Top Smart Phone Functions

Remember when phones, even standard cell phones, were mainly for making calls? Today’s smart phones are so much more than just a phone, they are complete communication solutions.  The ways in which smart phone owners utilize the functions of their devices give businesses more ways to connect and engage with them.  A new study shows that several smart phone functions continue to see usage growths even in just the last few months.

•  In Q1 2012, three-quarters of smart phone owners sent a text message.  Up from 72% in Q4 2011

•  Nearly have of smart phone owners used a downloaded app – up 10% in since Q4 2011

•  49% used a browser – another function that had double digit usage growth in just three months

•  36% accessed a social network from their smart phone.  In the 4^th quarter of 2011, less than a third of smart phone owners’ mobile-ly visited a social network

What Does This Mean To You?

All of these smart phone functions can have a bearing on your business.  Consumers are comfortable with text messaging, developing a permission based text messaging campaign could benefit your business greatly. The key is that it must be permission based and you have to develop offers that your customers want and will share with friends.  Text spamming might be even more annoying than email spam, especially if the receiver has to pay on a per text basis.  In-app ads are very effective and are a great way for your organization to forge relationship with consumer and have extended periods of
engagement.  Because so many consumers search on their smart phones, having a mobile site is necessity.  Consumers become frustrated trying to navigate standard sites on a mobile device.  The last thing you want to do is frustrate a potential shopper.  As consumers begin to access social networks on their smart phones, reputation management and response becomes more important.  If a consumer has a bad experience, they can now tell everyone they know about it almost instantly.  If reputation management and social response are not part of your marketing strategy, you should look into it.  How you respond and remediate negative information is very important.  Things like bad reviews and customer complaints affect where people shop. For more information on mobile strategies that will win customers, please contact:
Al Fiala
amfiala@gmail.com

Source: comScore

Social Media’s Global Growth

Being located in Central Florida, the song “It’s a Small World” is part of the fiber of our being.  Social media truly has made the world smaller and much more connected.  A new study has been released that shows that social media’s global growth will continue.

•  Just over 20% of the worldwide population accesses social media at least once
a month

•  By 2014, that number is expected to grow to over 25% of the total population

•  There are nearly 840 million Facebook users globally.  From 2011 to 2012  Facebook’s membership grew by 0ver 27%

•  Currently, the U.S. has the most Facebook users at  over 141 million

•  India has the second largest Facebook population at over 68 billion

•  Indonesia (49.1 million), Brazil (45.4 million) and Mexico (25.6 million) round out the top five

What Does This Mean To You?

Social networks continue to bring people closer together and give you ways to connect with potential customers – whether they live around the corner or halfway around the world.  For Central Florida, this could have major implications.  We are the tourist capitol of the world, you can utilize social networks to reach out to travelers prior to them getting here.  The Brazilian factor is also very important.  Not only is there a big influx of South American tourists – they are a growing population base here.  In Metro Orlando, there are over 10,000 people of Brazilian heritage and that number continues to grow.  For more information on leveraging the power of social media and targeting specific audiences, please contact:
Al Fiala
amfiala@gmail.com

Source: US Census Bureau; emarketer

What Effects Email Open Rates?

Yesterday’s post dealt with when consumers open emails and when they click on email offers.  There are many things that affect email open and click rates, your message or offer is probably the biggest reason.  But, there are other factors that play into it – here are a few:

•  Personalization: Personalizing the subject line increases the email on rate by 16%

•  Email Type: Among the four major types of commercial email- survey, event, appeal and newsletter – Event email had the highest open rate (39%) but surveys had the highest click rate (33%)

•  User device: Email receivers who had only had desktop computers had an open rate of 51% and a click rate of 15%.  Mobile only receivers had an open rate of 46% and a click rate of 5%.  Those who had both had open rates near 60% and click rates of 13%

•  Number of receivers: Emails with less than 50 receivers had open rates of 58%.  But emails with lists of 50-100 receivers had the highest click rate at nearly 30%.  Emails with over 250,000 recipients had an open rate of just 12%.

•  Subject line: Not just what it says but how long it is. Emails with less than 10 characters in the subject line had an open rate of nearly 60%

What Does This Mean To You?

As you can see the more targeted your email marketing campaign is, the better your results will be.  Email marketing is something that is effective if it’s done the right way.  There are many legal caveats when marketing your business through email.  The last thing you want to do is spam consumers or prospective customers.  Not only will you earn a bad reputation, it could hurt you financially.  Violations of Can-Spam laws can cost you up to $16,000 per violation.  Do you know with certainly who you are allowed to email, the kind of emails you’re not allowed to send or the format your emails legally need to be in?  Simple mistakes can cost your business a lot of money. For more information on effectively, efficiently and legally connecting with your target audience via email, please contact:
Al Fiala
amfiala@gmail.com

Source: Informz

When Should You Send Commercial Email Messages?

Email blasts were probably the first type of digital marketing that online pioneers engaged in.  It still gives you the ability to target geographically and to  strategically segment your offers.  When you send your message can affect whether or not your message is read and acted upon.  A new survey from Informz gives us a global look at what goes into the success of an email marketing campaigns.

•  The average open rate for commercial email messages is 34% with a click rate of nearly 20%

•  Email sent in the morning receive the highest open rate at 39%

•  Email sent at night has the lowest open rate, 23% below messages sent during morning hours

•  Email sent during the late afternoon has the highest click rate at 21%.

•  What day of the week messages are sent have virtually no effect on open or click rates

What Does This Mean To You?

Email marketing is all about targeting.  The key to success is sending the right message, to the right people, at the right time.  While email sent in the mornings may the highest open rate, it’s probably not as effective to promote a happy hour special – unless the receiver is having a really bad morning.
It’s also very important to make sure you are targeting the right people.  If you are just collecting the email addresses of your customers, you are missing a huge pool of potential shoppers.  You need to strategically think about the offers you send.  Email should be used as part of an overall marketing plan – make sure your messages work together.  Email campaigns give you the ability to segment your offers – are you rewarding good customers with good offers?  Have you thought of luring back former patrons with deeper discounts?  Maybe introductory offers to acquire new customers.  For more information on how to make email marketing work for you, please contact:
Al Fiala
amfiala@gmail.com

Source: Informz

Who are Tablet Owners?

Tablets are the hot consumer electronic device.  Tablet ownership nearly doubled over the holidays and Apple’s new iPad 3 will continue to fuel tablet purchasing.  In fact, in a recent post, we showed research detailing that 55 million tablets will be sold this year.  Since some many consumers will be buying tablets, knowing who owns them will help you target users.

•  Just over half of tablet owners are men – tablets are the lone digital product category where males make up the majority of owners

•  One-third of tablet owners are 18-34 years old, 29% are 35-49

•  Over one in four tablet owners are age 50+

•  Six in 10 tablet owners are Caucasian, 15%
are Hispanic, 11% are African-American and 9% are Asian

•  In Metro Orlando, 36% of iPad owners and adults who plan to buy one in the next year are 18-34. 46% are 35-49 years old

•  The median household income for Metro Orlando adulte who own or plan to buy an iPad is 44% higher than the market as a whole

What Does This Mean To You?

Tablet owners could mean sales to your business.  Earlier this week, we had a post detailing that tablet owners search and buy from local businesses.  Creating a tablet enabled web site lets tablet owners take full advantage of their devices functionality while learning about your business.  It also keeps them engaged.  Whether it’s SEO, in-app ads or other opportunities, tablets offer your organization a great way to connect with potential loyal shoppers.  For more information on how to tablets can develop a new revenue stream for your company, please contact:
Al Fiala
amfiala@gmail.com

Source: Nielsen; The 2011 Scarborough Report, Release 2

Hispanics And Social Media

Across the US, there are over 55 million people of Hispanic descent, this equates to roughly 16% of the total population.  Hispanics are not just a large, growing ethnic group, they also have considerable buying power.  Adding to the clout of the Hispanic community is the fact they are early technology adopters and are the leading ethnic group for social media use.

•   27% of Hispanics use social networks for six or more hours per day.  Just 9% of all internet users are on for 6 or more hours per day

•   8 in 10 online Hispanics have a Facebook account

•   Over 60% of Hispanic internet users access their Facebook account at least once a day

•   60% of online Hispanics have Twitter accounts and 35% access them at least once a day

•   Over half of Hispanics who access the internet have Google+ accounts and 45% have LinkedIn accounts

•  Roughly 30% have either Pinterest or Foursquare accounts

What Does This Mean To You?

In Metro Orlando, nearly one in four adults are of Hispanic adults and over half of them have accessed a social media site in the past month.  When you consider the growth of the Hispanic community and their economic impact, you’ll see a population segment that you should be marketing to.  Social media gives you the ability to create connections and engage this valuable ethnic community. The more you can get them to “like” or follow you on social media the better. It helps you to forge a relationship with Hispanic consumers and aides in creating awareness.  “Likes” and followers are great evangelists for your brand and will help turn more people into loyal customers.  For more information on targeting the Hispanic community or social media, please contact:
Al Fiala
amfiala@gmail.com

Source: US Census Bureau; EMarketer BigInsight

Tablet Owners And Local Search

With Apple introducing their new iPad 3, there has been a huge buzz on tablets. Recently, a new study has been released that shows how important tablets can be to local businesses.

•   Over 60% of tablet owners conduct at least one search each week for a local business

•   86% of those who searched for a local business made a purchase as a result of that search

•   The top reason why people used a mobile device for a search was the need for on-the-go information

•  Nearly half of those who conducted a search with a mobile device used an application for their local business search

•   In the past 2 years, local business searches via social media has increased by 67% and 35% of those who search via social media do so on a daily basis

What Does This Mean To You?

Many companies are beginning to either fine-tune or develop a mobile strategy, many forget that SEO is also important.  Consumers, both mobile and standard wired, utilize search engines to find local businesses.  If you do not have SEO as part of your marketing plans, you could be missing a great deal of potential customers actively looking for businesses like yours.  Small and medium businesses need every tool they can in their daily fight against their large, well-funded competition.  SEO is something that you need to employ.  For more information on SEO and other important tools for small business,
please contact:
Al Fiala
amfiala@gmail.com

Source: Mobile Commerce Daily; Localeze

March Madness Makes Its Mark

Believe it or not, the NCAA basketball tournament has been around for nearly 75 years.  There wasn’t much madness in the beginning – just 16 teams in a tiny gym at Northwestern University in 1939.  (Northwestern, by the way, has never played in the NCAA basketball tournament).  While just 15,000 people attended the first tournament, it’s certainly evolved into a societal phenomenon.   It turns book-worms into bracket-ologists and the non-sports loving employee into the office champ because he selected winners based on mascots and team colors.  While one part of March Madness is all fun & games, it’s also dollars & sense.  As a business there are some things to watch out for and other things you can capitalize on.

•  Nearly 60 million people are estimated to participate in March  Madness bracket challenges this year, including at least 8.4 million employees

•  Between employees watching games and filling out brackets, business are expected to lose a collective $1.8 billion in productivity

•  Employees are expected to watch a total of
8.4 million hours of online basketball during
work hours

•  CBS Sports and the NCAA saw a near 50% increase in site visitation during the first three rounds of the tournament last year.  That equals over 26 million visits and over 10 million hours of streaming video in just the first week of March Madness

What Does This Mean To You?

Yes, March Madness has become an American obsession.  A recent survey showed that over one-third of respondents said that they “Eat, breathe and sleep March Madness” and more than 60% followed it at least socially.  March Madness could have an effect on your business’s productivity, it also gives you a great way to connect with customers on a personal level.  Restaurants have many ways to capitalize on the tournaments.  Hosting office viewing parties (especially on the first Thursday & Friday), and printing brackets on takeout menus are a great way to get involved.  If you have a customer waiting room with a TV, think about showing the games.  Mobile is going to be a big part of this year’s tournament, think about a possible permission based SMS campaign that sends out score updates.  You could always host your own bracket challenge for customers as well.  The decision on whether you allow employees to participate in March Madness while on the job is strictly yours – office pools, such as bracket challenges are technically illegal.  As far as consumers are concerned, they are engaged in the NCAA tournament and whatever you can do to share in that engagement will help you bond with customers.  For more information on creating loyal patrons, please contact:
Al Fiala
amfiala@gmail.com

Source: Goldberg Segalla; Challenger, Grey & Christmas; Network World; Boston.com; Human Habits.com; Business Review Morning Call

Everyone Is Talking Tablets

Just five years ago, if you said tablet to someone they probably thought about a bound package of paper or some kind of pill.  Now tablets are the hottest consumer product on the market and with Apple’s unveiling of the iPad3, expect more people to be talking tablets.

•   By the end of 2012, it is estimated that nearly 55 million US consumers will own a tablet – that’s nearly one in four Internet users in the US

•   By 2014, that number is predicted to jump to nearly 90 million US consumers and 36% of internet users

•   Currently, nearly 210,000 Central Florida adults own an iPad and almost  120,000 more plan to buy one in the next 12 months

•   Apple sold over 40 million iPads in worldwide in 2011, that’s over 60% of total tablet market

•    Across the globe, just over 65 million tablets were sold in 2011

•   Apple is expected to sell over 60 million iPads worldwide in 2014 and control nearly 70% of the tablet market

 What Does This Mean To You?

Tablets owners love their devices.  Once they start using them, they often find they can’t live without them.  As a business owner, this is great news for you.  As we detailed in a recent post, tablet owners love to shop with their devices.  In fact, over 7 in 10 tablet owners use their devices to make purchases on a weekly basis.  One thing you need to remember is that tablets are a mobile device.  They may offer a larger screen than a smart phone and have increased functionality – butthey still have some limitations.  As your mobile strategy evolves, make sure you talk with whoever is developing your standard and mobile sites about developing an iPad or tablet version.  This will help you take advantage of
all the bell & whistles that tablets offer.  For more information on mobile strategies that bring results, please contact:
Al Fiala
amfiala@gmail.com

Source: Emarketer; HIS iSuppli; The 2011 Scarborough Report, Release 2

Who Are Smart Phone Owners

While yesterday’s post talked about the jump in smart phone ownership, today’s post will center on the demographics of smart phone owners.  The research from the Pew Center For Internet and American Life has shown some very interesting data about smart phone owners and some surprising information.

•   49% of men and 44% of women now own a smart phone – female ownership has grown over 42% in the past year.  Male ownership has grown by over 25% since May 2011

•   While over two-thirds of 18-24 year olds and over 70% of 25-34 year olds own a smart phone, the number of 45-54 year old smart phone owners increased by nearly 60% and ownership among 55-64 year olds rose over 40%

•   Nearly half of African-American and Hispanics now own a smart phone. 45% of Caucasian adults are smart phone owners

•   The effect of cheaper smart phone technology is evident by a big increase in lower income ownership.  Since May 2011, smart phone ownership by adults with household incomes under $30,000 jumped 55%

•   Over half of those who attended college and 60% of those who graduated from college now own a smart phone

•   Smart phone ownership by adults living in rural areas increased by over 60%

 

What Does This Mean To You?

The increase in smart phone ownership not only makes you mobile strategy more important, it gives you more targeting options to grow your bottom line.  No longer can you only reach the affluent with mobile marketing – you can deliver your message across a broad spectrum of potential customers.  One of the drivers behind the mobile web overtaking the standard web is the price drop of smart phone technology.  Lower income adults may not be able to afford a new computer, but they can probably afford a smart phone.  This gives them cheaper web access.  There are many ways to deliver your message via mobile means.  From mobile site advertising to permission based SMS campaigns to QR codes and in-app positioning, mobile puts you message in the palms of consumers hand no matter where they are. Now with more people using it, you can make your message more effective through targeting.  For more information on how to create results through mobile, please contact:
Al Fiala
amfiala@gmail.com

Source: The Pew Internet and American Life Project