The Marsh Café in San Francisco! They found the most unique way to display their emergence into the social media world. This summer they put up a sign that read “Foursquare mayor drinks for free” in order to promote Foursquare. Foursquare is a location-based social network that helps people connect with anyone (you don’t even have to know them) using GPS via a mobile device. Since the promotion, business for The Marsh Café has been in demand, they have had to hire more staff as well as extend their hours of operation to meet the needs of their new consumers.

Cari Turley, the manager of The Marsh Café, an active social media user worked with Denis Crowley, co-founder of Foursquare, to develop a box application that would promote The Marsh Café on the social media site itself. With the excellent strategic plan to promote a new social media site, The Marsh Café in return got a lot of media coverage which brought attention to their business. Hi-five to the Marsh Cafe!

It is obvious that people around the world are spending more and more time online, making social media properties a valuable asset to any industry. With the holiday season rolling in, shoppers everywhere are resulting to social media as a shopping aid. Deloitte’s 24th Annual Holiday Survey of retail spending and trends confirms that social media and mobile phones are key influencers this holiday season.

How you may ask? Take a look at these stats!

-    17%  of all consumers are planning on using social media during their holiday shopping

-    60% of those consumers are planning on using social media to find discounts, coupons, and sale information

-    53% of all consumers are planning on using social media to research gift ideas for family and friends

Age is no factor when it comes to social media. From those consumers who are planning on using social media as a shopping assistant – more than half are in the age group of 18-29, 33% are in the age group of 30-44, and 12% are in the age group of 45-60. With the internet being a top shopping destination for all ages; 22% of consumers are planning on shopping primarily online this holiday season with 44% of the shoppers planning on using coupons obtained online at local stores.

With the current economic downfall, social media is a key factor to attract those consumers who are planning on using the internet as a shopping aid. How will you market your business this holiday season?

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Myth #1 – It all starts with a great web site.

A flashy splash page with gigantic lifestyle photos will not draw consumers into your site by itself. Your Company needs to have a strong brand identity with well defined services. Even the most attractive of websites won’t convert visitors into customers if you can’t describe your professional specialty and specify the core benefits your work provides for your clients.

Myth #2 – Do whatever it takes to build your email list.

There’s no question that a substantial opt-in mailing list is a valuable marketing asset, but the quality of names on your list is much more important than the quantity. Acquiring names through giveaways of other people’s material, trading lists with joint venture partners, or purchasing them from a vendor rarely provides qualified buyers truly interested in your services. You have worked hard to build a credible name for your company, why tarnish your reputation?

Myth #3 – More traffic translates to increased profits.

The only result that more traffic to your website guarantees you is increased bandwidth use by your web host. Before breaking the bank on excessive amounts of PPC and banner ads for an unproven site you should mercilessly critique it and invite existing customers to do the same. Consider it constructive criticism and take the time to fine tune your site before diving into a massive campaign.

Myth #4 – Killer copywriting is the secret to sales.

Your Internet marketing persona should reflect the same professionalism as the work you do with your clients. You should avoid gimmicky “limited time only” and “buy one get one free” catch phrases. Those appeals are best left to the late night infomercial salesmen. You are a professional who’s copy should inspire trust and brand loyalty.

Myth #5 – Just follow the magic formula and you will get rich.

There is no magical panacea to cure your internet marketing woes. The secret to landing clients is what it always has been. You need to build relationships and get people to know, like, and trust you. Building long-term, trusting relationships with prospective clients and referral sources will win you business on the web.

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The grand bazaars of the Near East, the Venetian exchange houses of the Rialto, even the swanky boutiques of Sunset Boulevard have become afterthoughts in the mind of the modern American and European consumer in the wake of the new online marketplace. Many of the large multinationals, and many smaller regional merchants, have shifted a considerable amount of their marketing efforts online. However, something has been lost in the process.

The beauty of the local merchant was that he had an intimate understanding of not only the product he was selling, but also the local people he was selling to. The same should apply to ecommerce. The savvy online marketer needs to have a dialogue with the customer. And to do this you need to communicate in the customer’s native language. Since the lion’s share of online content is in English, Americans enjoy the luxury of an Internet that is accessible and engaging. The same does not apply to our friends across the pond though. Europeans tend to surf sites in their own language, which are usually national versions of international brands like Google and Lycos.

It is more effective to have separate sites for different languages (english-mysite.com, german-keyword.com, french-keyword.com); the most effective method of reaching a European browser is having a local top-level domain name like .fr for France. According to Jupiter research, when comparing two sites having similar content, similar number of pages and targeting similar keywords, the separate language sites get four times more traffic than sites with the structure mysite.com/targeted_language. If you are attracting an international audience and/or pursuing one, keep this important element in mind. Get to know your target audience and communicate with them on THEIR level in their native language.

Do as the old street merchants did, get to know your customer, be invested in learning what makes them tick. Survey your web visitors, call them, email them. Be the friendly neighborhood mega-corporation next door.

I was typing in the Pottery Barn URL today - http://www.potterbarn.com/ - and thought - shouldn’t they own the mispellings (no pun intended!)  of their own domains?

Are you
sure you know the intricacies of running an online store?

In working
with numerous clients on their ecommerce projects, there has been one thing
that has stuck out. Logistics. Logistics, you ask. Well, we have assisted
handfuls of small business start ups with getting their product online. The
majority of the time, a business owner will ask for a simple website where
people can purchase product and/or using tools like Pay Pal. Sounds simple
enough – right?

The first
thing we do is ask a series of questions related to running their online store.
For example, if you were thinking about getting your latest hot product online
for people to see and buy, we would ask:

1. what product are you selling
        and do you have an expansive product line?
2. are you able to create a
        product matrix for everything you hope to sell?
3. do you have product ID numbers
        or SKU’s already mapped out?
4. do you have product images of
        every single item?
5. do you have product
        descriptions written, including price?
6. so you have a shipping account
        with UPS?
7. do you have a business bank
        account ready to receive funds?
8. once an order is placed, who
        will fulfill the order – you?
9. where does the inventory live?
10. who will package up the product
         an ship it?
11. how are you handling returns?

This is not
intended to scare anyone away from setting up shop online. It’s intended to
assist you in answering the most important business logistics, to ensure you
run a successful online shop.

It is an education
process, and a lot of ecommerce newbies may have never thought about these
questions. An experienced web development company should help you think through
these items and provide direction where needed. This is a two street and most of
the items listed above will require planning.

Good luck
and here’s to your online success.