Why Companies Are Incorporating Social

Most major companies are realizing that one web presence cannot do everything that they want it to, so they are incorporating a number of tactics to help fill the gaps.  Some of these tactics are specialty sites for charitable endeavors, warranty and service sites, product rollouts and social integration.
New research has been released that looks into the reasons the goals companies have put behind their social integration.  These reasons are helping them craft successful social strategies.   

• The #1 reason why businesses executives say they are incorporating social apps to their web sites is to increase users/customer engagement.  Nearly 90% of execs answered this way

• Over half wanted to create a direct connection with possible consumers and more than 40% thought it would increase time spent on their web site

• 41% are integrating social into their sties to increase traffic and more than 30% thought it would humanize their brand

• 29% think it will increase conversions and 16% did it to increase revenue

• The majority of companies worldwide are using between 6 and9 different social platforms to meet their companies needs

What Does This Mean To You?

While just 16% of companies are integrating social media into their digital presence to make money, most of these executives realize that social marketing is a holistic way to increase revenue.
The more engaged a consumer is with a brand , the more likely they are to make purchases from them.  The same goes for personal connections and increased time on a site.  Basically, the more sticky your social offerings are – the bigger the potential is for revenue creation.
These ease of linking and consumer search activities have made keeping these external social sites connected much easier and more needed.
What activities is your business doing to increase engagement?
How are you creating connections?
How well do you know your target audience?
Before you can create a connection or developing engaging content – you need to know as much as you can about your target t consumer.
For more information on effectively and efficiently reaching your target audiences,  please contact:
Al Fiala
amfiala@gmail.com

Source: eMarketer;Livefyre

Big Growth In Mobile Gaming

In recent posts we’ve looked at several functions that were primarily desktop in nature buy have recently moved to become mobile centric.  Consumers are increasing using their mobile devices for shopping, social networking and email  – you can now include gaming as being on the path to being mobile first.  New research has come out that supports why integrating gaming into your mobile site or attaching your name to mobile games can help you create awareness.   

• This year over 103 million US consumers are expected to play games on their smart phone –that equals nearly 75% of smart phone users

• By 2017, there will be an estimated 172 million smart phone gamers – an increase of 66% in just 4 years

• Currently one-third of the total population uses their smart phone for games, by 2017 it is anticipated to grow to over 50%

• The number of social gamers is expected to grow by 20% and total casual gaming will grow by almost 15%

• When you combine smart phone and function phone users – there will be close to 200 million people gaming on their phones by 2017

What Does This Mean To You?

Besides the growth in mobile games – the audience is another benefit.  While you may think it’s just kids – you’re wrong.  The demographics for mobile gamers are older and actually skew slightly female.  Engagement levels with mobile  games is extremely high.  Add all this up and you’ve got a growing audience, made up of lucrative targets who can be focused on content that that is branded with you name.  For more information on how to uniquely connect with your target audience,
please contact:
Al Fiala
amfiala@gmail.com

Source: eMarketer

SoMo Continues to Grow

Recently we’ve posted information on how email is moving into a mobile first mode.  Social media functions are also becoming more mobile and trends indicate just how pervasive SoMo is going to be in the future. New research on the two leading social networks, Facebook & Twitter, show that social is definitely becoming mobile-centric.

• This year, 28 million people in the US will access Twitter on a mobile device, this equals 28% of the SoMo users nationally

•99 million people nationally will access Facebook on a mobile device

•  Over the next 5 years, mobile twitter use
is expected to increase 55% to nearly 44
million users

•  Facebook is expected to have nearly 155 million mobile users in the US by 2017.  That’s an increase of 56% in less than 5 years

•   Currently 99% of Mobile social media users access Facebook – over the next five years, that is expected to decline slightly to 96%.

What Does This Mean To You?

SoMo gives you the opportunity to create more actionable social offers but also means you need to be more responsive on social media.  What happens when someone checks in at your location on FourSquare, Hashtags they are in one of your stores or mentions they are shopping with you in a status update?
These are opportunities to create loyalty, generate additional sales and influence shoppers.
Try developing a special FaceBook page for a specific location.  Promote it heavily in the store and encourage shoppers to “Like” it with their mobile device.  You can create a time sensitive offer that encourages people to make a purchase while in the store. Have your store staff take ownership of the page. Give them a sense of ownership.  If there is merchandise you need to clear out – have them post about it.  If there are any specials, let them talk about.  You can do the same with Twitter & Instagram hashtags.  Develop a location specific twitter feed and create a similar hashtag.  Have your employees create twitter handles that associate themselves with the location.  Promote it in store and again, send a time sensitive offer when they follow it.  Have your staff tweet about offers, sales and store events – always using the location specific hashtag. These are just two simple ideas on how you can use social media to develop in store sales.
SoMo also means you are going to have to be even more vigilant with your social reputation.  If a customer has a bad experience, they are likely to use the anonymity of social media to voice their displeasure. The pure nature of social sharing means this experience could reach a large group of people.  Because people trust the opinion of their friends – you could lose businesses very quickly. It’s always a good idea to monitor your social presences, this will help you mediate negative information and promote & publicize great reviews and comments.  This also could be a learning experience for your staff.  It might be good to talk with them about their responsibly on social media.  They are the front line faces of your business.  Their social activity can help or hurt your business.  Understanding the far reaching implications of social media is a lesson that can help them for years to come.  For more information on utilizing social media to grow your business,
Al Fiala

amfiala@gmail.com

 

Source: eMarketer

Mobile Purchases And Email

Yesterday, we chronicled data on how mail is rapidly becoming a mobile first function. There has also been lots of data on how much mobile is influencing shopping. But you can’t depend on just email to create sales on mobile devices.  New data is available on mobile email purchase influences and what factors play into why consumers open mail on their mobile devices.

• Less than 10% of online users say they have made a mobile purchase because of a specific mobile email promotion

• Nearly one in four mobile users say the main reason why they open promotional email on
their mobile device is familiarity with the sender’s name

•  16% say the subject line is the main driver of why they open

•  10% say the device they are using is the main influence of why they may or may not open email

•Less than 10% say that the length of the message is a main factor

• Awareness of a good deal is also a reason why they may open a promotional email on their mobile device

What Does This Mean To You?

While mobile email may not be a huge influence on mobile purchasing yet all indications are that it will be.  But before they can make a mobile purchase they need to open your message.
Most import to consumers is who is sending it to them and their relationship with that business.
While a customer might have signed up to get promotional emails from you how likely are they to know down the road you will be sending them communication.
It’s important to start the communication as soon as possible.  If someone signs up for an email, send them a welcome message and an offer.  In fact, take the opportunity to get to know them better – Offer them an even bigger deal if they fill out an information sheet (don’t call it a survey), explain why you want them to fill it out (“offer you our best prices on the items you buy most).  Also let them know how often they will be getting communication from them.  Sending a welcome email will make them fell, well, welcome and pave the way for future communication.  Presenting them with an offer lets them know that you will be providing them with value (make sure your offer is good).  Telling them how often you plan on getting email may keep you from getting put into the spam folder or having them change the email address on file to a burner one they don’t check.  For more information on how to your customer communication more relevant, please contact:
Al Fiala

amfiala@gmail.com

 

Source: eMarketer; Campaigner

Mobile First Mail

Email is often considered the first form of digital marketing and its becoming the latest function to move from the desktop to being mobile-centric.  Newly released information points not only email being very effective but tremendous growth on the mobile side.

• Nearly one in three emails sent – both personal and business – get opened

• In the past year, email open rates have climbed nearly 20%

•   Today, over 40% of all email is opened on a mobile device

•  The share of email that is open on a desktop machine has fallen 26% in the past year, the total amount of mail opened on a mobile device is up 50%

•  The amount of mail opened with tablets has climbed close to 80%, and the amount opened on a mobile phone has grown 40%

•The average order that comes from transactional email is up 14% in the past year

What Does This Mean To You?

Email is offers your business several benefits, the biggest being the ability to create specific offers for specific target groups or customer segments.  Transactional email can also prove very tricky.  I recommend that anyone looking to market their business via email consult with a specialist with that platform.  There are certain legalities regarding who you can email, what you can email and what has to be contained in the email.   For customer acquisition, an email professional can ensure that your mail does not run afoul of Spam regulations, that your list comes from a reputable source and that it is worded in a way that gives it the best chance of being opened.  For customer retention/loyalty email campaigns, it’s still a good idea to talk to a professional.  They can help you get the most out of your campaigns.  One of the best rules of thumb is to only send mail to customers who know they are going to receive something.  Online and in-store shoppers will often signup for emails to get discounts and offers but the communication never goes any further because the address they gave you is a burner set up specifically for things they never plan on reading.  Make sure that your offers have value and are tailored specifically to that customer.  TO learn more on leveraging your target audiences, please contact:
Al Fiala
amfiala@gmail.com

Twitter Growth

In yesterday’s post, we looked at who are the Twitter users and why twitter can be an important part of your social marketing tactics.  Today, we’ll look at another reason to become Titter savvy – the growth of the social network.  As we stated yesterday, over the past near three years Twitter has grown by 100%.  Where the platform is growing is equally impressive

• Among 18-29 year olds, twitter use has jumped by 114%

• With 30-49 year olds, it has skyrocketed 142%

 • Twitter use by 50-64 years has grown 117%

 •   The most modest growth does come amongst seniors age 65+, growth with them is 25%

 What Does This Mean To You?

The more people using Twitter means more people seeing your message and more importantly, hopefully, more people sharing or retweeting your message.
What is the key getting people to retweet your message and extend your area of influence?
Plain and simple, Value.
When a person retweets something to their followers there are giving that message their stamop of approval.  They are saying – I think you’ll find this important, funny, it will help you save time, it will help you save money, it is something that I believe you will want to see.
Believe it or not the first way to increase your chances of retweeting is ask people to retweet –
Saying Please Retweet lifts sharing by over 50%.  If you don’t hink it’s important enough for people to retweet, will your followers?

Link to content – Tweets that contain links get retweeted much more often than tweets that are text only

Make it your tweet personal, talk directly to the one person reading the tweet, instead of the mass of followers.  Phrasing things as “you” works great

Last but not least, don’t just send out the same old, same old offers.  Offering someone 10% off over and over again will not help you.  Make it relevant – that could be on specific products (Paring your messaging -social, email, text – with your CRM strategy is really something to look at.  When you offer them a discount or special on things they already buy your message is more relevant and more valuable) or product segments.  Also anchor events such as holidays and happenings to your message.  A discount on shoes may not ring a bell, a discount on back to school shoes this time of near may have greater resonance.  For more information on engaging targets, please contact:

 Al Fiala
amfiala@gmail.com

 

Source: eMarketer; Pew

Twitter Users Today

The world of social networking changes extremely quickly.  Social media has become mainstream an most businesses see the importance of having social as part of their overall marketing strategy – but this rapid pace of change means that your social tactics need to be scalable.  Not seeing the changes to come, reacting late to them or having policies that don’t allow you to change could not only you’re your business but help your competition.  The is new research available looks at who today’s twitter users are – knowing this can help you refine your message and targeting vehicles.

• In the past nearly 3 years, Twitter use has doubled going from 9% to 18%

Twitter users as a percentage of total internet population:

• Gender

oMale: 18%

oFemale: 17%

• Age Group

   ○ 18-29: 30%

   ○ 30-49: 17%

   ○ 50-64: 12%

   ○ 65+: 5%

·   Ethnicity:

   ○ Caucasian: 14%

   ○ Hispanic: 28%

   ○ African-American: 27%

• Education:

   ○ Some College: 20%

   ○ College Graduate: 19%

·   Household Income:

   ○ HHI $50,000+: 42%

   ○ HHI $75,000+: 22%

What Does This Mean To You?

Twitter is not only growing, it is reaching lucrative audiences and demographic segments that are becoming harder to engage.  Younger consumers get their news and information from a variety of sources, Twitter is one that you should investigate as a way of creating engagement.
Why should you look to Twitter –
Mobile – Twitter was the first social network to be mobile centric.  It is based on the ability to quickly post information from a mobile device

Efficient – All you get is 140 characters, so need you need to express your value up front.  Today’s consumers, especially younger ones, value brevity.  You can attach a link for them to get further information if they are interested.

Share-ability –This maybe the biggest plus to twitter.  With one simple click , your followers can forward your message to friends, family and their followers.  This type of social evangelism gives your message exponential cache.  Other benefits include easy categorization through hashtags and the ability to add easily add twitter to existing marketing campaigns.  In tomorrow’s post, we’ll see just how much Twitter has grown and one key to making your tweets valuable.  For more information on creating winning social tactics, please contact:

 Al Fiala
amfiala@gmail.com

 Source: eMarketer; Pew

Who Are Social Networkers

Most companies have some kind of social networking activity – even if it is
as simple as just a Facebook page.  But are you getting the most out of
your social presences?
Do you know who today’s social media’s users are?
New research is out that looks at who is using social media today – knowing this can help your business optimize what social activity they are involved in.

• Today, over 70% of internet users are using social media and use is still climbing.

• In the past 6 months, social media penetration has increased by nearly 10%

Social networkers as a percentage of total internet population:

• Gender

oMale: 70%

oFemale: 74%

• Age Group

   ○ 18-29: 89%

   ○ 30-49: 78%

   ○ 50-64: 60%

   ○ 65+: 43%

·   Ethnicity:

   ○ Caucasian: 70%

   ○ Hispanic: 80%

   ○ African-American: 75%

• Education:

   ○ Some College: 73%

   ○ College Graduate: 72%

·   Household Income:

   ○ HHI $50,000+: 78%

   ○ HHI $75,000+: 71%

What Does This Mean To You?

The targeting aspect of social media is something that should not be overlooked.  While younger age groups are certainly more apt to use social media, there are large percentages of the 50+ and senior population using social media.  In fact, seniors are the fastest growing segment of the social scene. Because they are newer social networkers, they are also not as jaded as those who have spent a great deal of time on networks.  This upper age group is also a large user of TV –social networking is easily paired with TV and will increase the engagement levels with your message.  So if you are looking to create a loyal customer base with adults age 50+, social media is something you should explore.
For more information on creating lucrative opportunities through targeting, please contact:  

 Al Fiala
amfiala@gmail.com

 

Source: eMarketer; Pew

What Social Moms Share

Yesterday, we featured a post on the types of online content moms share and consume. In today’s post, we will examine the most popular platforms that moms use to socially share content. The differences in platforms definitely influence the types of content that gets shared and the devices they use.

• Just how influential are moms?
○ On average, shared content will generate 8.75 clicks
○ Content shared by generates an average of 9.5 clicks

• The top platform for sharing content is Facebook but Moms are not as reliant on it as the general public
○ 56% of people share content through Facebook
○ Moms share 34% of their content through Facebook

• Moms are also less likely to share via Twitter
○ 10% of the general public share content through Twitter
○ 9% of moms content gets shared through Twitter

• Moms are much more likely to share through Pinterest
○ Nearly 30% of content shared by moms goes through Pinterest
○ Overall, just 12% of all shared content is shared through Pinterest

• Moms are also more likely to share through StumbleUpon
○ 14% of content from moms goes through StumbleUpon
○ Just 5% of all content goes through that portal

What Does This Mean To You?

Getting moms to share your content is a great way to develop awareness.
Don’t limit yourself to either reposting parenting content on your site or marketing your business in parenting content. Because moms are often the keepers of the family checkbook, they are always on the lookout for ways to save money. Creating offers that will appeal to moms will help you get shared. It’s not always a monetary savings that will catch their eye. Look for offers that will help them save time or will give you added value. Believe it or not, the holidays are literally just around the corner – Thanksgiving is now less than 120 days away and it falls late this year. That means busy moms will be even busier.
There are probably many things your business can do to make holiday shopping easier. Special shopping hours tied to a loyalty club and free shipping save both time and money for moms. For more information on creating valuable offers, please contact:
Al Fiala
amfiala@gmail.com

Source: eMarketer; ShareThis

What Social Moms Share

Last week, we posted information on how moms use mobile devices in the shopping process.  Today, we’ll look at new information on the social activity that moms engage in and the content they share.
Because moms are so active on social networks, they can be a powerful force in helping you create engagement.

•Moms age 25-54 are 3x more likely than the general public to share content

• The top 5 content types that moms share are:

   ○ Parenting topics – 18%

   ○ TV & Movies – 15%

   ○ Technology – 10%

   ○ Health – 6%

   ○ Politics – 6%

• The top 5 content types that moms consume:

   ○ Movies & TV – 22%

   ○ Casual & online games – 10%

   ○ Parenting – 9%

   ○ Music – 8%

   ○ Sports – 6%

What Does This Mean To You?

Because of the huge influence that moms have over the opinions of other moms, the types of content that they share is very important.  So if you are looking to create engagement with moms, parenting would be naturally a place to start.  But entertainment content should not be forgotten.  Not only do they consumer this type on content but they share it as well.  Casual and online game is a great place to reach moms and while they may not share scores and outcomes like they have in the past, it does take up 10% of what they do online.  One of the biggest benefits to social marketing is the ability to find, influence and leverage groups based on their activities and content.  We’ve talked about dedicating space to highlighting content on your own web presences to build engagement.  You should also take the time to letting people know you have this content through social means.  Tweet out to your followers and customers about something great that may be on your site.  When you get a tweet linking you to something interesting or informing you believe your customers would enjoy – instead of just re-tweeting it, think about contacting the content provider and asking them if you can put the information on your site and then tweet it out linking to your page (please ask first and make sure you give the proper credit where the credit is due). The more you can tie yourself to the content that your targets want, it increases your value to them.  For more information on developing target audiences, please contact:

Source: eMarketer; ShareThis