Word-of-Mouth Marketing to Grow Your Business

The key to growing your business is getting people engaged in promoting your business.

1. Ask clients to review your business

Get your word-of-mouth marketing plan underway by asking a handful of clients to review your service online. Consider this free advertising that takes little effort to implement. Make the process as simple and straightforward as possible by telling your clients exactly where you’d like them to post their review.

2. Use your reviews to promote your business.

There are many ways to use reviews to promote and grow your business. In email communications with your existing and prospective clients, include a direct link to your reviews. Add the link to your e-mail auto-signature so that your reviews go out automatically. You should also include the link on your company’s web site and on promotional materials, including online portfolios, brochures, and business cards. If you’re using social media, such as Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter pages, include your links there, as well. Give a discount for an immediate review of Facebook or Twitter.

3. Make reviewing your business part of the buying process.

Every time a client makes a purchase, signs up for your service, or renews their contract, ask them for a review. Depending on your style of doing business, you could do this verbally, through a pop-up window on your website, at the bottom of an invoice, or via a follow-up email.  Make it easy for people to tell you how you are doing.

4. Reach out to your best clients.

It’s true that some online reviewers are looking for a public forum to air their dissatisfaction with a product or service – and they may be more motivated to write a review than someone who’s pleased. Give your best clients a gentle nudge to review your company. Most satisfied customers are happy to support a business they like! 

5. Provide a “Thank You” to clients for reviews

Many clients will write reviews for you simply because they like you and want to spread the word about your business.  Offering a small token of appreciation, such as a discount on your product or services or a, can go a long way in showing them you appreciate their time.

Find us on Facebook @ata2udmedia or Twitter @ ata2udmedia.

Does Social Media Help Search?

We all know that search engines like Google, Bing, Yahoo etc work on the principle of indexing by crawlers/spiders, back links & pagerank.

Today after the evolution of social networking websites like Facebook & Twitter, the basic concept followed by search engines is still the same but they have evolved with time. Now social media also affects search results. Both Microsoft Bing and Google admitted in interviews that their search results are positively affected by social signals, which includes tweets, facebook Likes, and +1s.

The number of times any web content is shared or liked on facebook or tweeted on twitter by different users is a big sign that it is liked by majority of users around the world. So this is what search engines are looking for and according to an experiment performed by a leading SEO firm.  In their research they sued two different content samples with the same parameters but with different social media popularity. The one with more social media popularity dominated in the search results.

Another thing that search engines look for in the social shares is that what are the sentiments surrounding the action and words used.

According to the conventional approach followed by search engines, black hat SEO also comes into play & even those results get displayed which are not liked by users but they show just because they are filled with keywords and backlinks.  With social media, search engines are striving hard to include those results at the top, which are original and even shared by various users on social networking websites.

So search engines are becoming complex day by day just to facilitate good quality in search results. Social media’s impact is helping search engines deliver much relevant results to the user. Integration of social media into your website and your web presence strategy is essential. Remember under this scenario you cannot buy your way to the top search spot.

We can show you how to make social media work better for you today!  Call 713-628-0701.  www.ata2udmedia.com

Extracted from the web @ http://www.buzzingup.com/2012/01/does-social-media-help-you-in-search-engine-ranking/

Is SEO on Its Way Out?

The now-conventional strategy of harnessing links and keywords to climb higher in search results has been fading for a while. Social media has emerged as an alternative referral source. Google continues to alter its algorithm to reduce the impact of strategies that manipulate search results.

This week Google sent SEO as we know it into terminal decline, rolling out personal search results that are strongly shaped by each user’s online friends and social networking history.  Google’s personal search results feature pages, photos and other results shared by friends on social networks.

Here’s what this means to a website. You have published a post on this year’s Super Bowl and of course you want people to find it when they do a related Google search:

• In the old search model, you pack the headline with keywords like “Super Bowl ads 2012″ so everyone searching Google for that phrase sees your post.
• In the new model, John’s search results will feature that post if his friend Jack previously shared or promoted it.

For the moment, search results are affected by social activity on Google’s own social network.  Google seems interested in adding Twitter to the personal search mix.  Stay tuned!

At Ata2ud Media, we step outside our echo chamber to listen and learn.  Find us on Facebook.com/ata2udmedia or follow us on twitter.com/ata2udmedia. 

The Impact of Social Media on Our Culture…..

If you think Facebook is just for kids, think again!

Facebook is rapidly growing in popularity as a reasons couples are using to file for divorce in the UK. It has been revealed that it was listed in 33 per cent of behavior petitions in 2011, a rise of 13 per cent from 2009.

UK divorce website Divorce-Online has carried out a survey of 5,000 petitions from 2011, the same amount as in 2009, and discovered that a third of them cited Facebook, with the most common use being in allegations relating to spouses behavior with the opposite sex. Additionally, the social networking site is used by spouses to make inappropriate or damaging comments on their public walls about their exes after separation.

The top three reasons for listing Facebook in behavior petitions include “inappropriate messages to members of the opposite sex”, “separated spouses posting comments about each other”, and “Facebook friends reporting spouse’s behavior”.

Mark Keenan, spokesman for Divorce-Online, has some sage advice for couples undertaking divorce proceedings, especially when it involves the custody of minors: “People need to be careful what they put on Facebook as the courts are now seeing a lot more evidence being introduced from people’s walls and posts in disputes over finances and children.

Social media continues to make an impact on our culture.  Twitter by comparison was only mentioned in 20 petitions out of the 5,000 (0.4 per cent).

Find us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter!

Extracted from the web @ http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2080398/Facebook-cited-THIRD-divorces.html

Everybodys Connected….Right?

I read a great quote this morning, “don’t form your opinions till you’ve ventured outside your own echo chamber.” (Thank you @cindyslavoie)  I was realize a few too many of my opinions are formed in my own echo chamber.  For example, the world wide web is not as wide spread as I thought. Almost a quarter of the European Union’s 500 million people have never used the Internet and there is a widening division between the web-savvy north of Europe and the poorer south and east, figures EuroStat released on Wednesday showed.

More than half the population of Romania and just under half of those in Bulgaria, Greece, Cyprus and Portugal do not have Internet access at home.  As well as highlighting geographic disparities across one of the world’s most-developed regions, the figures underline the lack of opportunity people in poorer communities have to take part in advances such as the Internet that have delivered lower cost goods and service to millions of people.

“For many people today it seems difficult to live without the Internet,” Eurostat said.  “However, a decreasing, but still non-negligible, part of the EU population has never used it,” it added, reporting that 24 percent of 16-74 year olds across the 27 countries in the European Union have never accessed the Internet.

The Haves: Top tier countries like Luxembourg, Sweden and Denmark, all with access rates of 90 percent or above.

The Have Nots: At the bottom end of the scale, 54 percent of those in Romania have never used the Internet, whether via home access, at an Internet cafe or over a smart phone.  Those countries with the lowest usage rates also tend to be those with the least number of fixed-line broadband connections and those that make least use of e-commerce — buying goods and services online.

Britain, the EU’s third largest economy after Germany and France, has become the dominant force in online commerce and government services, with more than 80 percent of 16-74 year olds making Internet purchases in the past year.  While The lowest rates were again recorded in Romania and Bulgaria, with just 13 percent of those surveyed.

At Ata2ud Media, we step outside our echo chamber to listen and learn.  Find us on Facebook.com/ata2udmedia or follow us on twitter.com/ata2udmedia. 

Extracted from the web @ http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/12/14/us-eu-internet-idUSTRE7BD1BM20111214

How Big is Mobile?

Ten percent (10%) of Black Friday sales were mobile!

When IBM projected that 15% of Black Friday online sales this year would transact via mobile many were shocked.  To many, it seemed too huge of a jump — after all, as recently as 2009 less than 1% of online sales came from mobile.  Times are changing.

As it turned out IBM is having the last laugh. “I would say about 10.3% of online sales are coming from mobile shoppers. And about 17% of all shoppers are using mobile devices,” John Squire, chief strategy officer, says.

Many retailers, especially national ones that have been following mobile trends closely all year, were prepared.  Companies such as Wal-Mart, Best Buy, Macy’s and, of course, Apple, have been wooing mobile shoppers with exclusive offers and updates as to when specific items went on sale. Google, not a retailer obviously, also made sure it was part of the mix. The search engine updated its product search feature in time for the big day.

IBM findings for Black Friday, at 7 pm ET, are:

• Black Friday 2011 online sales continue to hold at 20% for this same time period over Black Friday 2010.

• Black Friday 2011 online sales eclipsed Thanksgiving sales at 2:20pm PST   this afternoon

• The number of consumers using a mobile device to visit a retailer’s site is holding firm at 17.04%.

•   The number of consumers using their mobile device to make a purchase is holding steady at 9.51%.

• iPhone continues to lead all mobile device traffic at 6.58 %, followed by Android at 5.20% and iPad at 4.71%.

Mobile is where your customer’s eye are fixed.  You need to implement strategies to get your business mobile friendly.  Call us today @ 713-628-0701 or find us Facebook.com/ata2udmedia.

Extracted from the web @ http://www.forbes.com/sites/erikamorphy/2011/11/25/mobile-sales-hit-it-out-of-the-park-on-black-friday/

Smartphones Rising…..

Everyone seems to have a smartphone!  Nielsen’s third quarter survey of mobile users reveals that while only 43 percent of all US mobile phone subscribers own a smartphone, a mobile phone with a powerful operating system, the vast majority of those under the age of 44 now have smartphones. In fact, 62 percent of mobile adults aged 25-34 report owning smartphones. And among those 18-24 and 35-44 years old the smartphone penetration rate is hovering near 54 percent.

Other groups show slightly lower penetration rates. Around 40 percent of 12-17 year-old teens and 40 percent of 45-54 year-olds reported owning a smartphone, as opposed to a more basic feature phone.

After younger adults, the segment with the second fastest-growing smartphone penetration rate is those aged 55-64. Smartphone penetration among this older group is only 30 percent, but it jumped 5 percent this quarter.

As the smartphone market continues to expand, Android remains the most popular smartphone operating system in the United States, with 43 percent of the market, while Apple is the top smartphone manufacturer, with 28 percent of smartphone consumers sporting an Apple iPhone.

To stay ahead of the curve find us on Facebook or call us today to talk about optimizing your web & social strategy!  Call us today 713-628-0701.

Bargain Hunters to Drive E-Shopping Growth for Chirstmas

With an overall US economy still weak, Christmas is looking up for e-commerce. According to Forrester Research 58% of U.S. online adults say they are more price-conscious than they were a year ago; 59% says they shop more with sites that offer free shipping. In 2010, 45 of the top 50 online retailers offered some type of special between Thanksgiving and Cyber Monday, most of which were some type of shipping promotion.

 

“With consistent GDP growth creating a bit of energy in the lead up to the holidays, the November and December holiday shopping season is expected to generate nearly $59.5 billion in online sales, aided by the increased proliferation of consumer touch points that give buyers more access to the Web,” according to Forrester Research analysts. “Despite consumer confidence falling flat and the threat of a double-dip recession, estimates regarding the 2011 online holiday retail season have been encouraging. Forrester’s Sucharita Mulpuru estimates that 12% of the total 15% growth will result from increased spending per buyer, a sign that online retail continues to attract wallet shift from consumers looking to get the right value for their time and money. Additionally, many major retailers are planning hiring increases around the holidays this year.”  She notes the National Retail Federation projects a 2.8% overall retail increase this year, lower than the 5.2% increase that retailers experienced last year.1

 

Getting your brand message out for the holidays is key to buyer growth.  Talk to us today about how to position your brand in a social world. Find us on Facebook or call today @ 713-628-0701.

 

 

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1 Extracted from http://www.forbes.com/sites/ericsavitz/2011/11/13/holiday-e-shopping-to-grow-15-in-2011-forrester-says/

Social Positioning……

Magazines have faced tough times in the digital age.  Brand promotion, which is the lifeblood of magazines, has found a cheaper and more interactive media in the new social world.  Instead of embracing change, magazines have chosen to stay the course.

“Magazines aren’t investing enough in social media to protect their position between brands and consumers,” NYU professor Scott Galloway told a session of the annual American Magazine Conference in New York today. “Your livelihood is being threatened,” he told the audience. “Your industry is on the verge of a massive double dip,” he said at another point — with the second dip largely owing to Facebook.

Mr. Galloway is the founder of the think tank L2, which ranked magazines’ “Digital IQ” earlier this year, and clinical professor of marketing at the NYU Stern School of Business. He got a lot of attention as an activist investor and board member at The New York Times Company. He understands the power of the internet as he also founded Red Envelope, the online gift retailer in 1997.

“Magazine publishers have bounced back somewhat from the dark days of 2008 and 2009,” Mr. Galloway told them, but they remain lodged in a secular shift driven by in large part by Facebook. As Facebook consumes increasing swaths of consumers’ time, it is giving magazines new channels to reach consumers.

Burberry today has more than 8.6 million likes on Facebook, Mr. Galloway said, while Gucci has nearly 5.4 million, Chanel has almost 4.6 million and Ralph Lauren has more than 4 million. Vogue has nearly 1.7 million, by comparison, while Cosmopolitan has less than 1.2 million.   

So Burberry has positioned itself favorably in front of young consumers just by showing up strong on Facebook. “Three years ago Burberry meant British and plaid,” Mr. Galloway said. “Now it means British, plaid and innovative.”

Social media is the corporate equivalent of skinny jeans, making you look hip, Mr. Galloway added. But Burberry also now has a direct line to consumers — no ad buy necessarily required, even if combining traditional media and socia media delivers the biggest impact.

Magazines need to use social media in general and Facebook in particular if publishers hope to maintain or improve their positions in the system, Mr. Galloway argued. Getting “likes” is going to get much more expensive, making these the salad days for running up audiences cheaply, he said. There’s plenty of good news, of course, for the media business. “When I was a kid, the product launches we got excited about were cars,” Mr. Galloway said. Now product frenzies focus on phones and tablets – media consumption devices. The best news in a while came last week, when Amazon introduced a legitimate competitor to the iPad in its Kindle Fire, he added. And Facebook’s scale makes it an opportunity for publishers at least as much as anyone else, he allowed. China is all anybody can talk about, he said, but that’s not the right focus. “You’re biggest opportunity globally is not China,” he said. “It is Facebook.” 

At Ata2ud Media we believe It is no longer a question of social presence, but more of social positioning.  With Facebook garnering upwards of 80% of the brand conversation on social media (Arbitron 2011 Research), your brand position on Facebook is key.  Social positioning is no different than the physical postion of a brick and mortar location.  You want to be where the traffic is with convenient access.  Our social position mantra is “your have to be seen (positioned properly), to be heard!”

Do you have a social presence? What is your social position? Let us help you evaluate your brand position.  Call us today @ 713-628-0701

Extracted from the web @ http://adage.com/article/special-report-advertising-week/magazines-facebook-fueled-double-dip/230206/

Facebook is Getting Big Ad Sales!

Total revenues at Facebook, which include those from advertising as well as Facebook Credits and other sources, will reach $4.27 billion this year, eMarketer estimates. That’s more than twice as high as the $2 billion Facebook is estimated to have earned in 2010. Ad revenues will make up 89% of the total this year, down from 95% in 2009.

Big Numbers continue at Facebook!

To stay ahead of the curve find us on Facebook or call us today to talk about optimizing your social media strategy!