by Cynthia Fedor | February 21st, 2012
For small business owners that are investigating new ways to optimize and track local marketing initiatives, QR codes can be intimidating. QR codes are high-tech looking. They’re kind of ugly. And, worst of all, they force marketers to examine how traditional media, like direct mail and print, can work with digital media and digital platforms in a seamless way. A lot of small business owners I know are very savvy and open to learning about new technologies. Even so, many are not sure how to actually generate a QR code, when and where to use one, and how to tell if consumers are even scanning them.
This post is dedicated to the do-it-yourself small business owners out there. For you, I’ve outlined a quick and dirty way to generate QR codes and track responses. Read More »
by Jamie Matusek | November 16th, 2011
This year at the REALTORS® Conference & Expo in Anaheim, CA, the focus was on new technology and faster, easier ways to get everyday tasks completed. There was a definite shift from the ‘old regime’ to a new generation of real estate professionals; not necessarily having anything to do with age, rather, a shift in business and marketing strategy. Not many attendees wanted to take printed collateral from booths that they visited. Instead, many asked for an overview of information. They could also be seen snapping photos with their smart phones of booths and information that intrigued them.
QuantumDigital’s mission this year was also focused on delivering time-saving technologies to busy real estate professionals. TriggerMarketing® was featured at QuantumDigital’s booth. It’s an instant just listed/sold program that uses the best of traditional mail, mobile response technologies, the web and social media to deliver warm, local leads directly to the agents inbox. Agents, brokers and top decision makers alike all commented that the program was a “no brainer” and could save them valuable time. The goal, many said, is to get more listings in this competitive market and they could see how TriggerMarketing could help them quickly build awareness in their communities.
The TriggerMarketing program integrates with property listing databases. Within seconds of adding a new listing or changing the status of an existing listing in a database, the program sends the listing agent an email asking if they would like to launch a campaign. Postcards are immediately designed using key information about the listed or sold property, along with photos and trackable technologies. When a recipient responds to the direct mail postcard by scanning a QR code, texting a short code, or typing a unique code on a landing page, the agent receives a real-time warm-lead alert which allows them to immediately follow up. Read More »
by Michele Shubert | September 14th, 2011
Though they are not yet widely promoted, marketers are starting to see the benefit of offering digital coupons. Since consumers can easily access them via mobile devices — at home or on the go—digital coupons have the potential to influence a consumer in the midst of a purchase decision.
“When the economy goes down, people tend to find ways to save money,” said Gordon Borrell, CEO of Borrell Associates. “It’s also that the proximity of the mobile device to someone’s wallet is a heck of a lot closer than a PC when you’re out driving around.”
eMarketer estimates that nearly 20 million U.S. adults will redeem a mobile coupon this year and that mobile coupon usage will double by 2013. “Even as the sputtering economy attempts its recovery, the popularity of couponing has continued,” said Noah Elkin, eMarketer principal. According to Elkin, the appeal of mobile coupons among shoppers is broadening the usage and acceptance of digital coupons.
Read More »
by Eric Welch | September 12th, 2011
Nielsen has just released their Q3 2011 Social Media Report. Here are some of their key findings:
- Social networks and blogs continue to dominate America’s time online, now accounting for nearly a quarter of total time spent on the Internet
- Social media has grown rapidly — today nearly four in five active Internet users visit social networks and blogs
- Americans spend more time on Facebook than they do on any other U.S. website
- Close to 40 percent of social media users access social media content from their mobile phone
- Social networking apps are the third most-used among U.S. smart phone owners
- Internet users over the age of 55 are driving the growth of social networking through the Mobile Internet
- 70 percent of active online adult social networkers shop online, 12 percent more likely than the average adult Internet user
- 53 percent of active adult social networkers follow a brand, while 32 percent follow a celebrity
- Across a snapshot of 10 major global markets, social networks and blogs reach over three-quarters of active Internet users
So, how will this information impact your online and offline marketing efforts and strategies going into 2012? Sound off in the comments!
by Cynthia Fedor | August 16th, 2011
Small business owners and entrepreneurs brave enough to take the do–it–yourself approach to advertising and marketing—tackling everything on their own from website development and management to lead acquisition, customer retention and more—are finding that things are getting complicated. The growing importance of integrating digital, mobile, and social media elements within the marketing communications mix is just adding more pressure on top of an already full workload.
Simply keeping up with marketing trends, emerging technologies, and communication strategies is hard enough. Luckily, there are plenty of resources available that the DIY marketer can use to make their job a bit easier.
Here are five helpful resources for do–it–yourself marketers:
Many small business marketers and entrepreneurs are turning to easy–to–use and often free web content management systems—like Wordpress, Drupal, and Joomla, among others—to develop and maintain a company website or blog. Often, setting up a small business website or blog is as simple as picking a template; users just plug in their content and go.
Basic knowledge of certain programming Read More »
