Social Media Marketing Puts Retailers Right Where Consumers Are Looking

Posted on January 23, 2014 by admin

FacebookEach morning at approximately 7a.m., Sally Jean turns on her tablet and logs onto Facebook. First she likes a post from her grandma, then shares a snapshot from last night’s dinner at a new restaurant in town. As she is scrolling through her newsfeed, she sees a post from a new sporting goods retail shop. They’ve shared photos of some of their new products and Sally Jean loves what she sees.

The next thing she knows, Sally Jean has purchased a pair of running shoes and a specialized water bottle for her bicycle from their website. She feels like she’s killed several birds with one stone: catching up with friends, starting conversations AND she even got a kick start on her New Year’s resolution for more physical activity.

Sally Jean isn’t the only one who is letting Facebook help her shop without ever leaving her living room. Online shopping isn’t a new craze, but e-commerce and e-retailers are using a new trend, social media marketing, to up their popularity and ultimately, their bottom line.

What’s causing the huge influx of social media marketing lately? It’s because online retailers, whose entire consumer source is online shoppers know where their shoppers are. They are busy sharing posts on Facebook, favoriting tweets on Twitter and talking shop on LinkedIn, so e-commerce has to rely heavily on social media to reach their target audience.

According to the research publication Internet Retailer 2014 Social Media 500, 40 retailers who were surveyed reported increasing their spending on social media ads by 400 percent from 2012 to 2013.

Not only are online retailers spending more money buying ads and promoting posts, they are also investing in Social Media Management, businesses whose sole responsibility is making businesses relevant on newsfeeds around the world. They are also buying better equipment like cameras and backdrops to capture better images to use in their posts.

All of this work will certainly pay off, especially when considering that researchers are reporting that visitors who shopped online on websites where they were referred to by social media generated approximately $2.69 million for those retailers.

If you own an online retail business and want to tap into the tread on social media marketing, contact the professionals at Susan J. Campbell Copywriting Solutions today and see how we can help.

 

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Test Your Publish Times in Your Social Media Marketing

Posted on January 22, 2014 by admin

You’ve finally gotten on board with social media as a vehicle to bring you the much-needed attention you deserve. Now it is time to see if you are maximizing your efforts by examining the best time to post for your audience.

The goal in adopting social media marketing strategies is to maximize your brand11304978_m image via the increasingly popular social media channels. Therefore, it’s important to know when to publish. When your message goes out, you want it to be quality content delivered at a time when the most eyes will see it. This means that you need to know the social media habits of your target audience.

Does your target audience work from 9a.m. to 5p.m.? The chances that they will invest any time in your message during these hours are slim. You’re better off waiting until after work hours to send your content out.

Much of what you know about your audience is guesswork, which means you will need to test your hypothesis to determine how close you are to the truth. Try publishing at different times of the day and see what sticks and what doesn’t. Some marketers will focus specific content on different days of the week as well, just to see if there is something about the content that clicks with certain audiences at different times.

After you’ve done enough testing, you should start to see trends, which means your data is trying to tell you something. Listen carefully to it. In other words, analyze your data and apply what you learn to your marketing efforts.

There seems to be a great deal of rules attached to social media marketing. If you don’t think you’re up to the task, let the professionals at Susan J. Campbell Copywriting Solutions handle your social media content. With excellent writing skills and a vast knowledge of what’s appropriate in social media marketing, you’ll be connected to a winning team.

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Businesses Put Their Marketing Into the Hands of Customers With User Generated Content

Posted on January 21, 2014 by admin

Social media users are constantly in tune with what others are doing. Today social media is a great tool for consumers to see what others are buying, recommending and raving about. Businesses are tapping into that by letting those social media consumers do some of the work for them by encouraging user generated content for their brand.

User generated content allows businesses to tap into useful demographics. Sites like Instagram are heavily used by teens and twenty somethings, which is a great demographic for businesses to tap into. Not only are they influential when they share their purchases or tastes with their friends, but they are also just starting to develop their own buying habits. By learning about how they find and purchase items at a younger age, businesses have a better chance at making a long term buying relationship.

Everyone loves their 15 minutes of fame, so don’t be afraid to offer a little star power. If it works for your bottom line, consider holding a contest on social media that encourages consumer interaction.

Disney 1Disney let their followers be the star when they created a contest to promote their new account on Vine, a social media site where users upload 15-second videos. The maker of the video that best showed off their “Disney side” won a trip to a the happiest place on earth and Disney reaped the benefits of thousands of Vine videos being posted all over the nation with their name attached to it.

There are many ways businesses can reach their target audience and let their consumers do the talking for them. Let the professionals at Susan J. Campbell Copywriting Solutions give your business the social media management tools you need to reach your goals.

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Monday Morning Coffee: How SJC Justifies Eating Cupcakes for Breakfast

Posted on January 20, 2014 by admin

There are many things companies can do to get customers in their doors. But what happens AFTER they’ve sent their products home with them? One of the most important aspects of marketing is customer feedback.

Recently, members of the SJC team indulged in cupcakes during our Wednesday Team meeting. And no, it’s not our normal routine to eat dessert for breakfast, but when it comes to market research, we can make anything work!

Our plan for bringing cupcakes to the meeting was to gather the best of the best, so we contacted local bakeries in St. Joseph and asked if they would share their favorites with us. In turn, we would hold a contest, judging each business’s product based on taste, originality and presentation. The winning bakery would be featured on our blog.

But then we got to thinking, this is actually a great reminder to small businesses: it’s so important to engage with your customers not to just get them to buy your product, but to find out if that product met their needs.

Here’s our advice to the cupcake places of the world: Yes you want your customers to be impressed with your cupcake when they pick them up and they look like this (courtesy of Small Cakes):

New Picture (1)

But most importantly, you want to know what they think after the cupcakes look like this:

New Picture (2)

So what can businesses do to increase their customer feedback? Consider these tips:

  • Make sure they know to “check in” on Facebook while they are at your business. Once they check in, that activity will show up on their wall and encourage them to share their opinions about their experience.
  • Show off your social media presence. The most convenient and effective way customers can share their feedback is through sites likes Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, so it is vital that your customers know how to connect. Consider putting your profile names or product name with a hashtag on menus and packaging.
  • Engage with your customers: Once your customers have engaged with you on social media, it is important to talk back. People love to hear from businesses. Thanking them for their patronage, liking their posts, sharing them with your followers will make your customers feel good, plus the more people talking on social media about your product, the better! A simple “like” or “favorite” goes a long way in social media!

The professionals at Susan J. Campbell Copywriting Solutions are passionate about helping businesses tap into their target audience, so contact us today to find how you can start conversations with your customers.

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Engaging Your Customers

Posted on January 17, 2014 by admin

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Hashtag, Hashtag, Hashtag

Posted on January 16, 2014 by admin

Hashtag 1That pound sign means so much more these days. Twitter has updated it with the hashtag. The shocking (or not so shocking) thing is that the hashtag has crept its way into all sorts of non-digital places.

You can see them on billboards while driving, find them on business cards at a networking event, and even see them on t-shirts worn by teenagers. It has become a cultural icon.

That hashtag creates this wonderful hyperlink that connects all those who use the same hashtag. It was like a fire storm moving from Twitter to Instagram to Facebook to Vine and Pinterest. The hashtag has even pushed its way into speech, especially among teens and young adults – “hashtag-sorry-not-sorry” and “hashtag-fail.”

For marketing purposes, the hashtag can be extremely useful across many different platforms. The new trend of putting the hashtags on billboards is in hopes that it will encourage people to go to Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram for a deeper look at your business. It has, in essence, made this world even smaller.

It is all about connecting and bringing people all together. The owner of a social media agency, Social Nicole, Nicole Harrison says that she has connected to other space enthusiasts before and during a space shuttle launch through following a hashtag. This is an extraordinary movement for this little mark, hashtag (#).

What are some interesting ways that you have used the hashtag? Have you seen any clever ideas? Are you effectively using hashtags in your social media marketing?  Susan J Campbell Copywriting Solutions has a creative team ready to pull together research on the best hashtags for your industry. Contact us today!

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Mobile Marketing Strategies Will See a Boost in 2014

Posted on January 15, 2014 by admin

Consumers have gone mobile. According to a Pew Research study in June, about 60 percent of Americans now own smartphones. It’s no longer just the business executive that’s tethered to their information stream – the common consumer has a constant connection. What does this mean for mobile marketing in the coming year?

Successful companies are constantly reevaluating their marketing approach, which given the rate at which technology changes today – it’s a smart approach for every company to take. Mobile strategies are now becoming the norm and will continue to reach new levels in 2014.

What’s first on the list? Mobile applications that can be developed quickly, easilyMobile Marketing 1 and without a lot of cost are one of the most advantageous ways to fully grasp mobile marketing. This process takes planning and a connection to the right developer to keep the costs down. However, most companies are finding consumers increasingly expecting an app for everything, so it’s worth the effort to give them what they want.

While developing an app for the Apple or Windows phones, simultaneously work on getting your website restructured so it’s more mobile-friendly. People on the go who want full-site access will enjoy and will expect it out of your website, even if you have an app.

SMS marketing is something that more organizations will embrace in 2014. As Millennials age and become a more vital part of the economy, their needs must be considered. Millennials are massive texters.

This generation is described as being “always on” and quite fond of texting as opposed to talking on their phones. Aside from Millenials being proponents of SMS texting, the average consumer is also able to receive your company’s promotional texts the instant you send them.

Building a mobile marketing strategy takes some expertise. Don’t do it all on your own – team up with Susan J. Campbell Copywriting Solutions and get it done right the first time.

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Your Brand Story Establishes Loyalty

Posted on January 14, 2014 by admin

Everyone has a story to tell. The seemingly most uninteresting person in the room has a story somewhere in their past that will compel the average person. Like people, all businesses have a story to tell. When offering these “brand” stories to the public, a better understanding of what they do and why they do it evolves.

A brand story reveals the roots of a business, whether it started with a few dollars in someone’s basement or a handful of wealthy investors with a similar vision. Every brand has a birthplace and a birth date and it deserves to be told.

Branding Strategies 4Did you know that a wounded Civil War colonel looking for an alternative addictive opiate painkiller dreamed up Coca-Cola? That’s not a very positive start, but the evolution of the product into the most popular soft drink in the world is quite interesting.

The way in which the company chooses to tell the brand story will help shape its identity in the eyes of the public. When it comes to marketing this story, it’s important to tell it right and in the correct place.

The goal is to identify with your target market and build trust. The story should definitely draw the audience in, but it has to do more than allow them to identify with the brand – it has to paint a picture that speaks to the similarities worldview.

Building the brand story should start with nailing down every characteristic about your target audience that you can muster. While doing this will exclude the audience that has nothing in common with your core audience, that’s not a problem. Your brand shouldn’t apply to everyone.

Need help shaping your brand story? Partner with Susan J. Campbell Copywriting Solutions where the writing team will sculpt your story into a compelling piece that attracts an audience.

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Monday Morning Coffee with Omega-RMS

Posted on January 13, 2014 by admin

omegaIf you have any doubts about the power of a solid plan in place before diving into anything, take a look at Omega-RMS. Omega-RMS is a provider of strategic contact campaigns, loan-servicing, third-party receivables purchasing and collection solutions. They are focused in industry areas including education, healthcare, training, consumer products and services, and more.  The goal of Omega-RMS is to provide more than just simple collection agency services, but to truly provide solutions for their clients.

Omega-RMS had an amazing year in 2013, just one year into their new brand. They experienced 30 percent growth in its topline revenue, while creating new initiatives, expanding personnel and generating a passionate focus on marketing.

How have they managed to get these results? Talented individuals were put together to create a team that was focused on pushing for a variety of results within the company. Ashley Bradley was hired as the managing director and has generated revenue by creating new branding and sales initiatives.

The upcoming opening of a new location in Tiffany Springs Parkways in Kansas City, Missouri,  is just one example of Omega’s desire to extend their success throughout the United States. Edward Vasques, president and CEO said, “The company set out to establish a new standard in the collection industry.”

In 2014, Omega-RMS strives to continue “moving forward” (as their tagline implies) in their industry. Part of this will likely be achieved through continued efforts on LinkedIn and Twitter. Their team has seen some amazing success through LinkedIn already and has become an active participant in a variety of groups. Not only has this placed their brand in the minds industry leaders around the nation, it has also generated clients for them.

Susan J. Campbell Copywriting Solutions wants to congratulate Omega-RMS on their exciting success during 2013 and wishes them even more success this year. Watching a well-thought out plan come together successfully for a company – while achieving solid results – is our idea of “livin’ the dream.” What’s yours? Contact us today to talk about how to get started.

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Social Media Trends of 2013 and Projections For 2014

Posted on January 10, 2014 by admin

Customer Engagement 4Social media has become an effective tool for several industries. On average, a single online mention is read by 250 to 25,000 individuals. It is becoming increasingly noticeable that we need to be doing more than just monitoring the conversations that are happening on social media. We need to be participating in what is being said about our companies.

The upcoming year will present a new challenge for the companies that are on social media already. The customer service challenge has gotten even more difficult.

As more and more people share information on the Internet, businesses are going to continue looking for different ways to hit their target audience. With the social-local-mobile revolution (SoLoMo) brought this kind of direct marketing even more within reach for the average company.

To combine social media conversations, direct marketing, and geo-fencing data – a software program set up to trigger alerts based on boundaries defined by the administrator – it will help you find people within the area.

By providing knowledge and a highly-evolved shopping experience, businesses can stimulate a deeper level of loyalty from consumers. This has been done in the past through personal, face-to-face customer service. As the social media trend has grown, it is becoming more common to see companies providing customer service through social media.

So what can we do during 2014 and forward? We can become more personal and more engaged on social media. The information that will help this succeed is out there, we just need to be ready to gather it up.

Susan J. Campbell Copywriting Solutions is ready to help you succeed with these social media trends in 2014. Are you ready to go on this exciting adventure?

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