Determining which platform to use for business can be a daunting task. I’ve seen small, little-known brands take off like wildfire via Facebook campaigns, while some large companies struggle to make their presence known. Just compare Squishable, a small company out of NYC that has created a very niche market – they have more than 280,000 fans on Facebook and they engage their customers. Yet Staples has less than 200,000 and many of their posts garner less than 8 responses.

Choosing which networks to leverage takes time and requires some key research. There is a place to start, however.

CMO.com (Digital Marketing Insights for CMOs) created a simple chart that tells us which primary outlets are better for the engagement we seek. It’s from 2010, so Google+ isn’t included, but the information overall hasn’t changed.

Use this guide to decide which outlets are best for communication, exposure, promote incoming traffic and increase presence in search engines (branding).

 View full-size PDF CMO.com’s Social Media Landscape

It’s important to realize and remember that there is no cookie-cutter method to using social media to better your business. Little known brands have a much bigger hurdle to jump, but if they listen to their customer base, they can stand to gain a higher percentage of wealth in the long run.

What’s your industry? And what tools have you found to be best for increasing recognition of your brand/company and, ultimately, increasing sales?

© Pamela Hazelton, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Originally published on 2011/10/23.
| Permalink | Be the first to Comment!
|Add to del.icio.us|
Post tags: conversion, facebook, marketing, social media, twitter

My mother is an avid crocheter and quilter. She’s also a mean knitter, sewer and maker of a killer Mac and Cheese (as a meal). She crocheted me a ’70s-style hat and scarf to take back to Florida, where the needle’s already tipping into the 50s.

My mom has a knack for making stylish gifts that please.

How does my new gift relate to business success? Mom’s actions were similar to any company wanting to reach the goal of supplying something in demand. Here’s how:

• She identified the problem: It’s getting chilly.
• She identified the need: I will need to stay warm when I walk the dog.
• She identified the want: I could get a low-end, non-stylish hat just about anywhere, but I’d prefer something fashionable.
• She identified what I was willing to pay: Okay, in this case it was nothing, but only because my mother would never even let me reimburse her for supplies.
• She identified what’s popular: Similar handmade cotton hat and scarf sets go for $30 to $60 on Etsy.
• She played the scarcity card: She only made a few in this particular color, which is a unique blend of greens and white (variegated).(For those crafty types, she used BERNAT handicrafter cotton.)
• She addressed long-term use issues: It’s made of cotton, so I can wash it on a gentle cycle. If I take care of the set, it should last for many years.

There are other accomplishments which weren’t necessarily part of her goals:

• She’s built a loyal customer base: Not only do family and friends appreciate her work, fellow crafters and visitors to local craft shows admire her work.
• She gets people to talk about her: My sharing photos of her quilts and other crafts across my social media channels (which garners re-posts) proves it!
• She’s established a brand: In her neck of the woods people recognize her name.
• She’s created demand: Despite the fact she doesn’t take orders (she uses her own discretion), she is often asked to create specific items using specific patterns.

If my mother were a business, she’d set a great example of how to engage consumers, make people talk, and build a loyal customer base.

The most compelling reason she’d be a true success, however, is because she simply loves what she does. And those of us who benefit from her work do, too.

© Pamela Hazelton, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Originally published on 2011/10/22.
| Permalink | Be the first to Comment!
|Add to del.icio.us|
Post tags: business, Ecommerce, marketing

Shoppers are quickly reminded that Christmas is less than 10 weeks away, and they’ll be combing online resources and stores to find the best deals. Key decision-making offers include free or discounted shipping, bonus gifts, per-item specials and return policies.

Your goal, however, shouldn’t solely be focused on selling to the largest number of people. More items per order garners higher profits.

Multi-item purchasing means less time spent processing and shipping orders, providing maximum benefits per transaction.

Read article at Practical eCommerce >>

© Pamela Hazelton, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Originally published on 2011/10/21.
| Permalink | Be the first to Comment!
|Add to del.icio.us|
Post tags: Ecommerce, marketing, practical ecommerce

You started your dream job twenty years ago. Over the years you’ve been responsible for key changes and advancements in the company. Management sees you as truly dedicated and you’ve worked your way up to a six figure salary.

You’ve tucked away some money for your kids’ college, but also didn’t pass on the opportunity to enjoy the fruits of your labor. So, this past year, you had that in-ground pool installed, upgraded to a nice, but not too pricey, sports car and picked up annual passes to Disney to put smiles on your childrens’ faces.

You’re living comfortably, even though the bulk of the money you’ve saved is earmarked toward college tuition.

This morning, you wake up, hop in your new car, hitting the local cafe before heading into work. You pull into the company lot, and head for the front door.

But… it’s locked.

There are no lights on, and few cars parked. You and a handful of your coworkers stand outside, wondering what’s going on. Then, your boss pulls up, and gives you the bad news. The company is now closed. Not due to the economy or failing product line, but rather, because he was so intrigued by what the Internet had to offer he decided to take all that hard work you and everyone else has done and offer up the product plans online… for free. After all, information wants to be free, no?

Sound absurd? Perhaps, but those downloading illegal music, movies, books and software are creating a very similar impact. You know who else is? The rest of us.

When did we become a society that thinks others should be offering up their hard work for free outside of charitable contributions? When did it become okay for someone to give up their dream job to put food on the table when that dream job, within all legal limits, would pay the bills?

More importantly, when did we become so expectant and accepting of others’ notion of getting things for free that we made “freemium” a primary focus of our own business models?

It doesn’t matter how (or exactly when) this all started. What matters is what we do with the information we’ve amassed, often at great costs.

How much money does someone who provides a wealth of free content really make selling premium goods? The answer: Not nearly as much as he could.

We’ve taken the traditional “sample taste” and “try before you buy” and turned it into “sample how easy it is to tie all the pieces together and learn my entire business model.” Think that’s an overstatement? For some, maybe, but for most, there’s so much time spent giving “tidbits” away that it’s difficult to keep track of what you actually gave. And if you are holding back (likely not nearly enough), someone else is there to fill the void.

The worst thing about “free” is it totally devalues everything we’ve done thus far. I don’t know about you, but my education was not free. The time I’ve spent researching, analyzing and strategizing came at great cost.

John Jantsch made some pretty bold statements about “information wants to be free” at the AmEx Open Forums. (Read: 5 Reasons Free is Hurting Us All)

When content is consistently given away it loses its value–not only for the producer, but also in the eyes of the content consumer.

- John Jantsch

John’s right. It’s time we step back and rethink things. If that means experiencing a slow season while we re-educate users, we can only benefit in the long run.

I’ve read many articles on this topic, along with comments by those who say we must provide valuable goods, services or knowledge for free in order to attract a bigger clientele or new customers. I’ve heard the arguments that say we need to give and give and give in order to build our lists. And I call foul.

To those who really think all this free content is necessary to bring real people through the door, I can only ask, “Whatever happened to the testimonial?”

With all the advances in technology, one element of business hasn’t changed: the power of “word of mouth” advertising. Therein lies the possibilities of real success. After all, if people aren’t talking about you, even the free content you’re offering is worth just that: zilch.

© Pamela Hazelton, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Originally published on 2011/05/19.
| Permalink | Be the first to Comment!
|Add to del.icio.us|
Post tags: conversion, freemium, marketing, Mistakes That Kill, social media

The campaign, called Fair Tweets, calls for tweeters to donate their unused characters per tweet. In simpler terms, when a tweet falls short of 140 characters, you allow Fair Tweets to append their message in order to raise awareness about Fair Trade.

The problem I had is that the average Twitter user would be confused. Learning about what Fair Trade actually is (to decide if you want to jump on the bandwagon) requires some reading. Unfortunately, the textual content of the campaign isn’t written to immediately inspire someone to take action, because first you have to explain what “donating unused characters” actually means.

I eventually found this video, which explains it all in just one minute:

Can’t see the video? Launch it via YouTube.

That being said (and shown), I have to wonder how one determines the best methods for raising awareness for great causes. There are many ways to get the word out, but which ones garner the greatest response? And, how fine (or thick) is the line between being entertaining (like last year’s “What color bra are you wearing?” campaign, which, in my opinion, did little to raise awareness about breast cancer) and actually teaching people. Campaigns need to inspire people to spread the word, but also insprie them to take real action.

Have you developed a successful awareness campaign? Is there a particular campaign that stands out?

Share below…

© Pamela Hazelton, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Originally published on 2011/05/09.
| Permalink | 2 comments
|Add to del.icio.us|
Post tags: charity, marketing, social media

Sounds easy, right?

Actually, garnering retweets can be a daunting task, and those who accomplish this goal have one thing in common: they tweet with retweeting in mind.

Here’s 10 reasons you’re not being retweeted:

1. You don’t follow the 140 character rule. Traditional retweeting (RT @username) has to follow the 140 – (username + 6) rule. Savvy users don’t use Twitter’s auto-retweet function, especially if they want to include their own comments.
2. You don’t read what you’re sharing. Remember, you are the last line of defense for what you post. If you don’t click others’ links to ensure you’re not retweeting a scam or virus, why should people trust you enough to retweet you?
3. The site you link to includes an auto-popup or overlay, begging me to take action. This appears before I’ve even read a single line of the page; in fact, it usually covers the page so I’ve no choice but to take some action. My action, of course, is to close the window and move on—without sharing your tweet with my followers.
4. You cuss. I’m no prude, but I find no reason to cuss in a professional, social media environment. Even when quoting someone you should substitute characters (like ***).
5. You are too political. Tweeting for sales, business, and influence should be void of an overly-political voice, unless your target audience warrants such discussion. In fact, I never retweet political statements on principle—I know that a portion of my followers would be offended no matter what the statement.
6. The page to which you link is loaded with grammatical errors. I’m a professional, and my followers trust that I’m sharing information for a good reason. Broken English, spelling errors (sure, they happen, but there’s a limit to what’s acceptable on a per-post basis), and lack of punctuation doesn’t represent “me”. If you’re retweeting sub-par content, it reflects poorly on you.
7. You abuse the term “Please RT!”. Unless the issue is urgent, you shouldn’t be begging. Accept the fact that people can decide on their own if your comment warrants a retweet.
8. The content of your tweet doesn’t interest me. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing. One cannot expect everyone they follow to only tweet topics of interest. Understand this and it will be easier to accept not being retweeted.
9. The page to which you link requires registration. Even if it’s free, we simply don’t have the time to register at every site we visit. Find another source, or write your own post (avoiding plagiarism, of course).
10. You don’t use the appropriate hashtag. Even though I’m following you, I might not be interested in everything you have to say, or, I might not be on Twitter when you tweet something interesting. The chances of me seeing your tweet increase if you’ve used a hashtag on which I search.

Don’t fall into the trap of thinking Twitter is just a “free-for-all” and “if you tweet it, they will come”. There’s a reason key tweeters are recognized and respected, and they didn’t build their reputations overnight. They did this, in part, by tweeting with retweeting in mind.

Have any “I won’t retweet…” stories of your own? Post a comment!

© Pamela Hazelton, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Originally published on 2011/05/07.
| Permalink | 4 comments
|Add to del.icio.us|
Post tags: communication, marketing, social media, twitter

It’s okay to ask for them…

For every complaint you hear, there are at least ten consumers who walked away silently. Later, perhaps, they’ll complain about you to their friends or on Facebook, but the majority of customers who feel they’ve been done wrong will never take the time to tell you.

The same can be said for enjoyable experiences. It’s a small percentage of happy customers who will invest the effort to write you (or post directly to your social media account). A thrilling experience doesn’t always trigger a promotional response. Still, that doesn’t mean people aren’t willing to oblige when asked.

How to Ask for a Testimonial

First and foremost, don’t follow the example of what I call “eBay stuck-ups”. These sellers – often using bold, large type – explain that they will only give positive feedback if it’s first received. In their minds, the two-way street starts with the consumer taking first action. Note: These sellers never get feedback from me at all, because my testimonials are not for sale.

Instead, initiate contact by first thanking the customer, and ensuring him/her that you’re available should there be any questions. Use positive verbiage without drawing too much attention to yourself.

Try this:

Thanks again for shopping with XYZ-Store! We truly appreciate your business. We’re available to answer any questions you may have (you can reply to this email or visit our contact page).

We rely on our customers for our continued success. We hope you’ll consider posting a testimonial about your experience so others may understand what to expect when shopping with us.

Simple and to the point. Notice there’s no incentive other than them helping you succeed. Companies shouldn’t buy testimonials. It makes them worthless. And, yes, businesses found to have jimmied, faked or otherwise offered goods in return for a great rating risk losing more than just their credibility. Because, as luck would have it, shady business tactics gain the most attention in our social world.

When should you ask for this all-important feedback? Ten to 14 days after the shipment has been received. Be sure to consider order processing and shipping times. So, if an order typically takes one day to process and three days to reach the customer, your default follow-up time would be 14-18 days. You want to give the customer time to open the package (hey, people get busy; I’ve been known to wait a week before opening a box) and use the product.

Remember these important tips as well:

• Post a Disclaimer–be sure to tell the customer you may use their comments in any and all promotional materials for the business. Also state that it’s possible that their testimonial may not be used.
• Edit Carefully–The only time you should modify a testimonial is to correct spelling, glaring grammatical errors (you don’t want the customer to feel stupid) and to hyperlink to any specifically named products. Anything beyond that and you need to ask the customer (or ditch the comment altogether).
• Avoid Posting Overly Gratuitous Prose–A testimonial should convey a customer’s satisfaction, trust and likelihood of using your services again. However, some customers think it’s better to go way over-the-top. These types of statements can appear made-up. If you know the customer well, you may want to ask him or her to tone it down. Otherwise, file it away for private ego-boosting.

One last thing. Be careful with automation tools. You definitely want a way to remove a message out of the send queue to avoid contacting customers whose orders were canceled or those who expressed they had a bad experience. You don’t want to initiate a negative response due to carelessness or an automated feedback query.

© Pamela Hazelton, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Originally published on 2011/04/21.
| Permalink | 1 comment
|Add to del.icio.us|
Post tags: communication, conversion, Ecommerce, marketing

In an age where advertisers are spending more money to target potential customers based on their submitted demographics, more existing customers are waving their hands, yelling, “Hey, what about me?” This is because many businesses take their existing users for granted as they seek domination in the marketplace.

Getting people to read about your product is one thing. Giving them reason to buy it is an entirely different challenge. Demographics should be used primarily for getting people in the door. Its focus groups (consisting of both new and seasoned users) that give you a head-start on getting to know how your target audience “thinks.” I know, Apple doesn’t do focus groups. Face it: you’re not Apple.

There needs to be a balance of attracting new customers, providing a service (or products) and maintaining existing customers. Lend too much weight to any of these tasks and your bottom line is affected.

Fortunately, one hand does wash the other. If you want to understand your target audience, just ask your existing customers. They can tell you why they buy/use your products, as well as what they don’t like about your company. The best part about doing this target-market research? Plenty of them will be happy to tell you this without even charging you.

© Pamela Hazelton, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Originally published on 2011/04/20.
| Permalink | Be the first to Comment!
|Add to del.icio.us|
Post tags: business, marketing

The rep asked for my contact information and said we could discuss my clients’ needs and pricing options in the near future. I agreed to spend time at the company’s web site, further analyzing the service.

Within a few days of returning home, the calls started coming… First, there was an “important” message for me, requesting I return the call. My assistant advised the rep (who wasn’t the one I’d spoken with) that I was playing catch-up after the conference, and it would be some time before I could go over things. Two days later, another call. Again, the caller let my assistant know the matter was “important”. By the time the sixth call came, I was finally able to get on the line.

The rep then launched into her sales pitch, explaining how the service would help my business grow and increase trust. I stopped her mid-sentence and asked how she got my card. I explained who I was, and the purpose of initiating in-person contact in California. “Oh,” was the response. There were no notes about the initial discussion I’d had at the conference, and this rep wasn’t even sure she could consider a different pricing structure.

I get calls and emails like this all the time. My name is put into a general database, and, more often than not, agents try to get me to promote their services regardless of price. Most disturbing is the expectation that I would even consider promoting a product I’ve never seen or utilized. Yet, the majority of sales connection calls I receive all seem to be reading from the same script.

I consider these aggressive calls and messages “screaming”. It matters not that voices aren’t raised.

What they’re really saying is, “YOU GOTTA HAVE THIS, YOUR CLIENTS WILL LOVE IT,” and “THEIR SALES WILL SKYROCKET”. My favorite pitch is the oft misused statement, “IT PAYS FOR ITSELF!”

What happens when you’re screamed at one too many times? I think you know where I’m going…

Instead of screaming, these businesses need to enchant me (yes, I stole that term from Guy Kawasaki - here’s why). They need to make me feel comfortable speaking with them. They need to speak on my level (which certainly isn’t that of a used-car salesmen) and they need to ease into a relationship. While I do use some affiliate links in my posts, most of the time I don’t. The rule is, I only recommend products and services I’ve used, or currently use myself.

What irritated me most about the last round of calls, though, wasn’t the nagging. It was the fact the original rep simply tossed my card into a box that hadn’t been categorized, without any points of reference. It was as if I were a complete stranger, and had never met with anyone face-to-face. I wonder how many other potential relationships will start out this way—sour—as a result.

What about you? Do you get calls from otherwise legitimate companies that are simply doing it wrong? Do you ever take the time to tell them why it’s going to be hard for them to win you over? Or do you just scream right back by hanging up the phone?

© Pamela Hazelton, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Originally published on 2011/04/19.
| Permalink | 2 comments
|Add to del.icio.us|
Post tags: marketing, sales

There are two factors that can equate to success in the social world: luck and risk.

Luck

Don’t believe in luck? You should. It’s what makes online campaigns go viral. You could argue that it’s really the marketers and producers of content, but, you’d be wrong. Sure, they play a role in the process, but it’s luck of the draw that shoots a video – say, Rebecca Black’s Friday – through the roof.

Consider your own social media accounts. Unless you follow or friend a handful of people, chances are you’re missing more than half of the goods. Even lists and bookmarks can get overloaded with content, and, let’s be honest, you’ll never have enough time to read every article and watch every video your favorite folks share.

It’s more about luck because search results will never return “everything”, so you take the chance that when you look at your stream something important is being shared. You take the chance that you don’t miss a post that’s going to trigger an A-Ha moment.

Risk

Risks are taken by companies and professionals. They put money and time behind a campaign, taking the chance that a certain percentage of followers are going to see posts as they happen. They pray that people will share the content (via RTs and Facebook posts). This includes the media and blogs, which – usually through RSS feeds and search engines – can shine a brighter spotlight on the message.

The ultimate goal is total saturation… Let’s call it the “Charlie Sheen Effect” because his rants and #winning attempts are a perfect example of what companies want to do. Well, most companies aren’t looking for controversy, but they are seeking to become trending topics. Who wouldn’t want to gain a million followers in just over a day? Who wouldn’t want people of all walks of life sharing a specific message? Who wouldn’t want to experience this type of domino effect?

Guy Kawasaki calls “nobodies” the new “somebodies”, because it only takes a few traditional folk to get the ball rolling. The time (and money) spent by companies trying to influence those key nobodies stems from belief in a product or service. Still, the investments are a risk because there are far fewer “viral” success stories than actual attempts.

It’s Not a Fad

Social media, however, is not a fad. We’ve been using it for centuries. Word-of-mouth is a form of social media, as are forums and blog posts. People will always want to learn new things and share information, and companies will always want to influence people to buy their products. We may not always use the same tools (technology allows for new methods), but we’ll always be a social world.

If you’ve been putting off using today’s social tools to engage existing and potential customers, what’s the real reason? Is it the risk factor? Or are you so scared you won’t get lucky you’re not even willing to try?

© Pamela Hazelton, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Originally published on 2011/04/18.
| Permalink | 2 comments
|Add to del.icio.us|
Post tags: facebook, marketing, Mistakes That Kill, social media, twitter