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April 24, 2012

Social selling with social media

  • Posted By : Mark Didas/
  • 0 comments /
  • Under : Branding, Buzz marketing, Sales, Social media

Social SellingIncreasingly, small businesses want to understand how to leverage social media to increase sales.  In previous topics, we’ve discussed methods for creating a social media marketing strategy and using metrics to measure the return on your social media investment.  Having a plan or roadmap should always be the first step in any marketing initiative including social media.

Can social media be an efficient, cost-effective channel for finding new customers and selling to business clients?

By now, you’ve probably heard the term social selling (or Sales 2.0).  Social selling is about engaging prospects on their terms. It involves learning their marketing, communication, and buying preferences and then positioning yourself to be of value. Social selling (and social media) is not about blasting offers in your tweets and posts. With social selling, you need to recognize that the buying process is controlled by a better informed and more connected customer. Keep in mind, sales still remains a relationship-driven business. The concept of prospect networking through social media enables sales professionals to learn about and connect with potential customers.  More importantly, they can tailor sales information and product specs to accommodate the needs and concerns of each individual rather than the mass – enabling relevance throughout the sales cycle.

The amount of prospect information available has increased the need for comprehensive sales intelligence. This generally brings together both traditional data and social media. It can be very beneficial for sales professionals to leverage the social web to simply listen, engage, and add value to the customer conversation. Being in the right place at the right time can create the top of mind status needed when the prospect is ready to buy.

Social media outlets are great places for starting conversations, but they’re not the only place to have them. When the time is right, take the conversation offline.  With all of the modern conveniences and technical advances, still nothing can replicate the power of a face-to-face meeting.

The challenge with prospect networking and social selling is that it requires a lot of time and daily commitment.  It’s impossible to automate messaging and conversations through social media.  While many sales professionals don’t have interest in adding another “to do” item to their daily routine, finding the right balance is key.  Each individual needs to assess their industry, audience, product, positioning, and price to form a strategy that fits their business and equally as important – their schedule.

If you have comments or questions, we’d love to hear from you.  If you’d like more information on developing effective strategies for social selling, please contact us.


March 15, 2011

Creating your social media strategy

  • Posted By : Mark Didas/
  • 0 comments /
  • Under : Branding, Buzz marketing, General, Social media

Create your roadmapIs it wise to start a business endeavor without a plan?  Most people wouldn’t build an office before they determined what their business would actually do.  Without a strategy there is simply no structure, no clear objectives and no real way of determining its success.

The same principles apply to social media.  Establishing a roadmap with clear objectives can help you determine the success or failure of your program.  For example, what is your business trying to achieve through social media?  Is it to:

  • Interact with customers and prospects
  • Increase visibility and strengthen your brand
  • Reach new audiences
  • Create loyalty
  • Deal with customer service and support issues
  • Boost revenue

Regardless of what you decide, you should plan to create measurable metrics for your social media program.  These types of statistics, if tracked properly, can help to measure and monetize the results of your social media campaigns.  Let’s say, for example, you have a small business and your goal is to interact with customers and prospects.  In this case, you’ll want to define what would constitute success.  For instance, the number of:

  • Completed customer satisfaction surveys per month
  • New features suggested by users (that are implemented)
  • People who post something about us
  • Blogs that link to us

There are a variety of criteria which you can use to measure progress.  The idea is to define relevant success metrics that translate into meaningful business context for you. For example quantitative metrics may include number of sales, new leads, new qualified subscribers, while qualitative could track satisfaction levels, loyalty, visibility, amount of interaction, feedback. For qualitative goals, don’t get too complex, use simple rules as metrics.

Set your social media campaign goals based on these metrics.  Monitor often and course correct as necessary. Don’t expect to get it right the first time, but by establishing benchmarks you can filter out channels and strategies that don’t return good results. Trial and error can be your best ally in discovering where to focus the most energy.


September 10, 2010

Flash coming soon to iPhones and iPads

  • Posted By : Mark Didas/
  • 0 comments /
  • Under : Branding, Buzz marketing, General, Social media

Flash coming soon to iPhoneAfter an antitrust investigation by the FTC and increasing competition from other mobile devices (such as Google’s Android), Apple has “decided” to relax their programming restrictions for third parties.  Even though this sounds voluntary, Apple was certainly under pressure to comply.

So what does this mean?  Essentially Adobe is now resuming its work on developing a version of Flash technology suitable for the iPhone and iPad devices.  It had put those efforts on hold back in April when Apple placed severe restrictions on third party applications.  This should come as good news for Apple users.  Having additional functionality, such as Flash, will help to stay competitive in the rapidly changing space.  As an iPhone user, why should I be limited because of a personal grudge between two CEOs?  Get over it Jobs… let’s move on!

Downstream, this decision will also create new marketing opportunities.  Since Flash applications are currently being utilized by ad agencies and media sites, they’ll eventually have the infrastructure to expand these campaigns to mobile devices.  While some devices already support this technology, advertisers generally want to expand their reach without limitations.  While it’s difficult to predict where this will lead, with Apple and Jobs in the mix, it should be an entertaining journey.

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August 10, 2010

Steven Slater, don’t spill that beer

  • Posted By : Mark Didas/
  • 0 comments /
  • Under : Buzz marketing, General, Social media

Steven Slater, don’t spill that beerIt seems that “former” Jet Blue employee, Steven Slater, shoveled about as much crap as one can take in 20 years in the airline business.  As you’ve probably heard by now, this all escalated to a dramatic reaction by Mr. Slater in response to a non-compliant passenger.  Apparently the passenger failed to listen to the instructions by Mr. Slater to remain seated until the plane completed taxing.  Furthermore, as the passenger retrieved a bag from storage, the luggage struck Mr. Slater in the head.  After an exchange of expletives, Mr. Slater helped himself to a cold beer then jumped down the emergency exit slide to head home for the day.  Wow, that’s going out in style.  It’s similar to Fred Flintstone sliding down the dinosaur after 8 hours of pounding rocks.  It probably felt good.

We’ve all had rough days – where we’ve wanted to take matters into our own hands.  That’s exactly what Steven Slater did.  He was fed up with the nonsense, spoke his mind, grabbed a refreshing beverage, and then stormed out.   Maybe his behavior was extreme, but it seems that many people can relate.  Steven is instantly becoming an internet sensation for his efforts.  His Facebook page already has 50,000 fans.  Clearly people understand his frustration.

Whether you agree with Steven’s reaction or not, most people have witness an irate customer who just doesn’t listen.  They seem to annoy everyone around them.  It’ll be interesting to see how Jet Blue responds to this issue.  While I don’t know the specific details, I must admit, it’s pretty entertaining.  We’ll all be watching to see how much support and money will be raised for Steven.

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July 14, 2010

Successful branding from George Steinbrenner

  • Posted By : Mark Didas/
  • 0 comments /
  • Under : Branding

George SteinbrennerThe passing of George Steinbrenner (The Boss) yesterday has been a sad occasion for many Yankee fans.  Over his 37 years as owner of the New York Yankees, Steinbrenner was able to transform the team from an $8 million MLB franchise in 1973 into a $1.6 billion empire.

The secret to his success is simple:  he was passionate and relentless in his quest to be the best.  He stayed true to that mission in everything he did.  “Winning is the most important thing in my life, after breathing,” Steinbrenner was fond of saying. “Breathing first, winning next.”  It was this motivation which helped the Yankees to win 7 World Series Championships during his tenure.

In 2001, fresh off four world championships in five years, Steinbrenner launched the Yankees Entertainment & Sports Network (YES Network).  This TV channel provides fans with exclusive telecasts of Yankee games and helps to reinforce the Yankee brand.  In 2009, George was instrumental in opening the new Yankee stadium complete with its own ballpark food business.  As a businessman, Steinbrenner was always seeking ways to expand the Yankees reach and appeal.  He was a perfectionist and everything he did supported his desire to win.

The New York Yankees franchise is one of the most recognizable teams in all of professional sports.  They are a marketing powerhouse.  Much of their modern-day success is due to the Boss.  While many people did not agree with Steinbrenner’s harsh approach to business, the legacy he leaves behind is undeniable.  His simple strategy for success translates into any business – be passionate and relentless in your effort to be the best.

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June 11, 2010

How are you establishing brand preference?

  • Posted By : Mark Didas/
  • 0 comments /
  • Under : Branding, Buzz marketing, Social media

Brand preferenceBranding, for many companies, is low on their priority list – or perhaps even off the radar screen.  Many businesses simply do not give sufficient focus to their brand initiatives.  How many times have you heard – branding is too intangible or “if you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it”?  Since branding isn’t directly reflected on a company’s balance sheet or financial statements, it’ often overlooked.

The reality is, branding, while difficult to accurately quantify, is a powerful marketing tool that can enable tremendous returns on investment.  Branding is the primary reason consumers are willing to pay triple the price for one product over another.

Executed properly, corporate or product branding creates a perception that targeted prospects and customers gravitate towards.  Perhaps the brand symbolizes an active lifestyle, innovation, caring, luxury, reliability, a company’s policy on environmental issues, etc.  An effective brand evokes a feeling which creates long-term customer loyalty.  It is the result of a clear vision that fits with the overall corporate strategy.

Branding is directly related to the perceived value of a product or company.  While brand awareness is essential for name recognition, strategic awareness occurs when you have differentiated your brand in the mind of your market.  This is often referred to as your unique selling proposition.  This tells the market what you do, and more importantly, how you do it differently or better than your competitors.

To go one step further, establishing brand preference should be the desired outcome of a company’s branding initiatives.  This allows the market to understand what is unique about a particular brand, allows them to emotionally connect to the brand, and creates a bias for selecting that brand over competing brands.

Fortunately, there are many effective marketing and branding strategies to help companies improve their brand visibility.  Social media has opened a vast number of opportunities for businesses of all sizes to rapidly disseminate information, generate buzz, and establish brand recognition.  Social media enables companies to get immediate customer feedback.  Truly listening to your customers and responding to each of them can have a significant impact on the credibility of your brand.

Social media also facilitates an effective means for companies to monitor their brand image.  There are a number of analytical tools which generate valuable reports and statistics.  This is beneficial for a number of reasons – it can create an objective profile of the current landscape.  It also allows you to set benchmarks and measure specific metrics.  These could include the number of times your brand is mentioned, the number of links to your product or site, the number of retweets, etc.

Social media is gaining momentum every day; it is a powerful form of communication that is not going away.  Companies can either watch on the sidelines or actively participate to help establish the communication channels that will drive brand preference.

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February 4, 2010

Poor social media response for Toyota

  • Posted By : Mark Didas/
  • 0 comments /
  • Under : Branding, Buzz marketing, Social media


Toyota is facing a major recall crisis. The Prius is the latest Toyota model to experience design flaws.  Unlike the faulty accelerator pedal being recalled in several Toyota models in the United States, the Prius is being recalled for faulty brakes in other parts of the world.

Toyota has been somewhat nonchalant about these recalls.  In a press conference today (shown in the video to the right), Toyota’s managing officer is almost denying that there is a problem with the faulty brakes.  “If you don’t press harder on the brake, the distance taken to stop will increase… It is a natural human response to push the brake more, if it doesn’t respond.  So I don’t believe that this will lead to an extension of the stopping distance.”

With over 4 million vehicles recalled globally, Toyota is compounding the situation by making excuses and trying to cover up the problems.  Instead, Toyota could have handled this unfortunate situation in a much more professional manner.  If Toyota had been upfront and honest with the public, I don’t think people would be reacting so emotionally.  They should have immediately stepped forward and offered a rebate or some type of compensation to their stranded and loyal customers.  They could have done a better job of damage control and stopped the bleeding much sooner.

The lesson for Toyota is that social media has a powerful voice.  If you fail to respond quickly to a massive issue – such as this – you will face severe brand degradation.  While Toyota is the world’s car manufacturer, it’ll be interesting to see how they restore faith in many of their customers.  Any enraged Toyota owners out there?
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January 29, 2010

Apple iPad gets involved in Super Bowl ad drama?

  • Posted By : Mark Didas/
  • 0 comments /
  • Under : Branding, Buzz marketing, Social media

We were curious what it would be like if Apple entered the Super Bowl frenzy with all the buzz over iPad.  It might be the peak time for Steve Jobs to keep riding the wave.  Since the actual reveal of the iPad was somewhat anti-climatic, could Apple create more buzz with a 30 second spot in the Super Bowl? After all, there is already a ton of controversy with Tim Tebow and ManCrunch. Should Apple buy a $2.5 million spot for iPad?

What do you think?  If you were the creative director in charge of Apple’s 30 second commercial for iPad, what would you do?  We want to hear from you…

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January 27, 2010

Will the Apple iPad kill Amazon’s Kindle with iBooks?

  • Posted By : Mark Didas/
  • 0 comments /
  • Under : Branding, Buzz marketing, Social media

Apple iPad with iBooksSteve Jobs has just announced the introduction of the much anticipated Apple iPad for only $499!  While it had been dubbed the tablet for a while, it has officially been named the iPad.  I have been following along on gdgt’s live coverage.

Here are some features:

  • Can be rotated and held in any direction
  • Web-enabled (um, duh) and extremely fast
  • Has a virtual keyboard
  • Video playback is HD, not widescreen however
  • iBook store enables instant download and display of books, newspapers, and magazines
  • Enhanced iTunes interface

At a glance this device appears to be an overgrown iPhone.  I should admit, I am a huge fan of the iPhone, I like its portability and slick design.  I also like my laptop for what it does.  Do I really need a new “netbook” device to combine the best of both features?  It seems to be eerily similar to the infamous Chevey El Camino – that mutant-like hybrid of a car and truck that some people had the nerve to buy.  Let’s be honest, the back had enough space to fit a 30 pound bag of dog food.

I don’t know that I would consider the iPad a replacement for either device.  Instead, it appears to be forging a new market.  A market catered to gamers, scholars, and hobbyist.  It is a device which allows reading of books, textbooks and changing of fonts, etc.  It seems to be in direct competition with Amazon’s Kindle device.  Although it has a lot more to offer – and a much more robust interface.  While the market has been somewhat slow to embrace the Kindle, we’ll see if things speed up now that Apple has entered the game.

I’m curious to see how the market will respond to this device. Would you buy one?

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January 24, 2010

Pants on the Ground for the Minnesota Vikings

  • Posted By : Mark Didas/
  • 0 comments /
  • Under : Buzz marketing, Social media

Pants on the ground for the Minnesota Vikings“Pants on the Ground” was an instant sensation when Larry Platt first sang his self-written song on American Idol.  It became so catchy that Brett Favre even sang a tribute version after the Minnesota Vikings beat the Dallas Cowboys.  That’s some powerful viral marketing.  It’s now crossed over from American Idol to the NFL.

According to NBC Sports, the Vikings loved the song so much that they flew Larry Platt along with them to their playoff game against the New Orleans Saints to perform for the team.

I’m sure round 2 of this song will be circulating soon. I have a feeling we’ll be hearing a lot more from Mr. Platt.  Stay tuned…

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