Thursday, March 18, 2010

Liberty and Broadband for All...

the FCC has released a plan sent to congress that will provide high speed internet for all. will this mean the end of the dial-up internet access? would anyone, no matter how remote their location, would be able to get access faster than a slow drip? will this mean more competition in the market, meaning lower ISP prices for the consumer? lots of people are asking lots of questions about this, understandably. here's a handful of articles about it, go, read, and pay attention to this in the future. it has impact on how internet, web and marketing professionals will be able to interact with their consumers.
Broadband plan for high speed internet sent to Congress
FCC unveils National Broadband Plan
FCC releases 'Connecting America: The National Broadband Plan'
FCC Broadband Plan Eyes Competition, Spectrum

Friday, March 5, 2010

Shameless Plug

Yes, this blog is going to be all about shameless self promotion. It is our company blog, we are allowed.
However, we'll help teach you, dear reader, how to shamelessly promote yourself too! Take a look at this class that our professionals at Addison Technologies are helping the Berks-Mont Business Association put on. If you are a novice in the world of social media (ie, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn,) and you would like to utilize these resources for your business, you're in luck. You will learn how do the basic things--set up accounts and find contacts; how to keep yourself and your business safe--privacy settings and security; and how to not annoy people with your new marketing toy--etiquette and common mistakes. Great stuff, right? Wondering what to do with it afterwards? Well, we'll also help you get some ideas on how to utilize it for your business. Why? Because we're cool like that. Just check out the BMBA website for details!


*This class will be offered on April 6, 2010. Space is limited so email now! Laptops with WiFi are Required.

Monday, March 1, 2010

Does Facebook Fan = Loyal Customer?

It's almost unthinkable now days to not have a Facebook account, especially if you are in business. But have you ever wondered what, if any, impact becoming a "Facebook Fan" makes on a business? Do people set the notices to "hide" or do they anxiously await the next announcement from their favorite places? Well, one business decided to find out just that. In this article they discover what we in social media and marketing have been working hard on. Facebook Fans were more loyal customers, increased their visits to the store, had more positive view of the business, and were more likely to recommend it to others. Exactly what we've been striving for.

As it was, there were over 13,000 customers on the mailing list for the business. These were surveyed, and over 600 responded. When a Facebook page was set up, the mailing list was invited, and after three months they had nearly 300 fans. The people who responded to the survey And became fans became the most loyal customers. They visited the store 20% more and spent a larger percentage of their money.

The writer also points out an interesting fact regarding the number of fans a site has: unless it's a widely known brand, you are not going to receive ginormous fan numbers. The business may have thousands of actual customers, but garner only a few hundred fans. Quality over quantity is the thought though, since those fans are more likely to become super-customers, helping to market your product on their own.

The article urges "cautious optimism" for using Facebook as a marketing tool, with good reason. Common sense says that if your target client demographic is older, less impact may be made. On the flip side of that, however, is that younger clients may be reached more. Yes, Facebook is a bit niche, but as the internet generations age, I can foresee its marketing potential becoming even more broad.