Thursday, September 3, 2009

R U Twittering?

Many people still do not know what Twitter will do for online marketing in the future. Whether it will be a powerful online marketing tool, or become a passing fad, has yet to be realized.

There seems to be a divide between ad-folk and the average consumer over the future of Twitter. Advertising insiders are more likely to think that Twitter can amount to something big, while 70% of consumers surveyed said that they didn't even know enough about Twitter to predict how effective it can be. So that begs the question: How useful can an online medium be if 70% of consumers don't even know what it is?

Twitter is still very young, and there is the ever-present generational divide of the internet that must also be accounted for. Twitter is used and recognized most by younger audiences and 1 in 5 advertising professionals think it will stay that way. Even among industry professionals, those under 50 had the most faith that Twitter would grow quickly within the next 5 years.

If your tweets can be interesting and useful to others, I believe that Twitter has a future in the online world. If you are considering using Twitter as part of your marketing, remember that its usage is highest among younger age groups, so craft your tweets accordingly but make sure you don't talk down to this audience.

I twitter. Do you? Click on the link below to see my twitter page.

June Bisel
BBG&G Advertising, Inc.
junebisel@bbggadv.com
845-695-1880
Visit us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/BBGGadv
BBGGadv.com

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Friday, August 14, 2009

Universities Revamping Recruitment Methods for the Facebook Generation

There is a wave of social media marketing coming from colleges and universities seeking to market to teens. College marketing through social networking and other online media platforms is a great fit to the developing social marketing landscape. Teens spend a reported 31 hours per week online. They are active users of online media, downloading podcasts, reading blogs, and Twittering, Facebooking and Googling.

Colleges are already using social networking to communicate with and recruit high school seniors. Still, the question remains of how colleges will engage this hyperactive teenage market. Teenagers are hip to marketers' usual games. They expect to get letters in the mail. They expect emails. They expect banner ads. College bound teenagers will be receptive to colleges and universities who use the digital space in conjunction with traditional recruitment platforms to connect with them.

This means that using radio, TV, and direct mail are not obsolete, but integrating them with a smart digital engagement will bring the best ROI for recruiting colleges and universities. An online presence that really grabs teenagers attention and engages them will make your institution stand out from competing colleges.

June Bisel
BBG&G Advertising and Public Relations
Visit me on Twitter
845-291-7399
Insight@bbggadv.com

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Thursday, July 2, 2009

Carry over Your Socialization Skills to the Web

Salons and day spas have always been a great benefactor of word of mouth advertising. Spas become popular when we tell our BFFs about a particular spa. Word of mouth is an incredibly effective marketing tool within this industry.

Typically, hair dressers, nail technicians, and other salon workers are very social by nature. Most people in the business know how important socializing is to their success. Now, salons and day spas need to recognize the strength of socializing online. In a recent survey, 57% of 18 to 24 year olds and 48.5% of 25 to 34 year olds say social media influenced their choice of a hair salon/barber or day spa.

Find fun ways to get into the online discussion. Send clients 'friend requests' on Facebook. Keep in mind, however, that most social media is not for making promotional pitches. Your online friends will quickly begin to ignore you.

Come up with something interesting to talk about on Twitter and offer your clients to follow you. Make sure that your subject matter has legs and can last more than just a few tweets. Post photos of your salon on sites like Photobucket, videos of make-overs on YouTube. Keep clients up to date by uploading photos of different hairstyles that ladies can come in and try. Anything that can be personal to your salon or spa that will keep potential clients interested will help your business.

June Bisel
BBG&G Advertising & Public Relations
SmartStrategies@BBGGadv.com
(845) 695-1880

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Tuesday, April 7, 2009

More thoughts on coupons

While social media is currently attracting the most industry attention, it is not the only way for businesses to target younger people online. And, it still has not proven itself to be a profitable means for advertisers to target and engage consumers. A new study from Information Resources, Inc shows that online coupon offers are still a very effective means of prompting young consumers to make purchases.

Half of 18 to 24 year olds reported that they would be very likely to use online coupons. Older age groups reported only up to 40 percent that would take advantage of online coupon offers. Newspaper coupons were reportedly dominant than their internet counterparts among all age demographics, the biggest margin being in demographics of 25 and over.

I still want to caution you on the consequences that moderate to heavy reliance on coupons can have on consumer perception of your company. Your product offerings must bring value to younger consumers in order for your online coupons to bring lasting profitability to your business. (Read the downfalls of frequent coupon usage in my March 12 post, http://www.businesscardcontacts.com/2009/03/other-side-of-coin.html).

Use coupons sparingly. Only with the proper implementation can internet coupons boost your sales to younger audiences and bring long term benefits to your business.

June Bisel
Partner, BBGG Advertising and Public Relations
BusinessCardContacts.com

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Monday, March 23, 2009

Professional Networking Opportunities Rise in Social Networking

According to the newest Nielsen Company online social media study, the fastest growing segment in social networking media in 2008 was in the 35-49 year old demographic. Facebook, the dominant player in the global social networking media world added twice as many 50-64 year old users as they did users under 18 in 2008. This is an indicator that the user makeup of social networking media is changing.

This means that more businesspeople will be on Facebook, Twitter, and on blogs. This trend can open up Facebook to professional networking opportunities, in addition to the social aspects that the social networking sites have already established. 

Think about adding clients as friends on Facebook, inviting them to your companies' Facebook groups, or following their tweets on Twitter. Professional interaction can become much easier and more personalized through these social networking media means if it is used properly.

Are you on Facebook? We are! Look for Businesscardcontacts.com on facebook today. 

June Bisel
Partner, BBG&G Advertising & PR
BusinessCardContacts.com

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posted by June Bisel at 1:26 PM 0 Comments

Friday, March 20, 2009

New Love for Twitter

I have to admit, at first I just didn't get the whole Twitter craze. Why do I care what someone else is doing right now? And, more importantly, why would anyone else care what I'm doing?

For those of you who are unfamiliar, Twitter offers a 25 words or less format for "tweets". It allows users to stay connected to those they choose to follow; and, with followers of your own, it allows you to stay connected. Twitter, combined with the ability to put the internet in your pocket with Blackberries and iPhones, opens up grand new possibilities in the social networking media landscape.  

Here's an example of just how cool it can be. One of the people I follow is Terry Moran, Co-anchor of Nightline. Just this past week, Terry was in the courtroom while AIG CEO Edward Liddy testified on Capitol Hill about the controversial bonuses given to executives. No electronic devices were allowed in the courtroom, so Terry would sneak out to the hallway as often as possible to keep his followers informed. Connect with Terry at http://twitter.com/terrymoran 
WeFollow.com provides an excellent complimentary service to Twitter. It is a directory of people who post on Twitter. Using WeFollow, you can find people who are knowledgeable in different interesting fields and learn from them through their tweets. I tweet about advertising from BBG&G's twitter page, http://twitter.com/bbggadv. 

Any followers?

June Bisel
Partner, BBG&G Advertising & Public Relations
BusinessCardContacts.com

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Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Use Email and Go Green for St. Paddy's Day

Being it's St. Patrick's day, I thought it would be appropriate to write about something green! Green, meaning environmentally friendly, of course. 

In the world of marketing, email is an eco-friendly alternative to using paper to print direct mailers and newsletters. In addition to its positive environmental values, email is a very powerful communications tool for businesses looking for a way to integrate the internet into their marketing efforts. 

An article written by BBG&G Advertising President, Deborah Garry, which was published in the Hudson Valley Business Journal in '08 spoke about the power of email as a marketing tool. (http://www.bbggadv.com/EMail_Not_Dead.htm). 

Enjoy the read.... and enjoy your St. Patrick's Day. And use this day to think GREEN!

June Bisel
Partner, BBG&G Advertising & PR
BusinessCardContacts.com

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Wednesday, March 4, 2009

The Internet's Social Networking Movement

We all know that the Internet is the newest incarnation of the wild western frontier and that marketers are desperately trying to figure out how to strike gold on it. One thing that you smart businessmen and women can do to see where the Internet is going, is to ask your kids how they spend their time online. When they tell you that most of their time online is spent on Facebook or Myspace or Twitter, it is an indicator that the Internet is quickly moving towards social networking media.

Consumers appreciate companies that use their websites as more than just an opportunity to talk about themselves. Creating dialogue between businesses, among consumers, or between the company and its consumers are important ways to make an impact through the web.

Skittles is creating a substantial buzz with their new web interface, turning their company website into a social networking portal, with its Facebook page as the homepage and links to its, YouTube and Flickr pages. Besides generating an incredible buzz on the web and among those in the industry, the benefits of this experimental move have yet to be determined. But we do know that word of mouth is one of the pillars of Marketing, and starting dialogues on the Internet is one of the most innovative ways to get people talking. Use BusinessCardContacts.com to start a conversation about your services, or to give advice to the BusinessCardContacts community, and explore the newest frontier of the Internet.

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posted by June Bisel at 10:52 AM 0 Comments