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Figuring Out the Tools of the Social Trade: How Intuit Benefits from Social Media (BusinessWeek)
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Posted: 09/11/2009
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For many companies it may seem impossible to get measurable results from social media campaigns, but Intuit (INTU) appears to be profiting from its new social community, Quickbooks
Live Community. Intuit’s secret to success? The accounting software maker aggregates tried-and-true users into a live community where they can exchange meaningful information. For customers, that means quicker responses to troubleshooting while the company is relieved of providing more paid technicians. The live community is immediately accessible to users
opening QuickBooks 2009 on a PC or Mac. Since launching the new social element, the company has enjoyed multiple benefits from decreasing costs for tech support and enhancing customer service to tripling its channel traffic and increasing market share by 4 points, to 94%.
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Industry:
Marketing, Design, & Interactive Communications,
Retail & Products,
Technology, Consulting, & Professional Services
Topic:
Business Intelligence,
Experience & Interaction,
Technology Implementation
Region:
Global
Audience:
Business to Business,
Business to Consumer,
Peer Groups & Communities
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Facelift for Facebook (Ecommerce Times)
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Posted: 04/22/2009
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Facebook recently underwent a redesign of its user home pages to put a direct spotlight on instant updates to friend posts. This has led many to compare the new look to Twitter but the additional result is a cleaner page based on more traditional web design and focused on information hierarchy. The new approach also generates several opportunities for Facebook to reach people interested in advertising to members of the social networking site. By offering the additional ad space, Facebook is hoping that marketers will embrace the idea of mixing ads with content and take advantage of the abundance of information on consumer behavior at their fingertips.
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Industry:
Marketing, Design, & Interactive Communications
Topic:
Business Intelligence,
Content Strategy,
Marketing Communications
Region:
Global
Audience:
Peer Groups & Communities
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Facebook Like Button Helps Solve Retailer’s Dilemma (Fast Company)
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Posted: 03/17/2011
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To help solve the problem of overstocked inventory, San Francisco-based children’s clothing retailer Tea Collection put Facebook’s “Like” button into action. Customers saved big when they voted for their favorite items that were set to be discontinued and then enjoyed a hefty discount from $59 to $10 on the winning dress. The dress was an immediate sell out. While the company took a loss on it, marketing director Jeff Reichelderfer explained that the campaign more than made up for the losses with purchases that customers made on other items. Tea Collection, which sells its line in boutiques and department stores across the country as well as online, has since hosted two more competitions to help move inventory and further engage its customers.
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Industry:
Marketing, Design, & Interactive Communications,
Retail & Products
Topic:
Content Strategy,
E-Commerce,
Experience & Interaction,
Marketing Communications
Region:
Global,
North America
Audience:
Business to Consumer,
Peer Groups & Communities
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Facebook Gears Up For Major eCommerce Drive (BusinessWeek)
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Posted: 03/03/2011
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In an effort to convert more of the social network’s 500 million users into regular online shoppers, Facebook is now wooing big business. Facebook has added e-commerce features designed to “attract users, keep them logged-on longer, and generate higher advertising sales,” thereby attracting major brands to sell their products and services through the social networking site. Helping with the effort are companies like Minneapolis-based Alvenda and San Francisco-based Payvment, whose technologies have allowed the company to integrate a retail component into Facebook pages and facilitate payment. David Fisch, who runs the newly formed commerce partnerships group at Facebook, hopes the effort may turn the company into an online shopping alternative. More than half of the top 25 retail sites, including retail competitors like eBay and Amazon, have linked their sites to the social network in the past year, Facebook says.
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Industry:
Marketing, Design, & Interactive Communications,
Retail & Products,
Technology, Consulting, & Professional Services
Topic:
Business Intelligence,
Content Strategy,
E-Commerce,
Experience & Interaction,
Marketing Communications,
Technology Implementation
Region:
Global
Audience:
Business to Consumer,
Peer Groups & Communities
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EZ-Lube Plugs Into Mobile Campaign to Tune-Up Loyalty Program (PromoMagazine)
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Posted: 09/25/2009
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Oil Change specialists EZ-Lube took customer care and loyalty to new heights last spring with a mobile campaign to boost its customer base. With more than 80 stores, the Southern California auto lube chain partnered with mobile marketing and loyalty experts SmartReply to launch a campaign targeted at existing loyalty customers and others who opted in to receive special messaging. 500,000 text messages touting car-care value offers were sent over a six-week period. In addition to boosting its database by 1,700 opt-ins for future promotions and fortifying the company’s competitive advantage, the campaign also garnered a 5% redemption rate among general responders and 15% among the existing loyalty club members at a cost of less than $6 per opt-in.
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Industry:
Marketing, Design, & Interactive Communications,
Telecommunications
Topic:
Experience & Interaction,
Marketing Communications
Region:
North America
Audience:
Business to Consumer
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Expanding the Mobile Web (MIT - Massachusetts Institute of Technology)
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Posted: 03/08/2009
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Microchip maker, ARM, has partnered with Adobe to bring more Adobe software capabilities to more mobile phone users. Until now, many videos that run in Adobe Flash Players could not be viewed on cell phones due to software incompatibility. This new partnership is good news for users as well as programmers who will now have the tools necessary to build content that can work across many devices. In addition, Adobe has teamed with mobile phone manufacturers Nokia, Sony Ericsson, Qualcomm and others to standardize Adobe Flash on mobile devices. Adobe is counting on its removal of licensing fees to encourage integration of its Flash Player. Some industry insiders claim the move is a reaction to Microsoft’s comparable Flash Player, Silverlight. Possible. But, if it gets Flash to more mobile users, that’s enough for us.
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Industry:
Marketing, Design, & Interactive Communications,
Retail & Products,
Telecommunications
Topic:
E-Commerce,
Experience & Interaction,
Marketing Communications,
Technology Implementation
Region:
North America
Audience:
Business to Business,
Business to Consumer,
Peer Groups & Communities
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Evolution Or Revolution? The Rise Of A New Advertising Age (Internet Evolution)
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Posted: 04/15/2010
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Research firm Outsell projects that 2010 will be a banner year for digital advertising. With revenues projected to reach $119.6 billion on digital media compared to $111.5 billion on ads in traditional print magazines and newspapers, this could be the year digital advertising revenues overtake traditional print media. "Advertisers are directing dollars toward the channels which generate the most qualified leads and most effective branding," Outsell vice president and lead analyst Chuck Richard said. According to Outsell, digital spending encompasses email, video ads, display ads and search engine marketing. The impact on the estimated $368 billion annual marketing costs? It’s likely to get more expensive. "I believe there is still a need for mass media like TV, radio, and some print... and the changes will be that the big media will get bigger and more expensive," states Mitch Drew, a TV ad salesperson and blogger based in Vancouver.
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Industry:
Marketing, Design, & Interactive Communications
Topic:
Marketing Communications
Region:
Global
Audience:
Business to Business,
Business to Consumer
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Encouraging Online Consumers To Trade Caution For Confidence (Practical eCommerce)
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Posted: 06/17/2010
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Cautious “digital window shopping” may be a thing of the past thanks to a revelation by McAfee Secure. According to McAfee, the lapse between online consumers placing items in virtual shopping carts and completing purchases is nearly two days. Implementing a few cost, service, and security tips such as retailers’ use of coupons, size-based shipping discounts on orders, and price guarantees can help retail websites attract more confident consumers. Accepting multiple forms of payment, including product data links on website checkout pages, encrypting transactions, displaying “trust marks” showing website safety and reliability, and maintaining an organized, well-designed site will all help ensure both loyal consumers and timely transactions.
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Industry:
Marketing, Design, & Interactive Communications,
Retail & Products
Topic:
Content Strategy,
Creative & Design,
E-Commerce,
Experience & Interaction,
Marketing Communications
Region:
Global
Audience:
Business to Consumer
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Email Remains Key Tactic To Boost Engagement In 2011 (BtoB Online)
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Posted: 03/31/2011
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According to StrongMail’s 2011 Marketing Trends Survey, which collected responses from 925 business leaders, 50 percent of those surveyed said their marketing budgets will increase this year, 43% of budgets will remain the same, and 65% said they plan to increase email spending. Ryan Deutsch, VP-strategic services at StrongMail, said “If someone receives 15 emails from you and doesn't open any of them, [the email server or ISP] might start blocking subsequent emails,” he said. Therefore, it’s just as important to design you emails according to who is opening them as it is to target those who aren’t. Often, all it takes is sending out an offer they can’t refuse. Designing a compelling welcome series can go a long way in communicating the value of your communications.
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Industry:
Marketing, Design, & Interactive Communications
Topic:
Business Intelligence,
Content Strategy,
Experience & Interaction,
Marketing Communications
Region:
Global
Audience:
Business to Business,
Business to Consumer
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eBags’ Sales Spike Due To More Targeted Advertising (Internet Retailer)
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Posted: 01/21/2010
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Thanks to revved up sales starting Cyber Monday, reasonable product prices and some savvy marketing, eBags reported a 40.3% increase in holiday traffic over 2008. eBags, a leading online retailer of bags and accessories, also reported a 32% increase in sales, enjoying four of its top five best-selling days in its 10-year history. Peter Cobb, co-founder and senior vice president of marketing, attributes the boon to eliminating inefficient keyword spending and launching personalized e-mail marketing campaigns. Based on shoppers’ previous purchases, eBags offered products its customers really cared about, resulting in a 25% increase in email returns. The online retailer ramped up the campaign by establishing firm targets for sales resulting from particular keywords, resulting in a 45% increase.
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Industry:
Marketing, Design, & Interactive Communications,
Retail & Products
Topic:
Business Intelligence,
Content Strategy,
E-Commerce,
Marketing Communications
Region:
Global
Audience:
Business to Consumer
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We cut through the clutter of the web to highlight innovation and forward-thinking. The best stories from leading publications – hand selected and organized to provide you a single point of access.
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