Monday, February 21, 2011

Eyeball 2 Eyeball Marketing Is Here

Recently, many of you have requested an easier way to get access to our consulting services and I wanted to let you know that we have instituted a consulting service called "Eyeball 2 Eyeball Marketing."

Very simply it is 21st century video meetings that can be scheduled as frequently as you want and for as many hours as you want over the Internet. You can do it from your office, home or even smart phone.

You can also have as many people in on the video conference as you want. Heck, we will even supply you with the web cam.

And it all happens over the magic of Skype. Skype is a message portal; a conference portal, and a phone portal. You can even use it to make FREE phone calls as well!!

Just think about it. No travel expenses. No extra hours. No long term contract. Just rock solid proven marketing programs that will make your cash registers ring...and you can get it in the comfort of your own office or home.

And the good news is, its a lot less expensive than going to a shrink, an attorney or an accountant!!

If you're interested, please call me at 516 359 4874 (cell)

On another note: yesterday I sent my blog to you about the importance of customer reviews and I hope you had a chance to read it.

However; the date on that blog should have been Sunday February 20th instead of Monday the 14th.

Hope that clarifies the situation since some of you called and asked why you received your blog 7 days later?!? Now you know...my apologies for the incorrect date

Sunday, February 20, 2011

The Importance of Customer Testimonials

If you were ever unsure of the power of word of mouth (WOM) consider these following facts:

• Recommendations from family and friends trump all other consumer touchpoints when it comes to influencing purchases.

• According to a global Nielsen survey of 26,486 Internet users in 47 markets, consumer recommendations are the most credible form of advertising among 78% of the study’s respondents. (Nielsen, “Word-of-Mouth the Most Powerful Selling Tool”).

• Online social network users were three times more likely to trust their peers’ opinions over advertising when making purchase decisions.

• When asked what sources of information they are “very likely” to consult before making a decision about their entertainment options, 62% named Web sites with user reviews as their top choice, even beating out a knowledgeable friend (59%).

• 11% of retailers reported a 20% or more overall increase in conversions as a result of adding reviews to their sites, 21% reported an 11% to 20% increase and 5% reported a 1% to 10% increase.

Need more reasons to put testimonials and consumer comments on your website?

Here's one more:

By 2020, 84% of marketers agree that building customer trust will become marketing’s primary objective, and 82% agree that collaboration with customers will prevail over marketing.

Monday, February 14, 2011

A Mubarak Marketing Lesson



Groups of protesters charging their phones on the street. Are these the 21st century weapons?

It took 18 days of social media to bring down 32 years of a regime in Egypt
.

Read those words again, please. Isn't that an amazing fact. This result, this upheaval is somehow, at least to me, mind boggling. Especially in 18 days.

The Egyptian protests are a new breed of social unrest with communications fueled by social media sites like Google's YouTube, Twitter and Facebook. These social media sites, especially after Mubarak tried to cut them off; instead he galvanized 80 million Egyptians to stage a revolution resulting in a regime change. So much for underestimating the power of social media!!

But the communication - the words that were used- to inspire the people were chosen carefully, passionately and with serious thought. One of Google's Egyptian executives, Wael Ghonim, who was held prisoner for 10 days said, "I said one year ago that the Internet will change the political scene in Egypt and some Friends made fun of me", Mr. Ghonim wrote these words on his personal Facebook profile for friends after two days of swelling protests in Cairo. The next day, Jan. 28, he disappeared.

When released, Mr. Ghonim said, "We must be concerned with the words we use...they can stir passion, fear, trust, hope, greed, and either peace or civil unrest."

This concern for choosing the right words, especially in the social media world cannot be emphasized too strongly; it is crucial to achieving what you want the customer to know about your products.

So in your world of social media marketing for your center, choose your words carefully. Very carefully.

You can say "I am here" or you can say "Here I am." Both phrases indicate that you are at a certain place, but which one announces your presence the best?

If you chose "Here I am", you're getting it.

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Point Of Difference

The answer to the question, "what is the difference between your bowling center and the guy down the street, is usually answered with, "...cleaner, better service, more modern, etc."

But what if the other guy says the same thing?

Now, what is your center's real point if difference that you can communicate to the consumer?

Here's some out of the box ideas that we hope will get your creative juices going

Dress your people in real costumes; you know, like those in Disney land or Space Rangers or Bowlers with funky old shirts, or all in black.

Valet park customers' cars.

Hire people who really care and pay them more than minimum wage. "You get what you pay for."

Be known for having the biggest hot dogs, largest pizzas and biggest burgers.

Have magic shows, bring in live bands, do comedy shows. add more entertainment
value to your business.

Develop a mission statement that goes beyond the words; re brand yourself honestly. 

Be who your customer wants you to be. Make your point of difference more than just "having the best special." And you'll win...big time.

Saturday, February 5, 2011

What's Your Bucket List?

In the movie of the same title, Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman decide it’s a good thing to make a list of all the things they want to do before they die.

So they put their heads together and come up with their “Top 10 Bucket List.” (As terminal cancer patients, these are the 10 things they want to do before they “kick the bucket).”

In real life we should all have a bucket list. No, not a list about the things we want to do before we die, but a list of accomplishments you would like to achieve in the next 3 months. 90 days out. No more.

It’s that simple. Set up 4 goals. One for your health, One for your business. One for your spirit. And one for your family.

Now if you do this in three (3) month increments, with one goal per month for each category, I promise you will feel more satisfied and more balanced than ever.

I have been doing this now for about 8 months and it is amazing how much I can get done on all fronts and how satisfied I feel at the end of a day.

Now, each of the four “accomplishments” may have a multitude of tasks that need to be implemented, but that’s OK. You will then have a plan for every day you wake up.

So, if you’ve been feeling a little out of balance or less satisfied about you progress than you want, why not try this approach?

Please let me know how you do.