Written by Lesa Seibert | 21 December 2010
Posted in Web Design Tip of the Week

by, Lesa Seibert, President, Xstreme Media

Today, businesses have a lot more options when it comes to communicating with customers and prospects.  Businesses also have to be conscious of the fact that consumers are increasingly bombarded with messages from friends, family and businesses through lots of channels - e-mail, TV and display advertising.  So what is the best way to communicate that will provide rapid results?  The answer is mobile.

Respecting Consumer Boundaries

When you receive a 15 percent response rate from your first mobile campaign, you get really excited because your response rate with direct mail is around 2.6 percent!  But, you need to remember that bombarding customers with excess communication increases the opt-out rate and decreases the response rate, so you must respect your customers. 

Texting is 100 percent opt-in, so consumers receive only permission-based messages.  Consumers will set boundaries by ending the communication and replying "stop", a required options for text, at any time they feel you are overstepping your boundaries.

As a general rule, text clients no more than once weekly or establish the frequency, if more often, at the opt-in process.  The opt-in text database is a permission marketing asset that must be carefully managed.  Mobile phones offer an unmatched avenue for delivering content-rich, interactive and targeted promotions as well as services.  It is a marketing dream, but must be handled responsibly so as not to alienate consumers and customers.

Since most text messages are read within 4 minutes of receipt, you must take care that you are using the platform wisely and not spamming your customers.  It takes just one response of "stop" for them to be removed from your list and getting them back will be next to impossible.

If you missed the first article in this series, read it here, Mobile Web and Business Part I.  Next week we will look at opportunities for using SMS Text with customers and potential customers.

Written by Lesa Seibert | 07 December 2010
Posted in Web Design Tip of the Week

by, Lesa Seibert, President, Xstreme Media

Today, businesses have a lot more options when it comes to communicating with customers and prospects.  Businesses also have to be conscious of the fact that consumers are increasingly bombarded with messages from friends, family and businesses through lots of channels - e-mail, TV and display advertising.  So what is the best way to communicate that will provide rapid results?  The answer is mobile.

Mobile Marketing Trends

Mobile market penetration is projected to soar due to increased interest and widespread use.  In a report by eMarketer, mobile advertising spending is predicted to rise 80 percent from $648 million in 2008 to $3.3 billion in 2013.  Mobile users are becoming increasingly reliant on their mobile phones for messaging, social media, entertainment and Web access and those devices are more capable of rendering complete websites.

Enabling Advanced Communication

Current mobile devices enable communication on multiple levels - email, instant messaging, blog commenting, social networking and more.  But the most direct line to consumers that works on even the most basic devices is SMS text messaging.

Text messaging enables businesses to expand beyond regular promotion and into Customer Relationship Management (CRM).  Research shows that communicating with customers instantly leads to better customer satisfaction while lowering operating expenses.  With a 94% open rate occurring within 9 minutes and response rates averaging 15percent, mobile proves itself as an effective communication tool.  In order to be successful, businesses must develop a communications mix, based on customers' preferred contact methods and utilize mobile technology.

Mobile delivers targeted messages to the end user such as appointment and payment reminders, customer surveys, polls, promotional offerings as well as emergency notifications. 

Consumer Partnerships

By taking advantage of the personal nature of the mobile device, business can create an atmosphere of a partnership or exclusive membership for the consumer through the use of VIP clubs and value-added information to the right audience.  Some suggestions include:

• Retailers offer specials, coupons and one-day-only shopping events such as "Mobile Monday"
• Sports arenas offer a free snack or tickets to a future game during a game's final minutes or during the 7th inning stretch
• Hair salons, Doctor's offices, Golf Courses, etc., notify a waiting list of last-minute open appointments due to cancellations
• Organizations send reminders to members about meeting registration, meeting reminders, etc.
• Schools send notice of school closing early, delayed opening, report card reminders, etc. to parents and students
• Restaurants notify wait customers that they are next on the list for a table doing away with expensive disk notifiers that only work within a few feet of the restaurant
• Send coupon codes to customers that they show at checkout
• and more.......

The possibilities are endless and Xstreme Media is launching a new SMS Text service in January that will bring all of this and more.  Next week we will look at respecting consumer boundaries and opportunities with SMS Text messaging.

Written by Lesa Seibert | 23 November 2010
Posted in Web Design Tip of the Week

by Lesa Seibert, President, Xstreme Media

Is your website a breeding ground for a lawsuit?  I am sure that your home and landing pages undergo much heavier scrutiny that your Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.  But even though you don't may much attention to this, website visitors, privacy advocates and government agencies do pay attention.

Last week we looked at the need for an FTC Guides Disclosure Policy in relation to blogging, reviewing, etc. for pay by a company.  This week we are going to recap what we have talked about in the last three articles and what is at stake without the proper policies.

With the need for so many different types of documents, it is very tempting, but also risky, to borrow legal policies from other websites.  While it could be copyright infringement, it more importantly is the fact that it is very unlikely that another company's policies will match yours.  Also, since none of these legal documents stands alone, copying can miss important legal clauses designed to protect you from civil suits and even criminal prosecution by plaintiffs and government regulators.

While there is no law requiring a Legal Notice or Terms of Use, these documents protect you and your company.  Likewise, the FTC Guides are not a regulation, but indicate how existing law will be interpreted, so you should consider your disclosures as "insurance."  The Privacy Policy is the one document that is legally required, and also the most likely to trip you up, and cost serious money, especially if you sell products online.  Most merchant services now require a posted privacy policy before they will approve you to take credit cards online.

To learn more about these documents and use a free, interactive tool that will assess your needs based on your marketing practices, visit http://www.digicontracts.com/whichdocs.

Written by Lesa Seibert | 17 November 2010
Posted in Web Design Tip of the Week

by Lesa Seibert, President, Xstreme Media

Is your website a breeding ground for a lawsuit?  I am sure that your home and landing pages undergo much heavier scrutiny that your Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.  But even though you don't may much attention to this, website visitors, privacy advocates and government agencies do pay attention.

Last week we looked at the Privacy Policy and the Customer Agreement and their uses.  This week we are going to look at relationships and the need for a Disclosure Policy.

If you engage in advertising or endorsements, recently revised FTC guidelines recommend that you reveal those relationships in a document referred to as the FTC Guides Disclosure Policy. 

Bloggers, book reviewers, affiliate program participants, etc. who receive cash, free or discounted products, or other in-kind compensation for reviews and endorsements need to familiarize themselves with the new guidelines located at http://www.ftc.gov/os/2009/10/091005endorsementguidesfnnotice.pdf.

In a nutshell, it states that endorsers who indicate they have used a product or service "must be real users in the time the endorsement was given."  These advertisements should end when the endorser is no longer a user.

Both advertisers and endorsers are liable so, when in doubt, you should err on the side of caution.

Next week we will look at what is at stake without the proper documentation.

Written by Lesa Seibert | 09 November 2010
Posted in Web Design Tip of the Week

by Lesa Seibert, President, Xstreme Media

Is your website a breeding ground for a lawsuit?  I am sure that your home and landing pages undergo much heavier scrutiny that your Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.  But even though you don't may much attention to this, website visitors, privacy advocates and government agencies do pay attention.

Last week we looked at the main two documents that every website should have - a Legal Notice page and a Terms of Use page.  After that, documents that you need depends on how you use your website - to generate leads, engage visitors, serve ads or for endorsements.  If your website contains:

• Form(s) that collect personal information
• A forum or blog where visitors can post
• An invitation to connect via Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, or other social networking sites
• Links to Amazon or other affiliate products/services
• Customer testimonials
• Behavioral ads
• Accounts that people must create in order to join, buy, receive support, or use website services

you may need several documents depending on which one(s) of these you have.

Privacy and Customers

A Privacy Policy becomes important whenever you collect personal information.  Even if you only collect an e-mail address, you are required by law to explain in the Privacy Policy your policies regarding the collection, use and sharing of data. 

If you display third-party ads or outsource work to vendors who could potentially access personal data you collect, your Privacy Policy should also cover how you share or provide access to this information.

Another document, the Customer Agreement, is needed when visitors must create an account to join, buy, or gain access to services (free or paid).  This document mirrors your Terms of Use, and can become legally binding when a visitor clicks to accept your terms.

Next week we will look at more needed documentation covering advertising and endorsements.