by tradesmeninsights | Mar 1, 2011 | Marketing Tools, Social Marketing, Traditional Marketing
Times they are a changing. Last year, the tablet category essentially didn’t exist. Today with the iPad revitalizing the category, it’s expected to reach 81.3 million units by 2012 according to eMarketer.
This and the fact that there are more smart phones being sold each month than PCs means we need to rethink mobile as a viable means to getting to those younger folks (tradesman). A recent survey from Nielsen showed that iPad users were more likely (even more than iPhone users) to click on ads, videos, multimedia and interactive offerings.
There’s an opportunity for marketers to target these tablet users who are engaged and prime to purchase. The demo for the tablet users are high income 18-34 year olds – predominantly male. So, for those of you trying to reach that elusive young tradesman, this might be a way to do it.
If you like this, you might like the following:
White Paper: Trends in Mobile Media
by tradesmeninsights | Feb 24, 2011 | Marketing Tips, Social Marketing
Everyone by now knows that social media is not going away. I believe most companies, no matter what their size, have accepted that fact and have jumped in in some fashion. But you can’t build a social business or any other one without a plan.
I recently read a post by Michael Brito in Social Media Examiner called, The 3 Pillars of Social Media Readiness that I thought hit home on the points all of us are facing as we move through the social media maze. Here are some highlights of Michaels article where focuses on 3 key areas we need to look at:
- People – Get internal teams to communicate with each other. It’s important that the left hand knows what the right hand is doing.
- Governance – You need processes in place to manage the chaos which include guidelines and policies.
- Technology – Invest in platforms that facilitate internal collaboration.
Conversations are going on.
A study in 2009 found that 85% of Americans using social media think companies should have an active presence. Of the 85% who answered the question:
- 34% want companies to actively interact with them
- 51% want companies to interact with them as needed or by request
- 8% thinks companies should be passively involved
- 7% thinks companies shouldn’t be involved at all
So are you following these 3 easy steps, or do you have some of your own that you’d like to share?
by tradesmeninsights | Feb 23, 2011 | Marketing Tips, Social Marketing
For those who follow me on a regular basis, you know I’m a big supporter of blogs. It seems that most companies now are at least considering doing a blog.
Here are a few good reasons you should consider a blog for your company:
- Websites are mostly static – Once a contractor has been to your website, why does he need to go back? He knows who you are and what you do. If you don’t get him to follow you on an RSS feed or fill out a form to be on a mailing list, you basically have lost most visitors.
- Thought leadership – One of the main objectives of a blog is to set you and your company apart. What better way to increase your brand awareness and generate new leads?
- Keep your customers/prospects coming back – When you publish new content on a regular basis, customers and prospects keep coming back. It also allows for interactions with both categories.
- Re-purpose content – You can take a current post and use it on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn to gain additional exposure.
- Blogs can provide additional in-links – Once you establish yourself as a thought leader in a category, others will begin to link back to you and this will alert search engines that you must be saying something important.
These are some of my reasons for blogging. I’d like to hear some of yours.
If you like this post, you may want to read:
Are you Using Blogs to Reach the Professional Tradesmen?
Have you Started a Company Blog? Maybe you Should.
5 Helpful Hints to Attract New Business Using Your Blog.
by tradesmeninsights | Feb 22, 2011 | Marketing Tips, Social Marketing
With the advent of social media, the way customers contact us and us them has changed dramatically. Gone are the days that our only options to talk to companies were either by snail mail, email or a customer service hot line.
Social media opens up numerous ways that people not only can talk to you, but about you, to others. This is the game changer and if you do nothing else on social, please at least listen to what people are saying about your company and your brands. One comment on Twitter can start an avalanche of other comments (good or bad). Wouldn’t you like to know what’s being said about you? I sure would!
I recently read a post by Jay Baer, 6 Parts of your Company That Should be Listening to Social Conversations that I found extremely interesting and wanted to share some highlights. Some are obvious; others we all should put on our list.
- Sales – Listening programs give you the opportunity to find prospects when the timing is perfect and when they’re actually asking for answers you have.
- Marketing and PR – Listening helps make sure that the language you’re using as a company is the same language being used by the people you’re hoping to hook.
- Customer Service – Customers are airing their concerns, questions, and grievances over social media channels, especially if traditional channels prove less than helpful.
- R&D – You can fuel your idea engine by harnessing the input, thoughts and creativity of the online audience.
- HR – The obvious potential here is talent recruiting, in both finding potential employees and examining their online social graphs.
- Executives and Management – They can understand market trends through the unfettered viewpoint of the online masses and determine whether they’re behind, ahead of, or riding the curve.
Are you missing an opportunity here? How many listeners do you have at your company?
by tradesmeninsights | Feb 17, 2011 | Marketing Trends, Social Marketing
Content is the most important asset in using social media for new business.
I think we all agree that one of the main reasons we’re in the social media scene is to generate new business. What we need to do is put our brand out there along with original content so our thought leadership will come through no matter what business you’re in. So when you’re planning your content this year, make sure to focus on what your readers want to know.
According to a social media study by King Fish Media, HubSpot and Junta42, original content, both branded and expert, is by far the most employed tactic for social media.
“Next year [2011], marketers will need to rethink their approach to advertising and marketing and intensify their focus on creating magnetic content that will naturally attract consumers, rather than relying solely on the interruption model of advertising, which consumers are responding to less and less. Think pull vs. push.” Geoff Ramsey, CEO, Co-Founder of eMarketer
Here are some Content Marketing resources that will provide you with some best content creation practices along with unique insights, practical advice and tips:
Tips on How to Get the Most out of Social Media Marketing.
More Corporations are Blogging: Is Yours?
5 Helpful Hints to Attract New Business Using your Blog.
7 Ways to use Twitter to Generate Traffic and Leads.
5 Ways to use Content Marketing to Attract New Business.
Click on the following link for a downloadable copy of the study by King Fish Media, HubSpot and Junta42, 2010 Social Media Usage, Attitudes and Measurability: What Do Marketers Think?
by tradesmeninsights | Feb 16, 2011 | Marketing Tools, Marketing Trends, Social Marketing
According to a recent article in eMarketer.com, interest is high for smart phone users who are relying more on their phones when they are out and about. They use their phone to get pricing information and check their status on loyalty programs for coupons or to access their points.
Now it may be a bit premature for manufacturers who are targeting the professional tradesmen to focus all their efforts on this medium, but I think it would be a mistake not to include them in current or future loyalty programs. Consider these facts from a survey conducted in October 2010 for Hipcricket by Zoomerang:
- 35% of those surveyed would be interested in a mobile loyalty program
- Only 9% currently participate in such a program.
There was even greater interest in loyalty programs members could join via brand’s pages like Facebook. That’s the good news. The bad news is that most brands are not letting them participate in this manner.
The bottom line here is to keep this option on your radar screen because the trend is moving that way.
If you like this post, you may like:
QR Codes: Are Manufacturers Missing an Opportunity?
White Paper: Trends in Mobile Media
