then the group or Page will remain secure," Facebook said.
Naqvi said he had little interest in how his Page was hacked, but he wondered why, if a hacker had his Facebook login details, they hadn't taken over his profile along with his Page.
Facebook's spokesperson also said the site had a "host" of advanced tools to help people stay in control of their accounts, including login notifications, which let you save the devices you use to access your account, and "recent activity", where you can look at your recent activity and remotely close open sessions.
"Unfortunately, Facebook is not able to reinstate people as an admin for any group or page so, as always, we advise people to practice good online security," they said.
But Cluley said he didn't understand why it should be difficult for Facebook to reinstate original admins.
"After all, they presumably have a log of who originally created a page," he said. "Even if they aren't prepared to put in a system to do that – why can't they code Facebook to do what its help pages say it will do? Either block attempts to remove the original admin, or send a request to the original admin asking if they agree to be removed from their administrator role.
"That would surely help prevent hijacks like this one taking place."
If you have any thoughts or comments about this story, please click here to share!
Combination of direct mail and new media to play big role in getting out the vote in 2012
As we edge closer to the 2012 presidential election, the political landscape and the marketing efforts of each candidate will continue to heat up. With caucuses and primaries just around the corner, political marketers will likely use a heavy dose of effective traditional media such as direct mail to get out the vote. Yet many political marketers are also warming up to the idea of integrating newer, emerging technologies to drive voters to the polls, or have already begun to use new, more interactive media in conjunction with their traditional marketing efforts.
A recent article from Direct Marketing News entitled “Political marketers weigh digital, direct mail” details how candidates and their political marketers plan to integrate a mix of traditional and new media in an effort to increase voter turnout. Please see an excerpt from the article below:
"Direct mail and traditional media will continue to have a place at the table for some years to come," said Julian Kingston, COO of Political Data, a California-based political consulting company. "There's a simple reason for this — older people are much more likely to vote, and they tend to be more connected to traditional media."
Young voters went to the polls in record numbers in the 2008 presidential election, with 3.4 million more young voters turning out than in 2004, according to The Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement. But younger voters tend to be less politically active, and it remains to be seen if the increased political engagement trend will hold, he said.
Direct mail will stay in the political marketing mix, but eventually as a smaller piece in a larger puzzle. "Direct mail isn't dead, but we have to change the way we look at it," said Cami Zimmer, president of Campaign Touch, a mobile and digital strategy agency that develops SMS campaigns and mobile apps for political groups. "I'm seeing an increase in the use of quick-response codes on literature that's sent out. It really doesn't cost anything extra to include them in direct mail, and it bridges the offline and online worlds."
Thoughts? Comments? Please chime in and share your opinion by clicking here.
USPS facilities affected by Hurricane/Tropical Storm Irene
Due to Hurricane/Tropical Storm Irene, the following US Postal Service facilities are affected*:
Georgia
• Atlanta – no issues to report
South Carolina
• No issues to report
North Carolina
• 32 Postal facilities are inaccessible including facilities in Cataret and Craven counties. Detailed information on these offices will be posted as received.
• Kinston P&DF, 208 E Caswell St., Kinston, NC 28501 continues to report a power outage. A generator is en route.
• Saturday deliveries in ZIP Code areas 280-285, 287-289, and 297 were curtailed due to the storm.
• There have been reports of water damage at offices in Windsor, Fountain, Manteo and Swan Quarter. As soon as damages are accessed, information will be posted.
• Many offices without power including all of Wilmington City, curtailed delivery in the following ZIP Codes 27505, 27552, 27556, 27559, 27330, 28355, 28368
• Postal facilities are closed in the areas under mandatory evacuations and curfews
• Kinston P&DF, 208 E Caswell St., Kinston, NC 28501 has reported a power outage
63 offices are closed are closed in the Greensboro area
Virginia
• 17 postal facilities are closed in the areas under mandatory evacuations and curfews
• The Richmond Processing and Distribution Center, 1801 Brook Road, Richmond, VA 23232 and the Norfolk Processing and Distribution Center, 600 Church St., Norfolk, VA are operating using generators. Power is anticipated to be restored before 11pm.
• There are no issues reported in the Northern Virginia area in ZIP Codes 201, 220-223, and 226-227.
83 postal facilities have no power throughout Virginia.
Maryland
• Postal operations have been suspended in Ocean City and offices on Smith Island
Pennsylvania
• Flash Flood and Wind Advisory alerts remain in effect for the areas in ZIP Codes 169 -188, and 195 – 196 until 8 p.m. Sunday
• Power has been restored to the Lehigh Valley, 2299 Highland Ave., Lehigh Valley, PA 18002 and Harrisburg, 1425 Crooked Hill Rd., Harrisburg, PA 17107.
• Philadelphia Area
• The effects of Tropical Storm Irene continue to be felt in ZIP Codes Area 189-194. Trees and power lines are down and there are power outages reported throughout the area.
• Operations at the Philadelphia Processing & Distribution Operations Center, 7500 Lindbergh Blvd., Philadelphia, PA 19176 continue as scheduled.
• Operations at the Southeastern Processing and Distribution Facility, 1000 W Valley Rd., Southeastern PA 19399 continue as scheduled.
• Operations at the Philadelphia Network Distribution Center, 1900 Byberry Road, Philadelphia, PA 19116 continue as scheduled.
New Jersey
• Numerous power outages remain in ZIP Codes 077, 080-087, and 197-199. Due to flooding and high tide cresting, many roads are impassable. Major transportation outlets remain closed. Information on delivery and closings will be posted as received.
• The following ZIP Code areas have curtailed deliveries until damages are accessed and transportation routes are deemed safe.
• 08008 Beach Haven
• 08202 Avalon
• 08203 Brigantine
• 08204 Cape May
• 08212 Cape May Point
• 08226 Ocean City
• 08243 Sea Isle City
• 08247 Stone Harbor
• 08260 Wildwood
• 08401 Atlantic City
• 08402 Margate City
• 08403 Longport
• 08406 Ventnor City
*Info valid as of Monday, August 29
Direct mail and Internet marketing: Like peanut butter and jelly
As the number of worldwide Internet users rises above 2 billion, it’s not hard to imagine direct mail as a marketing tool of the past. Despite the proliferation of the net, however, direct mail is seemingly more alive than ever. And if used properly and in conjunction with something as powerful as Internet marketing, can lead to very impressive increases in sales and brand awareness.
Just like any proven marketing tool, direct mail can be a very strong instrument for business growth and improving ROI. Even with the rise of the Internet as a marketing tool, a direct mail campaign that targets the right audience and uses good data almost always has a high potential to yield positive results.
The same is true for Internet marketing. If used properly and efficiently (e.g. not throwing money at things that continually prove to be ineffective), this tool has the potential to yield very impressive outcomes as well. This includes everything from an increase in sales and brand awareness to giving your company a competitive advantage in a hotly contested arena.
If used in conjunction, direct mail and Internet marketing have the ability to push a campaign to a higher level, a level that each tool used alone may not achieve. Just look at the examples of Amazon, Apple and Adobe, all of which still use direct mail as a marketing tool to great ends; all of which also have gigantic Internet traffic rates. Companies such as these understand the combined power of Internet marketing and direct mail and utilize these tools congruently to increase awareness for their brand(s) and products, and to increase their bottom lines.
Even though these companies spend large amounts of dollars on their marketing programs, that’s not to say a small or medium-sized business can’t use a combination of Internet marketing and direct mail to accomplish their goals and increase their profits and improve ROI as well. Whatever the size of your business, keep in mind that Internet marketing and direct mail, just like peanut butter and jelly, seem to fit well together.
Is social media here to stay?
As social media continues to envelope almost every aspect of the online world, some people continue to question whether or not it will stick around for an indefinite period of time.
Common arguments against the longevity of social media such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc. include: social media creates no “real” value; one or two behemoth social media companies will likely make it difficult for new or growing social media companies to attract investors; the hype surrounding social media as the cool and hip thing is destined to fade.
Although we certainly respect these opinions, we believe that social media is not a fad nor will it be going anywhere anytime soon! Social media is revolutionizing the way people communicate and interact with each other, not just on a personal level but in terms of business as well. Companies of all sizes continue to invest sizable amounts of money in social media and there are no signs of this practice slowing down in the future.
In fact, companies who do not have any social media presence and no plans to incorporate social media into their marketing and advertising plan will likely have a very difficult staying competitive in their area. Further, investors will always be willing to spend money on a good idea that they believe will be profitable – whether in terms of social media or otherwise.
Will social media survive? That depends on a number of factors we don’t have time to get into right now. All we know is that social media is so pervasive and is becoming such a fundamental part of people’s everyday live and businesses’ marketing and advertising plans that it would take something huge for it to disappear anytime soon.
Ben & Jerry's plans to use Twitter to spread positive change in the world
Here's a feel-good story from Forbes.com about Ben & Jerry's movement marketing campaign involving Twitter, in which the ice cream maker plans to use the social network to achieve "positive change" in the world. In celebration and recognition of Fair Trade Month, which happens in October, Ben & Jerry's is inviting Twitter users to "donate" their unused characters to "Fair Tweets." Please see the full article from Forbes.com below:
Tweets for Ben & Jerry’s
Eating ice-cream is a guilty pleasure, but now you can truly enjoy your favorite flavor and feel good about yourself.
The message of Fair Tweets is simple – when it comes to the Fair Trade farmers that Ben & Jerry’s uses, every purchase counts. So when you’re next at the grocery store, to do your bit you’ll buy their brand. It’s easy and simple activism, using just one form of social media, but one which helps position them in consumers’ minds as the only dairy dessert with a conscience.
Ben & Jerry’s may not be the first name you think of when looking at brands who truly strive to achieve positive change through the way they do business, but making the world a better place is at its very heart. And of course, any brand which successfully mixes business with positive change deserves to be celebrated in this new era of movement marketing.
Ben & Jerry’s is about to get its fans passionate about Fair Trade Month, which happens in October. To spread the message, you’re invited to literally say less on Twitter. If your tweets are short and sweet, then you can donate your spare, remaining unused characters to the ‘Fair Tweets’ cause. If you sign up, your Tweet will be automatically finished off with a pre-set message about Fair Trade, encouraging others to take part as well.
Of course, the campaign backs Ben & Jerry’s commitment to using Fair Trade ingredients in their frozen desserts, and ‘Fair Tweets’ is just the latest in their ‘Social Mission’ programs since the company was founded in 1978. Way before anyone really got interested in using brands to achieve positive change.
So why not go ahead and indulge? And if anyone says anything, just tell them you’re doing your part for Fair Trade Month.
Cutting back on email marketing and direct mail to reduce costs may not be the best approach
In light of the current economic situation in the U.S. and abroad, many companies have either tightened their financial belts or are looking for ways to save money. These cost-cutting measures include everything from eliminating break room supplies to making significant reductions to advertising and marketing budgets and beyond.
Although many companies are facing very difficult financial decisions, eliminating or even reducing vital tools for business development such as direct mail or email marketing may have a very negative effect on a business.
In a recent Pew Internet survey, the organization suggested that even with the rapid development of social media, email marketing continues to be one of the most valuable ways to reach potential customers. According to the study, 92 percent of people are accessible via email, and nearly 66 percent check their email account at least once a day.
Further, direct mail campaigns play (or should play) a vital role in any company’s marketing and advertising plan. The bottom line is that direct mail puts your business in the hands of your customers. And because the prospects call you, direct mail is one of the best resources for generating high quality leads.
So even during tough economic times, reducing or eliminating direct mail and/or email marketing programs may not be the best approach to trimming your budget.
How to choose the right envelope for your direct mail campaign, part 2
(Fri, 24 Feb 2012 20:45:00 +0000)The postage imprint on your envelope should look like metered business mail. Although you will likely be using standard mail, it should look like first class business mail in order to increase open rates and credibility among other factors. The envelope should also not give the city and state from where the mail was dropped, only the zip code. You want the recipient to assume it is local, first class mail.
It is also very important that you do not write anything on the envelope—especially not mortgage, insurance or whatever your campaign may involve. Your first priority is to have the prospect open your mail piece. Don’t blow it on the envelope! If they see the word mortgage or anything else written on the envelop they might throw it away before they see your fantastic offers inside. Let them open the letter and read all the great reasons to call you.
Another element that many companies tend to spend unnecessary amounts of money on is fancy envelopes. There are few scenarios where an envelope with a soaring eagle or a flag will result in higher opens rates as compared to a plain white #10 window envelop—which costs significantly less. If a regular white envelope will get your mail opened, save the extra 5-7 cents those expensive envelopes cost and send more letters. For the same money you can send around 15 percent more mail and reach 15 percent more customers or prospects. Spend your money wisely!
Finally, always keep in mind that in order to win customers, you must develop a level of credibility and trust. If your envelope is deceptive you are throwing these aspects away and losing a potential customer. The job of the envelope is to get your letter opened, so keep it simple, safe and professional, and know that you always have help from industry leaders like SKM Media Group when you need it.
SKM Media Group’s turn-key direct mail campaigns include data, creative design, print, envelope, postage and a free call-tracking system. If you’d like more information about our turn-key direct mail programs or would like to get your campaign started today, call 888.488.2918 or visit http://www.skmdirectmail.com.
© SKM Media Corp. www.skmmediagroup.com
How to choose the right envelope for your direct mail campaign, part 1
(Tue, 24 Jan 2012 20:36:00 +0000)In post one if this two-part blog series, we’ll break down the envelope choosing process and provide valuable insight into one of the most important and under considered aspects of a highly effective direct mail campaign: choosing the right envelope.
The most commonly opened envelope in the United States is the plain white, #10 window envelope. All of your bills, bank statements and other important mail pieces come in this kind of envelope, and there’s a good chance that you (and most others) open them all. As such, the #10 window has developed a level of credibility and familiarity, and is the envelope you want to use.
Now that we’ve selected the right envelope, we can get into the details. The postage imprint on your envelope should look like metered business mail. Although you will likely be using standard mail, enhancing the appearance of the envelope to make it look like first class business mail is a simple and cost friendly way to increase the open rate. However, the envelope should not include the city and state from where the mail was dropped, only the zip code. You want the recipient to assume it is local, first class mail.
The first thing on the envelope your prospect will likely read is their name showing through the window. Because of this, it’s important to consider printing a customer account number directly above their name. It should look official and read, Customer Account # SKM012412- 6579, or something similar. When your prospect sees an account number they are much more likely to open the letter. In addition, by assigning each prospect a unique account number, you can easily look them up when they call, have their information immediately in front of you and track your response rates.
Stay tuned next week for part two or our blog series “How to choose the right envelope for your direct mail campaign.” If you’d like more information about SKM Media Group’s turn-key direct mail programs or to get your campaign started today, call 888.488.2918 or visit http://www.skmdirectmail.com.
© SKM Media Corp. www.skmmediagroup.com
Paul and Gingrich lead pack in first ever ‘Social Primary’
(Tue, 03 Jan 2012 17:55:00 +0000)A recent study from social media consultancy Sociagility indicates that Republican primary candidates Ron Paul and Newt Gingrich are using social media more effectively than other GOP candidate hopefuls.
The study also suggests a “close correlation between candidates’ social media profiles and voting intention, in Iowa and nationally,” effectively creating what Sociagility and others are calling the first ever ‘Social Primary.’
To reach these conclusions, Sociagility analyzed a number of factors across multiple social media channels including popularity, receptiveness, interaction, network reach and trust of each candidate.
According to the study, Paul’s YouTube channel and campaign website, and Gingrich’s Facebook and Twitter profiles proved to be “most effective” as compared to the efforts of fellow Republican primary candidates. Further, Paul ranked highest in interaction, trust and network, and Gingrich ranked the highest in social media receptiveness.
Here’s a full breakdown of the study’s results:
Rank | PRINT Index(TM) | Popularity | Receptiveness | Interaction | Network | Trust | |
Ron Paul | 1 | 145 | 87 | 50 | 279 | 164 | 145 |
Newt Gingrich | 2 | 109 | 92 | 195 | 46 | 107 | 106 |
Michele Bachmann | 3 | 84 | 76 | 108 | 66 | 67 | 102 |
Mitt Romney | 4 | 79 | 86 | 38 | 69 | 98 | 105 |
Rick Perry | 5 | 78 | 170 | 94 | -21 | 148 | -2 |
Rick Santorum | 6 | 70 | 66 | 102 | 70 | 37 | 75 |
Jon Huntsman | 7 | 64 | 64 | 78 | 17 | 80 | 82 |
About SKM Politics:
SKM Politics is a division of SKM Media Group, a data services and marketing company based in Boca Raton, FL. SKM Media Group specializes in creating customized direct mail, email and data packages for our clients that help them achieve a high return on investment, acquire new customers, create company awareness, retain existing customers, enhance current initiatives, and reduce costs.
For more information, visit skmpolitics.com or call 888-488-2918.
Ron Paul Tops Social Media Scorecard in First Ever 'Social Primary', Says Sociagility -- By Sociagility
Politicians Are Starting To Embrace Social Media…Now What? -- By SKM Media Group
© SKM Media Corp. www.skmmediagroup.com
Is Black Friday a thing of the past?
(Mon, 28 Nov 2011 20:26:00 +0000)Each new holiday shopping season seems to bring with it more and more creative promotional efforts. From Cyber Monday to T-Mobile’s “Magenta Saturday” to American Express’ “Small Business Saturday,” companies seem to be creating named events for each weekday of the holiday shopping season.
While Black Friday has been the shopping day of the year since the 1960s, it seems to be facing stiffer competition each year from these and other clever promotional events. And as Black Friday continues to develop a reputation of being crazy, crowded and even disorderly at times, will the seemingly endless stream of new promotions eventually make Black Friday a shopping phenomenon of the past? In short: maybe. Here are some reasons why and why not.
Since the adoption of its moniker in the 1960s, Black Friday has consistently been the busiest shopping day of the year. According to the retail data analysis firm ShopperTrak, Black Friday sales from this year totaled roughly $11.4 billion, up 7 percent (around $1 billion) from 2010. Stats such as these don’t lie: Black Friday is still a force to be reckoned with.
Alternatively, because Black Friday continues to become a victim of its own success in terms of the coinciding stigma of chaos and long lines, more people are beginning to take advantage of Cyber Monday sales or the slew of new and/or up-and-coming promotions such as AMEX’s “Small Business Saturday” or T-Mobile’s "Magenta Saturday." If you’re not a Black Friday type shopper, it’s becoming easier to find comparable deals a few days later or before, or sales such as outdoor retailer Gander Mountain’s “Camo Thursdays” that run each Thursday through Christmas. The consumer is still king and promotions such as these prove that point.
Many companies are also beginning to integrate social media such as Facebook, Twitter and Foursquare into their promotions. For instance, in order to take advantage of certain Small Business Saturday deals, American Express requires users to sync their AMEX card to their Facebook or Foursquare accounts (in addition to submitting basic information such as name, address, etc.) in order to find or add deals in their area. Industry experts anticipate that social media and smartphone apps will spark a new era in the coming years in terms of holiday marketing and promotions.
So is Black Friday a thing of the past? As of right now, the answer is: probably not. But who knows…perhaps Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, Cyber Monday and all of the other promotions can all live in peace and harmony together. Only time will tell!
If you want to create your own holiday marketing promotion, we want to help! To learn more about how SKM Media Group can help your business stand out from the crowd, please visit http://www.skmmediagroup.com or call 888-488-2918.
Social Media, American Express Helping Holiday Shoppers Get Good Deals -- By Christina DesMarais, PCWorld
Online Retailers Promote Cyber Monday -- by THE ASSOCIATED PRESS (via NPR.org)
© SKM Media Corp. www.skmmediagroup.com
Politicians are starting to embrace social media…now what?
(Wed, 09 Nov 2011 19:52:00 +0000)Anyone who follows politics can likely relate to the notion that it takes a long time for politicians to embrace changes to the status quo. While the same old, same old routine may still reign supreme in many areas of politics, it certainly doesn’t seem applicable when it comes to the amount of politicians and campaigns that have quickly embraced social media.
According to the Associated Press, 80 percent of House and Senate members have social media accounts. Not even so-called millennials, young people between the ages of 18-29, have that high of a social media account percentage.
Here’s another surprising fact, this time from the Pew Research Center: 81 percent of the House and Senate’s 433 members use Twitter versus only 18 percent of 18-29 year-olds. This percentage is interesting at least for two reasons: one being that it shakes the perception that young folks dominate the Twitter landscape; two, that politicians seem much more willing to use Twitter instead of Facebook and/or other types of social media as their platform of choice.
So great, politicians and their campaigns are quickly embracing social media. Now what? How does President Obama use his nearly 24 million Facebook page likes to his or his campaign’s advantage? How will Herman Cain benefit from his nearly 160,000 followers on Twitter as the presidential race heats up? Good questions indeed.
A recent article from AdAge delves into this issue and offers the following step-by-step breakdown to politicians hoping to cash in so to speak on their social media presence:
Step One: Build a ConstituencyIs it that simple? Now that many politicians and their campaigns are using social media, will they be able to transform their audience members into voters or donors? What do you think? Click here to share your opinions.
Step Two: Create Momentum, Drive Discussion
Step Three: The Home Stretch [Calls to action]
Elections Will Turn on Which Candidates Use Social Sharing Most Effectively – By: Gurbaksh Chahal, AdAge.com
Romney hits Perry with social media 1-2 punch – via SKM Media Group blog
© SKM Media Corp. www.skmmediagroup.com
How to make social media work for your small business – part 3
(Tue, 01 Nov 2011 21:55:00 +0000)In the third and final segment of our blog series How to make social media work for your small business, we’ll focus on using social media such as Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter to attract new customers to your business.
In terms of using social media to grow your customer base, it’s always important to consider a basic tenet of social media strategy (or any business strategy for that matter) in that you need to understand several key factors before you get started. These include having a thorough understanding of who your customers are, the industry(ies) in which you do business, and the goals you hope to accomplish (e.g. the number of customer or leads you hope to generate through social media, the number of sign ups you receive, etc.). You certainly don’t need to be a social media master to utilize its power to grow your business, but it’s a good idea to have a solid understanding of the social media you wish to use, or the willingness to learn at least about the major players such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. So, let’s run through a few examples of how you can use social media to increase your customer base.
Say you own a restaurant and you want to develop a Facebook contest that requires people to like your page in order to possibly win a free meal. You can promote the contest through a Facebook, Twitter and/or LinkedIn ad, and through additional social media you have a presence on (or wish to develop a presence on). This is a cost-effective way to achieve several ends: generating brand awareness, building your social media presence, and most importantly enticing current and potential diners to eat at your restaurant. And if you do things right, hopefully you’ll have a long-term customer who not only frequently dines at your restaurant, but visits your Facebook page on a regular basis for new and exciting promotions or info. All in all, such a promotion could easily turn into a win/win for your small business.
A promotion such as this, cross-promoted and/or advertised through your other social media channels and even through a direct mail or email marketing campaign, can have very positive impacts on your small business. This method may not work for every company, however, so here’s another example.
You own a small business that sells cleaning supplies. Instead of giving away a free meal for two, you can create a Facebook campaign in which everyone who likes your page enters to win free cleaning supplies or some type of product or service you provide. In this case, it’s important to consider utilizing the power of LinkedIn Ads to draw attention to your promotion, which will also hopefully lead to a dedicated following on your company profile as well. In terms of corporate social media, LinkedIn is no longer just for personal promotion. It now plays a huge role in company promotion as well, particularly for B2B businesses, and we strongly suggest considering this social media as a channel for promoting and growing your business.
So, is it that simple to generate leads through social media? Well, the answer depends on a number of factors such as the target audience and placement of your Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn ads (specifically, how much money you’re willing to invest in an ad), the creativity of the “contest” or “promotion” content/artwork used in relation to the promotion or contest, and many other factors. A good eye always helps when it comes to creative marketing, but sometimes it may be necessary to contact the experts for a bit of help if you don’t want to go it alone.
How to make social media work for your small business – Part 2
© SKM Media Corp. www.skmmediagroup.com
Study reveals direct mail leaves longer-lasting impression than digital media
(Mon, 24 Oct 2011 20:21:00 +0000)In a world dominated by digital everything – digital marketing, smartphones, digital advertising, digital you name it – it’s often easy to forget that we still live in a physical world. It wasn’t long ago that physical media such as newspapers and magazines were the primary means not only for reaching customers, but also for learning and absorbing information.
With the rise of technology, however, it seems that more traditional media run the risk of going extinct. Yet in spite of the digital takeover of all-things marketing and advertising, direct mail continues to thrive and the following study examines the reasons why.
The study, conducted by Millward Brown last October, revealed that physical media like direct mail left a “deeper footprint” in the brain, as opposed to digital media absorbed through some sort of technology. Titled Using Neuroscience to Understand the Role of Direct Mail, the study sheds light on the fact that our brains react differently to digital vs. physical media, and makes a strong argument for why direct mail and other “tangible” media remain powerful marketing tools with superior resonating quality.
A recent article from Forbes.com breaks down Millward Brown’s study and examines some of its additional findings relating to physical media:
- Physical material involves more emotional processing, which is important for memory and brand associations
- Physical materials produced more brain response connected with internal feelings, suggesting greater “internalization” of the ads
- More processing is taking place in the right retrosplenial cortex when physical material is presented. This is involved in the processing of emotionally powerful stimuli and memory, which would suggest that the physical presentation may be generating more emotionally vivid memories
What do you think? Share your comments and opinions here.
In This Land Of Digital, Let's Not Forget The Physical – By Steve Olenski, Contributor, Forbes.com
In This Land Of Digital, Let's Not Forget The Physical – By Steve Olenski, Contributor, Forbes.com
© SKM Media Corp. | www.skmmediagroup.com
Finance findings reveal direct mail plays BIG part in Romney campaign
(Wed, 19 Oct 2011 20:19:00 +0000)With their campaign and fundraising efforts seemingly in full swing, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and Texas Gov. Rick Perry are nearly even in terms of the money they’ve raised.
Both campaigns continue to rely heavily on donors who contribute large amounts of cash to each nominee hopeful. In fact, the LA Times reports that donation totals for Romney and Perry were in the “same range,” with Romney raising roughly $14 million and Perry raising some $17 million during the past few months alone.
Yet recent financial findings from each campaign revealed that Romney, unlike rival Perry, has been spending a significant amount of money on marketing efforts including a heavy dose of direct mail.
Perry on the other hand has run what the LA Times called a “lean campaign…dedicating nearly one-quarter of its funds to travel and $260,000 to payroll, and spending little on voter outreach, such as direct mail and phone calls.”
According to the LA Times, “The Romney campaign wrote checks totaling $2.7 million to direct-mail vendors, $1.2 million to employees and $2.2 million to fundraising consultants.”
These campaign finance filings, submitted Saturday, offer a glimpse into the inner workings of each campaign between July and September, and the Romney camp certainly seems more willing to invest in established political marketing methods like direct mail.
Based on the fact that direct mail allows politicians to deliver their campaign messages straight into the hands of constituents, potential donors and voters, it’s no wonder that Romney is relying heavily on the power of direct mail. Will Perry follow suit? Only time will tell.
Financial filings show differences in Perry and Romney efforts -- By Melanie Mason and Tom Hamburger, LA Times.com
How to make social media work for your small business – Part 2
(Mon, 10 Oct 2011 18:29:00 +0000)In part 1 of our segment on how small businesses can make social media work for them, we discussed several main topics including the importance of developing a strategy before jumping headfirst into social media marketing, and the importance of determining which social media are the best fit for your small business. We also suggested that businesses with an existing social media presence revisit their current strategy to ensure that they’re spending their time wisely, meeting their goals and yielding positive outcomes from their efforts.
We originally intended this blog series to have only two parts. Yet since there are so many important topics to discuss, we’re making it a three-part series instead! For part 2, we’ll take a closer look at a very important aspect of social media marketing: the importance of developing meaningful relationships with your connections.
What is the point of social media if you don’t plan to harness the interactive element(s) of each media? Developing a meaningful relationship with your existing and potential clients via social media such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and others should be an important (and hopefully enjoyable) part of your overall strategy. And understanding and utilizing the potential of each social media you’ve identified as useful for your small business will help you achieve this end.
This doesn’t mean that you need to spend hours every day tweeting or posting to Facebook. Yet there’s no point in having social media if you don’t plan to interact with others or develop a relationship with your audience.
It’s especially important not to fall into the trap of feeling that it’s necessary for your small business to have a social media presence if you’re pretty sure that down the road, either you won’t have the time or resources to maintain this presence, or you think you’ll lose interest. In some ways, it’s better to have no presence at all than to start strong, develop relationships with current and potential customers, and then drop off the map.
Social media is all about being social after all. Yet you are the one who must determine exactly how much time you want to invest into the development and maintenance of your small business’ social media presence. There’s no right or wrong answer, just use common sense in answering this question and understand that just like most everything else, the more time you invest, the greater the return.
In Part 3, we’ll discuss how to use social media to attract new customers, and the general benefits of establishing a social media presence for your small business.
What do you think? Please share your thoughts and opinions here.
Steve Jobs: The passing of a true innovative genius
(Thu, 06 Oct 2011 16:37:00 +0000)What was the world like before iPhones, iPods, or even iPads? Or, if you don’t own any of these devices, try this question: “How would you possibly survive without your smartphone of choice?” Without Steve Jobs (and Apple for that matter), we may still be listening to our portable CD players and – should I say it – reading a hard copy of something while we wait on line or for an appointment! Or worse yet, we could still be using typewriters or even awkward, non user-friendly desktops and laptops. Bottom line is that Steve Jobs played a pivotal role in changing the way we communicate, the way we store and listen to music, the way we use and access the Internet, and computing in general. With his passing, we’ve lost a true innovator and a person of remarkable creative talent.
In a brief statement following Jobs’ passing Wednesday, Apple said the following: "We are deeply saddened to announce that Steve Jobs passed away today. Steve's brilliance, passion and energy were the source of countless innovations that enrich and improve all of our lives. The world is immeasurably better because of Steve."
As stated above, Jobs possessed the uncanny combination of brilliance, passion and energy (not to mention talent). Most of us may possess one or two of these traits and are normally hard pressed to use them continually to our advantage! Yet for Steve Jobs, this mixture helped fuel his success in the tech world and gave him the right tools to create products that people wanted – not because they had an inherent desire or need for them. But because “A lot of times, people don't know what they want until you show it to them." This now famous quote from Jobs epitomizes his belief that technological innovation and practicality could go hand-in-hand.
In reflection of its co-founder, Apple.com featured a full-screen photo of Jobs with his favorite look – turtleneck, glasses and smile – along with this eulogy:
“Apple has lost a visionary and creative genius, and the world has lost an amazing human being. Those of us who have been fortunate enough to know and work with Steve have lost a dear friend and an inspiring mentor. Steve leaves behind a company that only he could have built, and his spirit will forever be the foundation of Apple.”
Steve Jobs, 1955-2011. May you rest in peace.
Steve Jobs: The Link Between Machines And Humans -- By Linton Weeks, NPR.org
Steve Jobs, 1955 – 2011 -- By Steven Levy, Wired.com
How to make social media work for your small business – Part 1
(Mon, 03 Oct 2011 20:18:00 +0000)Anyone who owns or works for a small business understands the unique challenges these companies face in terms of staying competitive in the marketplace. Technological advances such as the Internet and websites have played a huge part in leveling the playing field for small businesses, allowing them to compete with the big boys without having to spend a fortune on things like TV or radio advertising. And as social media continue to emerge, small businesses have another golden opportunity to stay competitive with similarly sized or larger companies if they are able to harness the power of social media. In this two-part blog series, our goal is to offer some insight into how small businesses can make social media work for them.
If used correctly, social media can give small businesses a significant amount of exposure and provide yet another way to reach customers and potential customers in an interactive manner. Just like any other business endeavor, however, one can’t expect to have success without a plan. If you blindly throw time and resources at social media, don’t expect to have favorable results overnight. In fact, it’s important to note that social media is oftentimes like a fine wine: it takes a bit of time to mature, but it’s certainly worth the wait if are willing to invest even a minimal amount of time and energy into it. And if you take a few things into consideration before getting started, or take the time to revisit your existing strategy, you will drastically increase your chances of maintaining a mutually beneficial relationship with existing customers, attracting new ones, improving your branding efforts, and allowing your small business to stay competitive, among other positive outcomes.
First off, it’s important to determine which social media are the best fit for your business. It’s never a bad idea to maintain a presence on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. Yet the type of social media that are the best fit depends on many factors such as if you’re primarily a B2B or B2C business, what you’re selling, who you’re selling it to, etc. For example, if you own a clothing store, it may be beneficial for your small business to use Facebook to offer your customers deals if they like your fan page. This technique will help you increase your number of fans, help you connect with your customers and hopefully keep them coming back for more deals. It will also prompt your audience to help spread the good word about your Facebook page (and your company) to their friends.
You could also incorporate social media such as Foursquare, StumbleUpon or Yelp to increase your reach and grow your customer base. Ultimately, knowing which social media are best for your small business will require a combination of you being willing to learn more about existing and emerging social media (if you don’t already have an understanding), being willing to do some research on how your competitors are using social media, and developing a social media strategy that will serve as your roadmap to making these tools work for your small business.
In part two, we’ll take a closer look at the development of your social media strategy and discuss how you can use social media to attract new customers, develop meaningful relationships with your existing audience, and the general benefits of establishing a social media presence for your small business.
Romney hits Perry with social media 1-2 punch
(Thu, 29 Sep 2011 17:39:00 +0000)If you think YouTube and Twitter are only for tweens and the chronically bored, think again. It seems that more and more politicians – and not just Barack Obama – are incorporating social media into their communications strategies. Among these is presidential candidate Mitt Romney, whose campaign recently used a combination of YouTube and Twitter to go on the offensive against rival contender Texas Gov. Rick Perry.
Perry certainly doesn’t seem shy about expressing his opinions regardless of the subject matter or arena. As such, he made the following statement about immigration during a recent Republican debate:
“If you say that we should not educate children that come into our state for no other reason than that they have been brought there, by no fault of their own, I don’t think you have a heart.”
Although such comments may not threaten his chances of winning the general election, they did likely anger many members of the Republican base – along with giving Romney fodder for what will probably become an onslaught of attacks. The Romney camp wasted no time getting started with such assaults, and social media played a part.
Shortly after the debate, Romney’s campaign released a one-minute video entitled “They Agree” containing such language as “Democratic Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley, President Obama, and Rick Perry all share the same position that illegal immigrants should get tuition discounts at taxpayers’ expense.”
Romney’s campaign uploaded the one-minute video to YouTube and used a Twitter ad to reach a sizeable and engaged audience – likely the members of the Republican base that Romney hopes to sway from Perry.
This one-two YouTube-Twitter punch from Romney clearly shows that he (and presumably other politicians) is not only willing to embrace social media, but to use it for strategic political reasons. And as the political arena heats up in lieu of the 2012 election, we are certain to see an increase in social media use by politicians for everything from garnering donations to attacking opponents such as Romney did.
What do you think? Share your thoughts and opinions here.
Squatters may "steal" your Google+ business profile before the social media is even unveiled
(Tue, 27 Sep 2011 20:51:00 +0000)How about this figure: 25 million. That’s the estimated number of users Google+ racked up during its three-month, invitation-only launch period. That’s right, 25 million – even before the service was available to all users. Now that testing is complete and personal profiles are taking root, Google is reportedly close to unveiling the next step in its plan to dominate the social media landscape: Google+ business profiles.
No unveiling is complete without a bit of irony, however, and Ad Age reports that Christian Oestlien, group product manager for social advertising at Google, posted a blog in July stating that, “businesses should refrain from setting up profiles, noting a policy team was working to shut down profiles set up on behalf of companies.” Mr. Oestlien is actually the person who announced that Google is close to unveiling its + business profiles at Ad Age’s Digital West conference last week. Irony indeed.
Perhaps its just Google being tricky, or perhaps they weren’t 100% sure about Google+ business profiles. Whatever the case, there is legitimate concern among some businesses that squatters will fill up the network prior to its official unveiling with fake and/or unofficial business profiles – the “profiles” of businesses such as McDonalds or Macys – before the actual company can setup its official business profile.
At present, there are only two companies authorized to test the Google+ business profile waters: automakers Ford and General Motors. There are sloughs of companies just champing at the bit to create business profiles, though, and an excerpt from the recent Ad Age article Google+ Lays the Groundwork for Business Profiles highlights the concern of some companies regarding what they hope are their eventual profiles.
As of late last week, Ad Age found a host of top names on the network, including Burger King, Starbucks, Home Depot, Kraft salad dressing, Verizon Wireless, Snapple, The Wall Street Journal and Condé Nast. In the case of Coca-Cola, Best Buy and Louis Vuitton, there were multiple profiles for each. The situation is reminiscent of what marketers discovered on Twitter a few years ago when they tried to register for Twitter handles and found those corresponding with their company names had already been claimed. In one egregious situation, Hyundai's legal department wrangled with Twitter for months to obtain ownership of @Hyundai, to which an individual had posted racy photos.
What do you think? Will squatters eventually fill up the network with unofficial Google+ business profiles? Click here to join the conversation.
Google+ Lays the Groundwork for Business Profiles -- By Rupal Parekh, AdAge.com
If you’re not using Facebook to connect users with your brand, think again
(Fri, 23 Sep 2011 18:18:00 +0000)When it comes to social media marketing, it’s crucial to identify your target audience, understand what channel(s) is best to reach this audience, and create messages that are both informative and two-way minded. If Facebook is your primary tool for promoting your brand and communicating with your target audience, the findings of a Edison Research and Arbitron study may make you very happy.
According to the survey, 80 percent of US social network users who responded to the study prefer to connect with a brand through Facebook. This is certainly no slight to Twitter, LinkedIn or other types of social media, which can and should play an important role in your communication strategy. Yet this percentage is certainly something to keep in mind when determining your strategy for social media marketing – or for reevaluating your existing techniques and practices.
A recent HubSpot blog post examines the findings of the Edison Research and Arbitron study and includes three steps that can help improve your company’s leverage and brand awareness while getting the most out of your Facebook page:
80% of Social Media Users Prefer Facebook for Connecting With Brands -- By Alison Savery, Blog.HubSpot.com
1. Share Your ContentWhat do you think? Will you evaluate your social media marketing strategy based on this study? Share your thoughts and opinions here.
Be active on Facebook by sharing various types of content to engage your audience in conversation. An easy way to share your content is to connect your blog with your Facebook account so new posts automatically publish to your Facebook page. When you do this, make sure you monitor the interaction with your fans. Don’t leave them hanging, and be sure to keep the conversation going and gather insights to understand what your fans want from you. This will help you decide which types of content your Facebook fans care about, and what to avoid.
2. Figure Out What Content Is Most Engaging
It’s easy to share your content through Facebook, but you should also be aware of what content is most successful for your business. Using Facebook Insights, Facebook's internal analytics tool for pages, get a deeper look into the performance of your content. The Insights tool allows you to see your page interactions and monitors new and lifetime likes over time. It will also enable you to pinpoint which of your updates and posts perform well (and which don't) so you can track trends and get a sense of the types of content you should post more of or avoid sharing in the future.
3. Segment (Then Target) Your Audience
On Facebook, you can now select which of your fans see specific types of content. When you create an update, you now have the ability to choose whether content should be public to all or viewable to only certain custom created groups. This is a great tool for marketers, because you can now create segments for your fans and then target them with relevant and personalized content, which research shows performs significantly better than content that isn't personalized.
80% of Social Media Users Prefer Facebook for Connecting With Brands -- By Alison Savery, Blog.HubSpot.com
Facebook thinks small (businesses)
(Mon, 19 Sep 2011 16:39:00 +0000)In a move to get small businesses hooked on its advertising program, social media behemoth Facebook will unveil a plan this week that offers $50 in free advertising credits for up to 200,000 small businesses. Masterminded by Facebook chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg, the advertising charge hopes to attract small business advertising dollars to the world’s largest social network, and away from places like Google (Sandberg's former employer).
Prior to joining Facebook, Sandberg helped build Google’s lucrative search-advertising business while serving as the company’s vice president of global online sales and operations. Now at Facebook, Miss Sandberg seeks to enjoy similar success by capitalizing on the advertising potential of the social network’s 750 million worldwide users, and put into effect her belief that every small business should be using Facebook to grow.
A recent USAToday.com article entitled Facebook wants to be big among small businesses discusses Sandberg’s plan to attract the advertising dollars of small businesses to Facebook. Here’s an excerpt from the article:
"My dream is really simple," said Sandberg, 42, seated near a framed graffiti rendering of co-founder Mark Zuckerberg at Facebook's headquarters here. "I think every small business should … be using Facebook. We're not going to stop until all of them are using it to grow their business."
Next week, Facebook will unveil a plan to get small businesses hooked. The company plans to offer free $50 advertising credits for up to 200,000 small businesses. When a person clicks on an ad, there's a set rate predetermined for that click through — 5 cents or 25 cents, for example — the advertiser has to pay. Facebook will pick up the tab for the first $50 of such ads delivered under its offer.
This may seem like small stuff, but it's the core to an ad revenue strategy that could justify a monster IPO.
"Credits like that can go a long way," she says. "For $50, most small businesses can target every single person they need to target at least once, and then they can grow their business from there."
With Facebook, businesses can target their paid advertising with a precision not found in most other forms of advertising.
A wedding photographer, for instance, could advertise just to women in a specific ZIP code who list on Facebook that they are engaged. A movie chain could talk just to film fans.
Sandberg estimates that of the nation's nearly 30 million small businesses, 9 million are using Facebook to speak to their customers, and "hundreds of thousands" are spending money on ad campaigns, as well.Will Facebook’s advertising charge attract small businesses and their advertising bucks to the social network? We invite you to share your thoughts and opinions here.
Facebook wants to be big among small businesses -- By Jefferson Graham, USA TODAY.com
FICO updates its credit-scoring model: Will it affect you?
(Wed, 14 Sep 2011 18:46:00 +0000)A recent update by FICO of its credit-scoring model could lead to big changes for some consumers. As a result of this revision, dubbed FICO 8, some people may see their credit score increase depending on such factors as past credit problems, etc. Yet other consumers may see a decrease or even no change at all in their scores. Initial evidence seems to indicate, however, that consumers who have middle-of-the-road scores are most likely to benefit from the new credit-scoring model.
According to myFICO.com, 90% of the largest banks use a person’s FICO score for credit decisions ranging from credit card terms to car loans to mortgage rates. The site also indicates that a 100-point change in your score could equal an additional $40,000 in interest payments over the course of a 30-year mortgage on a home loan valued at $300,000. Even a minor shift in your FICO score, however, could be the difference between whether or not you qualify for a home or car loan – an particularly important point for consumers in the middle of the credit score road who could benefit from this update.
A recent BusinessInsider.com article examines how FICO’s new credit scoring model could end up helping millions of such consumers over the coming years. Please see an excerpt from the article below:
Millions of Americans have solidly good credit; millions more are stuck with seriously low scores. But there are also millions of consumers in the middle—people with scores that straddle traditional dividing lines between “good” and “bad.” A rise or fall of just a few points could save or cost them thousands of dollars in extra interest payments.
It [the update] could even change their ability to buy a house or get a credit card. “If a consumer is applying for a mortgage and they tend to have higher utilization rates on their credit cards, it could (raise their credit score and) make a difference” in how much they pay for interest, says Tom Quinn, Credit.com’s credit scoring expert and formerly the vice president of scoring at FICO.
Especially for people caught in the middle, a recent update of the FICO credit-scoring model, called FICO 8, could mean big changes. Depending on the type of credit problems consumers have in their past, some people may receive slightly higher credit scores, which could make it easier to buy a house or get a credit card. For other consumers, the changes will hurt their scores, making it somewhat harder to get credit.
“For individual consumers, it depends,” Quinn says. “For some consumers, their FICO 8 score will be higher than their previous score, some consumers’ [score] will be lower, and others won’t change at all.”What do you think? Please click here to share your thoughts and opinions regarding FICO’s update to their credit-scoring model.
Are politicians ready to embrace social media? The answer may surprise you
(Mon, 12 Sep 2011 16:29:00 +0000)These days, it seems that social media is everywhere: at home, at work and completely intertwined with nearly every aspect of our existence from shopping to dining. As Facebook, Twitter and other social media continue to creep into each nook and cranny of private life, politics has not escaped the reach of this expansion. And even though Washington can be very slow to change and accept new things, politicians continue to embrace social media and utilize its interactive power.
A prime example is the use of social media by politicians including Speaker of the House John Boehner, House majority leader Eric Cantor and Georgia Representative Paul Brown who used social media – Twitter in particular – to emphasize their opinions and/or field questions from users (who sent tweets using specific hashtags) before and after President Obama’s jobs address last Thursday.
Although the GOP congressional leaders did not organize a coordinated effort on social media for Mr. Obama’s jobs speech, the NY Times’ political blog The Caucus reported that Republican leaders and even GOP presidential candidates did plan to use social media to get their message across, yet ultimately left “it to members to say what they want about the president’s jobs plan.”
Democrats also planned to use social media to foster debate and interaction in conjunction with the president’s address. At the conclusion of the speech, a group of White House advisers took questions about Mr. Obama’s speech on Twitter from people who incorporated the hashtag #WHChat into their tweets, or who posted questions on the White House’s Facebook page.
The recent NY Times The Caucus blog Social Media Gears Up for Obama Address by Jennifer Preston quoted Macon Phillips, director of digital strategy at the White House, as stating the following about the importance of social media in politics:
“One of the most valuable things about social media is that rather than guess the questions that Americans have about something as important as President Obama’s plan to create jobs now, social media allows us to hear immediately from people about what they don’t understand, what they don’t agree on and what they want to know more about,” said Macon Phillips, director of digital strategy at the White House. “That allows us to answer those questions in real time, which is what tonight’s event after the speech is all about.”So even with Washington's track record of being slow to change and embrace new things, it seems that politicians are quickly adding social media to their chest of political tools.
Please click here to share your thoughts or opinions!
Is there a “social” secret behind those costly Super Bowl ads?
(Fri, 09 Sep 2011 19:05:00 +0000)As yet another NFL season begins, many of us will likely kick back on Sundays and Monday nights (and eventually Thursday nights) to enjoy the amazement that is football. With woes of the strike and CBA negotiations a distant memory, it’s hard to believe that it’s September already and that the Super Bowl is just around the corner.
If you’re not thinking that far ahead yet, well, you’re probably not alone. Some people who are thinking that far ahead, however, are the advertisers who have already snagged up all but a handful of ad spots for the 2012 Super Bowl. And if last year is any indication for how these big spenders will conduct their campaigns, social media such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube will likely play a major role in helping to offset the big price tag for each spot and increasing the ad’s reach and momentum.
Writer Cory Bergman describes this in a recent LostRemote.com article:
As we saw last year — one-half of Super Bowl advertisers simultaneously launched social media campaigns — the unique nature of the Super Bowl can help spark social momentum like few other ad opportunities. For example, you may remember last year’s Volkswagen ad, “The Force,” which became the most-talked about commercial on Twitter, driving 12.5 million YouTube views before kickoff. Today, that YouTube clip has been seen 42 million times — free impressions that never would have happened at that scale without Volkswagen’s larger Super Bowl campaign.What do you think? Share your thoughts and opinions here.
If executed well, social media can help offset the expensive one-time cost of a 30-second spot, which certainly helps explain why advertisers are spending significantly more this year (was $2-3 million last year). Among the upcoming Super Bowl advertisers: Pepsi, Kia, Mercedes and Sketchers. It will be great to see what social media campaigns they dream up for the big day.
Facebook Fan page administrators beware
(Wed, 07 Sep 2011 15:55:00 +0000)If you administrate a Facebook Fan page, this article from TheRegister.co.uk will likely come as a shock to your system. Written by Brid-Aine Parnell, this eye-opening piece highlights the dangers and ensuing frustrations (and potential loss of income) associated with having your Facebook Fan page "hacked," and you being eliminated as an Administrator. Please see the full article below:
Facebook deletes hacked Pages, destroying years of work
Businesses and individuals using Facebook Pages are getting booted off their fanpage with no way back on, and it's costing some of them money.
Typically, the administrator tries to access the Page, only to discover that someone else has managed to get admin privileges and then deleted their admin status.
Because they are no longer an admin of the Page, they have no standing with Facebook and no way of getting rid of the usurper and are usually told by the social network that the only option they have is to report it as "infringing or violating their rights" so that it will be deleted. But for many users, this is a difficult option to swallow after months, or even years, spent building up their fanbase.
Ali Naqvi, owner and director of 123vouchercodes.co.uk, lost his Page around three months ago at great cost to his business.
"We had 6,000 fans who were genuine followers interested in our updates and clicking away. The clicks brought in about 10 to 15 per cent traffic every month," he told The Reg. "My webpage does about 50,000 unique visits a month – it's not huge, but at the same time, whatever traffic is there, 10 to 15 per cent is a big chunk of that."
After months of trying to get help from Facebook, Naqvi has resorted to starting a new Page, but it's not a solution he's happy with.
"I've actually started a new Page already, but the take-up is slow," he said. "I spent two years building the 6,000 fan base and I've just started now so it's only a couple of hundred on there. It's not the same, it's not going to bring the same amount of traffic."
Many users believed that the original creator of the Page could never be removed as administrator, as stated in its own help pages, but Facebook denies this.
A Facebook spokesperson told The Reg that original administrators could be removed, adding that this had benefits for businesses because they could delete people who had left the company.
Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant at Sophos Security, said this presented serious risks for businesses using Pages.
"I'm sure there are many people who run Facebook Pages who take the help page's word [on original creators] at face value, and believed it to be a safety net should anything ever go wrong. I certainly believed it to be true, which is why I was so surprised when I tested it for myself to find how simple it was to kick out the original admin," he said.
Without that safety net, someone outside the company could convince an administrator to give them access for marketing purposes or some other service and then take control of the Page, or any legitimate additional admins could have their computer hacked, resulting in everyone getting kicked off the Page, Cluley added.
"If you run a Page with a lot of fans that's a big problem – both for the fans (who might receive spam, malicious messages etc) and for your firm's brand," he said.
Other users who have lost their Pages have taken to the forums to vent their frustration at the lack of help from Facebook, and at the oft-quoted phrase from company that Pages "cannot be hacked".
The spokesperson also said that Facebook Pages could not be hacked and said the only way they could be taken over was if the email and password login were found out somehow, for example through phishing – which might be a little too much like splitting hairs for a lot of users.
"As long as the current administrators of a group keep their login details secure, keep their account enabled, and do not allow any suspicious people to become admins, then the group or Page will remain secure," Facebook said.
Naqvi said he had little interest in how his Page was hacked, but he wondered why, if a hacker had his Facebook login details, they hadn't taken over his profile along with his Page.
Facebook's spokesperson also said the site had a "host" of advanced tools to help people stay in control of their accounts, including login notifications, which let you save the devices you use to access your account, and "recent activity", where you can look at your recent activity and remotely close open sessions.
"Unfortunately, Facebook is not able to reinstate people as an admin for any group or page so, as always, we advise people to practice good online security," they said.
But Cluley said he didn't understand why it should be difficult for Facebook to reinstate original admins.
"After all, they presumably have a log of who originally created a page," he said. "Even if they aren't prepared to put in a system to do that – why can't they code Facebook to do what its help pages say it will do? Either block attempts to remove the original admin, or send a request to the original admin asking if they agree to be removed from their administrator role.
"That would surely help prevent hijacks like this one taking place."
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Combination of direct mail and new media to play big role in getting out the vote in 2012
(Fri, 02 Sep 2011 14:44:00 +0000)As we edge closer to the 2012 presidential election, the political landscape and the marketing efforts of each candidate will continue to heat up. With caucuses and primaries just around the corner, political marketers will likely use a heavy dose of effective traditional media such as direct mail to get out the vote. Yet many political marketers are also warming up to the idea of integrating newer, emerging technologies to drive voters to the polls, or have already begun to use new, more interactive media in conjunction with their traditional marketing efforts.
A recent article from Direct Marketing News entitled “Political marketers weigh digital, direct mail” details how candidates and their political marketers plan to integrate a mix of traditional and new media in an effort to increase voter turnout. Please see an excerpt from the article below:
"Direct mail and traditional media will continue to have a place at the table for some years to come," said Julian Kingston, COO of Political Data, a California-based political consulting company. "There's a simple reason for this — older people are much more likely to vote, and they tend to be more connected to traditional media."
Young voters went to the polls in record numbers in the 2008 presidential election, with 3.4 million more young voters turning out than in 2004, according to The Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement. But younger voters tend to be less politically active, and it remains to be seen if the increased political engagement trend will hold, he said.
Direct mail will stay in the political marketing mix, but eventually as a smaller piece in a larger puzzle. "Direct mail isn't dead, but we have to change the way we look at it," said Cami Zimmer, president of Campaign Touch, a mobile and digital strategy agency that develops SMS campaigns and mobile apps for political groups. "I'm seeing an increase in the use of quick-response codes on literature that's sent out. It really doesn't cost anything extra to include them in direct mail, and it bridges the offline and online worlds."
Thoughts? Comments? Please chime in and share your opinion by clicking here.
USPS facilities affected by Hurricane/Tropical Storm Irene
(Tue, 30 Aug 2011 17:39:00 +0000)
Due to Hurricane/Tropical Storm Irene, the following US Postal Service facilities are affected*:
Georgia
• Atlanta – no issues to report
South Carolina
• No issues to report
North Carolina
• 32 Postal facilities are inaccessible including facilities in Cataret and Craven counties. Detailed information on these offices will be posted as received.
• Kinston P&DF, 208 E Caswell St., Kinston, NC 28501 continues to report a power outage. A generator is en route.
• Saturday deliveries in ZIP Code areas 280-285, 287-289, and 297 were curtailed due to the storm.
• There have been reports of water damage at offices in Windsor, Fountain, Manteo and Swan Quarter. As soon as damages are accessed, information will be posted.
• Many offices without power including all of Wilmington City, curtailed delivery in the following ZIP Codes 27505, 27552, 27556, 27559, 27330, 28355, 28368
• Postal facilities are closed in the areas under mandatory evacuations and curfews
• Kinston P&DF, 208 E Caswell St., Kinston, NC 28501 has reported a power outage
63 offices are closed are closed in the Greensboro area
Virginia
• 17 postal facilities are closed in the areas under mandatory evacuations and curfews
• The Richmond Processing and Distribution Center, 1801 Brook Road, Richmond, VA 23232 and the Norfolk Processing and Distribution Center, 600 Church St., Norfolk, VA are operating using generators. Power is anticipated to be restored before 11pm.
• There are no issues reported in the Northern Virginia area in ZIP Codes 201, 220-223, and 226-227.
83 postal facilities have no power throughout Virginia.
Maryland
• Postal operations have been suspended in Ocean City and offices on Smith Island
Pennsylvania
• Flash Flood and Wind Advisory alerts remain in effect for the areas in ZIP Codes 169 -188, and 195 – 196 until 8 p.m. Sunday
• Power has been restored to the Lehigh Valley, 2299 Highland Ave., Lehigh Valley, PA 18002 and Harrisburg, 1425 Crooked Hill Rd., Harrisburg, PA 17107.
• Philadelphia Area
• The effects of Tropical Storm Irene continue to be felt in ZIP Codes Area 189-194. Trees and power lines are down and there are power outages reported throughout the area.
• Operations at the Philadelphia Processing & Distribution Operations Center, 7500 Lindbergh Blvd., Philadelphia, PA 19176 continue as scheduled.
• Operations at the Southeastern Processing and Distribution Facility, 1000 W Valley Rd., Southeastern PA 19399 continue as scheduled.
• Operations at the Philadelphia Network Distribution Center, 1900 Byberry Road, Philadelphia, PA 19116 continue as scheduled.
New Jersey
• Numerous power outages remain in ZIP Codes 077, 080-087, and 197-199. Due to flooding and high tide cresting, many roads are impassable. Major transportation outlets remain closed. Information on delivery and closings will be posted as received.
• The following ZIP Code areas have curtailed deliveries until damages are accessed and transportation routes are deemed safe.
• 08008 Beach Haven
• 08202 Avalon
• 08203 Brigantine
• 08204 Cape May
• 08212 Cape May Point
• 08226 Ocean City
• 08243 Sea Isle City
• 08247 Stone Harbor
• 08260 Wildwood
• 08401 Atlantic City
• 08402 Margate City
• 08403 Longport
• 08406 Ventnor City
*Info valid as of Monday, August 29
Direct mail and Internet marketing: Like peanut butter and jelly
(Tue, 30 Aug 2011 15:27:00 +0000)
As the number of worldwide Internet users rises above 2 billion, it’s not hard to imagine direct mail as a marketing tool of the past. Despite the proliferation of the net, however, direct mail is seemingly more alive than ever. And if used properly and in conjunction with something as powerful as Internet marketing, can lead to very impressive increases in sales and brand awareness.
Just like any proven marketing tool, direct mail can be a very strong instrument for business growth and improving ROI. Even with the rise of the Internet as a marketing tool, a direct mail campaign that targets the right audience and uses good data almost always has a high potential to yield positive results.
The same is true for Internet marketing. If used properly and efficiently (e.g. not throwing money at things that continually prove to be ineffective), this tool has the potential to yield very impressive outcomes as well. This includes everything from an increase in sales and brand awareness to giving your company a competitive advantage in a hotly contested arena.
If used in conjunction, direct mail and Internet marketing have the ability to push a campaign to a higher level, a level that each tool used alone may not achieve. Just look at the examples of Amazon, Apple and Adobe, all of which still use direct mail as a marketing tool to great ends; all of which also have gigantic Internet traffic rates. Companies such as these understand the combined power of Internet marketing and direct mail and utilize these tools congruently to increase awareness for their brand(s) and products, and to increase their bottom lines.
Even though these companies spend large amounts of dollars on their marketing programs, that’s not to say a small or medium-sized business can’t use a combination of Internet marketing and direct mail to accomplish their goals and increase their profits and improve ROI as well. Whatever the size of your business, keep in mind that Internet marketing and direct mail, just like peanut butter and jelly, seem to fit well together.
Is social media here to stay?
(Wed, 24 Aug 2011 16:23:00 +0000)As social media continues to envelope almost every aspect of the online world, some people continue to question whether or not it will stick around for an indefinite period of time.
Common arguments against the longevity of social media such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc. include: social media creates no “real” value; one or two behemoth social media companies will likely make it difficult for new or growing social media companies to attract investors; the hype surrounding social media as the cool and hip thing is destined to fade.
Although we certainly respect these opinions, we believe that social media is not a fad nor will it be going anywhere anytime soon! Social media is revolutionizing the way people communicate and interact with each other, not just on a personal level but in terms of business as well. Companies of all sizes continue to invest sizable amounts of money in social media and there are no signs of this practice slowing down in the future.
In fact, companies who do not have any social media presence and no plans to incorporate social media into their marketing and advertising plan will likely have a very difficult staying competitive in their area. Further, investors will always be willing to spend money on a good idea that they believe will be profitable – whether in terms of social media or otherwise.
Will social media survive? That depends on a number of factors we don’t have time to get into right now. All we know is that social media is so pervasive and is becoming such a fundamental part of people’s everyday live and businesses’ marketing and advertising plans that it would take something huge for it to disappear anytime soon.
Ben & Jerry's plans to use Twitter to spread positive change in the world
(Tue, 23 Aug 2011 20:07:00 +0000)Here's a feel-good story from Forbes.com about Ben & Jerry's movement marketing campaign involving Twitter, in which the ice cream maker plans to use the social network to achieve "positive change" in the world. In celebration and recognition of Fair Trade Month, which happens in October, Ben & Jerry's is inviting Twitter users to "donate" their unused characters to "Fair Tweets." Please see the full article from Forbes.com below:
Tweets for Ben & Jerry’s
Eating ice-cream is a guilty pleasure, but now you can truly enjoy your favorite flavor and feel good about yourself.
The message of Fair Tweets is simple – when it comes to the Fair Trade farmers that Ben & Jerry’s uses, every purchase counts. So when you’re next at the grocery store, to do your bit you’ll buy their brand. It’s easy and simple activism, using just one form of social media, but one which helps position them in consumers’ minds as the only dairy dessert with a conscience.
Ben & Jerry’s may not be the first name you think of when looking at brands who truly strive to achieve positive change through the way they do business, but making the world a better place is at its very heart. And of course, any brand which successfully mixes business with positive change deserves to be celebrated in this new era of movement marketing.
Ben & Jerry’s is about to get its fans passionate about Fair Trade Month, which happens in October. To spread the message, you’re invited to literally say less on Twitter. If your tweets are short and sweet, then you can donate your spare, remaining unused characters to the ‘Fair Tweets’ cause. If you sign up, your Tweet will be automatically finished off with a pre-set message about Fair Trade, encouraging others to take part as well.
Of course, the campaign backs Ben & Jerry’s commitment to using Fair Trade ingredients in their frozen desserts, and ‘Fair Tweets’ is just the latest in their ‘Social Mission’ programs since the company was founded in 1978. Way before anyone really got interested in using brands to achieve positive change.
So why not go ahead and indulge? And if anyone says anything, just tell them you’re doing your part for Fair Trade Month.
Cutting back on email marketing and direct mail to reduce costs may not be the best approach
(Tue, 23 Aug 2011 15:56:00 +0000)In light of the current economic situation in the U.S. and abroad, many companies have either tightened their financial belts or are looking for ways to save money. These cost-cutting measures include everything from eliminating break room supplies to making significant reductions to advertising and marketing budgets and beyond.
Although many companies are facing very difficult financial decisions, eliminating or even reducing vital tools for business development such as direct mail or email marketing may have a very negative effect on a business.
In a recent Pew Internet survey, the organization suggested that even with the rapid development of social media, email marketing continues to be one of the most valuable ways to reach potential customers. According to the study, 92 percent of people are accessible via email, and nearly 66 percent check their email account at least once a day.
Further, direct mail campaigns play (or should play) a vital role in any company’s marketing and advertising plan. The bottom line is that direct mail puts your business in the hands of your customers. And because the prospects call you, direct mail is one of the best resources for generating high quality leads.
So even during tough economic times, reducing or eliminating direct mail and/or email marketing programs may not be the best approach to trimming your budget.
