Articles in ‘marketing’

• Facebook or Google Ads?

  by Webfusion in marketing on October 12th, 2011 Post a comment

  The stats say that here in the US we spend more time on Facebook than even Google, so why do companies still spend thousands of dollars on advertising via the search engine giant?

  Firstly, it is probably that Google truly changed the way marketeers do business. The Brandsetter in the field always leads for longer. By GoogleAds grabbing people when they simply search for a product or service, only the truly sci-fi option of thought-control could possibly catch a potential customer earlier in the transaction. In the traditional world, what Google does compares to attracting the attention of the would-be customer just as they reach for the Yellow Pages. It led the way where many others now follow.

  Secondly, Facebook has developed into a a very personal medium and many Facebook users don’t like the fact that the hard-sell is reaching directly into what they see as their personal space. So for many Facebook is not the right location.

  Thirdly, Google offers multiple offers. Whereas Facebook ads are likely to be much more specific to the user that sees them, as people we also like the element of choice and Facebook’s style only allows one ad of a kind to be in sight of the user. Google is likely to show more than one ‘related’ ad to a search. It might not seem like a choice, but it sub-consciously it works better with the end user.

  That’s not to say Facebook Ads don’t have a place. With the amount of time people are spending there it is obvious ad spend and expected ROI on Facebook Ads will increase.But Facebook advertising is different and there is no reason why businesses – budget allowing – can’t use both channels. Facebook advertising is more like traditional forms, display ads while potential customers browse on by. Where Facebook Ads win over traditional print etc though is that firstly, it is considerably cheaper (being a new ‘un-proven’ form) and secondly it is targetted. In fact it is even more targetted than GoogleAds. With more personal detail to hand than ever, using Facebook means your ad can really reach the people you most want to hit. What’s more as a click-thru they can be instantly monitored and measured too.

  So where does Facebook win over Google in the advertising stakes? Cost probably, but also for Start-ups or businesses with new concepts. If a would-be customer doesn’t know about you or your product, they won’t be searching for relevant terms on Google, so your Google Ad won’t feature. Via Facebook, if you know your target market you can reach-out, find and build your own audience.

  Do you agree? Do you use Google, Facebook or both to advertise? What have been your returns?

• Free Facebook ads for Small Biz

  by Webfusion in marketing, Social Media on September 29th, 2011 Post a comment

  Facebook is to invest $10 million into a new scheme that will mean free advertising for small businesses.

  Facebook Marketing Solutions is part of a partnership with the National Federation of Independent Business and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce ans is se to roll out during the next few months.

  From the start of 2012, Facebook will then be giving each qualifying business at least $50 of free advertising on the Facebook platform.

  As the social network aims to convince more businesses that Facebook has a benefit for them, they are also promising a stackof free resources and information to help businesses market themselves via Facebook.

  Mobile reps will be despatched by Facebook to get out there and meet with small business owners in person. The existing Facebook self-service ad platform is best set-up for small advertisers making this the obvious target market to expand sales.

  The reps will have their work cut out for them however. Recent studies suggest 64% of small businesses think social media is unnecessary.

• Lasting impressions can lead to future work

  by Webfusion in marketing, Web Design on September 22nd, 2011 Post a comment

  In the current market, pitching for new work can be hard. There’s probably a higher chance you won’t get the work you put effort into the pitch for – either because of greater competition or maybe the client not having the cashflow to make it all happen.

  Yet, the way you react to the rebuffal, the way you conduct yourself, could snag you future work so don’t go out in a blaze of glory.

  Here’s some tips on how to turn a no into a future yes:

  Keep in touch with past pitches

  There are countless CRM applications out there – SugarCRM one of our own one-click apps is a perfect example – that can keep track of who you have contacted recently and what they said. Use this to make sure you do make those follow up contacts in 6 months as they suggested – in fact make it 5 months as you know it could take a month to get a meeting set-up and you could also steer a march on your competitors.

  Begin a company newsletter

  If you sound busy, if it sounds like they might be missing out on a great opportunity unless they work with you, you are more likely to be invited back to pitch for work. Success attracts others wanting success, so send a regular newsletter – monthly is good but depends on your industry and company. Make sure past, present and prospective clients are on your mailing list. Existing clients may also see it and want to be featured, or be inspired by a different sort of work you are doing for another client and sign you up for more work. At the very least it keeps your company name in their mind.There are plenty of free mailing list applications like MailChimp to hep you on your way

  Don’t forget personal contact either

  If you are in the vicinity or at an even with a past client or would be client, don’t be shy, say hi. Personal relationships are the base upon which the best business relationships are built. Your business may have developed since you last spoke you may have more to offer, equally their business will have changed, with different needs that you could help with.

  Stay aware of your clients

  Even before you make contact make sure you have had a look at what your former clients are doing. They may have chosen somebody else for their webdesign over you before, but now 6 months on the internet is very different, is there something they are not doing that you could offer?

  Get Feedback

  If you do get knocked back or even after you have completed successful projects always ask for feedback. Don’t be an irritant but do try and be firm, as you will learn an awful lot from how others perceive you.

  In summary, be on top of things, be helpful and be aware. You never know what new work might be just around the corner.

  Do you have any other tips to share?

• Do you YouTube?

  by Webfusion in marketing, Online Business, Social Media, Tech News on August 1st, 2011 Post a comment

  If you’ve dabbled but never really got to grips with how to best use YouTube, then now may be your opportunity.

  YouTube have launched the first edition of the YouTube Creator Playbook. It is designed to give partners and creators important tips, best practices, and strategies that will help build audiences on YouTube.

  YouTube say they will keep the Playbook (downloadable as a PDF) updated as new features are released and the servive evolves and shows a very strong commitment to ensure that YouTube continues to grow but also maintains a consistent high quality amongst the top channels.

  Worth a look even for the curious and a must for anybody looking to use video as a marketing tool.

  Have you been inspired by the YouTube Playbook?

• Why a picture can tell a thousand words

  by Webfusion in marketing, misc, Social Media on June 2nd, 2011 Post a comment

  The rise of the QR code has not been as swift as many had predicted. They have been successfully used in Japan (their country of birth) for many years, but it is only now with the uptake of smartphones that people are beginning to see their worth.

  Even last year’s Calvin Klein ad, was seen as something of a novelty rather than a ground-shift, but all the indicators now suggest the QR is about to go big.

  QR codes (short for Quick Response) first appeared in Japan. Created within the Toyota group back in the mid 1990′s originally as a way of scanning and identifying contents and parts at high speed, the spread of smartphones in the populated country has seen them used in just about every possible advertising market. Yet, only in the past 12 months have marketeers elsewhere really jumped onboard their usefulness.

  A matrix barcode, the uptake of smartphones mean more and more people have the ability to read them at home, in the office or on the move. A unique identifier, they can be used to embed text or almost any data but their main take-up in recent months has been to pictorialize a URL.

  Read the rest of this entry

• Get to grips with Social Media ahead of 2011

  by Webfusion in Development, marketing, Online Business on December 23rd, 2010 Post a comment

  We have to admit, even we get carried away with posts about Twitter, Facebook and apps like WordPress. They are the main social media tools, that even your grandma might be using nowadays, but what about Web 2.0 tools out there for the more discerning web user? We’ve had a trawl and picked out a handful of those social media sites you may have not yet signed up to, but might be of use:

  1. Dopplr
  Dopplr makes your travel planning smarter. Whether it is travel with your family, work or as a social group, you can share your travel plans with the people you trust. They needn’t be people you are intending to travel with either. Dopplr acts like a travel calendar for you and if you are linked with other friends, family and colleagues Dopplr will analyse all your travel plans and can spot coincidences when your travels overlap. This can be a great tool for meeting up with old faces when you all have a busy social and working life. There are tips and advice from other travellers too, so if you are looking at somewhere new you can get an insight into what to see and do and what to avoid.

  2. Audioboo
  The best way to explain Audioboo is probably ‘the audio equivalent of Twitter’. You can record and share your thoughts in audio format from wherever you are in the world using a downloadable app for your smart-phone and have them shared on the web almost instantaneously. It is not just your thoughts either. Spotted a celebrity? Why not try and grab an impromptu interview with them to share with your friends. Others use Audioboo to record the sounds of an event, be it silence, bird-song or racous chanting. Sports fans and festival goers have been the fastest to embrace this. You don’t need a smartphone either. You can upload your sound file easily using your web browser, which is a useful tool if you want to use another type of audio recorder and or edit the audio before you upload it.

  3. Ipadio
  Similar to Audioboo Ipadio is a personal or business tool that can help you create an audio blog. Phlogs as they are known can be embedded in a player on your site, or  you can direct visitors to your own Ipadio site that updates with your latest postings. You can organize these, edit them and customize your channel. Again there are smartphone apps to record and upload in one slick movement – it updates in real-time opening the possibility of live commentary on an event. No smartphone? Don’t worry. You can upload an audio file via a web-browser or you can  use the access telephone number and pin you are given when setting up your account and just ring in your Phlog down the line. It can even be used for sports commentaries using a live stream-type facility.

  4. WhoHub
  Ever fancied being the subject of one of those expert / celebrity Q&A articles? WhoHub makes you the star, inviting you to answer a series of probing questions based upon the interests and knowledge. It is free to create an interview including professional and more personal questions which build up to create an online Q&A for  you. You can link to your pages elsewhere, blogs, photographs, work portfolio. It is a great way to promote yourself and improve your digital identity. With just over 50,000 interviews online you can become part of what looks set to become a growing community.

  5. Jumo
  Created by Chris Hughes co-founder of Facebook, who has more recently been Director of Online Organizing for Barack Obama’s presidential campaign. After a part-existence for many months, Jumo finally received a formal launch this week. Designed to let users find, follow and support the causes important to them, it already boasts over 3,000 organizations on board and is set to become one of the most talked about social media tools in the new year.

  6. Diaspora
  Being dubbed as a ‘more private’ Facebook rival, Diaspora finally launched its Alpha test this month and is already making waves.  Developed by a team of 4 US students they originally had difficulty raising the funds for building the project from scratch but in the end 6,500 people contributed with money and the numbers reached $200,000, with further ‘angel’ funding. With a site that doesn’t yet appear to support Internet Explorer however, and some none to complimentary twitter traffic this week. it might be that Diaspora won’t reach its potential.

• Amazon flexes it’s Kindle muscles

  by Webfusion in Domains, marketing, Tech News on November 12th, 2010 Post a comment

  It is 18 months since we announced the arrival of Amazon‘s Kindle DX, then the latest e-reader of its kind. The newest Kindles with Wi-Fi and much better specifications appear to have finally seen them  make the step from stand-alone electronic text reader to an almost fully functioned handheld device. With the increased interest from a wider market that comes with that, they have this week begin to flex their muscles in ensuring publishers use the Kindle platform for their content.

  Following closely behind a similar deal now being offered to book publishers Amazon.com this week said it will give a bigger cut of revenue for periodicals sold on its Kindle Store. At a time when print costs for magazines and periodicals are hitting profits and hard copy sales are falling this could be a very incisive move. Royalties of 70 percent for publishers will be offered from next month, and although previously each publisher has had its own deal the new rate means most will now be doubling their take on each sale.

  Amazon’s strength is not just in the strong sales of the Kindle device either. It has swiftly moved in recent months to ensure that even those not buying its hardware can still purchase and read Kindle format books. There are apps for  Apple’s iPhone and iPad; Research In Motion’s BlackBerry; Android-powered devices, Macs and PCs. Until now newspapers and magazines for Kindle have only been available for Kindle hardware but expect that to change. To benefit from the new 70 percent split publishers will have to agree to offer their periodicals on all the platforms where Kindle content can be read, as well as in all territories for which the publisher has rights. The vision is “Buy Once, Read Everywhere”, with Whispersync technology allowing users to sync across devices what their last page was, so they don’t lose their place.

  Last month, Amazon also announced plans for a lending feature for Kindle content. The concept would allow each digital book to be lent once for 14 days, during which the lender cannot read the loaned book – just like you might do among family and friends with your traditional paperback.

  It certainly looks set to be an exciting year ahead for Kindle users and publishers.