me, my passion & digital marketing
Location based social media : Foursquare
Jul 13th
Location based social media is probably the hottest thing in the digital industry now, after Facebook and Twitter. Using a GPS-enabled phone with internet access (you can also check-in by installing a Firefox plugin named Foursquarefox on your browser), you can ‘check-in’ to places (physical or virtual) and earn points, badges and mayorship. In Malaysia, its adoption is picking up slowly with Foursquare being the most popular choice while the rest like Gowalla, Whrrl and MyTown are still relatively unheard of.
I’m now discovering Foursquare, using my HTC Magic to log into my breakfast spots, supermarkets and even shops near my workplace. Logging in using my Twitter ID, I also link up with my friends to make up a community sort of. The most interesting part is of course the earning of badges and mayorship. At the moment, I’m mayor at 11 places .. which is still a far cry from other’s over 40 mayorship. Fun aside, Foursquare is an excellent marketing tool especially for those with a brick and mortar presence.
If your business is yet to be listed on Foursquare, you can easily add it in by logging into Foursquare and claiming it. To claim the business, you need to paste the contact page of your website or paste your contact information. Foursquare will contact you to verify that you own the business. Thereafter, you can create specials for those who check-in your outlet. Here’s the specials that are currently available on Foursquare :-
Mayor specials
This special can only be unlocked by the mayor of your outlet. Mayor is the user whom has checked in the most time in the last 60 days.
Count Based specials
This special is unlocked with an x number of check-in as specified by you.
Frequency Based specials
This special is unlocked with every x-number of times as specified by you.
Wildcard specials
This special is unloced at all times, however you can apply additional conditions before awarding the special. You can be creative with wildcards – so let your creative juices flow!
In US where Foursquare use is rather widespread, some companies has successfully implemented Foursquare as a marketing medium, like the ones covered in http://socialfresh.com/foursquare-case-studies/ I foresee Foursquare to be a tool that will soon be adopted by Malaysian businesses with retail outlets targeting end-consumers. But that does not mean that those with virtual storefronts will not jump into the bandwagon. It is going to be very interesting when more companies adopt Foursquare as a marketing medium and also as an engagement tool.
Using Twitter for Business
Jul 12th
“You should start a twitter”
A so-called ‘web consultant’ told my boss recently. I just listened and did not want to jump into talking about twitter. That’s the problem with me sometimes, I like to listen and think but talk very little. He went on saying that he managed to rake in interested people to buy his services just via twitter.. bla bla bla.
So – should any business start a Twitter account? Starting a Twitter account is easy. You just need to select a unique name and just register the account. What’s harder than clicking a few buttons? Its the maintenance that is difficult, not the starting. I see Twitter as a tool that needs proper planning and maintenance just like any other marketing tool.
If you have a Twitter account, you have to integrate it with your entire marketing plan. Because its ‘live’, it can give you feedback (positive & negative) that your other tools/channels might not be able to. Therefore, you need to monitor your twitter activities closely. Besides monitoring the conversation on your Twitter, there is also a need to check out what the rest are talking with regards to your brand / product / service and also what is going on in the industry.
Having a Twitter also means that your followers expect you to be online most of the time. Something like >12 hours a day, 7 days a week and 365 days a year. This is especially for consumer products and services, as your customers could just mention you for a response. While most are not expecting an instant response, a 2 day delay would definitely be not acceptable.
Most importantly, how to get followers to your Twitter account? There is no point tweeting to no one, right? Twitter has strict laws on following and unfollowing. I’ve seen many going on the follow and unfollow frenzy (because I have a Twitter mechanism tracking this!), which I do not recommend. If you get caught by the Twitter automated tool, the account will be suspended. Its not a very pleasant thing to happen. There are a bunch of ways to increase followers, one of it being the campaign method (do something to increase interest and have them follow you). I’d also like to reciprocate the follow, after all twitter is suppose to be an engagement tool so it should be two-way traffic.
It is also important to get ‘Industry Influencers’ in your list of Twitter followers because they can bring your message further to your targetted audience. Once they are in your list, then its time to engage with them directly. It takes a combination of research and the use of tools to weed out these Influencers.
So – starting a Twitter account is just the beginning. To maximize the use of it, its takes a bit of planning, reading, researching. Sometimes it makes sense to just outsource it to a Twitter expert… like me.. Hahahaha..
P/S : If you are keen to find out a simple Twitter Grading tool – check out Twitter Grader at http://twitter.grader.com and remember to check my ranking 
Why Blog?
Jun 23rd
Usually when I tell someone (not tech savvy) that I have a blog, its quite common to hear them telling me that “blogging is kid stuff” or “I don’t waste time on blogging about my life” or “I don’t have time to blog”.
Blogging has many different meanings to different people and also to organizations. Below are my personal observation on what a blog means to different groups of people:-
Blog as a marketing tool
Blogs are like main stream news today. They are well-followed and have consistent and loyal followers. Well established blogs have demographics sheets etc, just like what every marketer would need before placing ads in print on in digital. Paying for a paid write up on a blog is alike paid advertorial in print. You can also place measurement tools to gauge its effectiveness, most of the time in terms of the click-through and response rates.
Blog to improve search engine ranking
Somehow the search engines loves fresh content as much as human do. So once you have a blog on your website, your website will be crawled often and it will also have improved search engine ranking. I’m no expert in SEO – so if you want to understand the mechanics, I suggest you engage in an expert SEO service. Back to the blogging thingy, I’d anytime suggest a company to maintain a blog on top of their main website. Talk about your products, how good it is and the USP, what events you’ve participated in, what you have observed from the industry, new products you are rolling out and when and just anything. Likelihood, you will have existing customers and new customers reading up on your blog. Customers like to have new information and not be kept in the dark – your blog tells it all and sets you apart from your competitors.
Blog for personal branding
If you are trying to establish credibility in certain domain areas, a blog is a good place to start. Sharing information is always a good way to tell others that you are an expert in the area. Even if you have no intention to blog about serious topics, you can still start a blog to talk about your hobbies or anything you want! I’ve seen hobbies blog turned into a money making ventures! You never know what you can attract in the midst of maintaining a good blog – a consulting offer, a new job offer or more?
Blog as a second income
There are many bloggers today who maintain blogs to get paid write-up offers or to monetize it with Google AdSense or other advertisement networks. Easier said than done, blogs do bring in money if you do it the right way. Many bloggers today are full time bloggers, who write good content and provide good advise in specific domains.
Blog for fun/for the love of blogging
I spoke to a friend recently who said that her sister started a blog recently because of the pressure from her marriage. “The blog kept her sane,” she said. So blogging does help people overcome stress and pressure in their life. Most of us blog for fun or for the love of blogging – its just a channel to say what we want.
For me, I maintain my blog for my love of writing and digital marketing. In my blog, I get to say what I feel, do what I want without being judged – and that is all that matters.
