tcherewka - Tumblr blog

[tcherewka]

Why Your Marketing Strategy Needs to Incorporate Facebook

I have spent a few years talking to people about the the value of Facebook and I always would hear the same thing time and time again - "It's for the younger generation" or "I use it to look at pics of the Grandchildren" but I never hear anyone say they are "using it for business". 

Every month I hear the same thing and every month Facebook continues to grow.  It recently surpassed another milestone -  1 TRILLION page views in a single month.  In case you were wondering that is a 1 followed by 12 zeroes.  

In June 2011 Facebook had 860 million unique visitor.  That is an average or 1162 page views per visitor. This number will only get bigger and it that isn't enough for you to consider Facebook as a vehicle for your next marketing campaign here are a few other things to think about.

On Demand Marketing: Facebook allows you to target the exact client you want to reach through a very fine tuned search algorithm....... what did you think they were doing when they asked for your birthday, sex, where you live etc.  Unlike traditional interruptive marketing/advertising such as newspaper/TV and other medias where your ad is shown to every person even people who don't want to see it with Facebook you can target your audience.

Reach Your Audience - Case Study CM Photographic

People treat Facebook as an authentic part of their lives, so you can be sure you are connecting with real people with real interest in your products. Facebook Ads provided CM Photographic the ability to target their exact demographic — 24-30 year old women whose relationship status on Facebook indicated that they were engaged.

Over 12 months, CM Photographics generated nearly $40,000 in revenue directly from a $600 advertising investment on Facebook. Of the Facebook users who were directed to CM Photographics' website from the ads, 60% became qualified leads and actively expressed interest in more information.

Low Cost and high ROI - This is hundreds times cheaper than conventional marketing.  Compare the cost of printing a Full Colour Newspaper Ad vs the cost of a targeted Facebook Campaign.  Facebook is clearly the winner.

Another very powerful aspect of any online marketing is the availability to measure all of your results.  Find out who clicked on your ad, who saw your ad, how many sales resulted from that campaign, how many people looked at your ad and the list keeps going.

Take a look at the chart below to see how much less expensive it is to generate leads from a single online ad.

So the next time you are putting together your marketing strategy be sure to consider online / Facebook advertising as a viable medium.

[tcherewka]

When Building Your Website Make Sure You Hire the Right Contractors

Building your online dream site is really no different than building your dream home.  You are personally attached to the project, you intend to be there for many years, can you expand if your family er business gets bigger and what will your clients think or in my case - the inlaws?  These are just some of the things to consider before you put the shovel in the ground so to say and why we can't stress enough the reason for choosing the right web contractor for the job is key to the success of your business.

Too many times we hear from companies they have hired a team to develop their web site and in the end that is what they get - a web site.  It looks great with all of the stock images and has all of the social icons that show the company is current with the trends and it has no flash (a personal fave) and is built with the latest CMS back end, but that's it. They are finished, they are handing the keys over and walking away (towards the bank) to celebrate a job well done. Stop this insanity.

Imagine walking into your newly built dream house and when you turned on the tap no water came out - but the contractor explained that they used the best siding to attract the neighbours.  Or what if there was no electricity but he insisted you looked at the paint he chose because the colours are the latest trends and what if when you opened the basement door you noticed that the house had no lower level or depth but he said the doorbell makes funny sounds when people ring it, what would you do?  To be honest you wouldn't be in that position because you would hire someone that knew what they were doing because you knew exactly what you wanted and went over every last detail before you signed - and that is my point.  You have to know exactly what you want and go over every last detail before you sit down to sign.

Having a website is great and having a website that generates business is even better but having a website that scales with your company, positions you as a leader in your industry and generates residual business is what you want to strive for.  That is what a good web contractor will do for you.

[tcherewka]

Using Twitter to Avoid Awkward First Impressions.

It wasn't long ago that I began getting prepared with marketing material and biz cards for the next (insert industry) conference.  Like any good foot soldier I would download the pdf of vendors attending the event and the VIP speakers and I would  strategize on how many potential connections I could contact and more importantly how many on a first impression would I be able to woo into a possible purchase order. I was even strategic in sending out pre and post emails that had a subject line with a "hook" that they could not resist.  In the end though, it was always the same - too many people, not enough time and my first impression was good, unfortunately just as good as the 1000's of other passerby's on any given day.

If that scenario sounds vaguely familiar you are not alone.  I've talked to a lot of people that have struggled just like you and how I used to struggle.  That's right, I have a new game for conferences that works like magic and as long as you spend the time you too will be rewarded.

About 2 years ago Twitter came into my life, at first as just another connecting tool but then I changed how I used it and my world will never be the same.  Here are a couple exercises you can use so that the next time you are going to a conference you are walking into the arms of business acquaintances that already know you.

1st step - make sure you have a twitter acount

2nd step - find out what the hashtag is for the upcoming event and search it

3rd step - listen in to what people are saying and then join the conversation

Its that easy.  Join the conversation before the event happens and chat with others that are going to it as vendors, attendees or speakers. Open up the lines of communication a week or two before the event then on the day of you no longer have to be walking into those awkward first impression moments, you my firend already know these people.  

There you have it.  You have saved both time and energy and most important, the day of the event you are not fumbling with marketing material and biz cards (like those other guys) you are laughing it up at the booth with who might just turn out to be your next best customer.

[tcherewka]

Does Klout still have clout?

Like most ppl I got caught up in trying to get a high Klout score and then as they suggest, share it with my friends.  I didnt want to share it with friends that had more Klout than me, I simply wanted those below me to see how high I had risen.  That was before the bubble burst.

Now I go to Klout and I see they have added more sites to see how influential I am on those sites and want me to include them all, share my score again with new friends and start all over again.

The problem is the game cannot be beaten.  If you slow down a little on your posts, retweets, friend etc your score starts to dwindle.  The gamification that is involved with Klout is meant to keep you addicted to it....and it is working.

Klout still has clout as it is a well written fun application....but it is not to be taken too seriously.

Last thought - in this case it is not the size of the boat that matters but the motion in the ocean.  The value is not the list, the value is in the list.  Case in point - if you have 500 friend that follow you and I have 2 then it seems a little stacked; however if the 2 people that I'm connected to are Steve Jobs and Bill Gates then value of my list is subsequently stronger than yours (unless you too have Steve and Bill in your list aswell).

[tcherewka]

Raise your voice in this 1 question survey. Simply asked - how will you vote on May 2nd. http://su.pr/1zrPK5

[tcherewka]

Check out this awesome video a friend passed on to me - Free Hugs in Italy - http://bit.ly/e4kuNs LeonardCohen

[tcherewka]

Save 25% off Tickets 4 Legally Blonde The Musical, Click http://su.pr/2woJji & type in PROMOCODE "LISA" - RT those2girls

[tcherewka]

Japan Quake has Skyscrapers Swaying - Buildings in Tokyo swaying during the 8.9 magnitude quake on March 11, 2011 http://bit.ly/dEJ2P6

[tcherewka]

WOW! SAVE 50% OFF Sanderson Centre Shows -Great Gift 4 clients! Act now, offer ends 11pm - PROMO CODE - tweetstock - http://su.pr/6DExX9

[tcherewka]

Meet NHL LEGENDS - Guy Lafleur, Bryan Trottier, Glenn Anderson, Billy Smith & Theo Fleury http://bit.ly/igaPgE

[tcherewka]

We made Dabble Magazine's Launch issue - On PG 14 - Check it out -@KathyBuckworth http://bit.ly/evEGph

[tcherewka]

Spring Forward into Social Marketing – March 03, 2011

  Spring Forward is the next stage in the evolution of Tweetstock. When we started Tweetstock our goal was to create an event that fused together social media and networking, a Social Media Networking Event, and would introduce Brantford to the world through social media!

After three successful Tweetstock’s, we are bringing industry experts to Brantford to teach our community how to take their social media use to the next level. Tweetstock has helped to share local ideas for engaging members of the community through social media. Now Tweetstock will help people learn social media strategies that will engage people here and abroad.

Tweetstock IV: Spring Forward is the ultimate experience for you to learn from social media experts how to improve your online presence, and meet people from throughout the regional community who are building their personal and professional networks through social media!

The Tweetstock Team

Trevor Cherewka - @trevor_cherewka  

Josef Stephens - @contrastdesign  

Lucas Duguid - @octopusred

[tcherewka]

Want 2 FREE SABRES Tix - Click & follow http://bit.ly/htBbKo and 1 lucky follower will get these. http://ping.fm/RKNwX

[tcherewka]

RollerCoaster FreakOut. Little girl screams while riding wooden coaster w/dad @darienlake http://su.pr/2bSVmH MyDD

[tcherewka]

NO MORE COLD CALLS! Learn Authentic Marketing from the best! @unmarketing live at tweetstock4 - http://bit.ly/fttjP3

[tcherewka]

Calling all my designers friends. Want 25 FREE Credits from BIGstock. Fill out survey and voila! http://su.pr/1kzku2