3foldComm

Social media and mobile technology has changed the scope of business. As brands and businesses have moved into the realm of social media, the pack and stragglers are starting to catch up with the leaders leaving us to question “what’s next?” A good friend and mentor of mine, Brian Solis, really examines this in his latest book “The End of Business as Usual.” Continue reading “It’s “The End of Business As Usual” and I feel fine” »

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Daily “deals” sites exploded on the scene with the popularity of Groupon and before you knew it, there were a flood of similar sites popping up including companies like Facebook and Yelp vying for a piece of the pie. Just as quickly as they appeared in the social deals marketplace, Facebook and Yelp both have announced major changes to its strategies. Facebook is exiting the social deals landscape altogether after just four months and Yelp is cutting staffing by 50% in the deals division after a just a year.

Some are citing deal fatigue with customers becoming weary of the plethora of emails plaguing their inbox and business tired of heavy-handed salespeople and negative experiences from deal redemption. In Facebook’s case — coupled with recent privacy improvements — the death of both its Facebook Deals and Facebook Places in the last week may just be the social network getting lean and mean for a heavyweight bout with Google+.

Bloomberg released a story that appeared on AdAge today citing the clutter of the market and thinning of margins as two of the main factors in the shift of strategy for Yelp and Facebook. It only makes sense as these two companies are taking into consideration the overall perception of its respective brands and not getting those tainted further by negative feedback or perception as consumer attitudes mature around this new market.

The numbers are pretty staggering with 52% of people feeling overwhelmed by the amount of emails they receive and 60% feel the deals market is just too crowded. With this much competition, the quality of the deals for the consumer can dwindle along with margins for both the companies brokering the deals and the businesses offering the deals — main reasons why many companies might be backing out of the market.

Despite this shift the deal market is still vibrant offering plenty of value for a business and a good option to showcase your business. A well-executed deals promotion will bring new and existing customers through the door and a tighter market can mean more benefits in the long term. Less noise also can be a gain in visibility for your business for the promotion, even if a customer decides not to partake in the deal.

Whatever company you chose to use, just make sure you feel comfortable with the scope and terms of deal or promotion before you sign the contract. Here are some things to consider when using a deal to gain exposure for your business:

• A coupon or deal won’t fix bad customer service — Take a look at your business and fix customer service issues in advance. Why bring in an influx of new customers that are only going to experience a subpar cusomer experience? Once they are there, give them a reason to come back.
• Remove as many limits as possible — Coupon not valid Thursday through Saturday? Only valid on full moons and when the tides are low? Remove the limitation of using the coupon or deal. Remember it’s about getting the customer in your business when they are ready.
• It’s not about making money right then and there — Sure you have people that will come in for the deal only with no plans on returning but for those that aren’t, this is the perfect time to build a new, loyal customer. That relationship is much more valuable over time.
• Prepare your staff — There is always likely going to be some confusion and issues behind the deal or coupon, prepare your staff on how to handle this and remember flexibility is key in conflict resolution.
• Work with the deal company to get the best deal for you — They usually have minimums in the guidelines but don’t be afraid to negotiate for the best deal for you. Also if you are a non-profit, the margin is greater so make sure to tell them that up front. Next, keep in consideration your products or services — if your average transaction is under $10, it makes no sense to offer $40 of services for $20.
• Don’t be afraid of being social — Social media and social networks are most likely the reason these people have heard about the deal. Don’t be afraid to share your deal with your existing network plus once the customer is in the door don’t be afraid to ask people to share their experiences on Facebook, Twitter or Yelp!

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The other day we had a great conversation with Kelly Johnson, the social media strategist and reporter of the Sacramento Business Journal, discussing community building and finding influencers. Our chat made me think about a great post I read from Margie Clayman aptly titled “Don’t search for mavens. Be one.” As marketers and brand advocates we really do know the power of a big A-List influencer, maven, guru or expert can have with boosting exposure and awareness with a simple mention but at the same time instead of spending all your resources courting this big fish, you might just be better served building your own community. Continue reading “Building community is more than attracting A-List influencers” »

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Google’s new social network Google+ is gaining more momentum and has many promising features. Although previous Google lovefests for other products like Google Buzz and Google Wave ended up seeing poor performance over time with no long-term adoption, Google is hoping this is the next big feather in its cap. Speculating on whether Google+ is going to be a Facebook or Twitter killer might be best left for the pundits but the reality is Google+ has many promising features making it a product worth paying attention to.

As marketers we see the service as a great way to connect a brand to its customers but in order to do that, Google+ needs to reach a critical mass of active users engaging and perusing content. Social media has been a great way for consumers to have unfettered access to companies and products like never before and you can expect that to extend to Google+ as well. As we take our initial look at Google’s new social network we do realize there are definitely risks and opportunities at hand.

For those of you who have held a Gmail account over the years, this is your entry into Google+. Unlike other networks that may close your account and give you the “boot” for violating their terms of service, mess around on Google+ and not only risk losing your identity on the network but you could lose access to your entire Google portfolio under that email address. Now common sense can probably help preventing this from happening but you just never know in this digital age.

Edd Dumbill examines Google+ going beyond just a Facebook killer in his post on the O’Reilly Radar. Dumbill sees Google+ plus as the social backbone finally uniting a scattered social graph. Taking a crack at breaking down the “walled garden” approach of many current social networks, Google+ could be that backbone that could be applied to new networks, groups and communities allowing for a central hub that connects your friends, family and followers — and the associated information you’ve created and shared — to other third party sites and services. In essence, taking what Facebook Connect was doing but adding a more robust network behind it.

AOL’s Social Media & Marketing Director, Matthew Knell is anxiously awaiting Google to greenlight the use of Google+ for brands. There are plenty of brands chomping at the bit to get in and play around. Google has asked companies to refrain from establishing footholds in the new network until they launch its services specifically for businesses. Some brands like Ford took the risk and started a presence on Google+ but for smaller business without the clout Ford has, becoming victim to an early denial of use by Google may do more harm than good. Sure taking a cowboy risk and doing something innovative may pay off but you just have to take into account the possible risk. Either way, just like with other social networks, its about taking risks and chances to learn how best to connect with your audience.

Google+ is still new and we’re kicking the tires and revving the engine and ready to take it out on the track for a couple laps. After we put it through the paces, we’ll be able to come back with more insight but until then, Mashable’s Ben Parr put together this great online manual Google+: The Complete Guide that is worth checking out.

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Sure the summer temperatures may be cooler than normal but that doesn’t mean things aren’t heating up here at 3fold Communications. In case you didn’t notice, yes this is a new voice here and I am excited to join this wonderful team of engaging, creative and dynamic people at 3fold.

So you might be asking yourself who is this Brian Blank guy? Well as of last week I joined the team as public relations and social media manager to help our existing and future clients navigate the ever-changing realm of communications in this digital society.

My background is with technology and sports PR, having worked in and around the Silicon Valley tech scene from the late 1990s to today – seeing a dynamic shift in the way we communicate. The recent growth of social networking and social media has changed the way consumers and brands interact and it can be daunting for companies to shift their communication strategies when it seems like there is a new tool or network popping up every day.

The key thing to remember is many of these networks and gadgets are just tools to use to communicate, and to be most effective you must have a solid communications strategy as a backbone. Strategy will help set the game plan and road map to make your overall public relations efforts and social media tactics easier to grasp and understand.

We are in an exciting time. Great things are on the horizon for the agency and I am excited to be on the team. Our CEO and founder Gordon Fowler has put together an incredible lineup of rock stars here, and we all look forward to meeting your needs and going beyond expectations.

You can read more about me here over as I’ll be a regular contributor on key topics here on the 3fold Blog or you can also follow me on Twitter @brian3fold. So whether you have a question or are looking for a top-notch integrated marketing agency to help you cut through the noise and make a positive impact, give us a call and stay tuned for more great things ahead!

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