Social media is like the new cool kid on the block: Everyone wants to be its friend, but they're all worried of mishandling it and end up doing more harm than good. Although many marketers are trying to leverage social media to get close to both customers and prospects, this relatively new medium is not about likes and fans, but about engaging with people.
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Today's customers are no longer bowled over by a great advertisement unless it targets them individually, giving them information that's relevant to them. This puts extra pressure on organizations to develop marketing campaigns that aren't just captivating, but also give added value.
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How many times have you bought something from a retailer online only to find yourself facing a sudden onslaught of emails from the company? Too many, I'm sure. Yes, online retailers need their customers' email addresses to confirm their purchases. But it's the more customer-centric companies that actually 1) note that the email will be used for confirmation purposes only, and then 2) ask if you'd like to opt in to their mailing list(s). Many retailers simply opt in customers
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Today's issue of 1to1 Magazine highlights the Top Mobile Trends to Watch. A number of experts in the industry share what they think are hot topics related to mobile marketing, customer service, and the overall customer experience. Data shows that mobile is a burgeoning channel. However, its promise has yet to be fully realized.
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Mobile is no longer about the phone; it's about being connected. In fact, in some countries there are more mobile subscriptions than there are people (Mobile Marketing Association). Additionally, it takes 90 minutes for the average person to respond to an email, but it takes 90 seconds for the average person to respond to a text message (CTIA.org).
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I stated in this January article that 2012 will be the year that mobile more successfully integrates with other customer interaction channels. As Forrester reveals this week in the report, "Mobile is the New Face of Customer Engagement" for mobile to successfully blend with other channels and engage with customers, CIOs need to rethink their role, strategy, and organizational structure.
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Each year we put a stake in the ground to identify trends that marketers should pay special attention to. This year we see these on the horizon:
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Madonna's Super Bowl half-time show won't be the only attention grabber this Sunday. Mobile ads and location-based services will play an important role in this year's Super Bowl as companies include them in their marketing strategy in a bid to reach more customers and transform a moving image into a sale.
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Often, while browsing the Internet, I notice advertisements that pertain directly to items or topics I've just searched. When shopping at the mall, I'll suddenly receive an email that connects me with an offer for the very store I just left. The eerie wave of awareness stops me dead in my tracks and I wonder, where is Big Brother and how does he know my every move?
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Quick Response (QR) codes are either poised to take off in 2012 or eventually join the junk heap of other tech flops such as the Apple Newton and Internet currency (remember Flooz and Beenz?). While the emergence of other technologies such as near field communications and digital watermarks may shape the durability of QR, ultimately, the potential for the technology rests with how effectively companies place customers at the center of their QR efforts.
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Last week I was rushing to a restaurant for a dinner that I was already late for when I realized that I'd forgotten my phone at home. Without any considering for how long it would take me, I turned back and went to pick it up.
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You can't avoid the noise generated by holiday shopping this year; whether it's because of a slow news day or because people are tired of hearing about a somber economy and dizzying coverage of the presidential campaign, there has been definite momentum for a deep dive into consumer's shopping habits this year. This past Black Friday I was invited to speak on Fox News Channel to offer tips to consumers who might be worrying that they missed the best deals
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This year, on Black Friday, I had to go to the Department of Motor Vehicles. Since the one in Manhattan is situated right across the street from Macy's, I couldn't help but pop in. But the crowds of people quickly made me do a 180-degree turn out of the store and I made my purchases on my phone while in a cab. I wasn't the only one using my mobile to clinch some Black Friday deals. According to an IBM
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Last week the 1to1 Media staff provided in-depth coverage of the upcoming holiday season. Articles ranged from sharing new mobile initiatives and gift card best practices to e-marketing campaign tips and research such as holiday consumer spending predictions. Even with coverage of the many facets of the industry, a few themes shown through.
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The holiday season is rushing towards us quicker than a harried Santa on Christmas Eve. Many stores have already stocked their shelves with greeting cards and decorations, putting their customers in the mood to fill their shopping carts with gifts for their loved ones.
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No holiday season is complete without the toy catalog. Every year, kids the world over study each page carefully, pondering which holiday gifts to add to their wish lists. This year Toys R Us is giving its holiday catalog a new twist, adding mobile quick response (QR) codes to its pages. Select products in the 80-page book will have accompanying QR codes, which customers can scanned with a mobile QR reader to access additional multimedia content including videos, product reviews,
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As mobile usage continues to accelerate across the globe, new McKinsey research that tracked consumers' digital habits through a series of surveys covering more than 100,000 respondents, highlights the increase, with results showing nearly 50 percent of U.S. online consumers are now advanced users of smart phones, social networks, and other emerging tools--up from 32 percent in 2008.
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1to1 Media's Tom Hoffman speaks with Mogreet CEO James Citron about the opportunities companies have to connect with customers using mobile video marketing and advertising campaigns.
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Last week the coupon site Groupon announced it plans to raise $750 million to go public--six months after refusing Google's colossal $ 6 billion offer to buy the daily deals site.
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Shop.org and Forrester Research last week announced results of its annual online retailing study in the The State Of Retailing Online 2011: Marketing, Social, and Mobile. Of course, social and mobile are hot trends that retailers are beginning to experiment with, though financial results of such initiatives tend to be vague.
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In 1999 Forrester proclaimed the proceeding 10 years the digital decade. Today at Forrester's Marketing Forum in San Francisco, that decade-old proclamation is crystallized in conversations in keynote addresses and among marketers on the conference floor.
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We use mobile devices throughout the day to communicate with each other, get timely information, and entertain ourselves. And, because they're almost always within a few feet of us, these devices offer myriad opportunities for brands to insert themselves into our lives in meaningful ways. But brands have been slow to realize this opportunity. Whenever I browse the Apple app store, I'm always shocked by the small number of apps that have been commissioned by big brands -- and this
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According to ABI Research, U.S. mobile commerce sales will reach $4.9 billion this year, and will account for $163 billion in sales worldwide by 2015. Additionally IDC reports that the U.S. smart phone market will increase 50 percent this year. Despite the growing number of consumers conducting mobile transactions, a new study conducted by Tealeaf shows that the medium is laden with issues that impede customers' ability to complete transactions and prevent them from returning.
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SMS is a bit Jekyll and Hyde; it's among the most private forms of communication available, yet is extremely social. Therein lays the intrigue. My question is this: "If someone hands you a business card, there is implied permission to call or email. What about texting?" I started an exploration with a query on Twitter. As responses began to come in, my curiosity was piqued. I began to wonder about where this peculiar channel fits into customer service and social
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Even though software companies and agencies create content for the mobile phone, mobile providers need to take ownership of their subscribers' experiences. New research shows that nearly half of smartphone users blame mobile providers for service issues.
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Jim Somers, Chief Marketing & Strategy Officer at Antenna Software, offers recommendations for creating electrifying mobile applications that resonate with business customers.
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Email's demise has been greatly exaggerated. Some have predicted that as smartphone usage grows, email use will decline. That's just not the case. In fact, people are combining their email and smartphone use to enhance both activities. And data around how people use mobile email sheds light on some interesting customer experience opportunities.
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As each year begins anew, there is much hope for how the year will play out. For customer strategists, the hope renews that companies will bring customer focus to the forefront of their business practices. We asked experts in customer service, mobile, multichannel marketing, social media, and voice of the customer to weigh in on their thoughts for the coming year.
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Some of this year's hottest holiday gifts include smartphones and iPads. These mobile devices can do what many other mobile phones can't. With new technology and information access also bring with them new privacy concerns. As a result, the Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) is taking proactive steps to address privacy with the creation of new mobile privacy guidelines.
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An interesting question was asked during Email Radio when I was discussing mobile marketing with mobileStorm's Jared Reitzen and Jim Ducharme: "Can mobile be used to do acquisition?" At the time of the show I answered that mobile wasn't a good source for acquisition. I've given this a bit more thought, and although I don't think it is an ideal channel for acquisition, I do think there are growth opportunities.
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