Consider the following:

• Mobile is expected to surpass PCs as the most popular way to go online within the next 5 years
• Global downloads of mobile apps are expected to reach over 76.9 billion by 2014
• US mobile-commerce revenues are expected to hit 31 billion by 2016

Research predicts that companies will increasingly shift their marketing budgets to the mobile channel, and begin using cutting-edge apps to capture marketing and sales opportunities they may currently be leaving on the table. This growth in mobile app technology is not only within lifestyle applications, but within the business world as well. From mobile payments to location-based services, these new apps are now making it possible for even the smallest businesses to enjoy the advantages mobile technology has to offer. And as technology evolves it becomes continuously easier to market specifically to your prospects using apps.

————————————————–

Ready to jump in but not sure what a custom business app can do for your company? Here are some ideas to get you started:

• A custom demo app could help sales pros easily share different product demos on the go.
• Customers may appreciate an app that gives them a useful way to tap into your expertise no matter where they are.
• Business professionals could save time with an app that tracks business travel and related expenses automatically.
• Road warriors may get more accomplished if there was a mobile app to find good prospects that happened to be en route to their current sales calls.
• Field technicians may get more done with an app to get key information, directions, maps, or forms while they are on the road.

————————————————–

The uses for apps in business are limited only by imagination. So, whether you are looking to stand out from your competitors, enhance your brand image, strengthen customer loyalty, or all of the above – there could be an app for that… with your name on it!

————————————————–

If you’ve got an idea for an app of your own, give us a call at 1-630-832-4828 x 7 to get started today.

But, in today’s marketing arena there are so many new opportunities to reach your customers and new marketing channels to choose from, how do you decide which will be best for your business? How do you decide which resolutions to make?

- – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – -

Here are some ideas to consider for your list of 2012 Marketing Resolutions:

RESOLUTION #1: Measure ROI.
This one is at the top of the list for good reason. As marketing trends continue to evolve at the speed of light, it may be tempting to jump on the bandwagons without pause. But before embarking on any new marketing initiative, it always pays off to get the key benchmarks, define your success and return-on-investment goals, and then plan the measurement methods to keep it all on track. This applies equally to both traditional marketing and new marketing techniques alike.

RESOLUTION #2: Get Mobile.
It’s the fastest growing marketing segment. It’s the new way for your customers and prospects to get immediate information and take immediate action. Leverage this technology now. Take advantage of the on-demand, impulse-driven consumer mentality. Build mobile sites and landing pages. Think smaller, streamline; tie in QR Codes.

RESOLUTION #3: Make Social Media Count.
It can make all the difference to your bottom line OR it can become a black hole, eating up endless time and money, depending on your approach. A social media campaign should not be taken lightly. Starting a successful social media initiative means preparing a comprehensive plan, making a commitment to be vigilant, and dedicating the necessary resources to make it all happen the right way.

RESOLUTION #4: Refine your website.
As technology evolves and search-engine algorithms change the way they perform, customers and prospects also change the way they prefer to access information. This results in the ongoing need to refine your website to reflect today’s marketing arena and avoid appearing dated. Now is a good time to revisit your site to make sure it is still on the leading edge and working hard to bring you those qualified leads on a consistent basis.

RESOLUTION #5: Sharpen your landing pages, test, and repeat.
The best landing pages are those that are an immediate and clear payoff to the leading link. Landing pages bridge the gap between, “I’m a shopper” and “I’m a buyer.” They can perform several functions but it all comes down to the right information (and only the right information) to compel action at the right time.

RESOLUTION #6: Cross-sell/up-sell. Always.
Don’t leave opportunities “on the table” due to the lack of simple cross-sell or up-sell techniques. One of the most effective catalog tools around is the dynamic “you might also like…” phrase. Each marketing channel today comes with an abundance of cross-sell opportunities. Don’t forget to add those into your consistent marketing message(s).

RESOLUTION #7: Tie it all together.
Ahhh, the power of integrated marketing squared. An effective website is essential. A blog and e-newsletter is key. An integrated Social Media program is great. But, tying them together… well, that ‘s where the magic happens. Rankings, lead generation, customer acquisition, increased market share. It all starts by integrating all your marketing efforts in a comprehensive way to get the results you’re counting on.

RESOLUTION #8: Try something new.
With all that today’s new way of marketing has to offer, now may be just the time to commit to trying something new. An online social media sweepstakes may be a great way to engage your customers and prospects. Or how about using QR codes or “check-ins” to reward your best customers with special deals. Test out some of these techniques to find out how viable they are for your business.

RESOLUTION #9: Try something old.
Hand-written letters or notes are at the top of the list for communicating in a special and personal way that will help you stand out from the crowd.

RESOLUTION #10: Remember the basics.
With all the new marketing channels – with all the groups, fans, and followers – it may be easy to get distracted or worse… to fragment your brand or your message. That’s where having a comprehensive marketing plan up front can help to keep all initiatives on strategy and in focus.

- – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – -

These 10 Marketing Resolutions will get you started on the right track for a strong 2012. However, with any list of Resolutions, the tough part is always sticking to them with discipline and consistency. And your marketing Resolutions are no exception to that challenge. But the payoff is well worth the effort!

And, if you need a little help along the way, don’t forget to call us at 630-832-4828.

Happy New Year!

- – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – -

Here are 3 ways to make holiday marketing work for you:

1. Use Social Networks to Help Celebrate and Inspire Customer Loyalty Through the Holidays and Beyond

This year on Black Friday, mobile shoppers referred from social networks generated more online sales than ever before – led by Facebook with 75% of all social network traffic. That means including an integrated social media holiday marketing program is now a must. Pull out all the stops by combining social media with your website, blogs, and online press releases to get on-going benefits as well. Reward your Facebook fans with special promotions offered only to them. Make it easy for them to share with others to spread the word. Use Twitter to help your followers find the best places to park in a crowded lot. Offer Foursquare coupons to those who “check-in” at your location. Whether you are in retail or a service business, using social media is a great way to market seasonal products and services, special holiday offers, seasons greetings, and more.

2. Holiday QR Codes Take On A New Flavor this Season

Try sending your holiday offers or greetings directly to your clients’ and prospects’ smart phones this holiday season. With the success of mobile and QR Code marketing, the opportunities are endless. You can use a special holiday set of QR Codes to share seasons greetings, favorite holiday recipes, videos, web pages, songs, gifts, coupons and specials, and more.

3. Business Holiday Greetings With That Personal Touch

One of the most unique 2011 tech news stories on CNN was about the “Snail Mail My Email” campaign. One insightful guy decided to offer his services for one month to convert impersonal emails and posts into hand-written mailed letters, adding a few personal touches like stickers, doodles, flower petals, or a lipstick kiss. The idea took off like wildfire and proved that modern society may just be starved for the written word. (Direct mailers have known this for years!) So, this holiday season, while social media and QR marketing may be all the rage, there’s always room for the personal hand-written message. Get back to basics by sending out hand-written holiday cards sharing genuine sentiments in your own words. And a lipstick kiss might seal the deal.

- – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – -
If you are interested in more ideas about how to integrate holiday marketing with your company’s brand marketing initiatives call LHA/World at 630-832-4828 x7.

We know that a solid social media plan can be effective in many ways including:
• Improved website ranking / SEO
• Increased website traffic
• Successful event promotions
• Increased retail foot traffic
• Greater product sales

But how do we isolate and tangibly quantify the real results of social media?

There are many different metrics you can use – some more meaningful than others. For instance there are those that measure Social Media Audience Growth (number of followers, fans, subscriptions, etc), Engagement Metrics (number of Tweets, forwards, ratings, endorsements, comments, etc), or Influence Metrics (how social media is affecting your target audience’s perceptions and attitudes about your brand). But these methods are very difficult to assign definitive values to.

One of the better ways to monitor social media success is simply to use your Google Analytics to monitor the specific traffic that comes directly to your site from the various social media channels. Where are they coming from? What is compelling your social media visitors to click onto your website? Where are they going once they get there?

Evolving technologies like campaign tracking strings on social media links back to your website, last-click transactions, or Google +1 now allow better measurement of online activities. You can easily track spikes in your online social media channels to determine the most successful of the social media links. And this information is invaluable to test different promotions or tactics in real time to refine the most effective approach.

But how do these methods measure the impact of leads, conversions or sales that come to you offline (not directly through the social media channels) as a direct result of a social media engagement with your brand?

The answer is to apply the nuts-and-bolts measurement techniques used with all successful marketing initiatives. These techniques include ways to measure increases in leads, conversions, and SALES. It is a simple 3-step approach:

1. Before you are able to measure any social media approach, you must first set the baseline of where your numbers are today – your sales, leads, and leads-to-conversion numbers – before any social media has been added into your marketing mix. This becomes your reference point, or measuring stick to determine the effectiveness of your future social media activities.

2. Incorporate any (or all) of the above measurement techniques to assist in monitoring ongoing results. Also include unique codes and landing pages to further help clarify the online activity.

3. Then – after a predetermined period of time – use your baseline to calculate the before and after growth in the specific areas you defined at the onset of your social media marketing program. This allows you to see the actual results – your return on investment – of your social media marketing efforts.

One thing is for sure: social media is here to stay. It is a new way of thinking, a new way of shopping for products and services, and a new way of buying. Regardless of if your world is business-to-business (B2B), business-to-consumer (B2C), or even business-to-government (B2G), the use of social media marketing channels should now be a part of all integrated marketing programs.

If this does not describe your current website, it might be time to revisit your site and the strategy behind it. With all the benefits today’s web best practices offer, updating your site is an easy decision to make. But how do you know when it is the right time to update your site? Here are the top 10 signs to watch for:

1. Your site traffic is painfully low and it is not bringing in new leads
OR, the leads coming in from your site are not good quality prospects.

2. Your sales department is NOT using your site as direct sales support
OR they are actively trying to avoid sending prospects to your site at all.

3. Your message, products, and/or services have changed but your current site does not reflect those changes.

4. Long load times on your existing site cause visitors to “bounce” away before they even get a chance to see your message.

5. The look and feel/design of your site no longer reflects the image of your company or brand.

6. Your current site is not built for your internal staff to easily update content regularly OR you are unable to update your site at all without costly fees.

7. Your site is no longer fully functioning on all browsers
OR your site is no longer functioning on ANY browsers.

8. Today’s technology (SEO, videos, social media tie-in, etc) is under leveraged or not used at all.

9. Yesterday’s technology (ex: long animated introductions that prospects want to skip) is over used on your site.

10. You may not currently have a site at all… Now’s the time to act!

But that world came to a screeching halt with the advent of the digital age. Online marketing became the new new. It leveled the playing field while allowing us access to postage-free instant communication. This surely was the new face of direct mail. Direct mail done better, cheaper, faster, and more targeted.

Although the online revolution brought about many changes, one thing remained constant: the strategy behind targeted direct marketing. The name of the game was still all about getting your message out to a responsive targeted audience who would remember it and take action to become your customers.

Fast forward to 2011. Now while our regular mailboxes may be covered in cobwebs, it’s our e-mailboxes that are stuffed with marketing messages. And this oversaturation of email messages now comes with spam filters, firewalls, and security settings. Our “throw-away” rates are surpassing our click rates and it’s difficult at best to access and maintain a consistent good quality email database. So, how do you break through and get noticed? Think multi-channel marketing. That’s where direct mail steps in.

Sure you’ll have printing and postage costs, but the payoff of this multi-channel strategy could be well worth that expense and more. Now that postal mailboxes are cleared of our competitors and there are fewer pieces of traditional mail waiting for us, our open rates are a bit higher and our attention spans a bit longer. This all adds up to a great time for an effective targeted direct mail program.

Naturally the guidelines for success are still as valid now as they ever were. Here are just three very basic principles to remember when planning your next targeted direct mail campaign:

• The List: First and foremost is getting the right list. Fine tune exactly the right audience for your message. The more targeted, the better the response.

• The Message: It’s always about your customer, not the product or service. Talk with your customers and prospects like they are your audience of one.

• The Brand: Each point of contact with your target audience is another chance to build your brand and your relationships. Customers and prospects need to first become familiar with your brand, then come to trust that it will serve their needs.

Of course, because no marketing piece is an island (and there is no silver bullet), we know that a multi-channel philosophy is the best way to approach your marketing initiatives. So, whether it’s an email marketing program combined with direct mail then followed by a social media outreach, or direct mail combined with an online purl program, each element of your marketing communications program needs to be designed to reinforce your overall brand message and marketing strategy. That’s when the magic starts to happen.

Today you’ll hear the SEO experts talk about keyword density, keyphrases, link structure, backlinks, link juice and directory submissions just for starters. It may sound like the rules are all sorted out, but guess again. Considering Google changes their search algorithms between 350 and 400 times a year, there’s a lot more to the story.

Bad SEO vs. Good SEO. A Scandal Revealed.
There are many techniques to getting SEO results. Some are good (“white-hat” techniques), and some are downright cheating (“black-hat” techniques). Check out the recent NYTimes.com article “The Dirty Little Secrets of Search” to see the effects of bad SEO. You may read about “link farms” or “link schemes” and think that you’d never tolerate those tactics for your website. But when your online traffic spikes in the right direction, and your website makes it onto the first page of search results, you’ll be celebrating the magic of SEO and declaring “it worked!” Or did it?

SEO Brings Traffic – But Where Are The Inquiries?
More and more businesses are coming to us with a dilemma: they are now getting more traffic, they may even be on the first page with some important keywords BUT they are still not getting the results they were hoping for. Where are the inbound leads? Why are people bouncing right off their website after only spending a second or two there? What is missing?

Looking at the big picture may reveal that your site most certainly has been optimized for keywords and links. You may even be integrating your blog and social media channels with your website on a regular schedule. These are all good things. But on second look we may see where the issue really is… With the content: the message, the design, and the sales strategy behind the website.

Many times, in efforts to saturate web pages with various SEO techniques, the marketing strategy of the overall sales message may be severely compromised or lost entirely. In an effort to put the focus back onto website quality, relevance and content, Google has recently added a couple of new updates to their algorithm. Both of these updates (“time spent on a web page” and a new “content-farm” update) are specifically designed to thwart “shallow or low quality content” websites that have popped up for the sole purpose of SEO rankings.

The Answer To Getting Real Results
The answer? Get back to basics. Look at both sides of the website-success coin. Just as important as true search engine optimization is, your brand and your message (your content) is equally (or more) important! We need to look a bit farther than simply increasing traffic. We need to make sure that when visitors land on our website they instantly find the answers to the questions that brought them there in the first place — they instantly find value. We need every tool available to resonate with our prospects on both a business and an emotional level.

Traffic is good, but inbound leads, inquiries, and sales are always better. So before considering your SEO possibilities, consider your brand, your sales message, and your overall website goals. Once your site is successfully balancing BOTH sides of the formula, you can expect to see the results you were hoping for.

But what is the real meaning of ‘Love’? We looked it up on Wikipedia and found the following: “Love is a virtue representing all of human kindness, compassion, and affection… the basis for all being.”

It is in this spirit that we’d like to focus today’s SPECIAL ISSUE on two organizations that work to bring hope, respect and compassion to our world in different ways. It is our small way of showing that through marketing we can help make a difference.

Opportunity International
A Working Solution to Global Poverty.
www.opportunity.org

Opportunity International is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the vision of a world in which <em>all</em> people have the opportunity to provide for their families and build a fulfilling life. Their mission is to empower people to work their way out of poverty, transforming their lives, their children’s futures and their communities.

Opportunity International does just that bu providing small business loans, savings, insurance and training to more than two million people in the developing world who are working their way out of poverty. Clients in over 20 countries use these financial services to start or expand a business, provide for their families, create jobs for their neighbors and build a safety net for the future. The impact of what they do can be seen through the stories of those that they’ve helped along the way.

Mediatrice Mukeshimuremyi’s Story: Opportunity Rwanda Helps Local Woman Find Success and Give Back to Her Community

Mediatrice Mukeshimuremyi is a mother of two young daughters as well as a farmer. She grows coffee, beans, sweet potatoes, corn and cassava. Before joining Opportunity Rwanda she could only produce enough food for her family.

Then Mediatrice found Opportunity Rwanda. She received training and her first loan of $40 which she used to start a business selling bananas in the market. Soon after she began selling juice, which increased her profit to $14 a week. Mediatrice is currently expanding her juice and vegetable stand to carry cooking oil and other household necessities. She invested the profit to buy two goats, a pig that will be producing eight piglets by the end of this year, and five chickens that lay enough eggs to feed her children. Today, Mediatrice is respected in her community as a business woman and employer. She has made significant contributions toward community development and is able to employ people from her village in planting and harvest seasons. Mediatrice hopes one day to purchase a sewing machine to make school uniforms for the young children in her area.

Augusto Natsave’s Story: Opportunity Mozambique Helps with a Father’s Dream

When Augusto Natsave first came up with the idea of running a local basic goods store, he did not know how to get things off the ground. That all changed when he was introduced to Opportunity Mozambique and received his first loan of $50 to begin a business.

Opportunity trained Augusto and placed him in a Trust Group that was already well established. Though he started with just a stall of goods, his venture took off and today has developed into a full-fledged distribution business. He now buys whole sacks of basic goods in bulk and sells them to smaller vendors at fair prices. In addition, he has now opened additional market stalls which he rents at lower rates to unemployed neighbors. He says this is his way of giving back to his community. Augusto is excited to be able to support his own family in a way he feels good about and create employment for others in his community.

Asah Awudu’s Story: Opportunity Ghana Helps Overcome Challenges

Asah Awudu is fifty-two years old, married and has three children. Prior to joining Opportunity, Asah struggled to provide food for her family and often had to sell household goods in order to provide medical care for her family when they were sick. Asah had been selling maize for six years, yet she found it difficult to earn a profit as she could only buy small quantities on credit. She used to feel helpless and inadequate as a mother as she “had hands, but couldn’t use them properly,” and often worked for food as compensation.

Then Asah heard about the Opportunity Ghana Trust Group program through friends. With the training and support of Opportunity International she was able to grow her business and start making a profit. Asah can now buy up to 30 bags of maize, which she can sell and store for the lean season when maize is difficult to grow. Today her income has increased and she now earns enough money to provide for her family with some left over to add to her savings account. Asah is confident about her future; she feels that, with the support of Opportunity and her Trust Group, there are no challenges that she cannot face.

These are just a few of the many stories that show the impact Opportunity International makes in the lives of people around the globe. For more information about Opportunity International and how you can help make a difference, please visit www.opportunity.org.

———————————————————————————–

Zonta International
Advancing the Status of Women Worldwide.
www.zonta.org

Founded in 1919, Zonta International is a global organization of executives and professionals working together to advance the status of women worldwide through service and advocacy. The organization’s 31,000 members belong to more than 1,200 Zonta clubs in 65 countries, volunteering their time, talents and financial support to local and international service and educational programs benefiting women and girls around the world.

Through the Zonta International Foundation, Zonta International helps women and girls overcome gender barriers to educational and professional advancement; provides opportunities for women to earn higher wages and achieve economic independence; ensures that women and children have access to quality, affordable health care; and strives to end violence against women.

Zonta is actively working to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV and gender-based violence in Rwanda; promote safe cities for women in Guatemala and El Salvador; work towards the reduction of maternal and newborn mortality and morbidity in Liberia; end burns violence against women in Cambodia, Nepal and Uganda; and promote security and empowerment for women and their families during the recovery and rebuilding response in earthquake-ravaged Haiti.

In addition, the organization supports women’s educational and professional advancement through a number of programs, including the Amelia Earhart Fellowship, named in honor of the legendary aviatrix and Zonta Club member, the Jane M. Klausman Women in Business Scholarship and the Young Women in Public Affairs Award. Thanks to the financial support Zonta provides, women in the United States and in countries around the globe have the opportunity to pursue studies and careers they have until now only dreamed of.

These are just a few of the many examples of Zonta International’s efforts to improve the lives of women around the globe. For more information about Zonta’s programs and membership opportunities, please visit www.zonta.org.

Well, its a new year and all indicators are pointing in the right direction. So what better time than right now to refine your existing strategies and start implementing new ideas that are in keeping with the changing marketing climate? As you gear up your marketing plans here are 6 keys to marketing success in 2011:

——————————

1. Brand

Your brand should always be first on the list of the important elements of successful integrated marketing. Regardless of message, media channel, or offer, your brand needs to be strong, memorable and consistent. With the emergence of blogs and social media this is ever more important. The integrity of your brand should never take a back seat to other components of marketing.

2. Plan

A strategic plan starts with your marketing goals. Are you looking for more in-bound leads? …more sales? …more customers? …increased market share? (or all of the above?) Establishing your specific goals allows the development of a strategy precisely designed for the results you’re looking for. These goals will also drive the messages and media mix.

3. Reach

It seems that each new year uncovers new media channels and new ways to reach our prospects and clients. That means if you are still using the traditional channels you may be missing out on many opportunities to connect with your prospects who now look for your products or services through blogs, online searches, email outlets, social media, and more. To optimize today’s marketing environment you must be poised to take advantage of each marketing channel that offers ­direct connections to your target audience.

4. Timing

How long is your sales cycle?  How do you know when it is the right time to get the attention of your prospects? How can you be sure you are there exactly when and where your customers are actively searching for your products or services? The answer is in the frequency and timing of your integrated, multi-channel marketing. With all the options available today to open the lines of communication with our target audiences this has never been easier — or kinder on the bottom line. It takes planning, discipline, and consistency but the rewards are well worth the effort.

5. Leads

In the planning or strategy phase of your marketing initiative be sure to outline the direct types of leads you are looking for. Are you holding out for only the best quality leads or are you looking to cast a wide net for a huge quantity of leads (or both)? The answer to this most basic question determines how and where you’ll approach your target audience and how your message will be crafted. If you’re looking for both types of leads to feed your sales funnel then that may take simultaneous marketing programs directed at different targets.

6. Results

What kind of return on your marketing investment are you getting? When starting any new marketing campaign the first thing you should do is to take a benchmark reading of where you are today. This may be in many different forms such as: revenue, number of sales, number of customers, amount of traffic on your website, number of leads, etc. Determining your baseline is important for measuring the results of each of your marketing activities. By establishing your goals while understanding your baseline you will easily be able to monitor the results, effectiveness and success of your integrated marketing programs.

——————————

By remembering these guidelines throughout the year your marketing initiatives will be stronger, more effective and more dynamic than ever. You’ll find that your marketing efforts are working smarter and that you have more control over the process of successful marketing than you may have thought possible.