Another Great Tool for Slideshare

Exciting news was recently announced that SlideShare (which of course was acquired by LinkedIn in May 2012 for around $120 million ), Summary: SlideShare will be rolling out a new product function designed to provide real insight  for the businesses  marketers about the degree and specifics of how your customers are interacting and engaging with your brand.

Specifically the LinkedIn platform will now be able to provide companies with  real-time, engagement data from content shared by visitors through e-mail.  

The new Send Tracker tool is a content analysis device that allows users to share content from SlideShare to a prospect via email, and will be part of the functionality available from the SlideShare Premium version, but is available for a free trial on request.

Simply put, the account holder is able to direct content to a prospect via email, then see if they open it, when it happens and how they interacted with the information sent, all providing valuable insight into the effectiveness of the content and possible changes still needed for the future.

As an example the feedback available to the sender would include how much time the recipient spent looking at each slide and by inference which slides did not interest them and so potentially need to be removed, changed or added to. 

At very least this will provide so additional feedback into how involved prospects are with what your business has to say and at a minimum, will allow you to focus more  fully on those that at least 'prime facie'  appear to be more genuinely interested in what you are saying or selling.

Again I may sound like a broken record, but I keep seeing sensible solutions gradually introduced into this platform that continues to provide value that its entry and premium levels.

And until next time, good luck and good marketing.

Regards,
Daniele.

Positioning Your Business

At last there are some positive signs within the broader European community that suggest the beginnings of economic stability, as evidenced by various indicators such as the first major private capital inflow into Spain since mid-2011, as well as Italy selling 10-year debt at the lowest yield since 2010. These signs should bring a smile to the Government and corporate faces alike. However, it should be a cautious smile as achieving more sustainable recovery may prove to be more problematic.

Much of the improvement seen in recent times stems from governments tightening their collective belts with a range of fiscal austerity measures. The upside is self-evident, the downside is a lack of stimulus for economic and specific business growth. Specifically in relation to Malta many small and medium-sized businesses are continuing to feel the effects of these measures. Locally, the Government must continue to service its national debt of €7 billion, after a proud tradition of continuous surpluses that have been maintained over many decades.

Comparatively, some may argue that Malta has largely avoided the ravaging effects of Europe’s economic woes but business analysts are understandably still wary of the potential should the European situation worsen. Should these fears be realised, one of the most likely affected areas in the Maltese economy would be, of course, tourism. Malta is universally seen as a premier European destination given its unique blend of historical architecture, art and economic value. If this represents the good news, the bad news surely is its unhealthy reliance on tourism and the tourist dollar.

Businesses would certainly be wise to act as if the downturn is just around the corner and proactively begin to augment their existing marketing strategy to help their business stand out from the crowd by achieving true differentiation. A perennially occurring theme for local businesses is the absence of a clearly defined unique selling proposition, coupled with no effective communication strategy to promote their core message to their target audience.

If as a business owner or manager you believe that it resonates true for your circumstances, then you are certainly vulnerable to any future economic decline. Begin now by precisely defining exactly who you want to attract to your business. Specifically, what demographic and attitudinal values do you want to direct your promotional media to, who in turn will see it, and will recognise “that’s for me”.

Next, ask the question: What is the key need that this customer has? Invariably customers respond that some part of their need is met while some other part remains unmet. It is imperative for you to determine what the unmet need for your customer is.

Thirdly, what can you provide your customer with, so that this unmet need is satisfied? Because this proposed offering is not currently being provided by your rivals, it will act to differentiate you in the customer’s minds and elevate you to the status of provider of choice.

Finally, and equally importantly, define clearly what your communication strategy is. It will consistently clarify your positioning, image and product offering to the market place. Naturally, we all enjoy positive word of mouth promotion which remains the most sought after, credible, and, ultimately, valuable form of promotion. However, you simply cannot rely on it as your sole promotional platform.

A well thought-out promotional plan to deliver your core message is an essential component to position and maintain a successful brand in a competitive market. By following these simple steps any business, regardless of its size or industry, will be able to strengthen and enhance its positioning and ultimately its chances of surviving and thriving in spite of what 2013 has in store for us.

And until next time, good luck and good marketing.

Regards,
Daniele.

LinkedIn Stock Jumps 10% After Q4 Revenue Tops $300 Million

 LinkedIn proved once again why it is Wall Street's favorite social media stock.

The company reported revenue of $304 million for the December quarter, a whopping 81% increase from the same quarter the year before and well ahead of Wall Street's consensus estimate for revenue of $278 million.

Much of the revenue growth came from a strong increase in sales of LinkedIn's talent solutions products for recruiters and businesses. Revenue from this segment nearly doubled from the year-ago quarter to $161 million. Revenue from premium subscription products also increased by nearly 80% to just under $60 million for the quarter.

All of this helped LinkedIn to come close to having its first billion-dollar year. The company reported revenue of $972.3 million for 2012, compared to $522 million in 2011.

While other Internet companies like Facebook and Twitter rushed to put revenue-generation strategies in place in 2012, LinkedIn showed steady growth from the business model it already had in place of providing job hunters, recruiters and businesses with premium paid tools.

LinkedIn's stock shot up by as much as 11% in after hours trading following the earnings report.

By Seth Fiegermenn

 http://mashable.com/2013/02/07/linkedin-stock-jumps-10-after-q4-revenue-tops-300-million/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Mashable+%28Mashable%29

Image courtesy of Flickr, nan palmero

The Importance of Share Buttons

I must say that it never ceases to surprise me how many websites that actively try to sell their firms products on that site, still don't have the most basic of social media buttons, namely the 'share' button, with the inevitable benefits that flow from it.

Installing these buttons are of course a simple, quick and importantly free matter, that can't but help raise not only your exposure on the net but (assuming your product represents value to your target audience), also raise sales.

Yes it's true that if someone wants to share your details, pages, products, etc. with someone in their network they can of course copy the URL, open up their email, paste the URL on and after writing a cover message, email it. Perhaps one day I will meet someone with a lot of extra time on their hands as well that would like to do this, but I don't know anyone in this group. Do you?

If the answer is no then you see why the share button on each page of your site and other platforms including your blog, Facebook page, Twitter page, etc. also need it be be present, working and clearly visible. 

In the end people want convenience and to be able to do things quickly and simply.
 So go now to every platform you have and please ensure that you're making it easy for your customers and prospects to share your details and product offerings with others as well.

And until next time, good luck and good marketing.

Regards,

Daniele.