Real-Time Brand Massaging | inBlurbs Inbound Marketing Agency

January 11, 2014March 24, 2014

Do You Panic When Facebook Goes Down?

If you’re a basic Facebook user and find that dreaded “Maintenance” or “Page cannot be displayed” message when logging onto the site, you might get a bit frustrated after multiple attempts to refresh. However, you’ll ultimately just go over to YouTube or Twitter to bide your time. Though what if you’re a marketer using Facebook? When you hear those two dreaded words, Facebook down, how do you handle it?

Many marketers begin to panic, and maybe for good reason. There’s a lot of time and money tied up in the site, and you can never be sure if it’s just down for a few minutes or if it will be down for days or weeks. However, there’s a lesson to be learned from the basic user out there. Don’t fly into a panic. Just bide your time and do other things. Here are a few things you can try if you find a Facebook crash in the future.

How to Handle Business When Facebook is Down

1: Vent Via Social Media

Take your frustrations to social media and use the downtime to your advantage. For instance, if you have a Twitter following, the odds are great that many of them also use Facebook and are also frustrated that it’s down. You don’t have to bash or curse the site, but you can float some tweets out there gauging the atmosphere and voicing your personal dislike of the situation. “What do you guys think about the Facebook crash?” There will probably be trending hashtags you can use, if you’re not creating them yourself, like, for example, “#FacebooksDead” or “#ConstantCrash.”

2: Track Your Data

Instead of twiddling your thumbs as if your collective hopes and dreams are tied up in one social media site, take this opportunity to perform some analytics checks and see if you need to tweak anything when the site comes back online. Take a loot at how your campaign is going, how your ads have been performing, and other key aspects of your campaign. You have a chance here to come back stronger.

3: Try Your Facebook Material on an Alternative Outlet

The reason some marketers get very angry and end up in a panic is that they had plans to use Facebook that instant but can’t now because it’s down. For instance, they may have created a new detailed post that they were sure would draw engagement. If this is a situation you find yourself in, you can wait for Facebook to come back, or you could try your luck with an alternate outlet. You might be able to draw more buzz and engagement by releasing the material elsewhere. At least think about releasing it in another location first.

4: Plan Your Reentry

When Facebook is down, you also have a good opportunity to take your time to plan your reentry. Using the tip above and assuming you had a great post ready to be launched, rethink your approach. You could create a lot of buzz by being the first page your fans see with an entertaining post about Facebook’s crash. For instance, creating a poll about how aggravated people are or something along those lines can really draw a big crowd ready to engage.

5: Speak to Your Fans Personally

If you have the contact information of some of your fans, like their email addresses or mobile information, you could send out a quick message to them and use Facebook’s status as a great talking point to start an ongoing dialogue. It also endears you more to your fans by showing a real side and a real interest in social media interactions. Facebook being down doesn’t have to be a waste in any fashion.

Facebook has great up time, solid servers, and they’re usually able to handle even the biggest updates while the site is still functioning. However, every site experiences crashes and downtime, and Facebook will be no exception in the future. So if you ever manage to encounter a crash, just remember not to panic. Use the time to engage with fans in a different way.

About the author:

Simon Campbell, a writer from a Facebook ad campaign tool – Qwaya. He loves to write different topics about social media and participates in some communities and forums. You can connect with Simon on Twitter.

May 8, 2013May 8, 2013

42 Profitable Reasons to Consider Inbound Marketing Strategy for Business

The proven and successful inbound marketing strategy is a great way to generate high quality leads.

Therefore inbound marketing is known as the “riskless” marketing strategy because of the activities done which are long lasting and bring an increasing stream of future customers to your offers.

Why is this inbound marketing such a great way to generate leads?

Inbound marketing offers you a strategic and smart approach to be and to stay several steps ahead of your competition.

Inbound marketing is the marketing strategy that focuses on getting found by customers when they research online for products and services your business also has to offer.

With inbound marketing businesses “earn” their way to the customer and his loyalty, by publishing helpful information on a blog, in social media and forums.

Inbound marketing includes: Content creation like blogging, video, photo, whitepapers, eBooks, podcasts, press releases, comments in social media and other blogs and forums, Social media two way communication, lead generation, lead conversion, lead nurturing and closed-loop analysis.

How can Inbound Marketing help you?

A. It saves you up to 62% of your marketing budget
B. Makes you stand out of your competition
C. Helps to generate a massive amount of leads
D. Gets you up to 55% higher lead conversion rates
E. Increases your customers and sales

Infographic: Inbound Marketing Rising

TOP 42 Reasons to Jumstart your Inbound Marketing NOW!

1. 60% of companies will execute an inbound marketing strategy in 2013.

2. Marketers dedicate 34% of their department budgets to inbound tactics, but only 11% to outbound.

3. 48% of marketers will increase spend on inbound marketing in 2013.

4. 34% of all leads generated in 2013 come from inbound marketing sources.

5. Inbound practices produce 54% more leads than traditional outbound leads.

6. 17% of marketers say traditional advertising and direct mail are less important than they were 6 months ago.

7. Traditional advertising and PPC deliver the least leads of any form of marketing.

8. Only 6% of marketing leads originate from advertising or PPC campaigns.

9. 34% of businesses cannot or don’t calculate overall inbound ROI in 2013.

10. Adopting a marketing/sales agreement saves companies with more than 200 employees $195.84 per new customer.

11. Only 24% of companies have a formal process for marketing/sales handoffs.

12. Companies who test are 75% more likely to show ROI for inbound marketing.

13. Inbound marketers double the average site conversion rate, from 6% to 12% total.

14. The average website conversion rate is 10%.

15. 81% of companies integrate inbound marketing with larger marketing goals.

16. Marketers spend 55% more of their time than their money on blogging.

17. 82% of marketers who blog on a daily basis have acquired a customer through blog content.

18. 57% of marketers who only blog once a month have acquired a customer through blogging.

19. Inbound marketers plan to hire an average of 9.3 people this year.

20. Only 18% of marketers are purely focused on developing quality content in 2013.

21. 25% of marketers cite reaching the right audience as their top priority for 2013.

22. Only 5% of marketers have no integration between inbound marketing and overall marketing goals.

23. 50% of marketers consider their companies primarily customer-focused.

24. 17% of sales teams and 11% of executives fully support inbound marketing efforts.

25. 73% of marketing agencies are implementing inbound strategies.

26. Only 41% of nonprofits report adopting inbound tactics for 2013.

27. Just 21% of enterprises assimilate inbound marketing with their overall marketing strategy.

28. 47% of CEOs and CMOs ignore formal marketing/sales agreement development.

29. Marketing is 125% more likely than sales to provide inbound resources.

30. Increasing total lead volume is the top priority for 21% of marketers.

31. Customers average a total of 9,100 leads after 1.5 years of inbound marketing.

32. 67% of marketers produced a blog last year.

33. Only 20% of marketers without a blog reported a positive ROI for 2012.

34. 27% of marketers report that both social media and email marketing produce the lowest total average lead costs.

35. 15% of marketers say SEO leads have the highest sales conversions.

36. Social media delivers 14% of all leads and 13% of all customers.

37. 52% of all marketers have found a customer via Facebook.

38. 43% of marketers have found a customer on LinkedIn.

39. 36% of marketers have found a customer on Twitter.

40. 41% of marketers have adjusted their budget due to the success of inbound marketing.

41. 41% of CEOs report inbound delivered measurable ROI.

42. Marketers with more than 15 blog posts per month average 1,200 leads per month.

Source: HubSpot 2013 State of Inbound Marketing Annual Report. FREE Executive Report on Inbound Tactics and Strategy – Insight from 3,339 Marketers

April 12, 2013

5 Jobs for Tomorrow’s Customer Service Team

Last summer, I wrote an article for InBlurbs called “5 Jobs for Tomorrow’s Marketing Team” that explored how trends in marketing will affect recruiting and staffing in the future. The post received so much feedback, we decided to revisit the idea this year through the customer service lens.

I rallied some of the biggest names in staffing to help me come up with roles they see in emerging in the future support organization. Experts from Monster.com, CareerBuilder.com, SimplyHired and other staffing sites chimed into the conversation. The biggest change affecting these roles they see involves the shift in how customers contact a company. Forrester released a report earlier this showing customers increasing usage of communities by as much as 25 percent, live chat by 24 percent and self-service by 12 percent. Additionally, customers are increasing their use of social customer service and mobile, which will require new talent and technologies.

So without further adieu, here’s five roles we see becoming part of the customer service team of the future:

Self-Service Content Strategist

The individual in this role would continually mine for popular topics in call center notes, as well as review Web analytics data to assess which articles in the self-service community garner the most traffic. At the same time, they would also moderate content created by the customer community and facilitate the sharing of this user-generated material. Their goals would be two-fold:

Deflect tickets from the call center by encouraging more customers to resolve problems on their own with self-service options; and,
Drive customer retention and return purchases by creating a loyal community of brand advocates.

Natural Language Processing (NLP) Developer

The person in this role would help ensure the right answer is found no matter how or where the question is asked–whether it’s typed in a search box on a webpage, in a chat session, or spoken to an interactive voice response (IVR) system. This requires sophisticated algorithms that can process natural language to find the answer.

While most companies will deploy off-the-shelf or open-source NLP technology, the NLP Developer will need to make substantial configurations to apply it to their company’s specific use cases and content. I see this role as important for making the most of your content. All the effort creating it is meaningless if the customer can’t find it–fast.

Social Service Success Coordinator

The Social Service Coordinator would ensure social customer service efficiency, while keeping an eye out for opportunities to market support interactions. In order to respond effectively, companies have to use social listening technology. This person would work to refine keyword identifiers that tell these systems what signals a customer service message.

If the contact center suddenly gets an influx of calls about a particular product, for example, the coordinator would want to start listening for combinations of that word and “help,” “broken,” “angry” and so on. If a Twitter user responded with a glowing “thank you, I will tell my friends!” that person might handoff the interaction to marketing for promotional uses.

Mobile Customer Service App Manager

The Mobile Customer Service App Manager would act much like a product manager exclusively for the customer service mobile application. They would work with internal or external developers to optimize the user experience for all of the company’s customers.

If analytics showed one feature is used more than another, for example, they might try featuring it more prominently on the app home screen. Or maybe they’d work with the NLP Developer to refine speech recognition for that function. Optimizing content in this way can increase customer satisfaction as much as 60 percent, one report showed.

Virtual Call Center Director

The individual in this role would oversee the virtual call center — a network of customer service agents that work off-site (typically from home). This person would decide when and how to interact with these individuals, monitor their performance, and adjust the size of the team as needed. During peak communication cycles, for example, the Virtual CSR Manager might increase the number of agents on duty.

The Virtual Call Center Director would also consistently comb through key performance metrics to identify weak spots. If they noticed one remote agent lagging behind their cohorts, they could start monitoring calls and provide additional training.

These are just a few of the potential job titles our experts see emerging in the future. What changes do you see? What’s missing from this list? Join the conversation by commenting here.

About the author:

Ashley Verrill is a Market Analyst for research firm Software Advice. Her professional experience spans journalism, sales, advertising and SEO marketing. She’s a seasoned writer having produced copy for business journals, a sports magazine, daily deals advertising and industry blogs. She can be contacted at ashleyverrill[@]softwareadvice.com, or by calling 512-582-2314. LinkedIn – Twitter – Google +

March 8, 2013March 22, 2013

5 Smart Ways to Build a Content Machine and Increase Revenue by up to 40%

Did you asked yourself what future customers will find when they research your industry for products and services you also have to offer, will they find you or your competitor?

Millions of businesses competing for paying customers and it have become a difficult task for most of them to stand out of the crowd and to make future customers aware about their offers.

Content and social media have become successful ways to get attention from future buyers.

On the web you are what you publish… What are you?

–David Meerman Scott

Original content builds you trust, customer loyalty and can position your business as trusted experts in your field.

Content marketing has established as a powerful way to engage customers. An increasing number of B2C and B2B marketer are faced with the challenge to produce and publish buyer persona oriented interesting and remarkable content to attract customers to their products and services.

There is no question content is king! And Remarkable and helpful content brings customers and business direct to your front door the smart and cost effective way, this is for sure!

New studies show that companies utilizing the content marketing strategy in a serious manor report an up to 2,000% lift in blog traffic and 40% boost in revenue!

Infographic: A Brief History of Content Marketing

Moreover remarkable and helpful content is also a great way to build trust and customer loyalty. It offers the so called value ad for customers.

An open minded communication culture and authenticity mixed with credibility beats any old school – yesteryear nonsense marketing and saves your business a truckload of marketing cash!

The great success of content marketing is the result of giving away valuable information – remarkable content for free to attract the RIGHT people to your business like a magnet in an ongoing and steady growing stream.

Content marketing works 100% for any industry and business!

Content marketing can also work for you to attract new customers to your business like a magnet is you are willing to do it right!

The best way to start content marketing for business is to start a corporate blog.

But how and where to get the ideas to write remarkable blog articles who drive visitors to your business?

Here are five ways you should use to get blog content ideas:

1. Set up Google Alerts with your industry keywords
2. Search Blog Directories for your industries topics
3. Subscribe to other industry related blogs and on articles there
4. Go through your customers email communication, especially service, product and support questions
5. Participate in industry related social media groups and forums

These five points will bring you a ton of content ides to write helpful articles for your recent and future customers.

And yes, this is additional work but it is worth every minute you invest in your content marketing.

By taking this challenge you can expect these advantages for your business:

– Blogging companies get up to 55% more Traffic
– Blogging companies get up to 97% more Inbound Links
– Blogging companies get up to 434% more indexed pages in search engines
– Blogging companies get up to 25x times more business leads

…and more LEADS mean more revenue! It’s up on you.

February 19, 2013February 20, 2013

My prospects aren’t using social media, so I don’t need to be there!

WRONG!

Increasingly prospects shift from traditional to the digital media.

They research about products and services on search engines, forums, and blogs and in social media to get the best products and services for their money!

To get found online when future prospects are looking for products is one of the major challenges businesses are facing today.

Millions of businesses competing for paying customers and it have become a difficult task for most of them to stand out of the crowd and to make future customers aware about their offers.

Trust is a major factor when it comes to get new customers acquired.

Companies need to understand that they need be there before they ask for a sale. They need to establish themselves as an authority and trusted source in their industry.

Social media platforms are today serving as a great inbound marketing tool for building credibility, brand awareness as well as community of people with same interests. These people than become aware of the businesses products and services and can become paying customers.

The most popular channel to share content is social media, the advantages of platforms like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn for business and to win customer loyalty are known. About 76% of marketers say they used a social network as the main channel for content distribution.

Successful companies use every possible communication channel to get in touch with their target audience. They are interested in what their recent and future customers are thinking and communicating about them.

In a recent survey conducted, 72% of the marketing consultants have agreed that they are using social media marketing for their businesses online.

This tells the importance of social media marketing tactics and inbound market solutions for businesses online.

A new research of Pew Research Center shows that 69% of adults use social media!

What do you think how are the chances that none of your prospects are included in that majority of adults using social media?

If you still have doubts that your prospects are active in social media feel free to try the advertising targeting platforms of any of those social networks. There you can segment your target audience at no cost. Then you will see by yourself.

Social media is a powerful communication channel to get and to stay in touch with prospects, future and current customers and to build relationships with industry influencers. You can also connect with reporters who are looking for industry experts on upcoming stories like you to interview them. This could improve your credibility and bring you additional free exposure, prospects, leads and customers for your business!

As simple as that!

Infographic: Lead Generation

What do you think about social media for business? Let me know your toughts in the comment section below!

Read also these related articles:

December 18, 2012

The REAL ESTATE market + VIDEO

Global Purveyors + Marketers in the Real Estate realm are plentiful on the Internet. They market avidly on the Internet + on the Social Media sites

So what sets them apart ?

I would say the key factor in attracting Buyers on the Internet, is in the Marketing Techniques + Strategies they use + implement. Being one step ahead of the pack is key, as well as being up to speed with all that Technology has to offer

In addition, they should also be aware of where things are headed

And where are things headed ? VIDEO + MOBILE – It’s that simple !

Facts :

· Google loves Video !
· Cisco predict there will be a 10 fold increase in the use of Video over the next 5 years
· Internet Video traffic is now 40% of consumer internet
· People retain 10% of what they hear, but 50% of what they see
· Video is the single, most effective form of Communication
· Additional creative marketing platforms are constantly being sought
· ‘Old school’ marketing is no longer effective

Let’s look at two effective marketing tools the Real Estate market would do well to consider implementing in their marketing mix –

A VIDEO CONFERENCING / WEBINARS :

What is a Video Conference / Webinar ?

1. This online technology is often misunderstood by ‘newbies’ to technology, as it is called by many names – a Video Conference, a Web Conference, an Online Video Meeting or a Webinar – The are all the same thing

2. Simply put, it is an highly effective, browser based, simple to use virtual Video Meeting Room, where, at the click of a button with a link, you are able to host large or small online meetings with people locally or globally, to connect, communicate and collaborate

3. Many have not yet fully embraced the power of this technology, perhaps for fear of losing ‘the personal’ touch or the ‘face to face’ meeting scenario. However, we cannot stop progress and this is where things are headed if you want to see it

The Benefits of using Video Conferencing

1. This technology could be perceived as an adjunct marketing platform, or an additional marketing tool to what is already in place

2. The marketplace has become global and this technology enables purveyors to go global with ease

3. ‘Going green’ is what the world is advocating + what better way to save on time, energy, airfares, hotel accommodation, increase productivity and ultimately save money, than by hosting meetings, trainings, launches etc online

4. Access to Online Video Meetings is now available on most ‘smart phones’, Pads + Iphones, so meetings + negotiations can conveniently be held from a coffee shop, the beach – What a bonus !

5. Some are saying it is the ‘new’ Business Card

General features of Video Conferencing :

1. Showcase, Attract + drive more people to your business
2. Share Powerpoint presentations, Ideas, Videos, Photos, your Desktop
3. Show Websites
4. Review Contracts or Documents in a safe and secure environment
5. Use the White boarding feature, with interactive tools, like drawing + highlighting, to make it simpler for your attendees to collaborate with you

Creative Uses of Video Conferencing

1. Webinar Series
Develop a series of Webinars pertinent to your industry over a number of weeks, with content relevant to your clients or prospects. In this space, you can educate and demonstrate the value of your products or services. Specialist Guest Speakers always add value

2.Announcements, New Mandates or Property Developments
Using this technology as a broadcasting platform, invite your contacts, industry analysts, clients + prospects. Elevate the level of conversation by inviting specialists in your audience to answer questions + provide input

3.Guest Speakers
People perceive you differently when they know where you are coming from – let’s look at one example

o Reducing your carbon footprint

Attract people by hosting a Video Conference, selecting a relevant + current ’green’ subject matter, with the added attraction of a Guest Speaker, who should be a well-known expert or specialist in that particular field. Your Guest Speaker will – in their own right add value + easily attract a large audience – Everyone benefits

Now let us look at the second effective OnLine Marketing Tool

B Vmail – The new Email

Extraordinary results can be achieved using this technology. Video Email can change the world + the way we communicate Vmail by Vmail

1. People retain 10% of what they hear, but 50% of what they see
2. Video is the single, most effective form of communication
3. Additional creative marketing platforms are constantly being sought
4. ‘Old school’ marketing is no longer effective
5. People spend 8 seconds reading a static text email, but retain 85% of what they see in a Video
6. Static text emails are easy to ignore, and at their best give a customer only the vaguest notion of what your business really values
7. People simply don’t have the time today to read screeds of text and barely get past the third line, before deleting, without ever grasping the gist of the message that is trying to be conveyed

So what is a Vmail ?

· It is simple to use, online, browser based technology, which enables you to create your own personal Vmails
· Most technology platforms allow 20 minutes of talktime, which is more than adequate to impart your message
· Additional videos may also be uploaded into the Vmail
· No software downloads are necessary
· VMail opens on the Internet at the click of a button
· Most Vmail purveyors allow full integration with the social networks to share on YouTube, Facebook, etc

Creative uses of Vmail

1. Develop professional VIDEOS on virtual tours of all your mandates + developments – Make this ongoing – It’s powerful
2. Prospects get to see + get a feel of what you have on offer
3. Integrate your various Videos into Vmails + include your virtual tours + send to your select niche markets – This will give you the edge

Why use Video Email ?

VMail –
1. Is the new Email !
2. Is the future + where things are headed
3. Goes hand in hand with Online Video Meetings
4. Is Different, more Powerful, Personal, Effective +Creative
5. Has more Impact + grabs the Customer’s Attention
6. Enables you to literally look into your contact’s eyes + develop a relationship with that person, engaging them on a level that is simply not possible with a static text email
7. Enables voice resonance on a subliminal level
8. Can replace static text emails, which are easy to ignore and, at their best, give a customer only the vaguest notion of what your business or craft really values

Vmail USES are endless :
Vmail can be used for – All aspects of Business, Product launches, Company Profiles, Product or Service info, Invitations, Responses, Announcements, Special Occasions

Creating a Vmail is simple+ great fun !
1. Using a Webcam or Video Camera, record your message
2. Incorporate your own marketing Videos or appropriate Video content from YouTube or other
3. Use the Template feature available in most Vmail systems –
o Most Vmail systems will allow you to create your own personal template, using your own art or photos, or
o Choose a template from 100’s of designs available with most systems
4. Most VMail systems will automatically add your contact information
5. You can also add images or hyperlinks to other websites
6. Use a Contact Manager, available in most Vmail systems, to manage all your Contacts –
o Import all your contacts from your phone, email and PC into one spot
o Organize your Contacts alphabetically or in Groups
o Select + send to any number of your contacts using a Contact Manager
7. Use the campaign scheduling feature, if available in your selected system, to send right away, or schedule for a time + date in the future

The future is here – Embrace it !

Heather de Wit considers herself to be an ‘out of the box’ thinker and is happy to share her knowledge on the merits of utilising Video Email and Conferencing/Webinars. Her experience as a sole Entrepreneur for over 20 years spans marketing, advertising and PR. She enjoys creative writing, singing at functions and is a self-taught artist.

Get in touch with heather :

Facebook
LinkedIn
SKYPE : heather.de.wit
Mobile +27824907143
Website
EMail: heather@boundless-activities.net

November 22, 2012March 24, 2014

HEALING online with VIDEO

There are millions of Healing Practitioners around the globe, with much to offer the world in terms of healing, training + moving forward, but many are struggling to put food on the table in these economic climes.

Most Medical Aid Funds do not support, nor include most of the Wellness industry in their Medical Aid Cover, so these costs need to be born directly by Patients / Clients / Students – Really tough for most in these tough economic climes !

They would do well to seek other marketing tools + platforms to get themselves into the world globally

So what should Practitioners consider in this economic climate ?

1. I believe it is to seek out alternative + additional marketing tools + platforms + really embrace the Internet + Online Technology + all it has to offer !

2. VIDEO + MOBILE is the future, which opens up huge possibilities for Healing Practitioners, to use these tools as an adjunct to their one on one healing sessions, face to face workshops + trainings/healings they facilitate

3. Embracing the future + what is, would be something to consider, to grow their business + go Global with ease ! Millions globally have access to the Internet + many have Mobile smartphones today

4. Many Practitioners in the Healing fraternity industry are still resisting Online technology as an adjunct vehicle, to do their work Online, as HEALERS / TRAINERS / MEDIUMS / DOCTORS, etc – aside from using their therapy rooms, clinics or outside venues

5. The big move into technology, the Internet + Mobile is hugely daunting

6. However, those willing to take the leap would be well advised to start with the energy of Desire

7. They should be open + receptive to change, followed by a Mindset shift + the ability + willingness to embrace the power of it all, a new language, new knowledge, do the work to achieve new learning – to really embrace the Internet + all it has to offer to assist them in marketing their Brand, their Products, Healing Modalities, Psychic Readings + Training modalities, etc

8. Now is the perfect time for folk to solicit the services of Wellness Practitioners, who have much to offer, but at the right price of course !

9. Having said that, Wellness Practioners need to take a long hard look at their marketing etc costs + how best to serve their target audience in the most cost effective way ?

Where are things headed ?

· MOBILE
· VIDEO and
· Marketing on the Internet + Social Media sites

1. Practitioners are assured that, as long as eye to eye contact + voice resonance is achieved, Online meetings / healings / readings / trainings are totally feasible !

2. By moving away from hosting live ‘face to face’ Workshops/Training/Coaching at specific venues + hosting meetings online, Practitioners can, using this technology, save fortunes doing the ‘green thing’, reach a bigger audience, growing their business + consider passing on their savings to their Clients / Patients / Students

3. The ‘GOING GREEN’ here would be to consider integrating a Video Communications suite, into their marketing mix, such as –

· Video Email and
· Video Conferencing/Webinars

Using Video Conferencing / Webinars

· With the advent of web conferencing, coaching/teaching/readings etc can now be done 100% online from the ‘home office’ to easily reach a worldwide audience of potential + existing clients

· Going this route, they save on time, energy, airfares, venues, hotel accommodation – ultimately saving money themselves, which they can pass on to their clients

Using Vmail – the new Email

Practitioners would do well to market using Vmail – Extraordinary results can be achieved using this technology

· People spend 8 seconds reading a static text email, but retain 85% of what they see in a Video
· Static text emails are easy to ignore – and at their best – give a customer only the vaguest notion of what your business really values. People simply don’t have the time today to read screeds of text + barely get past the third line, before deleting, without ever grasping the gist of the message that is trying to be conveyed
· Video Email is simple to use, online, browser based technology, which enables you to create your own personal Vmails
· Most technology platforms allow 20 minutes of talk time, which is more than adequate to impart your message
· Additional videos may also be uploaded into the Vmail
· No software downloads are necessary
· Bandwidth is not compromised, as the VMail opens on the Internet, for folk with Internet + Bandwidth challenges
· Most Vmail purveyors allow full integration with your social networks to share on Youtube or Facebook, etc.

This is highly recommended + both Video Conferencing + VMail can be accessed on most Pads, Android + select Smartphones

More tips for Wellness Practitioners –

1. Consider coming into the future + really upping their game in terms of the marketing tools they use to attract, capture + maintain new Clients / Patients / Students etc
2. Have Hope for a successful Career + Business, to enable Thriving + Surviving in this global economy
3. Explore all other positive cost cutting possibilities for themselves + their Business + to pass this on to their Clients / Students etc
4. Get really Specific in their marketing approach
5. Think hard about speaking Generically to everyone, as trying to appeal to everyone doesn’t cut it anymore
6. Be highly Targeted in their marketing to people with problems

Facts to consider :

· Google loves Video !
· Cisco predict there will be a 10 fold increase in the use of Video over the next 5 years
· Internet Video traffic is now 40% of consumer internet
· People retain 10% of what they hear, but 50% of what they see
· Video is the single, most effective form of communication
· Additional creative marketing platforms are constantly being sought
· ‘Old school’ marketing is no longer effective

Get in touch with heather :

Facebook
LinkedIn
SKYPE : heather.de.wit
Mobile +27824907143+27824907143
EMail: heather@boundless-activities.net

November 16, 2012March 24, 2014

RECRUITERS, JOB SEEKERS + VIDEO COMMUNICATIONS

Times are tough globally, so Recruiters need to up their game in terms of the marketing tools they use to attract quality Job Seeking candidates via the Internet

In turn, Job Seekers would do well to present their credentials on the Internet with up to the minute creative marketing tools

Some interesting FACTS :

· Using Video Communications, you are making eye contact + experiencing voice resonance + seeing body language – This is hugely powerful + not possible to achieve in an audio interview

· Using a Video Conferencing suite, erases geographical boundaries + lowers costs. More + more companies are using this technology today, immediately eliminating hard costs

· Companies not utilising this technology right now, will find themselves at a huge competitive disadvantage down the line

· The future is MOBILE + VIDEO – it’s that simple !

Video Conferencing has become a popular choice for Recruiters enabling them to recruit globally with ease

1. RECRUITERS can up their game entirely using a Video Communications suite, such as Video Email + Video Conferencing

1.1 RECRUITERS showcasing in a Video Conference/Webinar :

· Recruiters can easily showcase their Business + Specialities globally reaching a huge + targeted audience in a Video Conference, using Power Point + Videos.

· In the Meeting Room, they could present short videos featuring tours of their company, interviews with executives, open chats with employees + day-in-the-life scenarios of what people in particular positions do all day

· They could also include videos about the local area or videos that have been made by news or other agencies about their company

1.2 RECRUITERS showcasing using Video Email/Vmail :

Recruiters can generate personally or pre-recorded Video Emails/VMaiils on :
· Different facets / specialities of their business
· Separate Vmails on specific Jobs available

All Vmails can easily be integrated into the Social Media

1.3 RECRUITERS recruiting in a Video Meeting Room :

Communicating with + interviewing Job seekers worldwide in a Video Conference meeting room, enables Recruiters to gain a deeper perspective on a candidate in a shorter space of time

1.4 BENEFITS of VIDEO Interviews :

· Greater consistency is allowed in Video interviews by the use of a pre-determined script + format, where all candidates are asked the same set of questions
· Video captures the moment permanently, as videos can be replayed reviewed, compared + rated online
· Recruiters can better remember their candidates having the visual material at hand – especially true when compared with audio interviews
· Video interviews provide a more personal touch
· Time is money. This is always a factor for most Recruiters. Video Conferencing allows a large number of interviews to be carried out in a short space of time + right across the globe

JOB SEEKERS need to be ahead of the pack in their online marketing techniques + Video is highly recommended

2. Some creative ideas integrating VIDEO for JOB SEEKERS :

2.1 CV integration into Video Email/VMail :

2.1.1 Job Seekers would do well to create a Video Email/Vmail of themselves to add impact to their CV’s + credentials. Here again, making eye contact + voice resonance registering on the subliminal + body language is key

2.1.2 Recruiters have a far better insight into the quality + capabilities of their prospective candidates when viewing them on their Vmails, as they can see + hear their them

2.2 Advantages of using VIDEO Interviews

2.2.1 Time is money. Job Seekers can save a fortune using Online Video interviews. There is no need to stress about being late for interviews because of traffic + no need to travel to another city/country, as it all happens online

2.2.2 A job interview can be a lot less stressful if conducted from your own home

2.2.3 Job Seekers can prepare for Video interviews, by recording themselves answering typical interview questions, so they are prepared + confidant on the day

2.2.4 Ideal for Job Seekers already employed, but looking to move elsewhere. They don’t have to take days off, but can be interviewed in the privacy of their own homes after hours

The age of VIDEO is here – Embrace it !

According to Gartner, Inc, the world’s leading information technology research + advisory company, more than 25% of the content that workers view each day, will be dominated by pictures, video or audio by 2013

Get in touch with heather :

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SKYPE : heather.de.wit
Mobile +27824907143+27824907143
EMail: heather@boundless-activities.net

November 6, 2012March 24, 2014

Can LIFE + BUSINESS COACHES survive in these economic climes ?

Life + Business Coaches are a dime a dozen on the Internet. Times are tough globally. The economic meltdown is a reality for many.

Many companies are tightening their belts + Coaches are a luxury to maintain + engage. Many organizations are in ‘rethink’ mode

I wonder –

· How many Life + Business Coaches are really bringing in the business + putting food on the table in the present economic climate ?
· Are people as likely to solicit the services of a Life or Business Coach at this time ?
· Are Life + Business Coaches an essential service in these economic times ?

Choosing NOT to be a preacher of doom + gloom is a tough act to follow right now –

· We are living in a fragile world
· No one knows what’s around the next corner – war, strikes, killings, violence, business closures, job losses, home foreclosures, a time of uncertainty + fear ?
· What are the answers really – where does one run to in a time of strife, chaos + not knowing ?

I would say this is the perfect time for People + Business to solicit the service of Life + Business Coaches, but at the right price of course !

Having said that, Coaches need to take a long hard look at their marketing etc costs + how best to serve their Clients in the most cost effective way ?

So what are the answers ?

1. ‘GOING GREEN’ – Moving away from hosting live ‘face to face’ Workshops/Training/Coaching at specific venues + hosting meetings online
· With the advent of web conferencing, coaching can now be done 100% online from the ‘home office’ to easily reach a worldwide audience of potential + existing clients
· Going this route, they save on time, energy, airfares, venues, hotel accommodation – ultimately saving money themselves, which they can pass on to their clients

Life + Business Coaches need to –

2. Really up their game in terms of the marketing tools they use to attract, capture + maintain new Clients ?
3. Have Hope for a successful Career + Business, to enable Thriving + Surviving in this global economy
4. Explore all other positive cost cutting possibilities for themselves + their Business + to pass this on to their Clients
5. Get really Specific in their marketing approach
6. Think hard about speaking Generically to everyone, as trying to appeal to everyone doesn’t cut it anymore
7. Be highly Targeted in their marketing to people with problems

So where are things headed ?
· MOBILE + VIDEO + Marketing on the Social networking sites – It’s that simple !

Doing the ‘green thing’ + integrating a Video communications suite, such as Video Email and Video Conferencing/Webinars is highly recommended + can be accessed on most Pads, Android + select Smartphones

Facts :
· Google loves Video !
· Cisco predict there will be a 10 fold increase in the use of Video over the next 5 years
· Internet Video traffic is now 40% of consumer internet
· People retain 10% of what they hear, but 50% of what they see
· Video is the single, most effective form of communication
· Additional creative marketing platforms are constantly being sought
· ‘Old school’ marketing is no longer effective

Get in touch with heather :

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SKYPE : heather.de.wit
Mobile +27824907143+27824907143
EMail: heather@boundless-activities.net

October 16, 2012

The Debate Results: Will Technology Kill the Call Center?

Last month, I told you about an upcoming online debate called: “Will Technology Kill the Call Center?”

Research firm Software Advice moderated the event earlier this month with a panel of call center and customer service technology experts from IntelliResponse, Drumbi, Avaya Inc. and Etech Global Services.

The 45-minute discussion was hosted in a Google+ Hangout where the panel answered a list of scripted questions before fielding queries from the digital audience of 40. The group talked about trends in customer contact channel utilization, technology and the future call center.

The speakers offered advice for consumer contact strategy and ways companies can prepare for the future.

The speakers agreed first of all that customer contact channel utilization for non-traditional channels – such as virtual agents – is growing. This is primarily the result of better technology that can finally deliver on the promises from six years ago. So customers are now empowered with a choice of how they want to contact you. But this doesn’t mean they are using these contact avenues instead of phone – it just means by the time they get there they are likely at a critical point.

“The company needs to be smarter when they get there,” Avaya Director of Customer Experience Management Laura Basset said. This means knowing whether the customer interacted with self service, and what they looked at. Did they ask a question to a virtual agent? Did they log into their online account?

Ultimately, the debate ended with the agreement that the call center won’t disappear because of technology – it’s already gone. The reborn contact center is a different environment where agents are increasingly expected to handle interactions from myriad channels. This will continue to change the skill set and expectations from these facilities. Watch for more changes to come, they warned.

Click here to watch the entire recording.

About the author:

Ashley Furness is a Market Analyst for research firm Software Advice. Her professional experience spans journalism, sales, advertising and SEO marketing. She’s a seasoned writer having produced copy for business journals, a sports magazine, daily deals advertising and industry blogs. She can be contacted at Ashleyfurness[@]softwareadvice.com, or by calling 512-582-2314. LinkedIn – Twitter – Google +

September 25, 2012March 24, 2014

Will Technology Kill the Call Center?

Customers love instant gratification of call-in service. Until recently, that’s what phone service got them.

But these days the majority of people have tired of extended holding, automated prompts, unhelpful agents and getting lost in a sea of transfers. Couple this with new technologies for better, faster self-service and you’ve got a change a brewing in the consumer support industry.

Later this month, I will host a Software Advice live debate on this topic called, “Will Technology Kill the Call Center?” The event will begin at 1 p.m. Central on September 27 in a Google+ Hangout. To watch the event and chime in with your own questions, visit my Google+ page that day and comment in the feed. Add me to your circle on Google+ and I’ll send you an event reminder.

I will run the event similar to a political debate. A panel of four experts will answer a set of questions one by one, with opportunities for a rebuttal after each response. I will also close with a few questions from the audience, collected via comments in the feed on my Google+ page. To watch, just go to my profile page and click the round play button in the “Hangouts” box.

Here’s a list of the speakers:

Jim Iyoob is the senior vice president of global development for Etech Global Services. He has more than 15 years contact center outsourcing experience in domestic and offshore inbound, outbound, and live chat operations.

Shervin Talieh is the founder and CEO of Drumbi–a technology startup focused on mobile and social customer service. Drumbi leverages voice and data synchronization to streamline call routing and phone customer service. Previously, he also served in leadership positions for Goldeneye Solutions and Accenture.

Laura Bassett is the director of customer experience management and emerging technologies for Avaya Inc. Avaya designs, builds and manages business communications applications for more than one million businesses worldwide, including more than 90 percent of the FORTUNE 500 companies.

Mike Hennessy is vice president of marketing for IntelliResponse. His company provides “Virtual Agents” and other customer self-service offerings. Previously, he worked for Truition and as a communications consultant for Amazon.com, Dell, The Royal Bank of Canada, Hewlett-Packard, and Pfizer Pharmaceuticals.

See you there!

About the author:

August 23, 2012August 23, 2012

How Real Time Communication can increase your Revenue by up to 40%

In the past marketing has depending on campaigns. Because of its inflexibility this model does not fit anymore into this Real Time world we live.

Today businesses need to react in real time with their audience.

Business can gain a massive competitive advantage when they become able and are willing to communicate with their audience in Real Time.

The most frequented Real Time Communication Channels are Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn only to name some of them.

Here is the audience which demands brands to communicate in real time and show they care about their recent and future customers.

Real Time Communication is a powerful way for businesses to learn more about the demand their audience has and this sets them into the position to custom tailor products and service for the price their audience want.

As business recognizes the Real Time Mindset and the importance of speed they can set them self apart from their competition the smart way for a fraction of the cost of old school campaigns but with much more better results.

A Real Time Mindset ads an smart additional way of marketing to the businesses marketing arsenal, which means that business still can go forward with the marketing activities they still do and then compare investment, effort and results with this new Real Time approach.

Numbers do not lie and every business owner will go on to use the marketing strategies which bring him the most for his buck and cancel those one who do not.

The size of an organization can make real time communication difficult. Because of the simple question who does what.

But great examples like ZAPPOS have proven that even organization with 300 people can communicate in real time for example on Twitter which has set them massively apart from their competition. They became so successful that AMAZON acquired them and let them work further as ZAPPOS without changing anything inside, especially not the successful way of real time communication.

Sure size matter, but when you want it and you understand the benefits, than you can do it no matter how big or small your organization is.

The secret to get Real Time Communication successfully achieved so that it brings your business huge profits is to lower control which needs to hand over a high amount of trust to your employees. If you see them as responsible adults and demand for their responsibility they will react this way.

You will need to set flexible rules about communication which leaves your employees enough space to breathe and to react in your favor.

Let me know what you think about Real Time Communication!

August 1, 2012August 1, 2012

Customers Demand Brands to Prove Themselves Trustworthy

Trust is a major factor when it comes to get new customers acquired.

Companies need to understand that they need be there before they ask for a sale. They need to establish themselves as an authority and trusted source in their industry.

About.com conducted a survey where they find out that 84% of said that brands must prove themselves trustworthy before they buy or interact in any other way!

Reviews (customer generated content) are a way how brands can gain trust with future customers said 41% of the surveyed people.

This brings us to the most effective way how to gain customer trust before you ask for the sale.

Content marketing is a proven way to engage customers.

A seriously executed content marketing strategy can be responsible for 25x times more business leads and boosts your revenue by up to 40%!

One of the most popular channels to share content is social media. About 76% of marketers use a social network as the main channel for content distribution.

To share content in social media is not enough. Content creation and content marketing must be executed as a holistic strategy and have to be performed on regular basis to gain profitable results on the long term.

Companies utilizing content marketing strategy report an up to 2,000% lift in blog traffic and 40% boost in revenue.

How to start content marketing?

The best way to start content marketing for business is to start a corporate blog. Recent and future customers can interact this way with your business. You show expertise and offer valuable information to solve your audience’s problems. This gains trust.

Blogging has great advantages and here are the most important:

1. Blogging companies get up to 55% more Traffic
2. Blogging companies get up to 97% more Inbound Links
3. Blogging companies get up to 434% more indexed pages in search engines
4. Blogging companies get up to 25x times more business leads

All of this above builds trust and increases brand visibility. As a result this brings more interested people to the offers and can increase revenue in the long term.

July 11, 2012July 11, 2012

How to empower your Real Time Marketing and PR with Traditional Medias trust

To get the word out about your business, products and your services becomes an increasing challenge in today time.

More and more businesses focus on online marketing, social media marketing and online business lead generation. They all compete for the attention of their target audience.

The buyer also increasingly research for products and services on the web and in social media. He asks his network contacts, business partner, family and friends for their opinion and for recommendation about products, services and brands.

The development of mobile devices like smart phones, tablet pc and mobile apps give them all the power to research and to buy on the fly.

This is valid for business to consumer (b2c) and for business to business (b2b) related industries. Nobody can escape this buyer centric market when he wants to stay successful in the future.

But to make a person aware of your products and services they need to find you. You need to be there when and where they are looking. How to do that?

A great way to catch a customer attention is by publishing great content. Each piece of content is an outpost of your business on the web and can help to find you when your audience is looking in social media and on search engines.

Content creation is the most successful strategy to attract the right buyer persona to your offers.

As content creation is the most successful strategy to attract the right buyer persona it is increasingly used and the quality and competition for good content is growing.

The only thing what can help businesses to set them self apart from their competition is to be and stay creative.

A recent research from Triton Digital found out that the most people still trust more Traditional Media like TV, Radio and newspaper than news and information from the internet and social media.

So it looks like that social media is obviously not the #1 news machine. What to do now?

A great way to show creativity in content marketing is to do Real Time Marketing and PR by Newsjacking.

Newsjacking is the process by which you inject your ideas or angles into breaking news, in real-time, in order to generate media coverage for yourself or your business. – David Meerman Scott

Regarding to David Meerman Scott the bestselling author the rules have changed. The traditional PR model—sticking closely to a preset script and campaign timeline—no longer works the way it used to. Public discourse now moves so fast and so dynamically that all it takes is a single afternoon to blast the wheels off someone’s laboriously crafted narrative.

And here we are!

I will not describe here how exactly to do Newsjacking. For this you should buy David Meerman Scott great book to learn the exact tasks.

But I will try to give you a small idea how Newsjacking can work for your business.

When you go through the daily media, like news on TV, radio, newspaper social media updates on Facebook, Twitter, etc. do you see sometimes news which grab your attention because they relate to your industry in any way?

We learned that still most people trust traditional media. How would it be to get piggyback on breaking news and profit from the public excitement and the life of a news story to increase your businesses reach and awareness with future customers? 😉

So by using the reach and the trust of traditional media you can reach far more people with your message than before. But you need to be very quick!

There is no question Newsjacking is the most creative and one of the most effective ways to get attention, and the best on it, anybody can do it!

July 6, 2012

How to Wipe Out your Business by Choosing the Wrong Color

A recent study of Marketo brought out that a wrong chosen color for your business and logo can cost you the success in the long run.

The color of a business is the first impression a future customer will discover when he hits your offer. The study found out that the right product color can influence your target audience purchasing decisions by up to 80%. The right color can make or break a business!

To choose the right color is a process where you have to ask yourself how you want your business to be perceived out there?

You can go the quick and dirty way to choose a brand color but this can cost your business the success in the long run. Or you sit down and use the recent information (for example this below in the infographic) to choose your brand colors wisely.

Infographic: True Colors

Further important resources: