Geo-location Applications and Social Media

Location based applications are the darling of web development and internet marketing. Mobile Applications such as Foursquare, Gowalla, Yelp, MyTown, and Whrrl are receiving the attention of many large businesses.

As smartphones become more of a necessity, the wallets of the smartphone owners have become irresistible to retailers. An application such as Foursquare begins as a game to the user. When they check-in to a location they gain points. When they reach an achievement (such as checking in at a convenience store at 3:00 am) they receive a badge. Besides just a badge, customers receive rewards and discounts for checking into location a certain amount of times. Frequent check-ins can reward the user with the title of “mayor” of that venue; which can lead to more discounts for their loyalty. An example of this happened last year: Starbucks offered a nationwide mayor special to all its stores. Every mayor of any Starbucks location received a single $1 Frappuccino coupon. This shattered records on check-ins in a one week span at many locations.

Only 6% of adults in the United States are actually using location-based apps like Foursquare. Although this number is small, they are highly influential. In 2010, 16% of online adults in the U.S. were familiar with geo-location apps, while 30% said they are aware of the category in 2011.

With the growing audience of active social media users to share the thoughts and opinions on Facebook and Twitter, geo-location applications have grown in popularity. 17% of users who use geo-location apps are intrigued by having more insight about their travel or movement patterns on a day-to-day basis. Path 2.0 is an application that provides a time-stamped journal of journey throughout a day. An individual can share their check-in’s, Instagr.am photos, blog-like thoughts, and songs they are listening to. As long as users are willing to share, this can provide a very detailed insight into consumer buying patterns and trends.

Although these applications are exciting, one of the growing concerns with geo-location applications is privacy and feeling like brands are stalking their customers. Once a customer’s trust is lost, it is hard to regain. A way to handle this is to give customers the choice to opt-in and opt-out of advertisements and promotions. By giving the user the option to do this, it will avoid the feeling of being spammed or stalked.

The biggest adopters of geo-location applications are retail stores. Nine out of ten mobile internet users have logged on while in a store to research the product they are buying. Fifty percent of those mobile internet users continue on to make the purchase. Retail stores measure the success of these programs in a variety of ways, including increased foot traffic and increased revenue per transaction.

Major tech companies such as Google have continued to utilize these services with their platforms. For Google, besides Google Maps and Google Places, mobile application “Google Latitude” allows for users to view on a map where their contacts and friends are, while getting directions to those locations. Facebook also is furthering their adoption with Foursquare and Facebook Places by allow users to check-in to events they have created on the Facebook platform.

Although badges and points are fun, the games can only last for so long. When the game is losing its thrill, marketers need to find ways to keep their customers engaged. This can be done by providing relevant information to their users and leveraging location information to make the experience more convenient. The experience and the interaction of geo-location apps has the potential to cause a shift in internet marketing and social media.

For more information or to schedule a free consultation with Peerless Media Group, please contact us today.

Happy Holidays!

Hardley Jeannite

Internet Marketing Specialist

Peerless Media Group

A Tale Of Two Months

An Internet Marketing Case Study

Due to the highly classified nature of this project, the name of the client has been changed.  OK, fine – it’s not really that secret, but we did it anyway.

November 2010.  The month of November one year ago seems like a distant memory.  Sure, the G-20 summit was held in South Korea, researchers trapped antihydrogen atoms for the first time in human history, and this little website called WikiLeaks released over 100,000 confidential documents; but for Client X, November 2010 is remembered as a month with internet revenue that left much to be desired.

The Situation: Client X is a producer of gourmet coffee, with a business model based on the combination of retail distribution and direct to consumer sales from their website.

The Problem: An outdated website and nonexistent internet marketing plan forced the company to rely solely on retail distribution for the vast majority of revenue.  The existing website served mainly as an ordering system for Client X’s loyal customers, and was attracting virtually no new patrons.

The (Ongoing) Solution: Client X teamed up with Peerless Media Group to accomplish one overarching objective; increasing sales.  After research and discovery, Peerless designed and developed a new Client X e-commerce website with a modern/upscale design aesthetic and social media integration.  During development, the Peerless Internet Marketing team was developing Client X’s inbound marketing campaign.  Research had proven that there was significant relevant web traffic, and the most direct route to increased sales would be to capitalize on these ‘qualified leads’.  The plan was (is) to utilize a coordinated plan that incorporated social media, search engine optimization, and pay per click advertising to increase web visibility and connect with new customers.

November 2011. The Numbers.   

Overall Traffic To Client X Website: Up 49%

New Users Visiting Client X Website: Up 52%

Number of Keywords on the First Page of Google Search (Organic!): 4 (previously 0)

Client X Facebook Page Likes: Up 2,510%

November 2011 Internet Sales: Up 59%

 

Eric Krattenstein

Vice-President, Internet Marketing

Peerless Media Group

eric@gopeerless.com

Contact us today to schedule your free consultation with Peerless Media Group.

How Social Media Drives Traffic to your Website

Social media has replaced the morning newspaper. People are drinking their morning coffee with a smartphone in the other hand. It has become more than just a series of posts, views, comments, likes and retweets. Social media has grown into an experience that users go through when they log in. Users follow pages that create interesting content. They use it as a place to discover new information and share it with their followers.

How effectively these innovative tools are used is what separates the “men from the boys”.  A major factor regarding the effectiveness of social media is the relevancy of the content you post.  People choose to click and visit the website voluntarily because they are interested in what you have to say. The content you develop often requires research on what your fans would like to see and learn. The content you produce should not be about yourself, it should be helpful to your audience. There are also a variety of ways to post your content, including: case studies, articles, videos, webinars, ebooks, and photos.

I “Like” What I see

Facebook is not the first social network but it certainly has become the most popular. Facebook allows you to build a network of followers that will see your content on their homepage. Fan pages allow for brands to keep in touch with their consumers, fans, and potential customers. Facebook pages are a gateway to your website.

Some fan pages are used as a place to offer information from your site that is pertinent to your followers. The information is used as additional value to encourage fans to view the website. Pages can also be used to offer discounts, specials, and even contests; all of these provide users with reasons to follow your page.

Facebook Fan Page Tips:
-Be sure to feed your website’s blog onto your Fan page
-Use Facebook insights to speak to the proper demographic
-Don’t underestimate the power of photos and videos

Listen to what the Little Birdie Tweets:

Twitter has become the fastest source for news, sports, information, and entertainment. What draws people to twitter is the ability to keep up with relevant content in fewer than 140 characters per tweet. Twitter is an opportunity to start conversations, ask questions, engage your audience and create a call to action to by linking your tweets to your website. When you create quality content, your followers are more likely to want to learn more about your brand.

Twitter Tips:
-Use hashtags on your tweets to open up to potential new followers
-Monitor keywords relevant to your industry
-Never forget to respond to your followers when they mention you in their tweets
Can you Digg it?
Digg.com is a social news site that allows you to submit any web address, video, or image as news. Users can choose to “Digg” you content. This becomes a real time voting systems with the most voted content moving to the top of the news stories on the Digg homepage. Just like every other social media site, Digg gives an opportunity to make friends, read their content, and post comments. When your content becomes popular among your Digg friends, more users will be inclined to visit your website to learn more.

Digg.com Tips
-Choose an appealing headline for the title of your news stories
-Add the digg button to your website’s blog
-“Shouting” is a great way to share a story you like or a submission you have made

StumbleUpon

Since August 2011, StumbleUpon has reached 25 billion clicks on their website. StumbleUpon is a fun website that allows users to “stumble” onto new content they would not have easily found otherwise. For websites, the more content you submit to the Stumbleupon community the more likely users will stumble onto your site. StumbleUpon is “interest-focused” rather than “selling-focus”. Users who are interested in your site will be more likely to visit it again.

StumbleUpon Tips:
-Be Sure to display your StumbleUpon badge on your website
-Use the SU.pr shortener to track the number visitors who stumbled onto your site

Even with the traffic improvement to your website, the consumer perception of your business is crucial. Social Networking helps with building a community of followers. Most of the followers in your network will be frequent visitors of your website if they enjoy the content you post. Social Media is not a stand-alone tool for your website’s success. Be sure to keep your site updated with fresh content. This will keep the attention of your current followers and captivate the attention of A new audience.

Hardley Jeannite
Internet Marketing Specialist
Peerless Media Group

Marketing Gone Mobile

Let’s face it; the smart phone craze has taken over. Anyone from a 5^th grader to your grandmother has one and they are being utilized more than ever. Next time you go on a bus, train, or for that matter anywhere in public, look around and you will see people surfing through their mobile devices. What makes mobile marketing so beneficial? The answer is location. How is location used in mobile marketing?

The biggest advantage of mobile marketing is that it’s, well, mobile. It goes where the consumer goes, making location essential. New applications allow people to “check-in” to the locations that they visit. Foursquare, for example, is an app that allows people to “check-in” to a store or business and in return receive potential discounts or giveaways. Pretty good marketing, right?

What if a company had the power to check you in? They do – well kind of. It’s called ShopAlerts and it’s a new brilliant way to market through mobile devices. ShopAlerts use “geo-fencing” technology to alert a customer of promotions and products via text message (SMS) when they are in a certain area. For example, if you are in a certain block radius of a restaurant that uses ShopAlerts they can recognize that and send out an automated text telling you their lunch specials. This new sophisticated technology has opened a whole new window for mobile marketing.

Location, this is the reason why mobile marketing is so successful. The audience is out there, with over 1 billion smart phone users. Get in touch with them by mobile marketing. Now more than ever, marketers have to understand and adapt to the changing platforms their audiences are using.

Interested in mobile marketing? Stay tuned next week for our follow-up blog on Geo-Fencing marketing technology and how it can help your business.

Bobby Smith

Internet Marketing Specialist

Peerless Media Group

The University Of Facebook

Been on Facebook yet today? I bet you have been. In the past couple of years social media has undoubtedly changed the way we live – especially Facebook. Originally, Mark Zuckerberg created Facebook for college students to communicate amongst each other. Only college emails with a .edu were accepted to join the network. Now, the website welcomes new members of all ages. Facebook has evolved so much that it is now used for business and advertising. I wonder if Zuckerberg saw this coming. Even Universities are using the social media tool for a number of reasons. Originally made for students, now used by Universities to market to these students. Ironic, right? I think so.  What are some of the ways that Universities are now using Facebook to market? Here they are:

Virtual Tours

Recently, Universities have been posting pictures, videos, and 360-degree images of the school’s campus. This allows prospective students or parents to get a feel for the campus from the comfort of their own home.

Alumni Groups

What’s your fondest college memory? A Facebook page like this allows a former student to reminisce on their college glory days. Also, it is a great place for alumni to discuss upcoming events or fundraisers on campus.

Prospective Students

A Facebook page for prospective students is very common amongst universities. This page offers potential students insight to admissions, traditions, event dates, and campus tours.

School Pride

Often, Universities will have a Facebook page dedicated to school pride. This page usually involves team schedules, pep rallies, and rivalries. Maybe a little trash talk too before big games, who knows.

Facebook has surely come a long way since its creation. Universities are taking advantage of Facebook in order to communicate with their students. What’s next for Facebook? Only time will tell!

Want to learn how your business could utilize social media tools like Facebook to increase brand awareness and customer relations? Schedule a free consultation with our marketing team.

Bobby Smith

Internet Marketing Specialist

Peerless Media Group

Humor Sells, No Kidding

Do you remember the Doritos commercial in last years Super Bowl, where everything magically came back to life if Doritos were sprinkled on it? Or the Volkswagen commercial when the kid dressed as Darth Vader supposedly starts the car? Why do commercials stand out?  The reason is it made you laugh. Humor, when used correctly, can help a company connect with its audience. Why doesn’t everyone use humor when marketing? Often, businesses are hesitant to use humor as a marketing tool because they feel it is too risky. Here are a couple of reasons why using humor can help your company’s marketing strategy.

Grabs Attention.  Why do most consumers remember Super Bowl commercials? Usually, the commercials that get a person to laugh are the ones that are remembered. Studies have shown that professors that use humor in lectures capture an increased percentage of a student’s attention and retention. This theory can be applied with marketing as well. If you want to be remembered, make them laugh.

Humor Spreads. The beautiful part about humor is that it is something you share with friends and family. If a person sees a funny advertisement, they want to show it to others. Why laugh by yourself when you can laugh with friends? Humor is one type of marketing that can create conversation between consumers. If used correctly humor can create a viral buzz about your business like no other marketing strategy.

Stand Out.  Not enough companies use humor while marketing. For some businesses it just doesn’t work because it’s not appropriate but for others it should be taken advantage of. It can help you stand out over competitors.

Laughter is a powerful tool because it cheers people up. When humor is controlled and appropriate it can help a business’s reputation. So what are you waiting for? When your customers are laughing, so are you – all the way to the bank.

To learn more about Peerless Media Group and how we can help improve your business’s marketing strategy, schedule your free consultation today.

 

Bobby Smith

Internet Marketing Specialist

Peerless Media Group

Repetition Increases Reputation

An average American sees over 5,000 marketing messages in a single day. How does a company stand out to a potential customer with their product or service? There are several strategies that help businesses market their products but one strategy that is proven effective is marketing repetition. Marketing is most effective when it is repeatedly brought to the attention of the target market.    Why does this hold true?

Research indicates that a potential customer needs to see a businesses marketing message 7 to 12 times before they are ready to make a purchase. There are a couple of reasons why this is true. First, the average American is very busy. A marketing message can be seen by a person but not processed, with the millions of other things that are on their mind. Also, even if a person does decide they want a businesses product or service it doesn’t mean that they will immediately make a purchase. Often times the customer becomes distracted and forgets about the offer. Due to the hectic lifestyles of many Americans, marketing messages need to be presented frequently.

The effectiveness of marketing repetition can be shown in stages. The first stage is familiarity leads to credibility. During this stage the consumer becomes more knowledgeable about the business, realizing the benefits of the product or service offered. Once the consumer believes the company is credible they begin to trust the business – credibility leads to trust. If the consumer believes the business has their best interest in mind, they will begin to trust. The final stage of marketing repetition is trust leads to a purchase. If the customer trusts a business, a sale often follows. The key to gaining the attention of the busy consumer over competition comes down to one word, repetition. The key to gaining the attention of the busy consumer over competition comes down to one word, repetition.

Bobby Smith

Internet Marketing Specialist

Peerless Media Group

 

 

If you would like to contact a member of the Peerless Media Group team or schedule your free consultation, please email info@gopeerless.com or call 800.239.4670

How Can Your Company Stand Out On Facebook?

Set Your Business Apart On Social Media.

With the amount of Facebook Business Pages rapidly moving through the millions, making your page stand out is crucial to the success of your social media campaign.  If you are reading this, it’s a safe bet you already understand the importance of having a strong Facebook presence – but if you don’t, have a look at this real quick:

- As of 2011, there are over 500,000,000 active Facebook users (that’s approximately 1 in 13 people on earth)

- Almost 30% of 18-34 year olds check Facebook from their smartphone before getting out of bed.

- Think Facebook is just for kids? Well, the 35+ demographic now makes up more than 30% of the Facebook user base.

- 57% of people said they talked to people more online than they did in real life.

It is no secret that in some way, shape, or form your target market is present on Facebook and other forms of social media.  So, how do you stand out from the rest?

1)      Custom Landing Pages. If a viewer lands on your Facebook page, this is a great opportunity to leave a lasting first impression.  Make sure you welcome them with a well-designed and branded page.  A good landing page not only looks nice, but it will help to increase conversions from views to ‘likes’ and will increase viewer engagement. To see an example, check out our welcome page here (and hey, like us while you’re at it!).

2)      Be Engaging. Do not speak to your fan base like you are broadcasting a TV commercial.  It’s called SOCIAL media, so be social.  Generate interesting content that your audience actually cares about, such as ‘insider information’ about a new product/service you are coming out with or even news about the new member of your team you just hired.  They have already found your page, so they are a captive audience.  Not sure what they like? Ask them. Create polls and surveys, run contests and promotions.  Keep your audience interested or your updates will be buried in their news feed and all the time and effort you’ve invested will go unnoticed.

If you would like to learn more about creating effective and engaging social media marketing campaigns, please give us a call to schedule a free consultation.

Stay Social!

Eric Krattenstein

VP, Internet Marketing

Peerless Media Group

To Brand Or Re-brand, Who Are We Trying To Reach?

Social Media is an outlet that really took the world by storm, amassing hundreds of millions of users in less than a decade. However, many people feel that these sites are meant for college-aged students or children and have no business in, well, business.  What most people do not realize is that Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and the other media outlets can actually help generate significant amounts of business.  With over 600 million users on Facebook and over 200 million on Twitter, it is clear that there’s nearly an endless supply of new people and markets to reach.  Even more interesting, two-thirds of all people on the internet right now are on a social media website.  With this many people utilizing these services the question you should be asking yourself is not why should I join these sites, but rather how can I use them to my advantage.

I was the same as many of you out there, refusing to join Twitter because I figured who really cared what I thought.  Once I realized that it is not just about myself, but also about the opportunities that lie out there, my thoughts drastically changed.  Think about it, you have a market where you can receive immediate feedback on a product released, create a poll of your followers to find out exactly what they want, brand yourself towards the needs of your new found target markets, and even reach people you never thought could be clients.  Want to expand your business internationally? 70 % of all Facebook users lie outside the United States.  The possibilities are only limited by how much time and effort you want to put in to finding these new markets.

Bobby Lehew, Director of Operations for Robyn Promotions, is a leader in this industry and had this to say about social media, “It doesn’t matter how many readers you have.. It’s the kind of readers you have.”  Most people think if you get 100,000 likes on your Facebook page or 500 comments on your blog, you are going to be successful.  The best part of social media is that you could have much less and still run an effective campaign.  Since you now have the ability to research exactly who you want to market to and then meet their needs precisely, your business will able to capitalize.  You will be getting the right kind of people for your business, not the highest quantity of them.  There are still skeptics who believe social media is just a fad, but tell that to the 175 million users of Facebook who log in daily; don’t be that one person who got left behind.

While you’re at it… connect with us on Facebook and Twitter or visit our website

Taylor Lustgarten

Social Media Specialist

Peerless Media Group

When we weren’t looking, QR codes went mainstream!

With modern technology and social media at its peak, it is more than necessary for your business to be taking full advantage of online communication and marketing.   This now includes QR codes (Quick Response codes), which seem to be taking over the online business world at a rapid rate. These tiny squares of black print have the ability to generate huge success for your company.  By taking pieces of transitory media and putting it in your cell phone, QR codes offer customers a quick, easy, and extremely convenient way to gain further insight into a product.

Imagine walking down the street and seeing the camera you want in the window for sale.  You’ve had your eye on this camera but are hesitant to make this purchase, as you know little about the brand, functionality, and quality of the product.  Instead of searching for a pen to record the exact model and attempt to do research on it later, take out your mobile phone, and scan the QR code!  This simple action takes you directly to this product’s mobile detail page where you can access product specifications, product reviews, download coupons, watch a video, read instructions, and interact with people who own this product via social media.  All of this information is at your fingertips and can be saved to your phone for future use!

Now, why wouldn’t you want this online experience available to all of your customers?  Not only is it an amazingly convenient way for people to become more informed about your product, and therefore more likely to make a purchase, QR codes also create an entirely new marketing campaign for your company.  Ads that contain QR codes have been shown to increase brand interaction by 25%!  QR code’s popularity has primed smart phone users to respond to these codes and interact with your product, allowing you to gain a greater insight into the wants, needs, concerns, reactions, and ideas of your customers. Your company will better understand what the customer wants to accomplish, and therefore be able to tailor your product to help them accomplish those goals.

Since the QR code phenomenon is quickly taking off, you want your company to stand out in this increasingly popular marketing campaign.  Your QR code must present benefits that are worth the customer taking part this interaction.  Some things to think about might be: What can your customer use most that cannot be put on a standard print piece? How do you want your users mobile experience to be when interacting with your product and company?  What content will appear on their page? How will it appear? How will you provide the clearest and easiest navigation? How will you make them want to continue using QR codes?

With the combination of modern technology, social media, and now the QR code, you have all the power to create an extremely successful internet marketing campaign!  To learn more about QR codes and how Peerless Media Group can use them to help re-invigorate your advertising strategy schedule a free consultation today.

Jenna Roth

Internet Marketing

Peerless Media Group