October 1, 2010
All the social media buzz generated rapid business adoption of social media as a way to engage customers and promote their business … to a point. But that point, according to emarketer.com arrived quickly, stalling at 24%.
If you are among the large majority of business who were skeptical of the value of social media you’ll find you have plenty of company. The article suggests social media may be more valuable for building brand loyalty than for acquiring customers.
July 28, 2010
With over 100 million websites competing for time and eyeballs, having a website doesn’t mean much. Most websites generate little traffic and fewer sales. You need one but unless you are prepared to put time and expertise into generating results you are not likely to be very satisfied with the outcome.
Frank O’Brien at imedia connection.com takes on the issues with his six reasons to rethink your website.
July 27, 2010
PricewaterCoopers research on the structural change of retail in the post-recession years provides valuable insight into the mind of the new consumer.
Learn more about these shopping behavior changes at retailcustomerexperience.com which will additionally lead you to a link for a free registration to their newsletter, white papers and case studies and more. Looks like a valuable resource for retailers.
June 15, 2010
As I recall it is about $40 less than mom got on her day, but spending for the holiday is up nearly 4%. Nationally, Father’s Day is expected to see $9.8 billion in spending according to the National Retail Federation. What’s hot? Well, nearly 40% will enjoy a meal out, about 36% will receive clothes, electronics, greeting cards and tools follow.
June 3, 2010
Though not terribly consequential in Roseburg, where there is no Mercury dealership, it is worth noting the passing of another once popular car brand, the Mercury line . Mercury vehicles, manufactured by the Ford Motor Company, are to be phased out in the fourth quarter of this year. Ford says it is at the same time expanding the Lincoln line-up of vehicles. Perhaps they can do for Lincoln what GM has done for Cadillac … but they are late to the game.
The demise of Mercury appeared inevitable as Ford essentially ignored the brand while working to competitively position Ford branded vehicles. Mercury faded in relevance as the cars became Ford’s with a different grill and a higher price tag.
American automotive manufacturers were once widely admired for their ability to build brands. Oddly, that ended as some industry leaders focused on brand and stock valuation instead of product. That has changed in recent years, but too late for some lines.
So long, Mercury, we barely remember what you once were.
May 25, 2010
Alan Mutter’s blog, Reflections of a newsosaur, has become part of the regular reading routine for many of us in the news business. He is pretty hard on newspapers and most of his commentary involves the stupid economic and product decisions newspaper executives make.
His blog entitled “How local TV could go the way of newspapers” sounds a new alarm about the growing audience migration to the web and specifically the evolution of Internet Television.
Smart guy with good information.
May 10, 2010
Helping your business get the most from social media was the topic at today’s Roseburg Area Chamber of Commerce forum. Speaker John Hope-Johnston will also conduct a training program at Umpqua Community College Tuesday afternoon.
The turnout today, while good, was less than I might have expected given what has been pretty high readership on this blog about the event. There is quite a bit of activity in the social media arena and indications are that it will continue.
For the month of May The News-Review has challenged sister newspapers in Greeley, CO and Grass Valley, CA to see who can add more fans during the month. We have doubled are fan base in the first 10 days – and I’m in third place. Click this link and “like” our site if you would, please.
Social media is growing rapidly and can be useful to your business. Check out this video:
May 4, 2010
This story in the Los Angeles Times tells of Southwest Airlines CEO Gary Kelly’s decision not to charge for baggage – you know the ads, “Bags fly free!” Kelly calculates the decision captured $1 billion in market share and kept them profitable while others struggle.
I like this story. Not just because a single, gutsy decision was successful. I like it because of some of the other leadership lessons, like to be an excellent leader you have to be a superb follower. I have some folks that work here that are like that.
Check out this this entertaining video from TED about how movements get started.
April 27, 2010
Amazon built its business on books and then music, but its sales platform, market position, positive customer experiences and buyer’s ratings have allowed them to successfully transition into a major seller of goods. This Chart of the Day item illustrates how books and other media sales are now less than half of Amazon’s revenue stream.
March 12, 2010
Good morning, social media fans.
When people talk about the Internet it homogenizes the phenom; rolling content and channel into a giant ball of opportunity and excitement. Perhaps in prehistory the same could have been said of stacking rocks – cool, but where is the opportunity. Billions of words flow through the channel each day and the trick is to make your ad message more important than the rest.
Facebook, like Yahoo and others, tracks the tiniest bits of data and they will share some of it with you at (drumroll, please) Facebook Data. Thousands of words per second are tracked. The words tracked, along with some cool charts, will show you that words like yard and religion are climbing and that is associated with an older demographics’ growing use of the site. Take a look at it and see the top 15 terms used in 2009.
I suppose saying you have a website is like saying you are going to dig a hole in the ground to look for gold. Knowing where to dig is a very important first step, knowing what to do next is also pretty important.
If you seek to improve your return on digital investment, allow me to give a shameless plug to one of our sister companies, Swift Digital Marketing Partners. Take a look at their site and either contact them directly or give us a call at The News-Review and we’ll help you connect.
Business Events The News-Review Business
