Socializing your retail business - The facts of why Social Media is a must!

If you are a retail business considering getting into Social Media Marketing –or- you are currently utilizing social media but are trying to figure out the what’s and more importantly the why’s, this is a must read.

According to Razorfish’s 2009 Digital Brand Experience Study, as reported by eMarketer, over 40% of US Facebook and MySpace users have “friended” a brand or company. Couple this data with the chart put out by The Business Insider, showing the average Facebook user views 662 pages a month and the data begins to become almost surreal. These numbers beckon retailers, whether kicking and screaming or with positive enthusiasm to engage in the medium.

Meeting with several prospective clients of fondalo recently, I’ve heard many excuses or reasons why a company has decided not engage the medium for their retail business. Two of the top reasons have been 1) “our customers are not on the internet/Facebook” and 2) “we don’t have the knowledge, time or bandwidth to do it”.

Let’s address these individually:

1) Our customers are not online or on Facebook: Excuse me, but I beg to differ! With almost 100 million social network users in the US alone, your customers are not only on Facebook, they are finding your competitors and NOT you.

Further data in the Razorfish study shows that 64% of consumers said they made their first purchase from a brand because of a digital experience—be it a Website, microsite, mobile coupon or e-mail. More importantly “friending” or becoming a fan took raising awareness to consideration, purchase and recommendations to friends. What other medium you have used has these results?

2) We don’t have the bandwidth: What company now days are blessed with additional human and/or expertise bandwidth to throw at a new requirement? The answer, none! So making decisions, setting priorities and even seeking outside professional help is a must.

fondalo helps many clients to build a sustainable social marketing strategy and use social media marketing to achieve ROI immediately, while escalating the results of branding and viral customer sharing of your offers.

So lets review… Step one: realize that the reasoning you have used for not creating a social media presence is flawed and modify your decisions to engage your customers. Step two: find and hire a social media professional, consultant or company that can help you build a strategy. Use these outsourced resources to help you execute the strategy and learn the necessary skills and information you need to make it successful.

By Robert M. Caruso

www.facebook.com/robertcaruso

CEO fondalo, Inc.

Social Media Value changes – change your strategy

Yesterday I wrote about the shift that’s happening in Social Media and how Value is going to be the significant driver this year. Today I am going to continue with my thoughts on what this change should look like for you and your social media marketing strategy.

I am continually coming across Twitter accounts and Facebook fanpages of corporations that consist of unrelenting rants about themselves, their product or service. Now if indeed you are an interested fan/follower of that company this starts out great. However just like with your ex-wife or husband, NOBODY likes being talked AT all the time.

You know, the friend you have coffee with now only once a year because when you get together they continually talk about themselves? You feel exhausted and overwhelmed and can’t handle another minute with them until maybe next year. Social marketing must be careful not to become that friend to its fans.

Here are some changes to your social media strategy that you need to consider this year.

1) Know your market. Who are you talking to and why are they interested in your brand/product.


2) Focus your messaging to instill “social value” by understanding your customers concerns, needs and desires. Post messages and information that is helpful, interesting and not solely focused on you or your brand.


3) Enlist communication and feedback that not only engages your fans, but because of the value you are providing they share it with others.


4) Create a formal strategy with clear targets and goals for what you hope to achieve and more importantly how you plan to achieve it.


5) Follow the plan and be consistent with your communication.

This year social media will bombard followers and fans in your networks with overwhelming data, information and posts. Those companies that heed this warning and emphasize value in their strategy will thrive, those that implement old marketing tactics in their social marketing will have a much more difficult time.

By Robert M. Caruso
CEO fondalo, Inc.

Social Media Marketing in 2010 will be about Value

Yes, we all know that 2009 gave rise to social media marketing and corporate acceptance as it plunged into the mainstream. But what now? How is small business through the major corporations going to turn these millions of eyeballs, followers and fans into revenue? That is the million-dollar question that needs to be answered this year.

Twitter accounts and Fanpages have done a lot to extend the reach of the business environment into the social world for some. As a matter of fact it was recently reported by Razorfish over 40% of internet users have “friended” a brand on Facebook or MySpace. Here’s the thing. Social marketing could easily be running fast and hard into a wall. All the gains made with corporate America beginning to tentatively embrace the medium will all be for not, without a drastic change.

“Social marketing is less about what you want consumers to do for you, but more about what value you are giving them so they will respond, purchase, share with their network and stay engaged”. In 2010 you will see a shift begin to occur where consumers will start pulling back their “friending” and following of businesses that don’t realize this, in an effort to cut out the flood of useless information and posts being made with selfish corporate motives.

My suggestions that you need to consider for your 2010 social media strategy coming next…

Robert M. Caruso

CEO fondalo, Inc.

VanderVeer Center Joins the fondalo Buying Power Social Network Application

VANDERVEER CENTER, THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST’S PREMIER COSMETIC MEDICINE CENTER LEVERAGES NEW BUYING POWER SOCIAL NETWORK APPLICATION TO OFFER EXCLUSIVE SAVINGS

VanderVeer Center launches program to save people money with new social network application, fondalo®, for Facebook and Twitter

Portland, Oregon December 4, 2009 – VanderVeer Center, the Northwest's premier cosmetic medicine center, helps men and women of all ages restore a youthful, natural look without surgery is proud to extend exclusive offers and savings to new and existing clients with the new fondalo® Facebook application. fondalo offers VanderVeer Center, as a fondalo member company, a new way to leverage social networks in unprecedented ways. The agreement between VanderVeer Center and fondalo brings exclusive deals to fondalo users on VanderVeer Center services including ZERONA™ Body Slimming, BOTOX® Cosmetic, Dysport™, Restylane®, Juvederm™, Perlane® dermal fillers, facial rejuvenation, fat removal, laser hair and laser tattoo removal, liquid facelift and many more. Those offers are posted directly to Facebook and Twitter user news feeds making the consumer outreach truly viral.

“VanderVeer Center is excited to be part of the best way to both offer consumers great value in this tough economic time AND work within social networks like Facebook and Twitter to reach out to men and women who may be planning for a wedding or reunion, re-entering the job market or dating scene. The targeting and social sharing components fondalo delivers within their buying power social network application provides exciting and expanded reach to new and existing clients, ”said Elizabeth VanderVeer, MD, President/Medical Director, VanderVeer Center. “We love the fact that we can social network with our existing and prospective clients this way. It's a win for them with savings they can't get any other way and a win for us in that our brand and offers are shared with their Facebook and Twitter social networks.”

How Does It Work?

fondalo users identify the categories, brands, products and services that interest them and can also connect with friends and other like-minded users to request special offers from retailers. fondalo member companies make exclusive offers to fondalo users based on their identified user purchase preferences, which are then shared within Facebook and Twitter.

"VanderVeer Center already has great name brand recognition in this market,” says Robert M. Caruso, fondalo, Inc. CEO. “Having them as a member company making special offers to our user base delivers significant value to a whole new user demographic both inside Facebook and the fondalo system. We believe fondalo is the solution to leverage social networks both for consumer buying power and social marketing at its finest for companies."

The company launched version 1.0 on September 1st, allowing consumers to create their own deal mobs, users to build their category, product and service interests, make their Facebook and external friend connections, then start requesting and joining offers from companies. “In October fondalo launched its application to give local, regional and national companies a results driven social media marketing platform that gets response marketing results while maintaining the traditional social branding and communication businesses need” says Caruso.

VanderVeer Center is making their first offer for the incredible ZERONA™ Body Slimming lazer package. This surgery-free treatment was featured on AM Northwest recently.

Click here to view the video.

Click here to accept the offer in the fondalo Facebook application.

About fondalo, Inc.

Based out of the Portland, Oregon metro area, fondalo is a buying power social networking application, that gives business subscribers a way to effectively launch marketing campaigns into the most popular online social networks, including Facebook and Twitter.

fondalo gathers buying preference information from its subscribers to create a powerful marketing database. Business subscribers use this database to identify consumer groups within the system that are most likely interested in their offering, then they use the fondalo system to push targeted marketing campaigns into social network sites. Once inserted, the offer is spread throughout the targeted subscribers' social network. The more appealing the offer, the more virally it can spread via connecting social networks.

Consumers join fondalo for the opportunity to find bargains locally, regionally and nationally. They build a profile of their interests and join together around those interests to request deals from businesses that sell those products and services. Business subscribers can make offers to subscriber requests or make their own offers, based on non-identifying user profile data.

About Elizabeth VanderVeer, M.D.

Elizabeth VanderVeer, MD, President/Medical Director, VanderVeer Center is a Board Certified Medical Doctor in Portland, Oregon with extensive sub specialty training in Aesthetic Medicine. Dr. VanderVeer is a National Trainer for Allergan, Medicis and OrthoNeutrogena. and a Luminary for Alma and Candela Lasers, for which she has conducted clinical studies. Dr. VanderVeer is also a well known TV personality as the Medical Expert and Anti-Aging Editor for FOX 12’s nationally syndicated daily television news program BETTER.TV and has appeared onCBS, NBC and ABC news. She is a sought-after International Lecturer and published author.

About VanderVeer Center

VanderVeer Center is one of the top full-service non-surgical aesthetic practices and the #1 cosmetic injectable facility in the Pacific Northwest (BOTOX® Cosmetic, Dysport™, Restylane®, Juvederm™, Perlane®). VanderVeer Center was selected as the best in non-surgical facial enhancement by Health Forum and is a preferred medical site for introduction of new aesthetic medical equipment and treatment as well as a premier training facility for physicians and their staff.

Contacts

Robert M. Caruso

fondalo, Inc.
503-764-1444 Ext 101
http://apps.facebook.com/fondalo
http://fondalo.blogspot.com


Francine Raften
Director of Marketing/Public Relations
VanderVeer Center
office 503-443-2250
cell 503-720-2034
Francine@vanderveercenter.com
http://www.vanderveercenter.com/

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Social media branding with direct response results

Recently fondalo engaged a clients campaign through the fondalo social network buying power application with impressive results. The campaign provided three exclusive deals to fondalo users over the course of a one-month period achieving direct response rates coupled with branding, social interaction and viral sharing.

The client, a regional grocery chain in the northwest, produced three exclusive offers on products they sell that were significantly better than advertised in any other medium. fondalo then staged the three offers expiration dates over the month long campaign, making a single offer active at anytime during the month.

fondalo broadcast the exclusive offers within the system to users whose buying preferences, locations and favorite company listing profiles match the industry and offer type of the client.

The results achieved included a total branding share of some 8,000 fondalo and Facebook users, as well as response rates (accepted offer rates) ranging from 6 to 11% for the first three fondalo offers.

There actually can be a balance between Social Media Branding and Communication, yet still achieve marketing results!

Social Marketing - What consumers want from Brands

In an article released today by eMarketer, Inc. and quoting from data from Lightspeed Research, consumers want Offer Discounts!

The report shows the significance that consumers are placing on the desire to get valid news and information about a brand they like, as well as the desire for useful and relevant online applications that benefit them.

One of the more interesting points detailed in the article data is that consumers ranked advertising in places that are relevant to you as a 2.8 out of 5 in level of importance. Further data indicates consumer’s community surrounding their brands.

fondalo, launched it’s version 1.0 social networking buying power application in September of this year, well before this study was released, has hit on these points with incredible clarity and usefulness. fondalo primarily does two things: 1) adding value to social networking for consumers by allowing them to join together around brands, products and services to get better deals and 2) gives businesses a powerful tool to launch effective, targeted marketing campaigns into facebook, twitter and other social networks.

These two focuses of the fondalo application team up nicely with this latest report on what consumers want from brands. Inline with the fondalo focus, toping the list of what consumers want is clearly offers and discounts. fondalo hits this nail on the head!

Try the fondalo facebook application: http://apps.facebook.com/fondalo

View the entire article from EMarketer at: http://www.emarketer.com/Article.aspx?R=1007349

Portland Oregon Area Mattress World Joins fondalo

MATTRESS WORLD LAUNCHES SOCIAL NETWORK MARKETING CAMPAIGN WITH FONDALO

http://apps.facebook.com/fondalo

PORTLAND, OR, October 21, 2009 – Mattress World, one of the Portland area’s most recognizable brands, has chosen the fondalo buying power application, to deliver exclusive offers into facebook and Twitter.

“We’ve been looking for the best way to engage consumers through social networks that provided a clear advantage,” said Mark Garrison of Mattress World. “fondalo gives us an effective way to reach our current and potential customers through social networks, and allows our exclusive offers to be passed along from friend to friend virally through facebook news feeds where all their friends see it as well.”

Mattress World's first fondalo offer: Facebook users Click Here

Businesses are franticly searching for an effective way to use social networking sites, like facebook and Twitter, to reach customers in a meaningful way. On the flip side, millions of consumers are trying to find more value in their online social network connections.

The fondalo buying power social network application gives businesses a powerful tool to launch effective, targeted marketing campaigns into facebook, twitter and other social networks. At the same time, it enriches the social network experience for the consumer, by turning it from a time waster into a money saver.

“Everybody’s looking for a bargain, especially in today’s economy.” Says Robert Caruso, CEO of fondalo, Inc. “We’ve found that people will jump at the chance to share a real deal with friends and family within their social network, far more so than through other ways. Mattress World is a great example of a highly recognized company offering some amazing discounts on their quality products for our subscribers. That’s exactly what we want, so consumers can redeem real value from their social networks.”

About Mattress World –
Started in January 1996, Mattress World blankets the Portland metropolitan area with 12 mattress superstores and has the largest selection in the Northwest. Mattress World plays a big part in the communities in which it conducts business through many charitable organizations and strives to help those in need and give back whenever possible.

About fondalo -
fondalo, Inc. is a Portland, Oregon area based start-up that launched the first buying power social network, fondalo, in September of this year. In less than a month after the version 1.0 launch, the company has landed some notable business subscribers, including the Thriftway Grocery chain, and the VanderVeer Center.

Contact Information:
fondalo, Inc.
Robert M. Caruso
Website: http://apps.facebook.com/fondalo
http://fondalo.blogspot.com
Voice: 503.764.1444