How to Make More Effective Use of Social Media in Your Ecommerce Strategy

Contributed By: 

Brett Relander

Source: Entrepreneur

According to a recent report from comScore, consumers spent more than $9 billion during the week following Thanksgiving in 2014, often referred to as Cyber Week. This represented an increase of more than 14 percent from the nearly $8 billion spent during the same period the previous year. Ecommerce is certainly on the rise. It is now incumbent upon companies to ensure they are tapping into that trend in order to stay ahead of the competition. Moving into 2017, it will become increasingly important for brands to ensure they are utilizing social media in order to succeed with e-commerce.

Yet, many brands often continue to make the same mistakes when it comes to integrating social media with e-commerce. Among the most common mistakes that many companies make is thinking that a presence on a social media platform, such as Facebook or Twitter, is enough to attract customers. It must always be kept in mind that socializing is the primary reason that most people choose to participate in social media networks. Shopping is secondary. The best way to take advantage of social media is to deploy it for enhancing the customer's shopping experience rather than vice versa.

Monetizing social media.

If you are not already incorporating social sharing in your marketing strategy, the time to do so is now. Optimize your website for social sharing with the addition of social network buttons. Place the buttons strategically on product pages to encourage customers to share with their friends the products they like and purchases they make. Ecommerce is no different from brick-and-mortar commerce in that building trust is essential. Social media sharing activities provide clear evidence that your products are worthwhile.

It is also important to take the step of including customer reviews. Many retailers are hesitant to do this because they do not want to broadcast bad reviews. The reality is that while you may receive an occasional bad review, failure to be transparent by including customer reviews on product pages could also drive away business. Marketing Land reports that 90 percent of respondents state that positive online reviews influence their purchasing decisions.

Choosing social media networks.

Is it better to have a presence on every social media network or only a select few? While some brands try a broad-spectrum approach, most brands have limited amounts of time for properly investing in social media. As a result, it is far better to manage a small number of social media networks and do them well. The key is to choose social media networks that are relevant to your customer base. For instance, if your customer base is comprised of females between the ages of 25 and 50, then Pinterest should be included in your social media strategy. By comparison, if your products and services are more B2B, then LinkedIn is a more relevant choice. Facebook should be included regardless of your customer base demographics due to the sheer number of users, currently at more than one billion, according to Venture Beat.

Related: You do not need to break the bank to have a professionally looking website for your business. Get one now!

Combining social media with other marketing strategies.

There is often a common tendency to view social media as separate from other types of marketing activities. For the best outcomes, social media should be integrated with other forms of marketing, including email. For instance, you might encourage your followers on social media to also subscribe to your email list for maximum exposure. As social media continues to become a vital element of everyday life, it will become more important to leverage it order to succeed with ecommerce.

Basic Yet Critical Mobile Marketing Tips

Contributed By: 

Brett Relander

Source: Entrepreneur

Mobile marketing has finally come of age with more consumers than ever making purchases using their mobile devices. If you're in business, then this is a trend you need to pay attention to.

CIO.com reports that 28 percent of sales are now conducted on mobile devices, primarily smartphones.

In 2014, sales using smartphones increased by 87 percent year-over-year. This year is no exception. While sales via tablets expanded by a smaller percentage, it still grew by 52 percent. In other words, mobile marketing is the wave of the future. There is a learned projection that by 2020, there would be 1.5 smart phones to one person.

Yet, many brands have yet to develop fully mature mobile marketing strategies. For some, mobile marketing remains somewhat vague and difficult to contain in the same way as traditional marketing. While mobile marketing is still growing and evolving, it is basically any type of marketing that is used to promote business through the use of a mobile device, including smartphones and tablets.

Mobile marketing doesn't have to be some mysterious thing. Here are some factors to keep in mind when developing your own mobile strategy.

Keep it brief.

Recently, Google has been explicit about the need to make content longer, meatier and higher quality. These goals all work well for online marketing, but with mobile content, it is important to be concise. Of course, you should still create quality content, but be quick to get to the point. Remember that your target consumers are likely working from a small screen and may even be away from home or the office. As a result, they do not have a lot of space or even time for reading lengthy content. This can make it more challenging for mobile marketers. It is imperative that you create content that is both compelling yet brief.

Remember the power of local search.

Local searches commonly occur via mobile devices. In order to take advantage of the increased use of mobile devices for local searches, it is important to ensure that your mobile website is submitted to Google My Business.

Additionally, you should ensure that the physical address of your business along with your contact information and hours of operation are visibly listed on your website. Visitors should not have to search to find your address or phone number.

Make use of location-based sites.

As an increasing number of people opt to access social sites via mobile devices, it is vital that your brand takes advantage of the opportunity to connect with your targeted customers through available location-based services, such as Yelp and Foursquare. Such location-based services can be ideal for businesses such as retailer operations and restaurants. 

Tap the power of geo-targeting.

Geo-targeting through the use of location-based services is a great way for brands to direct their marketing messages to their targeted customers who may be in the vicinity. With this type of platform it is possible to run promotions to encourage customers to check in with your business through the use of digital discounts and coupons.

When handled properly, mobile marketing can be an exciting and innovative way to promote your business and engage your customers. Following the best practices listed above can help you to launch a successful mobile marketing campaign.

Do You Have What It Takes to Be an 'Appreneur?'

Contributed By: 

Gilad Bechar

Source: Entrepreneur

Back in the days, parents hoped their children would someday become successful doctors or lawyers, but nowadays, the epitome of success is much different. People dream of creating a viral app, selling it for millions of dollars and attaining the American dream quickly and seemingly easily. Not so fast.

The app industry, which is one of the fastest growing industries in the world, is much different than “traditional” industries in many senses, and its daily changes constantly transform the rules of the game. Since the app business is such a unique business, being an "appreneur" -- an entrepreneur focused on creating an app -- naturally requires unique traits and capabilities.

Here are a few examples of what it takes to become a successful entrepreneur in the mobile arena:

Related: You do not need to break the bank to have a professionally looking website for your business. Get one now!

Must think fast

The term innovation takes on a whole new meaning for appreneurs. If you think the tech industry moves fast, just wait until you get into mobile. Nowadays, it’s not just about coming up with an original idea, it’s about making sure that by the time you finish developing your product it is still relevant to the industry. The app arena changes daily and innovation is not just part of the initial process but a daily struggle.

This is particularly true since the mobile ecosystem is uniquely built. Many mobile apps rely on other platform in order to exist and a major change made by one strong player could result in a mobile avalanche. That is why appreneurs must remain flexible and stay on their toes at all times. 

Embrace simplicity

Most good apps are focused on performing a single task perfectly. But think about it for a second, isn’t that so much different than what brands have been trying to sell for decades? Brands used to be all about selling consumers a whole lifestyle that usually included numerous products and merchandise. These products were normally expensive and accounted for most of the company’s revenue.

The app industry is completely different. It is all about keeping it simple and offering a product that’s incredibly refined, stylish and serves a single purpose. Unlike merchandise for example, apps are a cheap commodity which makes people more open to installing them.

Determine a monetization strategy

There’s no business model trickier than that off mobile apps. Many notoriously successful mobile apps with millions of users around the world still haven’t figured it.

Despite being a hot commodity, users just hate paying for apps. This creates a difficult challenge for appreneurs looking to give the people what they want -- an excellent product that’s free of charge. Appreneurs must always make sure that their monetization model, whether it’s a download fee, in-app ads or freemium model, doesn’t push away potential users.

Related: How to Build a Consumer App Your Customers Will Want to Download

Flexibility is key

We are all familiar with the Coca-Cola myth, of a company that set out to create a new cough syrup and ended up with a popular beverage. Well, the app industry is full of crazy stories about products that started out as one thing and ended up changing their course. In fact, apps are required to adapt, adding new features and removing less-desired ones, in order to guarantee users a perfectly functioning and relevant product.

The ever-changing nature of the app arena calls for entrepreneurs with flexible minds. They need to embrace change and make their product adapt accordingly. Apps that fail to comply with the constant evolution of the tech industry will simply fall behind.

It's all about the marketing

Yes, a spectacular idea is a must, and yes, impeccable execution is vital, but what’s really going to make your app skyrocket is how well you market it.

Mobile marketing is a whole new industry that’s completely different than traditional marketing, in that it allows appreneurs to carefully select their target audience. Mobile technology allows marketers to “hit” potential users with powerful messages that are specifically relevant to their interests and therefore resonate more than TV ads or billboards.

Another aspect be taken into account is search marketing and app store optimization. If your app is not up there in the rankings it would simply go unnoticed, regardless of how cool or functional it is.

While no brand can afford to ignore these options, appreneurs in particular must get familiar with them as part of their business and marketing strategy, and allocate the right resources in order to effectively promote their product.

4 Can't-Miss Mobile Marketing Best Practices

Contributed By:  

Brett Relander

Source: Entrepreneur

Mobile marketing has finally come of age.

More consumers than ever are now making purchases using their mobile devices. CIO reports that 28 percent of sales are now conducted on mobile devices, primarily smartphones.

Last year, sales using smartphones increased by 87 percent year-over-year with sales via tablets growing by 52 percent. Clearly, mobile marketing is the way of the future. And yet, many brands haven't developed fully mature mobile marketing strategies.

For many brands, mobile marketing remains somewhat vague and difficult to contain in the same way as traditional marketing. Here are a few best practices to help your business launch an exciting, innovative and successful mobile marketing campaign. 

1. Right-sized content

When it comes to mobile content, it's important to be concise. Of course, you should still create quality content, but be quick to get to the point. Remember that your target consumers are likely working from a small screen and may even be away from home or the office. As a result, they don't have a lot of space or even time for reading lengthy content.

This can be a challenge for mobile marketers, but it's imperative to create content that is both compelling yet brief.

2. Local search

Local searches commonly occur via mobile devices. More and more, users are taking advantage of mobile devices when searching locally. In order to take advantage of the increased use of mobile devices for local searches, be sure to submit your mobile website to Google My Business.

Additionally, you should ensure that the physical address of your business along with your contact information and hours of operation are visibly listed on your website. Visitors shouldn't have to search to find your address or phone number.

3. Location-based sites

As an increasing number of people opt to access social sites via mobile devices, it's vital that your brand takes advantage of the opportunity to connect with your targeted customers through available location-based services such as Yelp and Foursquare.

Such location-based services are ideal for businesses such as retailer operations and restaurants.

4. Geo-targeting

Geo-targeting through the use of location-based services is a great way for brands to direct their marketing messages to their targeted customers who may be in the local vicinity. With this type of platform, it's possible to run promotions to encourage customers to check in with your business through the use of digital discounts and coupons.

Tweak Your Mobile Marketing With These Can't-Miss Strategies

Contributed By:

Brett Relander





Source: Entrepreneur

This year in the United States for the first time ever, mobile viewing time soared past desktop in terms of total digital media consumption. This trend remains consistent with what is taking place in other parts of the world, where mobile screen time has already supplanted desktop usage for preferred online engagement. What this means for marketers is their best, and maybe only, opportunity to engage customers is through mobile devices, making mobile lead generation vital.

Unfortunately, mobile lead generation does not work quite the same as traditional lead generation, which tends to be fairly straightforward. With traditional methods, offers are made on landing pages and promotion takes place through social media accounts, blogs and email marketing. Once a prospective customer fills out a form and receives an offer, they are converted into a lead.

Mobile lead generation is not as clear-cut, largely due to how most consumers behave when surfing on their mobile devices. It is necessary to periodically adjust your mobile lead generation strategy. These techniques will optimize your lead generation strategy for a mobile audience.

Related: You do not need to break the bank to have a professionally looking website for your business. Get one now!

Leveraging customer loyalty and discounts.

Everyone loves a deal. In the past, customers were quick to clip coupons to redeem in-store. Today, customers use promotions and discounts that can be redeemed through their mobile devices. This could take the form of customer loyalty discounts, promo codes, or specials on location.

One way to do this is offer customers a discount or promo when they like your Facebook page. This strategy helps your brand create an effective and immediate sense of loyalty when the customer likes your Facebook page using their mobile device while at your business. With this strategy in place, you have the ability to continue nurturing those leads, and ensure that customers continue to return to your business.

Related: The New Rules of Lead Generation Resemble the Old Rules, Somewhat

Targeting key demographics with mobile lead generation.

Brands often make the mistake of focusing on data generated by desktop usage, when mobile data is more readily available and more accurate, enabling you to create finely detailed marketing campaigns. There are many tools available for mining the data made available through mobile.

Google Mobile Analytics can help you to view the source of your app's traffic, as well as how your app is used by customers, giving you the ability to attract users and retain them. Mixpanel is great for tracking actions that users take while they are using your app. As a result, you can see exactly who you need to target, and even how to best target those leads.

Mobile lead generation can not be ignored. If you are not leveraging all of the data available to you, you are missing out on the opportunity to generate valuable leads. Optimizing today can help your brand to stay ahead.

Mobile Marketing That Makes Sense

Contributed By:

Patrick Schock
Source: Entrepreneur

Customers are now searching for and viewing their favorite businesses on their phones much more often than their desktops computers. Mobile devices users are on the go to source for information, research, shop and interact with companies and conduct business. The need for mobile marketing is higher than ever and brands have to quickly meet this changing landscape if they want to succeed.

The first thing you need to do to optimize your web presence for mobile, especially given Google’s latest announcement that takes place this month. Make sure your website, email platform and blog are optimized for mobile. Develop and release an app. You need to get involved in the mobile market if you want to stay relevant in your industry.

 A few statistics to consider:

• 99% of users are accessing mobile for content and information;
• 63% of internet access is from mobile
• 62% access email from mobile;
• 15% make purchases from mobile.

These numbers are only going to surge higher. Fifteen percent might seem low for online purchasing but you must remember that 78% of users are using mobile to research sales that then turn into in-person sales. Without the web and more specifically, mobile, you might not have made that sale. Mobile users are actually more likely to convert to actual sales than any other type of user.

This shift has far reaching implications for both B2B and B2C business. B2C has had a slight edge when it comes to being mobile friendly but B2B is catching up fast. No matter what type of goods and services your business offers, having a mobile-friendly experience for your customer is imperative.

Make sure your business is optimized for local search. Secondly, make sure it is also optimized for mobile access. Lastly, think about providing advantages or incentives for the user who uses mobile and helps you generate leads. 

Connectivity and Security: Two Cornerstones of a Data-Driven Business

Data allows businesses to track key performance indicators, but it can make organizations a sitting duck for cyberattacks. Learn more about what data-driven companies are doing to minimize their risk.

Contributed By:

Daan Pepijn (Cloud Computing, Web Security Expert and Blogger)



Source: Business.com

Today's entrepreneurs are increasingly concerned about creating an infrastructure that sufficiently supports their business operations. Data has become the lifeblood of companies and, as a result, organizations are racing to cope with instilling a data-driven culture.

However, being data-driven doesn't happen instantly. In my own work in cloud computing and web security (and speaking with talented entrepreneurs), I’ve come across several companies that either not aware or do not care enough to ask the right, tough questions with regard to transforming their culture.  

Good IT is the building block of any successful operation, and at the core of a data-driven business is an infrastructure that is highly connected and secure. In this article, I explore some common challenges and opportunities companies should be mindful of when establishing a data-driven culture.

Data-driven

Data allows businesses to track performance and key performance indicators, whether those indicators are about sales figures, marketing campaign success, financial performance or even project progress. This, in turn, can fuel business intelligence to guide smarter decision-making. However, such efforts are only possible if the infrastructure is prepared to manage data.

The lack of a consolidated infrastructure creates silos where departments can withhold or delay information from others. Poor and misguided decisions are often made because of fragmented and even distorted information.

Connectivity and security prevent this from happening. Both have practical benefits, but in the context of data-driven organizations, a highly connected infrastructure allows data to be collected and consolidated, while security ensures that data integrity is maintained. If the business has access to the comprehensive information, it can make the right decisions based on the real state of the business.

Connectivity

At its basic function, connectivity allows for centralized administration and backups, equipment and document sharing, and access to business applications and automation tools. However, this becomes more of an issue for larger operations. Not only do speed and bandwidth requirements increase, but additional infrastructure investments also must be considered.

If the operations involve geographically distributed offices, then the concerns can multiply per branch and would require connectivity options, such as wide area networks (WANs), to facilitate, secure, and even speed up network-based communication and transactions.

The data services used to connect locations introduce their own costs and complexity. WANs are typically built from multiprotocol label switching (MPLS) services. Not only do these private data services form a significant percentage of IT budget, but they could take weeks to deploy. The cloud has been a welcome development in infrastructure where the functionalities of on-premises hardware and appliances, such as servers, firewalls, and backup systems, are now available as cloud-based services.

New approaches to WAN-like software-defined WAN or SD-WAN has emerged to be a viable option for interbranch connectivity. It's now widely offered by vendors like Cisco and Velocloud. SD-WAN allows the use of last-mile services such as broadband, fiber or 4G/LTE to connect to the company's WAN. 

This helps businesses bring up branches quicker and more affordably than with MPLS. These cloud-based services avoid the complexity and costs introduced by appliances. Cloud-based services, such as Veritas for backup or Cato Networks for SD-WAN and security, minimize the need for network installation complexity and outright equipment purchases.

Having such an infrastructure allows businesses to properly manage the creation, flow and storage of data across the business functions.

Security

When it comes to cybersecurity, there's no such thing as a company being too big or too small. If there's a downside to internet connectivity, it's exposure to cyberattacks. The shift to the cloud and a mobile workforce has only made protecting against data breaches more difficult. The amount and nature of data being collected and stored by organizations, such as customer information and payment details, make businesses prime targets for attacks.

The traditional appliance-based architecture organizations used for security are inappropriate for this reality. According to Ofir Agasi of Cato Networks, "There are three main challenges when relying on appliance-based network security: appliance sprawl, securing direct internet access or the performance and cost implications of backhauling internet-bound traffic across MPLS to a central site, and providing mobile and cloud access."

Security solutions – DDoS mitigation, authentication and firewalls – can now be availed of as cloud-based services. Interestingly, security services are now being bundled with networking services. 

Aside from these solutions, companies should also look into staff training and education to support investments in security at the infrastructure level. Over 90 percent of cyberattacks are caused by employees who leak credentials to hackers through social engineering methods such as phishing. Properly training staff on good enterprise security practices should help curb cyberattack risks. Part of a data-driven culture is creating data stewards out of everyone.

Balancing costs and benefits

A connected, secure and well-managed infrastructure sets a company up for success. It enables workers to be more productive, prevents downtime and allows companies to leverage data to drive the business. A data-driven culture promotes better transparency and accountability. Information-sharing also helps prevent silos where departments keep information from each other. This way, organizations can better strive toward a common goal.

However, with all of the equipment and components available that a company could introduce to its infrastructure, complex approaches can become costly and inefficient. Thus, it is important to ensure that while the infrastructure is both highly connected and secure, the IT resources employed fit the use cases. The emergence of cloud-based services helps manage costs and scale. This way, organizations are equipped to meet the challenges of demands of day-to-day operations but also do it in a manner that is sustainable.

Related: You do not need to break the bank to have a professionally looking website for your business. Get one now!

3 Ways to Improve Your Expertise in Any Profession

If you want to succeed and be seen as a top professional in your industry, it's important to always be learning and improving. There are many ways to accomplish this; here are just a few.

Contributed By:

Zac Johnson



Source: Business.com

Want to improve your expertise and professional skills? Of course you do. It's one of the best ways to not only get ahead in your professional career, but it's a great way to improve your self-confidence.

The good news is that it's now easier than ever to accomplish this through the power of the internet. There is no longer a need to attend expensive classes or certification programs in your area. Thanks to the internet, anyone can pretty much learn how to do anything. 

Below are three of the best ways to continue your education or hone your skills and expertise through online courses while documenting your success and connecting with others online.

Learn through online video courses

The internet has made it extremely easy to learn anything through the use of online video while never needing to actually see or talk to someone in person. At the same time, such online learning courses are quite affordable and easy to access. Sites like Udemy, Skillshare and Lynda offer access to hundreds of thousands of online courses – some of which are free. There are many other online learning course websites, so if one provider doesn't have the tools or training you are looking for, you can always search through the offerings of another provider.

Start a website or blog and document the process

A great way to document your progress and show off your expertise in the process is to start a website or blog of your own. Thanks to the power of WordPress, anyone can start a site in a matter of minutes and start posting content. In most cases, it's just a few dollars per month to set up hosting and a domain name for a website, but it's well worth the learning experience.

 Reach out to industry experts for their expertise

In addition to accessing online training materials and starting a site to document your progress, the internet has made it extremely easy to connect with other experts around the world. This in itself can be a huge learning experience and great for building new connections within your industry. The best tip here is to not be bashful, as it will take time and numerous personal emails to reach out to authorities in your niche. Such connections are usually made through contact forms on experts' websites or blogs, through social media and often with LinkedIn. 

Improve your expertise and online skills to excel in your career

It doesn't matter if you are working a 9-to-5 job, trying to climb the corporate ladder, or simply an entrepreneur working from home, we all benefit from learning more and knowing how to do our jobs better. Be sure to take time to invest in each of the learning experiences above while also making yourself a more valued professional in the process.

You Oversold Your Crowdfunding Campaign – Now What?

If you've oversold, there's no way to go back in time and prevent it. Your next step should be to streamline what you can control.

Contributed By:

Jesse Kaufman (CEO and founder of ShippingTree)




Source: Business.com

Crowdfunding can be an unpredictable, exciting experience. But reaching your fundraising goal is actually only half the battle – it's delivering on what you've promised in return that's most important to your long-term success.

Of course, crowdfunding can be a tricky puzzle. At the point of launch, there are usually many undecided details that can influence the weight, dimensions and shipping requirements of the product, as well as how much it will really cost to get it in customers' hands – not to mention organizing your customer list and communicating with backers.

And all that gets really puzzling if you've created a product that does so well it oversells.

Overselling might seem like a good problem to have, but it's still a problem. When your campaign oversells, it's likely going to cause a delay in production, and setbacks in getting your backers what they ordered will immediately start sowing seeds of doubt among your client base. It's tempting to sacrifice quality for a speedy production, but any backer would tell you that's never the right solution.

If you've oversold, that's that; there's no way to go back in time and prevent it. Your next step should be to streamline what you can control, preventing that spiral of delays that will bruise your reputation. Being fully transparent and showing real progress will alleviate those trust problems, but delays lasting more than a few months are hard to bounce back from, so you need to find a way to mitigate those delays as best as you can.

Related: How to turn N50,000 to millions of Naira within one year of investment

Here are four ways to make sure that process runs smoothly:

1. Go for no-frills packaging.

Trendy packaging is all the rage right now, but when you're in crisis mode, it's hardly a priority. If you're trying to streamline logistics after overselling, don't opt for elaborate, untested packaging materials. Stick to the basics. It will keep costs down and simplify the shipping process. Your backers won't miss a fancy package – they're not cats who care more about the box than what's inside it.

2. Find multitasking vendors.

Set up an order fulfillment process that factors in inventory management, freight forwarding, customs brokerage, warehouse organization, order processing, packaging and shipping. Look for vendors capable of handling more than one of those processes (or most of them). The fewer touchpoints involved with an order, the faster and cheaper it will ship out. It also means you're minimizing risk. When you're working with fewer vendors, the chances of any major screwups between handoffs are lowered – not to mention it makes it easier to keep track of fulfillment on your end.

3. Show, don't tell.

Like any relationship, the trust between a brand and customer is tough to repair once broken. If you're behind on what you've promised, even if it's due to a mistake like overselling, you need to go above and beyond to prove to your customers that you're working hard on a solution and their support means a lot to you. Take time to photograph and record production to show customers you're making the issue a priority, then post that content on your website and send it out in email blasts. Backers may not love delays, but they'll appreciate your transparency.

4. Get as close to your customers as you can.

The location of the fulfillment center and how close it is to your production facility will determine your shipping rates and where there may be cost savings. Look for warehouses that are near most of your customers or shipping hubs, rather than ones close to your headquarters. It's understandable that you'll want to visit the fulfillment center, but the cost and ease of shipping are more important over the long term. In the event that you oversell, you'll at least have some peace of mind that your fulfillment centers can quickly connect your customers with your product.

Reputation is everything, and it depends on completing your product fulfillment as promised. Not doing so might cause backers to lose faith in your business. If you oversell your crowdfunding campaign and your operations start breaking at the seam, you can still power through and save your image.