Monday 31 October 2011

Deals site to be launched by Ticketmaster


Groupon, Living Social, Travel Zoo – these sites are currently taking the UK by storm and now Ticketmaster want a slice of the action too with the launch of ‘Tmdeals’.

We’re a nation of bargain-hunters, as this latest trend highlights, but is this new deals site enough to metaphorically push us over the edge. We love a great offer as much as the next person but it may be possible for us to develop ‘deal fatigue’!

With the current economic climate in the state that it is we all need to save pennies where we can but these ‘deals’ can quite often lead people actually spending a lot more than they would if they hadn’t been made an offer. This is because, when the email lands in your inbox with tempting but unnecessary items for sale it’s easy to get swept up in it all and book something that you normally wouldn’t, just because it’s cheap.

Ticketmaster may be successful in their new deals venture if they target it right and stay focused on a specific type of offer – entertainment. Only time will tell.

Are you a ‘deals’ fan or have you become bored of ‘bargains’?

Thursday 27 October 2011

Social media habits of UK politicians

We're not the only ones to have been swept up in social media madness and become glued to our networking profiles; UK politicians are also big social media fans according to new research highlighting the social media habits of politicians.

According to the study created through examining information collated on `Yatterbox', British politicians appear to have become quite obsessed with our favourite platform - Twitter. This indication comes from the fact that 91% of all social media postings made by UK politicians are on Twitter with the majority of politicians signing-up to the site two years ago.

Other notable findings of this study include: Postings on Facebook and Flickr make up less than 4% of all networking, as well as the most popular topics of tweets being media, health and society.

It's not surprising that politicians have invested so much time communicating with their public via Twitter, it's such a quick and easy way for your voice to be heard whilst receiving instant feedback.

Do you follow any Politicians on Twitter?

Wednesday 19 October 2011

Amazon takes the lead in customer service


What sets one company apart from another within the same field? Service. Yes, that's right, customer service has the ability to make or break a business. The reality is, people want to feel welcomed, valued and rewarded for their custom so when we receive either really excellent or extremely awful service it is shouted about.

The UK Service Chart compiles consumers opinions on customer service and gets them to rate the service they've received from some of the biggest brands. A good placing in this chart shows that the company is taking the right approach to customer service and could attract more people to using their services.

Amazon must be jumping for joy that, for the second year in a row, they have been placed top in the UK service chart. Quick delivery and a wide range of products were the public's reasons for rating the online retailer so highly. Other big brands making the top ten include: Virgin Atlantic, Marks & Spencer Simply Food and Hilton Hotels.

What do you think makes great customer service?

Friday 14 October 2011

Facebook hailed as top social media marketing priority

Social media has quickly become a huge part of every day life, not only on  a personal level but on a business one too. It's a marketer's dream, a free platform to engage directly with existing and potential customers so it is not surprising that social media is widely used within marketing and public relations.

Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn - there's so many to choose from and a good social media strategy will incorporate all of them but it is inevitable that one platform will become the main priority. According to a recent survey, Facebook is the top priority for businesses using social media marketing techniques.

We think that it's wise to take some time out and think about what you want to get from using social media to boost your profile and set out a plan which can be put out accross all networking sites. Different platforms have different users with different priorities and it is important that you use a variety of platforms to get your business' voice heard by as many people possible.

Which social media platform do you rate the most?

Friday 7 October 2011

Retailers failing to personalise email marketing

Email marketing can be a great way to engage with customers and drive traffic to your website, but it is especially useful in the retail sector. Letting people know of the latest sales, special offers and new items undoubtedly draw in the spenders but stores could see even better results if they personalised their communications. 

We all know what it's like to be bombarded with sales messages from our favourite shops, hotels and restaurants - sometimes the email catches your eye and converts into a purchase or booking but others are simply deleted or marked as read. If you do open the email then it's because you've seen something which you're interested in.

According to a recent study, only a fifth of retailers personalise messages that are intended for their customers' inboxes. This is astounding, what makes brands think that we're going to engage with their content if they have not even taken into consideration our location, gender and age. 

What would make a woman open a message about the latest menswear collection? Why would a couple from Chester be interested in visiting a restaurant opening in Glasgow? Who would book a stay at a hotel in the city they live? Companies need to put more thought into their email marketing.

How do you personalise your marketing communications?

Thursday 6 October 2011

Consumers misled on mobile internet

Mobile phones have become a lot more than just a lifeline for many people. Here at Freer PR we love that we can; manage social media, reply to emails and speak to key contacts all from one small handy device.

A good data package is essential if, like us, you utilise the power of the web on the go. There is so much choice when it comes to picking a new phone or contract that the biggest point of difference becomes the winning factor. This point of difference has gone from how many minutes and messages you're entitled to, to how much data you're allowed to exchange.

With this in mind, we completely understand why the Advertising Standards Agency have chosen to ban three T-mobile adverts highlighting a "Truly Unlimited" package. Unlimited data without any exceptions is an attractive offer when choosing a phone so to find out there is a catch when your bill comes through would be quite disappointing. Consumers shouldn't, under any circumstances, be misled.

Do you use mobile phones for marketing purposes? How essential is mobile internet to your business?