Archive for April, 2010
Google Enters into the Social Networking Scene with Google Buzz
Posted by admin in Social Networking on April 14, 2010
In February of 2010, Google released its form of social networking called Google Buzz. It was created to work with the company’s email program, Gmail. It allows users who have established a Gmail account to be able to post and share links, photos, videos, status messages, and comments. These additions can be shared with whomever the user chooses, whether they are an established group of friends or publicly to everyone.
Google launched this program with the intentions of competing with other social outlets such as FaceBook and Twitter.
Buzz has incorporated Inbox Integration. Anytime a buzz user adds something new to their account, comments can be made about that specific addition. That comment is automatically sent to your email inbox to notify you of the newly posted comment.
Buzz also gives users the option of incorporating other networking sites into their setup. Other social networking sites that have integrated with Google Buzz are Picasa, Flickr, Google Reader, YouTube, Blogger, FriendFeed, identi.ca and Twitter.
No refreshing is necessary to see newly posted comments. Updates happen in real time which saves the “buzzers” the hassle of hitting that refresh button.
Google Buzz is also compatible with mobile devices. Buzz users can upload mobile pictures or send texts. They can also make and receive comments on their accounts from their mobile devices.
Google Buzz hit the social networking market with a bang with 9 million posts made within the first 56 hours of release.
Will Buzz generate “honey” for Google? Or will they get stung?
For more information on social media marketing for your company, contact The Marion Group at 713.623.6444 or email us at info2@marion.com.
Optimizing Your Brand & Website to Make You Global Player
Posted by admin in Brand Building, Internet Marketing on April 8, 2010
If you think your company is regional player only, then you may be underestimating your role. Perhaps you can step onto the world stage and become a global player! Marion has done exactly that with websites and brand positioning services for companies and professionals that:
- Are restricted geographically in selling branded equipment, but have no such restrictions selling the parts for that equipment anywhere.
- Manufacture custom engineered products of branded equipment where the equipment unaltered has regional distribution only.
- Sell customized commodity products. (One of our customers has become global selling custom printed plastic bags.)
- Have a unique skill that people will travel for, such as revision rhinoplasty or all-on-4 dental implants.
And you have not missed the show! Global Internet usage is still in its infancy. According to Internet World Stats News, over 1.8 Billion people used the Internet last year. As you can see in the table below, the year 2009 ended with 1,802,330,108 Internet users. This represents a mere 26.6% penetration rate globally, making it apparent that there is a lot of room to grow across the world.
| Internet World Statistics Report Internet Users by World Regions – December 31, 2009 |
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| Region | Population | Internet Users | P. R. | % Users |
| Asia | 3,808,070,503 | 764,435,900 | 20.1 % | 42.4 % |
| Europe | 803,850,858 | 425,773,571 | 53.0 % | 23.6 % |
| North America | 340,831,831 | 259,561,000 | 76.2 % | 14.4 % |
| Latam / Caribbean | 586,662,468 | 186,922,050 | 31.9 % | 10.4 % |
| Africa | 991,002,342 | 86,217,900 | 8.7 % | 4.8 % |
| Middle East | 202,687,005 | 58,309,546 | 28.8 % | 3.2 % |
| Oceania, Australia | 34,700,201 | 21,110,490 | 60.8 % | 1.2 % |
| Total World | 6,767,805,208 | 1,802,330,108 | 26.6 % | 100.0 % |
| Source: Internet World Stats, estimates for December 31, 2009. Notes: a) Population data comes from the US Census Bureau; b) Internet estimates come from ITU, Nielsen Online, GfK, official telecommunications regulating agencies and other trustworthy sources; c) Mexico is included in Central America and Turkey is included in Europe, according to the United Nations grouping; d) P.R. means the Penetration Rate, in percentage. Copyright © 2010, Miniwatts Marketing Group. | ||||
Source: http://www.internetworldstats.com/stats.htm
To go global you need do some brand building, particularly brand positioning, to reflect what services or products you can provide for customers all over the world. Then, you need a custom web site design that states your brand message clearly. The website must be Search Engine Optimized (SE0) and you must do some Internet Marketing.
Need help? Call Marion at 713-623-6444.
The Power of Brands
Posted by admin in Brand Building, Brand Positioning on April 1, 2010
Are brand names still as important to consumers as they were five years ago? Previously, large retailers, like Walmart, did not think so. The assumption was that name brands were not as significant to the consumer in tough times, especially when saving more money really matters. What would you do if your favorite brand of shampoo that you buy without ever considering another was no longer on the shelf at your local store?
Over the years, more generic and store brands have flooded the shelves trying to compete with the name brands that have been pushed on consumers for as long as they can remember. These successful brand strategies are not easily forgotten. People have established a certain loyalty to these brands and when they are no longer available, customers can become very disheartened, as Walmart found out this past year.
Walmart believed they could improve margins by reducing the number of name brands they carried, but when traffic and sales fell for the first time in the retailer’s history, they realized the power that brands still hold. They are now in the process of returning about 300 previously eliminated items and are even returning branded point-of-purchase displays that were removed in their tougher clean-store policy. Walmart may still cut back on some products, but they have to tread carefully, as people except to find their favorite brands at lower prices at Walmart.
Remember, brands still matter.
If your brand disappeared, would your customers be upset? The Marion Group’s brand building services can help keep your brand strong among the masses. Check out our brand building strategy.
Need help? Call Marion at 713-623-6444.
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