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Archive for July, 2009

31

JUL

"It’s on Sale" The mobile opportunity – people are buying now

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Retail Mobile Coupons are a idea who’s time has come. Borders Books UK had a 69% opt-in rate for mobile coupons, among existing e-mail club members! This was with no in-store promotion. Why, because they are easy to use. No need to print them, they are with you when you need them, they are green and they are linked to a loyalty card, so you can leave that home as well. I am not sure about you but it is not very often I would print out an e-mailed coupon fold it up and put it in my wallet. Mobile just makes more sense as a consumer and as a marketer.

With the advent of digital signage in is also easy to opt people into your club just by texting, in store, no plastic, no paper, no mailings. Need more convincing read this article for Mobile Marketing Profits.

Loyalty Link plus

“Is it on sale?” The mobile opportunity – people are buying now from Mobile Marketing Profits

In today’s market, consumers are thinking twice before they buy almost anything.  “How much do I need it?” “Do I need it all, or do I just want it?” “It is on sale?” Questions people ask when they’re uncertain about their own economic futures.

This “Is it on sale?” thinking presents an ideal opportunity for mobile marketing to worried consumers.  For example, if a consumer has a genuine need and desire for a purchase more complex or higher value than an impulse buy – anything from an upgraded mobile phone to a new car – they may repeatedly pass up that item at full price, or even with some discounting.  Stretching their spending dollars by waiting for a better deal is a safer move in a tight economy.

But what if that same consumer were to receive a coupon on their mobile phone while they were out shopping? Not a printed coupon sitting at home with the unopened mail, or an email coupon waiting in a distant inbox to be printed out and stuck in a purse or a pocket.  Rather, a targeted offer made to the right consumer at the right time, in the right place.

This sort of precision targeting has been the promise of mobile marketing for many years, but few companies have yet to fully leverage such a strategy today.  Confusing opt-in/op-out rules for commercial SMS messages, platform compatibility issues with sending MMS coupons to different families of smartphones, divergent carrier support for standards and commercial traffic – all of these factors and more have served to discourage corporate involvement in robust mobile couponing.

Yet there are best practices and design solutions which can work with all of these impediments to transform them into success factors.  An inbound mobile marketing campaign driven by point-of-sale signage and advertising placements combines the consumer opt-in process with the marketing contact.  Use of well crafted standard SMS messages (text-only) sidesteps MMS and barcode compatibility issues to reach all SMS-capable phones.  Even minimal integration between the messaging gateway provider and your own retail management systems can provide end-to-end accountability and realtime program ROI.

You as a mobile marketer need to keep the following things in mind when pursuing this kind of program:

  1. How will the consumer become aware of your campaign?
  2. How will you obtain their permission to interact?
  3. How will the offer be redeemed at the point of sale?

By offering consumers mobile coupons, businesses can create stronger customer relationships while giving consumers what they want, resulting in increased satisfaction, and increased profitability.

“Is it on sale?” The mobile opportunity – people are buying now from Mobile Marketing Profits

Want to learn more about Mobile Coupons Contact ApolloBravo and ask about our Loyalty Link Program with integrated digital signage.

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29

JUL

Mobile Messaging Protects Consumers

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One of the reasons SMS Text message volume is surpassing call volume is due to the immediacy of delivery. If there is fraudulent activity on your credit card or bank account would you rather have your bank leave a voice mail on your home machine or get a text alert.

smartphones mobile web

Via Mobile Marketing Profits

If the worst does happen and someone steals your credit card account information to go on a buying spree, the consumer protection department of your credit card issuer will attempt to contact you, most commonly through voice, as that is the default for most consumers, especially older consumers. Email is also frequently used.

However, both voice and email introduce delays into a process where timely outreach is critical. If the number of record is a home landline, the message may not be picked up until well into the evening. Even if a business line or cell phone is being contacted, people often defer calls from unknown numbers to a more convenient time. Meanwhile, the fraudulent transaction which triggered the alert process may still go through. Even if it is declined, the identity thieves are free to try again. Conversely, if the transaction is legitimate and the account holder is unavailable to confirm it, the desired purchase may be stalled or declined.
This opens an opportunity for mobile messaging to become a value-add to consumers experiencing account fraud. SMS delivered to the handset is not just a fun way for friends to stay in touch — in cases like identity theft alerts it provides a valuable business benefit.

Many users who have adopted SMS as an ordinary communications channel will typically check their messaging as soon as possible – at a stoplight, on a meeting break, walking down a hallway – even in situations where they may not be willing or able to take a voice call.

The consumer whose account information is suspected to have been stolen can receive a text message to contact a fraud hotline immediately. Valuable time is saved in a fraud management process where minutes can count – minutes that can prevent further damage to the consumer’s credit.

Opt-In Strategies
The sticking point with commercial SMS messages in the U.S. is getting consumers to opt-in to receive such messages in the first place. A multichannel media strategy for garnering opt-ins can provide big payoffs for both lenders and consumers. Examples include SMS opt-in opportunities at the end of agented or automated voice calls, point-of-sale messaging at branch banks or lending offices, Web-based check-box options within the customer’s account profile, statement messaging or inserts and print advertising campaigns.

When consumers are given the opportunity to opt-in for fraud alerts via SMS, businesses can create stronger customer relationships through protecting everyone in the transaction chain – consumer, merchant, processor, and lender – while improving profitability through a more efficient fraud management process. A simple mobile messaging campaign, delivered in these difficult times, reaps dividends for everyone involved.

via Mobile Messaging Opportunities to Protect Customers in Today’s Economy | MobileMarketingProfits.com | Build Your Business with Mobile Marketing.

Contact ApolloBravo about our mobile alert platforms. Over 95% of text messages are read by customers.

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17

JUL

Mobile Search is Changing : New Location Aware Push App

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From Read Write Web : Mobile startup Aloqa launched earlier this week at the MobileBeat conference, revealing their innovative interface for location-aware search. Their new application proactively seeks out nearby businesses, services, events, and even Facebook friends and presents them to you in a colorful yet streamlined interface. The app essentially lists everything that’s nearby – with no need for you to perform map-based searches or launch a browser. Instead, all you have to do is look at your phone.

Mobile Search Should be “Push,” Not Pull

The concept behind Aloqa’s app offers a unique vision for mobile search that’s quite different from how most people use their phones today. Currently, if you’re looking for nearby restaurants, for example, you would first launch a mobile mapping application like Google Maps, let it locate you, and then perform a search for “restaurants.” Once the results loaded, you could tap on the various pushpins to see the info about restaurants nearby, including names, phone numbers, and addresses.

In Aloqa, however, that same search would be much simpler. In fact, it wouldn’t be a search at all. Instead, you would just tap on the icon for restaurants and immediately see a list of those nearby. When you see the one you want (oh look, there’s sushi!), a second tap will display a window where you can choose to go to the business’s web site, display the location on a map, call the business, or send the info to a friend.

This same sort of functionality can be used for anything from restaurants to retail stores to gas stations and ATMs. It can also help you find events that may spark your interest, like a nearby concert for instance.

Read More http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/mobile_search_gets_a_push_aloqas_location-aware_app.php

ApolloBravo can optimize your mobile brand presence on mobile apps and devices. Contact us for additional information.

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16

JUL

2 Cow Economics

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Gets funnier as it goes on – Guaranteed laugh for at least 5 secs..
2kcows

> > Economics made easy

> >

> > TRADITIONAL CAPITALISM

> > You have two cows.

> > You sell one and buy a bull.

> > Your herd multiplies, and the economy grows.

> > You sell them and retire on the income.

> >

> > ENRON VENTURE CAPITALISM

> > You have two cows. You sell three of them to your publicly listed

> > company, using letters of credit opened by your brother-in-law at

> > the bank, then execute a debt/equity swap with an associated general

> > offer so that you get all four cows back, with a tax exemption for

> > five cows. The milk rights of the six cows are transferred via an

> > intermediary to a Cayman Island company secretly owned by the

> > majority shareholder who sells the rights to all seven cows back to

> > your listed company. The annual report says the company owns eight

> > cows, with an option on one more. Sell one cow to buy a new

> > president of the United States, leaving you with nine cows. No

> > balance sheet provided with the release. The public buys your bull.

> >

> > AN AMERICAN CORPORATION

> > You have two cows. You sell one, and force the other to produce the

> > milk of four cows. You are surprised when the cow drops dead.

> >

> > A FRENCH CORPORATION

> > You have two cows. You go on strike because you want three cows.

> >

> > A JAPANESE CORPORATION

> > You have two cows. You redesign them so they are one-tenth the size

> > of an ordinary cow and produce twenty times the milk. You then

> > create clever cow cartoon images called ‘Cowkimon’

> > and market them

> > World-Wide.

> >

> > A GERMAN CORPORATION

> > You have two cows.

> > You reengineer them so they live for 100 years, eat once a month,

> > and milk themselves.

> >

> > A BRITISH CORPORATION

> > You have two cows.

> > Both are mad.

> >

> > AN ITALIAN CORPORATION

> > You have two cows, but you don’t know where they are.

> > You break for lunch.

> >

> > A RUSSIAN CORPORATION

> > You have two cows.

> > You count them and learn you have five cows.

> > You count them again and learn you have 42 cows.

> > You count them again and learn you have 12 cows.

> > You stop counting cows and open another bottle of vodka.

> >

> > A SWISS CORPORATION

> > You have 5000 cows, none of which belong to you.

> > You charge others for storing them.

> >

> > A CHINESE CORPORATION

> > You have two cows.

> > You have 300 people milking them.

> > You claim full employment and high bovine productivity.

> > You have the newsman who reported on the numbers arrested.

> >

> > AN INDIAN CORPORATION

> > You have two cows.

> > You worship them.

Author unknown

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8

JUL

Home based Businesses You Can Start In Your Pajamas

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Great Slideshow from INC Magazine. Read about 1 person companies that generate up to 10 Million in revenue. Contact ApolloBravo about home based office opportunities in Mobile Marketing and Social Media. How much time do you spend in your car or in unproductive meetings ?

11 Businesses You Can Start in Your Pajamas
Home Business
Pet Care — Paul Mann, Fetch! Pet Care
Virtual Assistant — Tawnya Sutherland, VAnetworking.com
Bargain Hunting Website — Karen Hoxmeier, MyBargainBuddy.com
Accounting Services — Melissa Nash Andrews, Accounts Receivables
Technical Staffing — Bill Foster and Ruben Santana, XRoads Consulting
Home Improvement and Organization — Allan Young, ShelfGenie
Green Construction — Nic Darling, Chad Ludeman, and Courtney Ludeman, Postgreen
Graphic Design Services — Sam Feuer, Mindsmack.com
Resume Writing — Kathy Sweeney, The Write Resume
Corporate Educational Services — Joseph Pickett, Experts Briefings
Online Dating Site — Markus Frind, PlentyofFish

For these entrepreneurs, wearing pajamas for a day at the office isn’t far from reality. From pet care to virtual assistants and even online dating, we found entrepreneurs who are not just enjoying work from their living rooms and bedrooms, but they are also making a good living at it. In one case, a business owner grossed $10 million in a year, and cleared half that amount. Here’s a look at the hottest industries for home-based entrepreneurs — illustrated with some fun CEO self-portraits.

Read More http://www.inc.com/ss/11-businesses-you-can-start-your-pajamas-2009#1

Approximately two-thirds of American households own pets, making the pet industry the sixth-fastest-growing industry in the nation — with $43.4 billion projected to be spent on pets in this year alone. It’s no wonder then that Fetch! Pet Care, a Berkeley, Calif.-based company that provides a wide range of pet-sitting and dog-walking services is thriving. The 2008 Inc. 5000 company brought in revenue of $3.5 million last year and operates on a franchise model that includes 200 locations nationwide with a network of more than 3,800 pet sitters. “Pets don’t know that we are in an economic downturn, and it’s been proven that pets are therapeutic for people,” says founder and CEO Paul Mann. “You don’t stop feeding your pet in bad times.”

As business owners have become more comfortable working virtually, and work/life balance has increasingly become a necessity, the demand for virtual assistants has grown significantly. Tawnya Sutherland would know — five years ago she started VAnetworking.com, the largest online social network for virtual assistants, which has seen membership triple in the past year to over 10,000 and revenue exceed $150,000. She created the site as a space for fellow virtual assistants to share information, exchange ideas, and discuss industry best practices. Sutherland maintains that “VAs are a really diversified group that can do just about anything.” And, in addition to saving business owners the cost of having an in-office employee, “it relieves you as a business owner to work on the thing that you’re most interested in doing.”

With just a computer and an Internet connection, virtually anyone these days can start their own website and market their products and services from home without spending a lot of money. But despite the low barrier to entry in this industry, not all businesses have worked out the model for success quite like Karen Hoxmeier. The stay-at-home mom founded MyBargainBuddy.com, which publishes hundreds of daily deals and coupon codes for shopping sites all over the Web. “My business happens to be a hobby that pays me,” she says. “I love shopping and I love bargain hunting. And if what you do helps someone else, that makes it even better.”

In a tight economy, one of the primary goals for a business owner is staying on top of cash flow. But let’s face it — nobody likes having to ask for the check. That’s where Melissa Nash Andrews and her company, Accounts Receivables, come in. A full-service collection agency, Nash Andrews stays on top of her clients’ accounts receivables and provides a range of bookkeeping services for business owners looking to outsource accounting. “If I can help another small business person to stay in business and to keep their business, then I’ve met my goal,” she says.

As more companies contract out specialty services like recruiting, staffing companies like Atlanta-based XRoads Consulting are seeing an upturn in business. Founded in 2006 by neighbors Ruben Santana and Bill Foster, XRoads specializes in placing people for technical positions at companies located primarily in the southeastern United States. They also help companies select and implement information technology solutions that will best meet their needs. Both Santana and Foster have leveraged their prior experience in the industry to grow their revenues to $5.58 million in the first two years of business. “There are definite financial rewards to being home-based and not having the upfront overhead needed to start a business,” Santana says.

Those who are making money in the beleaguered housing industry these days are people like Allan Young, founder and CEO of ShelfGenie, a company that designs and installs custom-shelving units for the home. “A high percentage of our clients are people who are staying put in their homes but want to do an affordable upgrade,” says Young, who recently began franchising the sales model in April. Because the shelving systems are customized for the client, there is no inventory for the franchisee, and appointments are handled through a call center, making it very feasible for the franchisees to get their business up-and-running and achieve positive cash flow quite quickly.

When it comes to purchasing products and services, consumers are increasingly making their decisions with the environment in mind. One company that has capitalized on this growing consumer awareness is Postgreen, a Philadelphia-based real-estate development company whose mission is to build green homes that are affordable for the average family. Founders Chad and Courtney Ludeman, and marketing director, Nic Darling, are working on a line of LEED-certified homes that will sell for $100 a square foot — a cost equal to a regular home without green efficiencies. “We are making consumers look at houses differently,” says Darling. “Instead of just a monthly payment, they are starting to look at all the costs that go into owning a home, and we have a distinct advantage in being much less expensive [to maintain] than a normal house.”

The way a company represents itself on the Web is becoming increasingly important, and no one understands this mission better than Sam Feuer, founder of Mindsmack.com, a full-service Web-design firm whose projects include everything from iPhone application design to commercial animation. From his home based in North Brunswick, N.J., Feuer manages a staff of 44 along with a network of freelancers, some of whom work globally. “The real key is doing the work at an elite level,” Feuer says. “It doesn’t matter where my employees are — I don’t care if they work from the moon — as long as they get the job done and they are two steps ahead of what the client is looking for.”

Given the dismal job opportunities at many companies right now, job-seekers are looking for any and every way to distinguish themselves from the competition. Kathy Sweeney, founder and CEO of resume writing service The Write Resume, is busy like never before, with revenue growth of 21 percent in the past year alone. Sweeney, who is recognized as one of the foremost experts in the industry, has written resumes for people all over the world, most of the time just from information that she has gleaned from phone conversations with the client. “It’s really about relationship building and I believe you can do that without meeting someone. If I can develop a bond with people then I know I’ll be successful in helping them.”

Complying with federal regulations is a tricky business, especially for companies in the pharmaceutical and medical-device industries, where many will spend hundreds of thousands of dollars a year to send their employees to required educational conferences. Joseph Pickett of Experts Briefings has found a way around this big expense by offering companies the same experts and packaged information through his teleconferencing business. Pickett lines up the speakers for the teleconference and then hosts it from his home computer, charging companies $400 a head. Pickett purchased the company in early 2008 and has increased revenue from $25,000 to $300,000 in less than a year. “My price for customers and for most pharma companies is chump change, but for me working out of my house, it’s a lot of money.”

A new ecosystem of free software and low-cost Web services have made it possible for Web start-ups with a little bit of traffic to bootstrap their growth without raising tens of millions in venture capital. No one has done this as effectively as Markus Frind, the founder of PlentyofFish, an online dating site based in Vancouver, British Columbia. Frind launched his company in 2003 by himself and with no idea how to run a Web business. Five years later, PlentofFish is the largest dating site in the United States, according to Hitwise, and the company pulls in $10 million a year. You can read more about Frind, who still works only a few hours a week, in Inc.’s January/February cover story, The Money Comes Rolling In.

By: Tamara Schweitzer
Design by: DESIGNER NAME GOES HERE

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