December 1, 2010 - Posted by Shama
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It’s the hottest news of the season. $6 billion dollars for a company that isn’t quite three years old, and wait for it…has no actual product? Well, it did make $500 million in revenue with its 3,000 employees last year, and Google is betting on it! The business is no other than Groupon.com. While many copycats have come to the market, this daily deal giant has been the leader in the field.
So, what can we learn from Google’s decision to vie for Groupon’s attention?
1) Connecting people is a powerful business. As media and technology split our attention in a million directions, gathering multiple people at one water hole continues to be a challenge. And, for those like GroupOn who can conquer that challenge, it means money. Advertisers would kill for the 1950s again when TV and billboards did the trick. Want 80 percent of the market share? Spend money on ads. Today, “eyeballs” are much harder to find. Groupon has been successful because, much like Facebook, it is attracts people to one destination.
2) Local businesses are desperate for a way to reach audiences, especially online. Google has long been trying to crack the local business angle code. How do small mom-and-pop shops market effectively online? A couple of years ago, if I asked some of them to give me 50 percent of their sale as a commission, many would have showed me the door. Today, with a flailing economy, and businesses struggling to keep doors open, the same offer from GroupOn sounds like music to their ears.
3) There is power in playing the middle man. Remember, when the middle man was scoffed at? Someone who took a piece of the pie without doing much of the work? Well, in the age of overwhelming information, we welcome the middle man. Like, Google. What does Google truly do? It takes information and presents to us what it feels like is most important. Much like an information broker. What does GroupOn truly do? They broker daily deals. Big cities + time strapped citizens + lots of businesses = GroupOn’s jackpot.
Google buying GroupOn is a sign of the times to come. A time where he (or she!) who can connect people to what they need in an easy way, wins. The time of the power broker has arrived!
November 30, 2010 - Posted by Shama
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Let’s face it, 2010 was not the best year economically speaking. People lost jobs, families lost homes, and businesses tanked. But, in the midst of it all, we got creative. New companies blossomed, innovative marketing techniques came into play, and businesses across the board embraced social media as an efficient way to reach out to consumers. Our own web marketing firm grew 400% this year. Clients we worked with saw huge spikes in traffic, sales, and brand awareness. All in all, this was a good year.
Now, it’s time to measure your 2010 efforts! How did this year stack up? And what are your goals for 2011? Here are some key metrics you can use. Feel free to print this post and work through it like a worksheet.
Revenue – The most important number to measure. Are your sales going up?
Number of Customers – If you sell products, this number should steadily be increasing. But, if you sell services, quality clients trump quantity.
Number of Qualified Leads – Prospects who were a good fit. They may or may not have purchased anything, but did contact you for more information.
Website Visitors – Check your Google Analytics. If you don’t have Google Analytics setup, that’s your first step.
Unique Visitors – How many new people discovered your business online?
Repeat Visitors – How many kept coming back for more?
Bounce Rate – Also known as the stickiness factor. The lower the bounce rate, the better. It means that visitors stuck around!
Newsletter Subscribers – Email marketing is harder, but still a great way to market when used correctly.
RSS Subscribers – How many people are reading your blog?
Facebook Likes – Also known as Facebook fans. Only applies if you have a Facebook fan page.
Content Created – Content marketing is the cornerstone of all good marketing. How many pieces of content did your create in 2010? Videos, blog posts, and podcasts all count.
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2011 (Goals) |
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Number of Clients/Customers |
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Number of Qualified Leads |
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Website Visitors |
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Unique Visitors |
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Repeat Visitors |
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Bounce Rate |
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Newsletter Subscribers |
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RSS Subscribers |
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Facebook Likes |
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Content Created |
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What are your goals for 2011? Contact us and let us know if we can help with your web marketing in 2011.
October 25, 2010 - Posted by Shama
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By: Shama
I was recently asked by an AllBusiness.com reporter to comment on how a business can deal with a social media crisis. Here is the full article on How to Clean up a Social Media Crisis. I also wanted to share my original responses. Much of this is based on online reputation management services we provide for clients.
How important is it for business owners to learn how to manage customer complaints on social media?
It is absolutely crucial that small business owners learn when and how to manage customer service issues on social media. As consumers, we are giving new meaning to the phrase “I want it my way.” In an era of instant happy meals and books delivered to your device faster than you can blink, our expectations as consumers have gone up. On the flip side, as business owners we have to meet that demand. Your customer may prefer to call your toll-free number or send you an email or chat with you live on your website or send you a message on Twitter. Yes, the list is long. But, the goal is to provide your customers with choices, because as consumers we will settle for nothing less. This doesn’t mean that you have to respond to every message or tweet within seconds, or that you even have to respond to every message. It just means that you are listening to your customers, and making a genuine effort to be of service to them – on the platform of their choice. All good businesses require systems, and offering customer service through social media is no exception to the rule. It, too, requires a solid system for monitoring, filtering, and responding.
Why are negative comments on social media sites so potentially disastrous to a small business?
Because as a society, we are fairly jaded. We don’t blindly trust the company’s press release. If we see something negative, we are much more likely to believe it as true vs. when we see something positive. A negative comment, when truly constructive, can be a great opportunity for the business to walk its talk.
Let’s say an unhappy customer posts negative comments on Twitter, Yelp, Facebook, etc. What should be a business owner’s first steps?
The first step when faced with a negative comment is to analyze it. Is the complaint truly constructive, and is this truly a distraught customer you are dealing with? Unfortunately, cyber bullies and online bullying is becoming a greater problem. If faced with vulgar or inappropriate remarks, it may be best to ignore it. As trying to cultivate a discussion in such a situation can just aggravate the bully more. If I had to venture a guess, I’d say 10% of all online comments and reviews fall in this category. 90% are honest people who have a genuine complaint. In which scenario, I’d recommend responding promptly and courteously to the customer. At the end of the day, people realize that businesses make mistakes because they are run by human beings. They will judge you (the small business owner) based on how you deal with a situation, vs. the situation itself. I am more impressed when a business takes the time to say “sorry, let us make it better” vs. turning a blind eye.
Are there any “golden rules” or “best practices” business owners should follow when monitoring social complaints and dealing with them?
When we work with clients on reputation management online, we ask them to follow 3 Golden rules. 1) Work on building a positive brand before you need it. A restaurant that gets just two negative reviews is going to feel the pinch a lot more than a restaurant that has thirty positive and two negative reviews. Encourage your happy customers and clients to share their experiences online. 2) Make the most of free websites like socialmention.com to keep a check on your brand. Even a weekly search will do. 3) Do not censor truly constructive comments – even if they are negative in nature. Feel free to delete (when on your website or Fan Page), comments that are cruel, discriminatory, violent, or vulgar. If you have a Facebook Fan Page, take the time to create a Fan Page policy – one that clearly states the intent of your online platform (customer service and feedback for example) and what you will not tolerate. Then, you can deal with the comments and interaction there based on your pre-set policy.
How can entrepreneurs turn these negative situations into positive ones—and ultimately protect their integrity?
By cultivating positive relationships online and offline, and dealing with the negative comments and complaints in a timely and courteous manner.
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