By Bob Speyer and Kristin Tomlinson, Web Success Team
Internet marketing gossip is exploding — and the line between fact and fiction is blurring. If gossiping is a crime, then every blogger and Internet savvy professional needs to be incarcerated for this misdemeanor. What was once an indulgence is becoming a dependency as more and more individuals are turning to various social media outlets to extract their daily dose of breaking news and scandal. Today, people are simply taking a quick glance at their updates on Facebook and Twitter to squeeze out the latest juice. Social media marketing is the driving force behind this Internet sensation, and businesses everywhere are taking notice of its impact on consumers and using it to their advantage. They’re spending less on print ads and relying more on word of mouth through online marketing to establish their web success.
He Said… or Did He?
It’s no secret that a small whisper can turn into a loud buzz through emails, blogs and tweets. Like Michael Jackson’s tragic death or the shocking fabrication of the demise of actor Johnny Depp, gossip is an unstoppable force and it’s making a special guest appearance on every text, tweet, and chat room. Whether imported or formed domestically, hoaxes and factual stories alike are making the evening news. As Mark Twain once said, “The reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated.” This was a giant wake up call for marketers who underestimated the power of the digital word to deliver their message. Companies are quickly fanning this fire by to turning their words into actions by using Internet medias to promote their brands, goods and services.
What Happens in Vegas, Goes on the Web
If you want to save a marriage before it’s even begun, do yourself a favor and delete last week’s bachelor party pictures from your camera. Today nothing is safe from the prying eyes of the Internet. When pictures and comments get posted on Facebook, they will go viral on other sites like Flickr, Twitter and YouTube. Even Google is jumping on the bandwagon by indexing Facebook Updates. You can bet your dirty laundry that friend and competitor will read it. With so many social media sites itching to be the first ones to deliver the breaking revelation of the day, nothing ever is kept hush or in the dark anymore. So it is a good practice to discriminate what you post — from a corporate or personal standpoint.
Rumor Control
With Internet gossip running rampant, things can spiral out of control. You may not be able to stop it but you are not helpless either. Managing your reputation is important, especially when your business relies heavily on online marketing to deliver your message. Good communication has always been effective and holds true in this digital era. Be honest, transparent and consistent. Address your detractors online and promote your brand.
Trust is one of the most important yet overlooked “intangibles” on the Internet. However, it is key to a decision makers’ mindset whether to give your offerings serious consideration. The Internet is littered with amazing claims and broken promises. So what can you do to instill confidence or trust when a viewer lands on you site looking for a needed product or service? Here are a few guidelines to follow to build trust and increase your sales:
Your Website Should Be Simple, Uncluttered and Informative
You only get one chance at a first impression. Since our lives are complicated enough, your site must be easy to understand and engage the viewer in less than 10 seconds. The simpler the better and the easier to comprehend, the more likely your brand will instill trust. People respond to organization and a clear sincere message. Psychologically, think of whom we trusted first — our parents. If you try to do too much, you will frustrate your viewer and create a negative reaction.
Offer Something Special
We are conditioned to respond to a deal. In fact, promotions are some of the most visited web pages. A promotion may range from a simple discount to packages where you get more value than for individual services. Again, you want to instill trust, so offer a warranty, guarantee or some consumer recourse that is clearly stated. You want to be as transparent as possible.
Use Client Testimonials and Case Studies
People recognize that testimonials are hand picked and hold minimal value. Yet when supported by case studies they can make a convincing reason to read and respect them. Plus if you have recognizable customers, it can create a shared brand appeal. People will connect the dots and reason that if a trusted brand has used this company, then they are that much more appealing.
Use the New Social Medias to Humanize Your Brand
We all respond more to real people, not just a corporate entity. That’s where social media marketing can fill out your resume. Create social profiles on Facebook, Linkedin and Twitter and be active in their use. Placing their icons on your website in a viewable spot encourages prospective customers to view your profiles and fill in any questionable gaps.
Building relationships online will give your brand a more human component. Using employees, their pictures and their comments is equally effective and rounds out your company.
Authority Speaks
Knowledge is respect and the more your brand is promoted online, the more credible you become. One of the ways to be viewed as a authority in your field is to create a blog and actively write about your field. Articles that are keyword rich will be circulated throughout the Internet, draw targeted attention and help promote your brand. Writing blogs will also let people view your personality, knowledge and your sense of humor. It makes you “real.” Also, if you won an industry award, written a book or you are a guest speaker at an industry event, then these should be prominently displayed on your website.
Belong, Join, Affiliate
Another key factor in building trust is showing people that you are active in your community or your industry. Are you a Chamber of Commerce member, associated with an industry organization, active in a charity, or a member of the Better Business Bureau? Participation shows commitment, involvement, energy — and respect.
Be Accessible and Consistent
Once the initial barrier is crossed and a potential customer is interested, you must not disappoint them. Be available to talk to them, keep appointments and be consistent in your promises. Dependability is a key factor in maintaining trust and credibility. Have your contact information clearly displayed on your site above the fold; respond to their inquiries within 24 hours; and offer good advice and interest in their situation. These guidelines will help you assess your current website and activities. The bi-product of building trust is an increase in sales that will lead to web success. If your website does not reflect these core components, then people will go to the competition. By giving people reasons to trust you, they will.
The New York Times is making news instead of just delivering it to its readers. Times have been hard on newspapers across the country. As the size of your daily newspaper dwindles, so have their profits. The NY Times operated at a $35 million loss in the third quarter of 2009.
To shore up its bottom line, the Times will now charge consumers for its web content. By increasing online revenue, it hopes to offset print advertising losses and utilize the digital press to build your business online. Let’s face it, we need our news organizations to be profitable. They provide a valuable service. As the “Fourth Estate” they act as our eyes and ears around the nation and world to keep watch on government while keeping us informed.
The New York Times’ “metered model” will permit visitors to read a fixed number of articles before charging a monthly fee. Any subscriber will have free unlimited access. It’s their way to boost readership and flip visitors into paid customers. They may even have to be more aggressive and use some online direct response marketing tactics and take advantage of social media marketing using Facebook and Twitter. Incidentally, the Wall Street Journal already charges for their online subscriptions.
So What’s Next? Our Predictions
We predict that charging for blog content will be the next online reality — and its coming to a computer screen near you! We have all been weaned on free web content, but most analysts conclude that newspapers and magazines will have to charge customers to remain in the news business.
With the explosion of smart phones, like the Apple’s iphone, delivering content to mobile devices will be the next big revenue source for providers of news and blog-worthy content. Content providers will be offering you subscriptions to news, sports, finance and more. And it may not stop there. Popular blogs may also charge a premium to be part of the “inner circle” to receive cutting edge content, such as proprietary information, insider tips and strategies.
We anticipate the pricing to be very modest but increase over time as the consumer gets use to paying for content. Paid value always is perceived to be better than “free advice.” In the end, the marketplace will decide and determine your web success.
Ask yourself which is more powerful when you are deciding on a purchase: a referral from a friend or colleague; a printed advertisement; or a sales person.
Not to second guess you, but I bet overwhelmingly it is someone you have direct contact with, someone who has actually purchased the product or service, or has heard good things about it from a trusted friend. Recommendations are sales gold.
This senario falls into the realm of social media networking. It is powerful, it is convincing and it is proven. Companies have spend millions of dollars to promote their brand and to deliver the right message to consumers through traditional advertising. Now the statistics are in and they are moving more of their marketing dollars to the digital/social media arenas.
Here are a few social media facts and figures:
300,000+ businesses use Facebook
300 million people are active Facebook users
100 million viewers are on YouTube
14 million Twitter users
346 million people read blogs; 184 million bloggers
Your new and current business will depend more and more on social media marketing. That’s were the hearts and minds of your customers will be focused. They are relying more on input and personal experiences in decision making that having some Madison Avenue wag influence your decision where to spend your hard earned money.
The paradigm has shifted. Power to the people. As James Frley, CMO Ford stated, “You can’t just say it. You have to get the people to say it to each other.”
Here are just a few real life examples:
Naked Pizza set a one-day sales record using social media marketing. Using Twitter, they increased sales 67% of which 84% were new customers.
An organized tweet-up for Susan G. Komen for the Cure netted 11,000 visitors in 24 hours and countless donations.
Web host provider Moonfruit spent $15,000 on social media and increased their traffic by 300% — translation, a sales bump of 20%.
These stories are not uncommon. Creating and implementing an effective social media marketing plan is as essential to your business as your telephones. Implementing one is a must. There is no getting around that social media done correctly takes time and resources, but the return on investment is there for the taking.
The New Buying Reality
Buying habits have changed. Selling has to catch-up to this new reality. The better news is that it is affordable, considering its reach and appeal. You are building lasting relationships that will continue to pay dividends, or in business terms, profits. How’s that for a return on investment.
Get started today. The Web Success Team can tailor a social media marketing plan to fit your company and to promote your brand.
James Cameron’s Avatar has touched a nerve in our collective psyche. Much in the same vein, Social Media has exploded into our digital world, changing the landscape on how we think, react and do business.
What does Avatar and Social Media have in common? They are both brave new worlds that have captured our imagination and have connected us to each other. In a world gone wild with war, natural disasters and the human condition, we all yearn for a place (real or digital) that will give us meaning and a way to express our individuality and our humanity.
Our Primal Need
One of the most striking comparisons of Avatar and Social Media was the interconnectivity of the Na’vi to their natural habitat and to each other. Their umbilicus was a synaptic nerve cord emanating from their head in the form of a long pony tail. When physically connected to another life form, they had pure communication of thoughts and emotions, and could have a symbiotic influence on each other. Social Media networking is fulfilling that primordial need to be connected, to make our presence felt and have the ability to influence and be influenced. In essence, make our voice or vote count. We are not living and breathing avatars, but our digital networking is connecting our avatar to yours.
A modern day analogy happened in the 1960s when the youth felt disenfranchised from our society and found meaning in the proverbial “love-ins.” As the beat poet of that generation, Jerry Rubin, so eloquently noted, “Don’t trust anyone over 30.” Those words resonated around the globe. The youth were connected through rock n roll, the Beatles, the Vietnam War, and flower power. They influenced generations and these baby boomers are still a force today.
The Bonds that Influence Us
Trust is another comparison worth noting between the Movie and Social Media. It is the glue that holds both systems together. The hero in Avatar, Jake Sully, needed to understand the rules, the customs and learn how to move in an alien world. He needed to gain the trust of the Na’vi, not just live amongst them as a intelligence gathering project. But something happened once he truly felt engaged with his mentor and love-interest, he changed and the world changed with him. Social Media has its rules of engagement and if you are to be successful you need to understand that the process takes time. Watch, learn and build trust. Be a part of an online community and actively participate.
The effectiveness of Social Media is in building relationships, making your presence felt in positive non-exploitative ways. Establish your brand of influence, offer content, suggestions, advice, reliability. In Avatar, the Sky People (aka humans) saw “gold” and wanted to mine it, regardless of the environmental impact. Bulldozing your way through the jungle with purely self-interest objectives is counter productive. Short term gains, long term angst.
Standing Ten Feet Tall and Blue
Social Media enhances your brand image and makes you stand out from your competition and be that 10 foot tall blue Avatar. Take the time to understand it, cultivate it and fall in love with it. Enjoy the experience.
I Saw Mommy NOT Kissing Santa Claus, But Her Money Away
By Kristin Tomlinson- Web Success Team
It’s funny how a single day that is only celebrated ONCE can bestow so much stress, anxiety, and financial burden on so many people. Whether you’re celebrating Christmas or Hanukkah, the holidays have officially arrived. With the economy in a rut, and money tight, online can help stretch your budget, rather than dent your holiday spirit.
Stores such as Target, Kohls and Best Buy heavy up on online advertising during the holiday season. That’s because people are more likely to look at a catalog online than in print. It’s more cost effective, has a higher rate of return and they can alter the promotions at a moment’s notice. In addition, retailers are using Social Media Marketing to promote products, drive traffic and increase their sales. Some of their business strategies consist of coupons, discounts and special deals that can ONLY be found online for “top-selling” products and this season’s “must-haves.”
This is one of the most important times to search for keywords such as “coupon codes,” “free shipping” and “gift deals.” They will not only save you time, but money as well because most of these products can only be purchased online through their websites. No wonder why these sites have such a high spike in their rate of return, and continued web success during the holiday season. Steal these deals, before overpriced products steal your money.
I’ll Be Online for Christmas
The holidays tend to bring bad weather, freeway congestion, and outrageous increases in airline tickets. Traveling during this time of year is feared by most and dreaded by all. Not only are stores crowded and hectic, but they’re pricey as well. During these economically strenuous times the general population just cannot spare this added expense. Search engines can help find travel alternatives to visiting family and sending costly holiday cards. The use of Skype and online greeting cards are BOTH great ways to social network with family and friend when you can’t be there in person. Saving cash and gas… joy to the world, we don’t have to travel.
It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year
Shopping online is a great way to reduce stress, pressure and anxiety this holiday season. There’s no need to create financial burdens when there are options to help you give generously or thoughtfully without breaking the bank. Bringing joy and goodwill doesn’t necessarily have a price tag!
What a success! The workshop hosted by the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce and VPE Public Relations was packed with eager non profits and companies wanting to learn more about social media marketing and how to implement it for their organizations. The Web Success Team was fully represented with Team colleague and featured speaker, Marci Rosenblum.
1. Knowledge Is Power:
Social Media is a driving force in this new age of media marketing. Some eye-popping statistics: 300 million active Facebook users; 14 million Twitter users; 100 million YouTube viewers per month; 346 million blog readers. And it’s growing exponentially.
2. Your Competition:
Whether you are a non-profit, solopreneur, or small, medium, or large business, your competitors and customers are using social media. You can’t afford not to jump on board, but being a passive player doesn’t cut it. You must be active, aggressive and committed. The good news is that it’s not too late to “catch-up,” grab the opportunity and profit.
3. Benefits of Social Media:
Let’s be candid. You want the opportunity to grow your business. Social Media will help you achieve web success by connecting with people in target market, building relationships, advertising your brand, promoting your products and services, and going viral. You will increase your reach and turn contacts into “friends” and have them evangelize your brand.
4. Time, Management and ROI:
Perception — “We don’t have the resources to actively manage our social media profiles;” “It takes too much time to do social media.” “Where do we begin and how long does it take to see results.” “What is the Return on Investment.”
Reality — There is no instant gratification or magic bullet with social media. The best and most productive way to short cut time management and get results is to hire an authority on social media and have them develop a strategy to be implemented and to train your employees how to effectively manage and promote your brand online through social media marketing.
5. Get Social – A Turnkey Solution:
The Web Success Team can tailor a social media strategy for your business, implement it and train your employees how to effectively manage your social media campaigns. You will save time, money and valuable resources while maximizing your online effectiveness. Contact the Team today for a social media marketing consultation. The time is now to “Get Social!”
The Web Success Team has scored a touchdown (and a few extra points) in helping promote a premiere event during Super Bowl Week, called Taste of the Game. Our clients, Entertainment & Sports Plus (ESP) and Sports Entertainment Team (SET) are hosting five exclusive events that will benefit charitable causes and educational institutes, as well as entertaining prominent business, sports and celebrity and VIP attendees.
To date, corporate sponsors include: Bacardi, CRN Digital Talk Networks, WealthTV and boingo.
A Website Sporting Good Causes
In collaboration with The Heart Truth®/Red Dress campaign, a portion of the proceeds from The Red Heart Gala and Taste of the Tropics events will benefit Athletes for Life and WomenHeart: The National Coalition for Women with Heart Disease.
In collaboration with our clients, the Web Success Team helped developed the event logo and website to give it a flavor of Miami and give the potential attendees a taste for the game’s activities. Branded to reflect the Super Bowl Miami location with a football themed logo, the site is geared to reflect the 5 exclusive events: Business of Sports Summit, VIP Welcome Reception, Red Heart Charitable Gala, Taste of the Tropics, and End Zone 44 wrap up party.
The site is constructed for ease of use and navigation with events clearly presented with its own page descriptors, sponsorship opportunities with downloadable pdf package, the standard about us and contact us pages, along with celebrity hosts and prominent celebrities and VIP Guests, including actresses Vivica Fox and Kym Whitley, former and current NFL players Willie Gault, DeShaun Foster and Michael Boley.
A Brite Way to Promote Ticket Sales
The lifeblood of any event is ticket sales and the Web Success Team set-up the Eventbrite site to help manage, promote and sell-out the event. The Team branded Taste of the Game on the Eventbrite engine so those going to purchase tickets to the various events will experience the continuity of the branding and event descriptions while making their decision/purchases.
Since Social Media is now an important component in any online marketing plan, Taste of the Game is no exception. The home page has all the social media networking icons so visitors can connect with the clients and spread the word about this exciting star-studded event.
TeamWork Brings Web Success
The Web Success Team can help develop, manage and promote your event through the power of online marketing and social media marketing. Our experience and knowledge can be a valuable resource in this new economy to get the most traction out of your business or event and achieve web success. Contact our Team to learn how we can get you wired into your target markets and make an impact on your bottom line.
The Web Success Team has scored a touchdown (and a few extra points) in helping promote a premiere event during Super Bowl Week, called Taste of the Game. Our clients, Entertainment & Sports Plus (ESP) and Sports Entertainment Team (SET) are hosting five exclusive events that will benefit charitable causes and educational institutes, as well as entertaining prominent business, sports and celebrity and VIP attendees.
To date, corporate sponsors include: Bacardi, CRN Digital Talk Networks, WealthTV and boingo.
A Website Sporting Good Causes
In collaboration with The Heart Truth®/Red Dress campaign, a portion of the proceeds from The Red Heart Gala and Taste of the Tropics events will benefit Athletes for Life and WomenHeart: The National Coalition for Women with Heart Disease.
In collaboration with our clients, the Web Success Team helped developed the event logo and website to give it a flavor of Miami and give the potential attendees a taste for the game’s activities. Branded to reflect the Super Bowl Miami location with a football themed logo, the site is geared to reflect the 5 exclusive events: Business of Sports Summit, VIP Welcome Reception, Red Heart Charitable Gala, Taste of the Tropics, and End Zone 44 wrap up party.
The site is constructed for ease of use and navigation with events clearly presented with its own page descriptors, sponsorship opportunities with downloadable pdf package, the standard about us and contact us pages, along with celebrity hosts and prominent celebrities and VIP Guests, including actresses Vivica Fox and Kym Whitley, former and current NFL players Willie Gault, DeShaun Foster and Michael Boley.
A Brite Way to Promote Ticket Sales
The lifeblood of any event is ticket sales and the Web Success Team set-up the Eventbrite site to help manage, promote and sell-out the event. The Team branded Taste of the Game on the Eventbrite engine so those going to purchase tickets to the various events will experience the continuity of the branding and event descriptions while making their decision/purchases.
Since Social Media is now an important component in any online marketing plan, Taste of the Game is no exception. The home page has all the social media networking icons so visitors can connect with the clients and spread the word about this exciting star-studded event.
TeamWork Brings Web Success
The Web Success Team can help develop, manage and promote your event through the power of online marketing and social media marketing. Our experience and knowledge can be a valuable resource in this new economy to get the most traction out of your business or event and achieve web success. Contact our Team to learn how we can get you wired into your target markets and make an impact on your bottom line.
Join the Web Success Team for a FREE social media workshop hosted by the L.A. Chamber of Commerce. The workshop is called Latinos and Social Media Strategies for Nonprofits and is on Wednesday, December 16th from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m at Bank of America Room A, B & C on 350 S. Bixel St., Los Angeles 90017. The sponsor is the California Wellness Foundation. The workshop is promoted by VPE, a Hispanic Public Relations firm, whose social media practice area, commUNITY®, is geared to bringing online opportunities to Latinos.
During this one-day workshop, you will learn how to utilize the latest web technology for your organization’s advantage. Presenters will share outreach strategies and how to manage an online presence for your organization in support of your mission. You will get key insights and recommendations to harness the power of new media to maximize your dollars.
Marci Rosenblum – Featured Speaker
Throughout the day there will be guest speakers on a variety of social media topics. Kicking off the morning is Marci Rosenblum, co-founder of the Web Success Team, who will be talking about “Effective Branding in a Social Media World.” Marci will discuss the pros for carrying your brand forward in social networks; and the benefits that it creates for spreading your message to the right demographics.
Other topics include successful social media campaigns. You will learn from nonprofit organizations using social media. This session will focus on successful strategies and challenges in launching social media campaigns including online fundraising, community organizing and civic engagement. The afternoon session will delve into developing social media strategies. You will learn what steps to take before launching a social media effort and strategies to use to engage with your online community.
Take-Aways…
There will be a host of tips, techniques and strategies you will gleam from this one-day workshop. The focus may be on non-profits, but anyone can benefit from the content presented by these social media marketing experts. Some of the workshop take-aways include:
Learning about the most useful web tools for nonprofits.
Discovering the latest trends on how to use Social Media to communicate with constituents.
Conversing with experts on how to develop strategies and manage online presence.
Discussing with organizations that have successfully used social media for promotion, advocacy and fund raising.
Sign-up and join the team for this FREE.
For more information and a schedule of workshop activities and speakers, go to the link: Latinos and Social Media Strategies for Nonprofits. Join the Web Success Team for a day of learning and networking.
TeamWork Builds Web Success
The Web Success Team specializes in building and marketing direct response websites that take full advantage of the latest developments on the Internet. The Team has an arsenal of effective web strategies, online tools and proven techniques to promote your products and services. And we’ll show you ways to increase the amount of qualified traffic to your site through the expanding social media and online marketing strategies.
For more tips, tools and articles of interest, become a fan of the WebSuccessTeam Facebook Page and learn more about online marketing, SEO and social media.
Contact the Team today for a complimentary consultation to your web success!
Cyber Monday is a term coined by retailers to capitalize on the shopping season and traditionally know as the strongest day for online retail sales and web success. Point of fact, it is also generating more sales than in store purchases, making it bigger than Black Friday.
Cyber Monday is the traditional “kick-off” to the online shopping season. This year sales could exceed $900 million, making this the biggest day for online retailers according to the Dow Jones and Com Score. Sales rose 14% this year over last year’s haul and bought 30% more items per order as well.
Online shopping is a juggernaut that is here to stay. Be it convenience, time and cost savings, shoppers are rabid for deals. Couple this with the fact that Monday is a workday, imagine the lost productivity as shoppers take advantage of the Internet bargains.
Social Media Fuels Cyber Monday Sales
Retailers are capitalizing on this consumer onslaught by leveraging social media to drive sales, using their Facebook Fan pages and their Twitter accounts to offer huge discounts. Here are some Facebook page examples: Cyber Monday offering holiday deals for more than 700 merchants with “Deals of the Week” and “Deals of the Hour;” JC Pennyoffering huge discounts for Cyber Monday; and Wal-Mart with savings from their website on electronics, toys and groceries.
According to the Wichita Business Journal: “Electronics retailers will be the big winners during this holiday season with: Amazon had the most visits on Friday, up 28 percent from last year. Wal-Mart, Target, Apple and Best Buy, all of which have multiple stores in Wichita, were among the most popular sites. Apple’s traffic was up 39 percent from last year, the biggest year-over-year gain among most-visited sites.”
And since online holiday shopping is just kicking off expect more of the same great deals as we progress to Christmas, and the after Christmas sales to build even more momentum.
Capitalize on the Power of Social Media Marketing
If you still are underestimating the power of Social Media, think again and use all the tools that the web has to offer you to build your business online. The Web Success Team can you promote your business through the Power of Social Media Marketing. Contact us today and we’ll show you how to build an effective network to sell your products and services.
TeamWork Builds Web Success
The Web Success Team specializes in building and marketing direct response websites that take full advantage of the latest developments on the Internet. The Team has an arsenal of effective web strategies, online tools and proven techniques to promote your products and services. And we’ll show you ways to increase the amount of qualified traffic to your site through the expanding social media and online marketing strategies.
For more tips, tools and articles of interest, become a fan of the WebSuccessTeam Facebook Page and learn more about online marketing, SEO and social media.
Contact the Team today for a complimentary consultation to your web success!
The Web Success Team has scored a touchdown (and a few extra points) in helping promote a premiere event during Super Bowl Week, called 
Cyber Monday is a term coined by retailers to capitalize on the shopping season and traditionally know as the strongest day for online retail sales and web success. Point of fact, it is also generating more sales than in store purchases, making it bigger than Black Friday.
