Category: Chou Musings

Top 4 Reasons Why Retailers Should Use Social Media

Retail-store-complex

Traditional marketing for retailers involved print ads in magazines and newspaper spreads, television ad spots, billboards, and signage within retail centers. Today though, the word ‘traditional’ is slowly starting to become obsolete as the rise of digital and social media grows.

In a recent 2012 joint research project by Shop.org,  comScore, and The Partnering Group, entitled the 2012 Social and Mobile Commerce study, the role of social media and the way it plays into consumers behaviors and buying decisions is apparent by the results which we will discuss below.

To help understand the case study fore mentioned, we have related them to the Top 4 Reasons Why Retailers Should Use Social Media:

1. Don’t ignore your consumers

According to the study, 2 out of 5 online consumers follow retailers through one or more social networking sites. As a retailer, being in front of the consumer at every possible opportunity is key. In the case of social media, the opportunity is huge. With communities that reach into the high millions, retailers that take advantage of the numbers will be able to tap into the consumer that is listening and looking. Continue reading Top 4 Reasons Why Retailers Should Use Social Media

Podcast: Marcus Sheridan and content marketing for local businesses

Listen to the podcast with Marcus Sheridan:

[podcast]http://blog.rewardme.com/wp-content/podcast/Marcus-Sheridan-RewardMe-Interview.mp3[/podcast]

To play podcast, click on the ‘play’ button above

Interview details:

Marcus Sheridan interviewed for the RewardMe BlogMarcus is an amazing individual.  When the economy tanked in 2008, he found that his company was in serious trouble because no one wanted to buy pools anymore.  He saw a ton of pool companies fail around him, but his work-ethic, perseverance , and drive refused to let him rollover to die.

He created a blog for his company where he wrote content every night after work about fiber glass pools and spas.  Because he refused to let his company die, he gradually grew his company to the biggest of its kind.  He successfully used content/inbound marketing to generate leads and drive sales.

What you will learn in this interview: A lot of companies make the mistake to assume that online marketing, or in this case content marketing, is just not for them.  Marcus is here to tell you that if a pool company can make a killing online, then your company can as well.  Think of this podcast as a complete blueprint to how you can get started with content marketing right now for your local business.

Continue reading Podcast: Marcus Sheridan and content marketing for local businesses

Infographic: The Evolution of Loyalty Programs

The-Evolution-of-Loyalty-Programs Header

Loyalty programs have come a long way. From the Betty Crocker points to Mooyah’s Cardless Loyalty Solution, the way in which loyalty is administered has been defined and re-defined over time.

From its earliest days when Subway stamps were ‘the next big thing,’ businesses and brands have continued to search for the solution toward rewarding loyalty in an effective way.

To help paint the picture of how loyalty programs have changed over time, we present you with the following infographic titled: The Evolution of Loyalty Programs. Continue reading Infographic: The Evolution of Loyalty Programs

10 Common Social Media Questions from Small Business Owners, Part 1

10 Common Social Media Questions from Small Business Owners, Part 1

For a small business owner, knowing the ins-and-outs of social media can be an overwhelming task. Especially if it’s just one person who is managing the ‘social media’ side of the business, it’s easy to overlook the little changes that occur everyday on Twitter, Facebook, and more.

Just how in school the teacher says “there are no stupid questions,” the same goes for questions regarding social media. It’s better to ask and know rather than try and find out.

With that said, here are 10 common social media questions that we get from small business owners

1.) Facebook, Twitter or both?

Most businesses can benefit from having a presence on both Twitter and Facebook, but one thing to consider is to what extent and how you will use the platforms. Continue reading 10 Common Social Media Questions from Small Business Owners, Part 1

The Beginners Guide To Understanding and Setting Up Google Maps Search

Google Maps - Local Search Marketing

Harnessing the power of the digital space for your business doesn’t just mean learning how to use Facebook or Yelp. It also means learning about the different ways by which customers may find and engage with your business.

For that reason, we’ve come up with this quick overview of Google Maps Search!

Where to start?

  1. Google Places: http://www.google.com/places/
  2. Google Maps: http://maps.google.com/

What are we talking about?

Formally known as Google Local, Google Maps is one of Google’s most popular tools . If you are business owner, Google has a special place called Google Places where you can customize and optimize our business for searches. Continue reading The Beginners Guide To Understanding and Setting Up Google Maps Search

How Restaurants Can Increase Their Facebook Fan Base and Presence

Facebook Fans

In what can be considered a sort of social media arms race, brands and businesses are in a hurry to ramp up the number of fans they have on Facebook and Twitter. Restaurants in particular are slowly, but surely joining in the race. While some are better at utilizing Facebook pages and all of its features, there is still a large percentage of restaurants that are still in the ‘make or break stage’ of Facebook.

By the ‘make or break stage,’ we refer to the time period in which a brand may become frustrated at poor results which may discourage them from moving forward with social media. Rather than feeling like your efforts are wasted and that there is no hope, consider the following tips on how restaurants can increase their Facebook fan base and presence.

Facebook Layout

Mooyah Facebook Page

When you walk into an Apple store, the experience in itself is part of their value proposition. In the same sense, consider your Facebook fan page as your very own Apple store. Everything from your Facebook timeline to your Facebook Cover page image should be optimized and branded for your business. Continue reading How Restaurants Can Increase Their Facebook Fan Base and Presence

5 Tips to Increase Your Restaurants Profitability

5 Tips to Increase Your Restaurants Profitability

The question that every restaurant owner has on their mind is simple: how can I increase the profitability of my restaurants. While there are some very blatant way to accomplish this such as cutting back on the quality of the food and paying your workers less, these are not ‘ideal’ solutions. Rather, these would be considered cutting corners.

There are many ways for a restaurant to increase their profitability as well as the foot traffic that they get and would like to share 5 tips that we feel every restaurant owners should consider in regards to profitability:

1. Social Media We’ve mentioned it before, but we’ll mention it again. Social Media can be daunting and scary, but at the same time it can be a powerful marketing tool for a business. By using social media as communication tool , you can build relationships that keep your business top of mind with potential customers. By using it as a brand monitoring tool, you can listen to what people are saying, both good and bad. When used effectively as a whole, social media has the potential to help a restaurant increase it’s brand awareness and most importantly, it’s profits. Continue reading 5 Tips to Increase Your Restaurants Profitability