The goWholesale Blog

Comment Etiquette - Say What?

May 7th, 2008

If you are in any way involved in a blog you know that positive comments are awesome, negative comments are…well, good for balanced feedback and spam comments are downright infuriating. Its the latter variety that this post is about.

You know them when you see them. Sometimes they are blatant, “Great blog! Visit my site www.bestsiteintheworld.com!”

Sometimes they are incoherent, “Greek should thy savage health insurance agents make light business contact manager windows mobile wheat.” (Whaaa?)

But most of the time, they are a little sneakier than that (in response to one of my Valentine’s Day Trend Alert posts), “Its true! We sell more Heart Valentines Day Votive candles on blacktaisaltco.com months after V Day. The Pure Himalayan Salt Lamps and regular Crystal Salt Votive candle holders sell during valentines day… most people send them to themselves as presents and not to anyone else… we had a questionnaire…proves our point.”

Yeah…so clearly, that’s marketing at work but because it was relevant to the blog post I felt inclined to allow it. And it didn’t make me feel very good either. It got me wondering if there is any sort of formal comment etiquette out there that would help marketers who are posting these comments to get what they want and not tick off bloggers?

My research led me to a SmallBusinessNewz.com article on the subject. The article’s author Chris Crum writes about how each blogger generally makes up their own policy regarding comments. There is quite a range from very lenient to very strict and not all of them are made known to commenters/readers. He links to Daria Black’s The Blogger’s Guide to Comment Etiquette which outlines guidelines the average blogger uses. Be sure to pay heed to number 1 on the list (it IS number 1 for a reason ya know…).

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Word of Mouth Marketing is Your Best Friend

May 6th, 2008

I was introduced to PlentyofFish.com today. It’s an online dating service that was started by one guy in Canada 5 years ago. It is now the third most popular online dating service and pulls in an annual revenue of 5 million+ from Google advertising. You know how many people run it now?

Just 1.

Yes it’s true, the same guy that started it still runs the site out of his apartment in Vancouver and is sitting quite pretty with his “little” venture. The difference between his site and the others out there? Well, #1 it’s absolutely free (people love free stuff right?) and #2 his success is based solely on word-of-mouth marketing. Kind of amazing isn’t it?

So now you might be wondering “why does it work?” In a word: trust. People naturally trust the recommendations of their friends, neighbors, family and peers over that of an anonymous marketer. Seems obvious but to employ this tactic isn’t as easy as it sounds.

Anyone attempting to use word of mouth marketing tactics must be very careful not to fool anyone about the source of the recommendation. Being straightforward is key. If you are from the company you are recommending, tell people you are. Because if you lie and people find out, the trust is broken, and word of mouth will work twice as fast but negatively against you.

Things you can do to start getting the word out:

If you have any other thoughts or comments regarding word of mouth marketing please share!

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Consumers Wary of Customized Ads

April 17th, 2008

A recent survey conducted by Harris Interactive and Dr. Alan F. Westin Professor of Public Law and Government Emeritus at Columbia University showed that the majority (59%) of U.S. adults are uncomfortable with customized ads directed at them based on their web surfing habits. It doesn’t really surprise me either.

After all, have you ever been reading your GMail and glanced over at the ads down the side and noticed that the ads have been determined by scanning the content in your email? I’ll admit that when I first noticed that going on, it weirded me out a bit. It made me feel as though someone must be looking at my private emails! Apparently I’m not alone.

The survey goes on to report that more people would be slightly more comfortable with the practice if they were presented with a privacy policy first but not by a huge margin. From a consumers standpoint it does tend to send up some privacy red flags.

But as an advertiser, this type of focused strategy is enormously beneficial. It makes sure that the ads are far more targeted on the individual which saves the time and money of both the advertising business and the consumer. However, if the uneasiness remains, don’t be surprised if you see some battles ensue.

The question for business owners and advertisers (also being consumers themselves) will be: which side of the fence will you come down on?

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Social Shopping Sites Bring More Opportunity to Small Businesses

March 31st, 2008

Interesting thing isn’t it? How the internet has completely replaced the need to leave your house to buy things. Shopping malls were once the great meccas of consumerism. What a shame….What’s that you say? They still are? Oh….how is that possible? The internet has EVERYTHING and you don’t even have to get off your duff to get it!

Sarcasm aside, in spite of the incredible convenience the internet affords, people are still flocking to malls around the world to find what they are looking for. So why is that? I thought the internet was supposed to make things easier?

The reason for this according to a recent Inc.com article, is that while shopping can be done individually, it is largely a social activity. We rely on recommendations from our friends and family to locate sources for certain products we may be interested in because we trust these people to give us good leads. In the internet world, all we’ve had to rely on are the search results Google and the like produce for us which, as we savvy internet users have come to find out, is based primarily on variables that do not have the consumer in mind, often producing the most prominent (read “well known”) sites first.

We’re in luck though. Smart entrepreneurs have recognized this and are doing something about it. For the first time, we are starting to see websites dedicated to tailoring the online shopping experience directly towards the consumer. Sites such as ThisNext, Shoposphere and Kaboodle are what is called “social shopping” sites. And here’s what they do:

As a small business marketer here’s how and why you can use these sites to grow your business:

Just remember to be a responsible member of these communities. Many of them self police anyway but you cannot approach it from a strict marketing standpoint. Don’t be intrusive and abuse the system. Merely develop good relationships and allow it to work for you.

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Snazz Up Your E-Marketing with E-Brochures

March 13th, 2008

There’s a new marketing tactic businesses are using and finding great success with. E-brochures are exactly what you think they are, with the same format, information and purpose but there are a bundle of advantages to using the online version in addition to the live one you probably already utilize. Entrepreneur.com sums them up below:

Cost effectiveness–No more guessing numbers for your print run, then winding up with too few or too many brochures. The cost of an e-brochure is fixed, whether you send out one or one million of them. Fees are based on the number of pages and any extra “bells and whistles” like video or audio. What’s more, digital distribution means you omit postage costs.

Interactivity–This can greatly boost the overall impact of your message by engaging your audience. Viewers can turn the interactive pages, view video or listen to audio with a simple click of their mouse. Better yet, they can immediately place orders or request more information by clicking on embedded links.

Customization options–E-brochures let you to target your messages to specific audiences, increasing the likelihood they’ll buy from you. Such market segmentation is much harder with printed collateral.

Easy to update and edit–You can quickly and efficiently customize your message, target your market and adapt to changes in the marketplace without re-printing a single page. Nor do you need to reprint your brochure if your offerings or price points change. Updating your e-brochure “template” is a simple and affordable editing job.

Unlimited distribution–The ability to e-mail your brochure means you can immediately and affordably respond to requests for information from anyone at any time. In fact you can instantly send your brochure to prospects around the globe and create a viral effect–one potential customer can forward it to other potential customers, which in turn can forward it to more customers and so on, at no cost to you.

Access to additional information–Your audience can quickly browse through content, zoom in on items, and print pages, all from the convenience of their home or office. You can also include a homepage link for customers who want to learn more about your business.

Tracking–With traditional printed materials, it is extremely difficult to track your ROI. Not so with e-brochures. You can track how many times your e-brochure is downloaded as well as how many orders you received from its distribution.

Environmentally friendly–Obviously, no trees are involved in the creation of an e-brochure. You won’t need any storage boxes to house extra brochures, either.

Makes your company look smart and innovative–Having an e-brochure gives the distinct impression that you’re ahead of the curve and well-positioned for the future. Customers like to do business with savvy companies who literally think outside the box.

Those are a lot of good reasons to give e-brochures a shot :)

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Mobile Billboards

March 5th, 2008

I’m sure you’ve seen them, but have you thought about actually using them?

As with anything in America these days, this type of advertising comes with options.

1. The standard billboard - This consists of your advertisement being displayed on a rotating basis between an average of 8 other messages.

2. The digital billboard - This one, like the one pictured above, consists of 6 high definition screens that can be seen day or night. You also have the option of using the 6 screens individually as well as a whole.

3. The billboard with display - This truck features either the standard scrolling or digital advertisements along the sides while in transit, but once it reaches its destination, the sides pull up and reveal a physical display of your products like in the picture below.

The general price for mobile billboards is around $4,000 for a 4 week period. Be sure to check around though as prices will probably vary by company and region.

Many times when companies devise their advertising campaigns they focus their efforts primarily around print, television and online advertising, which is very important but it’s not the only way to reach your target audience. Moblie billboards not only reach a massive audience of commuters stuck in traffic (think about how much time you yourself spend in the car!) but also is an easy way to bring your company to the attention of people attending sporting events, conventions, concerts–you name it.

Also, remember to think outside the usual advertising box and consider advertising options such as park benches, train and bus stops (or even inside the trains or on the buses), phone kiosks, taxi tops, digital projections on the side of buildings…in the world of advertising, there’s almost nothing off limits so get creative!

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Top 5 Bummers Of Online Social Networking

February 20th, 2008

You’ve heard the countless praises of online social networking, but as with anything, there is some bad that comes with all the good. And so I give you the five biggest bummers of participating in online social networking.

5. Scams

This one is pretty easy to understand but very important to consider. There is plenty of white-collar crime that goes down on the internet and social networking sites are not exempt. The anonymity the internet provides opens the door to con-artists and scammers so you have to beware.

4. There’s so many - How do you keep up?

Since the explosion of Myspace and Facebook (personal oriented) and LinkedIn (business oriented), social networking sites have been springing up everywhere. So which ones do you join? If you join too many, it could become a full time job keeping up with all those different networks. If you don’t join enough, you could be missing out on valuable networking opportunities. Where do you draw the line?

3. The stereotype of joining for self-interested reasons

Let’s be honest. Most people (who are not Gen Yers) are going to be joining these networks to promote their business. And if you are one of these people that’s fine. BUT, you’re not the only one who knows that. So you are going to have to fight, or rather work that much harder to get people to believe that you are truly interested in them/their business.

2. Time and resources

Whether you join many or few networking communities, you will have to commit time and resources to the task of creating and maintaining any relationships you might form. And even after all of this work it’s possible you may not even glean any postitive results! While the relationships you can form can be good (or dare I say, great) for business, you’ll have to weigh the return on investment here.

1. It’s impersonal

There’s no two ways about it. Networking the ‘old fashioned’ way allowed people to read body language, watch immediate reactions and learn first hand what others’ businesses do and what problems they are facing. While the internet is quite “instant” it has enabled delays between personal communication and this has damaging effects on business. There’s really nothing that compares to face to face interaction.

I would like to state here that I personally believe online social networking is crucial to e-commerce/business. There is a whole wide world (literally) of opportunity with this avenue and I recommend exploring it. Just keep in mind the other side of the coin as you make your decision! :)

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Company Wikis taking off

February 15th, 2008

I don’t know about you, but whether when I have a question about a person, a process, a product, a band, etc. my first stop on my road to discovery is usually Wikipedia, one of the most popular online information resources. And for the first time in history, the editors are the readers!

But the point of this post is not to sing the praises of Wikipedia, rather sing the praises of the concept of the Wiki. Did you know that small businesses are using Wikis to better organize and present information? Did you know that you could be doing the same thing?

More and more businesses are doing this because they claim it is far easier and more effective in communicating information throughout the company. Employees can create, manage and edit pages and keep each other informed and updated. Many companies use wikis strictly for internal use, but more are opening them up to customers as well.

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The power of funny commercials

February 14th, 2008

Not only are they entertaining but they tend to stick in your mind and hopefully the product/brand associated with it sticks as well. If you can’t hire an advertising firm to handle your advertising, that doesn’t mean you can’t still create a funny, catchy commercial. Don’t be afraid to give it a shot. Some of the best commercials are low budget!

So for your viewing pleasure, without further adieu, because it’s Valentine’s Day and because my name is Rebecca:

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Anti-Valentine’s Day - Trend Alert

February 13th, 2008

There’s a tradition in my family that for any occasion that warrants a card, especially birthdays, the meaner the card is the better. We often try to out do the other contenders and the result is often big laughs. The more insulting the card, the more you’re loved–we have an understanding.

We’re not the only people who share this fun, albeit unusual, tradition and with Valentine’s Day upon us, it appears that businesses are beginning to cash in on this quirky trend. For example, American Greetings Corp. has an entire category of “Anti-Valentine’s Day” cards.

And they’re not the only ones capitalizing on the anti-Valentine’s Day theme. Other businesses are coming up with unique ways to promote their businesses such as a bowling alley in Cleveland hosting a “Love…Spare Me!” event and clothing and merchandise stores selling t-shirts and stickers promoting “single awareness.”

So the next time a popular holiday rolls around, try a variation on the theme…you might even start a new trend!

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