Behavioral Targeting Doubles Ad Effectiveness – eMarketer

Yet another way knowing your audience helps yield a greater response.

Behavioral Targeting Doubles Ad Effectiveness – eMarketer.

Are You Treating All Your Social Media Channels The Same?

Social media marketing is getting easier every day, especially with great tools like Hootsuite and Tweetdeck that simultaneously spread your message across all your social channels.

A recent study by ad network Chitika suggests that broadcasting the same message across the various social networks may not be the most effective way to engage your customers.

The study noted that the type of information consumed on four popular social networks – MySpace, Digg, Facebook and Twitter – varied by network.

Twitter users were significantly more interested in news, while MySpace users had a penchant for gaming and entertainment.  Digg users had the greatest interest in news, celebrity & entertainment, and gaming, while Facebook users were interested in news and community.

Just like your audience varies on different social channels, the information they desire is different as well.  So if you are treating all the channels the same way, you may be missing the opportunity to truly connect.

Social media is about creating a forum to communicate with your audience, listening to them, and providing them with information they want to receive. Doing so creates interest, trust and ultimately evangelists.

By engaging your audience with relevant messaging, you can learn what they what they want from your company, what you are doing well and where you can make improvements.

Passive social media gives you the ability to listen to your audience and understand their wants and needs.  Listening can help your company become more efficient, more innovative and more customer-focused.  And when that happens, both your company and your customers win.

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Want to learn how companies like Zappo’s, P&G, Burt’s Bees and others are improving their business through social media?  Attend IIR’s Social Media & Community 2.0 Strategies conference.  To learn more visit http://bit.ly/d7mUWG and use code XM2205SMB to save 15%.

Yelp for Business: 4 Steps for Success

While there are some controversies regarding Yelp’s business practices (see class-action suit of businesses against Yelp regarding pressure to buy ads to rescind untrue comments), it is still a very helpful business tool – especially for small businesses.  This article was posted on Mashable.

Yelp for Business: 4 Steps for Success

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Why March Madness and Vasectomies are a Perfect Match

When an idea speaks to its audience so clearly, it catches your attention.

It doesn’t have to come from an international ad agency or global ideation company.  In fact, an idea that resonates with its audience can come from anywhere.

Case in point: The VAS MADNESS promotion from The Urology Team in Austin, TX. They have extended their hours during March to encourage men who may be considering a vasectomy to do it during the NCAA’s March Madness so they can recover while watching basketball all weekend.

While the creative execution might be lacking, you can’t argue with the idea.  The number of men looking for any excuse to sit and watch basketball all weekend is significant.  The Urology Team just tapped into that desire and gave men who were considering the procedure a reason to have it now.

With so many ways to tap into your audience like social media, surveys, blogs, forums and good old-fashioned conversations, I am sure there are many ideas that you can develop to connect with your customer base.

Who knows – maybe it will come to you during March Madness.

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To learn more about using social media for greater consumer insight attend IIR’s Social Media & Community 2.0 Strategies conference.  To learn more visit http://bit.ly/d7mUWG and use code XM2205SMB to save 15%.

Betty White To Host SNL – Thanks to Social Media

Community 2.0.

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IIR’s Social Media & Community 2.0 Strategies conference will address “Cashing in on the Conversation”.  To learn more visit http://bit.ly/d7mUWG and use code XM2205SMB to save 15%.

Referral Week

Hopefully you find this blog a valuable marketing resource.

But there are many blogs that provide great information and ideas.

As part of referral week here are four of my favorites:

Arment Dietrich’s Fight Against Destructive Spin

John Jantsch’s Duct Tape Marketing

Brand Cottage’s Brand Hearth

American Express’ Open Forum (okay not one site, but a resource for many ideas and articles)

There are many more so please comment and share your favorite blogs so everyone can benefit.

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IIR’s Social Media & Community 2.0 Strategies conference will address “Cashing in on the Conversation”.  To learn more visit http://bit.ly/d7mUWG and use code XM2205SMB to save 15%.

How Companies are Using Social Media to Make Better Decisions

How Companies are Using Social Media to Make Better Decisions

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This blog post is free*

*Okay, this asterisk doesn’t mean anything, but it is indicative of something that is becoming an epidemic – add-ons and exclusions.

I understand people buy based on the bottom line so companies price accordingly, but the hidden charges and exclusions are getting out of hand and as I surmise,  businesses will be nickel and diming themselves out of business.

We all know about airlines charging for every checked piece of luggage.  Sure they may make a few extra bucks, but how many people are they annoying because they have to check a bag at the gate or because there isn’t enough room in the overhead compartments.  Do they have a sense of how many people are making the choice to drive or video conference for their next meeting?

But the airlines aren’t the only ones, mechanics have disposal fees, big box retailers have appliance removal fees and hotels have spa fees – even if you never use the spa.

I recently read about a New York hotel that costs $1,499 a night but still charges for wireless internet access.

In a Sunday circular, Toys R Us told us buy any Lego, get the other for 50% off*.  The asterisk went on to tell us that four different Lego series were not included.

Department stores aren’t much better and should focus on having sales for specific lines versus store-wide sales that exclude half the merchandise.

With a more frugal consumer, companies are quick to focus on the advertised price to make sure they “win” someone’s business, when in actuality they run the risk of losing a long-term customer because they have charged for every little thing.

Look at your business, are you finding ways to run off your customers with add-on services?

So how do you compete?  Be open with your customers.  Show them how you ultimately provide a lower cost of ownership.

If you aren’t sure what your competition is charging, mystery shop your competition to see what they add on.  If possible build these items into your price (ideally still providing a cost savings for potential customers).

You’ll spend less time explaining everything to you customers and more time building relationships.

Your customer service costs will go down because they’ll be focused on making appointments versus dealing with unhappy customers.

Finally, customers will reward you with loyalty because there won’t be any surprises when they do business with you.

Consumers are focused on their budget and bottom line, but if they think they are on budget and then go over due to hidden fees, you’ll never get that customer back, and chances are they’ll let a few of their friends know about it too.

Don’t let your need to quickly bolster your bottom line do damage to your long-term growth.

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IIR’s Social Media & Community 2.0 Strategies conference will address “Cashing in on the Conversation”.  To learn more visit http://bit.ly/d7mUWG and use code XM2205SMB to save 15%.