Author: JT

Social media marketing gains ground in 2012

| December 15, 2012

 

Social media marketing offers many new opportunities for businesses

Social media plays an importaMobile Social Media Marketingnt role in the lives of millions of people around the world. Platforms like Facebook and Twitter have shown that consumers are very interested in keeping in touch with their friends and family online, while also sharing their interests with others and promoting companies they like. Social media offers many opportunities to the marketing sector, especially in terms of mobile marketing. A new report from NM Incite, a social media and market research firm, highlights the opportunities that social media marketing represents.

Report highlights the growth of social media platforms

The report, titled “Social Media Report 2012,” details the ways social media can be used as a communications tool for advertisers. The report highlights the growth of several social media platforms, noting that Facebook remains the most popular platform among consumers and businesses. Blogger and Twitter continue to be rising stars in the social media space, with marketers eyeing Twitter for its potential in social media marketing. Pintrest, a relatively new content sharing website, has seen the most aggressive growth this year, in terms of users.

Consumers showing more interest in mobile devices than in PCs

According to the report, more consumers are making use of their mobile devices to stay connected to social media platforms. The report shows that the amount of time consumers spend on these sites with their mobile device has gone up 21% this year. More consumers are showing favor for their smart phones and tablets than they are for their PCs, presenting an opportunity for advertisers to establish a constant connection with people no matter where they go. Businesses are also responding to this by making themselves more available to social media sites, encouraging consumers to share these sites to their friends and families.

Social media marketing presents its own challenges

The report notes that social media marketing presents several challenges, despite its beneficial prospects. Mobile consumers have shown that they are interested in visits that are marketed to them, but only 14% of these people actually purchased products that they looked up through social media marketing campaigns. Moreover, constant connection with consumers opens businesses up to more scrutiny, increasing the need for comprehensive customer service on a 24-hour cycle.

eBay sees major promise in m-commerce

| December 13, 2012

 

eBay m-commerceeBay expects m-commerce to become a major tool for the retail industry

Last month’s Thanksgiving shopping weekend has provided mobile commerce with a huge amount of credibility, especially among retailers that have been looking to engage mobile consumers in a dynamic way. Indeed, that single shopping weekend may have provided mobile commerce with enough momentum it needs to become the most preferred tool of the retail industry. eBay, one of the world’s largest online retail entities, believes that mobile commerce is reaching the point where it may replace more traditional forms of commerce and even e-commerce itself.

Mobile business growing exponentially

Steve Yankovich, vice president of mobile for eBay, recently spoke with CNBC concerning the growth of mobile commerce. According to Yankovich, mobile growth has significantly exceeded the company’s expectations. Four years ago, mobile commerce was little more than an idea. Now, eBay expects to see mobile sales on its eBay Mobile platform exceed $10 billion within the next few years.

Convenience may be a major driving factor behind m-commerce

The key to the success of mobile commerce may lie in the convenience of the concept. Consumers are becoming increasingly reliant on their mobile devices to function in daily life. As this trend picks up momentum, consumers are beginning to look for ways to turn their smart phones and tablets into payment platforms for the sake of convenience. A mobile device can, with the proper software, serve as a type of digital wallet, storing a consumer’s financial information, coupons, tickets, and other such virtual items in a singular space. This allows consumers to access all this information quickly and efficiently.

Competition on the horizon

The success of mobile commerce does not mean clear sailing ahead for eBay or the other companies that are investing heavily therein. Companies are expected to begin heavily competing with each other for a significant share of consumers that are interested in mobile commerce. eBay has a decent head start thanks to its PayPal unit, but Google and Isis are expected to begin appealing to more consumers as time goes on.