Tuesday, 30 November 2010
Case Study: Mobile Marketing for Politicians
We have had great feedback from customers and prospects about how they can understand how mobile technology and mobile marketing can help their business by painting some simple scenarios on how best to use this for their business. So, we are continuing our series of short scenarios on how different business or, in this case a local politician, can make use of mobile technology and mobile marketing to better market their products and services. All these example are simple ways that we think different businesses can use mobile marketing for business to support their business in innovative ways. These are some practical ways that we think people can use this new technology and are illustrative only.Here is another example of how mobile marketing for business could be used in a scenario for local and national Politicians & Elected Officials:1. Sarah, a local mayor, wants to keep in touch with her local constituents. She publishes either a shared short code or a Call-to-Subscribe phone number on all of her direct mail pieces, in her email signature, on her stationary, and even on a billboard along the main commuter thoroughfare.2. The marketing offer reads something like, “Sarah is listening. Text the word 'DEMOCRACY' from your mobile phone to receive SMS alerts on local issues. Give your feedback instantly.3. Interested citizens would use their mobile phone to ‘opt-in’ to the town issues campaign. The citizen would text the keyword and receive a text back that is written something like, “Thank you for subscribing. I really care what you think. You will receive town issue alerts via SMS on your mobile phone. Unsubscribe at any time by texting STOP to 77777.”4. Sarah is faced with an important town issue concerning a new development and wants to survey her constituents. She creates a mobile marketing campaign that reads something like, “Are you in favor of a tax increase for a new Springfield park? Leave a msg at xxxxx-xxxxxx with your opinion. To stop msgs, text STOP to 77777” [msg: 140 character count]5. Sarah engages her audience at rates cheaper than direct mail. The local community is happy that she cares what they think.At the last election, politicians in the UK definitely started using social media to try and connect with their supporters and the voters. However, it was no where on the scale that we saw from Obama during the UK elections. However, the opportunity is there for national and local politicians to engage with their communities via mobile marketing technques.
In case you didn't notice, Google recently we made a change to show more results from a domain for certain types of queries http://bit.ly/hmoxNL
16 Facts About Sleep [infographic] How well did you do on the sleep positions? It got me right! http://bit.ly/eKsikP
Monday, 29 November 2010
I've blogged about this topic before and so is CIO.com - CMOs and CIOs: Can This Relationship Be Saved? http://bit.ly/gxAdIo
Google buys Groupon for $2.5B? Neither company has confirmed the story, the acq follows a week of buyout rumors http://bit.ly/ezTPvy
Sunday, 28 November 2010
Google VP, Linus Upson - when the Chrome OS deploys, some 60% of all businesses could get rid of Windows http://bit.ly/gXeq4J
Google Has Done It Again! They've Changed the Local Game with "Place Search"
Google is not renowned for making radical changes to products and services or rolling out changes very quickly. However, they have been very active of late and just when we were getting comfortable with local search, they flipped everything on its head with the introduction of Place Search.
- Pay-per-click has changed
- Organic search has changed
- Online reviews now more prominent
"We're introducing Place Search, a new kind of local search result that organizes the world's information around places. We've clustered search results around specific locations so you can more easily make comparisons and decide where to go". - Google Blog, October 28
7 Changes to Google Search:- Elimination of the 7-Pack Google Map listing
- Ranking algorithm for local listings have been updated
- Google Places pages have greater visibility in new search result layout
- Local results surrounded by more information like including 3rd party review sites
- Information is grouped conveniently to make it easier to digest and compare
- New link for "Places" in the left-hand panel of the search results page so you can switch to these results whenever you want
- Google map now on the right side above the paid search listings, which scrolls as you scroll down the page
Google is Building in Web Intelligence
A Google Place Search result will begin appearing automatically on Google when they predict you're looking for local information. Their goal is make it faster and easier for searchers to find the local information they are looking for that will ultimately help them decide where they want to go.
If you are optimising your products and services using local keywords, the new Google Places Search will definitely impact how they appear in the organic listings. It is important for you and your business to be well educated on these changes as well and understand what they need to do to ensure your local listing is optimised effectively.
What is the point of Twitter? Emma Barnett speaks to chief, Dick Costolo, Evan Williams and Jack Dorsey to find out. http://bit.ly/hwncS8
Just what is the point of Twitter? Emma Barnett speaks to its chief, Dick Costolo, Evan Williams and Jack Dorsey to find out. http://goo.gl/ekboM
Inside Edge Newsletter: Digital Marketing tips for business delivered straight to your Inbox! Join now http://goo.gl/zNfSp
Saturday, 27 November 2010
Deloitte Technology Fast 500 EMEA 2010 winners - IDIT IDI Technologies in position 413 with impressive 430% growth http://goo.gl/GLBxZ
Friday, 26 November 2010
Mobile phones will overtake PCs as the most common web-access devices worldwide by 2013 http://goo.gl/Hpl6q
Thursday, 25 November 2010
Ues please: For Google, the Browser Does It All I want a PC that starts up in seconds! http://goo.gl/rt0Ma
Wednesday, 24 November 2010
Blogging for Business and how to Build a Reputation - Walking the talk
Blogging for Business and how to Build a Reputation - Walking the talk
Blogging is a great way to show your customers, employees and other stakeholders that you're serious about "walking the talk". The Web has revolutionised the way business is conducted and it's not only because you can connect with your prospects around the globe in the blink of an eye. It has also become easier for your customers to find your competitors or post feedback (positive or negative) on your products / services.
- It's cost-effective Customer Relations Management (CRM): By providing a forum for your customers to talk about their experiences with your product and service, you'll get the kudos directly and likely be the first to learn about "issues".
- Helps you be better prepared for damage control!
- A vital link to your employees: Staff buy-in is critical, no matter how brilliant your market strategy may be. Maintain a close connection by keeping your employees in the loop and build morale by acknowledging their contribution.
- Sowing the seeds for innovation: Creative, new ideas offer a fertile ground for innovation and help you stay ahead of the game. What better way to get in to the mind of your consumers and/or stay in constant touch with their changing needs?
To know more about the essentials and best practices for blogging, join us for a webinar entitled "Blogging to Build a Reputation". You can also contact our Digital Marketiing practice via the contact form.
Tuesday, 23 November 2010
NZ High Court rules that a former cricketer accused of match-fixing over Twitter can pursue his Twitter libel case. http://goo.gl/54j11
Monday, 22 November 2010
Facebook homes in on world of Google 'Let me be your homepage. In so very many ways' http://goo.gl/0Lcly
10 Tips for An Effective Corporate Blogging Strategy
An Effective Corporate Blogging Strategy - Lets you build a strong and reliable brand image
How do you get your customers to see your company/brand as the best solution to resolve their problems? One highly effective method is by rolling out a strategic corporate blogging plan. Whether you're a banker, a multinational company or the local grocer, bringing your clients on the same page as you requires a good deal of thinking, smart strategies and flawless execution by an effective team.Ten tips on creating a successful blogging forum:
You know your business can benefit from blogging; you're just not sure where to begin, right? An experienced WSI Consultant will fuel up your blogging strategy and help you walk the talk!Call now to set up a free, no obligation consultation on 01580 819529 . Or fill out a simple online form to get in touch with one of our Digital Marketing Consultants here.
Sunday, 21 November 2010
Saturday, 20 November 2010
Mobile Marketing for Sports Clubs
We have had great feedback from customers and prospects about how they can understand how mobile technology and mobile marketing can help their business by painting some simple scenarios on how best to use this for their business. So, we are continuing our series of short scenarios on how different business or, in this case a sports club, can make use of mobile technology and mobile marketing to better market their products and services. All these example are practical ways that we think different businesses can use mobile marketing for business to support their business in innovative ways. Here is another example of how mobile marketing for business could be used in a scenario for a Local Sports Club:1. David, a football coach of a local team, needs a quick way to keep in touch with his players and their parents. Because nearly every one of his players has a mobile phone and are just as adept at texting as they are at football, he creates an SMS campaign at the start of the season. Every player is told to subscribe to the short code from their mobile phones for team updates. In the orientation kit provided to parents, the shared short code is promoted.2. The marketing offer sounds something like this [imagine it being said in a big booming football coach voice],“If we want to win, we all need to be on the same page. Sometimes things come up throughout the year. Scheduling changes. Game announcements. Pep talks, tactics. And I may not have time to call each and every one of you. So take out your cell phone and text the word 'GAME ON' to 77777 now. All announcements will be delivered via your mobile phones.3. The players, not wanting to get on their coach’s bad side, will take out the phone and subscribe. They will receive a canned text that sounds something like this, “Go United! You have subscribed to the team’s alert line. Unsubscribe at any time by replying STOP to this msg.”4. The season gets off to a bumpy start and the coach decides that he needs to call an impromptu morning practice. A run a 6:30 AM in full gear. David logs into the application and creates an offer that reads, “Rise and shine. Extra practice tomorrow morning at 6:30 AM. Meet at the fields and be ready to run. To stop msgs, text STOP to 77777” [msg: 133 character count]5. Everyone gets the message and can act easily on the football coach's instructions.So mobile technology can be used in many different ways. This is just a simple way that it could be usef for a Sports Club. We are sure that you can see the possibilities of mobile technology and mobile marketing for larger clubs and for ways of keeping in touch with players, parents and supporters on a bigger scale. Here at WSI Digital Marketing, we can help you leverage this exciting new technology in ways that you may not have though of so give us a call on 01580 819529 or via our contact page.
Friday, 19 November 2010
Are you interested in driving your business forward throughy better use of digital marketing http://goo.gl/sgri
What innovations will rock our world in the next 25 years - can anyone forecast that far ahead, here's a try...http://goo.gl/er2su
Thursday, 18 November 2010
Wednesday, 17 November 2010
Tuesday, 16 November 2010
Mobile Marketing for Language Schools and Tourist Attractions - Case Study
We are continuing our series of short scenarios on how different business can make use of mobile technology and mobile marketing to better market their products and services. All these example are practical ways that we think different businesses can use mobile marketing for business to support their business in innovative ways. Here is another example of how mobile marketing for business could be used in a scenario for Language Schools & Tourism Attractions1. Mary, the Executive Director for a private language school, has a challenge. She has 3 different sites, more than 200 students (none of whom have English as a first language), and a need to quickly communicate with her students in a medium that she knows that they use (mobile phones). The old method of important news being read off at the start of class is not always timely (nor understood). Mary is also always looking to find ways to improve school revenues.2. Mary subscribes to a shared short code that is used to broadcast school news. All students are encouraged to subscribe to the school's campaign upon enrollment. The shared short number is also advertised across the school on posters and in the welcome packages received by every student. The message reads something like this, “Send SCHOOL NEWS to 77777 to receive school news, bulletins, and city promotions from our partners”.3. Students, upon seeing the short code offer, text the message from their mobile phones. They are greeted with an auto-reply message from Mary thanking them for registering for the service.4. A local tourist attraction wants to bring more international students through their turnstiles. The tourist operator creates an offer for Mary to send to her students, paying the school a referral fee for any student who visits. The offer reads, “School City Tour tomorrow. Show this msg and get a free gift. Only £20 per person. See Mary if interested.” [msg: 143 character count]5. Everyone makes money and is grateful for the serviceDo you run a Language School or a Tourist Attraction or do you know somebody who does. Can you see this type of scenario working for them. If you can, then contact us on our Digital Marketing Contact Page and we can help you leverage the power of mobile marketing to build your brand, generate leads or communicate better with your customers. Give us a call!
Monday, 15 November 2010
Facebook's New Messaging: Five Reasons Why It Matters and an invite to fb messages (they don't call it email) http://goo.gl/DzGxb
Start-Up Plans a More Personal Social Network or a severe case of social-networking fatigue..what do you think? http://goo.gl/BF96E
Mobile Marketing - A Mobile Technology Glossary
Our previous posts last week on mobile marketing and mobile technology have caused quite a lot of interest. One of the questions that I have been asked is about some of the new terms, acronyms and language that is used when experts and businesses are talking mobile. It is always a good idea for experts and customers to talk the same language, so here is a short mobile technlogy glossary to help you:3G
3G is third-generation mobile technology that includes wide-area wireless voice and broadband wireless data, all in a mobile environment.Alerts
Text or multimedia notifications containing time-sensitive information such as news, updates, weather that are pushed to opted-in mobile subscribers.Bluetooth
A communication protocol that allows mobile phones with Bluetooth capabilities to send and receive information wirelessly over short distances.Click to Call
A link on a mobile Web site (WAP site) that initiates a call from that phone to a phone number.CSC
CSC is the abbreviation for common short code.End User
A wireless subscriber.Keyword
Keywords is an unique word (or number) assigned to customers who would like to offer their customers or friends the ability to join their group text messaging list from their own mobile phones. Frequently, the keyword will be the name of the business or something that is memorable. For example: JFred’s Seafood Restaurant may choose “Fres” or even “seafood” as their Keyword.LBS (Location Based Services)
Location-based services provide information to cell-phone subscribers based on their current location. For example, providing information on nearby restaurants.MMS
Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) is similar to SMS except MMS can include not just text, but also sound, images and video. MMS messages can even be sent from a mobile phone to an email address.Mobile Originated (MO)
An SMS or MMS message that was originated on a mobile phone.Mobile Terminated (MT)
A SMS message originated from another mobile phone or PC and sent to or “message terminated” to a mobile phone. The MT message would be viewed by the recipient in their text message 'Inbox'.Mobile Marketing
Any activity that enables a company to communicate and actively engage with its customers via a mobile device.Mobile Search
Initiating a search from a mobile device.Opt-in
Opt-in is a way of collecting mobile and Internet users' personal data and verifying that the subscribers intention and agreement to receive mobile messages. Within the opt-in context, user acceptance is necessary before any mobile marketing solicitation.Opt-out
The process where the subscriber revokes their consent to receiving mobile messages. All mobile messages should contain instructions to Opt-out.All new technologies and/or business initiatives always bring a new set of terms and acronyms so we hope this list helps you and your business make some sense of these terms. Contact us at WSI Digital Marketing for help and advice with your mobile marketing plans.
Sunday, 14 November 2010
Mobile Marketing for Business - Conference & Event Organizer
Mobile Marketing Series of Business Scenarios:
We have had great feedback from customers and prospects about how they can understand how mobile technology and mobile marketing can help their business by painting some simple scenarios on how best to use this for their business. So,we are continuing our series of short scenarios on how different business can make use of mobile technology and mobile marketing to better market their products and services. All these example are practical ways that we think different businesses can usemobile marketing for business to support their business in innovative ways. Here is another example of how mobile marketing for business could be used in a scenario for a Conference & Event Organizer:1. Jane, the conference coordinator for a local tradeshow, wants to provide her conference attendees with a value-added service. She wants to be able to communicate with them over the duration of the event with numerous offers. Email won’t work for most as they do not all have email on their devices. However, the majority of attendees do have cell phones. So, Jane creates multiple shared short code campaigns for conference attendees: one for “Things to do while in town”, two for “Conference Scheduling Announcements”, and three for “Post-conference feedback”2. Jane publishes the shared short codes on the pre-show marketing material with the message, “Text 'CONFERENCE' to 77777 from your mobile phone and be alerted to local city events via text message during your visit to the conference.” The same announcement and the other numbers are promoted during the opening address.3. Conference attendees subscribe to the campaign and receive a message from one of the sponsors [hey... never miss out on revenue generating sponsorship opportunities] thanking them for attending and informing them that they have opted in to the service.4. One of the sponsors is running a golf tournament during the conference. But on the day of the tournament, hurricane force winds and rain, dampen the enthusiasm. Jane, thinking quickly, offers to communicate via text message to all attendees to promote a new in-door wine and cheese instead of soggy golf. Jane logs in to the Texts.com short code service to initiate a campaign.5. Jane composes a brief text message as follows: “Rain has washed away the golf. Join {sponsor} for a hosted wine and cheese instead at 1234 main street starting at 2:00 PM. To stop msgs, text STOP to 77777” [msg: 156 character count]6. Jane is a hero!How are using mobile marketing and mobile technology for your business? If you need any help or advice on how best to make this work for your business, then get in contact with us via our Digital Marketing Contact Page or give us a call on 01580 819529
Pay Per Click Marketing for Small Business
What is Paid Search Marketing? Paid search marketing uses a direct response advertising model that allows advertisers to purchase premium placed ads of their choice on search result pages, advertising networks and content sites such as blogs, news sites, etc. This advertising model is often referred to as Pay per Click (PPC) and is often a key element of an effective Internet Marketing toolkit. How Does PPC Advertising Work? Paid search programs allow site owners to "bid" on the terms they wish to appear for. You agree to pay a certain amount each time someone clicks on your listing. Websites that utilize PPC ads will display an advertisement when a keyword query matches an advertiser's keyword list, or when a content site displays relevant content. Such advertisements are called sponsored links or sponsored ads, and appear adjacent to or above organic results on search engine results pages, or anywhere a Web developer chooses on a content site. Pay-Per-Click Advertising Lets Companies... Industries That PPC Works Well In
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These are all services that people need immediately and used to go to the Yellow Pages to look for. If you are keen to succeed with a Digital Internet Marketing Strategy, then PPC should be one of the tools you should seriously look into. Paid Search Marketing Platforms There are many PPC providers but the three largest network operators are Google Ad Words, Yahoo! Search Marketing, and Microsoft adCenter and all three operate under a bid-based model. Cost per click (CPC) varies depending on the search engine and the level of competition for a particular keyword. If you would like advice on the best approach to take then call Anthony Burke on 01580 819529 or use the contact form on our webpage.
Saturday, 13 November 2010
The origins of our Webified age were hardly auspicious. Where Tim Berners-Lee started http://goo.gl/Ainge
Friday, 12 November 2010
Infographic: Being a web developer or a web designer doesn’t exactly give you an edge with the pretty girls http://goo.gl/hQid6
Thursday, 11 November 2010
5 Lessons for Brick and Mortar Small Businesses from a Website Perspective: Is Your Store Readable? http://bit.ly/cQsYIX
Wednesday, 10 November 2010
This website provides an independent and open tool for scanning your Facebook privacy settings. http://goo.gl/5TQu
Tuesday, 9 November 2010
Monday, 8 November 2010
Sunday, 7 November 2010
Pay Per Click Marketing for Small Business
What is Paid Search Marketing? Paid search marketing uses a direct response advertising model that allows advertisers to purchase premium placed ads of their choice on search result pages, advertising networks and content sites such as blogs, news sites, etc. This advertising model is often referred to as Pay per Click (PPC) and is often a key element of an effective Internet Marketing toolkit. How Does PPC Advertising Work? Paid search programs allow site owners to "bid" on the terms they wish to appear for. You agree to pay a certain amount each time someone clicks on your listing. Websites that utilize PPC ads will display an advertisement when a keyword query matches an advertiser's keyword list, or when a content site displays relevant content. Such advertisements are called sponsored links or sponsored ads, and appear adjacent to or above organic results on search engine results pages, or anywhere a Web developer chooses on a content site. Pay-Per-Click Advertising Lets Companies... Industries That PPC Works Well In
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These are all services that people need immediately and used to go to the Yellow Pages to look for. If you are keen to succeed with a Digital Internet Marketing Strategy, then PPC should be one of the tools you should seriously look into. Paid Search Marketing Platforms There are many PPC providers but the three largest network operators are Google Ad Words, Yahoo! Search Marketing, and Microsoft adCenter and all three operate under a bid-based model. Cost per click (CPC) varies depending on the search engine and the level of competition for a particular keyword. If you would like advice on the best approach to take then call Anthony Burke on 01580 819529 or use the contact form on our webpage.
Friday, 5 November 2010
U may not want to check your bank account from ur phone after all- major mobile banking app security holes uncovered http://bit.ly/aerMIX
The top 10 consumer mobile applications for 2012
From Anthony Burke at WSI Digital Marketing
We made a blog post last week on mobile marketing and mobile technology. On the back of massive advances in mobile technlogy, marketing on mobile devices (smartphones, Ipads etc) is on the rise and presents businesses with new opportunities to market their products and services. According to some recent research, the top 10 consumer mobile applications for 2012, as predicted by Gartner (November 2009).The order in this list was determined by impact on consumers and industry players, considering revenue, loyalty, business model, consumer value and estimated market penetration): Is your business planning on how to use mobile technology to market your products and services? Are you using mobile technology to build your brand, are you using mobile technology to communicate better with your customers. Our WSI Digital Marketing practice can help you with your planning so contact us on our Digital Marketing contact page
Twitter-Like Activity Streams: The New Center Of Gravity For The Social Enterprise http://goo.gl/NRMd7
Thursday, 4 November 2010
Mobile Marketing and Mobile Technology
From Anthony Burke at WSI Digital Marketing
Mobile Marketing is likely to be the next big thing for online marketing. The revolution will be driven by huge advances in mobile technology and mobile infrastructure. For example, mobile technology, including the iPhone, the Droid and many more is quickly taking over in today’s world! Businesses should be keen to make significant advancements in the worlds mobile space to keep up. As mobile technology keeps the customers connected for almost 24 hours a day, enterprises are moving beyond the vanilla desktop world to keep attuned to their customer’s needs. The rise in mobile technology is presenting online marketers with new ways of building brand, getting qualified leads and communicating with their customers.On the WSI blog we are going to run a series of blog posts dedicated to mobile marketing and mobile technology and the implications and benefits for businesses and their marketing departments Here is a simple example of how it may work for a restaurant business in London.We firmly believe that Mobile Marketing is the next big thing for the marketing, advertising and PR world. Here is a simple example of how it would be used in the restaurant business:1. Fred has a seafood restaurant in London and publicises his shared short code on his menu, also via a poster by their door to the restaurant, on all their receipts and on their website2. The marketing offer reads something like, “Text the keyword 'SEAFOOD' to 77777 from your mobile phone to be alerted to dinner specials and last minute availability3. The restaurant patron would use their mobile phone to ‘opt-in’ to the restaurant specials campaign. They would subscribe by texting in the keyword. They would receive confirmation of their mobile subscription with a text to their subscribing number that sounds something like, “Thank you for subscribing. We will send you a text message with our restaurant specials. Unsubscribe at any time by texting the word STOP to 77777.4. The restaurant looks at their Tuesday night reservations and anticipates a slower than anticipated crowd. They also have just received dozens of live lobsters that must be moved or the inventory would perish. They log-in to the Texts.com service to initiate a campaign5. The restaurant composes a brief text message as follows, “Joe’s Restaurant Lobster Fest – Tonight only. Call 604-555-9876 for reservations. Show this text and get 20% off your bill. To stop msgs, text STOP to 77777” [msg: 156 character count]6. Fred is happy. The lobsters are not!At WSI Digital Marketing, we offer great mobile marketing services that help businesses to communicate with their customers through custom mobile services so please get in touch with our Digital Marketing practice.
How to market Language Schools and Tourist Attractions on mobile - a worked example. Is this you? http://goo.gl/gWva2
Market Your Business on Mobile - Mobile Marketing for Language Schools and Tourist Attractions - http://goo.gl/gWva2
Wednesday, 3 November 2010
Why Sports Marketers Need Social Media
From Anthony Burke - WSI Digital Marketing
Digital Marketing for Sport - 3 Reasons Why Sport Marketing Needs Social Media
Sponsoring an athlete, sports team or an event is not just about signing a big cheque and getting your name on the side of a car, a sign in the stadium, or even your logo on the shirt. For those of you that know me, you know that Sport is my passion and I’m also involved inbusiness consultancy and digital marketing as well, so there is my connection! I have a passion for rugby, cricket, football, windsurfing - well anything that moves actually! So here is my take on Digital Marketing for Sport:
Sports marketing is no longer just about getting money from big companies. For the campaign to be effecive, you have to be able to demonstrate the ROI of a sponsorship deal. Measurement and analytics for off-line marketing are traditionally very difficult. It is almost impossible to know which radio or tv ad actually increased sales, and which ones lost money. You don’t know which billboards brought visitors to your website. And you certainly don’t know which logo placement or "after match" interview was responsible for any increase in sales.But social media can do all of that, and much more . Here are three things social mediacan do for sports marketers:1. Social Media Can Prove ROI in Sports MarketingThe great thing about social media is that it’s easy to demonstrate the ROI to your business. With tools like Google Analytics you can build an effective measurement system to see how many people found your website, requested additional information, downloaded a white paper or purchased something on-line. You can measure the success of a campaign and figure out which variables, messages, day of the week and even time of day brought the best results. You can see if you your website gets spikes in traffic before, during, or after an event and whether the spikes are taking place in a particular location or city, or if they’re more regional and spread out. You can even set up different URLs, landing pages and do A/B split testing to see which variables brought the best results. With social media, you can see who’s talking about your brand, manage your reputation and interact with the "fans" who are the most vocal, whether these are positive or negative. You just can’t do that with a billboard, radio commercial or a TV ad.2. Social Media Can Help to Grow a Sports Marketing AudienceThere are many social media tools out there that can help. In fact, the list is almost endless and there are also lots of ways to connect with customers online. Facebook and Twitter are obvious places to start. Twitter is a great tool for interactive connections with your favourite team or sport. You can use tools like Twitterment, NearbyTweets, and even Twitter’s own search function to find people who is interested in your team or sport. Use Twitterfall or TweetDeck’s search feature to watch for discussions about your team or the event that you are planning. Make sure that you connect with these fans, and discuss the team, the players, the drivers, the horses, the weather and the event itself. The main point is not try and sell them anything or talk about your company. However, you can hold a special contest or make a special offers For example, if our team finishes in a certain place or higher, the first 10 people to tweet us gets a coupon for a free widget or a discount on a particular widget. But other than that, just talk about the things that interests the fans because this is not about YOU!3. Social Media Can Deepen Relationships With Fans and CustomersSo if you are sponsoring a horse racing event, enhance your customers’ experience on race day by live blogging, tweeting, and video streaming from the stands, the riders, the sponsor’s tent, or even the finishing line.
- Get some behind-the-scenes shots (assuming you get permission from the team) at what it looks like in changing room.
- Hold a special Twitter chat with a racing driver or one of the team members.
- Have a give a special video greeting or tour of the stadium for fans.
- Set up a blog and ask different team members to blog about their experiences over the season, complete with photos and videos.
Social Media should be an integral part of your Digital Markeing plan. The big advantage of Social media is that it lets fans see the "behind the scenes" events they might be missing and that they are very interested in. Help them feel like they’re part of the experience and get them involved. By doing this, you make them feel more like they are a part of the team. They’re insiders, they get special knowledge about the team, the athletes and the event. By feeling connected, they’ll become more of a fan, not only of the team, but of the organization or brand that helped them get there.
At WSI we are experts in generating leads for your business, enhancing your credibility and helping you stay in touch with your customers or "fans". Social Media is one of our core competencies, so give us a call and we'll help grow your business. Use the contact form or just give us a call on 01580 819529.Tuesday, 2 November 2010
Press Releases - A "How to" Top 10 tips
From Anthony Burke at WSI Digital Marketing in Sussex
Press releases should form part of every business's strategic digital marketing and online PR mix. Therefore, you need to make sure that your efforts are well spent by ensuring your press release has every chance of being published on the sites that you post to it to. Writing a press release that does not attract attention and get published is like writing a letter and forgetting to post the letter. When time is money, this is just a waste when you could be doing something else more productive.
Here are my top 10 tips for getting your press releases published:
1. Make sure the press release title has some form of time related information
Your press release should talk about something that is current i.e. your press release titles should be specific to the present and not generic. The more time dependant the better. e.g. John Smith's Camping Center Launches September 2010 Charity Sale to Support the Children in Need Campaign. This is a good title, as there is a time dependant element here because we are talking specifically about September 2010. If you can include the actual day and time of the event then even better.
2. Try and make the title ‘event based’
As in the previous paragraph, the title of your press release should ideally focus on a specific event that is happening or planned to happen that you want people to know about and the body of the release should clearly describe the event.
3. Do not use FREE in the title
The inclusion of Free in the title usually signifies to the press release reviewer that your press release is spam and not a great news item for their site and will probably not get listed. Avoid at all costs!
4. Do not ask a question in the title of your press release
If you ask a question in your press release it can look like an article rather than a press release. If this is the case then post the article on an article site. The reader of a press release site is different from that of an article site. Press releases are factual and event based, with readers looking for up to date information. On most press release site you will need to substantiate any facts or claims that you publish in your press release
5. Make sure your title does not read like an advert
If your title says something like ‘£5 off this weekend at John Smith's Camping Center’ then that is not going to get past the reviewer. You need to make it more relevant and put in more of a story. Try and give the ‘reason why’ it is happening.
6. Make your press release location specific
Give your press release FOCUS by mentioning the location that your press release is relevant to. This makes sure that the reviewer knows that this press release is relevant to their traffic.
7. Make sure your press release title has more than 20 characters
Short titles usually indicate short and badly written press releases and so the reviewer might just give up at the title. However, don't go to the other extreme. For example, super long titles either, anything over 150 characters is way too long and will probably get you left unpublished.
8. Avoid offensive material
It may seem obvious but most sites will not post releases referring to pornography, gambling, racism or other offensive topics. Most press release sites use Google adsense to generate some of their revenue and so are bound by Google’s terms and conditions which do not allow adverts to be placed on sites with such content.
9. Make sure you understand and stick to the accepted format of a press release
Make sure you read the guidelines for the press release site. Usually these include the requirements for Title, Introduction, Body and then About us section. Many press releases don't have the ‘about us’ section of the press release. This is not a reason for instant deletion but it doesn’t look professional. In a previous blog post we posted about the importance of standardising on a "boiler plate" or "about us" section for all your press releases.
10. Finally, spell check and get someone to proof read your press release
It may seem obvious but press release reviewers will review your press release carefully. A press release reviewer will delete your press release if the grammar is poor or if it contains spelling mistakes and errors.
Contact our digital marketing practice to help you with your business press release
Blog: customers asked me to write a blog post on - A Mobile Technology Glossary...so here it is http://goo.gl/8LIjV
Allied World Launches Trade Credit and Political Risk Insurance Platform - Agreement With Latin American Underwriters http://goo.gl/9eoQ9
Monday, 1 November 2010
Social Media is not just for kids, its for adults!
Social Media is here to stay and here at WSI in Sussex, we have expert social media consultants. At a team meeting yesterday, we were discussing that we are now over three quarters of the way into year into 2010 and the world is going "social". What could possibly happen? Some of the early social sites for McDonalds and Coca Cola were not set up by these companies and the the fact is that if you don’t protect your company brand name on social profiles, you are in danger of someone else putting information on the Internet that you can’t control. At least by taking these initial steps you will, at a minimum, ensure that you don't find someone else is operating a social website profile in your name, putting your brand at risk or even that it is a competitor. You need to protect your brand, your products and services and ensure that you have a presence where your potential clients and prospects are looking and networking..From Anthony Burke - WSI Digital Marketing are Experts in Social Media Marketing
socialmedia Great overview with pointers to channels and tools you might want to use http://goo.gl/qWop
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