Internet Marketing

Still think you don’t need a website?

For a long time, websites were seen as a status symbol for companies. However, we are in the age where having a website has proven to be a great asset in increasing business and revenue. We found an article on dwsmg.com that lists all of the ways that the internet can boost your business.  If you can get past the grammatical errors, it actually suggests some great ideas… however, maybe they should have hired someone to create and edit their content… (like us, duh)! The article itself has a good theme; however, we have edited and listed what we consider the most important aspects of having a website for your company– to read the whole article, click here.

1. Time: Internet marketing can go around the clock 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.  Earlier in traditional marketing there used to be a time constraint. When one part of the globe is awake, the other part is sleeping, and now the internet is taking the best advantage of that. The time barrier has been broken simply because of internet marketing.

2. Geography: Marketers used to struggle with geographical hurdles. It used to take a person hours or even days to reach from one corner of the globe to another. Moreover, it used to take days for letters to reach their destination. The Internet has shrunk the world into a global village where the geographical barriers have melted and disappeared. Internet marketing knows no bounds.

3. Showroom: Before the age of internet marketing, it would have been required for a company to have a showroom to display products. This is not necessary now.  Products for sale can be displayed on your website and the customer can order them from the comfort of their home. As a seller, the only thing you have to do is confirm the financial transaction and deliver the goods at the place specified by the buyer. This can save many expenses on the part of both the seller as well as the buyer. This saves a lot of time– essentially, the buyer can order the products any time.

4. Manpower:  Internet marketing has not only opened the doors of marketing into people’s homes, but has also opened the minds of the people. With the help of internet marketing, a business can reach specific customers or specific clients simultaneously in a wide geographical area. If a company were to employ people for reaching a wide number of prospective clients or customers at the same time, it would cost them a fortune. Moreover, with such a large work force, the returns are not assured. In the case of internet marketing, the manpower needs are lesser in comparison to traditional marketing.

5. Advertisement and Product Promotion: In online marketing, the expenses for advertisement and product promotion are far cheaper than those expenses with reference to traditional marketing. Thus, online marketing can help the business reduce expenses for product promotion and advertisement, and in turn, save a lot of money.

We hope this helps you understand the value of having a website for you company!

Source: http://www.dwsmg.com/how-can-internet-marketing-help-your-business-to-grow.html 

Social Media: Should you have guidelines for employees?

Facebook & Twitter: How employees can affect you and your business

Recently, a friend of mine asked me a question that has become a very common topic of interest for businesses, small and big alike. I got an e-mail saying that he was interested in the “best practices for putting out guidelines/codes of conduct for employees using social media.” After some thought, this is what we have come up with.

There are quite a few things you might want to take into consideration when drafting guidelines for employees. Usually when it comes to larger companies, you want employees to be well aware of how they endorse you. They might think it’s okay to represent your brand or logo by making it their “profile picture,” or by posting a status about the company. This should only be done in good fashion if it is a company-wide way to get your name out. If that is the case, there should be prior notification via meetings or e-mail, announcing that the company would like employees to post about a specific event or announcement.

Unless you are using employees as a part of a marketing campaign, pictures and logos should not be represented as a profile picture– simply because of this: I believe Marlboro had this problem years ago when an employee made the Marlboro logo his profile picture, and then had obscene statuses on his profile– which depicts the company in bad light. They need to remember at all times that they represent YOU!

You might want to consider having all employees have some sort of privacy enabled, and give a seminar on how to use the privacy settings on Facebook. While this can protect them in many ways, this can also protect your company in the future. Especially, with new changes coming to Facebook and Twitter, it would be wise to make settings on personal profiles that allow the user to accept or decline tags where their name is mentioned.

If your company has a crisis team enabled somewhere (there should be at least some small department or code that says if a crisis is happening, here’s who speaks to the media, here’s what we do, etc), you should make sure this team is well aware of how Facebook and Twitter can be used to your advantage should a crisis appear.  Whether the crisis is good (i.e. your company becomes recognized as one of the best for 2012), or the crisis is bad (i.e. your company is under fire because someone has been embezzling money), your crisis plan should implement social media. Taking full responsibility in the light of social media is a great way to gain the public’s trust, and keep a good reputation. For more on crisis communications, click here.

Holding annual or bi-annual seminars on social media should be implemented, and employees should be well aware of their role on the internet. Many people tend to easily forget that anyone can see pictures, posts, and personal information if privacy settings are not enabled. This should not discourage anyone from using social media, but instead, should encourage people to be aware of how to use it– especially when the reputation of your company could be at risk.

By: Heather Via

Walt Disney and Steve Jobs

The knowledge that took them to the top

This article by Guy Kawasaki, titled, “What I Learned from a Mouse with Big Ears,” teaches us some of the fundamentals that continue to make Disney one of the best companies of the past century, and today. It’s definitely worth the read.  As it turns out, Steve Jobs and Walt Disney had alot in common.

After reading this article on openforum.com, I realized that Disney might have taught me many lessons in my youth, but as it turns out, I’m still learning from him as I get older.  Disney had a different perspective on running a business– cleanliness, friendliness, and safety might be three of the biggest reasons that people continue to return to Walt Disneyland year after year.

Source: http://www.openforum.com/articles/what-i-learned-from-a-mouse-with-big-ears?intlink=us-openf-nav-ymal-t9a7pv4r6 

Mobile Communications: Changing the way we live

Smartphones shape our future

Just how much do we rely on our phones? Leave your phone at home for a day and test out that theory– the thought of it is horrifying. We are in the age of the biggest technology boom of the last decade.  Sure, the internet has grown and social media has reached astonishing numbers in the past few years, but how much of that growth should be attributed to Smartphones?

Think about it. If you have a Smartphone, you most likely have quite a few apps that you use on a daily basis. Maps, Google, Pandora, and Facebook are literally at our fingertips whenever we want it.  So what will make 2012 so different in the mobile world? How about the way that it shapes our business?

Mobile Retail was introduced to us in 2011, and mobile sales tripled as Smartphone users downloaded the eBay and PayPal applications. If you don’t already have a functioning website, now is the time to join in or fall behind. It will be wise in 2012 to set up your mobile site, and to think about investing in mobile applications for your company. It could truly make your business boom.

While you are making the most with your Smartphone, young tech-users and penny-pinchers are discovering the next best tools for the business world.  Apps like Tango, Skype, and Facetime are allowing us to speak to one another face to face again– on the phone. So, why send your entire staff across the country for a meeting when both companies can opt to save money and begin weekly conference calls with these applications? Tango currently has twenty million users, and Skype has become a daily activity for schoolchildren. For those of you who are on plans where a certain number of minutes or texts have a limit, these applications are free and do not pose a threat on your wallet.

Speaking of wallets, what about the new mobile wallets? Get prepared for everything to go digital.  Google wallet opened to the public in the summer of 2011, but Europe and the U.K. will soon have the same. This will allow you to swipe your phone at a public transport ticket barrier instead of carrying a travel card, or at a shop till instead of carrying a debit card. Mobile money transfer services are now not just an idea, but a reality.

So you left your coupons at home? Download apps on your phone that directly show sales and coupons from your screen. There are now apps that allow you to scan codes for discounts, such as the one Amazon introduced, allowing a 5% discount to those who bought items in store by using its price comparison barcode scanner. Are you tired of walking around a store looking for a price scanner? You can do that from your phone too. As if that’s not enough, Apple will introduce the Apple TV this year, which will hook up your existing box to the internet, and will turn your iPhone into a remote that may be able to respond to hand gestures and voice commands.

The most profitable businesses will have these apps and will be keeping up with the advantages of the Smartphone. Will your business stay involved?

By: Heather Via

Time to make that New Year’s Resolution!

Marketing Resolutions vs. Personal Resolutions

We hope everyone has enjoyed their holiday season thus far!  With New Year’s Eve quickly approaching, what are your plans for the upcoming year?  Want to lose weight? Want to learn something new and exciting, or maybe go out on a limb and quit smoking? Or maybe you want to create a new approach for marketing for your company?  Keith Levy of Anheuser-Busch  has a great approach for a marketing resolution.  This year, he and his company are committed to “find the next Facebook or Twitter phenomenon … making sure we’re in the places our consumers are increasingly headed and being there in an authentic way.” Use some discipline to get through the next few months– most people say they are going to do something, and forget all about their resolution by the end of January.

If you really want to create a goal and stick with it, start by using a few of these tips.

1. Action speaks louder than words:

If you say you are going to do something, do it! Make some progress on your goal within the first week.  I remember reading an article once that said if you have enough motivation to get through the first three days of something, after that it becomes a real goal that is achievable and maintainable.

2. Make a list.

So you want to lose weight, huh?  Well what are some things that can help you accomplish that?  Go to the gym– or for some of you, sign up for a gym, and then actually GO!  Stop eating late night snacks– that means no munching at a minimum of three hours before bed.  Eat after you exercise– it’s when you metabolism is at its highest!  But keep in mind that your heart rate must be increased for at least thirty minutes for a minimum good workout.

Want to start saving money?  Make a list of unnecessary things that you buy each week- they can really add up!  Is it necessary to go by that coffee shop every morning before work?  Well, maybe, but it’s cheaper to brew your own.  Don’t buy impulsively–spend some amount of time justifying every purchase.  Making lists to go along with your goal will make your goals more realistic and attainable in the long run.

 

3.Do your part.  Whether you want to start a book club, or find more creative outlets for your kids to take part it– make sure you are doing your part.  Watch your carbon footprint–it can help save you money, resources, and most importantly our planet.

Okay, okay, we’ll stop preaching now– good luck with your resolutions and Happy New Year!

P.S. We were curious to see what others in the marketing world had to say about their New Year’s Resolutions– take a look!  Our favorite resolution is from Andy England of MillerCoors: “To sell more beer.”

By: Heather Via

Last minute shopping for Christmas?

Check out our list of cool and unusual gifts!

I think we all know that one person who is incredibly hard to shop for.  They already have everything, they don’t know what they want, or what they do want, you can’t afford.  We understand.   Here at Addison Clark Online we have been doing a little shopping around ourselves.  We can’t give everyone Eggnog and Bourbon for Christmas (Andrew), so here are a few ideas to make you the coolest gift-giver person ever.  For more ideas, check out this sweet website)

 

1. NFL Team Logo M&M’s:  Have a friend who is a huge fan of an NFL team?  Get them some personalized NFL M&M’s for Christmas, it could end up being their new good luck charm!  Maybe Jeff and Heather should have looked into some Philadelphia Eagles M&M’s at the beginning of the season…

2. Nose Shower Gel Dispenser:  Hehehe, this is probably my favorite.  Just squeeze the nose and shower gel comes right out of the nostril.  The rubber nose attaches to a flat surface with suction cups, providing you with a gross and funny outcome every time you shower.  Why wouldn’t you want one of these?

3. Get their name spelled out in custom art: This could be a cool one for your friend’s kid.  Not sure what toys he/she already has?  Not sure what they even want at their age?  Eh, give them something to decorate their room.  Or maybe someone you know just got married?  This could be a cool piece for them to hang over the mantle.  Each letter is represented in black and white custom art, and comes already matted and framed.  Very unique and quite stylish, if I do say so myself.

4.Gadget Charger for the car:  This thing is so cool!  It charges up to three devices at once, and sits in your coffee holder in the shape of a coffee cup.   What a clever design for a power inverter– and only $49.95!

5. Clocky:  Good luck.  Not a morning person?  Clocky gives you one chance to wake up in the morning–want to stay in bed?  Think twice.  Clocky will jump off of your nightstand, and roll around your room looking for a place to hide, with the alarm blasting.  You can adjust it to give you one more snooze before it runs away- but after that, it’s going to run away. I don’t think I would recommend getting this for yourself, and probably not even for someone you live with (unless you want a good laugh, or a punch to the face, depending on if they are a morning person or not)… but maybe for someone you don’t like…

Social Media and the Holidays= $$$

With the holidays coming up, internet sales are going to increase dramatically.  As people search for the perfect gift for their friends and family, this is the perfect time to take advantage of all of this consumer excitement.  Promoting your business towards the end of the year can help you meet those sales goals that you may have missed in months past.  Offering holiday specials are one way to drive more customers in, but social media can give you the boost to let more potential customers know about your product in a quicker fashion.

You want your business’s name to stick in consumer’s minds, and one way to do that is to frequently update your Facebook and Twitter accounts.  For instance, many companies might offer special deals to those who “like” their Facebook page, or for those who comment on a specific status.  Being creative and flexible with your strategy will set you apart from the rest; staying in contact with your customer’s will enable you to create relationships that will last long after the holiday season.   Make sure to keep your client’s informed about new products and special discounts, and you are bound to make an impression on them that will drive them back to your business.  Check out these tips from Sam Cannon of the E-commerce Times.  (Click here to see the full article).

1. Use Location-Based Apps

Brands that are already active on Twitter and Facebook will have the most success leveraging social campaigns over the holidays due to their built-in fan base and followers, but brand marketers should not overlook the opportunities that exist within location-based applications such as Foursquare, Gowalla and even Facebook’s new “Deals” feature.

Many retailers are already generating revenue by posting daily offers that can be redeemed locally. Adding location-based promotions is an effective way to drive in-store traffic and creates another touch point for consumer engagement.

2. Give the ‘Wish List’ a Makeover

Finding that perfect gift for someone can be a challenge, and shoppers oftentimes will turn to gift cards as a last resort. As an alternative, consider a new twist on the “wish list” feature on most leading e-commerce sites.

The first step is to make the experience of building the wish list more engaging for the user. For example, instead of calling it a wish list, get creative. If your target audience is made up of music fans, launch a poster or album cover creator — something that will resonate with consumers and be seen as less of a chore to assemble.

The most important element here, however, is making the wish list easy to share across Facebook, MySpace and other social networking sites. Enable individual items to be shared with Facebook friends for feedback or one-off “wishes.”

3. Create Custom Shopping Experiences Online

Some of the most effective retail marketing campaigns are those that create truly personal connections with consumers. Great examples are those digital experiences that enable shoppers to try things on virtually — clothes, hairstyles, makeup — making the consumer part of the brand.

In order to maximize these experiences, take them a couple steps further. After a consumer interacts with the promotion, give them the tools they need to easily share their experience with friends in their social networks so they can join the fun too. Don’t forget an enticing follow-up offer to seal the deal — a promotional code, coupon or other offer that will turn these branded experiences into sales.

4. Use Social Media Channels to Promote Time-Sensitive Deals

Retailers have been extremely successful using social media to broadcast time-sensitive deals as a way to reward their loyal customer base.

Post-holiday, these deal feeds are a great way to clear out the inevitable stack of returned merchandise. So, consider using your brand’s Twitter feed (or creating a new one) as an auction mechanism for the post-holiday returns.

5. Be as Clear as Holiday Crystal

It goes without saying that retailers should try to make the holiday shopping experience as stress-free as possible. So when using social media channels to communicate with your customers, be sure to clearly articulate the value.

Be clear about what role each of your social community efforts is supposed to play — both internally and with your fans and followers. If it’s to answer gift questions, then do that only. If there is another effort to address availability of gifts, make sure your team understands that.

Anticipate that if you create the impression or expectation that your social environment can help with holiday shopping, then customer expectations for you to deliver on that promise will likely be higher than at almost any other time of the year.

Social Media Crisis: What will you do when it happens to you?

Reverse Social Marketing: Crisis Management

Much of the social media world is still being figured out.  The best approach to understanding how exactly this works is knowing that what you are dealing with is two-way communication.  We are past the days of brochures and billboards, comment cards and customer complaint files.  The future of social media holds the possibilities of websites, blogs, and real-time updates, but that comes with the horror of complaints being filed right on your website for all to see– and it all boils down to how you react. So what should you do if you get a bad review? Let’s say someone came to your Facebook and posted a bad review on your wall on how bad your customer service is, or someone with a huge following on twitter made a tweet about how much they dislike your company?  How do you respond? Addison Clark Online would like to offer a few tips on how to handle public relations when things go wrong.

1.  Do not point fingers.

Blaming someone else will make you look bad; no matter if it is your fault, your brother’s fault, or completely out of your hands, do not do it!  It is YOUR company, so regardless of the issue, the best way to handle this crisis is to take responsibility and own up.  Take for instance the case of Johnson and Johnson when their Tylenol bottles were tampered with. (For more info. check out this site).  In short, seven people were found dead after taking extra-strength Tylenol.  The bottles had been tampered with and deadly cyanide had been inserted into the pills.   Instead of pointing fingers and blaming the person(s) who had done the tampering, Johnson and Johnson assumed responsibility and removed the product off of the shelves in a massive recall.  The public’s safety came first, and J&J risked their own profit to ensure that no one else would be hurt by their product.  Their reputation was saved and they have continued to prosper since this tragic incident.

2.  Silence is your enemy!

Some people think they if they do not respond to a bad review, it will go away– wrong!  In a world where media is available at the click of a button, videos can go viral within an hour.  Let’s analyze the Domino’s pizza crisis where two of their employees put up a “fake” video of them mishandling food, including putting cheese up their nose and violating multiple health-code standards.  (Check out this article).  The video spread fast, and resulted in the two employees being charged with felonies and being fired.  But what about the reputation of the company?  They faced millions of appalled customers, and a multimedia frenzy was quickly backing them into a corner.  It took Domino’s pizza a few days to respond, and even then, their apologies seemed a bit phony and they kept repeating that the video was supposedly a joke.  Maybe if they had responded immediately, the video could have been removed, as well as the two employees, and Domino’s could have saved their reputation by appearing more sincere and concerned about their customers.  Instead, they are still working to recover from this abomination.

3. Have a Crisis team ready at all times!

A crisis does not always have to be considered a bad thing.  This past Spring, VCU  put their name on the map as their Men’s Basketball team entered the Final Four.  Nationwide, people were wondering who the Rams are.  VCU had to go into crisis mode;  this was an event that could help them potentially reach an entirely new audience, so why not use it to their benefit?  Commercials had to be made by advertising departments, centering on VCU basketball and al l of the great things that the school is known for.  Let’s be serious, some of the first few commercials weren’t all that great.  The school’s website also took a hit.  VCU’s website received over 11 million hits that Sunday night after beating Kansas, and donations hit over $250,000.  VCU’s crisis team definitely had to be prepared to work around the clock!  Having a plan for a crisis never hurt anyone– it’s inevitable that a crisis will happen(whether it be good or bad), but being prepared will be your best defense.

By: Heather Via

The Holidays Are Almost Here: Is Your E-Commerce Site Ready?

Delivered by FedEx

“Ready or not, the holiday season is nearly upon us. And retailers already know that preparing for it entails much more than a change of décor. As Web sales have increased over recent years, online-sales demands have altered the usual preparation, demanding careful planning to reap the rewards.
Your e-commerce site performance is as important to your online sales as successful merchandising and marketing. So, a comprehensive evaluation of your e-commerce offerings builds a strong foundation for an effective online holiday sales strategy.

Review, strategize and implement

Begin by examining your company’s Q4 plan: Review your forecasts, including performance metrics from last holiday season. Then engage your staff to brainstorm gifting ideas and promotions based on current business trends. Armed with this information, thoroughly assess your site’s scalability, performance and end-user experience.

Create a calendar of all key selling dates—including associated merchandising strategies—from early-bird to post-holiday. Within the calendar be sure to identify and provide key holiday shipping deadlines; resources like the FedEx Holiday Shipping 2011 site can help you establish rates and plan transit times. Then clearly and prominently communicate those shipping cut-offs on your site to avoid customer frustration.

Give your customers the convenience they expect

Don’t overly complicate your interface. Give the customer exactly what they need to make their purchases. Focus on providing the most streamlined experience, using the fewest steps possible, with flexible navigation. And don’t forget to include basic tools of online customer service: easy-to-find, comprehensive contact information and detailed FAQs. A simple, smooth online purchase increases the likelihood of repeat business.

Any additional marketing suggestions such as gift cards and promotions should provide value to the customer and never get in their way. Gift cards can be an easy upsell since they’re one-size-fits-all. Position them for visibility and easy access on the site, placing them in the universal navigation, and on the home and shopping cart pages. Convenient access makes for the best conversion.

E-mailed order confirmations are also great opportunities for add-on merchandising. This is one e-mail that customers almost always open, so don’t let the chance slip by. The best executions blend customer service with merchandising; they provide order validation and tracking information alongside suggestions to purchase gift cards or prompts to shop new products.

Make it mobile-friendly

To stay ahead of the curve, remember the growing impact of mobile. With the recent proliferation of tablet sales, purchases via tablets appear to be increasing (as compared with mobile phones) thanks to larger screens. But a more mysterious effect is the larger basket size of customers purchasing on tablets vs. laptops and desktops; one Forrester Research study found that tablet users generally spend up to 20 percent more per purchase than regular PC users. So with that in mind, keep your e-commerce site not only user-friendly, but mobile-friendly as well.

Stock up and serve

An obvious necessity of holiday marketing is ensuring adequate stock. Keep in mind that last-minute shopping is common, and with it comes an increased expectation of fast fulfillment. Unfulfilled orders can cost you in customer loyalty, so if items are out of stock, clearly communicating the product’s back order status before processing an order can help you retain customers.

Test these tactics as early as possible, and make adjustments as needed while the holiday season ramps up. In every step of the process, remember that the final goal is to help your customers have a satisfying experience on your site—one that encourages them to spend generously and confidently, knowing you’ll deliver their goods with great customer service.”

Tip # 2 to Make your Website Work

We’re back with your second tip on how to make your website work for you! Be sure to give your customers a reason to respond immediately to what you are offering. Let’s be real, your prospects are lazy, so make them an offer they can’t resist. Check out Mr. Durkin’s thoughts and tips to avoiding the # 2 mistake, “No Reason to Respond Immediately”.

Excerpts from – Why Most Web Sites Don’t Work: The Secrets to Direct Response Marketing

By MJ Durkin