Category:

Online Marketing

USE GEOFENCING TO CREATE RELEVANCY

by onkar September 30, 2015

written by onkar

A geographic fence or “GeoFence” is a virtual way to define a physical area for marketing purposes. This brings a lot more flexibility for marketers than using pre-defined designated marketing areas (DMAs) or ZIP code.

Geofence technology targets users using their mobile devices when they “enter” or “leave” one of these custom-defined areas. Because of the variety of mobile devices out there, the technology is not incredibly precise – let’s say one city block is an example of an area – but GeoFence can work effectively when you want to target users “nearby” or within a broad location.

Practical applications could include a welcome greeting to visitors who enter a mall property or theme park. Geofencing requires an app which is aware when users enter your geofence which means it can customize its response based on proximity.

If you don’t have an app, fear not, you can still leverage geofencing through third-party apps. For example, let’s say you want to geofence a media buy to target users with a mobile banner ad when they are within one mile of your location. As long as you specify the one-mile radius (or number of city blocks) in your plan, the ads will appear to users via 3rd-party apps based on their location.

[“Source- starmark”]

September 30, 2015 0 comment

Online Marketing

How Portable Solar Power Is Set To Take Over

by onkar September 30, 2015

written by onkar

With increasing pressure from alternative energy sources, it is not surprising that this movement resulted in the creation of several portable solar devices. Harnessing the sun’s energy is not only friendlier to the environment than other energy sources, on a sunny day, is limitless and easy to find. Solar energy devices for attachment of portable are available to charge mobile phones, laptops and other small electronic devices. There are also outdoor solar lamps and ovens that are ideal for campers who want a less flammable source of light and food.

Solar panel technology has come a long way since the days of huge solar panels in the gardens or on top of the houses. The science behind solar panels was conveniently reduced to a much more manageable and modified to suit different situations and environments size. Small portable solar chargers are affordable and can charge not only phones, but also MP3 players and blue-tooth headset. For a person on the road, traveling around the world or someone staying in a warm climate, with little or no electricity, a solar fan is practically a necessity to keep you comfortable. Find an outlet available is not only difficult, it can sometimes be impossible, and solar chargers eliminate the need to stick to where power lines run.

One of the greatest resources for laptops is their portability. Unfortunately, the lifetime of the battery usually is not long enough to meet the needs of its users. In an effort to fill a need, there are several types of loads compact solar panels designed both responsible and operate a laptop when the outlets are not available. Some of these portable and even flexible panels can be connected to other units to increase the harness solar energy and therefore the energy they produce.

Despite its size, the solar panels that are used to harness the sun and provide power to a home is only able to use one-sixth of the potential energy. One of the latest advances in solar panel technology is tiles, which are specifically designed to absorb sunlight, near its full potential. These tiles were created by an American company and use solar energy thanks to its dark color and film solar cells in which it is thin enough to be mounted in the form of tiles. New advances in materials for solar technology increases the efficiency of solar panels up to 20%. The number of owners who want to produce their own energy through the use of solar energy is increasing every year and the industry is working hard to meet their needs.

[“Source- latestsolarnews”]

September 30, 2015 0 comment

Online Marketing

Why Some Hotel Websites are Successful

by onkar September 30, 2015

written by onkar

Sunset Plaza Shot

In the never ending battle for better direct booking numbers, hoteliers must find ways to outshine their competition and present a powerful image in the eyes of the consumer. How travelers see and identify your hotel is all based on your marketing strategy. The best canvas for marketing is the internet, and more specifically, your hotel website. Over time, a number of hotels have applied strong tactics to capture the attention of travelers and increase their direct booking stats. Your hotel website’s home page will typically be the traveler’s first interaction with your brand. Since first impressions are important, you want your website to evoke the same feeling as actually staying in your hotel. Most successful hotel websites use specific methods to ensure their website is engaging. Below are just a few reasons why some hotel websites are successful.

The Audience Connection

One of the first steps to creating a great hotel website is getting familiar with your audience. There are a number of great research and analytic tools that allow to see what kind of travelers have visited your website. Once you figure this out, you can start creating content that will touch the sensibilities of your target audience. For example, if your usual guests are business travelers, focus your website on the amenities that business travelers would seek. Use this same tactic for any of the traveler demographics: tourists, family travelers, vacationers, Millennials, Baby Boomers, etc. Your audience will trust your hotel brand more if they can relate to your message.

Engaging Content

You can have the most beautiful website with great pages and all the right information, but if it’s hard for travelers to find what they’re looking for, they will go elsewhere. Things that guests search for most (rooms & availability, rates, amenities, contact) should be easy to locate on your site. Also, each page should have a single focus and structure that would directly speak to the guests’ needs and interest. This kind of engaging content will increase the likelihood of converting an online visitor into a guest.

Strong Visual Media

Media is some of the most important content on your website. If your hotel site doesn’t have something to intrigue the customer visually or with useful information, your hotel brand will be interpreted as boring. Establish value when speaking to your guest by giving them the information they seek using professional photos and videos. Using professional looking photos gives potential guests the opportunity to see the beauty of your hotel. Video content is also highly engaging. Featuring virtual tours, user content, and videos involving guests will gives guests the opportunity to experience a walk-through of your hotel and see guests enjoying themselves.

Blogging

Blogs are great ways to keep travelers informed about what’s going on at your hotel and in the surrounding area. Blogs are also a great way to add fresh content to your site, which Google favors. Also, travelers who click on your blogs about events in your area will be taken directly to your hotel’s website where they can book a room for the event they were interested in. Blogs can be posted on any social network which exposes it to more travelers. Great topics to write blogs on are special events, concerts, local attractions, hotel updates like new services and remodels, and much more.

Most of the successful hotel websites have these characteristics in their DNA. Your hotel’s website shouldn’t just be “a website;” it should represent your hotel’s story in such a way that would inspire the guest’s expectations and arouse his or her imagination. When travelers enjoy your website you increase the chances of them visiting for longer which is one step closer to getting the cherished direct booking.

[“Source- e-marketingassociates”]

September 30, 2015 0 comment

Online Marketing

REFINING YOUR MARKETING PROGRAM

by onkar September 30, 2015

written by onkar

In light of ever-shrinking advertising budgets and human resources, marketers are under mounting pressure to do more with less so increasing ROI has never been more critical in keeping executives at bay when the monthly financial reports are published. But how do we do more with less? We get smarter.

Using Analytics to Measure Success

While this seems basic, some marketers neglect to create an analytics plan at the beginning of a campaign. Identifying key data points e.g., page views, qualified leads, sales conversions to name a few; and selecting the proper tools based on the expected data capture, will ensure accurate measurement of each tactic.

Laser-focused Targeting

A key to any marketing program is knowing who your audience is and what appeals to their expressed interests. Undoubtedly a daunting task if you consider the size and diversity of your customer base not to mention the myriad interests at play. Sure, gender and age are a great place to start, but you need to target them with laser-focused messaging to motivate responses and close sales. Leveraging the appropriate tools and programs at the onset will ensure accurate measurement of your success but keep in mind that you may need to test and adjust once your campaign is underway.

A/B and Multivariate Testing

Refine your audience one step further withA/B or multivariate testing. Just as its name implies, A/B testing is using two distinct variations on a marketing theme such as different subject lines in an email, different images, varying colors, etc., to see which resonates more. Multivariate testing is similar but with more than one element changed and presented. While the former does seem constraining, the latter may be a challenge in identifying which component they responded to.

ROI measurement has never been more important than now. With careful application and management of your marketing campaigns, you’ll be on the road to success in no time.

[“Source- starmark”]

September 30, 2015 0 comment

Online Marketing

ORGANIZING FOR THE DIGITAL CUSTOMER JOURNEY

by onkar September 30, 2015

written by onkar

This post was originally written by Tom De Baere on his blog, B2B Marketing Experiences.

Organizations in B2B and B2C increasingly need to organize for the digital customer journey.

It’s no secret that the buying behavior of customers is increasingly influenced through digital content consumption and digital interactions using smartphone apps, tablets, social media and now als wearables.

Baby boomers, generation X and millennial spend more time consuming content, up to 20% hours a week, according to a new study “The Generational Content Gap”, in which Fractal and Buzzstream surveyed over 1200 people about digital content consumption.

Companies need to respond by understanding this digital behavior, and rethink the organization. Internally, and externally. From a marketing perspective this requires a different type of marketing.

I usually call it modern marketing these days, because it’s difficult to cover this subject in a couple buzzwords.

[“Source- comblu”]

September 30, 2015 0 comment

Online Marketing

FINDING THE STORIES THAT NEED TO BE TOLD

by onkar September 30, 2015

written by onkar

Recognized with an Emmy for her work as the title character in Olive Kitteridge, Frances McDormand should also to be applauded for what is likely the shortest acceptance speech in history, saying: “We’re all here because of the power of the stories that need to be told. Sometimes that’s enough. Thank you.”

Loved it! Partly, because the show’s high-speed litany of thank you’s – while heartfelt, was getting monotonous. And more importantly, because I subscribe to that philosophy. As a kid, I was a big fan of the “Up Close & Personal” segments featured in sports coverage that brought athletes’ stories to light. Years later, as a young sportswriter, I welcomed the chance to write those features. And today, I still can’t pass up a 30 for 30. To me, those evocative backstories make watching the athleticism on the field, in the gym or on the ice even more compelling.

Great storytelling connects with people at a whole different level. It can build understanding, deepen relationships and inspire action. What’s not to love?

Many of the speakers at Content Marketing World echoed that sentiment. None in a more moving way than Rajiv Chandrasekaran, the former Washington Post reporter who co-authored “For Love of Country: What Our Veterans Can Teach Us About Citizenship, Heroism and Sacrifice ” with Starbucks chief executive Howard Schultz. The book centers on ten stories – five of remarkable valor by service members in Iraq and Afghanistan and five of how those same leadership skills and commitment have been applied to great effect at home. But veterans’ re-entry to civilian life isn’t easy. These stories of challenge and sacrifice hope to build awareness of these issues and to inspire dialogue, action and change – no small mission.

In sharing content marketing lessons learned in the process, Chandrasekaran said the key to great storytelling lies in being authentic across the content development journey, from:

The subjects and stories you focus on
The storytellers you choose
The context you create for those stories
The perspective you offer and
The call to action you present

The approach applies just as well to selling a product or service as it does for creating social impact. At its core is content that ismeaningful to the audience. Fail to ‘keep it real’ at any step and that audience will sniff it out and you’ll lose them – along with a good chunk of your credibility.

The journalist admitted he was skeptical at Schultz’s offer to collaborate at first (A war correspondent and coffee magnate walk into a café . . .) But Schultz was moved by veterans’ stories and the challenges they faced. He was willing to put the Starbucks organization and his personal resources behind changing it. What he needed was an ‘authentic storyteller’ to bring it to life.

[“Source- comblu”]

September 30, 2015 0 comment