As we head into February, hopefully you’re starting to see how the changes you’ve made to your marketing strategy for this year are manifesting. However, trends are hardly static, and as soon as you start implementing one set of tactics, new developments emerge that can help you decide how to fine-tune your efforts. One thing that is growing by leaps and bounds in the first quarter of 2012 is video advertising. Consumers are responding both to the rapport that can be established over video, and also the comfortable familiarity and resemblance to television ads. Online video advertising can be done for a fraction of the cost of TV ads, so there’s no reason not to branch out and connect with a bigger audience in this way.
Exclusivity is another feature that consumers seem to love. Having trouble getting your customers to “like” your Facebook page? Offer special, exclusive content or offers to those who do, and watch those numbers soar. Many businesses have even found success with offering a tiered paid subscription service that lets subscribers in on special deals or offers. Keep in mind, though, if you’re going to charge money, the reward customers get will have to be worth it.
On the flip side of the exclusivity issue is loyalty. Getting customers is one part of your goal, but keeping them is even more important. Establishing a loyalty program with rewards is a great way to make sure customers stick around, but you should also create a series of perpetual action opportunities that give your customers incentive to try various products or services
Social gaming is a huge deal right now. If your business has an actual bricks-and-mortar premises, location-based services like Foursquare can help you take advantage of all that social gameplay has to offer, by creating deals and offers for people who prove their loyalty with frequent visits. You can even create points-based social games on your Facebook page, giving your fans and followers some friendly competition, and keeping them interacting with you the whole time.
Probably the most important thing you can focus on right now is using transparency to increase your online integrity perception. Being completely open and honest with your audience about who you are, what you stand for, and how you feel about things like privacy can make potential customers more confident about trusting your company with things like personal data. That sort of connection is essential in this age of online purchasing. Let me know your thoughts!
Peg McDermott
Emerging Marketing Trends in 2012
January 31, 2012
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Business Networking, Online Marketing | Tagged: bni northern virginia, business growth, Internet Marketing strategy, networking events, online marketing trends, small business tools | 
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BNI and Social Media – Compare and Contrast
January 30, 2012Here is an excellent guest blog post from BNI NOVA member, Andrea Howard of Social Media Maxima.
BNI is to social media as personal contact is to _____________ (fill in the blank with the appropriate word).
BNI teaches new members not to expect many referrals in the first year. It is a commonly held belief that it takes that long for group members to know you, like you, and trust you enough to pass your business to their associates. Is it reasonable to expect someone to show up every week, bring guests, meet with everyone in the chapter on an individual basis, give referrals to other group members for an entire year, not to mention the financial outlay, and expect little monetary exchange in return? Talk about a leap of faith. Apparently it is reasonable, because people all over the world are doing it, and have been doing it for many years. The expectation of delayed gratification is set up front, it is clear that other group members benefit, and there is a level of trust that if this formula is followed, success will follow.
There is a parallel between BNI and social media – similarly, rewards come to those who commit to be there, are engaged, consistent, and give freely with no strings attached. As with BNI, businesses cannot expect immediate results from social media, and may not see the fruits of this effort for some time. When they do experience a positive gain, it is probably not going to be as obvious as receiving a referral slip for a prospect eagerly awaiting their call. The benefits of social media are often more abstract; such as having an effective online presence for potentials to see, creating a positive culture around the brand, or bumping up the website’s SEO. As an opportunity cost, the benefits of devoting resources to social media, and BNI, may not be exact – but not participating is rejecting an opportunity to grow business.
Two critical areas where social media and BNI differ:
- BNI is based on direct human contact that is largely absent in the social space. The most influential connections on social platforms still have their roots in direct human contact (people you have met and have an established rapport). Engaging in social media is still about making those powerful connections, but with an approach suited to the platform.
- With Social media you can spread a net that is bound only by the limits of the physical world – you can touch a limitless number of people all over the world.
BNI members are great prospects for my business because of this corollary. It makes setting expectations about social media’s impact on their business bottom line easy because they already get the model of long-term ROI. This they understand…helping them convert to a social media strategy, including BNI’s social media platforms into that plan is another challenge, and the focus of a forthcoming blog post.
What other insights do you have about social media and BNI networking? How do you see the two working together for the benefit of business owners?
Andrea Howard
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