Home Wealth Project

Today, email marketing company Constant Contact announced its newest social media marketing product, Social Campaigns. Designed with the small business owner in mind, Social Campaigns will help companies grow their fan base on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, as well as drive engagement.

The Problem Constant Contact Wants to Solve

I’m not sure why, but a lot of small business owners are intimidated by the “technical factor” of social media. (It’s not really all that complicated, but it’s perceived that way) More small businesses would use the more advanced features of Facebook if they knew how. And then knowing what to do with followers and fans also presents a conundrum.

Their Proposed Solution

Constant Contact, which serves an estimated 450,000 small businesses according to SeekingAlpha, intends this product for small businesses that are frustrated by the return on investment of their social media efforts. This is from Constant Contact’s recent press release:

“Constant Contact’s Fall 2011 Attitudes and Outlook Survey showed a significant increase in social media adoption as more and more small businesses find it to be low cost and easy to use. However, few can point to real business success from their investment.”

What The Product Does

The core of the offering is a tool to create Facebook customized landing pages, that are integrated with other social media and the Constant Contact email system. Using the tool you can run “Liked-gated” Facebook campaigns.

If you’ve ever been jealous of customized Facebook tabs you see other businesses using, but don’t feel tech-savvy enough to create one, this product will help you. There are different campaign templates you can customize, including Coupon, Product Showcase, Downloadable Content, Video, Event, and Fundraiser. When a visitor goes to your company’s Facebook page, she’ll land on this page.

Mark Schmulen, General Manager of Social Media at Constant Contact explains:

“The user can choose to “like-gate” their campaign, an option that requires the participants to first “like” the user’s Facebook page before being able to participant in the campaign.”

Once your campaign is set up, you can post updates to Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter directly from your Constant Contact account (a feature that sounds similar HootSuite, SocialOomph or other social media aggregators). You can also send email invites to drive traffic to your social media campaign. There’s also a reporting feature that helps business owners see how many fans they connected to, and how many participated in the campaign.

Let’s Talk Pricing

I’m sure you’re all wondering what this will cost. Constant Contact says more details on pricing will be available in the new year, but to start, every user gets one free campaign. And any campaign with 100 or fewer fans will be free forever. (Although, I guess if the program is worth its salt, you should have many more fans, right? So you will end up paying if Constant Contact does its job!) After 100 fans, pricing will be tier-based, depending on your number of fans.

More Information

Social Campaigns will have free, live customer coaching and technical support to all users (even the free accounts).

Right now, Social Campaigns is only available by private invitation, but it will be rolled out to the general public early in 2012. Be one of the first to use it by going here.

Constant Contact Introduces Facebook Campaign Tool

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3 Stats to Think About When Crafting Your Social Media Campaign

Oct 20th

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There’s a lot involved with building your social media presence–so much so, that it’s easy for small business owners to feel overwhelmed and become unsure of what they should be focusing on. And then you come across some startling stats that show just how big the disconnect really is.

I present you with three social media stats to ponder. Think about how they may reflect your own social media strategy.

1. Social Consumers Rely on Ratings and Reviews

Consumers’ increased use of social media is changing buying patterns and behaviors. It’s something we’ve been able to feel for a while, but thanks to NM Incite, we now also have the data to back it up. According to NM Incite, 63 percent of social media users listed “consumer ratings” as their preferred source for getting information about products and services. Another 62 percent of social media users listed “company reviews” as their preferred source.

Consumers are seeking out these websites for information about the products and services that they are interested in. And they are making their judgments based on the reviews and ratings your brand has received. Last week I mentioned the importance of putting together a holiday review strategy – using the momentum of the season to pad your reviews and testimonials in the New Year. The data released only reaffirms the importance of this. If you haven’t created a strategy for getting online reviews, now is the time. Don’t let it sit any longer.

2. Seventy-One Percent of Companies Ignore Customer Complaints on Twitter

How’s that for customer service?

According to research from Maritz and Evolve124, of 1,298 Twitter complaints reviewed, only 29 percent received a response from the company mentioned. The other 71 percent went completely ignored by the brand, essentially telling consumers companies are not listening and don’t care about their experiences. To make the stat even more heartbreaking, 86 percent of the tweeters who were ignored said they would have liked or loved if the company had responded to them. And that makes sense. We like hearing that a company is listening to us, that they hear what we’re saying, and that they’re going to address our concerns. We are looking for these signs when we do business with a brand, even if 51 percent of users don’t believe a company will respond when we tweet at them. We’re still elated when they do.

If your customers are giving you the opportunity to turn lemons into lemonade, to right a wrong and to start over, don’t let that opportunity slip by. Even if the tweet directed at you is full or fury , the fact that the customer said something gives you the ability to correct it. And according to the numbers, more than 80 percent will be genuinely happy to receive a response from you. That’s like guaranteed happiness just for showing up!

3. Fifty-Eight Percent Expect Exclusive Content/Discounts for “Liking” Your Brand’s Facebook Page.

If ever there was a reminder that consumers have their own motives for following you on Twitter or liking your brand on Facebook, ExactTarget reminds us that it’s really about the customer. Always. When it comes to expectations after liking a company on Facebook:

58 percent expect to gain access to exclusive content, events or sales
58 percent expect to receive discounts or promotions
47 percent expect to receive updates about the company, person or organization

When you begin to develop a presence on social media, it’s up to you to provide the why and create that incentive. It also means understanding your audience so you know what they want. Some may prefer discounts, while others will want exclusive videos or access to your brand. By giving your customers what they want, you increase their engagement with your brand.

The above statistics stood out to me because they all reinforce the reason for getting involved with social media in the first place. It’s about helping people find information about you, engaging when they reach out to you, and giving them something for their time. Those are the three things every social media plan should be based on.

3 Stats to Think About When Crafting Your Social Media Campaign

View full post on Small Business News, Tips, Advice – Small Business Trends

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Social Campaign Shows the Power of Contests

Apr 21st

Contests and promotions have been a popular form of marketing on Facebook and other social sites in recent years, and a campaign by the Dockers clothing brand is a particularly good example of how to use such a contest to build a strong fan base and positive brand association. Although this is a large-scale campaign for a well-known brand, it provides key takeaways that can mean the difference between success and failure for any business hoping to turn social site visitors into loyal customers and brand advocates.

Dockers launched its “Wear the Pants” contest in February to promote its line of khaki pants. The contest awards a $100,000 post-tax prize for the best business plan submitted through its Facebook page. Submissions were accepted through March 15, 2011, with the winner to be announced on May 2, 2011. Entrants were asked to submit their ideas for a new business or project in 400 words or fewer, and community members and friends could vote on the plans. A panel of judges selects five finalists, with the community again voting on the final winner from April 25, 2011 to May 1, 2011. In addition to the $100,000 prize, the winner receives a year’s worth of Dockers khakis, and the first 500 entrants receive a free pair of Dockers. Every entrant gets a shareable coupon for 30 percent off Dockers pants.

Over 200,000 likes and 1,800 entries were generated through March 15, 2011, and contestants spread the word on blogs and social and other sites to gather votes. Dockers is also running a similar contest through November where $2,000 (in total value) is awarded to an entrepreneur every week for plans submitted through the Dockers Facebook page. The $2,000 prize can be in the form of tools, products, services or cash, depending on the resources needed to put the plan into action (possible examples include software, consultation with an expert, equipment and so forth). Winners receive a free pair of Dockers, and every entrant gets a sharable coupon for 30 percent off.

The “Wear the Pants” contest, in particular, offers many takeaways for any size business seeking to create a successful social media contest, some of which include:

It’s not the size of the prize: While a $100,000 prize is nice, most small businesses won’t be able to afford it. Small things can make a big difference, such as a discount or free shipping – the possibilities are almost limitless. The best prizes, however small, positively impact people’s lives, which has the added benefit of creating a positive association with the company or brand.

Make the contest all-inclusive: Dockers made sure everyone got something for their participation. This not only encouraged participation but helped make everyone feel included in the promotion and that their efforts to enter the contest didn’t go to waste. It also encourages later sales with a special offer.

Associate with a good cause: Whether it’s offering the chance to start a dream business or helping people overcome life’s obstacles, this type of cause marketing creates a strong emotional appeal and provides a compelling reason to spread the message beyond just winning the prize. For example, many entrants with disabilities received an outpouring of support (and lots of votes and word of mouth as a result).

Add “stickiness” to social destinations: The Dockers contest made its social presence “sticky” by running the contest on and through its Facebook page, keeping visitors there longer and interacting with the brand (and each other).

Mix commerce with messaging and contest strategy: Dockers was able to mix its branding and sales efforts with the contest seamlessly. This type of strategy uses a “soft sell” approach, which is often more appropriate for social media (where it’s more about conversations) than for many other forms of marketing.

Align social efforts with overall goals and objectives: Whether it’s a contest or any other type of social media campaign (or presence), make sure it aligns with overall business goals and objectives. Define how it fits into a complete marketing strategy and whether such an effort will be beneficial, and be sure the needed resources (including time) can be dedicated to ensure a successful outcome. And perhaps most importantly, define what a successful outcome is.

NOTE: The takeaways are solely the interpretation of the writer and are not intended to speak for Dockers in any way.

Social Campaign Shows the Power of Contests

View full post on Small Business News, Tips, Advice – Small Business Trends

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Manta Launches Nationwide Brand Awareness Campaign for SMB Community

Mar 2nd

Columbus, Ohio (PRESS RELEASE – March 2, 2011) – Manta, the world’s largest online community for promoting and connecting small business, has launched a nationwide, multimillion-dollar branding campaign featuring its unique audience of small business owners. The campaign, “You do what? We do small business,” showcases Manta’s value to the small business eco-system, specifically to business owners who must promote their business online and to brand marketers looking to reach small business owners and decision makers.

“Manta’s mission is to fuel the SMB engine, make connections for our audience and make business happen”

“Manta’s mission is to fuel the SMB engine, make connections for our audience and make business happen,” says Pamela Springer, Manta president and CEO. “No one else inhabits the small business landscape like Manta; we provide innovative marketing, sales and networking resources to help our users achieve growth, profitability and greater overall success.”

The new campaign highlights the wide-ranging, unique–and often funny–attributes of the vast array of small business owners featured on Manta. The ads ask, “You do what?” of small business owners and showcase the unique aspects of their particular company. Kicking off the campaign is a series of ads featuring Dr. Nicole Eaton of the Animal Hospital of Polaris in Columbus, Ohio, and her exotic animal care practice. In one implementation, Dr. Eaton is shown listening to the heart rate of a stunted red-footed tortoise; in another, she is pictured with an albino Burmese python. The ads conclude with Manta’s new tagline, “We do small business” and a list of Manta’s most recent accolades, including recent traffic gains and a jump in Quantcast’s Top Site rankings.

“The best way to exemplify our unique SMB audience is to showcase the exceptional and far-ranging attributes of the small business owners who encompass Manta,” said Greg Garrick, Manta’s newly hired VP of marketing. “By giving a face and a voice to small business owners in our campaign, we celebrate their unique characteristics while illustrating Manta’s unique audience unavailable (at scale) elsewhere in today’s marketplace. Our campaign communicates to small business owners and SMB marketers alike that Manta delivers the unique audience they desire.”

Manta’s campaign and its brand marketer-focused message will be featured in traditional advertiser media such as Advertising Age and BtoB, both in print and online, and MediaPost. The campaign initially will focus on reaching small business owners in targeted placements on select sites such as Facebook, but will expand to include top national radio outlets in the coming months. Complementing the creative executions of each advertisement will be videos with interviews of the small business owners featured in the ads, which will be promoted through manta.com and social networks.

Manta’s growing list of onsite advertising partners has increased dramatically as more and more marketers recognize Manta’s ability to reach key business decision makers. According to Springer, this new branding campaign will further support that awareness among marketers as will Manta’s sponsorship of several national trade advertising and marketing events throughout 2011. “Manta provides advertisers with custom solutions that integrate their messaging. We utilize the most sophisticated technologies available today to give advertisers advanced targeting across a wide range of categories, including geographic, behavioral, contextual, day part and mobile. Our registration data and in-depth business information on our 64 million company profiles allows advertisers to further fine tune their audience and connect with their key prospects by title, vertical market, company size, revenue and more.”

Manta’s multi-tiered branding campaign will continue to evolve throughout 2011 with additional creative executions featuring small business owners. Manta’s campaign can be followed online www.manta.com/unique or on Manta’s Facebook page.

About Manta

Manta is the world’s largest online community for promoting and connecting small business. With nearly 64 million company profiles, Manta is used by business owners and professionals to promote and differentiate their offerings and “be found” online by customers and prospects. Manta is ranked the second largest business news/research website by comScore and has an audience of 31 million from the U.S. and around the globe. Manta is included in Business Insider’s SAI Digital 100: The World’s Most Valuable Startups. Launched in 2005, Manta is privately held and based in Columbus, Ohio.

Manta Launches Nationwide Brand Awareness Campaign for SMB Community

View full post on Small Business News, Tips, Advice – Small Business Trends

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Does Your Google Pay Per Click Campaign Appear to be Lost in Space?

Jan 20th

Posted by Home Wealth Project in Marketing Tips

We had a great question come in the other day and I wanted to share it with you in case you too have ever wondered why you don’t see your Google Pay Per Click campaign when you do a search for your keywords.

“I did a google search for our targeted keyword(s) and our Pay Per Click ad did not appear. I was under the impression that we would appear in the top 3 but I am not sure if this is 100% of the time or only at specified times”.

Summary:

Fresh campaigns start slower
It’s ever changing based on competition
Bid amounts change on a regular basis per each individual keyword
You may find it one minute, and its gone the next second
Your impression might be the last of a cycle, leave it for your potential lead, not yourself

Your Google Pay Per Click campaign will be going through a lot of changes every 72 hours and adjustments will be made based on the current and active competition. There are several factors being considered when determining the cost per click that must be bid per each individual keyword chosen in relation to the competition of those keywords. Not all keywords are going to have the same people competing on them and some keywords are not going to be considered to have as high of relevance as some of your competitors. Although these things often get off to a slow start, it is absolutely 100% necessary to go through such growing pains in the hopes that we are providing qualified leads as opposed to just quantified. Based on the way the bidding process works, cost per click bids change every minute on every keyword and there is no specific timeline to which we are guaranteed the ad spot. However, you will be seen more often than not once the campaigns gain momentum. It isn’t a matter of if, but when.

If you need a Google Pay Per Click Campaign that produces conversions call .Com Marketing’s Pay Per Click Specialist at 407-774-4606.

View full post on .Com Marketing Blog | Internet Marketing Trends | Interactive Marketing

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Does Your Google Pay Per Click Campaign Seem to be Lost in Space?

Jan 19th

Posted by Home Wealth Project in Marketing Tips