Viral Messaging Spreads Like Wildfire

So a few of us were talking about what could potentially become the next "big idea" in coordinated print and web-based promotions when the phone rang. It was a client of ours who actually does a lot of direct mail advertising. We got to talking about the ROI of their last campaign, and then the brainstorm hit...

How to multiply the measurable results of print, packaging and display. It's what we call Viral Media.

Let's say you do great work in direct mail, print ads, product packaging or point-of-purchase displays. You’re looking to reach the next level and blow the doors off your ROI – but something’s missing. It's time to sync print with Smartphone and web technology.

Here's how it works: Your packaging, print, display or direct mailer entices the consumer or prospect to whip out their Smartphone to scan a special image-based code we create for you. That code provides a valuable offer, immediate discount at checkout, important product information, website address for other products or services, (or any number of additional benefits and features) in real-time! For customers without Smartphones, there’s an integrated website or landing page, specially designed to match the print or in-store offer.

And now... from their SmartPhones, customers begin to spread your message to friends via cell or email, as well as through their online social networking / bookmarking communities – Twitter, Facebook, Google Buzz, StumbleUpon and more. This produces a viral effect that begins to spread – like wildfire.

Want to see an example of how this all works? Check out Lexus' most recent e-campaign with QR code and text offer > click here.

Remember the movie Andromeda Strain? Now the promotional reach is expanding, becoming extremely infectious, driving sensational "buzz", greater awareness and sales - creating a powerful community around the brand! Take a breath here, you’ll need it – because it’s not yet out of control...

Now, multiply all these effects by the number of impressions in your campaign (display locations, direct mailers, ads, even product packages), and you’re talking about some very contagious viral marketing... and as you arrive at the scene, there are millions of bodies – only this time, they’re standing in line at checkout.

We call it Viral Media – and we can take your brand to this extremely infectious level.

by Richard Feldman
Liqui-Site Designs 
Experience our commitment to you, from our very first conversation.™

Google's Got Glasses, Magnifying Search Results

Seems like Google's testing and launching something new every day. Do these people ever sleep? As of today, the newest feature is called Google Magnifying Glass Page Previews. And just like everything that's released by this online giant, there are obvious pro's and con's to their latest and greatest.

What and Where Are Google Magnifying Glass Page Previews?
You'll begin to see small magnifying glass icons next to each item that appears within your Google search results page. It appears that you must be logged into your Google account in order to see the magnifying glasses, and that will likely be visible soon to searchers who are not logged in as well. But, that's never a guarantee with Google.

What Does This Mean For Your Next Search?
If you're logged into Google, you'll see these icons and have the ability to hover over them in order to see a snapshot of the website you're thinking about visiting. Pretty cool, huh? Well, Google has taken this one step further to highlight the text in the original search query. From a design perspective, it's not exactly pretty.

www.liqui-site.com on Page 1 for "brand marketing NY"

You're not getting a "real screenshot" of what the prospective click-thru may look like when you arrive there, but you get the overall sense of what the homepage looks like.

CNET's Tom Krazit adds that "Google searchers can already refine their searches to generate results with page previews through the "search options" panel on the left-hand side of the search results page, but those previews are much smaller and aren't automatically generated by a hover, like the ones spotted first by Patrick Altoft today. Search Engine Land notes that Ask.com and Microsoft's Bing have offered similar preview options in the past."

What This Means For Your Website
If your homepage doesn't make a good first impression now, prospects can now make the decision to click or not to click – without actually clicking anything. That means that your overall site traffic may change for better or for worse, but your bounce rate (the percentage of people who decide your site wasn't relevant to their search and leave immediately) may decrease because the prospect has already decided that your site now "looks" like something relevant to their search. And that's a good thing! We'll keep an eye on statistics to see if this theory plays out.

by Kelly Campbell
Liqui-Site Designs 
Experience our commitment to you, from our very first conversation.™

Customer Loyalty, Not Customer Satisfaction

Last week, at a women's business forum in NY, Cindy Solomon presented one of the most engaging talks I've ever attended, "The Customer of the Future: The Art of Creating Customer Loyalty". Solomon is an author and well-known keynote speaker who has a gift for helping great leaders create great results. If you ever have a chance to see her in person, definitely take the opportunity!

Rather than focus on customer satisfaction, says Solomon, customer loyalty is where it's at. The two are VERY different, evidenced by the fact that 80% of customers who leave your company were "satisfied". If that's true (and it is), the question is how to keep your existing customers coming back for more. After all, you've established trust and credibility, now it's time to continue building that relationship by adding value.

And the best way to do that? Save your customers time.

That's it. Save your customers time and whatever you provide – be it product, service or both – becomes exponentially more valuable to them. Time, as we all know, is the only truly non-renewable resource.

What's more, Solomon says you don't need to exceed client expectations, but rather set the bar (high, middle or low) and hit that mark every time, at every single interaction. Customers' expectations are determined by what you promise, so if you set the bar high and don't deliver every single time, they're ultimately let down. If customers know what to expect AND those expectations are met 100% of the time, their level of loyalty to your business increases as time goes on.

Why not just "satisfied"? Here's the equation as I see it: Expectations plus consistency equals loyalty.

Don't seek to impress the hell out of your customers one day, and then provide mediocre service along the way after they've signed a contract. Those are the important 96% of your client base whom you can turn from satisfied customers into loyal customers.

At Liqui-Site, we have set the bar high, and we deliver on that promise 100% of the time. That's why we invite potential clients with this message at every interaction: Experience our commitment to you, from our very first conversation.

by Kelly Campbell
Liqui-Site Designs 
Experience our commitment to you, from our very first conversation.™