Why My Kitchen Sink Should Revolutionize Your Marketing

April 3rd, 2013

I just bought a new kitchen sink at 60% off list price on Amazon. It arrived in 48 hours, with free shipping. I read 36 positive reviews beforehand, so I was confident about my choice. While I was on the site, I purchased iPod earbuds, and some craft felt, too, because it was so easy.

I made my purchase after visiting Home Depot and Lowe’s where I learned, “Kitchen sinks are on aisle 5,” and, “Anything besides these 4 sinks is a special order and takes 10-14 days.”

Welcome to the age of Amazon.

Amazon is dramatically changing the rules of marketing and sales—across all product categories. I could easily have added car parts, running shoes, and flower bulbs to my basket if I was in the mood.

This means you need to craft your go-to-market strategies with Amazon front and center in your thinking. You should consider:

  • How much time do you spend managing Amazon as a channel? Does it align with the fact that more consumers now start their buying searches on Amazon than Google?
  • Do you have an Amazon pricing strategy that is competitive and considers channel conflict?
  • Have you packaged and priced your product so it is eligible for Amazon Prime?
  • Are you working with Amazon to maximize your presence and your promotional impact?
  • Does your company website give consumers as good an experience as they get on Amazon? Shoppers see Amazon as the gold standard for ecommerce.
  • Do you track your Amazon reviews? Are you making product changes in response to customer feedback?

Whether you’re selling natural food or designer jeans, Amazon is a huge force in the market. If you’re not paying enough attention to this channel, another company will.

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Most Powerful Digital Marketing: Reviews

March 11th, 2013

Online ratings and reviews have more impact on consumer purchases than virtually all other digital media. They are much more compelling than the top social networks (Facebook and Twitter), email promotions, and mobile ads.

Reviews don’t just affect online purchases. They are also the top digital influence on in-store choices. In fact, almost one quarter of smartphone owners look up product reviews while in brick and mortar stores.

Roughly 80% of online consumers turn to reviews for guidance. Half look at them regularly, and 1 in 5 posts a review at least once a month.

While marketers hypothesize that reviews have more influence on high ticket purchases, consumers indicate they are important across a whole range of categories.

More than three quarters of shoppers trust other consumers’ ratings. In the electronics category, consumer reviews are seen as more trustworthy than experts’. However, shoppers are less likely to believe a peer review if it contains grammar or spelling mistakes, is too positive or too negative.

With all the focus on social media marketing, it’s easy to overlook reviews as a powerful marketing tool. Don’t.

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Social Media You Can Ignore

February 13th, 2013

A friend in marketing recently said, “You always write about social media I have to start using. Are there any tactics I can ignore?”

Yes, there most certainly are!

Below are four social media tactics you can forget about for the foreseeable future.

  1. The newly relaunched MySpace. Last month the site unveiled a beautiful visual interface that got lots of social media experts buzzing. However, consumers aren’t talking about it yet, so you don’t need to think about it.
  2. Foursquare. I know I will get heat for this recommendation. But, if you’re not on Foursquare, you probably don’t need to be. Mainstream consumers are hesitant to use check-in services because of privacy fears. Plus, there are more convenient ways to check-in, like Facebook and Google+. I bet Foursquare remains niche.
  3. QR codes. Marketers are much more excited than consumers about QR codes. Some shoppers use them for price comparisons, but there are apps for that. Marketers’ dream that consumers would scan QR codes on ads to learn the story behind their brand just isn’t turning into reality.
  4. Vine. Marketers and the media are excited about Twitter’s new video app, Vine. It lets people create and share 6 second, looping videos. I recommend sitting on the sidelines and letting someone else figure out how to leverage Vine to drive sales.

I will keep tracking these services—and everything else in digital marketing—so you know what to put on your To Do List and what to put on your Don’t Bother List. Stay tuned…

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What Marketers Need to Know about Reddit

February 11th, 2013

What is it?

Reddit describes itself as an online community where people vote on content to identify what is new and popular on the web. Other people call it a “social news platform.”

How does it work?

Members, called redditors, add links to content, then the community comments and votes on them. The most popular stories rise to the top of their category (called a Subreddit) and ultimately to the front page of Reddit.

How popular is it?

Reddit receives over 50 million unique visitors and 3 billion page views per month. It is moving up the website rankings in the US and is particularly strong in the Bay Area.

Who uses the site?

Reddit attracts a somewhat hard to target demographic. The details vary a little depending on the source, but everyone agrees Reddit users are mostly 18-34 years old, well educated, and more likely to be male.

Why should I care?

Cutting edge marketers see potential for leveraging Reddit to build brand loyalty. They are delivering customer service, building relationships by posting compelling content, and joining consumers’ discussions. Reddit also offers the option to create sponsored links.

If you would like to learn more about Reddit and keep up-to-speed with how consumers use social media, technology and the Internet, check out The Digital American 2013. Click here for a free sample.

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10 Things You Need to Know About Digital Consumers

February 1st, 2013

Originally published in MENG Blend http://bit.ly/TVqjI6

Americans’ approach to everything digital is changing so rapidly it’s hard for consumer marketers to keep up-to-speed and optimize their marketing plans.

Here’s a quick recap of 10 must know consumer trends in digital media, social media, and technology. They are excerpted from Brandology’s new report, The Digital American 2013 (http://www.brandology.com/trendreport.htm)

1. Digital multi-tasking has taken over TV watching.

Three-quarters of people who own multiple digital devices use them while watching TV. That means it’s almost impossible to get consumers’ undivided intention. However, there are many creative ways to engage them on both screens simultaneously. Can your brand leverage dual screen marketing?

2.  Listening to music via the Internet is huge.

Between on demand music services (Pandora, etc), Internet radio stations, and YouTube, the majority of consumers now frequently listen to music online. Advertisers are behind the curve on this trend. Should your brand run spots in these different music channels?

3. Smartphone owners hate targeted ads.

It’s discouraging to hear, but over 90% of smartphone owners are opposed to behaviorally targeted ads. Consumers think they are an invasion of privacy and downright creepy. However, Americans are very interested in mobile games, apps, and information. How can you execute powerful mobile marketing without irritating your consumers?

4. Consumers want pictures, not words.

Visual content is becoming more powerful than verbal content, and it’s not just happening with Pinterest and online videos. Tumblr is now more popular than Facebook with teens. Pictures drive more engagement than other posts across social networks. Can you enhance the visual appeal of your marketing?

5. Cyber loafing creates huge marketing opportunities.

Americans relax by wasting time on their computers, and it’s creating huge opportunities for brands. Can you leverage StumbleUpon, humor sites, and online games to reach consumers looking for distractions?

6.  Snapchat may actually be for marketing, not sexting.

Early on, Snapchat was dismissed as a sexting app. Smart marketers have looked beyond that label and are testing it for coupon delivery. Should you include experimentation with Snapchat in your plans?

7.  Tablets are the purchasing hub.

Consumers pick up their tablets and are struck by an almost irresistible urge to buy. Tablets have surpassed smartphones and may soon beat computers for driving online sales. Have you optimized your website and everything else for tablet users?

8. The biggest shopping search engine is Amazon.

More consumers go to Amazon than Google to start their online shopping. This trend is likely to intensify because Prime membership and the third party marketplace are growing rapidly. How can you best engage with Amazon to make sure your products stand out?

9. Google+ cannot be ignored.

I have at least one conversation a week that starts, “I know I should be on Google+, but…” Google has made it clear they are going to make Google+ a success, and step by step are doing so by adding new features that attract members. Should you make a splash on Google+ this year?

10. Consumers may know more about pricing than you do.

Showrooming was a big story during holiday season 2012, and it will only grow in the future. Consumers are perfectly comfortable finding the best price for an item, and transitioning from one retail environment to another to get it. How should you adjust your pricing strategy to succeed in a completely transparent world?

 Want to learn more about consumers’ digital attitudes and actions?

 Download a free sample of The Digital American 2013. (http://www.brandology.com/trendreport.htm)

 

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6 Things You Need to Know About Snapchat

January 17th, 2013

 

Snapchat caught fire with teens and twentysomethings last year. Now it’s on marketers’ radar screen as the latest intriguing social media tool.

Here’s what you need to know about the popular smartphone app to enhance your marketing plans.

  1. Snapchat lets users take a picture/video, send it to friends, and set it to self destruct after 10 seconds or less of viewing. The receiver cannot forward or take a screen shot, and Snapchat stores nothing on servers.
  2. The press has hypothesized that Snapchat’s primary use is sexting. However, 80% of snaps are sent during “school hours,” making naked pictures less likely.
  3. The app appeals to young people who grew up taking photos of everything and sharing them, sometimes with less than positive results. They know that anything posted on Facebook or Instagram lives forever.
  4. Users say Snapchat is fun because it allows them to share a moment in real-time with friends. They use the app for sending snaps that are silly, funny, or just not worthy of being stored for digital eternity.
  5. 50 million snaps are sent every day. Since the service launched in October 2011, over 1 billion pictures have been shared.
  6. Handles, a frozen yogurt chain in New York, became the first company to gain visibility by using Snapchat to deliver coupons to loyal customers.

If you would like get more insights about how consumers use technology, social media, and the Internet—so that you can make smart business decisions—check out The Digital American 2013.

Click here for a free sample!

 

 

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Everything You Need to Know About The Digital American

January 7th, 2013

Introducing  The Digital American 2013. This fact-packed report contains everything you need to know about how consumers use technology, social media, and the Internet—so that you can make smart business decisions.

The Digital American is over 200 pages of real-time information and actionable insights that you can leverage to grow your sales and profits.

Should you use QR codes? Is there value in sponsoring a mobile game? Can you sell your product on Pinterest? Is Reddit the next big thing? Those are just a few of the many questions you will be able to answer after reading the report.

  • Click here for a free sample to get a taste of what you will learn from The Digital American.
  • Click here to see options for buying the full report.
  • Click here to contact us about how to leverage The Digital American to drive your business

Reading the Digital American 2013 is an easy way to keep current with consumers’ rapidly changing digital attitudes and behaviors that impact your business success. Doesn’t that sound like a great way to start 2013?

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30% of Seniors Want Customer Service on Facebook

November 26th, 2012

Roughly half of all social media users, including 30% of those over 65, would like to access customer service via a social network. And, one third say it is their preferred way to handle product complaints and questions.

Consumers have very high expectations for customer service on Facebook or Twitter. 32% expect a response in 30 minutes. Over half are disappointed if their problem is not solved on the same day, even if it’s a weekend or holiday.

Once consumers start interacting with service representatives via social networks, they are hooked. Most return to the channel and over half make a customer service inquiry at least once a month.

Companies that excel at handling customer service in social channels reap big rewards. The vast majority of consumers who are happy with their interaction recommend the brand to friends. Not surprisingly, Americans who don’t get a response via social media—and there are a lot of them—are less than pleased. Especially since the consumer consensus is that social networks are the customer service channel of the future.

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Santa’s Gonna Use a Smartphone

November 16th, 2012

 

Santa and his helpers will be tapping and clicking their way through the holidays. Over half of all mobile phone and tablet owners say they will use their device to save money, save time, and find the perfect presents this year.

Consumers are not necessarily going to buy a lot of gifts on their smartphones. In fact, PriceGrabber estimates only 6% of holiday purchases will be mobile commerce. While that is 50% greater than last year, it’s still miniscule.

The vast majority of shoppers who plan to use their smartphone will leverage it for pre-shopping and while visiting bricks and mortar retailers.

  • 70% will compare prices on their devices
  • 52% will look at deals and coupons in-store
  • 48% will read product reviews
  • 40% will check inventory before going to a physical store
  • 33% will download a shopping app

“Showroom shopping” will be a popular approach, with almost 60% admitting they will look at products in-store and use their smartphone to see if they can find them cheaper online. At the same time, 40% say they will use their mobile to find the information they need to request a price match.

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Pinterest Drives Purchases

October 25th, 2012

70% of users visit Pinterest specifically looking for things to buy. 59% of them go on to purchase something they see on the site.

That’s in stark contrast to the 17% of users who are motivated to visit Facebook in search of buying inspiration, and the 33% that later make a purchase.

Additionally, when Pinterest users decide to buy, they spend more, according to research from RichRelevance. A shopper who connects from Pinterest to an ecommerce site spends an average of $169 vs $95 if they are referred by Facebook, and $71 if they connect via Twitter.

Consumers are more active and engaged with retailers and products on Pinterest than other sites. The typical user likes 9.3 retailers on Pinterest vs 8.5 on Twitter and 6.9 on Facebook. What’s more, 59% of pinners repin content they like, while only 37% of Facebook fans post on the site.

Finally, Pinterest refers more traffic to other websites than Twitter, StumbleUpon, or Bing.

We may have just figured out how to translate social media marketing into sales. That’s especially true if you are marketing food, home décor, arts and crafts, or fashion, the top categories on Pinterest.

Are you on Pinterest yet?

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