Twitter Debuts Targeted Tweets |  |
- Twitter Debuts Targeted Tweets
- Startup Stay Helps Entrepreneurs Ditch Expensive Hotel Stays
- Accelerate Success With Universal Commerce Focus
- Facebook Revamps its Small Business Resource Site
- Hipmunk Launches Premium Business Accounts
| Twitter Debuts Targeted Tweets Posted: 24 Jul 2012 02:00 PM PDT Twitter already offers a Promoted Tweets feature to help advertisers try to reach more people, but now it's rolling out a new enhancement that will help companies target a more specific group of Twitter users with their promoted content.
Targeted Tweets allow advertisers to send a tweet to a specific audience based on their geographical location, device or platform. And unlike Promoted Tweets, those using the new feature don't have to send the tweet out to all of their followers first. Though the new feature doesn't allow many options for narrowing down consumer groups, it could allow some small businesses who only want to reach people in a certain area to take advantage of Twitter's advertising options. The feature could also help those advertisers who only want to reach people using certain devices such as iPhones or Android phones. Traditionally, Twitter has not been the platform of choice for many small business advertisers. Companies like Facebook and Google offer many different advertising options that allow companies to narrow down their target audience and reach a more relevant market segment. But the new Targeted Tweets could be a sign that Twitter is moving in that direction. Twitter has been testing the new feature in recent weeks with a select group of advertisers including British Airways, Coca Cola, and Wendy's. In its official announcement, Twitter offered an example tweet from British Airways of how the new feature might help companies reach only relevant consumers. The new feature and Twitter advertising in general are still too new for many small businesses to really gauge value, but more and more companies are discovering the value of Twitter and are looking for new ways to gain more followers and clicks. Companies that use the new Targeted Tweets only pay when users engage with them, and the tweets that garner the most user engagement are more likely to appear more often. Engagement means clicking through or retweeting. Here at Small Business Trends we’ve tested out Promoted Tweets advertising recently when seeking nominations for the Small Business Influencer Awards and while I can’t give details, I can say it was worth doing. We were able to target the U.S. and Canada only, as the Awards are open only to North America. (Note: We paid for the advertising on Twitter just like everyone else, subject to a $100 credit from American Express OPEN which we along with 10,000 other small businesses took advantage of.) The new feature is available to all users now. Advertisers who are interested in using the program can visit business.twitter.com to learn more or ads.twitter.com to begin. From Small Business Trends |
| Startup Stay Helps Entrepreneurs Ditch Expensive Hotel Stays Posted: 24 Jul 2012 11:00 AM PDT Business professionals, including startup entrepreneurs, often travel to different cities around the globe for meetings, presentations, or other important business functions. However, the cost of accommodations can sometimes prevent these professionals from making the most of their travel opportunities, especially for entrepreneurs who often don't have large corporations financially supporting their travels. But now a new site hopes to make traveling much easier for those who travel on behalf of a startup.
Startup Stay is a brand new online community for entrepreneurs who travel. It is open to those around the globe so that business professionals can travel anywhere without incurring overwhelming accommodation costs, while also making new business contacts along the way. Instead of staying at an expensive hotel, you can connect with like-minded entrepreneurs and possibly stay with them. Upon registration, you're asked where you live and what cities you travel to often. You can meet others who live in those cities and even stay with host entrepreneurs when you travel to new locations. You can also create an itinerary for your future travel plans and find helpful information about the cities you travel to from like-minded entrepreneurs who call those cities home. Hosting other entrepreneurs is not mandatory for membership. And those who cannot host others can still help out by showing a guest entrepreneur around their city, meeting up with them for dinner or coffee, or even just sharing useful contacts. Says co-founder Fred Caballero:
This screenshot shows how you can search for entrepreneurs to stay with, along with itineraries on the left:
Startup Stay is targeting young entrepreneurs from ages 18 to 35, but the membership isn't limited to those in that age range. The only qualification to become a member is that you must be an entrepreneur. The site was launched just last month (June 2012) and already has a membership that includes entrepreneurs from 200 cities and 60 different countries around the globe. Currently, Startup Stay is invite only, but those interested can either request to be invited via email by a current member, or apply for an application through the website. The site is tentatively scheduled for a full launch around March. To request a Beta invitation, visit Startup Stay. Disclosure: Small Business Trends’ CEO, Anita Campbell, is partners with the founders of this site on another venture called TweakYourBiz. From Small Business Trends |
| Accelerate Success With Universal Commerce Focus Posted: 24 Jul 2012 08:00 AM PDT Today's consumers are using technology in ways that completely change commerce. In fact, purchasing that is influenced by or made online through mobile devices is estimated to make up 86 percent of consumer spending by 2020, more than double the percentage in 2010, according to RetailNet Group.
Small businesses can take advantage of consumer trends by offering convenient, consistent access to the applications they want regardless of whether they are at home, walking down the street, shopping in-store, or somewhere in between. An example of how this can look is when customers are able to make purchases at an online store then pick up the merchandise at a physical store. Add email or mobile alerts to notify customers when a product or new inventory becomes available, and we are now talking about real time interactions that can drive behavior and provide added convenience. Even more, new solutions today enable offer publishers to electronically attach deals, eCoupons and loyalty programs to one or more payment cards that can be stored and tracked in their mobile wallet for a streamlined and automated offer redemption process at the point of sale (POS). This is an example of how the lines are blurring between in-store commerce, eCommerce, and mobile commerce (mCommerce). Consumers want the best deal in the most convenient and personalized way, no matter where they are. They've come to expect personalized access to information and products anytime, using any device. They expect a shopping experience that seamlessly crosses online and offline channels. They expect Universal Commerce. Today, small businesses are at the crossroads of retail, eCommerce and mCommerce, where countless opportunities exist to create a more integrated and personalized experience for today's connected consumers. To broaden payment acceptance options and focus on building an integrated, multi-channel marketing program, the following strategies are suggested especially for smaller retailers: "Mobilize" Existing Payment Programs With the help of advancements in mobile technology, small businesses can take advantage of mobile wallet capabilities to offer highly targeted incentives that offer value and increase loyalty and retention. With tools like Google Wallet, consumers have a new way to pay which may decrease their use of physical credit and debit cards, checks and cash. Start the process of integrating branded payment programs, including retail credit cards, loyalty card programs, and prepaid cards, into popular mobile wallet applications. Cards and other payment options that are easily accessed through a mobile wallet may be used more readily than those stuffed in an old-fashioned wallet. Update Point-of-Sale Equipment Advanced mobile devices are giving consumers more control over monitoring their finances, making purchase decisions and paying for transactions. While millions of consumers are equipped with contactless-enabled debit and credit cards and other contactless payment devices, adoption among consumers is likely to grow rapidly with the emergence of mobile phone-based near-field communication (NFC) payments. In fact, the pay-by-phone market will make up $22 billion in transactions by 2015, according to a forecast by research firm Aite Group. Small businesses that plan for this change will find success in mobile commerce. Small businesses are nimble-enough to adapt quickly and all indications show that contactless payments are the wave of the future. Timing will be critical however as the mobile payments revolution will likely come in small spurts of users jumping on board rather than a mad rush. Proactively investing in smart solutions that work today will ensure that small retailers are prepared for what's ahead. The good news is that updating POS equipment to accept mobile payments is easier than most business owners think. It may be a matter of adding a peripheral device to an existing system. While some upgrades can be accomplished through software, others (contactless payment, for instance) may require hardware changes, although many newer POS devices are being built with contactless capability as a standard feature. Create a Multi-Channel Marketing Program New technologies such as mobile coupons, vouchers, and offers that can be electronically linked to payment cards, enable small merchants to run specialized promotions designed to build new business, increase visits by existing customers, and accelerate sales in targeted product categories. As noted above, for example, advanced solutions and technologies today allow offer publishers to electronically connect offers while simplifying the redemption process for customers by linking directly to any type of payment card. Offers are redeemed in real time at the merchant's POS with immediate feedback via the payment terminal or smartphone. Paper receipts of online offers or other coupons are no longer required when redeeming at merchant locations; instead, consumers can link their offers directly to a payment type of choice (credit, debit, or through a mobile wallet) and redemption is automatically applied when that payment card is swiped at the POS. Specialty offers not only drive business, but they give merchants more information about consumer behavior and preferences in order to create targeted deals that are even more attractive. In addition, merchants can leverage social media channels and traditional gift cards to enhance the in-store experience, providing a well-rounded, consistent buying experience across all channels. Adopting a Universal Commerce Strategy There's no right or wrong place to start when adopting a Universal Commerce strategy. It depends on the essential building blocks – smart devices, actionable intelligence, integrated applications and an enabling infrastructure, all accessing data in the cloud. However, small businesses do not have to address these building blocks alone or take it on all at once. Integration partners are the glue that binds the Universal Commerce strategy. Small businesses can work with a partner or partners that have relationships across the full Universal Commerce ecosystem, and take advantage of today's opportunities to thrive by providing an engaging, consistent, and seamless consumer experience. Mobile Credit Card Photo via Shutterstock From Small Business Trends |
| Facebook Revamps its Small Business Resource Site Posted: 24 Jul 2012 05:00 AM PDT Facebook for Business, the social network's resource area for small and mid-sized agencies, has undergone a significant revamp to help SMBs get more from the site.
Whether you're a small business owner just getting started on Facebook or if you want to know what's new on the site, the newly updated page is for you. We're told the goal of the redesign was to provide more in-depth tips, tools and tutorials for business owners and it does a great job of accomplishing that. You can also find information related to product releases, advertiser best practice guides and success stories. Everything you need to know to market your business on Facebook, all in one place. For business owners who may be new to Facebook you'll want to check out the information related to getting started. Similar to how Google's Webmaster Academy is designed to walk you through the process of building your presence and offering related tutorials, this Business area accomplishes the same task for Facebook. There are a number of great guides designed to walk business owners through the process of building their Facebook page, connecting with people, advice on the types of posts to create to spur engagement, and how to expand influence on the site. Digging into any of these categories will also provide links to additional information, allowing you to hone in even further and find exactly what you need. For business owners who do have experience using Facebook, you'll be happy to know that the What's New area will give you an easy way to keep track of the latest changes being made to the site. For example, did you know Page Admins can now change their Facebook URL or were you wondering what that new Facebook voice bar was all about? This area will keep you abreast of all of Facebook's many updates so that you can take advantage of them in your marketing strategy. As mentioned above, you'll also be able to find new Success Stories to see how others have used Facebook and get some ideas for what you can do next. Overall, the new Facebook for Business page is a great resource for small business owners. And with more than 900 million people liking and commenting on Facebook an average of 3.2 billion times a day, creating your business' presence on Facebook is time well spent. If you haven't gotten started yet, below are some tips to help kick things off: 1. Create your Business page: It's important to start things off on the right foot – and that means creating a business page for your company, not a personal profile! By creating a business page you not only put yourself in the right category, but you're able to take advantage of a number of robust features that aren't available to personal profiles – like messaging, richer profiles, etc. When creating your page, make sure to fill out your profile as completely as possible. This includes creating a custom landing page, uploading lots of photos and videos to show off your business, selecting a powerful cover image, and putting all vital business information in your Info tab. 2. Encourage People to Like Your Page: There are a number of ways to get people to like your page on Facebook. You can promote your Facebook page on your Web site, business cards, receipts, emails, newsletters and other marketing material; use the advertising options Facebook provides under the Build Audience button on your admin panel; use the ‘Invite Email Contacts’ option to upload your email list and send a message asking people to like your Page; host contests and giveaways that encourage people (but don't make it mandatory) to like your page, and more. The more you promote and integrate your Facebook page into your existing marketing and promotional materials, the quicker you'll be able to build its reach. Make sure your customers know that you're on Facebook and give them a reason to follow your updates. 3. Foster Engagement: Perhaps more than any other network, your level of engagement (and whether or not people engage back!) matters on Facebook. Facebook uses an algorithm called EdgeRank to determine whether people should even see your updates. To make sure that they do, you need to be creating content that your users want to engage with and share. This means not only getting yourself on a consistent posting schedule, but making sure you're sharing the right types of content. Facebook says that successful posts are short (between 100-250 characters), visual (photo albums see 180% more engagement), and optimized (posted during the right times of the day/week). 4. Use Facebook Insights: How do you know what your audience likes or when you should be posting? By taking advantage of the analytics Facebook provides (for free!) in Insights. Through Facebook Insights, FB offers powerful data to help you understand how users are interacting (or not) with your page. You can see what posts get the most likes, what your reach looks like, how many people are talking about you, whether your numbers are increasing/decreasing week over week, etc. You also have the option to export the data. If you're not familiar with Facebook Page Insights, Facebook offers a great resource sheet [PDF] to walk you through the features and how they can be used. The tips above will help you get started but make sure to check out the newly-updated Facebook for Business page geared for SMBs. It's a step-by-step guide to more Facebook likes and a larger audience! From Small Business Trends |
| Hipmunk Launches Premium Business Accounts Posted: 24 Jul 2012 02:30 AM PDT The travel site known for taking the stress out of booking hotels and flights has launched a new business option to make booking business travel even easier. Different companies are now offering products to allow businesses more options. Here are some of the products and services your company may be using in the near future: Hipmunk Helps With Business TravelThe only way to travel. It will be a major challenge for Hipmunk, a consumer oriented airline and hotel search engine, to move into the corporate travel market, but the San Francisco-based company has announced its first product for travel planners and administrative personnel at small- and medium-size companies. Skift Getting hip to the munk. If you haven’t heard of or used Hipmunk yet, you soon may as the company launches its new premium business accounts. Chief executive Adam Goldstein, whose company just received $15 million in funding, insists it’s not a need for cash that has driven expansion but a desire to reach a new market and diversify the company’s business model. VentureBeat The sincerest form of flattery. No better evidence of the need for business travel tools like Hipmunk’s exists than the fact that the company may already have some competition. Recently, Hipmunk rival Concur launched Open Booking as an alternative to corporate travel tools. Tnooz VidyoWay Connects ConferencingThe medium is the message. Multiple-party teleconferencing pioneer Vidyo has developed new software connecting all video conferencing for free. VidyoWay, as the new service is called, allows video conferencing to take place between companies whose video conferencing systems would otherwise be incompatible. TechCrunch Take a meeting anywhere. The new VidyoWay service allows video conferencing from smartphones, PCs, and corporate conference rooms using Polycom, Cisco/Tandberg, Microsoft Lync Endpoints, and more—no matter who you want to video conference with, there’s a good chance VidyoWay can help make the connection. The Next Web TaskRabbit Builds Tomorrow’s WorkforceSelling your personal services. Outsourcing a variety of services and errands to trusted assistants has never been easier thanks to TaskRabbit. The company has raised a total of $38 million in funding, and already has some competition. Your business could use some outsourcing too. All Things Digital It’s all about connections. Whether you provide tasks for a fee, or are already a busy business person who needs to find someone reliable to do outsourced work, TaskRabbit is one viable solution. Simply, the site allows you to post the task you need completed and the amount you’re willing to pay for it and then connects you with possible candidates. Gigaom From Small Business Trends |
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