Oops She Did It Again

. Friday, January 30, 2009
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It seems there is no stopping social media and the power of the internet. Twitter is continuing to grow at a phenomenal rate. Facebook is developing innovative ways to integrate the social network into other websites and even TV.

Because of this, more and more brands are jumping onto the social media bandwagon. It seems like a no-brainer for a brand to have a twitter account or page on Facebook, however if done incorrectly it can go horribly wrong.

Take the case of Brittany Spears. When it was announced that Brittany would be using Twitter, there was a huge buzz and many people started to follow her. It soon became obvious that this was not Brittany using Twitter, instead it was her PR people. This is a big no no in the social media scene. Especially automated direct Twitter messages. Brittany was quickly shunned by hardcore Twitter fans , and was even the victim of a Twitter hack attack. The plan to use Twitter as a means of creating buzz and publicity quickly backfired for the Brittany camp.

So what can we learn from Brittany's mistakes?

Say who you really are. Instead of trying to convince people that it was Brittany Spears using Twitter, just say you are Lauren Kozak, Brittany's social media manager. Would it have created as much media buzz? Probably not. Would it have got as many followers? Probably.

Keep it personal. Having a brand Twitter account is affective, however having a personal Twitter account is 10 times more affective. You can still be affiliated with a brand and promote what the brand is doing in a personal account. The most popular Twitter accounts are personal accounts, however the writers are constantly talking about their website or what their company is doing.

Transparency = Trust. Companies that try to hide things from consumers will almost always get burned. I am constantly reading about companies cutting costs by having automated social media accounts. This is not what Web 2.0 is all about. Trust is easily lost and increasingly difficult to earn. If you use social media the right way your brand can be one of the most recognized and successful in the world. Use it the wrong way and suffer the consequences.

Define Success

. Tuesday, January 27, 2009
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This post relates to an older post on the MarketR blog "Do I Really Need An Online Strategy?"
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How do I measure the ROI of my website, if I am not selling anything?

This seems to be the big question in terms of online marketing. It basically means, how do I know that my online marketing strategy is making me money?

If you run an e-commerce site it is relatively easy. You can measure where your customers are coming from and how much they are spending. With this information you will have a very good understanding about how much money your online marketing is making you.

Example: On average you receive 200 clicks from Google Adwords and these clicks spend $100. You know you are paying Google $20 a day, therefor your Google advertising is making you $80.
*Note: This is a very simplified explanation.

Unfortunately most of us are not selling anything online, therefore it is a lot harder to find out if our website is making us money. New ways to measure ROI are constantly being discussed. Here are some of my favorites.

Online Bookings:
Allow customers to book their appointments online. This is a great way to grow your business and a great way to measure ROI. You can now track how your customer found your website and how many booked an appointment.

How To Find Us:
If someone looks up how to find your business, chances are they will be visiting your store. Make sure your site has a designated page with a map , address, phone number, etc. Make it easy to find on your main page, but do not put it directly on your main page. I have seen this done so many times. It is almost impossible to measure how many people showed an interest in visiting your offline store if you put your location information on your main page.

Unique Contact Information:
This one is mostly for medium sized businesses. Use a different phone number for inquiries coming from your website. Instead of listing the same phone number everywhere, list a unique number on your website.

Online Coupons:
If you have read my previous posts you would know that online coupons are on the rise. Use them to track the effectiveness of your website.

Ask:
Easier said then done, I know. However it is sometimes the best way. Ask your customer how they heard of your business and if they visited your website. If the answer is no, chances are they will visit it when they get home. If the answer is yes, then you know your website is working for you.

Goals Goals Goals
One of my mentors said, "If you go ahead and run with something without establishing your goals, its basically like saying Fire, without the Ready Aim." If you go ahead and establish a website and online marketing campaign without first deciding what you want to get out of it, you are going to be spending huge amounts of money in the long run redesigning your website.

Consult with MarketR when designing your website and online marketing strategy.

Get Noticed

. Thursday, January 22, 2009
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"My company is the best, why do I need to pay for marketing?"

This is why.

A study done by the Washington Post asked, "can one of the greatest musicians in North America get noticed in Washington D.C?"

The experimenters recruited Joshua Bell, the most famous living violinists in the world. They put him in regular street clothes and a baseball cap, and placed him in a D.C. metro station during rush hour. They also gave him one of the best violins in the world, valued at over a million dollars. Joshua Bell was asked to play some of the finest classical pieces ever written.

This is what happened.



Over 43 minutes of world class music and only a few people stopped to listen. The most surprising result, was when people were asked what they thought of the music after they passed through the hall, most people didn't even notice the violinist.

Without proper communication, even the most talented violinist in the world can't get noticed. How is your company going to do it?

I guarantee the response to Joshua Bell would have been far greater if there was a sign next to him explaining who Joshua Bell was and that he had just played for the president the night before. The response would have been greater if he was dressed like a world famous violinist.

Marketing is your company's clothes and signage. Marketing is how you communicate to your potential and existing clients. If you know you are the best at something, make sure everyone knows it. Don't wait for people to find out themselves.

Try this: If you know you are the best in your industry geographically, type in Google "The best (your industry) in (your geographic region)."

For example, "The best tennis club in Vancouver"

Does your company come up on the first page?

If not, then your company has no signage and is wearing street clothes and a baseball hat online.

Be the best. Call MarketR

The Internet Now and Then

. Wednesday, January 21, 2009
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I know some of you may be sick of it, but I can't help but talk about Obama one more time.

I was discussing with a UBC commerce professor about how the internet has changed since the .com bubble in 2000. I found these two image and they explain the change perfectly.

The White House Website Now. Obama Style.
*Note: The blog, easy search feature, dynamic content, large pictures and video tour. The new White House website is dynamic with content being changed daily.

The White House Website Then. Bush Style.
*Note: No pictures, static content, and bland color theme. The old White House website fits perfectly with what websites used to look like. It is incredibly static, boring and uninviting.

If your website looks like the old White House website, I declare, in the words of Obama, it's time for change!

Need a dynamic web 2.0 website? Call MarketR

Obama Mania - The Power Of Listening and Engagement

. Tuesday, January 20, 2009
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I was originally going to call this post "The Power Of Social Media." However, I don't want people to get the wrong idea about why brand Obama has been so successful.

When I meet with a client to discuss online marketing strategies, I am occasionally met with a very enthusiastic individual who says "we want a blog, Facebook page, twitter account, Myspace, and E-Mail newsletter."

This is great. The individual is definitely aware of the different communication mediums available online. However, I always ask "what's the plan once you get these established." Unfortunately I always get the same response. A blank face.

People who are used to traditional advertising, newspaper, tv, etc, have a tendency to set it and forget it. Meaning lets establish a really good looking Facebook page and wait for people to come visit.

Online marketing is powerful because you can listen to your audience and engage them. The Obama campaign is a perfect example of listening and engagement.

Facebook Obama.
-3,949,867 supporters
-554,711 Wall Posts

Facebook is one of the hardest communication outlets to utilize. Partly because Facebook users care more about what their friends are doing and talking about, rather than what brands are doing.

Instead of constantly saying Vote Obama, the Obama campaign focused more on just getting to know Obama. By doing this the votes came naturally.

How can you learn from Obama? The first step is to redefine your goals. Most companies will say my goal is to convert as many people on Facebook into customers to my business. Makes sense right? Not so fast. With this being your goal, you end up having a facebook page that looks more like a promo flyer.

How many of you have friends that are always trying to sell you stuff? Do you enjoy being around this person? Do you plan on being friends with this person for much longer? Exactly.

Your goal on Facebook should be to allow users to get to know your brand. Facebook pages are great for getting across the personality of your brand, what it stands for and what community events it has planned.

The Obama Facebook page did all of these.
Most politicians would never think of putting their favorite music, or videos on Facebook. Fortunately the Obama camp knew better.

Twitter Obama



-144,00 followers
-168,148 following

Twitter is also a hard tool to use because you need to commit time to it. Twitter is a communication tool and the potential for marketers is huge. However if you never update your twitter status, never check to see what others are talking about and never engage in any conversations, then there is no point using it.

*Note: Obama follows more people then follow him. Unfortunately or fortunately, Hillary Clinton didn't understand the importance of following others on Twitter, and inevitably her Twitter strategy was a big flop.

So remember, social media marketing is not about selling. Instead it is about building relationships. Letting people know that your business exists and this is what it stands for. If you do this successfully, sales will come naturally.

Marketing In An Economic Downturn (Continued)

. Sunday, January 18, 2009
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If you have not read Marketing In An Economic Downturn Read it first!
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In my last post on marketing in an economic downturn I left you with a try it at home test. The test was to demonstrate how consumers find value by comparing.

Here it is again.

Try this! (Without cheating)

Without looking on wikipedia, answer the following questions.

a) The African continent has more or less than 18 countries?
b)How many countries does the African continent have?

Now here is the purpose.

Most people will answer the a) question as being more, now when answering b) most people answer in 20's. This is due to the fact that your reference point is 18, you would never consider the answer as being 47 because that's far too high compared to your reference point. *The correct answer is 47.

Now here is the fun part. Ask your friend this question.

a) The African continent has more or less than 60 countries?
b)How many countries does the African continent have?

Hopefully your friend's answer will prove my point.
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How can I use this to increase revenue for my business?

As I mentioned in my previous post, allow your customer to compare.

Another great strategy, especially for luxury brands, is to make your customer work for it. This again plays on the fact that your customer can find value in comparison. Run a promotion that is only valid on certain days. Example "Sunday Special, 25% off services." Offer discounts or free gifts when customers give you their email address, as mentioned in the big red button post.

By doing this you create value in 3 different ways.
-Value in comparison of price
-Value in the effort that had to be done by the customer
-The big one. Value in the fact that not everyone received this offer.
*If everyone had a diamond, how valuable would they be?

Remember the economic downturn can be a threat, but if you are creative and spend your money wisely it can be a huge opportunity.

Good luck and you know who to call if you get stuck.

The Big Red Button

. Friday, January 16, 2009
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Imagine in your office you have a big red button. Whenever you push this button, customers suddenly start walking through your door. If you know from last year that your business is going to be quiet in February, you're no longer worried because you have your big red button.

You might be wondering what the catch is. There is only one catch and that is the big red button costs money. How much? Roughly $15 a push.

Excited yet? You should be.

E-Mail is your Big Red Button. E-Mail lists are essential in this economic climate. The cheapest and most effective form of communicating with existing customers is e-mail.

If you don't have an e-mail list start building one. Offer incentives for customers to give you their e-mail. Such as a coupon for 20% off next time they visit. Make sure you send the coupon to them through e-mail, and not hand it to them in the store. This ensures your customer checks your e-mail is not in the junk box, and it is a way to get him/her back into your store.

If you do have an e-mail list start using it. Create a bi-monthly email newsletter with info on the latest new stock, events and exclusive promotions. Not every e-mail has to be about a promotion. Customers love to be engaged with their favorite brands, include pictures from company retreats, the latest news about what staff members did over the winter break, etc. Don't, and this is a big don't, spam your customer. We all know what happens when we get too many e-mails from a company. We make sure the e-mails stop arriving.

Now here is the fun part. E-Mail vendors, such as ConstantContact and Vertical Response, allow you to see who opened your e-mail, and who no longer wishes to receive your e-mails. Do not take this personally, some people just don't like receiving e-mail. MarketR tests e-mail formats such as images and headlines and decides which e-mail format will receive the best open rate.

We just launched an e-mail promotion for one of our clients and they were blown away at the response it had. The company's quietest time is January-February. Thanks to the power of e-mail this year is going to be different. Try it out! What do you have to lose? $15

If you are still not convinced, I leave you with this survey result. Opt-in messaging is what your company's e-mail newsletter is categorized as.
Need help? Call MarketR

Listen To Your Audience

. Monday, January 12, 2009
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Social Network Advertising is notorious for having a low click through rate.

[Click Through Rate: The number of clicks an ad receives in comparison to the number of times the ad is shown. Example, an ad shown 100 times receiving 10 clicks has a 10% click through rate.]

Facebook advertising has an average click through rate of 0.04% to put that in perspective for every 7,451 impressions your ad will receive 3 clicks

MarketR decided to do some market research, to understand what ads Facebook users in Vancouver remembered the most. Not surprisingly the answer was not many. A few random ads came up such as jewlerry stores in Vancouver and club events, however one consistent ad was Donald Trump. The ad was for a motivation seminar with one of the guests being Donald Trump. None of the respondents claimed they clicked on the ad, however they did remember the ad quite well.

For one of our larger clients we decided to do some test ads to see if we could increase the click through rate.

Test ad 1


Test ad 2

As you can see the biggest difference is the picture. The text stayed the same and the segmentation of viewers stayed the same.

Results: Test ad 1 received a click through rate of 0.07% in the first 3 days. Test ad 2 received a click through rate of 0.10% in the first 3 days. Pretty respectful for both ad tests. However after 3 days the Donald Trump ad went down to 0.05% and the test ad 1 stayed at 0.07%

Social Network Advertising is still being perfected. At MarketR we play around with Facebook Advertising, however we understand that the best use of social networks is to build relationships.

Insights Gone Wrong

. Sunday, January 11, 2009
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If you have not read the previous post "Do online trends = offline trends" Read it first.
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This is an example of how online trend spotting can go wrong. Unfortunately this example involves me and my daily analysis of Google Insights.

Because one of our biggest clients is a large salon, I decided to see if there was a search trend for the term "Shampoo" and "Conditioner." This would help our client order large amounts of shampoo and conditioner at optimal times, and also help MarketR optimize the client's website.

Sure enough there was a trend. See image below.
The red line reflects "Conditioner" and the blue line reflects "Shampoo." According to Google Insights, people in Canada search for "Conditioner" the most during the months of May, June, July. The search term peaks in June.

This was an exciting finding!

Luckily I have learned the hard way not to jump to conclusions. I called the client up to to notify them of my potential finding. I asked why they thought this might be true? A few ideas came up, people travel and go swimming and they don't want their hair to be damaged, or that the heat can cause dryness so they need a good moisturizing conditioner.

These ideas sounded pretty good to me, but I wanted to be completely sure that this was a trend. I decided to look at news stories during the time of May, June, July. (The news can spur trends and also reflects trends.) Sure enough I found my answer. I only needed to see one news headline for the answer to hit me. "Air Conditioner sales are up."

Google Insights tracked all search terms including the word "Conditioner." Such as dog hair conditioner, pond conditioner and air conditioner. The results were completely skewed, and now it made complete sense why the search term "Conditioner," increases in the summer.

It wasn't all bad news though. We were able to refine our search terms and found an interesting trend for Shampoos and Conditioners. I advised our client to stock up on a certain type of shampoo and so far it has made them a lot of money.

Try This. Remember online insights, and all insights for that matter, have to be investigated. See if you can figure this one out. An application on Facebook called Lexicon allows you to analyze keywords Facebook users write about on their wall. The application is not nearly as sophisticated as Google Insights, but we believe once refined it will be incredibly valuable. When web gurus analyzed the keyword "sex" they saw a spike. See below
In May there was a huge spike in the keyword "Sex" on peoples walls. Were people having more sex during May? What was the cause of this spike? This left some of the smartest web analysts perplexed. Can you figure it out?

Advertising Next: 150 Winning Campaigns for the New Communications Age

. Saturday, January 10, 2009
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I was scanning the blogosphere this morning and ran into this book. What caught my attention is that the blurb on Amazon perfectly relates to MarketR's way of thinking. If you are still unsure why this blog exists, I believe this blurb sums it up.

"The days when branders could consult a stayed formula again and again to reach their consumer are over. In the digital communications age branders reluctant to embrace this new cultural landscape run the risk of becoming obsolete overnight. Big companies no longer dominate the public's consciousness by default; conversely small companies who think big now have the opportunity to be key players. " - Tom Himpe

The internet is big, moves fast and can be scary, however if controlled and embraced the internet is capable of amazing things. If your company wants to increase brand awareness, market share and profits the time is now. Don't be that company who sits on the sideline. Get out and play.

We usually fear what we don't know. If you fear the internet call MarketR and we will teach your team how to use one of the most sophisticated tools your company has to offer.

It's Not Business, It's Personal - Pt.1

. Friday, January 9, 2009
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If you have not read "It's Not Business, It's Personal - Pt.0" do not pass GO! Read it first then come back to this post.

Whenever I am with a client talking about how we can open up lines of communication online, the first thing the client says is, "What about individuals who leave negative comments?" It is a valid concern. Negative comments can be harmful to a business. However negative comments can become a huge positive if dealt with correctly.

The first step is to listen. Fail to listen and negative comments can get out of control.

For example,
before one of our clients found MarketR, the first website that came up for the brands search term was "[brand x] is a complete rip off." Suddenly more posts sprang up such as, "Yeah I never go to [brand x] I go here instead." What is worse is that this forum was at the number one spot of the brand's search term for almost 3 years. Think of how many potential customers saw this forum and were swayed to go elsewhere.
[We are happy to say that our client no longer has to worry about this forum. In fact our client has some of the best real estate on Google and receives a constant flow of new clients because of it.]

So How Do You Listen To What People Are Saying?
Well where do people talk?
-Google, Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, Yahoo Answers, Blogs and many others. Did I mention the internet is a big place?

-Listening to what people are saying on Google, is quite simple, type in your company name and see what pops ups. Remember to check different ways of spelling your company.

-Facebook and Myspace is much harder. You have to establish your own page and dedicate lots of time in order to establish a strong network and monitor what people are talking about.

-Twitter is simple. Check out the Twitter search page and see who is talking about you. Remember to use the advanced search tool, to segment to a specific location.

-Yahoo Answers usually gets picked up by Google. However, if you would like to make sure Google didn't miss anything visit Yahoo Answers and search your company.

-Finally for Blogs you can use Google's Blog Search. It won't pick up everything but it is pretty good.
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Sounds like a lot of work? Call or e-mail MarketR, we do this for a living.
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How Can You Turn A Negative Comment Into A Positive.
Take our client with the Google page claiming they are a complete rip off! Imagine if they had seen the comment before anyone replied. Instead, our client replied on the forum and said,

"I am sorry to hear that you feel our prices are expensive. To clarify we charge $45-$95 for our services. These prices include x, y and z. We justify our prices because of ..., however if you visit on our training nights we charge $25 and we still guarantee our service. For more information visit our website at www.brandx.com."

Now anyone concerned about how much our client charges has a better understanding of the price range and can make an informed decision.

Marketing In An Economic Downturn

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0 comments

It pains me when I see so many brands destroying their brand equity in just a few weeks.

Walking down Robson Street I am bombarded with signs that say 80% OFF, 3 for 1 or even Everything Must Go - 75% Off

What this tells the consumer is, We Really Need To Shift This Stuff, Take As Much As You Can Because We Don't Want It

Retailers have to understand that people find value by comparison. We compare our clothes with what others are wearing, we compare our car with what others are driving and we compare our prices with what others are paying.

A good example of how we compare is that a year ago 80 cents/litre for gas was expensive, now 80cents/litre for gas is cheap. How did this happen? Did 80cents just become less valuable? What changed is our reference point. A year ago we were comparing 80cents to 65cents. Now we are comparing 80cents to $1.30.

Try it! Think of how you can find value without comparing. If you think you are buying because of function, you are mistaken. Your buying because what you had before did not have that function, you are comparing in order to give that function value.

If your whole store is 50% off, how is your customer going to find value? They now have no base to compare. How can a sweater be a great deal if a similar sweater next to it is reduced by the same amount.

I saw this happen in Macy's. Macy's reduced almost all of their stock, cutting prices by up to 75% off. Now to consumers the sale price was the regular price because they had nothing to compare it to. Barneys however did a better job, discounting select items and placing them around regular priced items. Now a sweater that is marked down by 50% is a good deal because the one next to it sells for regular price.

Allow your customers to compare. But don't expect to sell the item selling at regular price, therefore stock a minimal amount. Do expect to sell the item on sale!

(Look for part 2 of this post coming soon)

Try this! (Without cheating)

Without looking on wikipedia, answer the following questions.

a) The African continent has more or less than 18 countries?
b)How many countries does the African continent have?

The answer and purpose will be revealed in part 2 of this post.

Online Applications Offline

. Wednesday, January 7, 2009
0 comments

The Web 2.0 revolution has brought us applications that we never knew were possible. The ability to customize just about anything, from our Google page to sneakers. Or the ability to read reviews about local restaurants written by every day people. The Wiki phenomena has empowered the end user with the ability to contribute and customize whenever, however and whatever they want.

Can this online phenomena be applied offline?

A group in London thought so when they opened Inamo. Every table in the restaurant is touch sensitive with a digital menu being projected onto the table Customers can customize the decore by selecting from different animated table clothes and sounds. While waiting for their meal customers can watch their meal being prepared via a live feed, play digital games, or find out what is going on in the neighborhood. If a date goes well customers can even use the table to call for a taxi.


Another great example of taking online offline is the VitaminWater space in London. The store is predominantly for meetings and training; however, the space also acts as a brand experience center where individuals can sample test flavors of the drink. The best part is that people can leave comments on the walls about the flavors they tested. Talk about free market research.


How has MarketR taken online offline?
To develop empathy towards homeless people living in Kitsilano, MarketR teamed up with a Kitsilano High School student to develop the Houseless Project. The team provided the tools for the homeless community to write poetry on the topic "what home means to them."
We were able to secure distribution of the poems in local bookstores and raised over $2500 for a local homeless shower program.

In order to promote the Houseless Project, MarketR posted the poems on large posters around the local community. Next to the posters we had a brief blurb about the project and a blank piece of paper with a pen attached. What happened next was phenomenal. A discussion started between residents of the local community about the project. Most thought the project was excellent a few thought otherwise. The conversation created engagement and people remembered and talked to others about the project. Sales of the poems skyrocketed and the project received a front page write up in the 24 hours newspaper. Who said comments were for online only?

How can you bring online applications offline?
-Don't just encourage positive reviews online, encourage them offline too.
-Allow your customers to customize their experience at your business. (Remembering who your loyal customers are and what they usually purchase is a good first step)

If you are interested in online applications offline for your business or marketing campaign, call the MarketR team.

Do online trends = offline trends

. Tuesday, January 6, 2009
0 comments

I got this question a couple of days ago from one of our clients. The answer is, in regards to online search trends, a big YES.

Google recently made public that they were tracking certain keywords in order to predict flu outbreaks in the United States. The Google team has been able to create a batch of keywords such as "flu remedies" and "flu symptoms" in order to visualize where a flu outbreak is occurring.



Google is able to cross reference their predictions to a national database that uses flu test results recorded by doctors. The Google chart is incredibly accurate. So accurate that the national database uses it to see results two weeks ahead of their own.

Visit the official Google Flu Trends site to see the results for yourself.
To back it up even further, Hitwise has been able to predict the winner of numerous TV show competitions using seach data.


So, how can you use this in order to gain a competitive advantage?
Using Google Insights we were able to spot a trend that made one of our clients a lot of money.

When we searched "Hair Straighteners" in Vancouver we noticed a significant spike in search volume just before Christmas in 2007.

We immediately optimized the client's website to reflect this trend in search volume, and made sure that when potential customers searched "hair straighteners" our client's company was the top hit.

As you can see from the chart above we were able to correctly predict the trend for 2008, and our client was able to stock up on hair straighteners. More importantly our client's hair straightener sales surged in the run up to Christmas.

Do I Really Need An Online Strategy?

. Monday, January 5, 2009
0 comments

I was at a small business conference a while back listening to a mediocre presentation by Yahoo Canada. After the presentation I turned to a gentleman sitting next to me who was the owner of a well established retailer in Vancouver. I asked him what online strategies his company has in place. To my surprised he looked at me blankly and said, "we don't sell things online, why should we have an online strategy?"

I hear this comment far too often. Small to medium sized business owners believing online strategies are only for companies selling widgets online.

Here are some statistics that show otherwise.


It is clear from these research studies that if you do not have an online marketing strategy your business will be left behind.

Every MarketR client has an online marketing strategy, and every strategy has delivered results beyond the clients expectations. Hopefully after seeing these statistics it doesn't seem crazy anymore that none of MarketR's clients sell anything online.

It's Not Business, It's Personal - Pt.0

. Sunday, January 4, 2009
0 comments

This is the first post, in a multi-post series about using social networks to promote your business.

It is clear that social networks are here to stay. Just look at the following search trend for Facebook in Canada.
And it looks even better worldwide.
Why can't my stock portfolio look like that? (Try Google Insights yourself using the terms Myspace vs Facebook.) Hopefully you can see why I am a big fan of Facebook.

Anyway back to the important stuff! As I was saying, these posts are designed to assist you in your online social marketing/networking. This post is probably the MOST IMPORTANT out of them all. Because if you don't remember this, everything you do to promote your business on social networks will fail.

If you remember only one thing about social marketing online, remember this. "It's not business, It's Personal."

Social Marketing Online is about being personal.
-Listen to what your potential and existing customers are saying about you, and more importantly show them that you are listening.
-Keep your posts relevant. Nobody wants to know about your sale on merchandise that you need to shift asap. People do want to hear about how they can look great this new years for a lot less then they thought.
-Remember that you are not pushing your business. Instead you are building relationships. As soon as you become pushy people will stop listening.

These 3 tips will help you in achieving a successful online social networking strategy.

Keep posted to the blog for "It's not business, It's Personal - Part 1," where we will answer the question. How do I listen to what people are saying about my business?

Online Coupons - On The Rise

. Thursday, January 1, 2009
1 comments

Our friends over at Hitwise point out that online coupon sites have risen in popularity year over year. However comparison shopping websites have declined in popularity by -15%.

Google Insights confirms this trend in Canada, showing substantial growth for the search term "coupons."
How is your company leveraging this trend?
This is a huge trend and a great way to counter the economic turmoil. How can your company use the fact that consumers are looking for steals and deals more then ever before?

How about giving them what they want?
I hope you are all using Google maps to promote your company to potential customers. If not DO IT NOW!
Using Google's local listings you can provide coupons to entice customers into your store.
See the example we did for Toni&Guy Vancouver

Websites such as Yelp, Facebook, and Twitter are great places to promote online coupons, and did I mention they are FREE.

Use your blog to promote your offers. Set your post's date to the date you wish the coupon to expire and your post will stay on the top spot of your blog until it expires.

E-mail lists, if you have not compiled a list of your customer's e-mails, what are you waiting for? E-mail is one of the best ways to communicate with your existing customers, and a great way of getting your customers back into your store when times are slow. For an example of a great e-mail newsletter, sign up for livestock's newsletter.

For those of you who don't mind paying to promote your great offers.
Check out VitaminDaily with a great female subscription base, VitaminDaily is one of the best ways to promote your services, just make sure you have a great offer.

One of the best ways to promote your online coupon is to use Google Adwords keep an eye on the blog for an upcoming tutorial on using Google Adwords to promote your business.