Google Goggles has teamed up with five companies to test using Goggles as a way to further engage customers.

More information on the experiment can be found here: http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2010/11/offline-meet-online-marketing.html

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Google Goggles Marketing Experiment

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Lately on Freelance Social Media we’ve been discussing businesses using Foursquare as a way to build loyalty with their customers. In the last few months, a growing number of businesses have begun to utilize the “specials” feature on Foursquare.  This probably has something to do with the fact that as of June 2010, there are 1.3 million Foursquare users. Below, we’ll show you how to get your business added and create a special.

It’s a good idea to encourage first-time visitors like Topeka Subways did with their cookie offer and also reward loyal customers.



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Foursquare Marketing

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Scan this, I dare ya!

Ever see a funny looking computer generated square like the one to the right and wonder, “What the heck is that?”  Well, that my friend is a QR code. The Q and R stand for Quick Response.  Smartphone users scan the code with their phones’ camera and are shown either text, video, photos, audio, or a website!

The codes can easily be generated via websites like QR Code Generator. If you have yet to create one now is as good a time as ever.

Examples of QR code usage for marketing:

• In store windows –  Store fronts are a great place for QR codes.  You can advertise a special that you’re having or maybe you’d like to show a video of what your store has to offer.  All you have to do is attach a link to the YouTube video and voila, the shopper is experiencing your store on his or her phone.
• On flyers, brochures, table tents, basically anything! -  Any type of promotional material that you hand out or display can have a QR code on it linking it to a website for more information, video or audio. An example of this is a table tent created to promote an iPhone app at restaurants in Lawrence, KS.  Patrons with an iPhone could scan the code and be taken to the app store to download the app.
  

QR codes are a new concept but are gaining in usage.

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Using QR Codes for Small Business Marketing

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Just read an awesome case study by VaynerMedia about a campaign they facilitated between the New Jersey Nets and Gowalla.  As explained on VaynerMedia’s blog, “Through the campaign [they] distributed 250 pairs of tickets as Gowalla virtual items in targeted locations (sports bars, outdoor parks, gyms) for the New Jersey Nets v. Charlotte Bobcats basketball game on April 12th. Users that found these virtual tickets were able to redeem them for actual Nets tickets at the arena’s box office.”

No surprise that the Nets got creative with their marketing seeing as how they’re the worst team in the league. Which, by the way, is what made this campaign that much more difficult to execute.  What type of outcome would VaynerMedia see with this experiment for a game that took place on a Monday night…with a team that has only 12 wins…at the the Izod Center?

Welp, I’d say the outcome was pretty darn good.  15.2% of Gowalla winners attended the game.  Seats that were going to be empty were filled and brand loyalty between the Nets and their fans increased. A win-win for everyone involved.

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VaynerMedia Proves the Power of Geolocation Marketing

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Here’s an interview I did with Locker Partner’s Jason Harper discussing the Lawrence KS iPhone app and the value of controlling mobile app content.

http://lockerpartner.com/2010/04/lawrence-ks-app-langfordmedia/

Jason is an excellent writer and former Pitch columnist.

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Interview: LangfordMedia Has an App for Lawrence | Locker Partner

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Online marketers are increasingly seeing the benefits of integrating social media into their e-mail marketing campaigns, a recent study by StrongMail Systems Inc. demonstrates.

According to the June 2009 survey of over 500 marketers, 66% of respondents were planning to integrate their email marketing campaigns and social media sometime in 2009, and 48% of respondents have already formulated a strategy for linking the two channels.

Although marketers are beginning to understand the importance of incorporating social media into email marketing efforts, more than 55% of those surveyed indicated that one of their biggest challenges was how to determine the success of these strategies. Respondents also mentioned that they were having trouble with establishing business goals for such a campaign.

Some companies, such as Urban Outfitters, are already effectively synchronizing social media and email marketing campaigns. A recent email from Urban Outfitters reminded customers of an online exclusive discount to get an extra 15% off their purchase. The bottom of the email included easy links for customers to post this online discount to their friends on Facebook, Myspace, Digg, and Twitter.
With the integration of social media, companies like Urban Outfitters are able to reach a wider audience, but also can easily utilize the original email recipient as a natural and more realistic messenger or a brand ambassador; spreading the business’ intended message to friends, friends-of-friends, and in effect, creating a natural word of mouth campaign.

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Integrating Social Media in Email Marketing Campaigns

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The US still spends a lot of time online at home, but lately its been to scour careerbuilder.com and find jobs. Ouch! Makes me wonder when is careerbuilder.com going to start selling ads promoting alcohol…

Anyways, as far as how much time we spend leisurely browsing the internet, that percentage is about 30%. We rank 5th behind Italy, Japan, South Korea, and China.

source: emarketer.com

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China spends more leisure time online than we do!

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It was frustrating when I had used a bit of flash on a site and was unable to track its performance.  It looks like the times have changed!

Here’s the full post:  Google Analytics Blog-Want to track Adobe Flash?

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Adobe Flash now trackable with Google Analytics

Technorati Tags: google analytics

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According to survey results released by eMetrics, the majority of marketing budgets are not seeing a cut due to the economy.

60% of respondents said their marketing budgets haven’t changed.
Also, it looks like senior management is finally interested in tracking their online marketing campaigns with analytics. (It’s about time they started listening)

80.4% of marketers say interest in web analytics from senior management in the past 6 months has increased.

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Marketing Budgets and the Economy

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Jennifer Jones from Speak Media Blog and David Griner from the Social Path wrote some great posts on the fastest growing consumer segment: The Gen Y Mom’s.

A few highlights from Jennifer’s post:

The Numbers: Gen Y has roughly 80 million members. The leading edge of this generation has begun turning 30 this year and approximately 9 million are already moms.

The Attitude: Gen Y moms also grew up in an era of teamwork (versus individuality/do-it-myself for Gen Xers). They have very strong relationships with their mothers, many of whom are Boomers, and these Boomers moms will likely play a big role in helping Gen Y mom raise her children (an appreciated team approach). Boomer mom will be a highly trusted source of not only child-raising information, but also brand/product/service information.

The Pendulum Factor: These emerging moms are exhibiting a return to traditional values exhibited by the Mature generation (who are Gen Y’s grandparents and many call The Greatest Generation). As teenagers and young adults, volunteerism, philanthropy and religion have all played a big role in their lives and impacted their thinking on everything from work to politics to family life. They are very in tune with not just local issues, but global issues that relate to the wellness of others and the planet. Another similarity to the Greatest Generation has been found in several studies with Gen Y females. These studies have found a desire for having more children and starting to raise their families at a younger age than Boomers or Xers did. This will lead Gen Y to be a powerful mom force for several decades.

The Marketing: This is the most marketing-savvy generation ever seen. This coupled with their mastery and reliance on the Internet for word-of-mouth information from moms in their social-networking circles, will leave traditional marketers with a very challenging proposition for creating brand connections.

This content from: Freelance Social Media

A portrait of Gen Y Mom’s for Marketers

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