The Rewards Are There. Or are They?

I have previously posted on this topic but thought I would put a different slant on it today. Location based networking (Foursquare and Twitters @anywhere service) I checked in today and got my first rewards (a free coffe) now these where not for the place I was checking into but they caught my attention anyway!

Click HERE to go to the TESTER Header.















In the grand scheme of things what is a free coffee to a coffee shop? Answer, pennies.

But to a consumer this could be the only draw they need. It had my interest and I was checking in @thelowry for a conference event. I just find it really interesting to see people using such a simple tool to encourage visitors.

I think for apparel store the likes of Four Square is a totally untapped resource to drive customers and increase store footfall.

HEADING
There are so many ways you can promote this and it really is a shame so many are unwilling to embrace such a unique opportunity.

I could present more than 10 different ways too increase your store/ showroom footfall at very little cost. It's all about being creative and being a leader in the field.

I just wanted to share this and if you would like to know more comment below and I will get in touch.

This really is a resource so few UK business are using!


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Will Social Media take over Tradition News Reporting?

Everyone likes to share there news and there opinions but will social media take over traditional news reporting? Or has it already??

When you read a news paper or see updates on Tv it's news the media want us to know!

With social news feeds it's news you are interested in and most importantly what matters to you. Whether it all the news on the sports you like, or your industry news.

Then you have apps that let you share your news with the tradition elements of reporting



















Is it that they are embracing the change or have no choice because they are loosing the battle?

I have to be honest and say alot of the news I get comes from my Twitter feed, this may be due to the fact I do love Twitter, but my update feed is filled with news related to me an what I want to know!

The explosion of blogging over the past couple of years has also lead to people being free to express views and opinions within a couple of clicks.

There is also a personal element to social media that I really do think traditional news reporting struggles to match or does it?

What do you think???


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Does Size Really Matter?

Does the size of your business really matter when it comes to social networking or is it just a case of it's what you do with it that count? (no puns intended)

I think there are enough tools, platforms and mobile apps for there to be no real excuse for why a business can't make the most of the main social platforms! Companies like @virginmedia and @asos and @starbucks can tweet you back to follow up every good and bad experience you have had. Then there are the more personal @stylisa, @chrissvoss and so on these guys tweet all day and have endless interactions with there follows.

Same goes for Facebook i don't feel it's a case of how often you post but how you interact and converse with your fans. If you know your out the office all day or in and out of meeting you create converstional posts for fans that you can dip into through out the day and add more conversation. If your sat at your desk all day there can be a little more adhoc posting.

If your brand or market is international there are tools like Hoote Suite that let you schedule is posts so when your sleeping and your customers are still active you are still visable and creating content.

So back to the original question, I think it's more of how creative and engaging you can be, the smallest office of 3 people can be seen as a global brand with a little 'creative thinking' while a global brand can be seen as lazy and unapproachable because of the way they react in the same situation.


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Most Americans Wake Up to Email : MarketingProfs

Most Americans Wake Up to Email : MarketingProfs

Nearly six in ten online consumers (58%) say they start their day by checking email, whereas 20% head straight to search engine sites and 11% check in with Facebook, according to a study by Exact Target.

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Location

I have been reading a number of posts lately about location based
social networking, is FourSquare the new Twitter? If it is what will
happen to the original Twitter, is the fact that  FourSquare's check in
database is not as large as they would like a bad thing?

I think when consumers begin to embrace a new or upcoming platform so
many are quick to see it as a threat rather than how can it be
integrated into the mix and used as another tool to engage customers.
(FourSquare integrates seemlessly with both Facebook & Twitter)

I think there is more to location than some are giving it credit for,
do customer make special trips to visit your store or event or is it
mixed in with check in's? where are your consumers favourite places to
check in? If you have 50 customers checking into your store or office
and 30 of them check in later in the day and now they are in your
competitors store or are they at a location where a cross branding
campaign could be used then why not do it?

Alot of companies I have worked with and for look at social as it all
about my company what I am doing and only pushing my product! This is
not always the best approach, they very term social means to interact
and share mutual interests.

One piece of advice that has always stood out to me is engage your
customers on there own platforms! How many companies have you ever
seen do that? I have to be honest and say not too many.

Location gives the perfect chance for you to engage on a totally
different level, what did you didn't you like about our store or
event? Twitter is another perfect tool for this and is real time
instant react is always the best because it's always completely honest.

I have to say the best company I have seen in regards to this is
@Virginmedia, was traveling back from London not to long ago and
checked in at the station waiting for Virgin Train, then later
commented how warm the train carrage was. Before my journey was over
they had tweeted back an apology. Two hour time gap between tweet and
reply, for a company the size of Virgin you have to be a little
impressed.

The point I am making is to make the biggest and best impact you have
to engage on every possible level to a degree that suits both your
consumer and your company. Blogging is huge for fashion sites and Four
Square check in's are what make Starbucks day, so don't be hasty don't
dismiss and if anything enjoy the ride ( just make sure there are
multiple check in's along the way)

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Setting the standards

I am of the belief that if you are to embrace a technology / platform
or any other marketing medium you must aim to be the master of it or
at the very least make you use every one of it's unique qualities!
There is so much information spinning around the web that's sometimes
it's hard to know what to focus on first. The answer is simple really,
how well do you know your customers and where do they spend most of
there time?
M -Commerce is a ever increasing area which only a few "big" brands
have seemingly bought into. Location based social media is another,
and it always amazes me how many times I hear people say well until
such a company do it, it's not main stream enough.
My question would be why would you not want to be a leader in these
areas and for your brand not to lead the way rather than follow the
herd!
Do you see your brand as a leader or a follower?

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Synotes Brings Cloud-Based Note Syncing to the iPhone, iPad: http://bit.ly/bf3OPx

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10% of Under 25s Think It�fs Okay to Text During Sex: http://bit.ly/aBeSz
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Big thanks to everone who took the time to vote for us if you haven't yet check barclays link on our facebook page http://bit.ly/cK63HA

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