For those of you who have not used any analytics before in the digital world, you ust turn you attention to Google Analytics..
http://www.google.com/analytics/
Useful for web developers and business alike, who want to keep track of activity on their site, Google Analytics can process a number of different online functions.. Including automatic emailed reports, geographic breakdowns, 'entrance key words', and set goals for business to reach..
On my blogger page you can see on the right ---------------------------------------------->
I have included a 'total views' tool that tracks the amount of visitors to the site... Although pointless for any online business sense for myself, it is still interesting to see how many people have visited my blog..
Wednesday, 2 November 2011
Preventing and managing social media marketing mistakes
Since introducing businesses to twitter, both consumers and the business have used the social media tool to compliment each other... Feedback is very important to businesses, and negative feedback can greatly effect any business, considering blogging sites search very well in google and can show up first in many searches...
One example that shows how powerful twitter can be as a marketing tool for consumers, is seen when consumers tweet their feedback while hash tagging in the business. A friend of mine bought well known branded TV, it turned out to be faulty and despite many emails and calls to the business and no luck, he turned to twitter and expressed his extreme frustration with the business. Within 1 hour, we was tweeted a response, and with in no time a replacement for the TV was organised... WOW..
This happens all the time, bad feedback and put off other potential buyers... When my friend received his new TV, he tweeted again to the company and expressed how happy he was with their conduct...
From this both the consumer and business and benefited from the use of social media marketing.. and a potential issue, whereby word of mouth could cause drastic damage to the business.
Check out the following thing, its just reiterating what i am trying to say....
http://im.about.com/od/imforbusiness/ss/twitter-for-business_3.htm
One example that shows how powerful twitter can be as a marketing tool for consumers, is seen when consumers tweet their feedback while hash tagging in the business. A friend of mine bought well known branded TV, it turned out to be faulty and despite many emails and calls to the business and no luck, he turned to twitter and expressed his extreme frustration with the business. Within 1 hour, we was tweeted a response, and with in no time a replacement for the TV was organised... WOW..
This happens all the time, bad feedback and put off other potential buyers... When my friend received his new TV, he tweeted again to the company and expressed how happy he was with their conduct...
From this both the consumer and business and benefited from the use of social media marketing.. and a potential issue, whereby word of mouth could cause drastic damage to the business.
Check out the following thing, its just reiterating what i am trying to say....
http://im.about.com/od/imforbusiness/ss/twitter-for-business_3.htm
Saturday, 15 October 2011
Promoting Social Media Marketing Programs
As we have covered already in this semester we can use Social Media to boost consumer awareness, and to help businesses fanbase.. Some organisations have a passive methods of promoting their business, which can generally include word of mouth, and most importantly feedback to the business. Businesses can meet to consumer needs when feedback is recognised... Other organisations have more aggressive methods of promoting their SM marketing programs, through videos being shares on Youtube, then tweeted or shared on FB.
The following link should be considered to new businesses using social media to build their online marketing presence...
Sunday, 9 October 2011
Social CRM
Customer Relationship Management is fundamental to every business.. In order to be successful as a business, you must have a strong customer base, and by doing that you must keep customers happy. I for one know what its like working with customers and keeping them happy.. From my first job, when i worked in retail, it was a joy when you had a day when you did not have some whining customer... I then worked on a help desk which was very interesting..... Everyday, we had to learn to deal with different types of customers, and by keeping them happy is most important..
I now work for a large corporate organisation, and although i do not working with the customers directly, there is mega losses for my business if any of our large customers decide to walk... CRM is important to us, and the methods by which they handle these situations are effective....
In recent news, we can turn our attention to Qantas... and the following article..
http://www.smh.com.au/travel/travel-news/qantas-passengers-to-get-payouts-over-grounding-20111103-1mwik.html
Yes, OK, Qantas have an obvious method CRM.. Their passengers received payouts, and I noticed today while at the airport that all Qantas passengers where given free parking for the time of grounded flights... Well done Qantas, and thanks.... Although how many people now will go back to Qantas, i saw recently on a Facebook poll put together by one of my friends, was a question, it asked "Will you still now fly Qantas?"..
Out of the 36 votes, approx 80% of those said 'NO'....... Interesting...
I now work for a large corporate organisation, and although i do not working with the customers directly, there is mega losses for my business if any of our large customers decide to walk... CRM is important to us, and the methods by which they handle these situations are effective....
In recent news, we can turn our attention to Qantas... and the following article..
http://www.smh.com.au/travel/travel-news/qantas-passengers-to-get-payouts-over-grounding-20111103-1mwik.html
Yes, OK, Qantas have an obvious method CRM.. Their passengers received payouts, and I noticed today while at the airport that all Qantas passengers where given free parking for the time of grounded flights... Well done Qantas, and thanks.... Although how many people now will go back to Qantas, i saw recently on a Facebook poll put together by one of my friends, was a question, it asked "Will you still now fly Qantas?"..
Out of the 36 votes, approx 80% of those said 'NO'....... Interesting...
Wednesday, 7 September 2011
Nurturing a social community to build deeper relationships
What do you think are some of the key challenges facing marketers in the social media space? Are there any 'no go zones' or do you think social media is just another marketing channel that we should exploit in the same manner that broadcast media has been?
Some of the key challenges for marketers would be for starters, the consideration of their valued users losing respect for the businesses and social media tools for amplifying a companies audience and popularity.
When Facebook was first introduced, there were no businesses using it as a powerful method of large scale marketing.. It was a trendy new way to communicate with friends and family and that is what is came down to for a personal level. For businesses you cannot blame them for getting involved, and paying FB to advertise their business due guaranteed benefits..
I personally give Google+ the respect it deserves for not selling out like the Facebook and Youtube... Google+ is exactly what i want and need.. Using Google as a complete tool i can organise my emails, i have my calendar, Google+ allows me to keep in contact with the people i actually care about, and i am not bombarded with advertising garbage everyday. On example which i want to share is the Vevo/Youtube deal... read the following article:
AND
When artists videos started popping under Vevo i couldn't believe it, in concept i love the idea of Vevo, but in action i cant stand it.... It is an extremely well developed marketing ploy that, when you want to watch a video you MUST watch an advertisement for the first Vevo video you watch.... Any consecutive Vevo video after that no ad will be shown.. Although if you watch a video that is no by Vivo and then go back to one, you must watch ANOTHER advertisement.. and might i add some of these advertisements can go for over a minute...
ANNOYING!!!
When it comes down to the nitty gritty, i think these social media sites really need to thinking about the USERS more so than their peers and furture business prospects. I believe these sites can be successful from support from their users, without the involvement of these large marketing ploys....
Key Platforms
This week we reflected on 'Key Platforms'.. It is important for many businesses who are using social media to identify a platform that should work best for them.. It is seen everyday sorts of advertising or forms of marketing when we browse the web, when you log into Facebook you will be greeted with a number of advertisements...
http://www.facebook.com/ads/adboard/?type=normal
Although these are very basic uses of SM to broadcast awareness of their business there are other forms that should be recognized.. Some of which are quite intuitive...
For example, the above video shows David Beckham very casually kicking 3 consecutive soccer balls in rubbish bins over 70m away( And as you can see Beckham is holding a can of diet Pepsi).... David Beckham is an incredible sportsman, and for this many people are undecided whether this video is real or not.. I personally believe it is fake, i have showed many friends some who agree with me, others who are unsure... But for someone to kick 3 consecutive shots like that is out of this world.. I believe that 1 bin or even 2 in a row he could manage, but even still if he was to get 1 ball into 1 bin out of every 100 balls he tried to kick, then 2 out of 2 would of taken all day, and 3 out or 3 is phenomenal..
Nevertheless, this is one approach by Pepsi to use social media marketing as a way to gain attention.. Since April this year, over 4millions people have viewed this video (uploaded by Pepsi)... Because this video causes discussion Pepsi has done a very good job at delivering their product.
I also managed to reach the Diet Pepsi facebook page (linked from the video), and i have seen some Fan photos, questions to their fans, and daily prizes to give out, all other ways of using SM as a tool for marketing...
http://www.facebook.com/dietpepsi?sk=wall
http://www.facebook.com/ads/adboard/?type=normal
Although these are very basic uses of SM to broadcast awareness of their business there are other forms that should be recognized.. Some of which are quite intuitive...
For example, the above video shows David Beckham very casually kicking 3 consecutive soccer balls in rubbish bins over 70m away( And as you can see Beckham is holding a can of diet Pepsi).... David Beckham is an incredible sportsman, and for this many people are undecided whether this video is real or not.. I personally believe it is fake, i have showed many friends some who agree with me, others who are unsure... But for someone to kick 3 consecutive shots like that is out of this world.. I believe that 1 bin or even 2 in a row he could manage, but even still if he was to get 1 ball into 1 bin out of every 100 balls he tried to kick, then 2 out of 2 would of taken all day, and 3 out or 3 is phenomenal..
Nevertheless, this is one approach by Pepsi to use social media marketing as a way to gain attention.. Since April this year, over 4millions people have viewed this video (uploaded by Pepsi)... Because this video causes discussion Pepsi has done a very good job at delivering their product.
I also managed to reach the Diet Pepsi facebook page (linked from the video), and i have seen some Fan photos, questions to their fans, and daily prizes to give out, all other ways of using SM as a tool for marketing...
http://www.facebook.com/dietpepsi?sk=wall
Social Media Strategy Planning
1. INTRODUCTION
The brand I have decided to evaluate and develop and Social Media Strategy is 'Centrecom'. Centrecom are a Computer and IT product retail store located across Victoria. Although they have a number of stores, I am particularly familiar to their online store. I have bought many things from the online store, including all the parts I needed to build my PC. They have competitive prices, they are always a pleasure to deal with, and continually offer amazing deals and specials. The most intriguing part of the online presence Centrecom has is the use of Social Media. Centrecom have established a very prominent online identity including over 2,500 'likes' on Facebook, and 250 followers on Twitter. Their Facebook page, among other sources continually update their news bulletins with bargains and reviews on new products. As I am a frequent visitor to their online store and an avid follower to their Facebook profile, i feel it is appropriate to consider a Social Media Strategy for Centrecom.
Online Store:
Facebook Page:
Twitter:
Youtube Channel:
Blogger:
2. COMPETITOR ANALYSIS
The competitor I have chosen to complete and analysis on is Umart. Umart is also a Computer and IT product retail, located in Australia. They have several stores Australia wide as well as an online presence. Although I am a customer at both stores, and they both offer amazing deals and competitive prices, I must point out that Centrecom has a much more prominent online presence. Umart has no Facebook or Twitter page and their only online presence is from their website alone. Umart's search functions and uses 'twistie' type search's for their products. Personally i like this, it is very easy to navigate through the website. Centrecom also has this twistie type search function, and overall aesthetically, Centrecom takes the cake with their use of big coloured logo and website, it is hard to miss Centrecom.
Overall, this is a Social Media class, and it is evident which business has used Social Media to their advantage. Centrecom reaches out to their customers trhough twitter and Facebook, whereby their consumers can contact them directly or share their feedback with other consumers. Social Media websites should be used by both businesses and consumers alike to develop a online relationship that can produce benefits at both ends.
Umart Website:
3. SOCIAL MEDIA OBJECTIVES
I believe that Centrecom is a good example of a business using Social Media to their advantage. Although Centrecom has a more prominent online presence than some of their competitors, there are always more objectives and tasks that should be met.
One obvious objective is to gain more popularity, and by doing this Social Media is at their aid. One thing to notice is that Facebook is reaching most of their consumers, with Twitter and Youtube following soon after. Youtube can be used as a marketing tool, but i believe that it should not be used to advertise sales, but should be used to attract new customers through means of uploading new reviews of products.
The next Objective i believe Centrecom should be looking at, (which may already be in place) is the use of Google Analytics.
Google Analytics Website:
The reason behind the use of Google Analytics is to track and produce a visible stats of their online presence, this can be in the form of page views, page clicks etc. I believe this is important to any online business, although Google Analytics is used specifically for personal websites and note page views on Facebook, it is good to see monthly trends and how their consumer base is growing/decreasing.
4. PLATFORMS
The platforms that should be used by Centrecom to reach a larger audience and to build relationships with consumers have already been integrated into the business although lack attention. This is due to not as much popularity on some Social Media websites as on others, but this can be solved by giving the consumers the option to visit other means of Social media, this could be by offering specials, and to claim these specials uses must claim a coupon from twitter. Thereby the consumer will sign up (if not already) to twitter and will interact to the business. This will boost their online presence drastically.
Another idea for Centrecom is to develop some podcasts. Podcast, for many, are not really listened to, but for some they can be great. Perhaps a small talk show, or a podcasts (like a radio advertisements) that mentions specials. A small player could be uploaded to their website, and posted to their Facebook and Twitter accounts for consumers to listen to. An online website that could help, is the Talkshoe website.
Talkshoe Website:
5. ENGAGEMENT PLAN
I believe it is important to engage with consumers via tools that can easily be utilized. For Centrecoms situation, they currently have a number of Social Media tools already set up, and with a little more guidance through the use of a Social Media Strategy guide i believe their fan base can grow. Two focal point for all businesses are customer satisfaction and consumer awareness. You must keep you customers happy if you want them to keep coming back, but information must be share with consumers to make them want to keep coming back. Although Centrecom have an online newsletter, another strategy could be the use of Facebook and their functionality of Events. I believe that Centrecom could engage with their consumers by hosting events. These don't have to be physical get togethers, but could be evens whereby they can announce some specials and those who are invited and join the event for that scheduled time can be eligible for special discounts. This is one idea of engaging with consumers, and from previous experience of being apart other businesses who use Facebook events in the same way, it works well. The consumers feel a bigger sense of intimacy with the business, and will find that they will continue going back to the company if they can trust them.
6. CHALLENGES AND CONSIDERATIONS
The main challenge for all online businesses is building their online presence. This can be difficult for some businesses but with the right guidance and now by introducing a Social Media Strategy plan, engaging with their consumers can be easier then they think. It just takes time and persistence.
Although Centrecom have stepped further out into the Social Media then other competitors, there are other steps they can take. One of my considerations could be branching out to other Social Media tools and testing to see what works and what doesn't. Although results will not be seen overnight, in the long haul, Social Media should be used and will deliver benefits for the business, as Social Media can be used to engage with their consumers.
7. TIMELINE
SOCIAL MEDIA STRATEGY - CENTRECOM
1. Develop Social Media Strategy - In progress
2. Focus on Twitter & Youtube to engage with consumers - Over next 12 months (continuing)
3. Reach 5000 'likes' on Facebook - 12 months
4. Reach 2500 followers on Twitter - 12 months
5. Sign up to Talkshoe, release 12 podcasts - 12 months (1 per month)
6. Release monthly/weekly specials exclusive to Facebook/Twitter - Ongoing
8. CONCLUSION
I believe my strategy should be implemented. Although Centrecom have a pre-existing social media presence, it is important how this can still be developed. Most people engage in some sort of social media, this should be recognised by business and put into action as a new way of engaging with their customers. Twitter and Facebook are two tools that can be used to build a trusting relationship with your consumers, aswell as breaking boundaries and drifting into the social media world as it exists today. Social media should be experimented by businesses, and consumers should be encourage to be involved with businesses in the social media world as this can benefit both them and the organisation.
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