FlockTag: A Loyalty Program For The Sharing Economy

FlockTag: A Loyalty Program For The Sharing Economy
Buzz Suggests That Podcasting Is Becoming More Popular
Individual Insurance Market Changes Affect Small Business Owners
Supreme Court Decision Could Impact Small Biz Re-selling

Posted: 29 Oct 2012 11:00 AM PDT

The idea of a sharing economy has led many consumers to access data rather than own it. Now, a new startup called FlockTag aims to apply a similar concept to the small business world, applying this shared knowledge to its loyalty cards and mobile app programs.

FlockTag

Adrian Fortino, FlockTag's Co-founder says:

"It is the combination of a universal, digital loyalty card (a buy five, get one free for all participating businesses) and a customized, automated deal engine where every unique consumer gets a deal that is curated and sent to them at the right place and time based on their specific buying behavior."

The Detroit-based startup provides tools for businesses to create a network where they can benefit from the knowledge and experience of other companies. Not only can companies share information such as consumer buying behaviors, but they can also use the platform to offer shoppers cross-promotions or deals in real time based on these behaviors.

Said Fortino:

"FlockTag’s philosophy and capabilities are designed to leverage the secure sharing of customer data between independent businesses in a region so that they can accurately entice current customers and see how best to bring new ones in the door. Businesses are able to attract new, loyal customers by sending personalized deals to consumers who make purchases nearby, assuming that the offering is relevant to the individual."

FlockTag claims that its targeted, intelligent deals can increase the number of new customers, entice them to buy more frequently and to spend more when they do. Its universal loyalty card system and automated deal engine allows consumers to rack up deals from different businesses in their area.

There are also iOS and Android compatible apps for FlockTag users. And since all of the consumer data is stored in one centralized location, FlockTag can provide businesses with even more data and analytics about customers and their buying behavior.

The tool will launch on November 1, 2012 and is currently in the testing phase in several Big 10 college towns throughout the Midwest. For example, the all-in-one loyalty card is currently in use by 25 independently owned businesses throughout Ann Arbor, Michigan.

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Buzz Suggests That Podcasting Is Becoming More Popular

Posted: 29 Oct 2012 08:00 AM PDT

Listening is becoming the renewed brand engagement and advancement tool and content is its new currency:

“The US podcasting audience is ballooning, and eMarketer projects that growth will continue at least through 2013. By then, there will be 37.6 million people who download podcasts monthly, more than double the 2008 figure of 17.4 million. As a percentage of Internet users, podcast downloaders are expected to grow from 9% in 2008 to 17% in 2013.”

podcasting

Podcasting has been an integral part of my content marketing strategy since 2009. This medium has opened up more doors and connections and established my professional credibility, more than just about any marketing platform that I have used.

By definition, a podcast is:

“A type of digital media consisting of an episodic series of audio, video, PDF, or ePub files subscribed to and downloaded through web syndication or streamed online to a computer or mobile device.”

Since the 1930′s there have been radio talk shows and news programs. Today, through the evolution of the Internet capabilities, along with cheaper hardware and software, audio podcasts are doing what was historically done through radio broadcast stations.

There is growing buzz and data that suggests a big uptick and an increased usage of podcasting for good reasons. Podcasts are instructional, fun, mobile friendly, more personal, brand builders and easy to do. People are podcasting on anything you can imagine from business, cooking, travel, sewing, sports, investing, being a working Mom or single Dad, and are finding an audience for them.

One of the key benefits of audio podcasts is the power of listening, hearing someone talking to you, and that theater of the mind allows people to concentrate and learn better.

Reading an article or book is very effective but listening to someone talk to you, hearing their voice talking to you about something you are interested in increases engagement. The archived podcast also allows people to go back and listen at their convenience and radio/audio is an iconic, mature media that people know and trust.

B2B marketers, responding to an Optify survey, reported the 3 most important elements of successful content. Survey respondents resoundingly chose:

Engaging and compelling story telling (81.5%)
Originality (52.6%)
Custom content (49.2%)

If you want to educate, entertain and serve people with great content, podcast radio is hard to beat.

Below I’ve listed 4 simple guidelines for creating and promoting successful podcasts:

Selectively Choose Content

Align your content with who you are and what you want to be known for. Ask yourself, “What are you knowledgeable about that there is an audience for?” And, “What do you want to be known for?”

Be Consistent

Consistently perform your segments and integrate them into your overall content marketing strategy. Make your podcast, email marketing, social media and blog all work together.

Pick The Format And Style That Best Suits You

Whether it be interview format, conversational style or instructional in nature. And if you are interviewing, make sure you feature people who have good energy and have their own active social marketing platforms.

Brand Your Podcast

Make sure you are branding and presenting your podcast with a graphic logo or avatar and a produced open and close segment. Practice doing them for a few weeks before you go live so that you get comfortable and always present yourself as someone who is serious and professional.

There are some great articles on why you should podcast, so do some research. And if you’re interested in podcasting, below are some of the top radio podcasting networks and platforms that you can research, too:

And be sure to check out what some of the top podcasts are talking about, as well as how NPR, Radiolab, and ESPN present them. And tell us, what are some of your favorite podcasts?

On The Air Photo via Shutterstock

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Individual Insurance Market Changes Affect Small Business Owners

Posted: 29 Oct 2012 05:00 AM PDT

Larry Levitt, Anthony Damico, and Gary Claxton of the Kaiser Family Foundation, wrote in a recent blog post:

"The biggest effects the [Affordable Care Act] ACA will have on small business owners may not be changes in the rules for the small business insurance market, but rather the changes in the individual insurance market. "

health insurance

That's because most owners of businesses with fewer than 25 employees are much more likely than other Americans to get their health insurance from the individual insurance market.

If they are insured, most Americans get their health insurance from one of four sources:

their employers;
a family member's employer;
the government (through Medicare or Medicaid);
or from other private insurance.

Small business owners differ from Americans who don't own businesses in terms of health insurance coverage, but not in the way most people think.

Roughly the same share of small business owners and non-elderly Americans has health insurance. According to unpublished analysis of the Survey of Income and Program Participation for the second quarter of 2011 by the Kaiser Family Foundation, 25 percent of small business owners were uninsured, a similar fraction to the 22 percent of all non-elderly adults who have no health care coverage.

The Foundation's analysis also shows that 21 percent of small business owners and 18 percent of all non-elderly adults get their insurance from a family member's employer – numbers that are also not too different. Finally, a relatively similar 6 percent of small business owners and 10 percent of non-elderly adults get their insurance through either Medicare or Medicaid.

Where small business owners differ from other Americans lies in the share that gets insurance coverage from their employer and from "other private insurance," most of which is insurance purchased in the individual market.

While 37 percent of all non-elderly Americans get health insurance from their employers, only 19 percent of small business owners with fewer than 25 employees do. The numbers are reversed for "other private insurance," with 30 percent of the small business owners and only 13 percent of all non-elderly Americans getting their insurance from that source.

This difference leads the Kaiser Family Foundation analysts to conclude that the really important changes in the ACA for owners of small businesses lie in the individual insurance market, such as new coverage requirements, rules about pre-existing conditions, and the creation of insurance exchanges.

Health Insurance Photo via Shutterstock

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Supreme Court Decision Could Impact Small Biz Re-selling

Posted: 29 Oct 2012 02:30 AM PDT

An anticipated Supreme Court decision that pits a book publisher against a young entrepreneur could have widespread impact on many small business merchants including eBay re-sellers. We’ll also look at the latest trends in small business selling, especially e-commerce. Share your thoughts about the fallout of the Wiley v. Kirtsaeng case and the future of e-commerce in the comment section below.

Just Around the Corner

Book smart. The Supreme Court case involving Supap Kirtsaeng, a student who came to the U.S. in 1997 and began importing less expensive text books from his native Thailand in 2007 and selling them on eBay, could have dramatic repercussions for all small business re-sellers. Some critics worry a decision in favor of publishers could significantly erode the rights of any business to re-sell anything. Ars Technica

I want, therefore I am. There are other trends stirring the e-commerce world beyond the big news of re-sale rights, however. Online marketing expert Anton McCarthy tells us about Facebook’s new “want” button and the emergence of something he calls the “intention economy.” E-commerce is going social, and it is important for your business to be ready. Tweak Your Biz

Selling the Dream

Setting up your store. Unless you’re selling via eBay or some other big e-commerce super site, you’ll need an online store to offer your products to an eager customer base. Online stores are not as complicated to create as they once were. E-commerce expert Danny Pajevic gives you an overview of how to choose the best software to develop your online store. Creating a Webstore

A whole new world. E-commerce can be a whole new world for business owners entering it for the first time. The first challenge is understanding how online payments work. Michelle Latham takes e-commerce newcomers by the hand in this post and shows them what they need to know to succeed. The first steps may be the hardest, but the rewards are clear. Switch Commerce

Taking stock. Managing your inventory is another hugely important part of e-commerce that many small business owners must consider from the very beginning. Running out of products offered on your Website will disappoint customers, resulting in a poor experience that will do nothing for your business. Here are some tips that should help you keep your inventory straight. Open Forum

Marketplace Masters

A better letter. If your e-commerce newsletters aren’t saying the right things, they could be losing you money right now. Don’t worry, though. Guest blogger Chris Hexton has these suggestions that should double your newsletter’s effectiveness, meaning more sales for you and your online business. Capture Commerce

The bold and the beautiful. As long as you’re creating an e-commerce site, you should give some thought to what makes the best online marketplaces thrive. Guest blogger Stacey Thompson shares some of the qualities the best online marketplaces on the Earth have in common. Make sure your online store keeps pace with these industry leaders. Print Runner Blog

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