#SocialSkim: Facebook's Enterprise Tool, Snapchat's Sunglasses: 11 Stories This Week

Among this week's headlines: 'Facebook at Work' to launch next month; Snapchat introduces Snap-taking connected glasses, rebrands; LinkedIn launches 'Learning,' gets cozy with new bot; four fatal LinkedIn prospecting errors; Millennials aren't shopping on social media... Read the full article at MarketingProfs

How Analytics Is Transforming Customer Loyalty Programs

Customer loyalty programs are crucial.

The goal of loyalty initiatives is to engage, not pander more products to frequent buyers.

But how do you determine if your loyalty program is working well?

Use data to steer your customer loyalty program in the right direction.

McKinsey found that “executive teams that make extensive use of customer data analytics across all business decisions see a 126% profit improvement over companies that don't.”

“By instituting a loyalty program, you not only improve customer appreciation of your business, but you also increase the chances that existing clients will share this joy with those close to them,” says Steve Olenski, a senior creative content strategist at Oracle Responsys.

Upgrade your loyalty program. Let's explore how.

Focusing on Retention

One primary mission of loyalty programs is to increase customer retention. You want buyers to remain with your brand after they make a purchase.

For your business, higher retention means a steady flow of revenue. And it cuts down on your costs to constantly acquire new customers.

Therefore, your loyalty programs must be effective. They need to serve a real purpose for the consumer, not just your bottom line.

To provide the best customer experience, fuse data into your retention strategies. It will impact how your team approaches the buyer.

“Influencing customer loyalty in this way doesn't require magic, it requires data – usually data that you already have but aren't using to full advantage. Regardless of industry, most organizations today generate mountains of data,” writes Mike Flannagan, vice president and general manager of Cisco.

Uncover the correlation between customer characteristics and purchasing behavior. Assign your team to analyze the current data of your most valuable customers. And learn which characteristics these customers have in common and which traits are dissimilar.

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Consider data an ongoing process of observing, acting, and learning. Improve your loyalty programs by taking action on your insights. Measure success by monitoring your customer lifetime value, loyal customer rate, and redemption rate.

Start with retention. And let the data guide you to customer loyalty.

Targeted Product Recommendations

Research shows that “customers that are actively engaged with brands and their loyalty programs make 90% more frequent purchases, spend 60% more in each transaction and are five times more likely to choose the brand in the future.”

Sending targeted product recommendations is one way to keep customers engaged. Because if they are not receptive to certain products, consumers will feel more inclined to take their business elsewhere.

Integrate real-time purchase data with historical purchase data to make specific recommendations. For example, if a small business bought payroll software from you, their team might be interested in purchasing your series of on-demand accounting webinars.

“Consumer data must be analyzed to create highly targeted product recommendation offers. Analyze consumer data such as demographics, lifestyle, products purchased by category and type, frequency of purchase, and purchase value,” states Larisa Bedgood, director of marketing at DataMentors.

It's key not to draw wild conclusions from one piece of data. Just because a Florida resident buys a winter coat doesn't mean he wants to be flooded with similar recommendations. The consumer might have bought it as a gift for a friend living in Michigan.

So, gather multiple data points in order to make intelligent recommendations. You don't want to frustrate loyal customers.

Your brand also can take a different approach. Use social proof to your advantage. If consumers are hesitant about particular products, remind them that other people are buying the product, too.

Home Depot uses this tactic by displaying a list of bestselling inventory. It persuades the customer to join the crowd.

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Sift through your analysis reports. Uncover the best product recommendations for your customers.

Timely Promotions

For customers, loyalty takes effort. They receive lots of promotional ads everyday to try products from other brands. Appreciating your consumer's urge to resist the hype is important.

Mobile phone carriers lead the way in baiting consumers to switch their services. AT&T offers cell phone users up to $650 in credit just to say bye to T-Mobile, Sprint, or Verizon.

To keep their loyalty, customers will hold your team accountable. They expect timely promotions that not only fit their buying habits but also their lifestyles.

At the end of the day, you want to deliver the right offer at the right time. This will increase the likelihood of the promotion redemption.

Monitor the sales data to learn when promotional codes are redeemed. Do your consumers use promotions more often in the morning? Right after a sales announcement? Or during summer months?

“By creating a time-sensitive sales promotion and having a good grasp on your target customer demographic, you'll be able to incentivize the right actions, get them to respond, and grow your business in the process,” states Humayun Khan, former content marketer at Shopify.

Moreover, analyze your reports to discover the best product promotions. A timely discount matched with the wrong product won't be useful for the consumer or your company.

Segment your customers to offer relevant discounts for multiple channels-in-store, online, and mobile. Every loyalty member doesn't have to receive the same offer.

For instance, Starbucks offers its Gold members the opportunity to earn double stars. The coffee company surprises its loyal consumers on a different day each month. This technique increases the excitement and prepares customers to spend more money on a particular day.

Don't wait for your competitor to offer your customers a good deal. Start creating your own timely promotions.

Personalized Rewards

Everyone likes to be rewarded. It signifies that you've done something commendable. And incentives compel you to continue the rewarded behavior.

Recognize the value of your customer's actions. Because that's what you're rewarding.

You can offer perks based on monetary transactions, shopping frequency, or even survey responses. It's all about showing appreciation for consumers' actions.

But it's your team's job to appropriately reward customers. Don't expect people to buy $1000 worth of services in one month if your highest service retails at $10.

In addition, manage your loyalty members' expectations. They shouldn't expect your brand to give away free Beyonce tickets every day.

Personalized rewards ensure you're giving your customers what they desire. It also shows that you are truly invested in the customer experience.

Send a simple email survey asking consumers what types of incentives excite them. Or conduct social media listening to identify useful prizes that can make your customers' lives better.

Dick's Sporting Goods sends emails asking customers for their opinions. The company uses the information to improve its inventory and customer service.

Remember to focus on maintaining positive relationships with your consumers. Because that's the ultimate goal for loyalty initiatives.

You want people to feel comfortable with your brand. Aim to offer rewards that bridge the gap between the consumer-brand relationship.

“A significant aspect of customer loyalty comes down to your likability. People will almost always remain committed to a brand if they believe they've developed a genuine and mutually beneficial relationship,” says Entrepreneur contributor Dave Thompson.

Tailor your rewards to satisfy your customers. Offer them something special.

Analyze Customer Loyalty

Customer loyalty can lead to retention. That's why your team must use data to drive your loyalty programs.

Give consumers targeted product recommendations they can't resist. Send promotions at the right time. And personalize rewards so the customer feels part of the brand.

Look at the data. Improve customer loyalty programs.

Did you know? With Kissmetrics, you can find your most valuable customer segments. Analyze customer behavior to understand where they're coming from and how to acquire more of your best customers.

About the Author: Shayla Price lives at the intersection of digital marketing, technology and social responsibility. Connect with her on Twitter @shaylaprice.

SearchCap: Penguin & link building, PPC leads & social

Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web.

The post SearchCap: Penguin & link building, PPC leads & social appeared first on Search Engine Land.



Please visit Search Engine Land for the full article.

Online Marketing News: Bird's Eye View, FTC Skepticism and Facebook for Business

Infographic: Latest Twitter Study Sheds Light on Just How Well Video Is Doing
Based off of Twitter's annual Online Video Playbook, this infographic shows what's cleverly referred to as 'The Bird's Eye View of Video' on Twitter. For example, 93% of the video views on Twitter are on mobile. Users who watch video want breaking news, information, and viral content the most, followed by entertainment and celebrity content. AdWeek



The FTC Is Skeptical When Celebrities Are Paid to Like Your Product
The FTC is investigating a few big name brands for bending the rules that govern paid celebrity endorsements. Of course, rules regarding endorsements from celebrities aren't news to marketers, but the onset of digital marketing did prompt new rules and regulations. The one thing that hasn't changed? Disclosure. Entrepreneur

Facebook Set to Launch 'Facebook at Work' Next Month
Facebook is launching 'Facebook at Work' -- a private network for your business -- in the next three to four weeks. This will allow inter-office communication in a known format for larger, or even smaller, organizations. The network exists separately from personal profiles so there's not as much temptation to use personal Facebook during work time. Social Media Today

Content Marketing Takes a Turn for the Better: New 2017 Research
MarketingProfs and Content Marketing Institute paired up to produce their B2B Content Marketing 2017: Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends -- North America, and the findings are fascinating. Most notably, marketers are more positive about their content marketing efforts than they were in the previous year. Read the full report, it's full of great information. Content Marketing Institute

Snapchat reveals its $130 Spectacles and rebrands as Snap Inc.
Snapchat revealed Spectacles, a $130 pair of sunglasses with a 115-degree lens camera. According to The Next Web, "content recorded using the glasses is automatically pushed to the Memories section of the Snapchat application in a new circular video format - which can be played full screen in any orientation - via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi." The Next Web



Salesforce, Google, Microsoft, Verizon are all eyeing up a Twitter bid
TechCrunch reports: Twitter continues to inch its way to a sale process, and the latest developments come in the form of alleged bids from potential buyers ... we have also independently heard that both Google and Salesforce are interested in buying the company. We have additionally heard that Microsoft and Verizon have also been knocking." What, if anything, could this mean for Twitter marketing? TechCrunch

Google (finally) launches cross-device retargeting
According to Marketing Land, Brad Bender, VP of display and video advertising at Google revealed breaking news about Google AdWords retargeting: "We're introducing cross-device remarketing for Google Display Network and DoubleClick Bid Manager to help you reach the same user across devices, apps, and sites." This means marketers can target the same users, across devices, for a more cohesive experience. MarketingLand

Facebook Allowing Advertisers to Create Rules for Turning Off Ads, Email Alerts
According to recent information submitted to SocialTimes, "Facebook appears to have given advertisers the ability to establish rules to automatically turn off ad or send email alerts once certain criteria are met." The report comes complete with screenshots for reference, we'll have to keep an eye out for this developing story. SocialTimes

What were your top online marketing news stories this week?

I'll be back next week with more online marketing news! Have something to share? Drop it in a comment or tweet to @Tiffani_Allen or @toprank.

The post Online Marketing News: Bird's Eye View, FTC Skepticism and Facebook for Business appeared first on Online Marketing Blog - TopRank®.

An Easier Way for Everyone to Improve the Customer Experience: Meet Google Optimize

Nearly 9 in 10 business leaders in a recent survey said that improving the customer experience is fundamental to their future success and brand reputation.¹

Yet less than half of business leaders say they have actually taken action around their customer experience activities.²

Today, consumers have higher expectations for businesses to deliver more personalized site experiences based on the information they've shared. Businesses need to be able to quickly discover useful insights from their data and act on what they've learned.

To help those leaders (and everyone else) take action to deliver more personalized site experiences, we're happy to introduce Google Optimize. It's a free version of our popular enterprise-class testing and personalization product, Google Optimize 360, which was announced earlier this year.

Google Optimize will start rolling out globally next month. If you'd like to be one of the first to use it, visit our signup page. We'll send you an invitation by email as soon as it is available.

Making it easy … 

Google Optimize helps any business test and deliver better website experiences. And to help guide you through the process, we've made it easy every step of the way:

• It's easy to implement. Test new and engaging web experiences across your entire site in minutes. Google Optimize is built on top of Google Analytics and Google Tag Manager so you can either add a single line of code to your existing Google Analytics implementation, or serve the Google Optimize tag directly using Google Tag Manager. 
• It's easy to use. Use the Google Optimize WYSIWYG (What-You-See-Is-What-You-Get) editor, to change just about anything on your site – text, images, layouts, and more – just click to edit! There is no need to recode your site each time you want to test a new experience. 
• It's easy to understand and act on results. Google Optimize calculates results based on your existing Google Analytics metrics and business objectives. It's clear to see what you should do next to drive even more impact for your business.

… And powerful 

With Google Optimize you can create and deploy a variety of experiment types: Choose from A/B, multivariate, or redirect. For any experiment, Google Optimize offers powerful capabilities:

• Native integration with Google Analytics. Test what matters to your business. Because Google Optimize is built on Google Analytics, you can more quickly and easily identify areas of your site that can be improved upon. Then in Google Optimize you can use your existing Google Analytics goals and metrics as your experiment objective. 
• Advanced statistical modeling. Google Optimize uses Bayesian statistical methods to model the real-world performance of your experiments. We'll show you how much more effective one variant is over the others, leading to more accurate results that you can trust. 
• Sophisticated targeting tools. Google Optimize will help you deliver the right experiences to the right customers at the right moments.

Ready to deliver better site experiences? 

With Google Optimize, you'll have all the basic capabilities you need to get started with site testing – making it perfect for any business. Google Optimize is free for anyone to use, so why not give it a try? Visit our signup page today.

And if you are part of a larger enterprise or business with more sophisticated testing and support needs, check out Google Optimize 360, part of the Google Analytics 360 Suite. With Google Optimize 360, you'll be able to take your site experiments even further by delivering custom experiences to your Google Analytics audiences. You'll also be able to run more experiments across your site at the same time and add additional experiment objectives - even after an experiment has started. Talk to a sales representative to learn more.

Happy testing!

¹"Two Years' Warning: The Customer Centricity Crisis." The Storytellers, March 15, 2016. Quoted on eMarketer.com. 
²"Data Elevates the Customer Experience." Forbes Insights / SAS, May 2, 2016. Quoted on eMarketer.com.


Posted by Jon Mesh and Dan Cary, Product Managers, Google Optimize

SearchCap: Google Penguin recoveries, voice enabled maps & Landy Awards

Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web.

The post SearchCap: Google Penguin recoveries, voice enabled maps & Landy Awards appeared first on Search Engine Land.



Please visit Search Engine Land for the full article.

5 Cool Ways to Make Marketing Magic with Interactive Content

On the occasion of the new trailer for Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, I was thinking about the fantastical wizarding world of Harry Potter. Who wouldn't want to live in a world with magical items like pictures that move, newspapers that automatically update themselves, portraits that speak?

Then it hit me: My smartphone can show moving pictures and auto-updated news, and it doesn't have to be delivered by owl. AND it's a lot more compact than the average Daily Prophet issue. Sure, we can't play proper Quidditch yet-someone get Elon Musk on flying broomstick development-but as far as interactive content goes, Muggles have got it on lock.

The point is, content can do a lot more these days than sit on a screen and look pretty. Are your content marketing efforts taking advantage of that fact? Do you invite your readers to participate in an experience? Or are they left doing this?



There are dozens of ways both subtle and flashy that you can add an extra kick to your content. Here are five to get you started, complete with examples to interact with.

#1: Make Data Extra-Relevant

Say you have a big set of data that relates to 12 different verticals within your target audience. You could make a dozen different infographics. You could write a dozen different blog posts. If you were feeling really sadistic, you could mash all the data into one content source and let each vertical search for the relevant info.

Or you could start with a template, let the user pick which data sources they'd like to see, and watch the most relevant info magically fill in. That's what LinkedIn did, with the help of the wizards at Ceros, for their Where to Find Talent in the United States infographic. Pick your industry at the top, and it fills in the template with customized data.



Numbers fly in as you scroll down, delivering exactly the information you were looking for like a Hogwarts owl on a mission. It's a neat way to make sure each viewer finds exactly what they're looking for.

#2: Allow for Automated Hyper-Personalization

Checklists are a go-to content type that content marketers use to add a little extra value. It gives your reader a condensed version of your content, all action items, no filler. Readers tend to enjoy checklists, too-they perform well as a gated asset or as a stand-alone.

But you can improve on the humble checklist by making it interactive. Let your audience pick the most relevant points and compile their own list automatically, as in this interactive infographic from Cross Country Home. SnapApp helped the home maintenance company create the infographic, which allows the reader to choose areas of particular concern, then generate a customized to-do list (after ponying up an email address).



The interactivity makes the checklist far more valuable for the reader, and justifies having the end report gated. It also introduces an element of discovery with clicking on each icon-which might lead to readers spending more time with the content.

#3:  Tell Readers Something about Themselves

Let's face it-we love looking at ourselves, talking about ourselves, taking pictures of ourselves, and learning about ourselves. Don't chalk that up to millennial narcissism either. Some of the earliest photographs we have are self-portraits (not to mention all the old-school self-portraits from painters and sculptors).

You can capitalize on the joy of self-discovery with quiz-based content. From personality quizzes to identifying your Patronus, quizzes are irresistible. Especially so when they're about something that matters, like Influitive's “What's Your Marketing Personality Type?” quiz.



This quiz gets bonus cool points for not making you click to a new page for every question. SnapApp created a single, linear-scrolling experience that removes obstacles for completion.

Take note of how Influitive presents the results: There's your marketing type, a description, and then a brief paragraph on skills your type might need to further develop. Right under that-an eBook offer! What a perfectly logical next step.

#4: Present a Ton of Info in a Visually Compelling Way

This next example takes what could have been a blog post or a slideshow, and makes it something that's a lot more fun to play around with. Even if the information is familiar, or common knowledge, a novel presentation can make it worth a second look.

Designhill created this interactive guide to famous company logos. It presents itself as a seemingly infinite grid, with logos lined up in rows just waiting to be clicked so they can reveal their secrets.



As you scroll and explore, you'll notice some of the tiles are calls to action: Create a Logo, Get a New Graphic Design, etc. These CTAs are inobtrusive but designed to be spotted after you've had fun playing with the content. And if you happen to miss them, there's a CTA in each of the info pages that pop up when you click a tile.

#5: Bring Together Disparate Elements

No one's product exists in a vacuum. Unless you sell vacuum bags, and even if you do, that's not what I meant and you know it. Your target consumer has an entire life outside of their relationship with your product-and many aspects of that life also involve interaction with other products. Interactive content can help you address the larger context of your audience's lives.

This fantastic Summer of '66 widget from Asos is a prime example of that kind of synergy-not the bad, buzzword-y kind, but a genuine combination of separate elements to make something groovier than the sum of its parts. Pick your 60's style, and get music recommendations you can buy on Amazon or iTunes, clothes from Asos, and a Spotify playlist to stream immediately.



It's a triumph of great design, effortless cool, and actual utility, inviting readers to customize an entire experience, not just a look or a sound. I'm just sad the sweepstakes to win that turntable is over.

Expecto Engagement!

In this age of wonders, we don't have to stick to old Muggle methods of content marketing. Text will always have its place, of course. There's no substitute for good old-fashioned long-form content. But your audience will appreciate it if you conjure up interactive experiences that enhance your quality content.

What else can interactive content do? What has your team created that dazzled your audience? Let me know in the comments.

Disclosure: LinkedIn Marketing is a TopRank Marketing client. 

The post 5 Cool Ways to Make Marketing Magic with Interactive Content appeared first on Online Marketing Blog - TopRank®.

Email Marketing Best Practices: Testing Your Emails Before Hitting Send

Editor's note: What does it take to put together an email? How do you take all the components we write about week after week, and put them together to create a thoughtful, well-executed campaign? We asked our in-house email marketing specialist, Reid Yoshimoto, for a breakdown on his process creating our bi-weekly newsletter, the VR Buzz, to share his expertise.

Twice a month I put together the VR Buzz newsletter, and each time I treat it as if it were the first email I've ever sent. Creating an email campaign seems like a piece of cake, but in reality there are a lot of moving parts that need to come together before clicking “send.” We all have some experience with email not working the way it was supposed to. Have you ever emailed (or Tweeted) a company when their links didn't work, or received an “Oops” email after a company sent you an email with the wrong information in it?

To avoid the dreaded “Oops,” here are five questions I ask when preparing an email:

What will this email really look like?

Sending a test to yourself, friends, or co-workers is one of easiest ways to view your email before finalizing your campaign. You might say, “Yes, it looks great,” but ask yourself additional questions like: Do I want my customers spending a lot time scrolling and looking for things? Would the use of colors help the text be more eye-catching? Are the images appropriate for the message I'm conveying? Most importantly, is the email responsive in both desktop and mobile versions?

Do the links work?

Test all links, images, and buttons in your email even if it's a template you've used a thousand times. Then test it all again. Taking five minutes to check your links helps ensure your customers save time and go to the page they expect to when they click, such as your checkout page versus your home page. And if you're placing tracking on your links, make sure those are set and appear correctly too.

Do the images complement the content?

Make sure your image(s) enhance the story you're telling. If you're a restaurant trying to bring in brunch business, don't show a picture of your dinner menu. People are visual, and that photo of eggs Benedict or stuffed French toast may be your selling point to get them to book a reservation.

Is this the best subject line for this email?

Don't be dull. Email marketing might not be the sexiest topic out there, and sometimes we have to get straight to the point, but when possible, give your subject lines (and copy) a voice. Throw in some humor on occasion. Customers need to see a human side to you, and they will remember an email if there was a creative subject line attached to it.

Is this email right for my subscribers?

Test one version of an email against another. Testing your email doesn't mean just looking at two emails and saying, “This one is great,” or “I like this one better.” It means sending two versions to see which one resonates better with your customers. It's not hard to do: Create two versions of your email, and segment your main email list into two random groups. Group A receives version 1; Group B receives version 2. Once you have results from your two versions, you can pick the “winner,” and format future emails knowing what your customers like. Do they prefer short, image-heavy emails over text driven ones? You may be surprised what resonates with your customers. The “better” email isn't always the one you prefer.

Taking a few minutes to ask yourself these questions before you hit “send” will save you a ton of time in the long run - and save you a lot of “Oops” moments. 

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© 2016, Reid Yoshimoto. All rights reserved.

The post Email Marketing Best Practices: Testing Your Emails Before Hitting Send appeared first on Vertical Response Blog.