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Launched this summer, Apple Pay has been an advanced step in ridding the traditional wallet. And not only will it have consumer benefits, and is a big plus for the retail sector – this new technology is also bringing a fresh tool for digital marketers to play with.
Here, Ben Sebborn, technical director at events and ticketing agent, Skiddle, which has adopted Apple Pay into its latest app, gives his advice on how digital marketers can use it to their advantage.
The popularity of contactless payments since its launch has been apparent; transactions for the first half of 2015came in at £2.5 billion, which is already beating the £2.32 billion spent in 2014.
It was no surprise to anyone, then, when the limit of spending on this technology was recently pushed to £30 from £20. The new Apple Pay technology takes the contactless payment industry one step further – by allowing customers to spend easily and fast in-store and online using just their iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPad Air 2, iPad mini 3, or iWatch.
Research has found that due to a strong sales increase with the launch of the iPhone 6, Apple has boosted its share of the UK smartphone market to 42.5 per cent. And this is on the rise – so it’s time for digital marketers to get clued up about what Apple Pay could mean for their strategies.
Although an obvious bonus for retailers in terms of easing the spending process for customers, this isn’t the only advantage of Apple Pay. A new way of collecting customer data is something that all brands with a digital marketing strategy can, and should, benefit from.
Apple has announced that it won’t be collecting any data itself through the new technology – even though this offers immense insight into its customers’ spending habits and could have been extremely useful for digital marketing purposes. Instead, the data will be shared between the customer, merchant, and bank.
So digital marketers will be able to build a profile on a customer based on data about their purchasing habits, and across different platforms offline and online, which is something that is renowned in the industry as a tricky task.
Collecting customer data is one element that digital marketers will obviously find incredibly useful, but there are other things that Apple Pay brings to the table, especially in terms of new ways of reaching consumers with marketing messages:
Building loyal relationships
Those that are using Apple Pay are much more likely to be open to e-receipts. And this is an ideal way for digital marketers to engage with customers after the first interaction or purchase, as up to 20 per cent of the space on the receipt can be used for promotional content. Here brands can plug offers, and push social media channels, amongst other things, to consumers that are already engaged with them.
The mobile wallet
The ‘Passbook’ app (soon to be renamed Wallet), where Apple Pay will be available to customers, allows users to input all of their credit and debit card details, keeping their methods of payment in one place. And with consumers constantly having their phones on them – this can only be good news for brands who are trying to reach them. Something as simple as including a clickable ‘Add to Passbook’ button in marketing campaigns, when promoting a voucher or offer, for example, could work well.
Plus, the app will soon give brands the chance to build loyal relationships with consumers. Customers will no longer need to carry around multiple loyalty cards, and points and rewards will be available to them at a click of a button on their device, rather than having to collect receipts to see where they are up to – which provides a brilliant opportunity for brands.
The in-app purchasing process
For apps that have adopted Apple Pay, iOS developers have already witnessed the checkout rates more than double. Apple has created a smoother and simpler in-app buying process and consumers can now spend with the touch of their finger with the new technology. Not only does this improve the user experience (UX) on mobile, but customers might be more likely to download an app in the first place if they know how easy and quick they can buy items or services. Once downloaded, the app provides another channel through which digital marketers can reach consumers with their messages.
Apple Pay is a big step for the contactless payment industry, and as other brands begin to create competitor technologies, the future of the industry is looking bright.
As these new technologies are introduced, they may provide more ways for digital marketers to reach their target audiences, and it’s therefore important that brands embrace them as soon as possible to keep up with the evolving landscape of digital marketing.
For more information, please visit www.skiddle.com
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Well, it’s that time of year when we are making our New Year’s resolutions and most of us know our Corporate Website is not performing to its peak standards. For some of you, addressing this…
Many years ago there were many retail and tech experts writing articles on how the brick-and-mortar shops are going to be hit and effected by the introduction of the internet and ecommerce – oh how they were right.
Recently we have seen many retail and tech experts writing about the shift from desktop to mobile (including us here) and how it will affect ecommerce and retail marketing – oh how they are being proved right.
Mobile-first means that you start the design and thought process for mobile first.
In business mobile-first is not exactly a new terminology. Google has been calling themselves a mobile-first company for several years now; however, it is not just businesses that are mobile-first now, the majority of people are too.
This is because our device preference to carry out many activities such as checking email, shopping, banking and looking at social media, has changed from the desktop to the smartphone.
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The old ecommerce marketing plan would have looked something like this…
So has the mobile-first revolution changed this ecommerce marketing plan? Have we seen the end of the ecommerce marketing email?
Well the first 3 stages are still pretty much in full swing however the email campaign stage is under threat, as the recent email stat figures from Experian Marketing Services do not make good reading for the marketing channel.
If you are a retailer then this is probably no surprise to you, as I am sure you have probably seen your engagement and response rates through email fall over the last few years.
Many brands and businesses in the ecommerce and retail world have turned their attention, like their consumers, to the mobile. SMS marketing has proved a big hit not only for retailers and ecommerce sites but their customers too – producing some amazing responses for retailers.
Mobile marketing shouldn’t scare you, it should excite you – and if you are new to the mobile marketing world, here are 5 tips on writing a successful marketing message.
However remember this 3 things and your mobile marketing adventure should be a fruitful one…
Make it personal. Make it relevant. Make it on time.
Original Post: Text Marketer
The internet has given rise to many interesting forms of marketing. Some of them might sound a bit fancy and a bit too farfetched, but they each have their own utilities. Widget marketing is one of those options that are, comparatively speaking, lesser known, most likely due to the lack of understanding about what it is and how it can be used. Let’s take a look at what exactly widget marketing is.
On various websites and blogs, you may have noticed various types of branded panels, mostly on the sidebars. They might be banners, forms or something else. You may even find some websites offering browser extensions or small downloadables like simple games or calendars.
These are small pieces of customizable programs that do not come across as direct advertisements, but fulfil the same purpose (and typically cost less money). Essentially, they are small pieces of code that businesses provide to website owners for display and, in most cases, a link back to their site. Publishers can install them simply by pasting the widget code in specific places and on certain pages.
Why would publishers be willing to install your widget and execute free publicity for you? Well, that is where you have to be clever and give them something in return, even if intangible.
For instance, a travel booking company could create a badge widget and awards its “Top Travel Bloggers” badge to select travel bloggers. The bloggers then proudly display the badge, while the widget maker gets a backlink, leaving both sides happy and satisfied.
Another excellent technique with widgets is affiliate marketing. A lot of major retail sites such as Amazon and Expedia run affiliate campaigns where publishers display product search boxes or booking forms on their sites through branded widgets from the retailers. If customers use the widgets and end up making a purchase, the publisher also gets a percentage of that transaction. So, it is a win-win situation for both.
It takes a bit of work to set up an affiliate system because you need to track every lead and it must be flawless to avoid controversies and payment disputes. But it can get you excellent ROI because, unlike adverts, you do not have to pay the publishers to have a presence on the site.
Some digital marketing and market intelligence sites (such as Moz) offer toolbars and extensions that can be installed on browsers. Users install them because they provide certain functionalities and information in a turnkey fashion. But it also helps the widget owner cleverly capture vital data from the user. So, in this case, widgets provide a free data collection tool, which is probably more direct and cost-effective compared to traditional methods such as surveys and interviews.
The first thing that you need to keep in mind is that transparency is the key. Keep the information clean and do not mislead people through the widget. Your leads won’t convert anyways if you don’t deliver on what you promise.
Secondly, keep SEO best practices in mind when designing the widgets. They should be visually appealing, but use clean code with HTML or JQuery that is detected by search engines. Otherwise, you will derive no SEO benefits from it, as search engines will not register the back links.
Finally, make sure that you also develop a fool-proof mechanism for tracking all the activities emanating from widgets and work to keep improving them based on your analysis of the data they provide.
In terms of ROI, widgets can be an excellent option because if you do it well, it can result in less costly leads and traffic. Furthermore, they are generally long lasting and keep sending traffic for years once you get them running. They can also be a good source of market intelligence. All in all, you can benefit greatly from widgets, but they must be deployed as a part of an intentional, long-term strategy in order to make the most of the marketing opportunities they present.
Summary:
We all know that there is so much misinformation about the best strategies for affiliate marketing success. To level the playing field a bit, the following are five ways most experts would agree are the most cost effective ways to expeditiously boost your affiliate business pursuits. So, with no further ado, here they are!
1. HAVE VISITORS LINK TO YOUR WEBSITE
If you give visitors a good reason, they will actually work for you! Think of a product or service that you can…
This article from The Online Master is about: internet marketing, home based business, wealth building,online business,making money online
We all know that there is so much misinformation about the best strategies for affiliate marketing success. To level the playing field a bit, the following are five ways most experts would agree are the most cost effective ways to expeditiously boost your affiliate business pursuits. So, with no further ado, here they are!
1. HAVE VISITORS LINK TO YOUR WEBSITE
If you give visitors a good reason, they will actually work for you! Think of a product or service that you can offer for free or with a large discount, in exchange for them linking to your site. It is a very simple, yet effective way to recruit help in marketing your site!
2. PROMOTE USING SOME COUPONS
These coupons can be placed in ezines, emails, ad campaigns, forums and even newsletters. You can offer discounted merchandise and other various offers. It is a great way to add fresh content to the search engine and drive more traffic to your site. Be sure to update the codes, though!
3. HELP YOUR AFFILIATES BECOME A SUCCESS
Basically, the more successful your affiliates, the more successful you will be! Each and every dollar that your affiliates make, you will also make a profit from. The old saying You can use 100% of one man’s efforts, or 1% of 100 men’s efforts really comes into play here. The more affiliates that are successful, the more money you will have in your pocket! It has been reported that the top 20% of its affiliates generates 80% of a website’s sales. You have a vested interest in each affiliate’s success.
4. AFFILIATE MARKETING IS A COMPETITIVE WORLD
It is very important that you thoroughly think your marketing plan through. If it is helpful to you, learn from other successful affiliates! You may have a friend or someone that would be willing to help you establish a set of marketing tools. If not, then there are plenty of tips and guidance Online, if you do the research. Don’t go into it blindly; learn some basics first!
6. TAKE ADVANTAGE OF EVERY MARKETING TOOL YOU CAN
In the highly competitive world of Affiliate marketing, you will want to arm yourself with as many tools as possible. Don’t leave any stone unturned! The name of the game is this: get as much traffic as you can, using whatever means necessary.
There are many ways to get traffic, including: recruiting other affiliates, taking advantage of ad campaigns, advertising in ezines or newsletters, joining many forums, having others market your link, using multiple ads, using banner ads, etc. If you have a good product/ service that is seen by many visitors, your chances of making a profit are that much better!
Warm regards,
Kenny Anderson
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It claims confectioners must explore geo-targeting to ensure money is well spent.
In an interview with ConfectioneryNews, IRI talked up its new Digital Active service that allows confectioners to isolate and measure the impact of a single digital media campaign at a particular retail store. It says traditional methods have archaically tried to measure the impact of multiple digital marketing campaigns and normally at national level.
Explosion of channels
Carl Carter, head of Digital Europe – Solutions & Innovation at IRI, said this traditional marketing mix modeling had been the standard for measuring the success of media spend, but claimed it was tailored for TV.
“Digital media has completely exploded the path to purchase. You’ve gone from having a few channels to having hundreds and you don’t know where to spend your money.”
He said existing measurement models failed to cope with a proliferation of new marketing channels such as Twitter, Facebook, video services and Google ads.
Carter said a confectioner could for example be running a campaign on TV in combination with messages on Facebook and Twitter and Google ads. That company could enjoy a sales uplift, but it would be unsure which channel had the greatest impact. It’s difficult to isolate the driving force when measuring at national or regional level, said Carter.
Store level geo-targeting
IRI’s Digital Active is alternative modeling system that uses geo-targeting to measure how a single campaign is translating into sales at a particular store.
It’s intended to allow companies to account for every dollar spent in digital media advertising from Facebook, and Twitter to Google ads and video on demand.
For example, a company could run a geo-targeted Facebook campaign aimed at people living around a large supermarket in New York. Digital Active could help the company compare sales data from that store compared to a control store that had a Twitter campaign or no campaign at all
The service also allows confectioners to review demographics on the target store to ensure the message is aimed at the right age group.
A few food companies are using the service, but there no confectionery firms on board yet. IRI Digital Active launched late last year, but was updated in the last month.
Vest Financial Group couldn’t have timed it better. A day before the latest stock market dive began the company introduced its “Vest Protective Strategy,” offering investors and advisors a way to hedge downside risks of individual stocks and ETFs via an online platform.
“Since the announcement we’ve had traffic we hadn’t seen before,” says Karan Sood, co-founder & CEO of Vest, explaining that the product was available in beta for advisors before the official launch on Aug. 18.
Vest’s protection product uses options contracts to hedge market risk at a price level that the investor chooses. For example, an investor owning Apple (AAPL) stock, now trading near $107 a share, could choose a strategy that protects against the stock falling to $75 a share or to $50 a share, or even zero. The cost of the protection — the premium — increases as the price target declines, and the downside protection, therefore, increases.
Investors can hedge individual stocks or ETFs that they already own or create a new position in a stock or ETF along with the downside protection using the actual underlying securities or synthetic versions created with options.
“In most cases the synthetic version is more cost effective — less transaction costs,” says Sood.
Advisors can also create entire leveraged portfolios using the Vest platform. The platform also allows investors to leverage the upside of a particular stock or ETF one, two or three times.
Once the investor or advisor chooses the particular parameters of the downside protection they want — and possibly the upside cap — they will see an explanation of all the particulars of the strategy they have just purchased.
Vest currently offers protection on 700 stocks and ETFs “across the universe,” says Hood. The cost is a 50 basis point (0.5%) annual fee plus the transactions costs to buy the options and stocks. Vest, which is a registered investment advisor, works with several brokers including TD Ameritrade to do the trading and is currently working to add its offering to existing platforms of brokerage firms.
Vest is marketing its product as an easy, transparent way for investors and advisors to hedge portfolios compared to buying individual options, but it isn’t the only option.
Randy Frederick, managing director of trading and derivatives at Charles Schwab, in a recent note suggested several strategies that investors can use to limit risk in a volatile market, including stop loss, stop/limit, trailing stop and bracket orders. They essentially limit losses to a specific level (stop) that investors choose so long as they’re executed, but that is not always the case.
“In a rapidly falling market, or a market that gaps in price overnight, there is no guarantee that the order will execute or that the execution prices will be the same price as the stop price,” writes Frederick. Limit orders offer additional protection because “they allow you to set a minimum price you’re willing to accept when selling a stock” and “a maximum price you’re willing to pay when buying a stock,” writes Federick, but again he warns that there is no guarantee of an execution.
–Related on ThinkAdvisor:
We’re looking for someone who will be able to help us set up and run an affiliate marketing programme.
Please get in touch if you:
-have experience setting up an affiliate programme (ideally experience of having done it without using a network)
-could offer consultancy on how to set up a programme
-could recruit new affiliates for us
-have knowledge of/have previously worked in the UK education industry
If you also have experience of link building and would be able to build links for us as well that would be a big advantage.
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Today Rare.io has publicly launched, providing online retailers with an automated predictive email marketing solution.
The Ottawa company says its solutions are proven to drive repeat business and increase average email click-through rates by up to five times.
Rather than blasting every customer that’s ever made a purchase with an identical email, the Canadian startup says, it delivers personalized emails according to the details of an individuals purchase history.
“Anyone who’s ever purchased anything online knows the relentless spam that’s certain to follow,” said Rob Lane, CEO of Rare.io. “Our predictive email solution is fundamentally changing this practice by creating interesting and timely follow up emails.”
Since quietly launched in February, they’ve sent 17 million emails that are directly attributable for $2.3 million in incremental revenue for the stores.
Online retailers hosted on the Shopify and Spree platforms can implement Rare.io and create custom email design for their customers using simple drag-and-drop technology.
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Summary:
Some online businessmen have claimed that they were able to have hundreds of dollars worth of sales overnight. And their stories have inspired other businessman to persevere in e-commerce. Their stories have also made many other online businessmen curious about what could have brought such a success in Internet business. The reason for such an astounding amount of sales is called affiliate marketing.
What actually happened to such successful online businesses is that the a…
This article from The Online Master is about: affiliate marketing, promotion, online promotion
Some online businessmen have claimed that they were able to have hundreds of dollars worth of sales overnight. And their stories have inspired other businessman to persevere in e-commerce. Their stories have also made many other online businessmen curious about what could have brought such a success in Internet business. The reason for such an astounding amount of sales is called affiliate marketing.
What actually happened to such successful online businesses is that the affiliates increase the traffic of visitors to their websites, and consequently significantly were able to boost the sales. Thus, many online companies today are looking into establishing their own affiliate marketing programs. But where do online companies find affiliates that are professional, reliable, and honest? Here are some recommendations.
1. Be listed in affiliate program directories
Affiliate marketing program is a niche in Internet marketing. This is why there are many sites that have a dedicated list or directory of affiliate programs. Professional affiliates go to such sites when they are searching for new products to promote. An online business must have its affiliate program listed in such a directory so that affiliates can find it. To do this, the online businessman must open an Affiliate Program Directory, such as in Google, and then submit his affiliate marketing program.
2. Link up with complementary websites
The online businessman should analyze the type of his target market. Then, he must find websites that are already attracting such target market. These websites are complementary websites. For example, if the online business is selling computer software, then the businessman should find websites that sell complementary products such as computer and computer parts. He should stay away from competing websites, i.e., those that sell the same products. And he should also avoid websites that sell products that are not related to his own products. For example, it will be disastrous to link up with alternative medicine when the product being sold is computer software.
Once the online businessman has found complementary websites, he should contact them and offer his affiliate marketing program. The owners of such complementary websites will the “perfect affiliates” since they are already catering to the target market of the online businessman.
3. Link up with content websites.
Content websites feature articles that focus on ideas and concepts and not on selling any product. Such articles are informative and visitors are more likely to go back to these content websites again and again for the information that these websites provide. The online businessman should link up with such content sites because the information from these sites is an important ingredient in successful affiliate marketing.
4. Offer affiliate programs to the visitors and consumers
The online businessman can tap into the visitors and consumers of his own website. He will place a link in his website that leads to the presentation of the affiliate marketing program.
There are many myths and misconceptions floating around these days about Millennials, and many of them are downright negative. They’re entitled. They have been coddled by their helicopter parents. And they are tech-obsessed to the detriment of all else in their lives…okay, maybe that one’s true!
Millennials are definitely tech-natives. Having grown up with gadgets, they are savvy about what advances in technology can bring to the table, and, some would say, are social media obsessed. But are they so engrossed with their social and mobile tools that you need to throw your marketing budget in that direction to reach them? Apparently not. According to the latest research, when it comes to brands that are targeting the younger generation, it’s good old-fashioned email that often wins the day.
Millennial Communication Preferences
Although principally aimed at unearthing financial trends amongst Millennials, the Millennial Research Study from The Principal Financial Group revealed some fascinating nuggets about their communication preferences.
Email wins out for one-to-one contact. More than four in ten respondents said that their preferred method of one-to-one contact with companies is email. This rose to almost half (47 percent) for contact with retail stores.
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Email tops social media and texting. This compared to just six percent that listed social media as their favored method from retail companies, two percent text message and five percent for both phone call and online chat.
Email is relied upon when doing product research. Email also scored strongly for research on products and services at around double the rating for social media. Unsurprisingly web search rated most highly for research but was the only method to beat email.
Is it Possible Social Channels are for Socializing?
So why should this be so for the supposedly socially media savvy, connected Millennial generation who, we are told, live out their lives on social networks? Over at Marketing Land, Steve Dille contends that the clue is in the title—with “social” being the key word. He suggests (and I agree) that the social networks dominate the social interactions of the generation who emerged after the digital revolution started. Since they were old enough to create their first Facebook, Twitter, or SnapChat accounts (or perhaps even before), social media has been the go-to way to communicate with friends and family. But social isn’t the only channel this group uses.
Let’s not forget, though, that email has also been a constant in their lives. After all, however, many bells and whistles a new social platform might have, you still need an active email address in order to set-up and maintain your social accounts. Millennials are also no different than the rest of us in that they have to use their email accounts for practical purposes such as notifications, account administration, product updates, and in some cases, even for work. Most will check their emails every day, and many, it seems, prefer email over social when it comes to direct contact with the brands, businesses, and other organizations they deal with.
The Impact of Mobile on Email
One big factor in the enduring appeal and use of email among Millennials is mobile. The latest figures from Pew Research show that by the end of 2014, 85 percent of the 18—29-year-old age group owned a smartphone; this compares to just 27 percent of over 65s. Mobile friendly apps and email provider upgrades are making it easier than ever to access email messages on mobile and tablets.
This is reflected in the rapidly increasing proportion of email opens on mobile devices, compared to desktops. The latest U.S. Consumer Device Report from Movable Ink suggests that more than half of all emails opened in the first quarter of 2015 were viewed via smartphones.
With nearly another 17 percent being accessed on tablets, desktop opens fell to less than a third of the total. The rate of increase is illustrated by the comparative figures for Q3 2014, which show smartphones at 48.51 percent, tablets at 17.47 percent, and desktop at just over 34 percent. As with everything else in life and business these days, the pendulum appears to be swinging firmly towards mobile, the preferred habitat of the Millennial (and a whole lot of the rest of us as well).
How to Think About Email and the Millennial Audience
So despite any preconceived judgments we might make (or read) about Millennials, it appears they still welcome, open and read emails, a fact marketers need to take note of. When you think about it, what better way is there to directly and personally reach and engage with this valuable target audience, using the same authentic, personalized voice brands strive to attain on the more “hit and miss” social platforms?
As with many things, though, Millennials’ expectations and demands are different when it comes to the way email content is delivered and consumed. The traditional long-form email is less likely to be successful, and marketers should also keep these key points top of mind when targeting Millennials using email campaigns.
Content is still king. Content is (as ever) key as Forward Push Media’s Marc Apple explained to TNW News, “Content by far is what a Millennial is looking for when a business reaches out to them via email. It’s just not any content, it must be relevant and relatable content.”
Video is effective and easily consumed. The message should be in an easily consumed format and, when possible, integrate video into your campaigns. This cohort is a big fan of video that’s quick and easy to consume.
Keep content clear and concise for mobile viewing. As we’ve seen, messages are increasingly likely to be viewed on a mobile device, and the content in your emails needs to reflect that. Your message should be visually appealing and work in a mobile format, and the content must be crafted in such a way that it’s clear the value it delivers. Lastly, don’t waltz around, get to the point quickly and succinctly. As an aside, I’m pretty sure this advice rings true across all demographic audiences.
Make sharing easy. To ensure your message reaches the widest possible audience, makes sure it is easily sharable. Joshua Lingenfelter, director of marketing for Clowes Memorial Hall of Butler University, told TNW News why this factor is especially vital for Millennials, “Older generations tend to click on ‘view as a webpage’ and review the entire email in their Web browser and then forward directly to friends. Millennials tend to review the email quickly on their phone, find the info they are excited about and then share on Facebook.”
As with so many aspects of digital marketing, the Millennial generation is demanding a new approach from the brands and advertisers vying for their attention. Email clearly still has a big role to play but not in its own silo, set apart from other campaigns. It needs to be integrated as deeply as possible across other channels as part of the continuing drive to deliver a more personalized and customer-focused approach.
Do you still see email as an effective marketing tool across all generations? Are you a Millennial that hates email? Are you a marketer who tries to segment your audience generationally and test email messaging accordingly? I’d love to hear about it if you’re doing that. Are you doing anything exciting with email that we’d like to hear about, c’mon, let’s hear it.
photo credit: 3 Emails your Business Should be Sending to your Subscribers via photopin (license)
