Retailers who are actively involved in marketing their products and/or services using Facebook may have a distinct advantage over their competitors, according to the latest Morpace Omnibus study.

Businesses are using Facebook as a means to offer and receive product recommendations. The study concentrates on three key areas: which consumer segments are most likely to use Facebook and how frequently; how often consumers search for or share product/company opinions or information, and which demographics are most likely to use the social media website.

“The results show us that Facebook is a tool for retailers to directly communicate with their target market,” said Morpace Retail Vice President Kirsten Denyes. “Retailers can offer consumers product information and exclusive coupons and discounts to create viral product buzz among Facebook consumers”, Denyes added.

Among the primary reasons consumers join a Facebook fan page are: “To let my friends know what products I support,” (41 percent) and “To receive coupons and discount offers,” (37 percent). More than 36 percent of consumers consider

Social media is the fastest growing component to online marketing today. Are you using social media sites, such as Facebook and YouTube and/or using social media tools, such as blogs and Twitter, to attract visitors?

More businesses are beginning to understand how to best leverage online tools to build a community and recognize that engagement and interaction are the foundations of social marketing, but most don’t know what’s next.

Download your copy of “How Franchises Can Leverage Social Media”

There are 10 Billion unique searches done each month on various search engines and it’s estimated that over 57% of those are for local businesses. Google alone has over a Half Billion unique Local Searches per month. The bottom line is that over 50% of people find what they want through local search.

Online Local Marketing
For most businesses the majority of their customers are local, especially if you are a brick and mortar business, a local service provider or a restaurant. Even with the internet the majority of purchases are still made within 30 miles of home. So it is critical to be found for as many pertinent local searches as possible.
What this means is you want to be found under as many combinations of words as you can, locally. For example, you want to come up in search engines for both “San Jose CA Plumber” as well as “Bay Area Plumber”. The more keywords that relate to your local area the better.

The Challenge for Franchise Marketers
Franchise systems have the particular challenge of showing up local because it’s difficult to have unique websites for each location. Typical solutions franchises implement include such things are micropages (http://franchisename.com/franchisee.html), sub-domains (http://franchisee.franchisename.com) and local websites (http://franchiseename.com).

A branded local website, such as http://pdromaha.com for a Paul Davis Restoration franchise in Omaha, NE, can deliver significant local search impact. The image below shows the results for both Maps and Organic search that a branded local website can deliver.

Our article “Is it Really That Easy Going Green” was published in Renewaable Energy World October 2009 (http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2009/10/is-it-really-that-easy-going-green).

We all know that person who fashionably expresses concern for the destruction of our environment – and then they drive off in their gas-guzzling SUV to their home that’s lit up like a Christmas tree, all while drinking from a coffee cup made from non-recycled paper. Are they lying about caring? I’d like to believe most people would prefer to be environmentally responsible; however, the fear of the associated costs paired with the confusion as to how to actually go green is enough for many to hopelessly throw their hands up in the polluted air.

This is why it can be a challenge for renewable energy companies to convey the value of their services. In addition to the presupposed higher price tags, perplexing industry jargon serves as another roadblock, as it only further bewilders potential customers trying to navigate an already ambiguous industry.

In short, renewable energy companies are often communicating too much data and not enough useful information, which is scaring away potential customers. And if a renewable energy company can’t convince the consumer of the financial, environmental and personal value of their investment, there simply is no sale.

That being said, many renewable energy companies have proactively created an online presence to better communicate to potential customers, but they are still lost in how to best deliver their message. Because of the distinct challenges these companies face in the sales process, the bar is constantly being raised in terms of creative Internet solutions designed to attract and capture valuable customers. It’s really no longer enough to just have a presence online.

Here are four specialized strategies that renewable energy companies should consider in their online

This article was published in Franchising World Magazine in August 2009. http://www.franchise.org/Franchise-Industry-News-Detail.aspx?id=47280

In a world where technology has infiltrated the very fabric of our social culture, consumers have evolved to be human spam filters, adept at tuning out the constant messaging coming in from TV and banner ads, billboards, email newsletters and the like. With marketers now realizing that the age-old premise, “if you display it, they will see it,” may no longer be viable, the current buzz throughout board rooms, marketing forums and coffee houses is whether or not Mobile Internet Marketing is the next effective and practical progression in the marketing mix.

As companies question the effectiveness of traditional “outbound” marketing initiatives like broadcast and billboard advertisements, which push a message out far and wide, hoping that it resonates with a few individuals, they’re putting more emphasis on “inbound” marketing strategies that organically attract potential and already interested customers through search engines, blogs and social media. This has spurred franchises to take a closer look at making their messaging more local. Franchisors have moved from national level marketing, to regional, and local, by way of localizing online presence for every franchisee, and are now faced with Mobile Internet Marketing and wondering where it fits and what benefits it offers.