Currently, iPhones account for 58% of mobile internet usage, and 17% come from iPads. . Furthermore, over 74% of the world population own mobile devices, which calculates to over 5 billion people worldwide!  Google also estimates that they have seen a 500% growth in mobile search from 2008 to 2010.

The statistics are borderline unbelievable, actually, but a great reminder as to why it is so important to make websites mobile friendly.  Operative word to this is, of course: Optimisation.

Optimisating mobile sites would include the following:

1. Content: Keep in mind that your computer has a bigger screen than a mobile; put only the necessary information on your mobile site.
2. Design: Try to avoid large images on your mobile site. Too many images can influence the amount of traffic to your website. The reason for this is large images takes longer to download on a mobile device and this can lead to a click away from your website.
3. Navigation: Put bigger buttons on your mobile website. Today, most of the smartphones are touch screens and bigger buttons makes it easier for a user to click on it and this will also make the navigation much easier.
4. Bigger: As discussed earlier, the screen of a mobile is smaller than a laptop screen, make your content, text, images bigger and put important links in big buttons.

After you have optimized your mobile website, make sure you test to see what the site will look like on all kinds of devices (Android, Iphone, Blackberry, Windows Device and an iPad) before you go live.

There are various reasons why Facebook fans don’t “Like” a Company on Facebook:

• 54% don’t want to be bombarded with messages or ads,
• 45% don’t want to give any companies access to personal profile information,
• 29% don’t want companies to contact them through Facebook,
• 23% don’t see the benefit of it,
• 4% don’t understand what it means to “Like” a company.

If a Facebook fan likes your Company page, it is very important to observe that they do so with an expectation. People don’t just “Like” every page on Facebook, they “Like” it for a reason. Fans like Company pages to gain access to exclusive content, events, sales or promotions.

47% of users “Like” a page to receive updates about the company, persons or organisation in their newsfeed. 26% want to interact with the page owner. The survey also shows that only 24% want to be contacted through other social media channels such as Twitter once they have interacted with a company on Facebook. 37% do not expect anything to happen.

Media such as photos and videos always perform well on Facebook. It grabs attention in newsfeeds and it is easy to share.

Just ask. People like to interact with each other so ask for those opinions on topics, and if you want your fans to share favourite content, go ahead – ask them.

One of a fan’s expectations is that the page owners will thank them for their replies and for sharing their opinions. From time to time, talk about things other than your products. Wish them happy holidays. Ask them fun questions or to share their personal stories.

Remember, if a fan likes your page; interact with them, because it’s one of the biggest expectations any Facebook Fan has.

At Tech4Africa this year, Ndubuisi Ekekwe explored this fascinating divide specifically in Africa, and gave highly valuable insights.

Many years ago, Ekekwe explains, ideas and intellectual property had no rights and were free to all.  No one got any recognition for their thoughts and inventions and, for a period of time, people actually stopped inventing.  The implementation of IP rights in the USA saw the expansion of global GDP and higher standards of living.  Sadly, this is not the case in Africa even as of yet, which means there is no mechanism of investment to create the inventions and build Fortune 500 companies.  Minds as creative and inventive as Thomas Edison don’t get recognized financially.  They merely receive praise.

Furthermore, he expands on the fact that anything received for free is not perceived as valuable, leaving no drive or excitement for education and thus no knowledge to drive innovation within the industry.  With our technology landscape narrowing, there is a definite need to move from marketing and distribution to innovation, invention and creativity.

He believes that a monetary system + IP rights + technology will ensure that Africa will become Creators of technology VS mere Consumers of technology.

So what is your technology legacy?  What is our technology legacy?  Are we going to educate, recognize, innovate and lead, or remain comfortable followers?  Success depends on this decision.

In this article we are going to have a look at how an online seasonal marketing campaign can help you generate more traffic to your website, gain more customers and then finally how to increase your sales.

With seasonal marketing you need to do the same planning as for any party – birthday party, Xmas party or a New Year’s party. First you need to set a date for when to start your marketing campaign. It is very important to have your December calendar in hand to make sure you start with your seasonal marketing in time! You don’t want to start your campaign after your competitors shops are sold out!

After you’ve decided the date for the birthday party, you should start to look at a theme for the birthday party and what invitations to give out. Now with an online seasonal marketing campaign your “theme and invitations” is your website and social media portals. Have a look at your website. Change the images to holiday images or festive season images like turkeys, presents or a company photo of your staff with Xmas hats on. Remember, images are a great way to draw your audience in and make them want to read more about your seasonal products / propmtions. This is the time to have fun and show your company’s creative side.

As soon as your website is “seasonal friendly” and your planning is up and running, you can start with your online marketing campaign. Firstly you need to do keyword research. It is very important to target the keywords which your market will type in the search box to get to your seasonal product/ promotional. A soon as the client types in the targeted keyword, your Adcopy will appear on the search page. In your ad copy, consider a promotional phrase in your title which will catch the client’s eye. If your campaign is live, don’t just sit back and relax, now you need to optimise and maximise your campaign by optimizing the key phrases and keywords, audit the channels, test contact us forms, test coupon cards, look out for 404 error messages and then make sure that most active pages link to your seasonal promotions.

The sweet taste of success with an online seasonal marketing campaign lies in the conversions! You can track your conversions on Adword and Social Media Marketing. You can see exactly where your client came from and how many convert into a sale!

Then after any party you need to clean up the place. It is very important to change the seasonal images to images relevant to your business and update your content to relevant content. It is very bad for a company’s online reputation if it is the middle of the year and the people still see the old seasonal images on your website!

Happy Marketing!

Two prevalent methods have given you the tools to do just that – get yourself known.

The first of these is similar to an online banner marketing campaign, except you can splash your adverts across many websites at the same time.  This we call Google Display Networks (GDN), and the adverts run across all the sites that have opened themselves up to this kind of marketing.  The beauty of GDN is that it creates awareness before people necessarily know about you and actively go looking for you or your products.

Furthermore, Google almost ‘tracks’ the user’s general application of the web, so if they are on certain websites often, and your advert is relevant to them, it will show to them when they go to other sites.  Kind of eerie, but from a marketing point of view phenomenal!

Having had said that, Display Network allows for a lot of awareness and positioning, but not necessarily a conversion to a sale or direct response.  People often see something, and then go in search of it later, which is why the second method is absolutely vital, we believe.

This second method is Search Engine Marketing.  This is also the most effective way of advertising online, as you have a captive audience that are ready to engage and interact with you.  The quickest way to get your product, brand or service ‘out there’ on Search Engine Marketing is by making use of Pay Per Click (PPC) Advertising as it is immediate and guaranteed when managed correctly.  Besides this, Pay Per Click is flexible and can be changed and optimized real-time.

That said, however, to have a complete online visibility and presence, and to ‘dominate’ search engines cost effectively in the long run, is by optimizing your website and website content in such a way that your brand will be on the top of all major search engine listings.  This is called Search Engine Optimisation (SEO).  Search Engine Optimisation is done over a period of time, and thus does not necessarily yield immediate success, but in the long run is the most cost effective way to market yourself online.

Our advice, then, would be to start with GDN en PPC, get results and increase the proverbial bottom line, and then proceed to SEO – and eventual online success!

The first of these industries to understand the value of this kind of lure, was the hotel industry, and they not only advertised their motel or inn on the first real en masse method of advertising, but quickly adapted their billboard signage to include distance to and amenities at their establishments.

The rise of the automobile meant more people were travelling, many other industries started seeing the value of this form of advertising and quickly adapted their strategies to include a billboard (or six) along the side of industrious motorways.

Many years later, radio and television were introduced, and around that formed a hype and a belief that these forms of advertising would reach masses faster and more effectively than that of traditional advertising.  And, while this is true to certain national and multi-national companies, it does not detract from the fact that, if someone is not listening to or watching at the exact time that your advert is showing, you will not be seen or heard.

This, while the faithful billboard stands -24/7, for everyone to see, at any time, all the time – for as long as you keep your advert showing.

But, advertisers say, isn’t it expensive?
In light of TV and radio?  In light of a 15s or 30s advert possibly lost on a phone call, a thought, or the 10seconds it takes to read a billboard instead whilst in traffic?

But, advertisers say, is it measurable?  How do I know it is not a complete ‘spray and pray’ approach?  And what is my return on investment?
In lieu of these absolutely valid questions, we have set up a few questions to ask yourself before considering a billboard, or any other form of marketing, to see its viability:
1.  What is my strategy? Is it brand awareness or direct response?
2.  How will I structure my messaging to incorporate my strategy?
3.  And finally, where will I place said message?

Either way you look at it, though, people will need to be aware of you before they will associate with you.  And in reference to cutting through the clutter, this is one of the effective ways of standing out above the rest.

It goes without saying, then, that a business without a sign is not only a sign of no business, but a recipe for disaster.

You might be wondering what an ARG is? ARG stands for Alternate Reality Game and is an interactive narrative experience that takes place within the real world. A formal accepted definition is, however, not in existence yet.

Usually, players should initially not be sure if the experience is real or not. If they do find out that they are participating in a game, it requires a certain suspension of disbelief in order to remain immersed and engaged in the experience. They pretend that the narrative is real and happening within their own reality in order to remain immersed. An ARG often comprises of multiple media elements and contain puzzles and other game elements for ‘players’ to solve. The elements used to communicate the narrative and interact with ‘players’ include telephone, email, websites etc. The actions of participants shape and influence the outcome of the narrative. ARG creators are called the ‘Puppet Masters’ and design, run and manipulate the game and narrative. They represent the characters of the ARG and shape the player interaction and experience. Participant entry into an ARG is referred to as a ‘rabbit hole’ (a reference to Alice In Wonderland). These entry points are usually planned.

Some design principles of Alternate Reality Games include: [1]

• Storytelling as archaeology. Participants are required to find and piece together the story. Often not in order.
• Platformless narrative. The narrative is presented via various media
• Collaborative Storytelling.
• Designing for a hive mind.

ARGs can be created purely for the fun of it, or specifically designed alongside a product as a viral marketing campaign. A downside of an ARG is that it can cost a lot of money, time and resources to create. Therefore successful ARGs are usually run by large companies.

I encourage you to read up more about Alternate Reality Games, specifically the methods used in the highly successful ones. ARGs can be an excellent way to run a viral marketing campaign if you have the resources to pull it off.

References:
1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alternate_reality_game

Gone are the days of waiting patiently for a letter in the post, of standing in line to see if you got some form of communication from a far away friend or relative, and then cherishing every second and every word the letter contained.  In fact, gone are the days of even reading every word in every letter.

What does this mean to us corporates wanting to impart valuable educational information to our clients?  How does this affect our marketing strategies and capture the attention of our potential clients?

We need to innovatively adapt. We need to look at avenues where customers choose to interact with us, rather than the other way round.  We need to impart product knowledge, educate and sell, rather, to the customer while they are either in need of it, or actively looking at acquiring it – where they are most amenable to receiving the information and acting on it.

Where is this, you ask?

The internet.
It has become the single, biggest source of information, education and product listings and guidelines – not only for this next emerging generation, but for everyone.  Lugging the Britannica encyclopedia series or sets of catalogues of all your favourite (and new) products along with you, now means carrying a laptop with 3G access, and most probably utilizing search engines.  In fact, with the emerging market of smartphones, accessing the internet has become even less than all of that already.
Looking at this trend, it would be of utmost importance then, to ensure that you have a website – and more importantly, to have it visible.

While everyone is uncluttering and wading through oceans of information, take the lead by streamlining and honing in your advertising and marketing.  It will probably be the best time spent on business strategy ever!

The New York Fashion Week kicks off this month and all the designers and the press are going online to reach viral audiences and they are planning to reach a larger amount of people than those present at the show. Most of the brands will make use of their Facebook pages to unveil their Spring/Summer 2012 collections and videos will also be uploaded onto Youtube. They plan to take snapshots live from the show and post that on their social platforms. Not missing out on the biggest Brand’s Spring/Summer 2012 collection ever, is becoming easier by the minute, and the strategy behind it is of great value to everyone planning their own events strategies.

So let’s have a look at some tips and hints on planning an online event. It is important to focus on your audience. Firstly, you need to capture and keep their attention. Your audience has the power to log-off, get side-tracked, lose interest, or evens get up and walk away. There must be a strong reason for them to stay connected. For this reason, a virtual event will be much shorter than a live event.

Secondly,, you need to look at a technical supplier. They need to help you with hosting and your presentation. They would also need to ensure that your website is running fast and that your presentation is seamless when you present it online. Lastly, make use of your social portals to communicate with your audience in advance. Tell them about your online event, do a build up to the day, link all your social portals, keep them interested, excited and informed; and then, make a video of the event and post it on Youtube when your event is over – giving them the opportunity to experience the event with you.

Virtual events are growing fast, try to make it part of your strategy.

Isn’t that a scary thought?

Today, statistics show that only 20% of marketing and advertising still works in its traditional format.
The market is becoming saturated with similar products, services and solutions.  Our challenge today is no longer just being the most innovative producer, but the most innovative marketer in getting our products to the fingertips of the consumer seeking it, and almost more so, making the person who is yet unaware of it, feel that they need it.  You have to be able to get into your customers’ heads before you can get into their pockets.

How, you ask?
Well, the first few things to be cognizant of, is that people are drowning in the sheer volume of messaging out there, as well as the amount of media formats and choices of media formats in which they receive the messaging. Even products previously perceived as luxuries, today, have become commodities.  Most marketing messages will not stick out above others…
So how do you establish your product as trusted and known, a brand that stands out from the rest , a brand people want to associate with?

We say “It’s simple”:  You can achieve these goals by speaking to your captive audience, in their language, and at their time…  Your message will now not only be well received, but also processed well, and you are able to create the initiation of a trusted relationship between your customer and your brand.

You say “Problem”  With all the different ways to communicate at this time, how do I do that?
We have looked at, and found, one large common denominator in when this perfect time is to interact – and that is online, and specifically while people are searching for products or services like yours.

In South Africa alone, online sales broke the R2bn mark in 2010, with a predicted increase of 40% in 2011.  And this does not include the amount of sales done physically or telephonically relating to or following an online interaction.

And what is more, is that it is all tracked and measured – from the moment someone clicks on your advert, right through to them becoming your customer.  The flexibility of online also means that you can fine-tune your campaigns real-time, ensuring optimum results.

The key, thus, is to get people to know about you before learning about your competitors, and this can be successfully obtained by changing your marketing and advertising strategy to include Online Marketing and Search Engine Marketing – and getting more traffic to and interaction on your website.

Make more than 50% of your advertising work…