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The Imprezzio Marketing blog is dedicated to providing new and useful information about internet marketing to small businesses

What Age Range Uses Social Media Most?

August 24th, 2010

Social networking is on the rise. Details from the survey show interesting results about social network use among different age demographics:

Among adults 18+ :

  •  64% of all adults use online media
     78% of adult ages 18-34 use online media
     71% of adults ages 35-44 use online media
     43% of adults ages 55 + use online media

 

  •  45% of all adults are influenced by social networking
     50% of adults ages 13-34 are influenced by social networking
     37% of adults ages 55+ are influenced by social networking

 

  •  38% of all adults aim to influence others by social networking
     45% of adults ages 18-34 aim to influence others by social networking

 

  •  71% of all adults are greater influenced by online reviews & blogs by close friends and family
     69% of adults ages 18-34 are greater influenced by reviews & blogs by close friends and family
     76% of adults ages 35-44 are greater influenced by reviews & blogs by close friends and family

 According to the Nielson Co. as quoted by Harrison Interactive:

 “[Online] audience grew about 20% globally, from 261.7 million to 313.7 million. Total global  minutes spent on social networks more than doubled, from 55.7 billion to 113.1 billion. Average  time spent per user grew about 45%, from three hours, 32 minutes and 49 seconds to six hours  and 25 seconds”

social-mediaAs shown from the results, social networking online has boomed in just the past year becoming an attractive domain for marketing activity. Blogs, vlogs (video blogs), and business profiles can be a perfect way to reach out to these internet savvy consumers. Additionally, the ability to comment on a companies activity gives the consumer a voice; it allows them to become a participate in the business’ activity. Having an active presence on the internet can allow a company to better understand public opinion and guide the public image of a company. Through internet activity a company can suggest a positive public image, but more importantly, a company can preempt and respond to negative public opinion.

The largest demographic of social network users is young adults ages 18-34, making them an easy target when it comes to online media. Young adults may see the internet as an opportunity to establish part of their identity. Companies should keep in mind the current user of internet activity when they create their online communication. However, businesses should not forget about older clientele either. According to Mike Stevens, Director, of telecommunications research at Simpson Carpenter, in an article for New Media Age, adults age 55-65 are growing faster than any other user group on Facebook, a well known networking site. While these users are not as large of a current population of young adults, they do have the largest growth potential in the social networking environment.

 

Photo Credit: Ivan Walsh

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What is the #1 Thing Auto Insurance Shoppers are Looking for?

August 6th, 2010

amica-insuranceThe simple answer would be price since 22% of people reported an increase in their auto insurance rate, when compared to 17% in 2009.  However, something that is very over-looked is the fact that 6 out of 10 insurance policy holders who experienced an increase said that they did not receive any advance warning of the change from their insurers.  So along with a competitive price, shoppers want communication from their insurance companies.

How do the Insurance Companies Stack up?

JD Powers and Associates released the results of their 2010 US National Auto Insurance Study.  According to the Customer Satisfaction Index, based on a 1,000 point scale:

  • Amica Mutual leads the way with a score of 849 and a customer rating of “Among the Best”.
  • State Farm falls in the top ten with a score of 795 and a customer rating of “Better Than Most”.
  • Allstate falls below the industry average, with a score of 768 and a rating of “About Average”.
  • Farmers falls in the bottom ten, with a score of 757, and a rating of “About Average”.

Different Age Groups Respond Differently to Advertising


Generation Y customers (born 1977-1994) are the highest users of online and phone applications. They also care more about having easy and convenient ways to contact representative.

Baby Boomers (born 1946-1964) have grown in use of online and phone applications, but don’t prefer them. Mailings, newsletters, and other traditional means of communication are valued among this age group.

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Picture Perfect: How Photos on Websites Improve Conversion

July 26th, 2010

Business owners should consider displaying photos of owners, employees, or customers to  help increase their online business. Technology entrepreneur and web expert Paras Chopra brings us the results of two independent studies showing pictures of people on websites tend to increase conversion.

The first  test was with Medalia Art, an online art dealer. Medalia designed a web page with pictures of paintings for sale. Next, they designed the same web page, but added photos of the artists, and recorded the conversion for each website.

conversion-ratesThe second study was on EmptyMind, an organizational blog. EmptyMind  tested the use of an additional information link on their blog. The first link was a simple icon of a phone labeled “additional information.”  The second link, replacing the first at a later date, was a picture of the blog author labeled the same. You can clearly see the results of both studies in the chart above; there is significant correlation between the presence of pictures and the increase in conversion.

The reason for the increase in conversion has been attributed to a number of different causes.

  1. Potential customers are more likely to convert to customers when they feel an emotional connection. Picturphotographes of people help to bring about this connection.
  2. People tend to spend more time looking at photos of other people than they do other images. According to Paco Underhill, author of popular retail science book, Why We Buy, the more time a potential customer spends in a space, brick and mortar or online, the more likely they are to convert to actual customers. If photos of people cause potential customers to stop and look longer at a website this can attribute to the increase in conversion too. While the tests are not conclusive, they do show significant statistical support that photos of people improve conversion on websites.

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How Unique are the Selling Points used by Insurance Companies?

July 12th, 2010

insurance_companiesEvery company’s dream is to have a product or service so special only they can offer it to customers. This quality is called the Unique Selling Proposition (USP). Giving that special deal or feature only you can offer can make or break a buy for a customer. Companies use a USP to set themselves apart from the competition, and to make them product differentiators. However, what happens when every company in the market says they’ve got something unique and special, but it turns out it is all the same?

After examining ten of the top nationwide insurance companies’ websites, including Allstate, State Farm, and Progressive, there are a few things that stand out as not so unique.

1. Nearly every company tends to use big adjectives to describe their business. They are “neighborly”, “responsible”, and “there for you”; every company is your friend.

2. Most companies highlight online services, offer the ability to find unique discounts, free quotes anytime, and great savings.

3. For the companies that list their savings amounts, they are listed as an average/year that customers may or may not be able to save.

Who Did it Wrong

The problem with these selling points is companies infrequently communicate how exactly they will live up to their expectations in a unique way. Every company offers value propositions such as being “the best” or “the most responsible”, but few show how. For example, Travelers Insurance claims to offer, “better coverage” than their competitors and Nationwide claims to “always be on your side”. The message is relatively the same for every company; “We have value!” The selling points highlighted, such as online quotes or savings/year, are the same selling points rehashed to customers over and over again. However, the point of the USP is to show unique value above and beyond competition. Companies can do this by communicating both value propositions and the specific, unique actions they do to bring that value.

Who Did it Right

Look at Esurance and Nationwide as examples of USPs done right. Esurance displays how a customer can use their services to check up the progress of claims 24/7, complete with pictures of repairs. The service is one no one else seems to be offering. Esurance also clearly communicates how a customer can get 24/7 service both electronically or over the phone, making good on their promise to be there with, “people when you want them, technology when you don’t”. Nationwide highlights their safe driver discount. The client is promised $100 off for every year of safe driving history. The number is a concrete deal customers can resonate with, and it’s different from the way discounts are being displayed by other agencies. This is bound to stand out in the customers mind.

To sum up, insurance agencies need to show what makes them different and unique from their competition. Highlighting standard services and similar features to the competition does not do much to show the customer how a company is unique and valuable.

The Companies We Looked At

Allstate: “You’re in good hands”

Selling Points: Customizable coverage that fits your needs, saving on combined packages

Savings: Save an average of $348/year by using Allstate

Travelers: “Better coverage for what’s important to you”

Selling Points: better coverage for competitive rates, online account management

State Farm: “Like a good neighbor State Farm is there”

Selling Points: They’re there for you, 24 hour service, fast estimates and quotes anytime

Savings: Save an average of $489/year by using State Farm

Geico: “Strong, Stable, and Growing” (although this has changed, you may recall “So Easy A Caveman..”)

Selling Points: Electronic billing, been in the business for 70 years, ranked top 3, free online quotes

Progressive: “Be the Boss of Savings”

Selling Points: Name your own price, service 24/7

Savings: Match or give you a better for your current policy

Nationwide:

Selling Points: they’re always on your side, will find discounts for each individual policy

Savings: $100 off for every year of safe driving

Farmers:

Selling Points: Free insurance quotes, they’ll provide where other agencies fall short

Liberty Mutual:

Selling Points: Free quotes, online service, no hassle claim service, a responsible company

Esurance: “People when you want them, technology when you don’t”

Selling points: 24/7 customer service, repair monitoring around the clock

Savings: Find unique savings by comparing plans and prices with the Esurance website

The Hartford: “Drive with confidence”

Selling Points: 200 years of trusted business, quick quotes anytime

Savings: Average savings of $436

Written By: Mary Rupert, Search Engine Maintenance Specialist

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The Importance of Reviews on Google Maps

April 27th, 2010

google-mapsGoogle does not make things easy for the local businesses. We can hardly blame them as spammers are constantly trying to take advantage of search engines and get ahead. I am sure you have all tried at one point to claim and edit your local business listing and probably thought it would be an easy thing to do. Your business listings position on Google is based on a few factors. This article is to help you understand the importance of reviews on Google in helping your business achieve the top 10 coveted spots.

Since Google has started to show the local listings on the first page the importance of local optimization has become more and more important. Reviews on Local businesses are one of the most important factors in local search rankings. According to Dev Basu – “Citations are to local SEO what traditional linkbuilding is to organic SEO.” These reviews will help the search engines determine your relevance in the local listings and will strengthen your local business profile. The volume of reviews also has an enormous impact on rankings in Maps. Although it can be time consuming to collect and upload recommendations from you clients, investing the time will help drive search engine traffic to your businesses website.

 

It is important to make sure the information you provide Maps is accurate. Artificially generating reviews to achieve a higher ranking in Google maps is not user friendly for consumers. It does not create a better map listing it simply creates a lot of busy work to spam/manipulate the map rankings. Invest the time getting legitimate reviews from your clients and uploading them or asking them to review you on Google themselves.

 

Sometimes putting something as simple as “please review me on Google” in the signature of your email with a link to your local listing can help get those recommendations. Fake reviews are easy to spot on Google, and you may lose business because of it. I recently saw a listing in California, where an insurance agent had written 24 reviews for himself in one day. A consumer noticed this and gave him a bad review commenting on his obvious self placed recommendations.I am sure this has only negatively affected his business.

 

The good news is if you feel that keeping up with the work that is necessary to achieve and maintain the tops spots in Google maps we are here to help. As with most local and small businesses, your time is limited and your expertise does not lie in the management of internet marketing of your business. Let the experts help you!

Article written by Danielle Cameron. Copywrite Imprezzio Marketing 2010.

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What Do Consumers Look at When Choosing a Local Business?

April 26th, 2010

According to a study done by TMP Directional Marketing, users found these to be the top factors when choosing a local business (listed from most important to least important):

  1. Business Location
  2. Most Familiar Business
  3. First Business in Results List
  4. Customer Reviews/Ratings of the Business
  5. Businesses with Yellow Pages print ads
  6. Bolded or Highlighted Businesses.

Although many people use the internet to find contact information for a local business, it doesn’t mean they always contact that business via the internet. The study showed that after finding a local business, 39% of customers contacted the business over the phone, 32% of customers visited the business in person, and 12% contacted the business online.

In order to make sure your business meets the criteria above, it is important to make sure your website shows up in the local sections of Google, Yahoo, and MSN. After your business is listed, it is very important to make sure you have your clients write reviews about their experience with you. Imprezzio Marketing’s Search Engine Promotion packages include free submissions to the local sections of the search engines because we realize that this is a very important place for your small business to appear.

Note: Although ranking is not the number one factor for being chosen, it is important to make sure your listing is on the first page, otherwise it will most likely not be considered at all! Our Search Engine Promotion packages offer a first-page placement guarantee so that you can always be one step ahead of your competition.

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Are Facebook’s Social Ads Effective?

April 26th, 2010

According to research from the Participatory Marketing Network and Pace University’s Lubin School of Business, 84% of Millennials (individuals born between 1977 and 2000) notice the advertisements displayed on Social Networks, however only 19% find them relevant and 36% claim to never click on them.  Other studies are saying that social network display/banner ads are less effective than other internet advertising avenues.

How Should I Market my Business on Facebook?

Social networks seem to be a very useful source of marketing when it comes to fan pages or brand pages.  Facebook allows companies to have a page for their business which is very similar to an individual’s profile.  The research referenced above also indicated that 62% of Millennials have visited a brand or fan page and 48% of them joined the page.  On Facebook, in particular, a user can become a “fan” of a business which allows the business to send them updates regarding new developments of their business.

In the survey, Millennials said that the following factors influenced their decision to join a company’s page:

  1. Getting news or product updates (67%)
  2. Having access to promotions (64%)
  3. Viewing or downloading music or videos (41%)
  4. Submitting Opinions (36%)
  5. Connecting with other consumers (33%)

Our Facebook Marketing Services:
Imprezzio Marketing currently helps small businesses get started with their Facebook Marketing.  Call one of our sales reps at 1-866-430-0457 for any questions or inquiries regarding this product.

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How does Internet Marketing Differ From Traditional Marketing?

April 26th, 2010

Problems with Traditional Media Marketing

Everyone knows what traditional marketing is. It’s the annoying TV ads that show up when you’re trying to watch your favorite show. It’s the billboard ads that steal your attention when you’re supposed to be focusing on your driving. Or it’s the loads of junk mail that you throw out every day in your trash can.

The main key to traditional marketing is making a humorous, or somewhat interesting advertisement that will be good enough to catch the consumer’s attention, since he’d clearly rather be doing something else. He wasn’t thinking about your product before you mentioned it to him, and he definitely wasn’t trying to research how your product works.

The response to this is described by Dave Evans on page 12 of Social Media Marketing: An Hour A Day:

“Consumers feel overwhelmed by intrusive, irrelevant ads. The result: a backlash against advertising - manifesting itself in the growing popularity of do-not-call lists, spam filters, online ad blockers, and ad skipping on digital video recorders (DVRs). Marketing campaigns of the future must facilitate consumers’ cross-channel search for information, going beyond the brand promises made in traditional advertising.”

How is Internet Marketing any Different?

The good news, is that internet marketing can be very different. There are traditional forms of internet advertising such as pop-ups and banner advertisements, but these are not the forms of advertising that Imprezzio Marketing endorses or promotes. Instead, we recommend that you take a non-traditional approach to advertising and make sure that when consumers are actually looking for your product, there is no way that they won’t find it. Although that concept sounds very basic, research by Webvisible and Nielsen published in January 2009 shows that only 44% of small businesses have a website.

One of the most effective types of internet marketing is Search Engine Promotion or Search Engine Optimization. These types of marketing are aimed to make your website visible on the major search engine when someone is searching for your product or service. For example, if someone types in “Denver CO Insurance” into Google, it’s pretty clear that this individual is looking for an insurance company that serves the Denver, CO area. If your business is located there, you want to make sure the user can see you.

Another effective method is maintaining a blog. This way if someone is searching the internet for answers to a specific question or topic, they can find articles that you have written about it. For example, if you own an insurance agency and you write an article about how much the average person in Texas pays for car insurance, someone searching on Yahoo could type in “how much does car insurance cost in Texas” and stumble upon your article.

For more details on any of these products, please contact an Imprezzio Marketing consultant today at 1-866-430-0457.

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Are Online Reviews Important for a Small Business?

April 26th, 2010

A study conducted by eVOC and RelevantView shows that 63% of shoppers are more likely to make a contact or purchase at sites that offer generated reviews

Similarly, an independant study done by Superpages.com shows that businesses with a rating or review receive double the performance (in clicks / contacts) of listings without. A Comscore/Kelsey Group study found that 24% of users who purchase local services (such as restaurants and hotels) consult online reviews before making a decision. Research from the e-tailing* group shows that 53% of consumers using ratings and reviews are doing this so they can decide between businesses that they are considering to purchase from. 28% said that they used reviews and ratings to confirm that they made the right decision in choosing a particular business.

“Your existing customers are-or should be-among your strongest evangelists. After all, they are buying your product again and again[...]they must like it! Your objective should be to get them to talk about their positive experiences. This gives you the double benefit of making the current sale - to them- and a future sale to the new customer that they create for you”

  1. Dave Evans, Social Media Marketing: An Hour A Day, pg 85

*E-tailing is the selling of retail goods on the internet.

How to Handle a Negative Review

Contrary to what some might think, most reviews posted online are positive. A study by Bazaarvoice and Keller Fay showed that 79% of reviewers submitted comments to reward a company for their products and services. This study also showed that 97% of readers find positive reviews to be accurate.

If you have a few less-than-perfect reviews, it can actually strengthen the value of the reviews overall, because the accuracy is perceived as higher.

According to a study done by DEI Worldwide in 2008, 71% of users found company recommendations (also known as ratings or reviews) valuable. 68% found them to be relevant, and 67% said they helped influence purchase decisions.

If you find that a customer wrote a negative review about your business, it is recommended that you join the forum/discussion and try to address the issue at hand. The worst thing you could do is lie and pretend that you are a satisfied customer promoting your product/service. If you lie or cheat on the internet, the truth will eventually get discovered.

Can you Sue Someone for Writing a Bad Review?

A Yelp user was recently sued by a chiropractor who claims his review is ‘defamatory’. According to an article written by Andy Beal “The lawsuit, filed February 25, 2008, alleges that Biegel [the chiropractor] has suffered loss of reputation and business as a result of the review and seeks punitive damages. According to the lawsuit, the review allegedly contained false statements and inaccuracies that suggested Biegel was dishonest and accused him of fraudulent billing practices”

The chiropractor’s lawyer, Eric Nordskog, claims that “Dr Biegel has no problem with people expressing their views and opinions about his service, but there is a line where if someone, even on Yelp or on the Internet, publishes a false statement of fact as opposed to an opinion, then that person can and should be held responsible for their words”.

Unfortunately for Yelp, this incident has caused a lot of negative press about their site. A Google search for “Yelp lawsuits” currently triggers a site known as www.yelp-sucks.com, which is a place where “frustrated Yelpsters can vent”.

Here are some other Documents describing the incident:

The San Francisco Chronicle – Dentist Sues over Negative Yelp Review
MediaPost News – Yelp Reviews Spawn at Least Five Lawsuits
CNet – Yelp User Faces Lawsuit over Negative Review

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Did you Know: Your Likeliness of Closing a Lead Decreases by 6x After the First Hour

March 29th, 2010

Lead-Generating websites are becoming increasingly popular. When looking for information, decision makers turn to a lead-generating website 51% of the time. This number is more than double that for TV, radio, magazines and newspapers.

online-leads-study

According to a study done by Omniture, if you contact a lead within the first hour, you are 6 times more likely to close it.

The study conducted by Omniture and InsideSales showed that these are the best strategies for businesses to practice when responding to online leads:

1. Email Response – should be within the first hour

2. Phone Response – should be within 5 minutes

The study found that the average email response time for companies was 19 hours, 31 minutes and the average phone response time was 36 hours, 57 minutes. Clearly there are lots of companies who have bad strategies when it comes to following up on internet leads.

How Quickly should I Call a Lead?

Another study done by M.I.T and InsideSales.com showed that delaying your first-dial response time from 5 minutes to 30 minutes decreases your chances of qualifying the lead by 21 times!

Is it Better to Follow up on Leads on a Specific Day of the Week?

online-leadsAnother interesting finding that the study showed is that Thursday is the best day to contact a lead in order to qualify that lead. Also 4-5PM is the best time of day to contact the lead to qualify it but 8-9AM and 4-5PM are the best times to call the lead to successful get a hold of them. The worst time to get a hold of a lead was right before lunch.

The good news – according to Sirius Decisions, 80% of prospects who show an interest in your product/service will buy from either you or a competitor within 2 years. Having them as a lead gives you a great chance to show them why they should do business with you.

Imprezzio Marketing is currently working on developing a website for Insurance Leads. If you are interested in finding out more, please contact your Imprezzio Marketing sales rep today.

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