Return on Intelligence
By Jim Gilbert
About Jim
Jim Gilbert has been creating direct marketing programs that drive superior ROI for almost 30 years. Fluent in consumer or B-to-B, creative, operations, and analytics, he marries the strategic and tactical sides of direct and social media marketing in a seamless fashion that gets results. He's CEO of a multidiscipline direct marketing agency, Gilbert Direct Marketing, Inc., which focuses on direct mail, catalogs, DRTV, telemarketing, print, alternative direct marketing media and social media marketing.
Jim has been involved in start-ups, expansions and turnarounds, and is an expert in helping multichannel marketers get to the "next level." He's a former adjunct professor, teaching direct marketing at Miami International University, and is a member of the Board of Directors of the Florida Direct Marketing Association. Jim loves to talk direct marketing, and has done many lectures on direct and social media marketing.
Retail Rambles
The Lighter Side of Shipping?
Feb 1, 2012Postage rate increases have gone into effect; consumers want — scratch that — expect free shipping; and don't forget about...
Return on Inventory
How Inventory Planning Supports Marketing Decisions
Jan 27, 2012Many smaller retailers simply don’t believe that improvements in inventory planning will provide enough incremental profit gain for a company...
Shipping Insights
Parcel Rate Increases for 2012
Dec 19, 2011UPS has announced 6.9 percent air increases, partially offset by a 2 percent fuel surcharge reduction. It's also announced a...
ThinkAbout: Inspirational Verve for Your Product Line!
Can You Up the Ante on Your Products’ Amusement Factor?
Oct 17, 2011Can you up the ante on any of your products’ amusement factors? Is there some ho-hum aspect of your product...
Retail Rants & Raves
What I Learned at NRF 2012
Jan 20, 2012The National Retail Federation's Annual Convention & Expo (aka Retail's BIG Show) in New York City wrapped up this past...
Creating Positive Customer Experiences
A Little Customer Romance Goes a Long Way
Feb 15, 2011It’s the time of year when everyone’s thinking about romance. But did you ever think about how much romance is...
9 Immutable Laws of Social Media Marketing
|
Page Not Found
The page that you requested could not be found.
Please contact
webmaster@napco.com, indicating what page you were trying to access.
Note from Jim: Every once in a while I write something that resonates with people. Last week I wrote an article for eM+C Weekly — the e-newsletter of All About ROI's sister publication, eM+C — titled "9 Immutable Laws of Social Media Marketing." I've received a lot of feedback on it, so I asked my editor if I can break tradition and publish it here, too. I feel I've broken down social media expectations pretty well, but you decide. Please add your comments below.
"What can I expect from social media?"
“What kind of return on investment will I get?”
“I tried social media and got no customers!”
These are the kinds of questions and responses I hear daily in my conversations about social media. Often I tell folks to set and manage expectations correctly. From these conversations I've come up with a set of nine laws of social media to provide all marketers with proper expectations.
1. Brand + time = revenue. The more time consumers spend with your brand and products, the more likely they are to buy. Engaging customers or prospects in social media channels increases brand/time.
2. Brand + channels = revenue. The more channels in which consumers interact with your brand, the more likely they'll buy. Offering multiple engagement channels allows for consumer self-selection of preferred channels. Being in the right social media channels based on your market increases channel interaction.
3. Brand + time + channels = advocates. Consumers spending time in multiple channels breeds customers more likely to become brand advocates and influencers. This is the new multichannel marketing model for the 21st century. Social media creates brand advocates and turns peers into your best salespeople.
4. Exponential search factor. Social media increases your search engine rankings and, when combined with your website, drives additional traffic via organic search.
5. The newfangled customer service factor. Consumers choose their contact preferences. Brands that don't have multiple channels for customer service risk losing customers. Consumers expect instant gratification, and social media delivers.
6. Behind-the-scenes factor. People don’t buy from brands; they buy from people. Social media puts a human face on the faceless corporate entity. Social media's biggest opportunity is to allow people to connect with your employees as peers.
7. Trust is the new black. If done correctly, the aforementioned laws allow consumers to build or rebuild trust. Social media harkens back to the days of the corner store where consumers and brands had a cordial relationship. Social media builds relationships over time.
8. The reputation factor. Whether you like it or not, consumers are talking about your brand. Social media is the great neutralizer. It allows you to seek out negatives and turn them into positives via reputation management and communications.
9. The time spent factor. Customers aren't always ready to buy. Social media prepares customers with all of the above over time.laws
Jim Gilbert is president of Gilbert Direct Marketing Inc., a full-service catalog, direct marketing and social media agency. His LinkedIn profile can be viewed at www.linkedin.com/in/jimwgilbert. You can email him at jimdirect@aol.com, follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/gilbertdirect or read his blog at gilbertdirectmarketing.wordpress.com/.
Companies Mentioned:
 |
|
Page Not Found
The page that you requested could not be found.
Please contact
webmaster@napco.com, indicating what page you were trying to access.