Envano Interactive Marketing Agency

Interactive Marketing

Social Media is the buzz of today’s business landscape. If you are in B2B sales, you may be wondering if Social Media is worth all the visibility it receives. If so, how can you use it to increase sales success? Is it really useful or just a waste of time? The answer is that Social Media can greatly enhance your ability to make a sale – the tricky part is that it takes some work on your part.

If you have been selling for awhile, you would probably agree that selling is the act of aligning your “solution” with another’s “problem”. This is easier said that done and the path to a sale, can be fraught with traps and blind alleys – equating to wasted time. The more you can learn about a prospective company in advance of your pitch, the easier you can determine if there is favorable alignment. Sales people that seek opportunities without a sales strategy are prone to wasting valuable time. So you are always seeking ways you can efficiently connect with potential customers.

We live in an age of abundant information. I remember my elementary education when “comprehension” was as important as “reading speed”. Likewise consuming content is necessary but using that information in a meaningful way can be the difference between sales success or sales mediocrity.

Sales leaders have the aptitude to not only fish where the fish are, but know where to find hungry fish. In other words, there are suspects and then there are prospects. Prospects are the ones that fit that special profile, that display compatibility with your organization and services/products. How can you tell which are a likely fit? One way is to determine how they engage with their customers. Social Media can provide a good deal of insight about a prospect. Are they active online, do they engage their customers, is there web site intriguing? It is likely that companies that place value on engaging with customers also value fresh ideas and innovation – seeking partnerships that support their mission.

Understanding Social Media is a “must have” to today’s sales professional. Knowing where to look and what to look for provides those clues that tell the sales pro which suspects can quickly become prospects – leading to increased sales. Solid research is essential to sales success and using social media can turn a cold call into a warm call.

So invest some time with Facebook, Google+, Twitter, Linkedin – and fill your pipeline with opportunities that you can effectively align with. More tips to follow in future posts.

Categories: All Posts, Interactive Advertising, Marketing Strategy, Social Media

A combined 55.8% of online consumers rate Facebook pages influential (32.9%), very influential (16.7%) or extremely influential (6.2%) in making purchases from the retailer or consumer goods company behind the page, according to data collected by Compete in April and May 2011.

A combined 26% of online consumers visit the Facebook page of a retailer/consumer product company once a month or more.  This is an important statistics to remind companies that posting on Facebook regularly can increase awareness and sales.

A company Facebook Page must be compelling, visually stimulating, and have real-time engagement.  It is all about the fans, not about your company. The audience on Facebook is expressive, loyal, and active and also has a big influence on brands.

Final note: know your audience and have a Facebook strategy in order to build relationships, which will help increase brand recognition and sales.

Here is a good example of how Envano helped a Brand succeed on Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/Millerwelders

Tags: facebook, facebook and consumers, facebook fans, facebook pages, facebook strategy, social media, social networking

Categories: All Posts, Interactive Advertising, Social Media

Email, news, search, and shopping are the top “me time” activities for Moms:

Moms control an estimated 80% of all household spending, or $1.7 trillion a year, and companies must understand how women’s shopping behaviors change when they have children.

Some key stats on Mom’s Smartphone usage:

- Nearly 60 percent of moms have smartphones, and 62 percent of moms access the Web through a mobile device on a regular basis—up from 22 percent just two years ago.

- Moms spend an average of 6.1 hours a day using their smartphones, compared with 2.5 hours for moms who have dumbphones, er, regular phones.

- Moms are checking weather, playing games, connecting through social media sites, listening to music, shopping, and accessing health information on their phones with greater frequency than the general population does.

To target moms, marketers need to have a strategy that is centered around their busy lifestyle.  Traditional marketing is not as effective as it has been in the past.  Moms are social, mobile & connected.

Here is a example of how Envano made “Mom’s life easier”:

If you don’t currently have Microsoft Tag Reader, click here to download the app for your phone.

Tags: moms online, moms shopping, moms social media, moms spending, online shopping

Categories: All Posts, Interactive Advertising, Marketing Strategy, Mobile Marketing, Social Media

Tags: apps, coupons, facebook, foursquare, mobile, rewards program, yelp

Categories: All Posts, Interactive Advertising, Social Media

comScore recently updated its “Natural Born Clickers” study it did in conjunction with Starcom USA and Tacoda two years ago. The number of people who click on display ads has decreased from 32% of internet users in July 2007 to 16% in March 2009. Furthermore, only 8% of internet users make up 85% of all display ad clicks.

Are online display ads done? Hardly. In the words of Linda Anderson, comScore VP of marketing solutions, “… marketers who attempt to optimize their advertising campaigns solely around the click are assigning no value to the 84% of Internet users who don’t click on an ad…” The study indicates that click-through rates are not the best metric to gage performance and that marketers would be wise to focus on “view-through impact.”

A companion comScore study, “Whither the Click?”, released in June showed that online display ads increased traffic for brand-sites, trademark searches and online and offline sales. Here’s the key: traffic increased whether users clicked on the ad or not. At Envano, we know that some of that traffic uptick is due to exposure via social networking sites such as FaceBook and Twitter. Some of it is due to smart search engine and email marketing efforts. Some of it is due to plain old “word of mouth” advertising (and word travels fast on the internet!)

It’s not all about the click. It’s more about the total view. How’s yours?

Source: Mediapost.com

Tags: advertising, click behavior, Interactive Ecosystem

Categories: All Posts, Interactive Advertising

Traditional media will be taking a hit over the next five years. According to Forrester Research, 60% of surveyed marketers indicated they are shifting resources from traditional media to interactive marketing. Direct mail is taking the biggest hit. On the flip side, spending on social media and mobile marketing will increase by 34% and 27% respectively. Online display advertising spending will increase by 17%. These increases are in spite of budgets that have been slashed by two-thirds from last year. Of note, Forrester analyst Shar VanBoskirk said, “Email marketing is having a banner year.” Marketers are able to expand their lists, improve effectiveness and utilize programs to “boost sluggish sales.” What does your marketing mix look like now? How will it be different five years from now? As marketing evolves, Envano can help you determine the best mix every step of the way.

Source: Media Post

Tags: Forrester, Interactive Ecosystem, mobile, social media, Traditional

Categories: All Posts, Corporate Site & eCom, Interactive Advertising, Marketing Strategy, Mobile Marketing, Search Engine Marketing, Social Media

According the Nielsen’s recent Global Online Survey, 90% of the 25,000 interviewed worldwide said they trust the recommendations of people they know and 70% said they trust opinions posted online whether it’s by a friend or not. Worth noting is that 70% of respondents indicated that brand websites are the most trusted advertiser-led advertising. Respondents trust these sites at the same level as online opinions. The least trusted forms of advertising are online banner ads and text ads on mobile phones. Is your organization keeping its brand and friends close and acquaintances closer?

Source: Nielson Wire

Tags: Interactive Advertising, Neilsen, Recommendation, trust

Categories: All Posts, Interactive Advertising, Marketing Strategy

It’s no surprise, advertising belts are tightening in the face of an uncertain economy. According to the ad spending forecast released April 2009 by ZenithOptimedia, traditional advertising mediums such as newspapers, magazines, TV and radio are projected to see a decrease. In fact, ad expenditures in general are projected to be almost 7% lower globally and 8% lower in the US.  However, one medium is expected to see an increase -  internet -  which should grow by 9%.  Worth noting is that internet video and internet radio are both expected to increase by nearly 30%.  Podcast spending will grow by 12%.  What’s driving the numbers?  Poor consumer confidence means people are staying home and becoming more strategic in their search to find good deals.  The ZenithOptimedia study says that most internet growth will come from search advertising.

Source:  MediaPost

Tags: magazine, newspaper, search advertising, Traditional

Categories: All Posts, Interactive Advertising, Marketing Strategy, Search Engine Marketing

Google’s AdWords may have to change how it operates after a recent ruling from the Second Circuit Court of Appeals. The court overthrew a 2006 ruling that allowed advertisers to purchase trademarked keywords without fear of trademark infringement. The new ruling says the practice can confuse consumers and that Google’s sales of marks to create sponsored links violates established law. We will keep you posted.

Source:  Marketing Vox

Tags: adwords, Google, legal, trademarks

Categories: All Posts, Interactive Advertising, Search Engine Marketing