Facebook Pokes May Be Gone, But POKE May Be the New PESO In Social Marketing

A marketing communications mainstay has been the concept of PEOS (or PESO), which makes the case that an effective marcomm program should include Paid, Earned, Owned and Shared media components. In fact, most marketing communications agencies and departments typically identify with one of these “home rooms,” with advertising comfortably ensconced in the PAID area, public relations in the EARNED space and digital agencies in the OWNED space. SHARED media was the one place where the agencies got together and collaborated.

But today, those silos are becoming less and less relevant. I’ve written about this before. Marketing recognizes the value and credibility of earned media. Public relations realizes you need to put some paid dollars behind your earned program to give it enough “runway” to take off. Digital agencies are doing virtually everything under the sun.

Shared media is a “table stake” – everything is shared now. By everyone.

So is it time to change our PESO moniker? Is it time to change how we look at marketing communications today? I make the case that PESO should become POKE. Now, I can hear you chuckling. Yeah, I wish it worked out another way. I wished the moniker didn’t bring back fond memories of Facebook’s first foray into user interaction. But hear me out…

With every step in marketing evolution, we get more precise not just with measurement but also targeting. We’ve moved from shotgun targeting to surgical. We’ve transitioned even from demographic targeting to psychographic targeting, targeting the person not just because of their age, gender, marital status or zip code to actually specifying interests, intentions to purchase and previous buying habits.

The holy grail of all of this is KNOWN marketing – the idea that we use insights from our previous interactions (or attempts) with an individual to further refine future contacts. And we understand what types of interactions work on what types of folks, and then try to find other people just like them. Check out how one way to do this with our Active Audiences product, which my colleague Liam Doyle talks about on the blog here, 

For us here at Salesforce, this is an exciting time. Within the Marketing Cloud, we want to ensure that our clients can share insights about a customer in social media with programs running in email. Or that the predictive intelligence insights gleaned from what product a customer clicks on a Web page can inform what is presented to her in a mobile app.

But it goes farther than that. As we continue to integrate our Service Cloud and Sales Cloud, the marketing data can inform us what products a customer owns or is interested in. A customer service person can understand their customer not just in a vacuum – but see their entire purchase history and previous service interactions. And a sales person can better understand what products a customer might be interested in and how their previous brand experience has been, even before they walk into a showroom.

And the customer benefits from less misdirected marketing (seriously, I am tired of seeing Chuck Woolery spin face cream and pain relief gizmos) and a better service experience that gives good customers the priority and preference they deserve.

It’s a great time to not just be in marketing, but also in customer service or sales. Knowledge is power, and actionable data is knowledge.

For more information about Social Advertising, check out our Advertising Benchmark.

Facebook Pokes May Be Gone, But POKE May Be the New PESO In Social Marketing

Facebook Pokes May Be Gone, But POKE May Be the New PESO In Social Marketing

A marketing communications mainstay has been the concept of PEOS (or PESO), which makes the case that an effective marcomm program should include Paid, Earned, Owned and Shared media components. In fact, most marketing communications agencies and departments typically identify with one of these “home rooms,” with advertising comfortably ensconced in the PAID area, public relations in the EARNED space and digital agencies in the OWNED space. SHARED media was the one place where the agencies got together and collaborated.

But today, those silos are becoming less and less relevant. I’ve written about this before. Marketing recognizes the value and credibility of earned media. Public relations realizes you need to put some paid dollars behind your earned program to give it enough “runway” to take off. Digital agencies are doing virtually everything under the sun.

Shared media is a “table stake” – everything is shared now. By everyone.

So is it time to change our PESO moniker? Is it time to change how we look at marketing communications today? I make the case that PESO should become POKE. Now, I can hear you chuckling. Yeah, I wish it worked out another way. I wished the moniker didn’t bring back fond memories of Facebook’s first foray into user interaction. But hear me out…

With every step in marketing evolution, we get more precise not just with measurement but also targeting. We’ve moved from shotgun targeting to surgical. We’ve transitioned even from demographic targeting to psychographic targeting, targeting the person not just because of their age, gender, marital status or zip code to actually specifying interests, intentions to purchase and previous buying habits.

The holy grail of all of this is KNOWN marketing – the idea that we use insights from our previous interactions (or attempts) with an individual to further refine future contacts. And we understand what types of interactions work on what types of folks, and then try to find other people just like them. Check out how one way to do this with our Active Audiences product, which my colleague Liam Doyle talks about on the blog here, 

For us here at Salesforce, this is an exciting time. Within the Marketing Cloud, we want to ensure that our clients can share insights about a customer in social media with programs running in email. Or that the predictive intelligence insights gleaned from what product a customer clicks on a Web page can inform what is presented to her in a mobile app.

But it goes farther than that. As we continue to integrate our Service Cloud and Sales Cloud, the marketing data can inform us what products a customer owns or is interested in. A customer service person can understand their customer not just in a vacuum – but see their entire purchase history and previous service interactions. And a sales person can better understand what products a customer might be interested in and how their previous brand experience has been, even before they walk into a showroom.

And the customer benefits from less misdirected marketing (seriously, I am tired of seeing Chuck Woolery spin face cream and pain relief gizmos) and a better service experience that gives good customers the priority and preference they deserve.

It’s a great time to not just be in marketing, but also in customer service or sales. Knowledge is power, and actionable data is knowledge.

For more information about Social Advertising, check out our Advertising Benchmark.

Facebook Pokes May Be Gone, But POKE May Be the New PESO In Social Marketing

Local Search Group Digital Marketing Adds New Business Expert to Growing Online Marketing Team

Online marketing company Local Search Group proudly announces the hiring of Raquel Longley, Vice-President of Business Development and Special Events.

Houston, TX (PRWEB) April 18, 2015

Prior to her work with Local Search Group, she successfully grew Sirius XM’s portfolio in the B2B and B2C space. Later she developed keen business insight as the principal of Time Talent Agency. She brings a unique blend of skill sets to Local Search Group’s online marketing team that will make her an immediate contributor to the company’s new business acquisition plans.

Longley has long supported Local Search Group’s efforts with the Houston Auto Show, Texas Auto Jobs and the DFW Auto Show in Dallas. She’s also been a mainstay with local businesses such as The Marque, Landmark Houston Hospitality Group and the Houston Young Professionals community.  Her entrepreneurial spirit, proven track record and brand management abilities will go a long way toward supporting Local Search Group’s ongoing efforts to provide innovate marketing insights to their current and future digital marketing clients.

“Raquel is one of the most connected people in Houston and will fill a needed new business development role for our company,” says Local Search Group President and Founder Jim Flint.  “Additionally her existing event experience will help our existing clients take their business to the next level.”

For the original version on PRWeb visit: http://www.prweb.com/releases/2015/04/prweb12630806.htm

Local Search Group Digital Marketing Adds New Business Expert to Growing Online Marketing Team

Can YOU Really Be A Super Affiliate?

Summary:

If you are reading my article right now you are curious or have already heard of Affiliate Marketing. Some of you might already be bringing in great income already! For those who don’t know, an Affilate is someone who promotes products for others and in return gets paid on bringing them business.

This article from The Online Master is about: online business, affiliate, work at home, internet marketing

Let me just start by saying I have tried many different affiliate programs with not much sucess. That was until I came across Ulitmate Affiliate Marketing by Ewen Chia. I was very happy when I started to read through all of the information provided to me. Its a step-by-step guide to becoming an Ultimate Affiliate. I have never been much of a reader but this really kept my interest. Along with the basic guide you also get some great additional Training Reports to get you started. There is a lot of information but its not confusing and is straight to the point. Even if you have no previous Marketing Experience you can dive right in and start making some extra income. I did!

I would recommend this program to anyone who wants to get started as an Affiliate Marketer. Good luck!

Can YOU Really Be A Super Affiliate?

Hurricane Marketing Enterprises Unveils New Website and Branding Strategy

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 04/16/2015

Tony Ferrara

Hurricane Marketing Enterprises

1-877-843-3973

tony@homecaremarketing.net

 

Hurricane Marketing Enterprises Unveils New Website and Branding Strategy

HME Blows Away the Competition with New Site

 

Manalapan, NJ: Hurricane Marketing Enterprises (HME) took a big leap forward in their marketing and branding strategy this month by unveiling their new website, HomeCareMarketing.net. This new site enhances their commitment to home care sales and marketing training, nationwide.

 

“Our desire to serve more clients in the home care market with coaching, sales and marketing training, and other services was the catalyst that spurred us to re-evaluate our online presence. We decided to turn up the volume online. The new website is fabulous!”, states Steve “The Hurricane” Weiss, Owner of HME.

 

HME’s products and services are streamlined, easy to navigate, and the calls to action help the visitor learn more about how HME can help.

 

Hurricane Marketing Enterprises engaged the services of LTC Expert Publications (LTCEP) for a complete site over-haul. LTCEP is the leader in online marketing and website design for home care agencies in the U.S. and Canada.

 

About HME: Hurricane Marketing Enterprises is the one and only marketing company providing expertise on all things Sales and Marketing in the Home Care Industry. Founded in 2012, Hurricane Marketing Enterprises has been taking the nation by storm and helping Home Care, Hospice and Private Duty companies grow their businesses to the next level and beyond.  Visit HME at www.HomeCareMarketing.net

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Hurricane Marketing Enterprises Unveils New Website and Branding Strategy

Digital Marketing Executive

This is a fantastic opportunity for an experienced digital marketer to take the next step in their career and join an innovative consumer organisation. With past experience in a digital marketing role you have an understanding of SEO and have experience in creating concise online content for social media platforms. You think innovatively towards marketing with a passion to develop your career within the digital sector. You have the ability to derive insight from reporting and analysis and are familiar with Google products and services. If you are looking to progress your digital marketing career within a successful e-commerce organisation then this is the perfect opportunity for you.

As Digital Marketing Executive you will play a key role within the wider digital team. This modern and fresh company are looking for a proactive individual to create content for their social media platforms as well as merchandising and optimising site content for their leading websites. You will oversee email marketing activity and on and off site promotional activity. This role also contributes to and supports the overall SEO strategy for the company. As a solely e-commerce based organisation SEO is extremely important to their ongoing success and the Digital Marketing Executive will become an integral factor in this success.

With huge room for growth and progression this really is an exciting opportunity to join a lively and challenging environment in a fun and supportive team. If you have drive, energy and passion with digital marketing experience then this could be the next step in your career! Due to the location of the office this role would suit candidates based in Luton, St Albans, Hemel Hempstead, Potter Bar, Hatfield, Welwyn, Stevenage, Letchworth, Stevenage.

For registration purposes please could you let us know where you are currently based or which locations you are considering as well as your required salary and notice period.

Please upload a Microsoft Word version of your CV where possible, excluding textboxes or images, as this can affect the consultant’s job matching process and therefore your details may not be picked up for a role.

Our Brand Recruitment app is available now to download on all smart phones and tablet devices. You can download it now on your app store or by visiting our website.

Search Brand Recruitment on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn to hear about all of our latest jobs.

Brand Recruitment offers the services of an employment agency for permanent work. Visit Brand Recruitment online at http://www.brandrecruitment.co.uk/ to apply for other key marketing jobs in the Central and Eastern region. If you have not heard back from us within seven days please assume that your application has not been successful.

Established in 2005 Brand has grown to become the most recognised and successful marketing recruitment agency across the Central and Eastern region.

Digital Marketing Executive

Five Email Marketing Tips to Power Your Marketing

According to McKinsey, email marketing is one of the most effective methods of customer acquisition. Here’s why: 91% of US consumers use email daily, 40% have more than one email account, and personal emails cut out the “noise” that’s popping up more often on social media feeds. I short, email marketing can be a personalize, direct line to a unique customer. So here are five ways to harness the power of email marketing for your business.

Design Custom Email Advertising

Print advertising is advantageous for brand recall. Customers see a print ad and, with advertising frequency, they’ll remember that brand when it’s time to buy. Email marketing is entirely different – it’s focused on action. Print is branding, email is action. So why are you using the same print creative designed for branding for your email advertising that’s designed for action? Email marketing lets customers click, buy, shop, sign up, register, share, like and donate instantly so create custom-made HTML emails that help you do just that! If you’re investing in designing strong print creative, then you should invest just as much into designing a custom-made email campaign.

Don’t Send Emails When No One’s Looking

You worked hard on coming up with a great original email (not a print ad) and an awesome call to action. Now, at 10 PM, you’re about to hit SEND. Wait, who’s checking their email at 10 PM? Some do, many don’t so why are you sending it now? Research when your customers check their emails, when they take action on your emails, and the days they prefer to receive emails about you. Here’s a clear example: don’t send an email out one hour before Shabbat but DO send an email out one hour after Shabbat, when everyone’s checking their phones & email.

Subject Lines Matter

Should we say “Free! Free! Free!” in the subject line or maybe “Special!!? Yes, your customers may be interested in that but they’ll never know about it… because your email went straight to spam.There are certain words, terms, numerics & symbols that may trigger spam filters in Gmail, Yahoo and AOL so you need to research what subject lines will help your email reach your intended destination – customer’s inboxes. Incorporate a sense of urgency as well without sounding too “spammy”. For example, massage the line such as “When You Buy One Pair of Tickets, You Get a Second Pair 100% Free!!!” into “Your Free Tickets”. See how different that line is? You got customers attention, they open the email to see if they won free tickets & they see how they can get free tickets. Don’t sell it all in the subject line; it’s meant to tease about the content of your email.

Don’t Do the Same Old, Same Old

Did you know that 41% of all emails are opened on mobile devices? Yet you’re still designing email campaigns for desktops. Mix it up! Still sending the same old content, same old deal, same old event? Mix it up! Send an email with different content, a unique event, a special sale. If customers know what you’re selling already, they have less incentive to open or click through your email. You should even consider selling less and informing more – 90% of consumers find unique content useful, which is why open and click through rates for newsletters, monthly bulletins, industry news and advice are higher than promotional emails.

Think Beyond the Click

Many people make the mistake of thinking it’s all about the click. The “click” isn’t a sale. The “click” is the first step in the decision-making process. The landing page after the click is more important. Think of the click as getting customers in the door; now you have show them a great in-store experience and valuable product line. Make your landing pages easy to navigate and focused on the sale. Customize your web landing pages to increase conversion rates. Pagemodo creates unique Facebook landing pages for your page that gets you the obviously intended Like but much, much more. Implement a 10-second pop-up on your website that can collect customer emails. Annoying? Maybe. Valuable? Definitely. Ensure your best products are right on the first page when customers click through your email, increasing chances of buying. When you think beyond the click, you’ll create a better experience at the best time – the time of purchase.

Email marketing is set to surpass $2.3 billion this year. It’s a smart investment when done right. So do it right with these seven tips.

Yitzie Hyman is the Director of Strategy at The Jewish Link of NJ and founder of Henry Isaacs Marketing, a marketing, design and digital ad agency specializing in Jewish & Kosher marketing. You can reach him at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or online at www.henryisaacs.net.

By Yitzie Hyman

Five Email Marketing Tips to Power Your Marketing

Fox Affils OK On Fall, Worried About Future

After getting a look at what the network plans for its fall schedule, the affiliates held a closed-door session without Fox officials, during which they discussed the apparently vexing issue of how to increase the leverage of the affiliate body in its dealings with Fox, particularly the terms Fox demands at affiliation-renewal time. And the closed-door session revealed a palpable undercurrent of worry about the future vitality of the network-affiliate relationship as alternative means of distributing network programming are developed — means such as on-line streaming scenarios in which broadcasters would play no role.

Fox affiliates appeared enthusiastic about the future of Fox network programming following a rousing presentation in which the affiliates got a look at the shows Fox is developing for this summer and next fall.

But behind closed doors, at a meeting without Fox network officials in attendance, the affiliates sounded a lot less certain of where they stand in Fox’s future plans.

Story continues after the ad

The program presentation was the main thrust of Fox’s annual full-affiliate meeting held Tuesday in a hotel ballroom in Las Vegas during the NAB Show.

In the meeting, affiliate representatives heard from Dana Walden, co-chair (along with Gary Newman, who did not attend the meeting) of Fox Television Group since last July, and David Madden, president of entertainment for Fox Broadcasting since last July as well. They also heard from Fox Sports President Eric Shanks, who ballyhooed Fox’s planned coverage later this year of golf’s U.S. Open and the Women’s Soccer World Cup — both coming to Fox for the first time.

Walden and Madden showed clips of the new comedies, dramas and unscripted shows under consideration for summer, but mostly for next season.

The comedies include a fantasy football comedy called Fantasy Life; a “comedy-horror” anthology series titled Scream Queens; and Grandpa, a family comedy starring John Stamos.

Brand Connections

The dramas are: Minority Report, adapted from the Steven Spielberg movie, and produced by him; an updated Frankenstein; Lucifer, a satanic drama from producer Jerry Bruckheimer; Autopsy, a police procedural; and Studio City, a primetime soap set, like Empire, in the recording industry, about the rise of a teen pop star and her family.

Fox’s unscripted shows in development include a show called Knock Knock, in which unsuspecting, but presumably deserving families, receive an opportunity to improve their lives around.

Walden also talked up the upcoming return of The X Files to Fox. And she stated the network’s continued enthusiasm for its stalwart music-competition series American Idol. “We’d love nothing more than to bring the show back and do another year with the current panel [of judges],” she said, adding that negotiations are ongoing.

“We have bold and original scripted series that stand out from the crowd, live events and specials that drive circulation and offer strong promotional support, and quality aspirational unscripted shows that inspire and delight fans of all ages. It’s a new day at Fox Broadcasting,” Walden said, positioning the presentation and, in promising a “new day at Fox,” acknowledging and addressing affiliate complaints over the last several seasons about the woeful state of Fox’s primetime ratings (with the obvious, and hope-giving, exception of the new megahit Empire).

“We’re confident in our slate and our incredible team at Fox, whether in programming, affiliate marketing or distribution, this team has new focus, determination and dedication. Thanks again for your partnership and support,” she told the Fox affiliates.

But affiliates, while showing outward enthusiasm and support for Fox’s development slate, are privately worried about the continued strength of that partnership in the years to come.

In their closed-door session without Fox officials, affiliate representatives discussed the apparently vexing issue of how to increase the leverage of the affiliate body as a whole in its dealings with Fox, particularly when it comes to the terms Fox demands at affiliation-renewal time.

One tactic that came under consideration in Tuesday’s meeting was the possibility of holding another one-day “fly-in” meeting this summer in a centrally located city of station-group owners and group heads to formulate strategies for countering Fox’s demands.

Fox affiliates held such a meeting last July in Dallas, even though Fox officials were dead set against it, and communicated to the Affiliate Board that they felt that way.

Billed in the trade press as an “emergency” meeting, some Fox affiliates credit the meeting for presenting a show of force that was effective enough to get Fox to back off of limited-term demands it was making of stations whose affiliations were up for renewal.

After that meeting, some affiliates say, Fox “loosened up [its] limited term demands” and agreed to increase the length of affiliation terms in last year’s negotiations with some 50 affiliates.

An informal show of hands for or against arranging another such meeting this summer seemed to draw more yeas than nays. It was unclear, however, if the meeting will come to fruition — a logistical challenge more than a philosophical one that depends primarily on whether the participants can agree on a day that works for most, if not all, of their schedules. The idea remains under consideration.

But Tuesday’s closed-door session revealed a palpable undercurrent of worry about the future vitality of the network-affiliate relationship as alternative means of distributing network programming are developed — means such as on-line streaming scenarios in which broadcasters would play no role.

The affiliate representatives at the meeting were even asked if they believe that the Fox network, and the other networks too, are already talking about going into the future without local broadcast affiliates attached to them.

Fox Affils OK On Fall, Worried About Future

C. STINNETT: There's still a role for email in marketing, consultant says

HENDERSON, Ky. – Don’t tell Dana M. Nelson that email is extinct.

“A lot of times you hear email is dead,” the Evansville marketing and social media consultant said.

Nelson disagrees. “At the core of the relationship you’re building with your customers or your donors or your volunteers is email,” she told Kyndle Brown Bag audience recently. “It still has the highest delivery response.”

Email, she noted, can be used to deliver newsletters, announcements, special offers, product and event promotions, surveys, event registrations and for gaining feedback.

Nelson is a Constant Contact Authorized Local Expert. Constant Contact is an online marketing service used by organizations such as Kyndle, the Downtown Henderson Project, Henderson Community College and the United Way of Henderson County.

Others use services such as Mail Chimp or Boomerang, among others. What they have in common is that they make it easy to send colorful messages with logos, photos and other graphics — a sort of portable Web page as opposed to plain-text email.

But that’s just the tool. What’s key to online marketing, she said, is strategy,

“At its core, marketing is about eliciting a physical and measurable response,” Nelson said.

In email marketing, she recommends asking the customer or recipient to take some kind of action that can be measured — to click on a link, download a document, call or come into the office, schedule an appointment or donate.

“Don’t just push information: ‘25 percent off,’ ” she advised. “Say, ‘25 percent off, come in today!’ “

The key, Nelson said, is to provide “information and offers relevant to those customers,” Nelson said. “If you do it right, they will bring their friends with them.”

“Your new best friends are ‘forward’ and ‘share,"” she said. “If you use an email marketing service, you’re going to have a ‘share’ button or a ‘like on Facebook’ ” link that can be part of every message.

Getting customers, donors or volunteers to interact with your organization on social media such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest can increase their level of engagement.

“Word-of-mouth is now (happening) on those social media platforms,” she said.

“You need to make it easy to share your content” by incorporating links to such platforms in email messages.

“You want to be sure to give an opportunity (for people) to share with others,” such as after an event: “It was awesome, you should go to the next one!”

Nelson believes online marketing can be at its best when it reflects the personality of the business owner or the mission of the organization.

“You can be your authentic self,” she said. “You could have someone else do it, but they don’t have your passion.”

“You want it to seem like a genuine relationship, not a gimmick,” Nelson said.

A marketing campaign should have goals.

It can have general goals, such as to reach new customers or donors; drive repeat business; nurture leads and relationships; and engage members or volunteers.

But Nelson said it’s valuable to set specific goals, such as to drive donations up a certain amount this month or fill 90 percent of the seats in your church this Sunday.

“Put a specific measure on it,” she said.

Business Editor Chuck Stinnett can be reached at 270-831-8343 or cstinnett@thegleaner.com.

C. STINNETT: There"s still a role for email in marketing, consultant says

Framing New gTLDs' Marketing Message

In an earlier essay, I outlined a focused, cooperative marketing strategy that would be a first step for marketing new gTLDs. After that first initiative, gTLD registries’ marketing strategy must focus on the complementarities between .com, and new neutral (such as .global and .web) and branding and labeling gTLDs. The legacy domains and the newcomers can work together nicely. If we don’t realize this, all Internet users will lose out.

Unfortunately, registries of new gTLDs are less focused on improving the Internet’s domain name navigation system than on founding a new global Internet world. The registries’ current marketing message is unnecessarily divisive; it should be framed as complementary to .com and future competitors to .com. A registry that pioneers such a message would win greater credibility in the eyes of Internet users and also increase the credibility of the new gTLDs program. This would force other registries to follow with similar messages or lose credibility themselves, with the risk that irked stakeholders would spark conflict leading to everyone’s financial downfall.

When viewed as complementary, all gTLDs would go up in value; looking at them as substitutes would be lose-lose. The complementary view gives additional credence to a focused and cooperative marketing regime, whereby gTLD registries, registrants, and Internet users win.

One of the dubious arguments by the new gTLD camp is that the younger generation is more likely to accept new gTLDs. But these kids may well ask why Google, Facebook, Snapchat, and a list of popular apps are all .com domains. We shouldn’t pollute their minds as to which is better. Let them decide if .com makes sense and when. Their decision will be influenced by quality of content (relevant information and website user-friendliness), not by old vs. new or branding vs. labeling. They may associate use of new competitors for .com with branding, or they may mix and match new gTLDs for both purposes. Nevertheless, alienating them might accelerate their desire to develop new technologies for screening the quality of content, as well as alternative Internet navigation tools that result in social benefits.

However, you cannot blame only the registries for divisiveness. This conflict is fueled by pundits and domainers on both sides of the debate, who have self interest in maintaining their positions, which are not necessarily based on analytics. For example, some of the .com domainers have price illusion, in that they look at the absolute price of their domain names instead of returns. For example, investment return on a new gTLD can be over 50% when it is hard these days to achieve such returns on financial investments in .com.

Thus, the domain name industry’s message should be win-win for all gTLDs, .com and new.

By Alex Tajirian, CEO at DomainMart

Related topics: Top-Level Domains

Framing New gTLDs" Marketing Message

New player in gourmet coffee market, The Flying Squirrel targets serious coffee drinkers

In The Flying Squirrel plantations in Coorg, long rows of coffee bushes poke out their branches with red swinging cherries. Founder Ashish Dabreo defines their cultivation “a combination of science and art.” In the fields,  vanilla, citrus, banana, spice, and cardamom patches nourish the coffee with their aroma. Machines wash and pulp cherries; big pools collect them at various stages of fermentation to create different textures and characters; and billion of beans are poured on vast brick yards for drying, raked in multiple cycles.

Experimenting is one of the magic ingredients of the company, which produces and sells high quality coffee. The passion that grows coffee and fuel the company has its roots in a childhood spent in Mangalore, where friends and relatives use to gift coffee beans from their estates. “Drives up to the estates every few months for holidays or weddings were all contributors to our early coffee indoctrination,” says Ashish.

After innumerable cups of coffee, Ashish decided to start up a company in 2011 because good quality coffee in India was hard to find. “When we began R&D on cultivation and blending there were not many significant online players in the market selling non mass-packaged freshly roasted and ground coffee,” says Ashish. Since they started, the team has been very particular about the consumers they want to target: not those who look for their ‘caffeine fix’ or their ‘morning jolt’, but those who are ‘serious coffee drinkers’.

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Read more about coffee entrepreneurs: Aromas of Coorg, Bonhomia

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Two years later, The Flying Squirrel sold its first batch of coffee. “In the two years that we took for product development a few brands began retailing online. In the last six months there has been a surge in online coffee brands,” remarks Ashish.

“Unlike a lot of our competitors, we grow our own coffee as we have been doing so for generations,” he adds. Ashish’s college friend Tej, who is now a farmer, takes care of coffee from its growth till its drying in Coorg before the beans are sent for roasting and packaging to Bangalore. He continues, “Tej works on the farm and is one of the most passionate growers one would have the privilege of talking to. He has an in-depth knowledge of coffee cultivation  and a very contemporary approach to technology. This and our innovative methods to get exciting bean profiles, makes us unique.” The rest of the team has expertise in branding, design, digital marketing and advertising which matches with and completes the farming skills.

Ashish tells us that “the market potential is immense, as palates of consumers get more sophisticated. Coffee is soon becoming a lifestyle drink and The Flying Squirrel is here to help in this transition. We are about the hundreds of nuances that good coffee has to offer and today we create these nuances for a discerning drinker.”

Most of the company’s sales happen online,“as that’s the quickest way to get freshly roasted and ground coffee delivered to our customers,” explains Ashish, “We don’t intend to be present in large format supermarket chains, except for a few smaller ones who stock limited but well curated gourmet products and where we can maintain smaller inventory. Institutional sale is also a big revenue stream for us as offices, airport lounges, and hotels see value in offering luxury beverages such as ours to their clientele / visitors as opposed to the currently available one-size-fits-all products.”

The team argues they learnt “way too much” throughout their journey. “Everyday we learn something. Consumer behavior, market realities, the impact of weather on crops, interpreting Google analytics, the subtle differences between drying on brick yards or elevated frames, leveraging social media, the importance of timely collections, making the shift towards mobile-heavy e-commerce, the immense red tape that we have to cut through to get any one of the million prescribed license.” He continues, “The list is literally endless, but if we were to absolutely pin it down, I think our biggest learning would have to be the art of patience.”

The Flying Squirrel is now facing two main challenges. The first is to cope with the fast growing competition, but Ashish adds that this has its advantages because “it helps us  remain constantly innovative and on our toes and enables an expansion in the market.” The other point is that the company wants to remain niche, but not elite and penetration is quite an issue. “Since we don’t have – and don’t want to have – large marketing budgets, expanding our customer base will always be an issue. The cost of acquisition per customer in the digital space for this kind of a product is quite high too. So far, word of mouth through genuine customer appreciation has been our biggest marketing tool.”

To learn more about The Flying Squirrel and order some of their different types of coffee click here.

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Francesca Ferrario

Follow @fraferrrario

Francesca has graduated at the School Of Oriental and African Studies with a degree in History. She collaborated with Ngeriv environment & community development in Tanzania and is now a writer at YourStory.

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Can The Internet Businesses Survive Without Affiliate Marketing?

Summary:

What is an affiliate program? I’ve been bombarded with this question from Internet business newbies since I got myself involved in this very interesting but challenging

online business.

Many years ago, ever since we started manufacturing products for sale in the offline physical world, we had been having sales agents representing different manufacturers to help the latter to expand their markets. The agents conclude sales without carrying inventory, handling payments, si…

This article from The Online Master is about: affiliate,affiliate programs,affiliate marketing,earn massive profits,earn money from home,pay click

What is an affiliate program? I’ve been bombarded with this question from Internet business newbies since I got myself involved in this very interesting but challenging

online business.

Many years ago, ever since we started manufacturing products for sale in the offline physical world, we had been having sales agents representing different manufacturers to help the latter to expand their markets. The agents conclude sales without carrying inventory, handling payments, signing contracts, sorting, packing and shipping of the products. Their main focus had been to make the sale by getting the orders from the prospects and existing customers, which were then processed by the manufacturers or merchants.

In the Internet online world we have affiliates instead of agents. Affiliates are highly targeted pay-for-performance sales agents.

There are also some forms of Internet advertising that rewards the affiliates for driving traffic to the advertiser i.e. the manufacturers or the affiliate program owners. The advertiser pays the affiliates to place a link on their website, and the affiliate sends traffic to the advertiser in return. In other words, it’s about the affiliates receiving commissions for helping in making the sales.

The most common reward is pay-for-sale, where the merchant pays the affiliates who referred the paying customers.

Affiliates are being considered as a complementary but very important sales channel although the merchants themselves continue to get their own direct traffic in making their own sales.

The affiliates do not have to suffer from the occasional sleepless nights worrying about the processing of orders, packing and shipping etc because this are being taken care of by the merchants who usually have an effective tracking system to determine which affiliates drive which orders to them starting with the so-called affiliate links. These are

the links that the affiliates put on their websites, newsletters, ezines or emails.

How does an affiliate link look like? You may ask. The most common affiliate link is embedded in the linking URL. For example, if you see a link like “http://www.abcmerchant.com/?xxxx=3456″, you can be quite sure that the affiliate with the ID (identification) 3456 will receive money from ABC Merchant when someone places his order after clicking that link.

Other affiliate links are more complex and encrypted with some sites having their links masked so that the prospects won’t be able to detect that the URL they’re clicking is an affiliate link.

An excellent example of an affiliate program is that of Amazon.com who happens to have one of the oldest affiliate programs in the Internet. Other possible affiliate programs are as follows:

1) “Pay per click” – the merchant pays the affiliates for the driving the traffic and the resulted orders to them.

2) “Pay per lead” – the merchant pays the affiliates for directing the prospects to register their interest with a possibility of making the sales later.

3) “Pay per subscription”

Can The Internet Businesses Survive Without Affiliate Marketing?

Ten affordable marketing tips to help promote your business

Believe it or not, you don’t have to break the bank to market your business. Of course, professional consultants and flashy TV ads cost money, but if you’re looking for free ways to get your brand known, there are many things you can do.

Chris Surridge from Whitefish Marketing offers ten suggestions to get the ball rolling.

1. Optimise your website

When formulating an online marketing strategy, Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) should be at the front of your mind. It’s one of the least expensive yet most effective ways in the long run to improve your online presence and, if done correctly, will help you rank well for specific searches. Coupled with a strong content marketing strategy you can increase your inbound traffic dramatically. 

2. Don’t forget local SEO

With many web-based companies battling for clicks, views and clients, it’s essential to minimise the competition by making yourself relevant to people in your area. By claiming your Google Places for Business page and setting up a Google+ Local page, you’ll give yourself more chance of being seen by people who would benefit from your organisation. Many businesses charge into trying to dominate the nation, yet forget to focus on their immediate geographic audiences. These are “low hanging fruit” which should be picked off first. 

3. Start a blog 

There are many positive reasons to start a blog. Not only is it a free way to engage with customers and clients, but it’s the ideal platform to talk about upcoming products and ideas. Don’t be afraid to reach out to other bloggers and see if they will either accept a guest post or write something for your site as this is a great way to get your company known in reputable or relevant circles. Blogging also helps enhance your SEO, showing Google that your site provides fresh, unique content, on a regular basis.

4. Attend free events

Networking is an important part of business. You never know who you might meet at any given time so represent your company by attending as many free events as possible. Take your business cards with you, get chatting to like-minded people, and you could open up new opportunities. Whether you choose morning breakfast meetings, or after-hours drinks, pick one which works for you.

5. Brand yourself

If you’ve got a load of company t-shirts and jumpers sitting in a storeroom somewhere, pull them out and put them on. Parading your name and logo wherever possible is great for brand awareness as you’ll literally become walking, talking billboards. If you are thinking of branding your vehicle, look for automotive vinyl stickers as they are considerably cheaper than re-sprays.

6. Make the most of social media

For many people, social media is just a place to post photos and gossip with friends. In reality, it’s also a useful marketing platform for businesses, allowing all different kinds of companies to build up and online fan base and attract new customers. Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, Pinterest and Instagram are just some of the sites out there, so it’s well worth developing your social networking strategy. Plan ahead each week and ensure you have a good social engagement agenda which is interesting and informative. Don’t just talk about yourself and your company all the time. Ensure you are offering something of value for others to read about. 

7. Become a public speaker

If you are passionate about what you do and want to inspire people as well as spread the word about your business, becoming a public speaker could be right up your street. Colleges, universities and schools are always on the lookout for positive individuals with something interesting to say, so do some research and see what you can come up with. Also, speak with your local Chamber of Commerce or look for specialist events related to your industry. 

8. Revamp your reception

People will form an opinion of your business as soon as they set foot in reception. So why not use this space to your advantage by ensuring it’s on brand in terms of colour scheme and charisma? Leave informative things for them to read, play short video clips that are relevant to your company, and ensure visitors are not twiddling their thumbs as they wait for an interview or client meeting. 

9. Public Relations

Consider all the events that your company is involved in. Whether it is giving something back to the community, a volunteering project, a run for charity, right through to product launches, new members of staff, or even awards and accolades achieved, all of these events are newsworthy and offer a great opportunity for PR. Speak with your local press news desks to and propose your story. Building up the relationship will be key over the months and years ahead, but it’s worth it. Likewise, ensure you utilise digital PR distribution as well for added exposure.

10. Add important information to your website

If your website is already up and running, check it has all the important information displayed clearly such as your telephone number, email address, business address, and social media links. You might be surprised as “ghosts in the machine” will sometimes throw up annoying bugs and glitches. If anything is missing it could cost you a customer, so it’s certainly worth carrying out a content review. Put yourself in the eyes of your customers and be vigilant with your checks.

Effective marketing is about getting a good return for your budget, and here at Whitefish Marketing, we believe that “Performance Comes First”. Until you are ready to adopt a professional digital agency to formulate your marketing activity, these ten tips will help your business succeed without costing the earth.

Ten affordable marketing tips to help promote your business

Using strategic inbound marketing to drive revenue

The numbers don’t lie when it comes to the power of technology: 89 percent of U.S. Internet users search online before making a purchase decision (even if the purchase is made locally); 93 percent of adult Internet users are on Facebook; and companies that blog (compared with those that don’t) see a 67 percent increase in leads per month.

While business owners today understand that in order to reach their revenue objectives, they have to embrace technology, they’re not always sure how to do so in a cohesive, strategic way.

There’s Facebook, Twitter, Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and email marketing, just to name a few. Oftentimes, business owners engage disparate vendors to handle different digital marketing venues and are frustrated when they don’t reach their goals.

That’s where strategic inbound marketing comes in. Whereas outbound marketing (the lion’s share of most company’s marketing budgets) is difficult to measure and historically low yield, inbound marketing is different.

Costs drop dramatically because you are targeting your audience. People are not disrupted by your message because they are looking for it. And — best of all — it’s measurable.

Strategic inbound marketing takes a combination of tools — organic SEO, Pay Per Click, email marketing, blogging and social media — and turns them into a lead generator for your business.

Instead of having five voices all singing a similar song in different keys, you now have a perfectly harmonized choir, and all of their voices are pointed at your demographic.

If you’re considering hiring an outside consultant to implement a strategic inbound marketing plan, business owners should ask the following questions:

 

Do you have real offices and do you answer the telephone?

A design company’s commitment to a brick-and-mortar presence demonstrates a commitment to their business, and having someone answer the phone indicates a desire to serve clients.

 

What results have you seen in the past? May I see some samples?

Beware of novices in the industry. Pick an agency that has tenure and has worked with clients from various industries. Ask for samples of their work and results that their clients have seen.

 

What metrics do you provide and how often do you report?

Let’s be honest. You don’t just want more traffic to your website or more Facebook likes. You want more business and more sales. An agency that focuses on getting you more leads and that brings you clients outperforms agencies who gathered 500 new likes.

Another question is how often do they report to you? Keep them committed and ask to see updates on their results several times a month to ensure there is constant improvement.

 

What is your breadth of skill?

You need more than good blogging skills for a successful inbound marketing campaign. Pick an agency that is a pro at keyword research, social media, search engine optimization, email marketing and that can help you with website design and development.

If your only tool is a hammer, everything looks like a nail. You need someone who can offer a custom solution and can back up their services.

 

Do they offer support services?

Pick a reliable agency that can provide support services and respond quickly every time a problem might arise. Will they respond quickly to your requests for website changes? Do they provide email services? Can they design branded email templates and segment your list of contacts for personalized marketing campaigns?

Your website is the cornerstone of all your inbound marketing activities. A good Web design company will ask potential clients questions like: What are your marketing goals? What types of visitors would you like to have come to your site? What are the pain points or desires of each visitor type and how do you respond to them? What would you like each visitor type to do when they visit your site?

They will then build a site that encourages visitor action by understanding and applying trust building techniques, using content and call outs to create a sense of urgency and implementing layout and design to focus the eye on objectives.

Just remember that strategic inbound marketing is innovative in that it engages people at all stages of the sales cycle. It allows you to track leads, convert those leads into customers, close sales and delight the customer.

Strangers become visitors, who become customers, who become promoters. And that kind of marketing is priceless.

 

Andrew Reilley is the Chief Experience Officer at United WebWorks Inc. He can be reached at andrew@unitedwebworks.com or 912-231-0016.

Using strategic inbound marketing to drive revenue

A Wanted Breed: Digital Marketers

Interlochen Center for the Arts is looking for a digital marketing specialist. Goodwill Industries needs a marketing coordinator with sharp social media chops. TART Trails just hired a digital content manager.

It’s just a small sample of the local hiring scene for professionals who wield sophisticated digital marketing know-how – from search engine optimization strategies to best practices in social media management – and know how to use it to elevate an organization’s business or mission.

These online pros are even more in demand now than they were eighteen months ago when The Ticker first reported on them. 

“We have shifted our resources to reach our people where they are looking for us,” says Leah Bagdon-McCallum, director of advancement at Goodwill Northern Michigan, of its efforts in the digital realm. “Admittedly, it has taken us a while to evolve our strategy to be more inclusive of the online universe. That said, it’s an exciting time in Goodwill’s communications trajectory because we’re in innovation mode.”

Though Glen Arbor-based Cherry Republic has been selling its products online since the mid-1990s, it didn’t take that next big step into the digital world until a couple of years ago when Andrew Pritchard joined the company as its first digital marketing manager.

“My hiring represented the first serious effort to pull it together and focus some concerted effort into developing a comprehensive approach to digital marketing,” says Pritchard.

And the value of the investment is directly reflected in sales numbers.

“For Cherry Republic, which had a fairly ‘mature’ online business, sales online have increased more than 30 percent over the last 18 months by focusing more resources on digital marketing,” he adds.

Pritchard is one of three Cherry Republic employees who are involved in creating email marketing campaigns, posting to social media accounts and writing content for the company blog.

But the digital investments can’t be measured in online results only. “Even if the sale is actually made offline, research is done online, comparisons are made, reviews are checked, and social media consulted,” says Pritchard. “Whether you’re a restaurant, a doctor or CPA, a retail store, or something exclusively B2B, your business will increasingly live or die by its digital efforts.”

What’s more, even small, lean-running nonprofits are seeing enough value in these skills to make the personnel investment as well. TART Trails recently nabbed a digital pro to help the organization more effectively manage its mission and brand through digital media.

For Erin Monigold, who was one of the first in Traverse City to launch an agency focusing solely on social media and digital communications in 2010, she sees the high demand locally for digital marketing experts in the form of job offers.

“I’ve received several requests from clients who would love to hire me full-time, but I really enjoy working with my variety of clients,” Monigold, founder of Social Vision Marketing, tells The Ticker. “Being a sole proprietor, I feel that I can give a hands-on approach to social media and pride myself on providing great service at a good price for the small businesses in northern Michigan.”
 

A Wanted Breed: Digital Marketers

'Kids Can Smell Fake': 5 Insights From Marketing Pros at the Massive Summit

1. Kids can smell fake

Scott Birnbaum, senior VP of marketing and e-commerce at Aeropostale, shared the story of launching a clothing line with YouTube star and social influencer Bethany Mota. At one point the campaign released photos of Mota that, to her fans, looked overly doctored and caused outrage on social media. “I even got a phone call from my daughter who was supposedly in school saying ‘What did you do to Bethany?,"” Birnbaum recalled. Using this anecdote, Birnbaum emphasized the mantra that kids can smell fake. “Eventually, a single tweet that said, ‘Hey, we think Beth is beautiful too. It was a mistake. It’s going to be fixed in 20 minutes,’ made everything calm down,” he said.

Moderator Jeetendr Sehdev, a celebrity branding authority, read from a study commissioned by Variety that found U.S. teens view YouTube stars to be 90% more authentic than traditional celebrities, 17 times more engaging and 11 times more extraordinary.

Mota, who was also on the panel, said that her philosophy relies on honesty and brand trust. “I will never talk about something or promote something that I don’t actually use and that I don’t care about because with the relationship being so strong between the creators and viewers, they can see when you don’t truly like something. As long as you’re honest and truthful, then that’s what builds that relationship. And the stronger that is, the more they’re going to listen to what you say,” she said.

2. Focus on the content, not the demographic

In a spotlight conversation with Movio CEO Will Palmer about how theaters and studios use data to target audiences, Palmer suggested gender and demographic info may be an old-fashioned way of approaching an audience — “assuming that somebody, the day they turn 36, is no longer going to be interested in ‘The Avengers.’ These films cross all quadrants and cross all segments. So sometimes you have to ignore the demographic information and start looking at the comparable titles. If you focus more on the content and less on the demographic, you’ll likely get a better result,” he said.

3. Help consumers discover what they want without being intrusive

Hulu head of marketing Jenny Wall and Facebook global head of entertainment strategy Jim Underwooddiscussed the potential hazards of data mining and targeted advertising. Wall pointed out that consumers want to feel like they’re discovering new things, but they need help because there is so much available. In order to give people what they want without creeping them out, Hulu uses a combination of algorithms and staff-curated lists. Wall also said when Hulu advertises on Facebook, the combined data is extremely valuable. “Facebook data mixed with Hulu data is the most amazing goldmine of data possible. And it actually is not really intrusive because they don’t really understand, I think, that we’re doing that… We have a thousand ads, and in real time we’re quickly optimizing and shifting to serve the right ad and the personalized ad to the right person.”

4. Embrace fan-generated content

Sima Sistani, head of media at Tumblr, explained her thoughts on how content producers can improve their digital presence, saying that fans will create opportunities. “You have fandoms out there who are taking the best moments from a movie or show and creating episode recaps or pulling out the best moments into gifs and even creating fan fiction and fan art,” she explained. “One of my favorite things that I saw was the bacon and eggs version of the characters of ‘Parks and Recreation.’ If the ‘Parks and Rec’ Tumblr reblogs that, it’s so meaningful, and that fan is just going to get more engaged and more excited.”

5. Fail, fail fast and move on

Jill Hotchkiss, VP of marketing and creative at Disney XD, shared the mantra “fail, fail fast and move on,” which she uses when brainstorming ways to connect with a younger demographic. “You have got to try new and try different,” she said. “We need to figure out how to be a kids space and do it in a different way when there are a lot of restrictions for us.”

Caty Burgess, VP of media strategies at the CW, used an example of how her network has tried as many avenues as possible in order to be on the cutting edge of marketing. “Our first mobile campaign was little sticker mirrors you could put on the back of your cellphone for ‘Gossip Girl."”

The research team at a network is largely responsible for determining what will work, but beyond that there is still plenty of uncertainty when pitching a new idea, explained Jamie Cutburth, senior VP of marketing at Bravo and Oxygen. “That 50% of the unproven part is the culture and it is the risk-taking,” he said. “It’s very difficult because you’re going to make sure that it hits every button or it’s not going to move forward. But that’s why we’re able to do a lot of great stuff.”

"Kids Can Smell Fake": 5 Insights From Marketing Pros at the Massive Summit

London School of Marketing releases new whitepaper which claims that Facebook advertising is ...

LSM releases a new whitepaper discussing why Facebook is no longer a cost effective option to attract new customers.

London, England (PRWEB UK) 11 April 2015

London School of Marketing (LSM), a leading institution offering accredited marketing and business qualifications in the heart of London, has released its latest whitepaper titled Facebook Advertising Through the Years. Within this document, the marketing experts claim that Facebook advertising is no longer a cost-effective option for marketers who are seeking to build new audiences or attract new customers.

“From its early days, Facebook showed great promise to marketers. However, between its inception in 2004 and now, Facebook advertising has changed. For some, it has shifted from being every marketer’s dream to, quite frankly, a lost cause,” the whitepaper states. “While it vocally favours its users, lately Facebook has done little to satisfy marketers. Yet at the end of the day, it is the marketers who provide Facebook’s revenue.”

Now more than 10 years old, Facebook has over a billion users and it is still growing. The lengthy whitepaper tracks the evolution of Facebook advertising over the past ten years, from the introduction of the ‘like’ button, to the demise of organic advertising.

“Marketers have been using Facebook advertising for over a decade, and its continuing popularity with consumers makes leaving the social media site seem unwise. However, problems with the platform have continued to grow,” the whitepaper concludes. “While Facebook remains a strong way to build brand presence, when it comes to reaching new audiences or attracting new customers, marketers are now finding that their advertising budget is better spent elsewhere.”

This downloadable whitepaper joins a host of other valuable resources freely available to existing and prospective students of London School of Marketing.

To access the full document, please click here.

London School of Marketing delivers accredited marketing and business qualifications, and offers courses from recognised professional bodies such as CIM, EduQual and CAM, BA (Hons) Marketing, MA Marketing and Innovation, and an MBA from Anglia Ruskin University. Based in Central London, they are a QAA approved institution. The school also has offices in Sri Lanka, a network of Local Access Points (LAPs), and online programmes of learning. Courses are run over a broad range of study modes.

For the original version on PRWeb visit: http://www.prweb.com/releases/2015/03/prweb12611272.htm

London School of Marketing releases new whitepaper which claims that Facebook advertising is ...