What I Learned From AT&T

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This article from AdvertisingAge can actually teach us several things, how AT&T is expanding to the iPhone App Market and how to keep customer’s loyal in the face of competitors and an expanding market.

While AT&T offers around 20 iPhone apps currently, the fast-approaching reality that AT&T will not be the only iPhone carrier forever is causing them to expand their offering with tailored apps unique to AT&T that might make users want to stick around a little longer.

Mark Collins, senior VP-data and voice products, AT&T Mobility and Consumer markets, said AT&T is focused on building apps across all phone makers’ platforms that bring value and help minimize churn.  He said that when an AT&T customer stores its social networks, photos, and videos on AT&T and uses, for instance, its “Family Map” app that locates phones on the same plan, “they’re much more likely to stay with us.”

AT&T pursuing this expansion in their offerings, currently unique to the mobile service provider helps increase the likelihood that customers will stay – even with the iPhone being offered to other providers. Most businesses can take this to heart as well – you should constantly be on the lookout for new offerings and services to provide to your clients (for our team most recently local search). By expanding offerings to your clients, you can help them stay a loyal customer and provide a great benefit to them.

- Lindsay Robinson

Online Reputation Management and Your Brand

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We all understand the importance of leveraging social media for business as it is a great way to engage consumers, build a relationship with these consumers, as well as generate free marketing/advertising/brand promotion. However, it is important to note that social media is a double-edge sword. As it can generate positive buzz for your company, it can do some damage as well.  This recent article details buzz some companies have garnered recently online.

This article gives 3 case studies in which companies responded to social media attacks. Key take aways from this article are:

• Be prepared to address social media attacks
• Monitor your online presence and respond to problems and concerns immediately
• To maintain integrity, be honest and transparent
• Listen to what your customers have to say

These same rules can be applied to consumer reviews on yelp.com, etc. Consumers really care about what other people have to say about a business, and businesses should care about what people are saying about them. Addressing concerns openly and honestly as soon as they arise is not only beneficial but vital to a business’ reputation and its success.

-Kristina Zhao

Past: Google, Yahoo and Bing Current: Google, Bing and Yahoo Future: Unknown

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Already Checking my Christmas Gift List Twice!

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I don’t know about everyone else, but I’m already planning for Christmas gifts and it’s only August. EMarketer has a great article reviewing Strategies to Help Retailers Prep for Holiday Success.  The advice in this article points out just how important it is to be on your toes and on top of industry trends to react to the ever-evolving holiday season (black Friday, Christmas Eve, Black Monday, after-holiday bargain shoppers, etc). This article also provides insight into buyer’s behavior since the economy worsened and how shopping habits and opinions are still being affected.

- Lindsay Robinson