Blog

Why Business Can’t Afford to Ignore Social Media

16th Apr 2015

Today, social media is about more than just keeping up with friends, and businesses are being given unique opportunities to expand their marketing strategies through the use of these platforms.

While there are many benefits to incorporating social media into a digital marketing plan, there are two areas that demonstrate that businesses - particularly small to medium sized businesses - cannot afford to ignore the trend: the ability to reach target audiences in a more streamlined manner, and the ability to positively influence the decisions of that audience.

Reach Target Demographics Effortlessly

Social media has evolved in recent years, from a mere networking platform to a truly versatile resource, for everything from personal communications to worldwide news. Today, we can chat to friends, contact businesses, play games, make purchases, and check the weather all through a single interface, meaning we’re spending more and more time using social media.

In fact, it’s reported that the average social media user is active on their chosen network for more than 30 minutes every day. Social media marketing is effective because it’s playing to consumer interests, and because businesses can promote themselves in an environment that’s familiar and comforting to the consumer, rather than an environment that the consumer is wary of.

The Power of Influence

At a time when the economy is affecting spending habits, consumers are typically being more careful when it comes to parting with hard earned cash. They’re looking for validation that their purchases are justified, and they get this through social media - via friends, via brand posting, or via advertisements. Ultimately, they want to know they’re making the right decision.

Social media networks are hugely influential platforms. Nearly three quarters of us claim to rely upon social media to make our purchasing decisions for us, while a whopping 81 percent are tempted to buy - or not buy - based upon a friend or follower’s post regarding a product or service. More businesses need to embrace this opportunity to arouse consumer interest.

Engaging with Consumers

Regardless of whether you enjoy social media or not, ignoring the trend is a surefire way to alienate a large portion of your audience. The average social media user feels ‘at home’ using these networks, and engaging with consumers on their turf helps them to feel more open to new concepts, and new brands. Consumer engagement is essential to building a loyal customer base, and social media is making it easier than ever before for us to find common ground in B2C scenarios.

Yazoomer.com is a leading online directory offering global promotion for small to medium sized businesses looking to strengthen their online presence. Sign up to Yazoomer today and take advantage of our introductory offer - get 3 months advertising for just £1.

We would also welcome any feedback or comments that will help us improve our website. Please send to info@yazoomer.com. Your email address will not be disclosed to any third party or used for marketing purposes.

5 Tips for Selling Your Online Product in the International Marketplace

7th Apr 2015

There has been a 36 percent rise in the number of small to medium sized businesses selling their products online to international consumers, with these companies enjoying the many benefits of global sales including a stronger online presence, a larger target audience, and increased profits. Here are 5 tips for businesses looking to expand to international markets:

1. Boost Brand Visibility Globally

Breaking into international markets can be tricky due to a lack of product familiarity. 62 percent of consumers prefer to buy from companies and brands that they know, which can create initial teething problems for international businesses. To boost brand visibility globally, businesses should utilise social media advertising opportunities and worldwide online directories such as Yazoomer to increase their online international presence.

2. Select Your Markets

Tailoring content and marketing campaigns to target specific regions can be beneficial, but it’s important to focus upon profitable demographics. For example, there is little point focusing on attracting a US market, if the majority of your interested parties are based in Japan. It’s worthwhile using analytics tools to break down your existing blog and website traffic. Remember that there are 3.001 billion active internet users in the world, with nearly half coming from Asia.

3. Make Use of International Marketplaces

Many small to medium sized businesses often don’t have the necessary resources to implement a full time international marketing or ecommerce team, but that doesn’t mean selling online globally needs to be complicated. Online marketplaces such as eBay and Amazon Marketplace make it simple to export goods to international markets. Today, more than 200,000 British businesses promote, advertise, and sell through eBay.

4. Think Locally to Sell Globally

One of the most important mantras for businesses looking to expand to online markets is to ‘think locally to sell globally’. Many consumers prefer to buy from local companies - location proximity instills a sense of trust - but that shouldn’t affect international businesses. Consumer electronics company Breffo succeeded by thinking locally and registering different domains - .ie, .fr, .co.uk - and localising content to engage with each region independently.

5. Accept International Currencies

Online resources such as Paypal allow for businesses to accept different currencies, and different payment methods, quickly, easily, and effectively. Research suggests that one of the primary causes of abandoned shopping carts is a preferred payment method being unavailable - 28 percent of shoppers cite this as a common source of frustration. Credit/debit cards, digital wallets, and bank transfers are the most preferred methods of online payment amongst consumers.

Yazoomer.com is a leading online directory offering global promotion for small to medium sized businesses looking to strengthen their online presence. Sign up to Yazoomer today and take advantage of our introductory offer - get 3 months advertising for just £1. Our worldwide customers will be charged the same amount in their local currency, with no extra fees.

We would also welcome any feedback or comments that will help us improve our website. Please send to info@yazoomer.com. Your email address will not be disclosed to any third party or used for marketing purposes.

The Benefits of Blogging to a Global Audience

2nd Apr 2015

More and more companies, especially small to medium sized businesses, are beginning to see the many benefits of advertising globally - particularly in terms of improved brand awareness and reputation. However, many are still failing to commit fully to becoming global. International advertising can be hugely successful, but it should be backed up by additional measures, such as blogging to a global audience, that ensure total engagement with consumers around the world. According to experts in the field, ‘marketers are overwhelmed and unprepared to produce content for a global audience’.

While content is important, it’s not what ultimately determines the overall success of a blog. Instead, it’s how the audience reacts to the posted content that really counts. There is usually a positive correlation between well written, optimised, relevant content and favourable audience reactions, but even a poorly written blog can be determined to be successful as long as the readers respond well. Of course, the same is true if this situation is reversed. You can write content that’s spot on, but the blog will fail if the audience respond poorly, and a common reason for poor reactions to content is a lack of reader engagement. Strongly localised content delivered by a business that advertises internationally, for example, is going to alienate a large portion of the audience.

The UK is the second largest region in terms of blogging, with a share percentage of 6.75 percent, coming just behind the United States. We can therefore reasonably deduce that international readership of UK-based blogs and USA-based blogs is strong, emphasising how important it is for small to medium sized businesses in these leading countries to blog to an international audience, and affirming the benefits of tailoring content to a global readership.