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How to Manage Social Media

October 19, 2011 By: azjogger Category: Marketing, Operations, Social media, Technology

By Roses Mark

Due to arrival of Social Media everything has altered. An online community of  Twitter or Facebook users can make or break your business with their mobile  platforms. Your company or service may be getting hundreds or thousands of good  or bad reviews on the new mobile sites like Gowalla or Foursquare. Social  Network management is growing exponentially.

Social Media tools help integrate activities

It’s in a more efficient manner manages outbound & inbound interactions  along with other small business marketing activities. They rationalize and  strengthen how to participate in significant conversation happening around in  different platforms like blogs, networks, and other public or private web  communities and sites.

SMM tools also helps you integrate activities with your other business  marketing campaigns. Here are five tools that can make your life easier:

1. TweetDeck

TweetDeck is your best (free) tool if you’re looking to administer all your  personal social profiles. TweetDeck allows you to connect across Twitter,  Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, Foursquare and Google Buzz. You can update all or  specific networks with the same status at one time.

TweetDeck is probably best when dealing with four or five accounts at a time,  though the dashboard is generally easy to use.

2. CoTweet

CoTweet is a brilliant tool for small businesses or division of larger  businesses that thrive social media duties among team members and have a  customer-service approach to engagement.

CoTweet allows follow-up messages to be assigned to specific managers. This  can make responses more pertinent as team members with upbeat knowledge bases  can handle appropriate questions and comments from followers.

3. HootSuite

HootSuitefree version allows you to add five networks and supports Facebook,  Twitter, LinkedIn, Foursquare, MySpace, PingFm and WordPress.

HootSuite is best for actively-managed accounts because its design focuses on  streams, which are housed in customizable tabs. You have the elasticity to  organize tabs by account, network or content, making it easier to monitor a  definite type of feed.

4. Spredfast

Spredfast has everything you need for agencies managing social media with  high ROI demands.

Its biggest advantage over other SMM tools is analytics. Measurement is  determined by the amount of content distributed, how many people were reached  and whether the intended audience was engaged.

5. Engage 121

Engage121 is best in its class at encircling monitoring, broadcasting and  engagement.

The tool is extremely customizable and can support just about any site with a  community presence. Permissions may be set to allow & approve a message from  corporate before it is distributed to area followers, maintaining a local voice & brand consistency at the same time.

The process needs be sustained to maximize opportunities

In conclusion, follow these procedures and you will be successful in social  networking and marketing that will drive profits in your business. Using  networks includes making use of a process. Therefore, you need to remember to do  this on a regular basis so that you take full advantage and attract more  followers in the future.

Roses Mark is a Social Media enthusiast and an Internet entrepreneur. Spent  over 10 years working professionally with Internet business employers worldwide,  he frequently writes articles involving new-age, social media and personal  motivation. You can find him all around the web via Facebook, Google & on  Twitter as @Socialcubix

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Roses_Mark

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6601369

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B2B Marketers Yet to Connect Financial Metrics to Marketing Campaigns

September 01, 2011 By: azjogger Category: Financial, Marketing, Operations

From: e-Marketer

Greater ability to demonstrate efforts vs. financial impact of marketing programs

According to Sagefrog Marketing Group, 68% of US business-to-business (B2B) companies allocate 5% or less of their company revenue on marketing. For an enterprise-level company, this could mean millions of dollars. But for SMBs, marketing money could be much tighter.

Although April 2011 data from Forrester Research suggested companies with 100 to 499 employees tend to allocate a slightly higher percentage of their company revenues to marketing than companies with more than 1,000 employees, these percentages still remain only a tiny wedge of total company revenue.

Given how tightly B2B companies tie marketing budget to company revenue, one would assume the majority of companies are closely measuring the effect of their marketing efforts on their bottom line.

 

Only one of three B2B marketers now report financial metrics to management 

However, research from Lenskold and the Pedowitz Group indicated only about one in three B2B marketers worldwide report financial-contribution metrics to senior management.

Though a third of B2B marketers track revenue metrics associated with marketing-generated opportunities, closed deals and percent of total sales, 35% said they do not report any financial-contribution metrics to executives.

Slightly fewer (33%) did not track return on investment (ROI) at all this year—a percentage mostly unchanged since 2009, indicating little movement on the part of B2B companies worldwide toward holding their marketing departments more accountable for the company’s bottom line.

 Marketing-performance related metrics is the norm now

For now, it appears marketers are more likely to be held accountable for marketing-performance-related metrics. More than half (58%) report the number of marketing-qualified leads to senior management and 48% track the number of opportunities generated. Far fewer B2B marketers report lower-funnel metrics like percent of opportunities converting to closed sales (40%) and number of days from lead to closed sale (20%)—a particularly important metric to understand for proper campaign flight and window of measurement.

Undoubtedly, these types of metrics are much easier to track and report than financial-related metrics that require a closed-loop reporting setup that takes time, effort and financial investment on the part of marketers and internal stakeholders. For example, the marketing department must work closely with sales to align metrics and often must invest in CRM technology or software to accurately track campaign influence through the life of the sales cycle.

Those B2B marketers who are able to move beyond performance-related metrics will not only be able to better justify their existing efforts, but also their future marketing budgets.

For complete data charts and story, go to e-Marketer.com

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Brands Turn to Facial Recognition Tools

September 01, 2011 By: azjogger Category: Marketing, Technology, Workforce

From: World Advertising Research Center (WARC)

Brand owners such as Kraft and Adidas are considering making use of facial recognition technology in a bid to provide shoppers with more targeted information in stores.

Intel, the technology company, is one of a number of firms that has created software capable of scanning the faces of consumers, and then determining the approximate age and gender of the person concerned.
Christopher O’Malley, director, retail marketing, of Intel’s embedded and communications unit, told the LA Times:  ”You can put this technology into kiosks, vending machines, digital signs. It’s going to become a much more common thing in the next few years. 

Adidas, the sportswear manufacturer, is working with Intel to test digital “walls” in several UK and US stores, displaying certain products on screens depending on a shopper’s specific profile. For example, a female consumer in her fifties would be shown a range of Adidas goods, roughly split between 60% footwear and 40% of other items from its portfolio.

“If a retailer can offer the right products quickly, people are more likely to buy something,” Chris Aubrey, Adidas’s vice president, global retail marketing said.

Kraft, the food group, is also in negotiations with a supermarket chain, which it did not name, about the possibility of trialling kiosks that achieve similar objectives. “If it recognises that there is a female between 25 to 29 standing there, it may surmise that you are more likely to have minor children at home and give suggestions on how to spice up Kraft Macaroni & Cheese for the kids,” Donald King, Kraft’s vice president, retail experience, said.

Japan has enthusiastically adopted the technology

Facial recognition tools have been more enthusiastically adopted by companies in Japan, where Universal Studios has employed a system provided by NEC to identify annual pass holders, and thus speed up their entry to its theme park.

“It’s not just [for] clothing stores or restaurant chains,” Joseph Jasper, of NEC’s corporate communications division, said.

Google and Facebook has developed tools for online photos

Facebook, the social network, has developed equivalent tools for online photos, as has Google, which produced software that took the face of someone in a picture and searched the web for images of the individual, but then opted against rolling it out.

“As far as I know, it’s the only technology Google has built and, after looking at it, we decided to stop,” Eric Schmidt, Google’s chairman, said earlier this year. “People could use this stuff in a very, very bad way as well as in a good way.”

Data sourced from Los Angeles Times; additional content by Warc staff, 25 August

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Two in Five Mobile Owners Use Internet on the Go

August 31, 2011 By: azjogger Category: Marketing, Technology, Workforce

From: e-Marketer
Almost 100 million consumers will be on the mobile web this year

The US mobile web population will be up almost 25% this year as 97.3 million mobile owners log on to the internet from their device at least monthly, eMarketer estimates.

Almost half the total of  US Population will use mobile Internet

By 2015, more than three in five mobile users and almost half the total US population will be using the mobile internet, eMarketer forecasts.

“The rapidly expanding smartphone and mobile internet user populations raise the stakes for marketers and make the mobile web more of an imperative than ever,” said Noah Elkin, eMarketer principal analyst for mobile.

eMarketer’s estimates of mobile internet usage include people of any age who access the internet from a mobile browser or installed application at least once per month.

Most growth will come from increased smartphone penetration

Most of the growth in mobile internet usage will come from increased smartphone penetration, which will reach 38% of mobile users and 28.8% of the overall population by the end of this year. The number of smartphone users is set to increase 49.6% this year and continue growing at a steady double-digit pace through 2015, when nearly 150 million US consumers will have such a device.

Mobile internet usage is still heaviest among younger adults, with 43.2 million US consumers ages 18 to 34 logging on to the mobile web this year, eMarketer estimates—or 44.4% of the total.

Mobile Internet usage among older adults will rise

Usage is on the rise among older adults as well, however. This year, eMarketer estimates 21.5 million 45- to 64-year-olds and 3.7 million seniors 65 and older will use the mobile internet. By 2015, those numbers will both more than double to 45.4 million and 11.3 million, respectively.

For complete data charts and story, go to e-marketer.com

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Marketers Struggle with Pricing

August 08, 2011 By: azjogger Category: Financial, Marketing

From: World Advertising Reseach Center (WARC)

Many brand owners are still struggling to set prices in a way which serves their wider strategic objectives, according to a new study.

Accenture, the consultancy, surveyed 1,000 CMOs and CFOs worldwide, and found that 56% expected company sales to rise by 5% or less in 2011, while just 14% anticipated posting double-digit revenue gains.

However, although 71% of firms put price optimisation in their top three priorities for the next 18 months, only a quarter boast “sophisticated” capabilities here at present, and 36% stated processes are “manual and fragmented”.

Indeed, three-quarters of corporations fail to tailor pricing for different marketing goals, and the same number suggested pricing is not closely linked to overall strategy.

Marketing teams make pricing decisions

Marketing teams were always involved in making pricing decisions at 70% of the featured companies, ahead of product managers, registering 58%, and finance departments, on 52%.

Exactly 66% of manufacturers use analytics to inform pricing levels, compared with 56% using such systems to generate insights, 52% monitoring the impact of price changes, and 50% testing hypotheses.

“In a market of essentially permanent volatility, CFOs and CMOs are staying a bit more reserved in their plans, despite their own expectations for growth,” said Greg Cudahy, managing director of Accenture’s Operational Strategy practice.

Recovery periods allow shift away from cost cutting

“In past recovery periods, there has been a greater expectation of the ability to capture price leverage across the board, and a related shift away from cost cutting and cash- position building.”

Elsewhere, a 54% majority of the panel agreed good service was a primary factor in securing a competitive advantage, beating innovation and product differentiation on 53%, and price positioning with 51%.

Marketing and branding logged 48% on the same metric and the value proposition received 42%.

Advertsing expenditure rates to decline

Looking forward six months, 27% of firms intend to reduce their advertising expenditure rates, measured against 21% pursuing such an approach during the last 18 months.

Around 30% of organisations planned to implement product redesigns and rationalisation, as well as customer rationalisation, while 49% hoped to streamline corporate structures.

Data sourced from Accenture; additional content by Warc staff, 4 August 2011

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Help Desk Software for a World That Never Sleeps

August 08, 2011 By: azjogger Category: Marketing, Operations, Technology

By Judy Hendershot

When a company moves their business online, they enter a new world, a world that never sleeps. The days of writing a letter to a company or calling them for help are gone. Clients expect instant service whenever and wherever they currently are. They are equipped with internet-enabled smart phones and tablets and their business never closes.

One of the most fundamental parts of customer interaction is communicating with the client about resolving issues. This usually involved a lot of paperwork and a team of people to accomplish, but not anymore. Customer support software, also called IT help desk software, is here to simplify customer interaction.

Web-based IT help desk software allows clients to save time by avoiding lengthy phone calls made even longer by being switched around from one department to another. Now, a client can submit a set of questions and get along with life while the support staff compile quality answers in a timely fashion. Since the service is email and web-based, customers can submit questions via online forms 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Majority of issues can be handled quickly

The majority of customer issues can usually be solved in a matter of minutes. This is where knowledge base software comes in handy. The knowledge base contains articles and instructions that answer a client’s questions or solve his problems without even having to contact the support staff in the first place.

Using the knowledge base is as simple typing in a question or a short description of a problem and instantly getting answers. This feature allows both parties to save time and money while still getting an issue resolved. An employer may open the system to his own employees, which means a more efficient and faster system to handle any internal inquiries ranging from company policy to technical support.

Automation of work is the benefit

The most important part of help desk software is the automation of work. The trouble ticket software will quickly and easily convert question emails into tickets which allow tracking of each customer’s problems with ease.

This streamlines the whole support process and rules out any chance of mistakes or delays. Also, the customer support software keeps a record of all tickets created, thus providing the support staff with a history of each client’s interaction with the company.

To top it all off, it is possible to simply purchase a web-based software solution from a professional company. This way, the people that know everything about running customer support software are in charge of security, uptime and keeping everything running smoothly.

Clients can receive help irregardless of  location or time

To summarize, web-based IT help desk software is the product of the future. It allows clients to receive help irregardless of where they are or what time it is. It also automates and normalizes the whole process, saving time and money for all parties involved, while providing a high quality support service to the client and ensuring a long and healthy business relationship.

Wasp help desk software provides a user-friendly, robust method to manage help desks for all your organization’s departments and groups whether they are internal or external. The built-in knowledge base allows you to answer commonly-asked questions and provides full-featured trouble ticket software.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Judy_Hendershot

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Executives Fail to Focus on Social Media Marketing Strategy

July 22, 2011 By: azjogger Category: Marketing, Operations, Social media

From: e-Marketer.com

Recognizing its importance is not enough to make social strategy a reality

Social media marketing has gained its place at the table. eMarketer estimates 80% of companies with at least 100 employees will use social networks for marketing this year, up from nearly three in four last year. By 2012, usage will be even greater, and, in turn, efforts are becoming more sophisticated.

Most companies now recognize a well crafted social media strategy is a vital part of the marketing mix. In fact, a study from Jive Software and Penn, Schoen & Berland found 78% of executives thought a social business strategy was somewhat or very important to the future success of their business.

Despite this realization, most executives are still only in the tentative stages of making social strategy a priority.

The survey of executives who have final say or significant input on social business strategy found that only 27% listed social business as a top strategic priority. Nearly half (47%) admitted a social plan was necessary but not a strategic priority and 19% said social business strategy was simply not necessary.

Meanwhile, executives were also not overly optimistic about their current social strategy efforts. Only 17% felt their social strategy was ahead of the curve. About four in 10 (42%) felt their social strategy was just keeping up and 33% felt they were behind.

A different study from Forbes Insights and Coremetrics showed a similar amount of enthusiasm for social strategy. Only 11% of US and UK executives surveyed at large businesses listed social media strategy as a leading priority in 2011—tied for last place with mobile marketing. Social media strategy will receive a small boost in 2012, though, with 19% of execs listing it as a leading marketing priority for the coming year.

Many companies may be using social media marketing, but those that choose not to focus on a social strategy risk falling behind the curve in integrating social media with their overall marketing goals. Recognizing the importance of strategy alone isn’t enough; companies should start implementing a plan.

For complete data charts and story, go to e-Marketer.com

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Marketing Models Must Change

July 22, 2011 By: azjogger Category: Market Research, Marketing, Operations

From: World Advertising Research Center (WARC)

 Brand owners must now become “marketing organisations” which spread responsibility for customer engagement across their entire corporate structure, McKinsey has argued.

“Customers no longer separate marketing from the product – it is the product,” the consultancy said in a new study.

“They don’t separate marketing from their in-store or online experience – it is the experience. In the era of engagement, marketing is the company.”

Factors stimulating this trend include the rise of DVRs, websites such as YouTube, smartphones and tablets, which are revolutionising consumer media habits.

Similarly, shoppers are increasingly looking to social networks, blogs, forums and user reviews to research, and connect with, brands.

As the amount of touchpoints proliferates, traditional “push” marketing techniques have been undermined and the importance of functions beyond the control of communications teams, like sales, IT and call centres, has grown.

“In essence, companies need to become marketing vehicles, and the marketing organisation itself needs to become the customer-engagement engine,” the study said.

Zappos gaining advantage from rigorous customer service

Online retailer Zappos was named by McKinsey as one firm deriving a significant competitive advantage from its rigorous approach to serving consumers.

“Great companies all have strong cultures. That’s our number one priority at Zappos,” said Tony Hsieh, Zappos’ CEO.

“The second ingredient is that all great companies have a vision that has a higher purpose, beyond profits or being number one in the market.”

Key is people and developing chemistry

Air carrier Virgin America has also attempted to ensure passengers receive a differentiated service.”The real key is people and developing the chemistry and the attitudes, in our staff, that create the right experience for customers,” Steve Ridgway, Virgin Atlantic’s CEO, said. “And at the end of the day, that really matters. After all, we fly exactly the same planes as everybody else. We fly them under the same very strict safety rules.”

In replicating such success, corporations must abandon models where specific divisions effectively “own” responsibilities like CRM and merchandising. “Companies will be better off if they stop viewing customer engagement as a series of discrete interactions and instead think about it as customers do: a set of related interactions,” said McKinsey. “CMOs will increasingly be held accountable for the performance of groups that don’t report solely to them.”

Marketing could be divided between “core” activities and dispursed duties throughout the company

At the organisational level, marketing could ultimately be divided between “core” activities, like branding and agency management, remaining largely unchanged, and duties that are “disbursed” throughout the company.

“Marketing is touching so many more parts of the company now,” said John Hayes, CMO of American Express.
“It touches on service; it touches on product development. We need to organise in a way that starts to break down the traditional silos in the business.”

Procter & Gamble, for example, has a specialist team buying digital advertising across different geographies, and which is located within its purchasing arm but staffed by marketing experts.
  
McKinsey recommended setting up cross-functional marketing “councils” to encourage coordination, alongside possibly building online forums to solicit consumer feedback and assistance in the creation of new products.

Building third party alliances is vital

Cementing third-party alliances is also vital, proven by Nestlé’s team dedicated only to Wal-Mart, and covering everything from promotions and logistics to innovation and design.

Wal-Mart thus has a single point of contact with one of its biggest suppliers, Nestlé benefits from enhancing its ties to the retailer, and both firms accrue detailed shopper insights, which are growing ever more valuable.

“Marketing is going to become a much more science-driven activity,” Duncan Watts, a research scientist at Yahoo, said. “The kinds of questions that we can ask are much more sophisticated and require a whole new science.”

Data sourced from McKinsey/Huffington Post; additional contet by Warc staff, 14 July 2011

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Why CRM Alone Isn’t Enough for Your Business or Mine

July 22, 2011 By: azjogger Category: Marketing, Operations, Technology

By Sterling Jackson

“I have to create this here, export it to here, then manually copy it to here…”

Sound familiar? One of the most common complaints we’ve heard from businesses is that they have to use 4 or 5 different applications to handle all of the activities necessary for their business and trying to export, import and exchange information between applications is time consuming or impossible. On top of that, these applications have to be updated periodically and trying to back up the information from multiple sources can be a huge headache.

CRM is valuable to every business. The problem is that most CRM applications don’t address the entire scope of your business. They’re important for managing your contacts, from lead to ongoing customer, but you need a system that connects all of the parts of your business including managing your orders, schedule, inventory and documents. Most CRM applications don’t include order management or document management, leaving you to purchase third party solutions or use a separate application. Many charge additional fees for features like FedEx/UPS integration. Having everything connected lets you work more quickly and access the information you need when you need it.

CRM is valuable to every business

When evaluating new software, consider how it will benefit your entire business. Ideally it should be easy to use and should streamline your entire business. Here is a list of essential components that you should look for that will be valuable as your business grows. It’s much easier to make a plan for implementing new software to make sure that you won’t have to switch to a new system in the future or have to cobble together several applications to get your work done.

1. Customer Relationship Management (CRM)

2. Order and Inventory Management

3. Reporting and Forecasting

4. Document and Information Management

5. HR/Personnel Management

Why?

1. CRM is important for developing new customers and keeping existing customers happy. You need to know the status of each account and be able to manage any issues they experience. You need to be able to keep track of every contact or customer and be able to contact them to follow up, offer new products or get feedback from them.

2. You also need to know the status of your orders so you can ensure they are fulfilled accurately and shipped quickly. All notes, documents and invoices related to an order should automatically be organized and attached to the order for easy review. Having an order management system also gives you insight into what your customers buy and lets you easily manage your inventory and product catalog.

3. You should never have to guess about exactly what’s going on with your business and your reporting tools should give you insight into all daily company activity as well as historical, yearly, monthly and daily reports on sales, customers and products.

4. Businesses create a huge amount of information and need to be able to efficiently organize and exchange it. A document management system should allow you to find the information that you need in seconds without having to figure out who has the current version. Additionally, it should allow you to access your documents from any computer or mobile device so you’ll never be without an important document.

5. You need to be able to organize and communicate with your team. Your HR Management tool should allow you to manage groups, notes, projects, payroll and commissions, attach documents to employee profiles and easily communicate with groups or divisions within your company.

https://www.affinityinformatics.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sterling_Jackson

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QR Codes: To Scan or Not to Scan

July 22, 2011 By: azjogger Category: Marketing, Operations, Technology

By Allison Kahn

Have you seen those crazy looking black and white checkered boxes lately? They are not just in the Sunday paper, mail inserts, or at stores for fun. They are called QR Codes and they are the next generation of online advertising. These little boxes connect the consumer from a Point of Purchase directly to the product’s website in seconds. A Point of Purchase is a form of signage in a store that draws the consumer to a particular product and gets them interested. The signage may have information about the product, but lately they can also have a code on them.

Recently, my boss Laurie went to Home Depot to pick up some flowers to landscape her yard. When doing so, she noticed QR codes on each information tag for each plant. If you scanned the code, it would take you directly to a mobile Home Depot site with tips on how to plant that particular flower and videos of Martha Stewart giving floral tips. So, not only do you get to buy your beautiful flowers right at the convenient Home Depot, but you also can get free tips from the pros on how to make your yard beautiful. It’s a win-win.

Another cool use of the codes I noticed was when my husband and I were browsing through a Best Buy late last year. We both have smart phones and saw the codes on every hang tag for every electronic item. The reason these tags were so efficient is because they kept the information simple and organized in bullet points about the item. If you wanted more detailed information about the item, just scan the code that is conveniently located on the hang tag. We were really excited to see that Best Buy was paving the way for this modern and efficient use of technology.

“There is a plethora of ways to make the codes valuable to your business”

When it comes to marketing, QR Codes can be very beneficial to business. You can offer coupons that are only available when scanning one. You can give more information about your product directly to consumers like Best Buy does, or you can even give free how-to’s like Home Depot does. There is a plethora of ways to make the codes valuable in your business. Be creative. Send out post cards in the mail about your business and say, “Scan this QR Code to receive 20% off your next purchase!” Consumers will feel the urge to scan it in order to save money, and it will help your business earn more traffic to your store and website.

Do not be concerned about QR Codes not taking off. They are. According to D3 Interactive Marketing, “In a 2011 survey, 65% of respondents had seen one and 49% had scanned one. 70% of smartphone users would be interested in scanning a QR Code. 63% would use a QR Code to access more information. Usage grew 1200% in just 6 months from July – December of 2010. 57% of Facebook users have scanned one at least 1 time in the past year. With 40% having done it 5 or more times. 66% of smart phone users actively surf the internet for content using their smart phone.”

So what does this mean for your business? It means if you don’t already have a mobile website and a way for users to access it, you need to start now. Create a mobile site and QR Code that directs the consumer to it. You will generate more traffic and leads to your business. QR Codes are a win-win!

Allison Kahn is the Marketing Assistant at Princeton Marketing Group in Greensboro, NC. She has a BA in English Literature from Wesley College in Dover, DE. She has a passion for Social Media Marketing.

http://www.princetonmarketing.net
http://www.princetonmarketing.net/princetonmarketingblog

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Allison_Kahn

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