by Fronetics | Nov 11, 2014 | Blog, Current Events, Marketing, Social Media, Strategy
Ello launched in beta on August 7th. By the last week in September the invite-only social network was receiving more than 50,000 invite requests per hour.
What sets Ello apart from other social networks? Ello is ad-free and doesn’t sell user data to third parties. On October 23rd Ello became a Public Benefit Corporation; therefore, making it virtually impossible for Ello to ever sell ads or user data.
The company’s manifesto points to the frustrations which were the impetus for founding Ello, and to the company’s strategic direction:
“Your social network is owned by advertisers.
Every post you share, every friend you make, and every link you follow is tracked, recorded, and converted into data. Advertisers buy your data so they can show you more ads. You are the product that’s bought and sold.
We believe there is a better way. We believe in audacity. We believe in beauty, simplicity, and transparency. We believe that the people who make things and the people who use them should be in partnership.
We believe a social network can be a tool for empowerment. Not a tool to deceive, coerce, and manipulate — but a place to connect, create, and celebrate life.
You are not a product.”
Ello’s mindset resonates. Not only are people clamoring to join the social network, investors are pounding on the door. CEO and Co-Founder Paul Budnitz told BusinessWeek:“I have every investor in the world in my inbox. Someone today offered to fly us out in a private jet to talk, and we said we’re just too busy.” Ello is only open to additional financing from backers with similar values.
What can businesses learn from Ello’s rapid rise to stardom? No one wants to be thought of as a product. If your company recognizes this and your social media strategy reflects this – you are more likely to be successful and rise to stardom (or at the very least increase your revenue).
Your company should use social media to:
- Build trust and relationships with prospects and customers;
- Engage with customers;
- Listen;
- Learn from your customers.
As Alexandra Samuel, Vice-President of Social Media at Vision Critical, recently wrote in an article for the HBR Blog Network: “Instead of relying on algorithms and ad targeting to get dollars out of their customers’ wallets, companies need to think about the value they can offer to their customers’ online lives.”
by Fronetics | Nov 11, 2014 | Blog, Current Events, Marketing, Social Media, Strategy
Ello launched in beta on August 7th. By the last week in September the invite-only social network was receiving more than 50,000 invite requests per hour.
What sets Ello apart from other social networks? Ello is ad-free and doesn’t sell user data to third parties. On October 23rd Ello became a Public Benefit Corporation; therefore, making it virtually impossible for Ello to ever sell ads or user data.
The company’s manifesto points to the frustrations which were the impetus for founding Ello, and to the company’s strategic direction:
“Your social network is owned by advertisers.
Every post you share, every friend you make, and every link you follow is tracked, recorded, and converted into data. Advertisers buy your data so they can show you more ads. You are the product that’s bought and sold.
We believe there is a better way. We believe in audacity. We believe in beauty, simplicity, and transparency. We believe that the people who make things and the people who use them should be in partnership.
We believe a social network can be a tool for empowerment. Not a tool to deceive, coerce, and manipulate — but a place to connect, create, and celebrate life.
You are not a product.”
Ello’s mindset resonates. Not only are people clamoring to join the social network, investors are pounding on the door. CEO and Co-Founder Paul Budnitz told BusinessWeek:“I have every investor in the world in my inbox. Someone today offered to fly us out in a private jet to talk, and we said we’re just too busy.” Ello is only open to additional financing from backers with similar values.
What can businesses learn from Ello’s rapid rise to stardom? No one wants to be thought of as a product. If your company recognizes this and your social media strategy reflects this – you are more likely to be successful and rise to stardom (or at the very least increase your revenue).
Your company should use social media to:
- Build trust and relationships with prospects and customers;
- Engage with customers;
- Listen;
- Learn from your customers.
As Alexandra Samuel, Vice-President of Social Media at Vision Critical, recently wrote in an article for the HBR Blog Network: “Instead of relying on algorithms and ad targeting to get dollars out of their customers’ wallets, companies need to think about the value they can offer to their customers’ online lives.”
by Fronetics | Oct 28, 2014 | Blog, Marketing, Social Media, Supply Chain
A recent survey conducted by Fronetics found that the three biggest challenges faced by companies within the logistics and supply chain industries with respect to their social media use are: time (48 percent), money (43 percent), and a lack of strategy (33 percent).
How can companies overcome these challenges? Here are some suggestions.
Overcoming time constraints
Prioritize and be data driven. Track and measure your marketing metrics. Which efforts are driving the right traffic to your website? Which efforts are resulting in lead generation? Customers? If there are areas where you are focusing time and money, but are not yielding results – either rework your strategy, or eliminate them.
Fronetics’ survey found that 77 percent of companies within the supply chain and logistics industries use Facebook. However, only 15 percent reported Facebook to be very impactful with respect to their business and only 35 percent reported it to be somewhat impactful.
If your efforts aren’t paying off – don’t waste your time. Prioritize.
Tackling the budget issue
Data and setting priorities are important here as well. Together they can make the use of time and resources more productive.
Another thing to consider is whether it might be more cost effective to find an outsource partner.
Creating (and sticking to) a strategy
Strategy is essential. A 2014 study of B2B marketers found that a strategy is a key to success. Companies with a documented strategy in place were found to be more likely to consider their efforts to be effective than companies who do not have a documented strategy in place (60 percent vs. 11 percent).
Put someone in charge of developing a strategy and give the person the authority to make sure that it is carried out. If you are struggling with the “how,” ask for help. Here’s a great eBook that walks you through how to put a strategy in place. Alternatively, find a partner who can help you design a strategy that will work for you (and the time and money you have available).
To learn more about social media and the logistics and supply chain industries, download the report.
by Fronetics | Oct 28, 2014 | Blog, Marketing, Social Media, Supply Chain
A recent survey conducted by Fronetics found that the three biggest challenges faced by companies within the logistics and supply chain industries with respect to their social media use are: time (48 percent), money (43 percent), and a lack of strategy (33 percent).
How can companies overcome these challenges? Here are some suggestions.
Overcoming time constraints
Prioritize and be data driven. Track and measure your marketing metrics. Which efforts are driving the right traffic to your website? Which efforts are resulting in lead generation? Customers? If there are areas where you are focusing time and money, but are not yielding results – either rework your strategy, or eliminate them.
Fronetics’ survey found that 77 percent of companies within the supply chain and logistics industries use Facebook. However, only 15 percent reported Facebook to be very impactful with respect to their business and only 35 percent reported it to be somewhat impactful.
If your efforts aren’t paying off – don’t waste your time. Prioritize.
Tackling the budget issue
Data and setting priorities are important here as well. Together they can make the use of time and resources more productive.
Another thing to consider is whether it might be more cost effective to find an outsource partner.
Creating (and sticking to) a strategy
Strategy is essential. A 2014 study of B2B marketers found that a strategy is a key to success. Companies with a documented strategy in place were found to be more likely to consider their efforts to be effective than companies who do not have a documented strategy in place (60 percent vs. 11 percent).
Put someone in charge of developing a strategy and give the person the authority to make sure that it is carried out. If you are struggling with the “how,” ask for help. Here’s a great eBook that walks you through how to put a strategy in place. Alternatively, find a partner who can help you design a strategy that will work for you (and the time and money you have available).
To learn more about social media and the logistics and supply chain industries, download the report.
by Fronetics | Oct 7, 2014 | Blog, Strategy, Supply Chain
Figuring out how to consistently attract the right kinds of leads and meaningfully connect with prospects can be a daunting task. Producing significant returns on your investment, though, is the initial effort of creating a road map for your success. Introducing a standardized sales approach in your organization can increase sales revenue, create clear expectations, and eliminate process ambiguity. But beyond establishing clear objectives and defining measures of success, the development stage of creating a standard sales process should include consideration of a number of internal and external factors. As you begin to craft a strategy of your own, consider how your plan will incorporate these best practices.
Generate Better Qualified Leads
Generating well-qualified leads creates a streamlined and more efficient sales team. Efforts to attract the right kinds of leads should start well before anyone from sales enters the process, though. A standardized sales process allows others in the organization to set the framework for success. Working with the sales team, marketers can determine what questions your ideal customer might be searching for and use content to address those questions in a way that will resonate with prospects. Providing relevant value for the buyer establishes parameters for attracting more qualified leads. By generating better leads, your sales team will enjoy a shorter sales cycle and reduce wasted effort on opportunities that are unlikely to close.
Standardize Sales Procedures
Establish and institutionalize typical sales procedures; each department with either direct or indirect contribution to the sales team should understand and operate using the same processes and assumptions. This continuity removes ambiguous procedures, eliminates uncommon language, allows for team members to anticipate when support might be needed, and helps the organization to pre-plan for workloads as sales close.
Remove Barriers to Implementation and Continued Use
Create value in the sales process, not only for the buyer, but for the organization itself. What benefit will the current activities of your organization bring? Of great importance when considering the development and implementation of a standardized sales process is the ease of implementation and likelihood of continued use. How likely is it that your team will adopt this method? How likely is it to be around ten months from now? Does this process create unnecessary redundancy? Are you maximizing the amount of time your team spends on revenue-generating activities? Spending some time thinking through exactly how and why the process will be used by those in your organization will help guide your decisions in the process development.
Allow for Flexibility
The most significant benefit of implementing a standardized sales process is its structured approach. However, allowing for occasional flexibility in both the structure and application of the process gives your sales team the necessary autonomy to close unorthodox sales. Some leads require a slightly different approach – will your process allow for your team to adapt procedures as necessary? Similarly, requesting and considering feedback from regular users informs decisions to adjust or modify the standard sales process as needed.
Establishing a successful sales process requires building a solid foundation through the thoughtful and deliberate development of a process. Having a well-designed process to guide your daily activities will better position your organization to attract better qualified leads and close more sales.
