Archive for the ‘social media marketing’ Category
05/08/13 by Dragan Mestrovic | blogging, Content Creation Strategy, Content Marketing, Get Found Online, inbound marketing, Lead Generation, Marketing Automation, Online Reputation, Real-Time Brand Massaging, Real-Time Marketing and PR, social media marketing | 1 Comment »
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
02/19/13 by Dragan Mestrovic | inbound marketing, Lead Generation, Real-Time Brand Massaging, Real-Time Marketing and PR, social media marketing | No Comments »
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:
- Why marketers Increase their Social Media Marketing Budgets?
- How to Track and Follow Up on Social Brand Mentions
- 5 Ways How To Gain A Huge Profit From Facebook Sponsored Stories
- B2B Marketing Social Networks for more Business Leads
- How to grow your revenue through Social Customer Support
01/30/13 by Dragan Mestrovic | Advanced Content, Content Creation Strategy, Content Marketing, Get Found Online, inbound marketing, Lead Generation, Online Reputation, social media marketing | 1 Comment »
What exactly are infographics?
Infographics are graphic visual representations of information, data or knowledge intended to present complex information quickly and clearly.
Infographics can improve cognition by utilizing graphics to enhance the human visual system’s ability to see patterns and trends and this is what made them a powerful marketing tool for businesses.
Infographics are shared on the web, Twitter and Facebook more often than other content online.
Infographics are easy to understand, to consume and to share. On Twitter, LinkedIn und StumbleUpon Infographics get more retweets than other content.
Marketers love Infographics because they offer an easy and powerful viral marketing tool to spread the word about the company’s products and services.
B2C and B2B also love infographics as they explain sophisticated facts in a very easy understandable way.
“A picture is worth a thousand words”
The most popular Infographics are about business with about 12.7%, technology with about 10% and social media with about 9%.
As infographics are able to explain sophisticated topics in an easy way they are very popular for technology.
Infographic: The State of Infographics
What are your experiences with infographics? Tell me in the comment box below.
10/16/12 by Ashley Verrill | Online Reputation, Real-Time Brand Massaging, social media marketing | 2 Comments »
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.
Read also: Will Technology Kill the Call Center?
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 +
10/12/12 by Heather de Wit | Content Creation Strategy, Content Marketing, General, Get Found Online, social media marketing | 2 Comments »
What is ‘The Arts’ ?
1. The Arts is a group of disciplines, comprising many genres, endeavours or art forms, all united by their employment of the human creative impulse, to express and communicate through various art forms.
2. New and additional genres are being added daily.
3. Let us put them all in one box for ease of understanding. This may be contentious to some globally, who have different perceptions of The Arts.
4. The many forms of expression create an adequate or enormous income for many players, but for others, sadly it must just be perceived as a pastime, due to lack of funds or infrastructures.
5. The Arts are dying in many countries, which are not getting sufficient financial support from their governments or other and so it is time to seek other means of exposure and marketing platforms.
What do The Arts enable ?
1. Imparting a message
2. Telling a true story
3. Education
4. Imparting own gifts
5. Creating mindset shifts
6. Enabling interactive conversation
7. Enabling enjoyment, laughter, sadness, joy etc
8. Self expression
9. Enabling escape from real life – and so on
Let’s look at some players in ‘The Arts’
- MUSICIANS – all genres from jazz to rap
- ARTISTS – all mediums, including sculptors, potters, etc
- DANCERS – al genres, from ballet to hip hop
- COMEDIANS
- MAGICIANS
- SINGERS - from OPERA to RAP – including producers, choreographers
- FILM/THEATRE – actors, directors, writers, producers, choreographers
- WRITERS/AUTHORS – all genres, including poets, fiction, non-fiction, biographies, etc
Players in ‘The Arts’ need to up their marketing game + would do well, by using the Social networking sites + incorporating VIDEO COMMUNICATIONS into their marketing mix
Adding VIDEO CONFERENCING / WEBINARS into the marketing mix :
More and more of The Arts genres are embracing this powerful technology as an adjunct marketing, training, collaboration, communication and exposure platform. Due to budget and time constraints, people cannot always travel far distances to attend an event/training etc..
- DISTANCE Training/Workshops
- Globally teaching, learning + rehearsing dance routines, orchestral music arrangements + scores, scripts etc in advance before show time
- Creating a global environment for creative research across diverse disciplines, where all players can collaborate, experiment and enjoy artistic exchange and learning, exploring the boundaries of synthesizing art and technology
- In this global environment, students can actively explore their creativity and develop, using their own creative gifts through active engagement, reflection and collaboration
- More and more music teachers world wide are embracing this technology to teach pupils to play various instruments in remote areas
Virtual shows can be created in a global Video Meeting Room, where interested parties can participate in interactive sessions, with people interested in learning more about their particular genre of Art.
o Authors can save a fortune by hosting a virtual book tour.
o This can be co-marketed with e-commerce book companies, online communities and off-line bookstores, that want to drive traffic to their stores and sites.
o Invite reporters or editors to an online web interview.
o These web events can be conducted with the media, through relevant websites and e-commerce sites.
o Online web interviews enable interviewing all relevant journalists at once, with the promotion of their stories on Movie, TV, Radio, Theatre, Music, Dance, Arts etc.
o Webinars enable you to expose large groups of people at once to interviews with actors, singers, dancers, poets, playwrights, producers, choreographers, directors etc..
o Artists across all art form mediums, can use Video Conferencing to go global, communicate and show their art to the world.
o They could even stream a pre-recorded video on a virtual tour of their art from their own studio or gallery.
o Inviting a well known art expert as a guest speaker to a Webinar, who in their own rights, will attract numbers to the web event, would be an added bonus.
Adding VMail – The new EMAIL – into the marketing mix
What is a Vmail ?
o Video Email is simple to use, online, browser based technology, which enables you to create your own personal Vmails.
o Most technology platforms allow 20 minutes of talk time, which is more than adequate to impart your message.
o Additional videos may also be uploaded into the Vmail, e.g. a virtual tour of an Artist’s gallery or studio, a Singer or Dancer’s debut or demo, etc..
o No software downloads are necessary.
o Bandwidth is not compromised, as the VMail opens on the Internet.
o Most Vmail purveyors allow full integration into your social networks to share on Youtube or Facebook, etc..
WHY use VMAIL ?
Video Email is the new Email ! It is a perfect adjunct marketing tool to incorporate into your Video Communications suite –
Why ?
- It’s Different
- More powerful
- More Personal
- More Effective
- Is Creative
- Seeing is Believing
- Has more Impact
- Grabs the customer’s Attention
- Enables you to literally look into your contact’s eyes and develop a relationship with that person, engaging them on a level that is simply not possible with a static text email
- Enables your voice to resonate on a subliminal level
- Static text emails, are easy to ignore, and at their best, give a customer only the vaguest notion of what your business or craft really values
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
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 :
09/25/12 by Ashley Verrill | Online Reputation, Real-Time Brand Massaging, Real-Time Marketing and PR, social media marketing | 5 Comments »
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:
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 +
09/18/12 by Dragan Mestrovic | Content Creation Strategy, Content Marketing, Online Reputation, Real-Time Marketing and PR, social media marketing | No Comments »
The traffic to your offers online decides about the value and the volume of your business leads.
Are you in control of your traffic and the volume of your business leads? Do you think you can be in control of your business leads and revenue?
I have a message for you: You can be in control of your business leads and revenue!
There is a way how you can increase qualified traffic, business leads and revenue. Content marketing!
Content marketing has become a powerful way to engage customer’s right where they stand.
To share published content in social media is not enough. Content creation and content marketing as a holistic strategy must be performed on regular basis to gain measurable and profitable results on the long term.
Businesses brand them self by creating and publishing original content. Businesses that create and publish remarkable content on the web and in social media:
• Establish thought leadership
• Elevate brand visibility and buzz
• Boosts SEO
Content marketing improves the search engine rank and the content has more chances to get shared on social networks, which also improves brand reach and direct more future customers to landing pages where they can convert to qualified leads.
By generating interesting and remarkable content other blogs, news sites will link to the businesses website and blog which increases the Page Rank and improves the search engine visibility.
Companies utilizing content marketing strategy report an up to 2,000% lift in blog traffic and 40% boost in revenue.
Infographic: The Anatomy of Content Marketing
The best way for businesses to start with content marketing is blogging!
Companies who operate a corporate blog on frequent base get up to:
• 55% more Traffic than companies who do not blog
• 97% more Inbound Links than companies who do not blog
• 434% more indexed pages in search engines than companies who do not blog
• 25x times more business leads than companies who do not blog
09/11/12 by Dragan Mestrovic | Content Creation Strategy, Get Found Online, Real-Time Marketing and PR, social media marketing | 1 Comment »
Increasingly consumers shift from traditional to the digital media. They research about products on search engines, forums, and blogs and in social media to get the best products for their money!
To get found online when future customers 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.
A recent research from media and marketing services firm Valassis shows that 12% of the surveyed grocery retail executives go from usage of 12% social media in 2012 to a 65% usage in the next five years. They also plan to increasing investments in online marketing in general. The have understood the advantages of facebook for business and other networks to build customer loyalty.
An increasing number of B2C marketers are faced with the challenge to attract buyers to their offers.
This problem can be solved with Content marketing which has established as a powerful way to engage customers in social media.
Also an increasing number of B2C marketers are faced with the challenge produce and publish buyer persona oriented interesting and remarkable content to attract customers on the web and in social media to their products.
The most popular channel to share content is social media, the advantages of facebook 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.
Infographic: How Brands Listen in the Digital Age
This communication ability helps them to better understand and to serve their audience, which sets them apart from their competition and gives them wide advantages in their business field.
Businesses which are willing to communicate with their audience in blogs and social media show that they care about the people who spend their money with them.
Read also:
How to Generate Business through Content Marketing
How to Increase Backlinks and Customer Loyalty through Content Marketing
09/06/12 by Dragan Mestrovic | Content Marketing, Real-Time Marketing and PR, social media marketing | 1 Comment »
New reports show that Twitter beats Facebook in US Mobile Ad Revenues This Year. This is a clear sign that Twitter users could be more engaged that Facebook users. New numbers also show that Photo- and Video-Sharing Popular on Twitter.
Here are some numbers to try to compare the effectiveness of Twitter and Facebook for marketing:
An average Facebook user has an average of 130 friends compared with a Twitter user and his average 300 Followers. Twitter users share 1.5 more times tweets than compared with Facebook users which share wall post messages 0.65 on average. Massages shared on Facebook reach 45k of people there on average compared with 105k reach on Twitter.
These numbers give you a small idea of marketing effectiveness of booth social media platforms.
How can you profit from Twitter’s great opportunity to reach your target audience and increase business leads, sales and profits without spending a truck load of ad money on Twitter?
Twitter is a great tool to do real time communication with your audience. Users expect companies to response quickly to their requests. The quick response and serious reaction to requests or events on which happen is an essential part to profit from Twitter communication which breaks out.
Customers often reach out to brands to learn more about new products and services. If a brand is able to publish important product and services related news exclusively to their Twitter network first, this would help to improve loyalty with their network. This can also result in an improvement of revenue in the long term.
4 Reasons why companies should leverage Twitter:
• Increase brand awareness
• Humanize B2B companies
• Establish as thought leader
• Connecting easy and effortless with customers and prospects
7 Steps how can you profit from Twitter?
1. Start a Twitter presence and complete your profile
2. Research for industry related Tweets, discussions and people. Follow those people
3. Listen to their discussions. If you have something valuable to contribute than do it, otherwise go on listening
4. Start a corporate blog. Write about topics your audience is interested in. Share your blog articles in Twitter and ask for feedback and opinion for your publication
5. Build landing pages and offer Twitter exclusive and valuable content for download. So you generate laser target high quality industry related leads from Twitter
6. Measure your activities
7. Improve your activities and repeat
Infographic: Twitter Marketing
09/04/12 by Dragan Mestrovic | Advanced Content, Content Creation Strategy, Online Reputation, Real-Time Marketing and PR, social media marketing | 1 Comment »
When I communicate in Facebook and Twitter, then I like to share interesting and valuable content.
Sometimes there are users in my network who make the impression they are bothered through this information. Social media is for connection and for communication. People who don’t want to be “bothered” by information which they don’t like for this moment should take into account that maybe this information they don’t like at this moment can benefit other people.
Social media is a democratic way of communication and this means that everybody is free to publish any information which can benefit others.
Not each piece of content which a business or a private person publishes in the social media channel is of interest or value for all. But the more content and information is published the higher are the chances that under this mass of content parts exist which benefit other people.
To publish and to share content is a sign of generosity. And if there is content or any information you don’t like than you are free to express your personal opinion on this, but keep in mind your opinion must not be universally applicable.
Content sharing is an essential part of knowledge and communication and improves the online reputation.
Infographic: Social Sharing Trends
What do you think, how does content sharing in social media benefits you?
08/28/12 by Dragan Mestrovic | inbound marketing, Lead Generation, Real-Time Marketing and PR, social media marketing | No Comments »
Recent stats show that those marketers spend less than 20% of their marketing budgets on social media which includes the outreach to target audience on social sites, advertising and maintaining a social media presence.
Most marketers have or plan to increase their budgets for social media marketing by up to 25% in 2012.
Content marketing has established as a powerful way to engage customers in social media. 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 on the web and in social media to their products and services.
The most popular channel to share content is social media. 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.
This communication ability helps them to better understand and to serve their audience, which sets them apart from their competition and gives them wide advantages in their business field.
Businesses which are willing to communicate with their audience in blogs and social media show that they care about the people who spend their money with them.
Businesses which avoid an open and authentic communication in blogs and social media show exactly the opposite. Why should the customer than care about to make any further business with them?
Successful businesses in B2C and B2B have embraced the wide opportunities which blogs and social media offers to them to spread the word and to reach their audience where there are around.
Infographic: How Brands Listen in the Digital Age
08/11/12 by Heather de Wit | blogging, General, Get Found Online, Mobile Marketing, social media marketing | No Comments »
This technology can change the world !
Facts :
· Google loves Video !
· Cisco predict there will be a 10 fold increase in the use of Video Conferencing/Webinars 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
· Companies continue to look for additional creative marketing platforms
· ‘Old school’ marketing is no longer effective
What is a Video Conference / Webinar ?
Called by many names a Video Conference, a Video Meeting or a Webinar – all meaning the same thing. 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.
Access to online meetings is now available on most ‘smart phones’.
Some are saying it is the ‘new’ business card.
Many have not yet fully embraced or grasped 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.
‘Going green’ is what the world is advocating and 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.
This could be perceived as an adjunct marketing platform, or an additional marketing tool to what you already have in place.
The marketplace has become global and this technology enables you to go global with ease.
General features –
· Attract and drive more people to your business
· Share Powerpoint presentations
· Share ideas
· Share Videos
· Show websites
· Share photos
· Review contracts or documents in a safe and secure environment
· Share your desktop
· Use the white boarding feature, with interactive tools, like drawing and highlighting, to make it simpler for your attendees to collaborate with you.
Creative Uses :
· WEBINAR SERIES
Develop a series of Webinars 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. Guest specialist speakers always add value.
· ANNOUNCEMENTS, NEW PRODUCTS or CAMPAIGNS
Invite your media contacts, industry analysts, clients and prospects. Elevate the level of conversation by inviting specialists in your audience to answer questions and provide input.
· GUEST SPEAKERS
People perceive you differently when they know where you are coming from – eg, reducing your carbon footprint. Attract people ‘through the back door’ by hosting a Video Conference, selecting a relevant and 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, easily attract a large audience – Everyone benefits.
· BOOK LAUNCHES
A book tour can be very costly. Authors can save a fortune by hosting a virtual book tour. This can be co-marketed with e-commerce book companies, online communities and off-line bookstores, that want to drive traffic to their stores and sites.
· The ARTS
For Movie/TV/Radio/Theatre/Music/Dance Promotions, use Webinars to reach large groups of people to interview actors, singers, dancers, poets, playwrights, producers, choreographers, directors etc. These web events can be conducted with the media, through relevant websites, e-commerce sites, TV, newspaper or magazine, radio web sites.
· ART EXHIBITIONS
Artists across all art form mediums, can use Video Conferencing to go global, communicate and show their art to the world. They could even stream a pre-recorded video on a virtual tour of their art from their own studio or gallery. Inviting a well known art expert as a guest speaker, who in their own rights, will attract numbers to the web event, would be an added bonus.
· MEDIA INTERVIEWS
To better assist journalists with their stories, invite reporters or editors to an online web interview to discuss issues, show products, present information and data.
· MARKET RESEARCH
Focus groups can view and research products through audio, chat or text-based questions. Polls and online surveys are also a popular feature in these focus groups and are available features with this technology.
· SPECIAL EVENTS/TRADE SHOWS/EXHIBITIONS
Create a virtual show in a Video Meeting Room, where different companies can participate in interactive sessions, with people interested in learning more about your company’s products and services. Due to budget and time constraints, people cannot always travel far distances to attend an event. CUSTOMER SERVICE
Give E-Commerce customers live assistance when choosing products. Invite them to a product knowledge session. The Video Meeting Room can feature a live individual or be a pre-recorded session.
• CUSTOMER SERVICE
Give E-Commerce customers live assistance when choosing products. Invite them to a product knowledge session. The Video Meeting Room can feature a live individual or be a pre-recorded session.
· DEMONSTRATING PRODUCTS
Web conferencing is a great way to demonstrate the uses of products.
· EDITING on the fly
Edit on the fly in a safe and secure environment, with people from different geographic regions. Everyone can view the same document simultaneously, so edits can be made quickly and efficiently, without costly delays.
· Editing WEB SITES
This is a highly efficient way to review web pages with a group of people.
· SKILLING, TRAINING
Webinars are becoming increasingly popular and convenient as a training tool.
· RECRUITMENT
Companies can easily go global and hire the best from anywhere in the world, using Video Conferencing as an interviewing tool, inviting prospective employees to interact and collaborate. Here they can upload their resumes and review same with them, together with others, who are part of the hiring process, but are located in other regions.
· CONTACT US
Video Meeting Rooms can be used as a ‘Contact Us’ feature. People can request an instant meeting to talk with you and learn more about what you do.
· INVESTOR RELATIONS
Invite analysts, media and shareholders to a Web Conference for quarterly reviews, announcements and appointments.
· COMMUNITY
A great tool for Community forums and groups to connect, collaborate and communicate on :
o Community issues, problems
o Neighbourhood watches can have a better handle on crime and policing
· COMPANY STAFF, COMMITTEE, SALES or BOARD MEETINGS
More and more businesses are seeing the value of using this technology to communicate and collaborate with employees and management nationally or globally on a more regular basis, saving time, energy, travel, communication bills, accommodation bills, etc, increasing productivity and ultimately saving money.
· DISTANCE EDUCATION
More and more institutions are embracing this technology for :
o Distance learning
o Extra mural classes moderated by Teachers
o Students can ‘study together’ without ‘being together’
o School board meetings
o Teacher training
o Academic contests e.g. debates, with other institutions
· CHURCHES, NGO’s (Charities), CLUBS
Institutions using Webinars can :
o Interact with members and constituents
o Conduct remote study with exchange groups
o Conduct Church meetings
o Conduct Board or Committee meetings
o Host Fundraising campaigns
o Host Planning sessions
o Host Remote counselling
Infographic: Video Conferencing
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 :
08/01/12 by Dragan Mestrovic | Content Creation Strategy, Content Marketing, inbound marketing, Lead Generation, Real-Time Brand Massaging, social media marketing | 2 Comments »
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.
07/26/12 by Dragan Mestrovic | inbound marketing, landing pages, Lead Generation, social media marketing | No Comments »
Often I get asked how to communicate with B2B or B2C and where the differences are by attracting the right people.
There is a simple answer: There is no difference in communication.
But you should understand your audience and communicate in that way that your communication is worth for them to get noticed.
You should know who you want to attract to your offers. And when you know who your audience, your buyer personas are than you can create interesting and remarkable information for those people.
How to know what your “buyer personas” are interested in? Just ask them what they are interested in. You can do this in social media on Facebook LinkedIn and Twitter. You can also take a closer look to your email archive and the requests there. You should be able to put together an interesting catalogue of topics your “buyer personas” are interested in.
Now you are able to give valuable answers to these questions. An effective way to get the attention of your audience is to write this down as blog articles and to publish this content on the web and in social media. This should attract the right buyer personas to these articles and in the next steps lead them to dedicated landing pages and to your products and services.
Infographic: The Inbound Marketing Multiplier
As you can see there is no difference in the doings to attract the right buyer personas. If you offer something of value you will attract a steady stream of fresh leads. You decide which they should be, B2B or B2C.
07/19/12 by Dragan Mestrovic | Lead Generation, social media marketing | 1 Comment »
Social media is a great communication channel there is no question. Smart marketers use social media to offer great support, increase brand reach and to generate business leads, only to name some of the great opportunities which the social web offers.
Recent stats show that those marketers spend less than 20% of their marketing budgets on social media which includes the outreach to target audience on social sites, advertising and maintaining a social media presence.
No matter of the popularity this described budget size seems to be small compared with the power of the social web for businesses. Most marketers have or plan to increase their budgets for social media marketing by up to 25% in 2012.
The most known challenge is to measure social media ROI. For example marketers measure their social media success with click through rates and likes (Facebook).
A great way to measure the ROI of social media marketing is to drive interested audience to dedicated landing pages where they can request more information. This way is the most successful one to measure social media ROI in the long term.
Social Media Infographic
You can achieve a better social media ROI when you follow these four easy steps:
- 1. Create remarkable content and publish it on the web and in social media
- 2. Encourage the readers of your content with a call to action included in the footer of your content to request more information from you. For example a personal consultation, whitepaper or eBook
- 3. Drive them to dedicated landing pages which give you the opportunity to cature those prospects as leads
- 4. Nurture your leads and analyze time to deal, deal size and channel where your business is coming from
The more landing pages with different offers you publish the better. Your funnel becomes wider and wider which ensures you a steady growing stream of fresh and hot business leads.
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