Facebook and Twitter Are Not Your Best Social Media Marketing Channels Anymore

Published December 30, 2014 | By Elaine Fogel

I’ll bet your small business or nonprofit organization spends considerable time on its Facebook page and Twitter account trying to engage new people. After all, aren’t these two social media sites the most effective in reaching prospects, customers, and donors?

Not anymore says a recent Forrester study. “It’s clear that Facebook and Twitter don’t offer the relationships that marketing leaders crave. Yet most brands still use these sites as the centerpiece of their social efforts — thereby wasting significant financial, technological, and human resources on social networks that don’t deliver value,” says Nate Elliott of Forrester.

Now get this… “In the next 18 months… Facebook will become nothing but a repository for display ads,” Elliott predicts. Holy!!

So now what? Continue reading →

Posted in Business, Email Marketing, Marketing Strategy, Marketing Study Results, Small Business, SMBs | Tagged brands, content, Contests, customer loyalty, customer service, customers, display ads, donors, existing customers, Facebook, Facebook ads, Facebook marketing, Facebook page, financial metrics, Forrester, give-aways, good prospects, integrated marketing approach, Marketing plan, newsletter, nonprofit marketing, nonprofit organization, organic reach, prospects, quizzes, Small Business, small business marketing, social media ads, social media marketing strategy, social media plan, social networks, Twitter, Twitter ads

Excellent Customer Retention Email From an Unexpected Sender

Published July 9, 2013 | By Elaine Fogel

I received the following customer retention e-mail from… my library! OK, so it wasn’t personalized, but it did surprise me in a positive way.

Hello.
We have missed you and just want to let you know…

Phoenix Public Library is here to serve you!

Please visit us at http://www.phoenixpubliclibrary.org for access to these great services:

Free downloadable eBooks, Audio Books, Movies, and Music.
Magazines and Newspapers online.
Free learning tools for all ages including Career Training and test preparation for GED & SAT tests.
Kids page with Homework help and games, and, Library events - see what is happening at a location near you.

We look forward to your visit!

I admit, I really never expected this type of communication from my local library. I had never received one like it previously.

So, I snooped a bit more and discovered that the library has its own Facebook page, Twitter handle, Yelp page, YouTube channel, and an eBay giving page for its fundraising arm, Friends of the Phoenix Public Library!

Kudos to the Phoenix Public Library!

A few years ago, I did some training for statewide librarians on customer service. At the time, social media hadn’t taken off. I am so pleased to see publicly-funded organizations like this actively involved in marketing what they offer.

So, I thought it à propos that I end this post with…

Support your local library!

Do you have any good marketing examples from publicly-funded organizations?

Posted in Communications, Customer Retention, Customer Service, Email, Email Marketing, Fundraising, Marketing, Social Media | Tagged communication, customer retention, customer service, customer service training, e-mail, e-mail marketing, eBay giving page, email, Facebook page, Friends of the Phoenix Public Library, Fundraising, great services, Marketing, Phoenix Public Library, publicly-funded organizations, Social Media, Twitter, Yelp, YouTube channel