Posts Tagged ‘atlanta marketing’

Keeping Your Business Up-to-Date with Technology: Going Mobile

Friday, 07 December, 2012 10:53
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According to a report released by the Pew Internet & American Life Project, as many as 45% of adults in the U.S. own a Smartphone. This means more people are turning to their mobile devices rather than their computers to find information online.  If you don’t think that’s relevant to your business, note that by next year when more people will be using mobile phones than computers for online use, according to Gartner.  At McCauley Marketing Services, we frequently discuss the importance of having strong website content to provide interesting and relevant information for consumers.

mobile website design atlanta ga

Having great website content also helps your business’s search engine optimization (SEO), which ultimately raises awareness, increases traffic, and overall improves your business’s website. However, if your website isn’t mobile-friendly, you may be losing potential business. As technology continues to evolve, people do not want to be bothered by difficult navigation or slow loading times on their mobile devices. Not only should your business have a mobile site but it needs to be optimized as well. Having an optimized mobile site can generate more traffic and boost customer engagement.

The ramifications of not having an optimized mobile site may include but are not limited to: less online purchases, potential customers going elsewhere, and have a negative impact on your company’s brand.  At McCauley Marketing, we can help your business implement a complete marketing strategy including a creative website design along with a mobile site design that complements your company’s brand and goals.

If you are interested in learning more about the services McCauley Services offers, please contact us today. Be sure to connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, Google + and Pinterest for the latest marketing news and tips.

How to Respond to Negative Reviews Online

Thursday, 29 March, 2012 14:54
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mccauley servicesIt’s every business owner’s worst nightmare—the negative online review. Impossible to control, people feel like they can say whatever they want behind the anonymity of the internet. Sites like Google, Yelp, and Kudzu allow consumers to rate and review everything from restaurants to plastic surgeons so other patrons can know what to expect. While these sites offer people a place to really sing your praises, they also give unhappy customers a venue for retaliation.

When you inevitably meet the day that you receive an angry review online, here are a few things to remember:

Don’t ignore it. It won’t disappear. You may think that negative reviews online don’t really affect your business, but the internet is becoming the new word of mouth. If your friends urge you to stay away from a restaurant because the waiters are jerks, you’re more likely to try a different place. By ignoring online reviews, you’re letting unhappy customers dictate what hundreds or even thousands of potential customers see as an online representation of your business meaning it’s equally important to respond in a timely manner. Furthermore, it’s meaningful to customers who write negative reviews for someone to reach out and let them know their voice has been heard. Replying to a negative review will not only redeem your company’s online reputation, but might even help you gain back a disgruntled client.

There are rare occasions you may want to ignore certain reviews like when you come across one from five years ago. It’s better to ignore that than open up an old can of worms. Seek professional help from an experienced reputation management company to get more information on when NOT to respond.

Never respond negatively.  Kill ‘em with kindness, but don’t be a pushover, either. While it’s easy to get caught up in the emotion of bad reviews, the internet is never a place to argue. Online etiquette is easily muddled when typed instead of said in person. Don’t blame the person or try to defend yourself in a belligerent way. Instead, phrase things in a reconciliatory tone that doesn’t reflect poorly on your business. If they get the facts wrong, correct them! If they’re complaining about the worst haircut ever and you’re a dermatologist—say so! If reviewers are making detrimental claims that can be refuted with evidence, we encourage you to link to that evidence in your response so researchers will have confirmation of your claims. For example, if someone is claiming you’ve been sanctioned by the Better Business Bureau, and your slate is clean, link to your BBB profile for validation. Additionally, giving them business contact information in your response is beneficial as it can help keep them from retaliating via online reviews that are visible to everyone.

Apologize for the bad experience, and make amends. Most often bad online reviews are about bad customer service. People write when their service expectations just weren’t met. Just because one customer had a bad experience, doesn’t mean your company is bad at customer service all the time, though. Without admitting fault, say you’re sorry that the client’s service expectations weren’t met and ask for an opportunity to earn back their business. Whether it’s a gift certificate or a replacement product, a repeat customer is worth the small cost of making sure their testimonial is a positive one.

If it’s serious, get assistance. While most people are genuinely disgruntled, there are some online reviewers who are just mad at the world. If negative online reviews turn into harassment, don’t hesitate to seek help. As a customer relationship management firm, we know that laws regarding evidence on the internet are still being firmed up, and it’s always smarter to cover your bases.

Maintaining your online reputation is more than keeping your website up to date and staying active on social media. Responding openly when you get a negative online review shows that your clients and their positive experiences are your top priorities. For more online marketing tips and the latest in internet news, follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

What You Need to Know about Facebook Timeline for Businesses

Monday, 19 March, 2012 09:24
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You may have noticed your favorite companies’ Facebook profiles have changed to match the Timeline style utilized in personal profiles. While it’s always controversial anytime Facebook makes a visual change, we all know that change can come with benefits, and this is definitely the case with the Facebook brand page Timeline.

For companies who may not be as social media savvy, we thought we’d break down the changes to help you make the most of the business Timeline format.

Updated User Interface

When you log in, you’ll notice that the side bar of administrator options has moved above the page into an “Admin Panel.” There, you’ll find new notifications, a list of people who have recently liked your page, messages, insights, and page tips. More in-depth options are found under the “Manage” tab at the top of the panel (profile picture, basic information, apps, etc.). The streamlined look puts a lot of what you’ll need to assess your Facebook profile in one place and can be hidden if you want to focus more on your profile content.

Messages

Previously not a feature on a Facebook business page, messaging is now available to organizations! While this will help you better communicate with current and potential customers and clients, it could also be tough for larger companies to keep up with an ever-growing inbox. For those who may not be able to answer all the messages they receive, Facebook allows businesses to opt-out of this feature by turning it off in the admin settings.

Highlight Important Updates

Just like your customers can highlight important life events in Timeline, businesses and organizations can “pin” certain events and highlight status updates they deem important. If you scroll over the top right corner of any status update, link, or photo, you’ll notice the “highlight” option. By clicking this, the status update becomes larger and takes up the width of your page. This highlighting option shows clients that it’s important enough for them to give it a second look. Make sure not to highlight everything, though, or your page will become a visual nightmare.

Add Milestones to Your Timeline

Similarly to highlighted updates, you can add important events or milestones to your business’s Timeline. This is a fun little way to show the history of your business. By clicking the milestone option on the status update toolbar (above where you’d type a status), you can add the date and pictures from when your business was founded, when important members joined the team, and other exciting business milestones. Facebook offers companies a unique way to enhance brand identity with the milestone feature.

Cover Photo

This is one of the most visible changes in the business page’s switch to the Timeline format. While it’s an exciting new way to draw in new followers, there are specific rules Facebook has issued for the cover photo including no pricing info (“20% Off!”), no calls to action (“Tell your friends!”), and no company info that would be in the “About” section. You can’t encourage people to like your page on the cover photo. Instead it’s supposed to remain, just that, a photo that describes your company and services. So get creative with your graphic design!

The new Timeline for company pages offers businesses a chance to really engage in social media in ways that the previous format didn’t allow. By making the organization pages similar to personal profiles, Facebook gives companies the opportunity to really shine and show the personality of their brands. For more information on social media marketing, make sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+!

You’ve Been Promoted! Twitter Offers Advertising Options

Wednesday, 14 March, 2012 09:11
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mccauley servicesIf you’re a frequent Twitter user, you’ve probably noticed the tweets of people or organizations that you don’t follow have started showing up in your feed along with a little orange box. Twitter is now offering forms of advertising to companies looking to capitalize on the search-engine-like capabilities of the social media platform: promoted tweets, accounts, and trends.

According to Twitter’s website, promoted tweets are the space purchased by advertisers to show up on the Twitter feed of a certain group of people characterized by the people users follows and their interests. Promoted accounts are similar except they show up in the “Who to Follow” box, and promoted trends appear in the trend box underneath that. Promoted tweets and trends are currently in the Beta stage, while promoted accounts are available.

These forms of social media advertisements work on a cost-per-engagement basis in which a company advertising through a promoted tweet pays their bid price every time a Twitter user clicks on, retweets, replies to, or favorites your tweet. Bid prices can range based on the popularity of your topic and are available in Twitter search where they are targeted toward keywords. Promoted accounts are charged on a cost-per-follow basis, meaning the bid price is charged each time a Twitter user follows that account. Promoted trends are offered on a flat daily fee usually costing tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars, but your trend is posted at the top of each logged-in Twitter user’s Trend list, regardless of location.

The high cost of advertising on Twitter has turned off many potential clients including HBO and Toyota according to an article on VentureBeat.com. However, the article’s author, Tom Cheredar, speculates that this high cost is due to the fact that, “Unlike search engine marketing, those who advertise their message with Twitter have a better chance of creating a long-term relationship with consumers.”

The newest addition to Twitter’s list of promoted content includes an enhanced profile page to allow for more company brand identity than usually allowed on a typical Twitter profile including a header image (similar to Facebook’s new Timeline cover photo), featured content including automatically expanding videos in promoted tweets, and a matching mobile version of your profile.

While Twitter advertising may help companies target customers who are more likely to be loyal, does the high cost of their promoted options give advertisers a good return on investment (ROI)? The Twitter website offers case studies of companies who have taken advantage of the promoted offerings and used them to their full potential. One men’s apparel company, Bonobos, offered a sale on a style of pants only through Twitter, a “Twixclusive.” Over 80 people retweeted the offer in about 8 minutes, and the company reported a 1200% ROI in 24 hours. The case study also reports that, for Bonobos, it was 13 times more cost-effective to get new customers from Twitter than any other marketing approach.

While this case study is obviously meant to highlight the best case scenario, it shows the potential that Twitter’s promoted advertising offers companies. If your organization is looking into investing a large amount into social media advertising like that offered though Twitter, it’s best to thoroughly research your social media campaign.

For more information on social media marketing, sign up for our newsletter. You can also connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+.

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All data provided on mccauleyservices.com and mccauleyadvertising.com is for educational purposes only and should not be misconstrued as business advice. McCauley Marketing Services makes no representations as to accuracy, suitability, or validity of any information on this site and will not be liable for any errors, omissions, or delays in this information or any losses, injuries, or damages arising from its display or use. Market research and marketing plans and only be compiled with a thorough business analysis and careful observation of each business. It is highly recommended that you seek the professional guidance of an advertising professional before implementing any of the described avenues.