Tag Archive for 'permission marketing'

Twitter etc as video

If you don’t really get Twitter or crowdsourcing or facebook any of that social media malarky here’s a video that shows how it works …

Originally from Seth

A bit more about Social Commerce

We’re designing 4 websites at the moment (at the last count) that all include some sort of social commerce and social network, so here’s some timely research from e-consultancy.

My key outtakes …

  • More than half of UK online customers say reviews are extremely or very important in making an online purchase.
  • More than half of all online sellers (51%) consider User Generated Content (UGC) as either extremely important or very important to company strategy over the next year.
  • Customer ratings and reviews are being used by 28% of online sellers, with more than half (52%) saying that they were considering the use of this feature on their websites.
  • The most widely perceived benefit of ratings and reviews among online sellers is an improvement in site conversion rates, improved customer retention and loyalty, and better search engine optimisation.
  • The overwhelming majority of survey respondents (97%) said that they found ratings and reviews either extremely helpful or very helpful “as consumers”.

Meanwhile in the ‘real’ world nearly two thirds of fashion retailers still don’t have a transactional website. I know, I know I really must find something new to wang on about.

The Boots No7 Perfect marketing conversation

In a recent BBC horizon programme, Professor Lesley Regan, looked to create her ideal beauty cabinet. The programme featured prominently (in the interest of science you understand) a particular product from Boots, No7 Protect & Perfect Beauty Serum. On the Boots website this product now varies between being sold out and customers only being able to buy one, even though it’s 3 for 2 on the home page. This stuff has become like gold dust even though the programme aired nearly a month ago.

Yesterday my wife’s friend called her to tell her she was on her way to the local Boots because they’d called her to tell her it was in stock but to be quick! I’m not sure if they got any that way but later we moved onto ebay where there seems a healthy trade selling the product around 50% above the retail price. Meanwhile stock levels are so low they’re advertising the fact and customers are being steered towards other similar products one of which is also at a limited stock level.

All of this without TV advertising (not counting the horizon TV programme of course) selling a £16.75 product by word of mouth with a buzz through mothers who meet at a local primary school every morning. They all have permission to talk to each other and be influenced by each other, which is why many of them wear crocs as well. They all have permission to have a conversation and although television creates a subject for the conversation, tv advertising seems not to unless it really stands out and I can only think of a couple that do at the moment. Conversations like these with implicit permission happen all the time and if I wanted to sell a product or service this is where I would start, the virus might be slower to spread but I suspect it would have a longer lasting effect.Boots No7 Perfect Serum webpage

Boots No7 Protect Serum webpage

Topshop Spring Cleaning Email

Just got an email from Topshop, titled Topshop Spring Cleaning (It’s January chaps!), clicking through at their request it asks me to fill in my name, date of birth, address and gender so they can keep me informed about their latest offerings. It certainly looks real enough so I can’t understand the phishing attempt unless I’m being completely gullible. I gave them my email address not an invitation to steal my identity. Then I look at the url and it says CheetahMail (aptly named) which of course is an Experian company, draw your own conclusions. I’d suggest somebody at Topshop needs a lesson in permission marketing. Now where’s that unsubscribe button?