FREE Online Couponing Webinar
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Consumers are coupon savvy. Everyone is looking for the best deal, and they want to share what they find with others. Don’t think so? Just look at the popularity of Groupon, Living Social and Facebook Deals; and all give users the opportunity to share what they find on social networking sites.
The same is true with new home sales. With low interest rates and many builders offering affordable pricing, homeownership is becoming a viable option for countless new home buyers. Naturally, this leads to fierce competition with many home builders turning to online incentives and contests to drive new homes sales.
If the thought of using your computer for anything other than writing an email makes you hyperventilate, don’t fret. You can join Lasso on Thursday, June 9 at 1 p.m. eastern for a FREE webinar, Can Coupons Generate More New Home Sales with PR and marketing expert Carol Flammer to learn more about how coupons and contests can be used to effectively generate new homebuyer interest and sales. The free coupon is above.
A leading social media expert and the author of “Social Media for Home Buyers: It’s Easier Than You Think 2.0,” Carol’s 30-minute webinar will cover the basics of using online coupons and incentives including:
- Using incentives, contests and coupons to generate leads.
- Developing your social media strategy: What’s in it for your fans?
- Creating a contest strategy for agents: Realtors like contests too.
- Maintaining the loyalty: Keeping the programs going to create referral business.
Need more online couponing help? Contact mRELEVANCE to schedule a one-on-one meeting with Carol Flammer herself where you can develop a full social media program including online couponing and incentives.
What’s the Deal with New Facebook Deals?
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Facebook has joined the social couponing craze with its launch of a new Groupon-esque feature – Facebook Deals. Of course the BIG difference between Facebook and many other couponing sites is the sheer number of users. Facebook has a huge audience with 500 million users worldwide. Because of this, Facebook Deals will not only offer users hyper local deals but also give businesses more exposure than LivingSocial or Groupon would give them.
Each Deals page links to the Facebook page of the business offering the deal. This gives customers easy access to company information such as hours of operation, location and phone number. Every time a Facebook user likes or purchases a deal, unless they’ve altered their privacy settings, it will show up on their profile and friends’ newsfeeds.
Facebook businesses have an automatic and widely trafficked forum to share deals with an entire virtual world of connections. It is genius because businesses will gain more followers while spreading promotions.
Even though some users might not appreciate the additional advertisements and unwanted updates, more businesses will undoubtedly jump on board and take advantage of this new feature. This new tool could be exactly what businesses need to weather these tough economic times and lure otherwise would-have-been customers.
Interested in learning more about this new feature, check out Deals on Facebook. If you are interested in how you can use social couponing in your business, contact mRELEVANCE.
Version 2.0 of Social Media for Home Builders is Out
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My long awaited and greatly anticipated revision is out! “Social Media For Home Builders 2.0: It’s Easier Than You Think” is now available from BuilderBooks for $19.95 ($17.95 for NAHB members) and it will soon be on the shelves at Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble. The Kindle version will be available in a few weeks from Amazon as well.
If you liked this first version, you are going to love the second edition. It is double the size of the original book with more information that ever on how to make social media work for your company.
This popular resource teaches builders and residential construction professionals how to use social media tools such as blogs, Facebook,Twitter, Linkedin, and YouTube, to increase their visibility and improve their sales results. Social Media for Home Builders 2.0: It’s Easier Than You Think is designed to help readers understand social media and construct a strategic plan for attracting more prospects, following up on leads, and selling more homes.
The updated edition is BIGGER and better than ever with even more examples, details, and strategies than the first edition. Look for:
- examples of specific social media campaigns and their sales results by builder type (large volume builder, small volume builder, custom builder, remodeler and supplier)
- sample tweets and Twitter campaigns to draw foot traffic to homes and communities (look for some great ones by @LennarAtlanta)
- new research on how people are using social media
- new tools specific to the real estate industry, including how to use RealtyJoin
Learn how to engage consumers through social media, get content suggestions for blogging, find out how to improve SEO, run campaigns, track, analyze, and improve results.
Is Relevance Overrated?
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What is relevance? You hear it talked about often. Everyone wants to make sure that their messages are relevant, and for good reason. Marketers who target messages based on subscriber interests tend to yield higher response rates. Additionally, sending out too many irrelevant messages will lead to potential customers unsubscribing from future email communications, Facebook status updates and Tweets, not to mention just ignoring your communications in general. But, when we talk about relevance, are we even on the same page as our consumers? And, when it comes to internet marketing, is relevance even really relevant?
The answer: a HUGE yes! Relevance is a very important issue and marketers are more or less on the same page as consumers. However, we may not always be speaking the same language. Morgan Stewart, Co-Founder and CEO of Trendline Interactive, found in a recent study that consumers are most likely to use the word “relevant” in a negative way. As in, that message is “not relevant” or “irrelevant” to me.
However, Morgan also found that consumers are using terms such as “interesting,” “informative” and “helpful” when discussing companies that do a good job marketing to them. In other words, clients are interpreting relevance as the words listed above. So, before you write off relevance as being an overrated or archaic concept, realize that there is still a place for it in your marketing efforts (both online and offline). The important thing is to relay to your consumers that you care them and their needs.
So, what do you think: is relevance still relevant?
Three Reasons Why You Should Stop Spamming Blogs Now
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In your travels through the blogosphere, I’m sure you’ve seen spammy comments from some internet users. You know what they look like—blatant advertising in the form of irrelevant, impersonal comments with multiple links. They shamelessly promote people or products and want to spread as many links back to their sites as they can. Their authors probably mistakenly believe it’s an appropriate cheap substitute for working to build relevant links.
Blog spammers- you know who you are- beware and keep reading! Here are three good reasons to stop the spamming and properly promote yourself.
- Spam comments cast producst and even the spammer’s own image in a negative light. If you chiefly use others’ sites as a means for your own promotion, your product will seem unworthy of attention and cheap to your would-be buyers. The spammer also appears deceitful and lazy.
- Bloggers who are constantly on the receiving end of blog spam become angered when they repeatedly have to delete them. In a world where the internet is a staple and technology is becoming more heavily depended on, alienating opinion leaders, especially online bloggers, is a move that will come back to haunt any spammer in more ways than one.
- It’s not just the authors of blogs who have a problem with spammers; even blog readers are upset. That’s because blog readers see spam as detracting value from their insightful comments as well as the blog itself. Even though spammers might not think so, their comments are just plain disrespectful to the authors.
Don’t take advantage of someone else’s hard work with spammy comments; it’s like taking a free ride. Instead, contact mRELEVANCE for help in developing an online communications plan complete with an editorial calendar and a plan to syndicate your blog content.
Sony Proves How Internet Security Is Relevant
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Online crimes are often similar to other crimes in that you never think they’ll happen to you. We hear stories about identity theft all the time, but most of us don’t pay attention because they’re happening to someone else. Unfortunately, Sony’s recent security breach proves that we’re all just someone else depending on how you look at it.
I, like millions of other people who use the Playstation Network (PSN), received an email from Sony on April 26 announcing the following:
“We have discovered that between April 17 and April 19, 2011, certain PlayStation Network and Qriocity service user account information was compromised in connection with an illegal and unauthorized intrusion into our network.”
Furthermore, the email goes on to say that an “unauthorized person” has obtained the following information: name, address, country, email address, birthdate, Playstation Network username and password and PSN ID. And although Sony stated that there is no evidence of credit card information being obtained, I have a hard time believing that the hacker(s) simply took everything and left the kitchen sink.
Now, this massive leak of information is disturbing to me on many levels, but here are the big ones: Why did it take Sony a week to tell me that my information may have been compromised? And what am I going to do now? After all, if someone has your email address and a password (especially if it’s one that you use for multiple things), they can do a lot of malicious things.
To Sony’s credit, they did do me a favor by reminding me that internet security is not something that can be taken lightly. Now, I’m not someone who feels like something is hack-proof…but that doesn’t mean I think consumers should just readily hand over sensitive information. Here are some steps you can take to reduce your risk of ending up in a situation similar to mine.
- Use unique passwords for everything – In full disclosure, I used to use the same 2-3 passwords for most of my accounts, PSN included. However, after someone opened the Sony floodgates and spilled consumers’ personal data all over the proverbial flood plains, I had to go through the arduous process of trying to remember every account or service that I had signed up for so that I could change my passwords. This headache could have easily been avoided if I had simply used unique passwords for each account.
- Monitor your credit reports and account statements regularly – Ironically enough, I had just activated a new credit card less than 24 hours before receiving the aforementioned email from Sony. While I was activating the card, the customer service rep (forebodingly) asked if I would like to enroll in an Identity Theft Protection program so that I would be protected should someone obtain my personal information. I politely declined his offer and hung up the phone. Needless to say, I am now enrolled in said service so that I can monitor my credit reports and look for suspicious activity. While I’m not suggesting everyone go this route, I am advising people to pay close attention to bank statements, credit card bills, etc.
- Be aware of what you put on the Internet – It’s been said many times by many different people, but be careful about what information you give out. While many PSN users (myself included) would have said that giving my information to Sony wasn’t a big deal, in light of what has taken place, I am going to change my position. After all, if a company as large and as heavily invested in online services as Sony isn’t going to be able to safeguard my information, then who is? The next time you sign up something online, ask yourself, “How much information am I giving out and am I comfortable with it being known by others?” The simple fact is that if it’s on the Internet, it’s known by someone besides you.
So all in all, I am slightly grateful to Sony – not because I’ve had to change and remember a dozen new passwords, but because of what going through that process made me realize. I need to make more conscious and well-informed decisions about what information of mine is put on the Internet, and I also need to take more steps to protect myself.
So what are your thoughts? Do you have any good tips on how to protect yourself online?
How Do I Make My Video Go Viral?
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The team at mRELEVANCE gets this question a lot, but certainly not as often as our friends at Supercool Creative . So, how do you get a video to go viral?
David Murdico, executive creative director and managing partner of Supercool Creative, a Los Angeles-based viral marketing agency specializing in online video creative, production, viral and social media marketing for brands including T-Mobile, THQ, Atari and IBM, offers more information on viral video.
Often, brand managers, product managers, entrepreneurs and marketing executives have already made up their minds about what they do and don’t need — without always factoring in the bigger picture of how video, social network interaction, blog and publication outreach, TV, PR, radio, outdoor and mobile can all work together to help them achieve their sales goals. They just want, for example, a funny video that can “go” viral. When they call Supercool Creative (SC) to talk about the video, here is a sample of a typical conversation:
SC: Why do you want a funny video?
CALLER: To get lots of views on it and make it go viral.
SC: Do you have a plan for getting lots of views on it and making it go viral?
CALLER: Yes, we’re going to put it on YouTube and Facebook, and we’re going to tweet about it.
SC: Do you have a viral marketing strategy and a call to action?
CALLER: Not yet. We want to get the video out there first and create a buzz.
SC: Why do you want to create a buzz?
CALLER: To let people know about us!
SC: Why do you want to… OK, look… what’s your end game… the bottom line, the final stage. After all is said and done and the campaign is over and everyone has gone home, what are you trying to do?
CALLER: Oh, we want to sell more stuff.
SC: Step into my office.
Don’t get distracted by the Bling Bling
Getting distracted by blingy, shiny objects happens often in life. It is rampant with social marketing. Often people in charge of marketing campaigns learn about a successful viral video or social media campaign, or diligently follow trends in online marketing, but pick out only one aspect of a campaign on which to focus… like a video. Then they hang all of their hopes and expectations on that video and convince themselves that getting 1 million views is the goal. It isn’t. Selling more stuff is the goal, and that takes an integrated social media marketing approach.
Shiny Things Are Cool
Getting lost in all of the options available, and picking this new thing or that new thing to invest all of our efforts in, we tend to forget that above and beyond everything, video and social media are tools in a marketer’s toolbox, and like any good craftsman, success depends on how we use the tools and marketing know-how we have… to sell more stuff.
Contact Supercool Creative to learn more about viral video or just really great video! Contact the team at mRELEVANCE for help launching a comprehensive social marketing program.
Builders Offered Advice on Constructing More Than Just Homes
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For the building industry’s bricks-and-mortar minded, staying afloat in today’s economy is a job in itself. Add to that advancements in marketing and getting the word out about their businesses is another challenge.
Real estate public relations professional Carol M. Flammer, a partner at Atlanta- and Chicago-based mRELEVANCE LLC Marketing firm, understands that change doesn’t always come easily.
On May 3, she’ll share her expertise through the presentation “Social Media for Home Builders: Engage in the Online Conversation.” The goal is to equip builders with the necessary perspectives and tools for their own marketing renovations. Hosted by the Tidewater Builders Association and Monarch Mortgage, the three-hour seminar will address the three main objections “everyone seems to have,” Flammer said. They are: “Not enough time and staff”; “I’m too old and I don’t understand the technology”; and “It all changes too fast.”
The information’s important, Flammer says, as research shows that trends among home buyers include increased reliance on internet searches for details about communities and builders.
The seminar will explore builder’s websites, she said. Builders need to provide prospective clients with up-to-date information about their companies and services, rank well in searches and offer the opportunity to interact.
Flammer advocates building the online part of a marketing strategy around a company-generated blog, by which content can be added regularly and then syndicated to and by other social networking sites, such as Facebook and Twitter. That way, busy builders “are creating the content once, from something you own,” and marketing messages become easy to sort, search, categorize, access and convey, she said.
One of her clients recently attributed 22 percent of his through-the-door traffic to his social marketing presence, Flammer noted, adding that an effective blog can increase the Web traffic by 25 to 200 percent or more.
Blog posts may only need to be posted twice weekly, and the content can be inspired by frequently asked questions that builders receive and then redistributed in email newsletters.
On alternate days, Flammer recommends spending some time on social networks, offering good content, conversation, even coupons and contests.
In addition to introducing builders to social media strategies, Flammer will teach attendees how to track and measure the effectiveness of their marketing.
What: “Social Media for Home Builders: Engage in the Online Conversation.”
When: May 3 from 9 a.m. to noon
Where: Tidewater Builders Association, 2117 Smith Ave., Chesapeake.
Cost: $20 per TBA member; $35 per nonmember
Register: Stacey Turner at 757-305-9042 or sturner@tbaonline.org
By Nora Firestone; correspondent
This article first appeared in the Virginian-Pilot newspaper
What Should My Marketing Plan Include?
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There are so many choices today for where to spend marketing dollars, it is really not surprising that small businesses often ask us, “What should my marketing plan include?” Because we get this question a lot, we thought it would make a great blog post. Here are our top picks for what your marketing strategy should include in 2011. Even if you can not afford all of these in your budget, your marketing strategy should contain several of them. From the mRELEVANCE team, 15 marketing strategies for your 2011 marketing plan:
- A search engine optimized website
- Ongoing SEO (search engine optimization) and/ or PPC (pay per click
- Fresh website content – new specials, meaningful incentives, etc.
- Public relations – both online and traditional
- Local search – from a Google place page to FourSquare, Patch, Yelp, etc.
- Social media sites, a strategy and fresh content – the basic four are a blog, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube
- Email newsletter – this is easier than ever if you have a blog
- Referral and/or Rewards program for existing clients
- Ads or articles in publications in target market
- Mobile-friendly website (i.e. NO flash)
- QR codes or Text
- Partnerships with relevant businesses (i.e. a gym and a smoothie company can offer dual discounts or share ad space)
- Reputation management and monitoring – set Google alerts, respond to negative comments on review sites such as Yelp, Google, etc.
- Social couponing – we love using coupons that we find on social media sites, of course you can still use newsletters and circulars too.
- Landing pages – this provides you with an excellent way to track and capture traffic on your website.
Let us know if you have others to add, or need help with any of these! Please comment, we love comments!
How Relevant is the Google +1 Button?
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Google recently announced a new feature called the +1 button. While the header on the +1 button page simply says “Recommendations when you want them,” the real question is, How many people will actually take the time to use it?
Think of the +1 button as a variation of Facebook’s “Like” feature. The button is not readily available to everyone yet, but you can sign up to test it by visiting the Google Experimental page. Upon logging into your Google Account and signing up, you can start using the feature to tag articles, websites and even ads that interest you. To +1 something, simply click on the +1 button that appears next to each link in Google search results. Upon doing so, it becomes public for everyone to see. According to Google, the recommendations you see will be from your social connections and vice versa. (Social connections include people in Gmail/Google Talk chat list; the My Contact group in Google Contacts; and people you follow in Google Reader and Google Buzz.)
Once you start using the feature, a +1’s tab will appear on your Google Profile that compiles a list of everything you’ve tagged. Unlike the +1’s that are displayed publicly across the web, +1’s tab can be hidden and made private.
So how does it look in action? Well, upon further inspection, it’s clear why the feature is still hidden from the general public. I typed “japan CNN” into Google and started +1’ing random articles, which worked exactly as advertised. The buttons next to those results turned blue and a small message saying “You +1’d this publicly” appeared under the headline. However, once a co-worker tried searching for the same phrase, my recommendations were nowhere to be found. Despite having me in the My Contact group and the Gmail/Google Talk chat list, she could not see any of my +1’s in her Google search results. Interestingly enough, my co-worker could see a Twitter recommendation from another contact.
The fact that she saw a Twitter recommendation and not my Google +1’s leads back to the title of this article. With Facebook, Twitter, Digg and all of the other sites that help users recommend content to family and friends, is there a place for Google in this over saturated market? How many people will see this feature as a drastic improvement over what they currently use? Until the feature actually goes live, it’s hard to tell. We’d love to know your thoughts! And, in the meantime, please give our blog a +1 if you like it!
