Archive for the 'Business growth' Category

26
Mar
12

I’ll have a burger please, with a side of social networking

By Heather Horsey 1 Comment
Categories: Advertising, Blogs, Business growth, Business Strategies, business to consumer, Facebook, Marketing and Twitter
Tags: , , , , , , , ,

If social networking hasn’t become the craving of the century, I don’t know what has.

Not only are people fascinated with how communication has turned into an interactive dialog, but whether they are finding friends on Facebook, tweeting their every move on Twitter, or now marketing their own customized burgers in the new frenzy that 4food has created, they are finding every excuse to play on the social media playground.

The restaurant, 4Food, in midtown Manhattan has brilliantly introduced a way to make creating your own burger an interactive experience.  Like some other build your own burger joints, the patty comes in a variety of meats (even veggie) and you can chose every aspect of your meal, from bun to sauces.  The donut shape of the patty is eye catching, however, leaving a hole in the middle of the patty for you to fill with a variety of “scoops” ranging from mac and cheese to Thai eggplant curry.

What sets 4Food apart is the marketing privilege the consumer acquires after their creation (from the 140 million combination possibilities) is complete.  Through 4Food’s accounts on Facebook,  Twitter  and their blog, you can name and market your personalized burger.

After you have marketed your creation, you earn a royalty every time that burger is ordered at 4Food.  The $.25 payment is credited to your account on 4food.com.

The learning curve is small, but fun for customers who currently use the provided iPads to order at the restaurant, and will be able to order on their smartphones in the near future.

The exposure that this new burger joint is experiencing purely at the fingertips of their customers is remarkable.  Social networking has driven itself to virtually take the legwork out of marketing for you, purely for free…how is your business using the power of social media to expand?

 

20
Mar
12

And it Has Changed…Again.

By Heather Horsey Leave a Comment
Categories: Advertising, Brand Loyalty, Business growth, Business Strategies, business to consumer, Facebook, internet marketing, Marketing, Marketing Trends, Social Media and Social Networking
Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

Just when we all have gotten used to the “new” look of Facebook, the beast has evolved once again.

It seems that Facebook is trying to keep people on their toes with the endless face-lifts, and while most of us struggle to figure out how to simply maneuver to view photos, businesses are using the new Timeline to their full advantage.

How you ask? Here are a few perks of the new Timeline that will get your company ready for the switch:

  • Cover photo and profile image

Instead of just one small image to represent your brand, you can now also use another image as your cover photo. This photo spans the top of your page and is the background for your smaller profile image.

  • Large pinned posts

 Timeline will not allow you to create a default-landing page, however you can manage the posts that appear on your wall.  By moving a pinned post to the top of your wall, you can keep the most important and intriguing information and images in the forefront.

  • Ability to set company milestones

 The Milestone section of your Timeline can update your fans about big events in the life of your company.  People can visually see the history of your company and relate past experiences to themselves and other companies similar to you.

  • Facebook Offers

 Similar to the Facebook Deals seen on the old Facebook format, the Facebook Offers are sent out to your fans via the news feeds.  Not only is this more visible, but it is more personable when they click to claim the offer and it is sent directly to their email.

Whether you are a new company or a mature one, the new Timeline can help to increase awareness of your brand and expand your network.

Give it a go, and let us know how the re-facing of Facebook is working for you, or if you need help adjusting- give us a call!

27
Feb
12

Move over Facebook, there is a new social media channel in town

By Heather Horsey Leave a Comment
Categories: Advertising, Business growth, business to consumer, Creative, internet marketing, Marketing Trends, PInterest, Social Bookmarking, Social Media, Social Networking, Top Web sites and Web sites
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Pinterest has turned the act of “pinning” into a downright obsession among its 10 million users, providing never-ending pages of images that suck you in and leave you scrolling for more.  Needless to say, this site has taken procrastination to the next level.

Maybe it is the ease of pinning a variety of interests to your own boards that other people can “like” as well, or maybe it is just simply enticing because of the wealth of diverse images at your fingertips.  In any case, the female fan base has found reason to take up pinning as their new hobby.

Not only is Pinterest surpassing Facebook, Tumblr and the like in driving traffic to top websites such as marthastewartweddings.com, cookinglight.com, and self.com but according to The Week, it is doing so at an exponential rate unseen in other social media channels.

Once an image is repined, it is exposed to an entire new circle of people.  A cycle of advertising exposure that is essentially never-ending.

It makes sense, then, that businesses should jump on board this speed train.   And that, my friends, is exactly what is happening.  Because when it comes down to it, this is target marketing at its finest.

Businesses considering Pinterest can:

  1. Create their own pin boards that represent their company and their values. Think past and future designs, products, interesting product uses, ect.
  2. Smaller companies can even go as far as pinning interests that its employees have, making their company more personally relatable.
  3.  Add pin buttons (similar to the Facebook “like” button) to their website so people surfing their site can follow their boards on Pinterest.
  4. Feature new and upcoming products on these boards so the company can get a feel for the popularity based on the number of repins.  In short, it is test marketing without the legwork.

Obviously Pinterest is a great social media channel for any company who is advertising products that can be represented visually (food, magazines, fashion, automobiles, home improvement, art, etc.).   But it doesn’t have to stop there.  For instance, travel agencies can use visually enticing beaches or monuments to capture attention and fitness centers can use images of fit models to make people stop, think and click for more.

When it comes down to it, the basic psychology is this: people want to share their interests, but more importantly they want what everyone else has.  The higher the repin number, the more appealing that product becomes and the more attention it gets.

What do you think about Pinterest and how is your company including it in your social media efforts?  Have you pinned today?

22
Jul
11

Capitalizing on the Daily Deals Trend

By Mark Plumb 1 Comment
Categories: Advertising, Business growth, Business Strategies, Foursquare, Groupon, Marketing, Marketing Trends, mobile marketing, Social Media, Social Networking, trends and Uncategorized
Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Living Social, Daily Deals, Woot and the growing beast Groupon have struck a chord with the public looking for ways to stretch discretionary spending in a down economy.

In general, the one deal per day concept is simple enough to understand. Everyday an email with a highly discounted deal from a local business is promoted. Customers go to a secure site and purchase the daily deal. Once the deal promotion has ended, the coupon is available to be printed and redeemed.

The business model is pretty simple as well. The daily deal provider collects the money and for each redeemed coupon will send approximately 25 percent of the coupon value to the business. The daily deal provider keeps all the revenue on coupons not redeemed. Yipit, a daily deals site aggregator estimates that 15 percent of purchased coupons are not redeemed. Overall revenue growth for these sites has increased more than 40 percent between 2010 and 2011, according to a report from BIA/Kelsey, a media research and consulting firm.

For local businesses, the daily deals phenomenon is attractive because there is no upfront marketing costs. Daily deals offer an opportunity to reach unknown customers, introduce products and services to new markets, reward loyal customers and purge old inventory. For this opportunity, the daily deal sites are looking for items that will sell. A deep discount on something that nobody wants will not see the light of day on these sites. Also, any business interested in participating must be prepared to put together a great package as discounts typically range from 50 to 90 percent off retail price.

However, there is one critical success factor that often goes overlooked. In order for the daily deal to be successful, the business must convert the deal seeker into a long-term customer.  This means providing a high-quality experience when a customer redeems a deal.  This is especially important in a service-based business. For example, restaurant servers has expressed how much they dislike these coupons because they are working much harder than usual during the redemption rush on the restaurant, yet they are most likely to be tipped on the reduced amount of the bill.  Keep staff motivated by giving them an opportunity for upsell or an ancillary product/service contest.

What’s next: the combination of mobile with the daily deal. Foursquare recently announced that it will distribute AT&T’s Deal of The Day. In the future, we will see daily deal immediacy, like your phone buzzing if you walk past a store with a deal of the day.

By the way, if you have daily deal buyers’ remorse, you can resell coupons on CoupRecoup. Let us know if you are addicted to the daily deals and if you’ve had any negative experiences. Share your thoughts with us on Facebook at Weise Communications and follow us on Twitter at @Weise_Ideas.

28
Jun
11

Franchise Health Care Companies: Top 10 Reasons

By Tracy Weise Leave a Comment
Categories: Business growth, Business Strategies, Franchising, Health and Wellness, Health care marketing, healthcare and Uncategorized
Tags: , ,

The following blog was originally posted at franchisinghealthcare.com. Weise Communications is proud to be a sponsor of the Franchising in Health Care Conference, July 27 & 28, in Minneapolis. For more information about the conference, or to register, click here.

According to an article originally posted in the Denver Business Journal entitled “Urgent care franchises gaining acceptance,” companies such as Maryland-based Doctors Express, have seen great growth based on a productive business model for both the franchisees and the patients. In the article Chris Prior, medical director at Doctors Express in Centennial Colorado states, “declining number of primary care physicians has made it harder for a parent to get their child in to see their family doctor when illness arises, making new urgent-care locations more accessible.”

A health care franchise has the ability to positively impact the community it serves by reducing the cost of health care expenses and improving overall community wellness. Franchising within the health arena is advantageous because it allows for increased buying power of equipment, supplies and technology solutions. For example, when a new treatment becomes available, the franchisor can a directly share information with the medical professionals (within the franchise system) to detail implementation. This buying power will also mean franchisees in a system can purchase new technology at a bulk rate – something stand-alone practitioners will not be able to do. The knowledge-share and buying power will effectively and quickly spread a high standard of treatment options across a system and throughout communities.

The following are our top 10 reasons to franchise great health care concepts:

  1. Multiple locations with cost-effective services improve/increase patient access to care.
  2. Replicating systems throughout the franchise such as advertising programs, patient acquisition plans and technology infrastructure, reduces costs.
  3. Franchisees have access to buying power for costly medical equipment and supplies.
  4. The franchise system provides more sophisticated business management and allows medical professionals to focus on practicing medicine.
  5. The ability to purchase and implementation of technology speeds up, increases and improves the business.
  6. Services can better coordinate for an individual patient.
  7. The larger system can monitor best practices, which allows for better patient outcomes and more positive customer experiences.
  8. Franchising allows for faster scalability of a great concept.
  9. A franchise system is better for raising capital when overall system improvements are needed.
  10. Effective franchising may bend the cost curve of health care within communities, thereby improving the overall health and wellness of a community.

Have an additional top reason to franchise in the health care space? Please feel free to post your ideas in the comments; we would appreciate hearing from you. Be sure to follow us online @Weise_Ideas orFacebook: Weise Communications

I would like to express great thanks to Kevin Hein for helping with this post. Kevin Hein is a partner at Faegre & Benson. He is a corporate lawyer with a special emphasis on representing companies using franchising as a method of distributing their products or services.

04
Mar
11

Social Media is the driving force behind online culture

By Mark Plumb Leave a Comment
Categories: Advertising, Apps, Business growth, Business Strategies, Facebook, Foursquare, Linked In, LinkedIn, Marketing, Mobile advertising, mobile marketing, Social Media, Social Networking, Twitter and Uncategorized
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,

One of the latest trends impacting social media is tagging an online status with a symbol. For example, the symbol to the right is the Super Mayor symbol for Foursquare, which is a special shout-out for holding down 10 mayorships at once. The symbol signifies to peers that someone made an online contribution or maintains a level of online popularity.  These online status symbols acknowledge actions and are becoming more desirable to achieve.

Initially, online status comes in the form of the number of LinkedIn connections, Facebook friends or Twitter followers. I’ll admit there is a little friendly competition among my friends to reach milestone numbers or connect with certain groups so their logo appears on the profile page.

But, Foursquare comes along and takes online status to the next level by tying it to achievement.  There is an establishment next door to our Denver offices where I am determined to be the mayor. I’m afraid that I might be spending a little too much time and money at that location to become the mayor, but that is the goal of location-based marketing.  If retail locations can encourage consumers to make every effort to obtain online status and tie status to transactions – it’s a win-win.  One retailer that understands the power of online status is Arby’s. Last November, Arby’s held a Foursquare promotion in which mayors of 37 locations from Evansville, Ind., to Huntsville, Ala., earned reserved seats at actual “Mayor’s tables.” The mayors received 50 percent off meals and Arby’s tested new products on this group.

As social media evolves, the lines between ‘real world’ and online can get blurred.  One example is the website Nerd Merit Badges which offers Foursquare symbols as a round 1.5” patch. You’ll see this patches adorn purses, backpacks, hats, etc. Further evidence of this ‘real world’, ‘online world’ crossover includes Crowded Ink, users can create a coffee mug adorned with profile pictures of Facebook friends or Twitter followers.  These images are some of my Facebook friends.

For marketers, keeping up with the cultural, intellectual, ethical and spiritual climate within groups of influencers gives your product or service an opportunity to be cutting edge.  As a part of an integrated marketing plan, consider supplying your social network with an online status symbol that displays their achievements with your company.

Tell us if you think embracing online status symbols improves social media marketing or if you think it’s just a fad. Share your ideas with us on Facebook at Weise Communications and follow @Weise_Ideas on Twitter.

 

05
Jan
11

Branding Content: How creating a persona for your brand creates ROI

By Heather Horsey Leave a Comment
Categories: Ad Agency, Ads, Advertising, Apps, Business growth, Business Strategies, business to business, business to consumer, commercials, Communications, Digital Media, Email, Facebook, Flikr, Foursquare, GOOP, personas, Social Media, Social Networking, Twitter, webisodes and YouTube
Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Branded content is essentially a fusion of entertainment and advertising that has been around for decades, just think of soap manufactures and the soap opera. With social media and the increasing prevalence of mobile apps in our daily lives, branded content seeks to have an increasingly large role in marketing and advertising of brands in the future.

Branded content can be anything from a short film, music, game, blog, mobile app, newsletter, blogzine, microsite or real-life event. The content merely exists to entertain and educate the consumer, while conveying subtle brand messages in the mean time. But more than this, branded content creates a persona for your brand and helps engage target audiences in a reciprocal relationship.

The idea for a brand is to listen to online conversations and establish what interests your target audiences. Is there a need or desire for certain information? Can you provide that information in an engaging way?

The most successful branded content programs are able to blend messaging in a seamless and transparent fashion, while still getting the information across to the consumer. Branded content creation serves several purposes: customer entertainment, stealth advertising and social engagement.

An industry that has embraced branded content is the fashion industry (see Louis Vuitton’s NOWNESS), but other brands that get it right are:

The iFood application allows users to:

  • Email or print coupons for Kraft products or even add them right to your store savings card.
  • Find recipes and post the ones you love to Facebook
  • Scan and enter a barcode to add to a shopping list or find recipes
  • Print shopping lists, coupons, and recipes
  • Get detailed recipe directions and even video tutorials
  • Set alerts about planned recipes, recopies of the day or special offers
  • Find a retailer to buy your products

Now, tell me that wont build more consumer loyalty?

Branded content is about creating an experiential story; It’s about crafting stories though every communication tool – signage, display advertising, print, radio and television ads, that are then translated to the web, social networks and now mobile apps. In the end it really comes down to knowing your customer extraordinarily well. By consistently engaging your audience via editorial content that is expertly mixed into the e-commerce landscape, you can tie sales. The best social media and branded content executions out there are driven by narrative, not commerce.

Branded content is quickly becoming a cost effective, long-term online marketing strategy that industries will continue to utilize as brands and retailers look for new, innovative ways to connect with customers online.

What impact do you think branded content can have on consumer behavior and where do you think this technique is headed in the future? We’d love to hear, so post a comment on The Side Note Blog, send us a tweet @Weise_Ideas, or find us on Facebook: Weise Communications.

24
Nov
10

Gain Mayorship, Earn Perks: Retailers Give Incentives to Foursquare Users

By Heather Horsey 1 Comment
Categories: Advertising, Business growth, Businesses, Foursquare, Franchise, Marketing and Social Media
Tags: , ,

With the advent of Foursquare, social media has become competitive. Bragging rights of being a mayor is the big prize you win.

Being an active Foursquare user, I have caught the competitive social media bug. My friends and I compete to see who can unlock the most badges, check-in first at each establishment and earn mayoral rights. Since Foursquare users have become so competitive, my friends and I included, we all want to hold the mayorship of our favorite establishments; so it encourages us to drop in more often.

At some establishments it can payoff to become the mayor. Recently, Arby’s kicked off a Foursquare promotion in which mayors of 37 locations from Evansville, Ind., to Huntsville, Ala., gets reserved seats at a “Mayor’s tables” and 50 percent off meals. So not only are customers benefiting from being the mayor of Arby’s, but also the fast food establishment has the chance to run a loyalty program and test new products on valued customers.

Senior Vice President at Arby’s Restaurant Group Inc. Bob Kraut believes, “This [Foursquare] represents the intersection of the social media conversation we want to be a part of and the real world target ability that larger retail operations desire.”

Arby’s is not the only establishment giving its social media followers perks. The MarketFair Mall in Princeton, N.J., has designated one prime parking spot as Foursquare Mayor Parking and on the first Wednesday of the month. Mayor of the W Montreal hotel gets valet parking, a spa treatment or a night’s stay at no charge. In addition to mayoral prizes, companies can also sponsor badges. For example, those who follow Mazda and check-in at participating nightlife venues can earn the Mazda badge and enter to win a new car. Mazda chose nightlife venues to promote the Mazda badge in order to reach its tech savvy target audience.

Although marketers are questioning the function of Foursquare, it seems with the competitive nature of humans, there is ample opportunity if marketers choose to seize it.

Tell us if you think Foursquare will significantly change marketing and social media or if you think it’s just a fad. Share your ideas with us on Facebook at Weise Communications and follow @Weise_Ideas on Twitter.

13
Aug
10

Social Media Tips and Tricks: Facebook

By Heather Horsey Leave a Comment
Categories: B2B, B2C, BtoB, Business growth, Business Strategies, business to business, business to consumer, Facebook, Public Relations and Social Media
Tags: , , , , ,

To continue our series on social media, we’ll talk about some ideas to increase your brand awareness on Facebook.

Fans bring value to your brand. In addition to the digital word-of-mouth marketing, studies show that Facebook fans are more likely to buy a brand’s products than non-fans. So Facebook can be a great way to find your brand’s consumers and market to them directly. Today, more than 45 percent of Facebook’s audience is over the age of 26, so it’s not just for brands trying to market to tweens.

Here are four tips beyond the standard tactics of creating a profile and updating it with content:

  1. Paid advertisements on Facebook can help increase the reach and impact of exclusive offers and campaigns.
  2. See past the number of fans you have and look at your brand’s level of engagement. A fan’s activity on your page will spread throughout their personal network and news feed. And engagement is much more important than simple fan numbers.
  3. Facebook users like short polls and surveys. There are excellent tools that both B-2-B and B-2-C companies can use to encourage participation on the company’s fan page – and you many actually learn something about your fans too.

Let us know if you have any other great ideas to make Facebook work for you and your company, and check out Weise Communications on Facebook.

29
Jul
10

Social media tips and tricks – Twitter

By Heather Horsey Leave a Comment
Categories: Brand Loyalty, Business growth, New Media, Social Media and Twitter
Tags: ,

Today, there are 75 million Twitter accounts, about a quarter of the U.S. population. That’s comparable to the number of adults with cell phones in 1999. And if the growth of Twitter is anywhere near that of cell phones, it is time to gain a clear understanding of how you and your company can use it. Here are some down and dirty tips to be mindful of when using Twitter.

Twitter etiquette is imperative when talking to others via Twitter. Here are some things to remember:

  1. When you are first getting started, consider following those people who follow you. This is a great way to build an understanding of how Twitter works and who is interested in what you have to say. This will also help you narrow what information you want to read about on Twitter and what is just spam.
  2. Design tweets that when retweeted don’t cut off your tweet or link. This means writing in 120 or 130 characters instead of 140. Often if your tweet is too long to retweet, people will not retweet it or the meaning just gets lost.
  3. When you are tweeted @, respond. When an @ symbol appears before your handle, that means the comment is specifically directed at you. Responding to these mentions is a great way to get noticed and just polite. Also, look at your other mentions and involve those talking about you in conversation with you.
  4. Be thankful for retweets (RT) and respond with thanks.
  5. Follow up with all direct messages quickly.
  6. Include links in most, if not all, of your tweets. This allows you to track which tweets get the most clicks and thus learn what your followers are most interested in reading from you.

The use of Twitter aggregators, like HootSuite – which is what @Weise_Ideas and @HutchH use, can make distinguishing the streams, mentions and direct messages quick and easy.

Good luck in the Twittosphere. Let us know if there are other helpful tips you’ve come across.

« Previous Entries

Share The Side Note

Facebook Twitter More...

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 1,574 other followers

Weise Twitter

Archives

Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 1,574 other followers