The consumer and his behavior are changing, as we know it. Yes, for a second time.
They have changed from consumers buying only from physical locations and businesses to the consumers who buy online and internationally, and now, to consumers who no longer waste only time on social media, but maybe money too… (Unless of course, they buy your products)
This is the social media shopper and experts say he is here to stay.
Are we there yet?
If you don’t have the option available on your social media accounts for consumers to click and buy, then yes, you are behind.
We’ve slowly seen consumers become more comfortable with the idea – and now they might even begin to demand it.
There are already a fair amount of conventional and startup companies that have created apps that focus on mobile and social commerce. This has been indicative of the trend. However, something has changed.
Instagram joined the cause, and now there really is no time to procrastinate.
With Instagram’s new app, Giftagram, social shopping exposure has increased to more than 500 million people per month.
Why is this good?
Looking at all the changes, it’s safe to say that the trend in consumer behavior is that they want to be switched on 24/7 and be ready to buy.
This is great news for the people that have something to sell, because if executed correctly, your sales are bound to increase.
Canadians have shown an increased interest in Social shopping
According to a study recently done by Paypal and Ipsos, the very social Canadians, are doing more than just browsing each other’s news feeds. There has been a tremendous increase in social media shopping in Canada.
The main motivators have been the following:
- Consumers could not resist the discounts and promotions offered when you buys via a social ad
- They saw some great holiday gifts and tried it – now they’re hooked
- Being a loyal and satisfied customer of the brand, they embraced the new way of buying from them.
Keep in mind what consumers are doing. Make sure that you are using social media effectively as part of your marketing efforts. Ensure your success tomorrow.
After a long day of working and sitting in traffic, I got home to the comfort of a toasted cheese and tomato sandwich on my plate.
How did they know?
I really love toast… I really love toasted cheese sandwiches… Toast and meat, is there anything that could beat that? (My sincerest apologies to all the vegans reading this)
So I admit, I’m being bias – but I get crazy passionate about these things!
Why does it feel like I’m in love with my sandwiches? Why do we love food, in general, with such violence and passion? (yes, apart from the fact that we need it to survive)
I took a moment to think about that, when suddenly it hit me: When I discuss all the ingredients necessary for that perfect dish – it doesn’t really do it for me. But, when I imagine it, smell it, taste it; my tummy starts a’ rumbling.
The moment I stepped into the room and took in my first whiff of toasted bread and melting cheese, it was as if I already had it on my tongue.
We were designed for experience. We have five different senses made JUST for experience.
Intellect and understanding, alone, is not enough to engage with us as people. We want experience.
What’s the practicality behind this?
To have clients do our marketing for us – word of mouth – and (more importantly still) to have them coming back for more, we need to have something they sense as soon as they walk into the room; something irresistible and intoxicating.
Your product, your people, your Facebook page, and your vibe need to be toasted cheese and tomato to the hungry tummies entering your site or building!
I admit, I’m not the greatest chef; heck I mess up eggs most of the time. That doesn’t mean that you can’t enjoy great food…
At Mirror Marketing you get highly skilled chef’s, with a passion for excellence. They know exactly what ingredient you need in your marketing campaigns to have clients drooling for a bite. Get in contact with us 🙂
Let them leave satisfied – this is the best kind of marketing there is.
I heard this story the other day about an old man and his wife. These two have been married for quite some time. They have two adult children, who have moved out of the house, moved to another city, and have started their own families.
So, one day, the Father calls his son and tells him that something shocking has happened. Deeply concerned and desperate to know, the son urges his father to tell him. After some hesitation, the father decides to blurt it out – They were getting a divorce…
The father explained to his son that since their children have left the house, they just had nothing to say to each other. They felt like strangers, with nothing in common.
The son could sense the earnestness of the situation in his father’s voice and decided to handle it very objectively and calmly – he didn’t really know what else to do.
He had barely hung up the phone, before he started dialling his sister’s number, telling her everything their father told him and how helpless he felt.
Her response was vastly different! They were going to both get on an airplane, tell their parents how crazy they were acting and save their marriage. She was a woman on a mission.
After purchasing their tickets and preparing their luggage, she gives her dad a call. She explains to him how her brother told her everything and that they shouldn’t do anything impulsive, they are both coming home and will discuss this when they get there.
When she hung up the phone, the father turned to their mother and said, “Finally, they’re both coming home for Christmas!”
It’s a funny story and kudos to the parents!
What is the point?
They were not getting a divorce; they lied to get their children to come home. Isn’t that what some companies are doing during this period?
It’s the season of giving and Christmas is around the corner – a wonderful season. However, Black Friday fanatics are trampling each other to get to their coveted items before anyone else; because we can get the things we love at discounted prices!
Don’t get me wrong, I love Black Friday – If you take advantage of it…
The moral of my story is this… Some businesses may use Black Friday as a pure marketing stunt where you pay low prices for cheap things, but continue to pay full price for the expensive things; not getting real value for your money!
Go out, enjoy Black Friday responsibly, and get the best deals you can!
Whether it’s to have a great LinkedIn profile, a team page that creates engagement or even for your marketing material; you want professional pictures representing your business and your team.
Corporate photography is all about the image you create in your viewer’s eyes. It’s important to note that it’s not just about taking photo’s while everyone is suited up – it’s an art and has purpose. There are many different kinds of corporate photography, all of which exist to achieve a specific result. We will look at some of them today.
Studio Portraits
The first one we look at is Studio Portraits. This is by far the easiest corporate shots to take.
Lighting plays an undeniably critical role in any photography, but more so in corporate shots. When you take studio portraits, you have full control of the lighting, making it the easiest way of taking high quality, powerful corporate shots.
Outdoor Corporate Shots
Companies want corporate shots taken, to give clients a face-to-the-name. People tend to feel like they know more about a brand if they have a face they can look at. Because of this, studio shots sometimes fall short where outdoor shots work magic.
By either photographing the offices or a location that resonates with the company’s mission, you create a sense of belonging and identity that normal studio shots don’t create.
Beware, though, because you have much less control on lighting, making your job much more difficult as a result.
Paparazzi in the office
This is a very effective way of giving potential clients a “fly on the wall” experience. Instead of taking a shot of someone’s face, you can shoot him or her in action.
This is perfect for a summary feature of your company. It gives readers insight into what your company does and why you’re good at it.
Team Together
I love group photo’s because we all know that though the big guys on the front line do incredible things, they are often supported but the unacknowledged staff in the back. Those folks laying the groundwork and making sure that all functions smoothly, is a part of the team. Taking a professional group photo shows respect and regard for those people, and tells the world that you are a team working together to provide them with your best.
Common Head Shots
Of all styles and kinds, these are the most common of corporate shots.
We see them on LinkedIn, websites, article bio’s, brochures and much more…
For some, this might seem boring, but if done correctly, the image can be very flattering and powerful in creating and maintaining a brand.
Contact Mirror Marketing today for an expert’s opinion on what kind of styles would best suit your company and the image you want to create.
Have any questions or comments? Leave them down here and I’ll get back to you soon…
This weekend, on Sunday to be exact, my partner-in-crime and I got our golf on.
I love golf.
For those of you who have never played golf, I know that watching it may seem excruciatingly boring. But when you hit your first ball, you will never feel like that again! It is that addictive.
If you know nothing else about golf, the one thing you would know is what a golf ball looks like. Most of us have seen a golf ball before and most of the time the ball is white. Well, for the first time since we started playing together, we played with different color balls: Mine was white and hers was pink.
I hope she won’t be mad at me for telling the whole world about this, but she really had a tough time this weekend. It wasn’t her day at all! Most of her shots went horribly skew…
Being in Africa – which is where I live – the grass is a light brownish color (we call it the bushveld), especially the rough. In my mind, that was excellent, a blessing in disguise even. She had a pink ball, so how hard would it be to find amongst brown grass?
Boy, was I wrong…
The grass is clearly brown, up close. However, when you scan the horizon, it is a rainbow of colors. You see pink everywhere!
Research your target audience
This got me thinking about the importance of proper market research. When you employ marketing to spread the word of your company, who are you hoping to reach?
This is a critical question! For a golfer to find the ball, it has to be on the fairway. In the same way, if you want your perfect clients to find your company you have to hide in plain sight. Be where they are heading.
That is why we refer to it as a target market.
Find the marketing team, who knows how to research your ideal prospect. Who knows how to hook and engage with them.
You don’t want someone who drops the ball in the rough; you want them to place you in your client’s line of sight.
Contact Mirror Marketing today – the grass is greener this side
What are your thoughts about targeting an audience?
Leave me a comment, I’d love to hear from you!
