Company Blog
Social Media: So What?
by Ryan Joy — February 4, 2010
A Recap from Part 1:A consultant group we respect recently recommended that companies wait to get involved in social media because there are “no clear and obvious benefits.” While they may not be “clear and obvious,” we believe that the benefits of social media are significant. Here are three of them:1. Positive Customer Touch Points Build Strong Brands
How many connections do you have with customers once they’re out of your store? Pursuing cost-effective ways to increase the quality and quantity of your touch points with customers is critical in the management and growth of your brand. Social media is a direct vehicle, cutting through the clutter to bring your message to the front of a customer’s mind. It is a positive, memorable, and cost-effective way to reach out to existing customers.With 300 million Facebook users, your customers are already there. Conversations about your brand are happening right now. The question is whether or not you want to join these conversations. Many consumers now expect the level of transparency and interaction that social media provides. They expect to have a voice, and to receive information in the medium of their choosing.2. The Buzz of Online-Only Offers
...read moreSocial Media: So What? Part 1
by Ryan Joy — January 28, 2010
We’ve previously addressed what social media is and how to get started, yet with anything that’s as hyped as this new platform, the questions that often need addressing are: “Why should I care?” “What does this have to do with my business?” and “What are the benefits?”A consultant group we respect recently recommended that companies wait to get involved in social media because it changes so often, most companies do it poorly, and there are “no clear and obvious benefits.”It is true that many get it wrong and that social media is always changing. This is not a reason to avoid the medium, but a warning to enter social media with a plan, and a commitment to doing it right. Social media is unlike any other platform, so there will always be a learning curve—no matter when you start. It will always be a platform in transition. If you’re waiting for it to stand still, you’ll never get started, and companies who avoid the medium are missing an invaluable opportunity. Consider how websites were perceived in the early 90s. Many companies wondered about the value of having a website, but it quickly became apparent that customers expected them to have an informational website, and that a content-rich web presence would prove to be a valuable business tool. It’s ...read moreSocial Media: So What?
by Ryan Joy — January 28, 2010
We’ve previously addressed what social media is and how to get started, yet with anything that’s as hyped as this new platform, the questions that often need addressing are: “Why should I care?” “What does this have to do with my business?” and “What are the benefits?”A consultant group we respect recently recommended that companies wait to get involved in social media because it changes so often, most companies do it poorly, and there are “no clear and obvious benefits.”It is true that many get it wrong and that social media is always changing. This is not a reason to avoid the medium, but a warning to enter social media with a plan, and a commitment to doing it right. Social media is unlike any other platform, so there will always be a learning curve—no matter when you start. It will always be a platform in transition. If you’re waiting for it to stand still, you’ll never get started, and companies who avoid the medium are missing an invaluable opportunity. Consider how websites were perceived in the early 90s. Many companies wondered about the value of having a website, but it quickly became apparent that customers expected them to have an informational website, and that a content-rich web presence would prove to be a valuable business tool. It’s likely that s...read more5 Predictions for 2010
by Ryan Joy — December 31, 2009
Two of my favorite things about late December are the year-end lists and the predictions for the upcoming year. It’s December 31, and we couldn’t resist giving you our “Top 5 List” of marketing predictions for supermarkets in 2010.- Value shoppers are here to stay.If there is one long-term lesson retailers should take from 2009, it is the importance of a strong value positioning strategy. Value shouldn’t be the central focus of most brands, but it needs to play a part in any supermarket’s overall strategy. Retailers who have maintained a well-crafted value message through the years reaped the rewards during this economic downturn. Stores that neglected this part of their positioning strategy are now working hard to convince customers of their low prices, as they should. There are a lot more coupon clippers and ad shoppers than there were two years ago, and the new frugality is here to stay. Like generations before them, consumers have been changed by this difficult time, and will remember these lessons throughout a lifetime.
- Digital signage will become a mainstream marketing solution.Since hardware prices have dropped, the return on investment that digital signage provides makes it a no-brainer for most supermarkets. Digital signage will continue to spread as retailers find proven providers, run pilot programs, and discover the benefits.
- Social media will be adopted by most b
...read more
Branded iPhone Apps
by Ryan Joy — December 24, 2009
Should a branded Application for iPhone and iPod Touch be part of your new media marketing strategy? Here are 3 questions and 4 benefits to consider.Let’s say you want to connect with a group of potential customers who will never open your printed ad. As the iPhone commercial says: “There’s an app for that.”Apple has sold over 50 million iPhones and iPod Touches—contrast that with the 6 million people on Twitter, and you start to see the power of the platform as a marketing vehicle. The iPhone is the most popular phone in America, but the real strength of the iPhone is the App Store, a collection of over 100,000 applications that do just about anything you can imagine. As David Pogue of the New York Times put it, apps “make the iPhone (or the iPod Touch) do absolutely amazing things… stunts a cell phone has no right to perform.” Now with over a billion apps downloaded since the store opened in July 2008, brands like Target, Whole Foods, and Kraft have discovered the marketing value of a custom app.
Is an iPhone App Right for Your Stores?
Here are three questions to help you decide if an iPhone app makes sense for you:
- Do you already have a brand strategy and a strong web presence?If you have a well developed brand strategy and a website that supports your brand with rich content and feat
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