Joel York has built an extensive library of SaaS related educational information through his blog Chaotic Flow. His blog posts and e-books explain strategies and best practices on important topics such as networking, monetization and churn management – knowledge that is helpful to all software vendors.
This post summarizes and analyzes the first part of York’s e-book, “Software-as-a-Service Success: 10 Dos and 10 don’ts of SaaS” in which the author showcases an insider’s understanding of proper strategies for marketing and selling SaaS applications.
The most essential concept gleaned from the book is that in order for SaaS providers to succeed in the market, they must capitalize on the social nature of today’s Internet experience. Success is earned by building social elements in the features of a SaaS product and by utilizing social tactics in marketing efforts. Read the rest of this entry »
According to eMarketer, “The online holiday shopping season is officially under way, and internet retailers are expecting the dollars to roll in on digital channels.” The article explains that e-commerce is expected to drive over half of all holiday season revenue for online retailers, while m-commerce will provide 6% of total sales.
Social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter are also expected drive sales by offering major promotions involving discounts and coupons. With such an interested and focused consumer base, e-commerce merchants should do all they can to grab their share of both the desktop and mobile holiday audience.
If you’re looking for some ideas on how to get started, our E-commerce Eye Candy showcases some social advertising from Amazon on Facebook and Twitter. Amazon does a great job of using its Facebook page to direct traffic to product pages that are themed appropriately for the thanksgiving season.
Since I “like” Amazon on Facebook, I receive great offers that are only a few steps away from conversion. The link from this Facebook post leads directly to a product page less than three clicks away from a buy button. It is a convenient and easy way for me to buy. In general, I’m surprised to see how many Facebook pages are so underutilized. These pages often sell themselves short by not directing followers to targeted landing pages with a short path to conversion. Read the rest of this entry »
The Internet is swarming with Black Friday promotions and Cyber Monday deals. With the gift-giving season just around the corner, it’s time for e-retailers to let people know ’tis the season of social shopping.
But what about Halloween, President’s Day, Easter… Teacher’s Day?! How can digital internet retailers use social networking to capitalize on these special days?
Promotional Creativity
Social media gives you the ability to take some creative liberties to grab the attention of your audience. Reviews, recommendations and “likes” are a few ways to get consumers to follow your page and make purchases throughout the year. Another way to draw attention to your company is through a creative marketing strategy.
For Halloween, Sears created an original marketing campaign with their Zombie Shopper theme. The company adopted a ‘social shopping’ strategy and embraced the important social media platforms as venues for their tactics. They dedicated a Twitter account to help customers shop and even went the extra mile with a “Fitness for Zombies” video.
This campy video is not only entertaining, but it successfully markets Sears merchandise in a funny and engaging manner. Tying YouTube videos, landing pages and Twitter accounts into a single marketing strategy for special days is a great way to impress your audience and make you unforgettable. Read the rest of this entry »
