Showing posts with label marketing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label marketing. Show all posts

Sunday, 7 February 2016

Six of our favorite data visualization tools

06:00   , , ,  

google chart example
These six data visualization tools can present your bundles of information in an easy and people-friendly format.
Even the most junior of marketers knows that data is key to revealing powerful insights that can be used to make better business decisions.
But with so much data around, it can all become somewhat confusing. What does it all mean? What points should I be looking at? How can I compare it all?
Well look no further. We’ve compiled a list of six data visualization tools to enable you to simplify your mountains of information and put it into pretty little pictures that make it easy for anybody to understand.
Note: The first three tools do not require any coding skills and can be used by regular people like you and me. The last three are a little more complicated. 

  1. Datawrapper

Datawrapper is a user-friendly web-based visualization service where you can create basic charts from the information that you provide.
Once you paste your data into the field or upload a comma separated values (CSV) file, the platform will read your document.
Once everything is correct, you can proceed to generate a bar, chart or a table.
datawrapper 1
As a free platform, Datawrapper is good for reporters, bloggers and content marketers to embed graphics into their articles.  

2. ChartBlocks

ChartBlocks is another handy free chart builder. Better than Datawrapper, ChartBlocks can read .xlsx spreadsheets in addition to CSV format.chartbeat 1
After you have created a chart, you can either export it via scalable vector graphics (SVG) or portable network graphics (PNG) format.
You can then embed it onto your website or share it on social media.
chartblocks 2

3. Inforgr.am

If you want to generate both charts and infographics, Inforgr.am is a great tool to use.
It offers a restricted free service though, with many features unavailable.
For example, I can upload data and make a chart with a free account but I cannot generate an infographic.
infogram 2
If you want to access Inforgr.am’s wide range of infographic templates, it might be worth paying the $15 a month.

4. Leaflet

Leaflet is a JavaScript library for interactive apps. It is a handy map builder and uses HTML5 and CSS3 for rendering maps.
It also provides lots of plugins for integrating features like animated markers.
Leaflet

5. Google Charts

Google Charts is a comprehensive and neat chart builder.
It renders charts in HTML5 or SVG to provide compatibility across browsers and portability across platforms to both iPhones and Android.
google chart
It provides many chart types, including bubble, annotation, donut and column.

6. Chart.js

Chart.js does not offer as many chart types as Google but it renders charts in HTML5 as well.
Developers need to download the service, unzip it and then can write a code for a bar, line or pie based on the below script:
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang=”en”>
   <head>
       <meta charset=”utf-8″ />
       <title>Chart.js demo</title>
       <script src=’Chart.min.js’></script>
   </head>
   <body>
   </body>
</html>
Hope the above list of tools can help you visualize your data project. Let us know what your favorite one is!

 Source
Read More

Tuesday, 12 January 2016

Calling All Marketers: Don’t Forget About Customer Retention

06:00   , , , , , ,  

Customer Retention
Read More
Read more »

Wednesday, 30 December 2015

Five ways to master marketing on Reddit

06:00   , , , ,  
reddit-logo

After years of being dismissed as the underdog of social, Reddit now rivals major platforms like Facebook. How can marketers incorporate it into their strategies and launch successful campaigns?
In the weeks leading up to the highly-anticipated recent release of Star Wars: Episode VII, consumers were in a frenzy. Coupled with Christmas, the film led to an epidemic of Internet searches as fans sought out coveted Star Wars-related toys.
From its headquarters in London, web analytics company SimilarWeb monitored the action across 200 million devices. Among its findings: LEGO was the top digital merchandiser of Star Wars toys, despite the fact that Disney owns the film franchise. What’s more, much of the company’s traffic came from Reddit.
That’s right: next to Facebook, Reddit was the second biggest driver of Star Wars shopping traffic not only to the LEGO site, but to eBay and Disney, too. According to SimilarWeb, the trend isn’t exclusive: Amazon gets a full third of its global social traffic from Reddit, a site that received a staggering 850 million visits last month.






Most marketers are well past the “What is Reddit?” stage, but let’s do a quick recap. Founded by college roommates in 2005, the “front-page of the Internet” has more than 203 million users and 7 billion monthly page views. It has grown to become the 36th most popular site in the world based on SimilarWeb’s ranking. “It’s not a dark horse anymore,” says Ari Rosenstein, SimilarWeb’s Senior Director of Corporate Marketing. “Reddit has gone mainstream.”
Yet brands continue to struggle with how to effectively work Reddit into their social marketing strategies. “The truth is, most brands and marketers are doing Reddit in a…horrible way,” Rohit Thawani, director of digital strategy at TBWA/Chiat/Day told Advertising Age last year. And that’s a problem, because Reddit isn’t just channeling traffic to retailers and brands. It’s generating salesand gaming engagement, too.
Reddit and its users are notorious for rejecting blatant advertising, so then how can marketers infiltrate it? By respecting Reddit for the unique social ecosystem that it is, and adopting these five strategies.

1. Get involved with the community

Reddit is a social network in its truest form, designed to foster and support connections and conversations. There are few other sites where authenticity is as vital as it is on Reddit, so don’t try to advertise anything unless you genuinely share the enthusiasm of the community and have something relevant to say. Don’t just create an account; become an active user. It’s the single best way to figure out what your audience is actually interested in.

2. Deliver value

That generic ad you use to promote your shoe sale on Facebook? It has no place here. Couple storytelling tactics with category expertise to engage consumers and demonstrate your brand’s worth. Talk about your business in a way that others can relate to. Think content marketing, not social media ad – or users are sure to vote you down.

3. Leverage subreddits

reddit-screenshot-youtube
No matter how niche your product, there’s already a subreddit in existence discussing it or a subject that’s closely related. Skulk about and learn to speak the language before making a move. Be human. Find a way to make a real contribution, and let subject context be your guide.

4.Think twice about posting that link

Reddit advertising options include both text and link ads, and many marketers go straight for the link. Rather than push a product link on users, which may be perceived as spam, consider waiting until someone requests it. Better still, opt for visual content like images and videos, or an “Ask Me Anything” (AMA) thread.

5. Know that you’re taking a risk

Let’s be blunt: many a brand has tried and failed to market itself on Reddit. Last month, REI’s CEOtook to the site with an AMA, only be criticized by his own employees. Nissan encountered some trouble back in January when users alleged that the automaker was planting questions using dummy accounts.
Before you try your hand at promoting your brand on this powerhouse of a social site, consider the possible outcomes and weigh them against the potential returns. Depending on your objectives and your familiarity with the site, you might find it’s best to hone your strategy rather than draw the short end of the stick. If you’re lucky, you’ll still have that holiday shopping traffic!
Read More

Saturday, 26 December 2015

4 Steps to Improve Your Facebook Campaigns

06:00   , , ,  
image: http://cdn2.business2community.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Analytics1.jpg.jpg
Facebook Analytics


The Christmas season is one of the most competitive times for any type of online advertising. Every business, from mom and pop stores to big-box retailers will be fighting over the public’s attention on Facebook. Does that mean you shouldn’t advertise? No! A study from Shop.org showed that mobile influenced 56% of in-store sales. It’s even more important than before to get your brand in front of your customers.

Note that these steps aren’t exclusive to JUST Christmas. If you can, try to follow our guide for every Facebook advertising campaign you run.

1. Plan Out your Target Market


Every business should have a good idea of who their target market is, but it’s important to really drill down here. Facebook has a lot of powerful tools that will help reach just about anyone, but you still have to tell it where to target.
A good way for your business to start is to look at what your customers have in common. Are they mostly 60+ women? Are they B2B companies with over 100 employees? Write down as many different segments as you can think of. The more accurate your market, the more relevant all your ads become.
Note: Facebook can target by age, gender, ethnicity (to an extent), geography, and interest.

2. Design Multiple Ads for each Market

It’s hard work to design a good ad, so trying to go above that and create several can appear daunting. However, it’s crucial to match your advertising to your segment. The same ad that appeals to a grandmother will probably not be very relevant to a 45-year-old man.
For each of the target market segments you created in the first step, design a different ad specifically for them. We would recommend changing the copy for sure, and changing the image if you think it would make sense.

3. Split Test your Ads against each other

One of the great things about Facebook is how easily you can split test your ads. Underperforming ads will automatically be assigned less money compared to the ones that do well. A little bit of survival of the fittest will go a long way to maximizing your ROI.
It’s important to keep a close eye on your split tests. If some of your ads are doing very poorly, shut them off, tweak the copy or the image, and start testing them again. It’s unlikely you’ll nail the perfect ad on your first try without a lot of testing.

4. Use a Retargeting Pixel

If someone clicks on your ad, let’s say they have a 5% chance of actually buying something from your sales page. What happens to the other 95%? With a tracking pixel, you can target those who “bounce” off your sales page and show them your ads repeatedly. We’ve seen some huge success through retargeting, but it really depends on how well you defined your target market in Step #1. There’s no point showing someone the same ad a hundred times if they’re just not interested
In our experience, Facebook advertising has become incredibly effective and cost-efficient… as long as you know what you’re doing!
Source
Read More

Thursday, 24 December 2015

Adobe Launches Adobe Post To Help You Build Better Social Graphics

06:00   , , , ,  

Free iPhone app gives anyone the ability to create professional looking social graphics.

 on December 22, 2015 at 8:00 am


adobepost
Need a quick and easy way to create graphics for social campaigns? Adobe can help with that.
The company has launched a new iPhone app, called Adobe Post, that should come in handy for marketers without an in-house design team.
The app is loaded with pre-selected templates, or “Design Filters,” that overlay images — pulled from the camera roll or the selection of free stock photos within Post — with text, colors and other graphical elements. The templates are as easy to switch as Instagram filters and after you settle on one, you can adjust further by tapping on your iPhone screen before posting on social networks. Post also automatically suggests color combinations based on background colors in images.
“This past year, we’ve been talking to many small businesses, non-profit organizations and entrepreneurs and the message is clear: consumers need a simple app to create professional looking graphics so they can better engage with their social media followers,” Adobe wrote in a blog post. “Taking the best of Adobe’s 30 years of experience in delivering tools for creative professionals, what we call ‘Adobe Magic.’ We crafted and tailored Adobe Post so that anyone can stand out and communicate with impact.”
The free app is available now in the Apple store.
Here’s a Adobe-produced demo video:


Source
Read More

Tuesday, 22 December 2015

How Can Marketers & Designers Work Better Together? [Infographic]

06:00   , ,  
marketers-designers-collaboration.jpeg

It's not uncommon to feel like marketers and designers speak different languages. You have marketers focusing on the timeline, designers focusing on the creation process, and neither of them understanding where the other is coming from.
For example, less than 30% of marketers say designers are anticipating problems and following a transparent process. But at the same time, 39% of designers say
it’s difficult to estimate the scope of projects in the first place.

What are the most common misunderstandings between marketers and designers?

What can each do to address these misunderstandings? To help break down that communication barrier, check out the infographic below from Visually.



3
creatives-and-marketers-infographic.png

Source
















Read More

Monday, 21 December 2015

7 Ways to Reach Your Target Market on Facebook

06:00   , , , ,  

Facebook is the second largest website on the internet. Having a Facebook account for your business is almost a mandatory requirement for any organization that wishes to expand their internet presence. However, a Facebook account for your business is meaningless unless you are able to reach the types of individuals that need your products and services. There are many ways to do this; some are simple and others are a little more complex. So let us now take a look at seven ways to reach your target market on Facebook:


  1. If you haven’t already, open a business page
Most businesses already have a Facebook business page; however, if you are using your Facebook personal page and don’t have a business page yet, don’t worry, because creating a Facebook business page is an easy thing to do.
First, login to Facebook, go to your homepage, and select “create page” in the left sidebar. You then need to select a category and then fill out all of the appropriate information. You can then upload your cover photo. All of the controls are very intuitive and user friendly. If you have any problems locating anything, just run a search and you will find what you need in a matter of seconds.
  1. Engage in conversations
This is the probably the best way to get more interest in your company. By interacting with your potential customers, you can get their attention in a very personal way that allows for a higher conversion rate. It is also worthy to note that by interacting with your customers in this manner, you increase the likelihood that they will help spread the word about your business by telling their friends.
However, there is one major issue that you must face, and that is the element of time. Posting in all of the appropriate places and interacting with all of the people that may be interested in your business is very time-consuming. The obvious solution is to hire additional staff members to do this; however, this requires a lot of money.
In order to reduce costs and increase the number of people working for you, go to upwork.com or freelancer.com and hire as many people as you want for pennies on the dollar. You don’t have to pay worker’s compensation, provide healthcare, or deal with any additional insurance issues. Just give them with all of the appropriate information and turn them loose.
  1. Analyze your competition’s Facebook accounts.
In order to see what your competition is up to, just go to their Facebook account and see what they have. However, you can use this information to reach more members of your target market. See what types of groups that your competitors belong to, so you can join these groups and begin interacting there as well.There are also lots of businesses that are not in competition with you but provide things that are relevant to your business. By analyzing these accounts, you can gain even more valuable insight about other accounts and groups. Doing this will also help you expand your outreach to your target market.
  1. Post regular updates
By posting with a great deal of regularity, you are constantly asserting your presence on Facebook in a way that is not intrusive and will expand your reach. If someone does not want your updates in their feed, they can always remove you, but if they do want updates, then you definitely need to make sure they get what they want.
However, it also important to not overdo it. You need to carefully estimate how many updates per day (or per week) is appropriate. Too many updates can be worse than not enough if they start to annoy people.
  1. Offer exclusive deals
Another great marketing ploy is to offer your Facebook connections spectacular deals on your goods and services. You can offer percentage discounts on various items for a limited amount of time. You can also offer free information or products as incentives for them to purchase more or upgrade the free products they will receive.
The best thing about offering online deals to your Facebook customers is that there a greater likelihood that they will tell all of their Facebook connections about your great deals. If your deals are really good, this could go a long way. That’s why you need to make sure that the specials you offer are substantial so there is a greater chance that a lot of people will tell a lot of other people about the amazing deal they just heard about.
  1. Create a Facebook group
In order to make a group in Facebook, you only need to do a few things. First, you need to login to your account and then click on the “create group” icon located on the left sidebar. You then need to fill in all of the relevant details and choose a cool icon for your group. Once your group is created, invite all of your customers to become a part of your new community. This is also the perfect opportunity to offer special incentives for those who join.
  1. Advertise on Facebook
There are two kinds of advertising on Facebook: ads that appear in the right sidebar and ads that appear in news feeds. The news feed ads are far more effective and have a much higher success rate. However, in order to run news feed ads, you must have a Facebook business page. Facebook also has many options that allow you to target specific demographics. These options will be made available to you when you purchase your Facebook ads, so you need to have all of this information ready before you begin purchasing your advertisements.

Conclusion
Using all of the many tools on Facebook is rather easy. However, using these tools takes up a lot of valuable time and effort. That’s why you should seriously consider hiring several employees or freelancers to interact with your customers, gather information about your competition, and retrieve information about the various details of your target audience.
By using this powerful social media outlet, you can expand your online outreach exponentially in rather dramatic ways if you do things right and remain persistent with your efforts.

Read More

Wednesday, 16 December 2015

#nanonthetown: 5 Other Ways Companies Use Humor In Their Favor

06:00   , , , , , , , , ,  
With more than a few John Lewis spoof ads now doing the rounds, Christmas advertising is proof that whilst some companies opt for gut-wrenching tearjerkers, others prefer the lighter side.


Whether it is through social media, TV advertising or corporate videos, there are more ways than ever for companies to show consumers their sense of humour. While this can often backfire, it can also be an extremely effective marketing tool as a way for businesses to both show their personality and set themselves apart from the competition.
Here are five other ways businesses have managed to leverage laughter in their favour.

Crisis Management

In August 2014 the Greggs bakery chain went through a PR nightmare as an offensive spoof logo began to appear when their company name was searched in Google. After the company was alerted to the issue it took to Twitter to attempt some damage control (and reputation management).


 While the mix-up was embarrassing the company was universally applauded for its humorous reaction. These included tweets such as the one below, sent to the Twitter account for Google UK while the search engine attempted to fix the problem.


 Customer Relations
A tweet by catalogue retailer Argos suddenly went viral in March 2014 after the company responded in kind to a tweet from a dissatisfied customer. While TV adverts necessarily are required to have a wide appeal, social media gives many businesses the opportunity to interact with their customers on an individual basis.


 Addressing customer issues individually is a customer service ideal that most businesses strive for, but it can often be difficult to maintain long term. Social media helps companies quickly and spontaneously connect with their customers at a personal level and in an informal forum.
Businesses have the opportunity to answer customer questions sincerely, allowing not only the personality of the brand but the personalities of individual employees to shine through.

Attracting New Employees

Recent studies have shown that younger candidates in particular are ‘not looking to fill a slot in a faceless company’, and nothing shows potential new employees the personality of a particular organisation than their online presence.
In addition to its own social platform Twitter also has an active presence on YouTube, and produces frequent videos on charity drives and sport events, as well as explainer videos describing new features and services.
The video below formed part of a 2012 campaign to encourage applications for vacant positions at the company, while also providing a humorous look at some of the most common mistakes made in corporate recruitment videos.



A vibrant brand personality does not have to stop with public image, a light-hearted approach can be effective at all levels of business.

A Way To “Go Viral”

One of the most famous US advertising campaigns in recent history is arguably the Budweiser commercial, first aired in 1999, which popularised the phrase “wassup”.


This advert set a precedent for popular quotable and shareable content and was followed in later years by brands such as Old Spice, which came to prominence with its “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like” campaign. The cleverly imagined advert was not only memorable but subverted the uniformity of most fragrance advertising.

Establishing a Brand Identity

Irn Bru, the famously bright orange Scottish soda, has earned a reputation for producing quirky and humorous TV adverts. The tongue-in-cheek and often slightly risque adverts have become something of a cultural fixture, with one in particular becoming a highly-anticipated part of the Christmas season.

While many of its attempts at humour have been controversial, the company continues to push the envelope in both its video adverts and marketing campaigns. One recently produced advert has been banned from appearing on television before 9pm in the UK. The company produced Irn Bru bottles with “typical” Scottish names, parodying a preceding Coca-Cola campaign.
These strategies relied on word of mouth to work as an advertising tool to bolster sales and brand awareness. Companies such as Irn Bru have realised the value of a creating content with proven potential to go viral, namely humorous content that provokes discussion and controversy.
Social media platforms have changed the way that we understand word of mouth as a marketing tool. What was once microcosmic and local now has global reach, and an international audience that appreciate companies willing to show their lighter side.

Source
Read More

Sunday, 13 December 2015

5 Ways Preparing Now Will Explode Your Online Presence in 2016

06:00   , , , , , , , ,  

“Success depends upon previous preparation, and without such preparation there is sure to be failure.”

I am sure that, like me, you do not want to fail in 2016!
I am confident that, like me, you are willing to work hard, work smart and grow your business in 2016!
Please, tell me I am right on the money.
I am not sure however, how driven you and everyone else is!
Drive is what will keep you moving forward.
Drive will help you do one task at a time, even is the overall project seems too impossible, too difficult or too momentous.
Drive urges you to keep going when you feel defeated, tired, or confused.

How Do You Set Yourself Up for Success?

If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.
I am sure you’ve heard that expression before.
In life and in business, not planning sets you up for failure; for unexpected events which can make you or break you!
And no, you can not possibly plan for every possible outcome.
But yes, you can plan for a lot of different scenarios.

Business Success in 2016 Starts with Planning in 2015!

Hello!
This should not be news to you.
Every year, in the last quarter, you should be planning for the next year, building upon what has worked for you in the previous year, and what has not!
This includes you reviewing your budget, your income, your sales figures, your marketing plan and yes, your online marketing should be included in that!

Do You Want to Explode Your Online Presence in 2016?

I bet you do!
Don’t wait until January 1, 2016 comes around.
You can set yourself up for success by preparing now!
Interested yet?

5 Ways Preparing Now Will Explode Your Online Presence in 2016!

Here Are 5 Ways Preparing Now Will Explode Your Online Presence in 2016!

1. Reconnect with everyone who touched and helped your business in 2015!


Make a list of names first.(think clients, prospects, collaborators, peers, colleagues, freelancers, referral networkers, local business owners, online connections, interview guests, author whose book you read, Facebook Page fans, Twitter connections, etc)
Then do any of the following:
  • Send a ‘thank you’ tweet.
  • Send a holiday message.
  • Send a holiday card.
  • Send a holiday gift.
Or do something more original like:
  • Record a special video message.
  • Create a personalized card.
  • Create a personalized gift.
Look, I am sure you can come up with an even more creative way to thank someone for making a difference in your business. It doesn’t really matter how you do it, just that you do do it!
2. Request testimonials from your current clients.
December is a great month as people are generous and in the giving spirit already!
Ask for a LinkedIn recommendation and/or a written statement of praise which you can add to your website.
3. Create a social media strategic plan for 2016 by looking back on 2015 as to what worked and what didn’t.
Your plan should include:
~ 2015 social media audit
~ competitors analysis
~ 2015 social media profile data
~ new goals to attain
~ content strategy
4. Create a content calendar for 2016.
Your calendar should indicate when you need to create, edit, refine and send/post the following:
~ email newsletters
~ blog articles
~ guest blog articles
~ podcast recordings
~ holiday marketing campaigns
~ Blab shows
~ Periscopes
~ Specific platform posts

Don’t forget to block off your vacations and day off now, so you can plan your for content with plenty of lead time!

5. Refresh all of your social media profiles, with a new (current) picture and updated keywords so you are really ready in 2016 !
This includes refreshing your
~ LinkedIn
~ Instagram
~ Facebook (personal and page)
~ Pinterest
~ YouTube
~ Twitter accounts
and more!

Ready? Set? Go!

What are you waiting for?
I hope you will take the time to get ready for the new year.
Because…
Spectacular achievement is always preceded by unspectacular preparation.
May the spirit of the holiday season fill you with joy!
Read More
Subscribe to: Comments ( Atom )