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5 ways to make your social media goals ‘sticky’

29th January 2015 by Alan Leave a Comment

Part 2 of 2

In this Locally mini-series, we will be looking at which social media platforms could be the best fit for small businesses, based on their industry and ‘type’. In Part 1, we looked at which social media platforms could work for your business, by identifying categories of business.

In this second part, we will be looking at how you can not only create goals for social media marketing but how to make them stick, so that your business gets the best exposure from social media that it can.

The story so far…

We have looked at the many differing kinds of social media platforms there are and how joining them all, could lead to disaster – after all, you have a business to run and you cannot be updating everything all of the time…

We also looked at some social platforms in relation to specific sectors of business and how they can be used to not only connect with customers, but advertise and market the business too.

But, we also suggested that some social media experts are suggesting that Facebook and Twitter are almost compulsory, but rather than just assume and sign on up, we suggested that this really was you choice – after all, if your customers are not there, why spend hours on it?

Have you made your choices?

By now, you may have decided which social platforms are the right vehicle for your business; for those local businesses with a more visual appeal, using Instagram for example would be a great start. For those with a younger audience, Snapchat could present an interesting forum and YouTube is also popular as ever.

So with choices made, and your business profile created, all you need to do is sit back and watch that popularity counter whizz up and up and up.

(Nothing happens. Carry on waiting)

Social media goals

Without having some form of clear idea or structure, your social media platform will either fizzle in to nonexistence or it’ll be so wrong, that you could actually damage your reputation.

The good news is twofold – this doesn’t have to take ages and they don’t need to be complicated but, to help you out here at 5 easy, simple steps to making your social media aims and objectives stick (and a sneaky step 6 too…)

Step 1: SEE your goals

This is a really useful tip that you can use beyond your social media platforms! We came across Lifetick, a fabulous app that helps you order your thoughts and then see your progress towards the goals you have.

But, don’t forget that your social media objectives should be SMART – specific, measureable, achievable, relevant and time bound. Setting a goal and being able to measure your progress towards them is essential.

Step 2: Pen and Paper

Even though we are surrounded by technology, sometimes a blank piece of paper and coloured pens are your best gadgets.

Having a social media presence is more than just ‘doing it because everyone else is’; you need to be able to compete with your competitors, gain custom and trade and create a buzz around your product, service and company.

Step 3: Create an action plan

This might take some more time, but it can also be the most fun part.

Example:

Social Platform: Twitter

This is your main social platform that you use to push your brand and company into the business eye, therefore your presence needs to a daily occurrence.

You may want to partake or even create your own #hashtag trend but, you also need to know how successful you Twitter presence is; there are various apps that can do this but one we quite like is Sumall. This app will show you all the analytics involved in your account, providing clear information on which posts worked best and when.

We suggest prioritising your social media presence too and which one is the driving force in your online campaign and presence.

Step 4: Deadlines

The problem with social media is that it is an open ended task… and the problem with open ended tasks is that they can bobble along for a long time… and the problem with is that we never feel like we have accomplished or finished anything.

For some people, this makes no difference to their working day; for others, it is a source of ongoing tension and the feeling of being on a treadmill of ‘finished one thing, straight on to start another’.

To stop this negativity eating away and then your social media objectives falling by the wayside, setting deadlines for which social media projects are reviewed/stopped/curtailed so that something new can start is the way of stopping the rot from setting in.

A deadline, after all, refines the mind and focuses the thinking.

Step 5: Throw in a really big goal

We can be too cautious. The thought of setting a goal and then thinking it may not come off can be a step too far; no one like or seeks failure. But, how about taking a chance? A manageable risk with one of your social media goals that if you don’t get there won’t cause the company to collapse or for you to throw yourself into exile…?

On Twitter, you will have followers… you may have 2,346 at the moment. How about doubling that in 2 months? Off you go…

(There are many examples of stretching goals but we won’t go on; you know the sort but stay away from those ‘dodgy’ followers that tell you for a fiver, they’ll get you a million likes or followers by midnight Tuesday)

And finally…

You have worked hard. You have researched which social media platforms are right for your business, you have created goals and an action plan and you have started your campaign.

You have a review date in your calendar and so, because we are Locally we are going to sneak in another step…

Step 6: Celebrate your success

We have loads of ideas… but we think you can think of something for yourself on this occasion!

What changes does Google see in marketing online in 2015?

2nd January 2015 by Alan Leave a Comment

(In other words, where are they looking…?)

As hard as us online businesses try not to be a slave to Google and the other major search engines, the truth of the matter is, we are.

Just like buying the cheaper supermarket own brand cereal and hiding them in a clear plastic container in a vain attempt to fool the taste buds of the cereal connoisseurs of the household does not work, trying to avoid Google and what it wants from websites is something that businesses cannot afford to do… too much.

You might think that it is OK to have the same content across all 40 pages describing your services in and around Frodsham, but Google chews it up, spits it out and says that is not building a quality website.

And so, through the fug of mince pie overload and increased cholesterol from the annual over-indulgence in local cheeses, here at Locally we spent some time sifting through the various online reports and articles about what this mammoth search engine wants from online businesses in the coming year.

The great news is that it is not complicated and the majority of online businesses are starting to swing in this direction anyway… the writing has been on the wall for some time. Following on from our post ‘your website is a live and kicking thing that needs feeding and nurturing’, we take a closer look at what you need/must/try to with your website during 2015.

Why please Google?

Because it is massive. And, its dominance shows no sign of wavering and shrinking just yet. With billions of users worldwide, why would you ignore this search engine?!

How the Internet, searches and relations between customers and businesses have changed

Cast your mind back to when there were three TV channels in the UK and having a colour TV was a novelty… actually, we jest, we don’t mean that far back but we thought it sounded dramatic and when you rewind the clock only a few years to the early days of the Internet and compare then to now, you realise the changes have been dramatic, more dramatic than the closing scenes of an EastEnders’s cliff hanger.

Back then, the run-of-the-mill Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of a larger company back then was probably just shy of their 50^th birthday, had learnt their craft and art over the years, with the Internet – a recent invention – providing a platform on which business was done to a customer. The thought that a customer had any real power or opinion was not entered into.

Fast forward to January 2015, and this seems almost ludicrous; a CEO of some massive brands can be whippersnappers with a handful of GCSEs but with a natural ability and flair for seeing what a consumer wants, and giving it to them – with bells on.

The Internet is now a place of engagement. If your website is all about the sell, sell, sell then no wonder you are no higher than page 102 in Google’s search rankings. Times have changed and we all need to keep up with them (harks back to ‘your website is a live and living thing’ post…)

Put the textbook down

Some things are not in those pages and what Google sees happening in 2015 is not in there yet, so sit up and take notice.

If you learn nothing else from this post, take away this fact: Internet users (your potential customers) are looking for sophistication.

Hitting customers over the head with information and broadcasts is no longer acceptable; people want information given in a more considerate way.

Another fact: the Internet is a restless place. Just as one thing is ‘on trend’ it changes, morphs and steals away and this is something that you, and your website, must be constantly alert to. Just because you have always had that bouncing graphic on your home page and no has complained, doesn’t mean it is not damaging your online viewed reputation. Stop harking back to last year and be ready to constantly move forward and evolve.

So what IS Google predicting?

Mobile money will become the norm in 2015

We have talked about making sure your website is mobile ready in a previous post and now it seems this is more than just a must-have for aesthetic reasons. Financially, Google predicts that 40% of online spending will be via mobile devices so you need to be more than just mobile friendly; you need to be mobile active.

In terms of other financial incentives, Google reckon that coupons, vouchers, gift codes – call them what you will – will become more tailored and specific to customers. And, customers are no longer just searching for the best price, or so it seems.

Google also suggest that customers will pay a bit more, if the service they get is second-to-none. Cheap is not the name of the game, but customer service is.

If you have a high street presence as well as an online presence, be prepared for merging these two strands of your business even closer, with mobile payments – for example, using PayPal in store – possibly becoming the norm (although they also suggest PayPal may have a contender by the year’s end… is that a hint?!)

Foster community

If you website is still a one-way track, with limited or no interaction between you and your consumer, then your website will, by the end of 2015, if not before, fall into a dark place. So, if you are not harnessing the power of social media to invite comments etc., you are missing a trick; Google predicts that consumers will rely even more on this ‘social branding’ to decide if a brand is the right one for them.

The local and the personal, suggest Google, will also become a bigger influence in the search engine terms used.

Real-time is where it is at

And this means looking at the capability of your website and your online strategy for communicating with customers, quickly – if not, now (that is, real time). Emailing, tweeting or commenting on a company’s social media platform, only to have a delay of hours (or days!) is no longer acceptable. For small businesses this could present a logistical problem – how can you create the bespoke wedding dress with one eye on Twitter?) thus, outsourcing some of these powerful elements will become more important.

Take away points

Google is looking for, and predicting, continuous improvement in websites:

Search will be more location-based – so if you operate in and around a certain area, get this back on your website and optimise you content as such. Add to this real-time – scrolling news feed about your business, price, availability etc. – could see a significant return-of-investment (ROI)

Don’t be dull, boring and – dare we say it?! – predictable – do something different with your brand and let people know. If you haven’t sponsored a local event before, could this be the year you take a leap into the unknown BUT, don’t just sponsor it, stream it!

Relevant – you are a local insurance company, a client finds your website online, likes your prices and then ‘clicks to call’; your phone rings and you have a new client. This can work for so many businesses but it does take technical know-how… the great news is that there are people who can help set all this up and make it run without a hitch.

Your website needs to be working for your business – spending hundreds and thousands on creating a website is all well and god but, if it is not being accountable (working for the business as a platform for business and brand awareness) then it is wasted.

It all sounds very big and involved, possibly beyond your technical skills but, with some small, but clever tweaks in all the right places, your website could be running at full throttle by the end of 2015.

Social media trends in 2015

3rd December 2014 by Alan Leave a Comment

What should you be doing when it comes to effective social media marketing?

As you now, here at Locally we like to not just keep pace with developments, but outpace them too and so, once again, we have delved into the cupboard, consulted with our crystal ball and taken a look at what 2015 could offer in terms of social media marketing trends…

Why social media?

OK, let’s address the elephant in the room. You will see blogs and posts on our site that talk about social signals – the nods of approval your audience give you that may or may not be recognised by search engines.

Some people say that social signals are VERY important, some say they have NO BEARING WHAT-SO-EVER and some people say that, they COULD, MAYBE, POSSIBLY have some bearing but, maybe not a lot.

Here at Locally, we like the idea of people ‘voting’ or giving a nod of approval to content and so we like the idea of sharing our stuff across G+, Facebook, Twitter and other social media platforms.

Whether you like it or not, ignoring social media could place you in a weaker position than your nearest online, local competitors.

BUT, before you all rush forth on our advice, and start creating competitions and statuses that bamboozle people into liking/sharing content, make sure you do not stray beyond the realms of acceptability (see previous posts, “Facebook is changing: an UPDATE”).

Social media – a trading platform?

At the end of summer 2014, we talked about Twitter acquiring CardSpring. This is an important development as quite soon, in the UK, consumers will be able to buy online, but support local businesses too. We love it when people support local business – it is, after all the cornerstone of our business – and so anything that merges the powerful world on online shopping and the local high street gets our vote.

Hence, we think that to ignore social media is ignoring a whopping proportion of potential customers.

But, your business needs to be in the right place in terms of social media platforms hence, gathering all the latest ideas and thoughts, this is what you need to be considering for 2015 when it comes to social media marketing…

If your website is not mobile-ready, then… oops!

It is not just us, here at Locally, saying this but all across Internet Land, experts and non-experts alike are telling you, imploring you, ordering you, that if your website cannot be easily read or used on a mobile device (phone, table etc.) then you are and will be missing a trick.

You only have to look at the figures of the upsurge in ownership and purchase of mobile devices to be utterly convinced.

So, for 2015…

Go from mobile ‘aware’ to mobile ‘first’. Make sure campaigns and content can be ‘scaled down’ for the mobile user but still delightfully ‘scaled up’ on the laptop or PC.

Priority level: RED – this is not something you can put off any longer!

Buying via the social world

Facebook – love it or hate it – leads the way in so many different facets of the online social world. And it seems that when it comes to people buying online, it is beginning to muscle in here too. America has the biggest and most encouraging figures; studies suggest that 6% of American adults spend their time on Facebook, with a spending rate of 10%.

These figures will send a shiver down your spine in that you will finally need to join the Facebook circus or you can up your game and start tapping in to this lucrative online market.

Priority level: AMBER (worth considering)

Content is STILL king

This should not be a surprise to anyone. We have been saying it for years, as have others. Customers like to read fun and informative stuff, and search engines like it too BUT, 2015 will ring some changes.

No longer will you just be blogging… think infographics, video, presentations etc. but, you can use the same kind of content. So blogging on changes in social media marketing in 2015 could also be produced as a Slide Share presentation…

Priority level : AMBER (although we think this will grow in stature throughout 2015)

Video – not just YouTube

The ‘traditional’ home of video and online clips has always been YouTube; other platforms have come close but not close enough… except for maybe Facebook. However, if you want to be really picky, the fact that videos auto-play in Facebook is probably why this platform can now say that they outshine YouTube in the playability stakes.

But, ignoring this trend will see you miles behind your competitors. So, don’t just make videos and plonk them on YouTube. Consider the vines that are becoming popular too.

Priority: GREEN (if you are looking for new creative ways, then this is the outlet; it may not be suitable for all businesses so do your market research before you spend your budget)

The right social place, for the right audience

If nothing else, keeping a hold on where your audience is at will be the essential driving change in 2015. What this means is that the traditional social platforms may not completely rule the roost by the end of 2015 although, where your audience will be at is not clear. And, as hard as we polish our crystal ball, we cannot see either.

Younger audiences are tipped to navigate away from Facebook to ‘younger’ platforms, whereas older audiences may navigate away too but who knows where? What this means, of course, is that you need to be on top of your game as your audience could splinter, making connecting with them could be more complex.

Priority: RED – be informed where your audience is at, and stay informed

What are your plans for social media marketing in 2015?

Locally Crystal Ball – what will SEO look like in 2015?

8th October 2014 by Alan Leave a Comment

Following on from our highly successful post about the look, feel and functionality of social media in 2015, we have once again dusted off the Locally crystal ball and taken a look at what search engine optimisation (SEO) could look like next year.

The online landscape is constantly changing and evolving; just as we seem to get used to one aspect, it changes, morphing in to something new that in most cases proves useful – in other cases, it can be a complete flop.

There are many predictions in the horizon for SEO. It is one of the fastest-moving aspects on any online business and so here, after much arguing, debating and general discussion, we have come up with our predictions for SEO in 2015…

“It’s all gonna be mobile!”

The format in which people are now accessing the web has changed in a way that, years ago, no one could have predicted. The smart phone is here to stay and with it increasing in sophistication on an almost day-by-day basis, you need to be ready for the revolution… in fact, it is already happening but we think that the mobile phone really will become stronger in 2015 as THE way that your customers will be buying on the Internet.

What you need to do: make sure that your website is mobile ready so that the important aspects of the buying experience is no lost in anyway.

“We ARE going to be more social!”

If you are not on any social media sites, then you are missing a trick. No, really, YOU ARE! Even though some commentators suggest that suggest social media will take over the role of SEO, there are other who think this will never really be the case BUT, social media is a marketing channel all of its own and you need to be in on the act in 2015; other people agree…

What you MUST do: take some time to look at the social media sites, research where your clients are at and develop a solid presence on your chosen platforms through 2015. If you have not already done so, you must contact us to get the various widgets and buttons on your website!

“Email? Oh yeah, we still use that…”

If you think email is on the way out, think again! Here at Locally, we predict that email will survive but how we use it will change. People are overloaded with email, data and information… this means that any direct email marketing campaigns need to be spot on.

What you need to do: check out this blog and then get cracking on an email campaign strategy for 2015.

“NOW! Now! NOW!”

As humans, we have always been impatient; from tapping a finger, belying our impatience at how slow the final seconds of the microwave seem to be taking, to counting the days till Christmas, we are just not prepared to wait for some things…

… and we predict that SEO will start to be in real time, as it happens!

What you MUST do: develop a strategy that means you communicate with customers, via social media or any other online communication, in real time; in other words, if they tweet you, you respond. This could have big resourcing implications for online, local businesses so you need to be able to manage it!

“Context is King, not just content…”

Content is great. We love content. Google and other search engine like new content, and fresh stuff that regularly appears on website BUT, there is going to be an additional sophistication in our view during 2015 and that is context.

If the search engine cannot understand WHY that particular piece of content is on your website, you may find yourself bounced down to page 10.

What you need to do: tweak your online content to fit with your other online marketing activities, such as Twitter, Facebook, G+, Instagram etc.

“EVERBODY is doing it… and that includes YOU!”

2015 is going to be THE year for making sure that you are not left behind and so if you do not have an SEO strategy, then you website will drop off the teetering edge into the oblivion of lost websites. Sounds dramatic but it may happen.

What you MUST do: have a content strategy plan, if nothing else, to keep your website on the radar but, if you want your website up there in the top rankings, in front or on a par with your competitors, you NEED to be doing SEO.

“Streamline your website”

Is it clunky? Do you have to wait for pages to load? Then before the New Year hits you need spend some time streamlining your website.

What you need to do: spend some time reviewing your website, sorting any glitches and generally having a clean and spruce up.

“G+ it!”

We think that the power of Google will continue to emanate across the web and now that the Google Authorship program is discontinued, we think that the G+ profile will become more important.

What you MUST do: take a look at Google+ and what it could offer you, and how you would use it. If you do create a profile, complete it in full and then ask us to incorporate a G+ button on your Locally designed website.

“Content is most certainly not dead”

We’ll keep saying it until we run out of breath and are navy in the face – content is king, and will still be king during 2015.

What you need to do: take a second look at hiring a content writer. They will be priceless in 2015.

“Stay fresh”

As the saying says, today’s news is tomorrow chip wrapper (or have we made that up?) but freshness in terms of your content need to be current; anything older than yesterday is old news…

We need to talk…

25th August 2014 by Alan Leave a Comment

Having a presence on social media is all well and good, but just sitting there, like a wilting wallflower at a rave is no way to go about attracting customers to your local, online business.

Cast off the the paralysis of doubt and the cloak of inexperience, and dance your way to the centre of the dance floor – because if you are on social media (and let’s face, who isn’t and who cannot afford to be…?), we need to talk.

You may have read in previous posts (Part 1 and Part 2) concerning your online and offline marketing activities, that being on social media is a little bit of a must for local businesses; with exciting opportunities around the corner with Twitter and CardSpring, soon enough the social media platform will be following suit.

This presents one danger – that companies will just use social media to sell, sell, sell. Consumers are a little savvier than this, finding such gratuitous marketing not only off-putting but frankly, shallow.

And so, companies and businesses, including you, are told/advised to use social media as a platform for conversations.

We need to talk about this because, in a recent survey by Socialbakers, on a small proportion of customers have done this (13%) but – and this is the bit we need really talk about – is that only 67% of this very small group respond… eventually.

Your physical business

OK, you sell flowers. You sell them in a high street shop and online with a fabulous website. You invite comments and questions about creating the ‘perfect wedding flower posy for your big day’. You have 4 brides asking questions about everything from ‘hand ties’ to the flowers that will be available for a January wedding… and you don’t bother answering.

If they were in your shop, and you didn’t answer their questions – this is, by the way ignoring them! – what would happen? Yup, they would leave, probably in a huff and make their way to the next nearest competitor who may just have a conversation with them, both in the shop and online too.

Stop!

Why would you treat a question from a customer or fan of your product any different online, as you would offline?

The idea of being on social media is to connect with customers; and to connect you need to interact, hence this means having a conversation.

A really good example…

On my personal Facebook page I have a liked a page to do with garden sheds as next spring, I will have my own writing shed in the garden. It will restore my life/work balance and I will have to walk to work (67 steps. I’ve counted) hence, I will have twice daily exercise – there and back.

The company regularly posts photos of garden sheds, potting shed, work rooms, summer rooms etc. that they have completed that week or fortnight so people can see their work. I like every picture out of jealousy but this is what I really like – people posts comments and questions and the company respond every time, to each individual comment or question. Sometimes a straightforward thank you to a positive comment, or they respond with prices etc. to questions but without the BIG sell, sell, sell!

I like them. I will buy a writing shed from them. Because I know that if I ask a question, they will answer. They are interested. They are interested in my writing shed and they will build it with the same care and passion with which I will use it.

Lessons to be learned in the art of online conversation

Respond!
Respond in a timely fashion – I think this local shed company has the right idea; they post every fortnight or so with a series of photos and a short status. People respond and they comment immediately. None of this waiting 24 hours (another thing this survey found was the speed to which people responded was also s-l-o-w)
Post at times you know you can be online and active – so shoving a few photos on Twitter, asking a question or input from people as you are about to serve Sunday lunch to 12 people or enter a board room meeting for the next 4 hours are two examples of when it is NOT the right time to post…
Monitor what’s happening on some social media platforms; get up to date statistics and data from https://www.socialbakers.com/twitter/country/united-kingdom/

Did you know…?

53% of customers expect to hear back from a company or business within an hour – see how important it is to pick your time?

Of these respondents, 38% also said that they formed a negative opinion of companies that did not respond in an hour, with 42% (of which I am one) saying that this quick, swift and friendly interaction created a favourable opinion… however, the study stops here; there are no figures about how many people then went on to buy from this company, although a guesstimate would be that the figure would be high (think ‘Me and My Writing Shed-To-Be’ scenario).

Companies and businesses from local to global say that they plan on doing more of this social media interaction lark – 80% of American businesses said they planned on doing it in 2013 but it never quite materialised…

Content is great. Selling is great BUT, interaction with customers is also just as great. But do it properly. Apply the same rules of general niceness online as you would in a face-to-face situation as stop ignoring your customers!

Twitter, CardSpring, your local business and the future of e-commerce

22nd August 2014 by Alan Leave a Comment

July 2014 was the month that it was announced that Twitter had acquired CardSpring (https://techcrunch.com/2014/07/17/twitter-cardspring/) a platform that could eventually be incredibly useful for those using Twitter as a means of pulling in new customers, and coveting repeat custom too.

Never heard of CardSpring?

That’s OK as it has not reached the UK yet, and may not for some time but the fact that Twitter has acquired it, along with an insight of how it could be used, is always worth keeping an eye on.

After all, more and more online, local companies are finding that they need to compete wider for new custom and repeat custom. Online and offline marketing strategies should be address the how and when you target potential customers, as well as practical activities and tools with stuff like reductions/sales, money off offers, coupons and gift vouchers or cards.

What is CardSpring?

In its current format it is a program that connects your social media promotions with card-linked promotions.

Card-linked promotions are… promotions from a local business that customer can connect or link to with their debit or credit card. They find these through online ads and when they buy from your store (either online or in-shop), they will automatically get this discount or promotion as the program recognises their card details.

Could it work for your local business…? Yes, as it creates online promotions that can be used in-store, but can also track these card-linked purchases, so you can see what is and what is not working, as well as how many repeat visits people make. And, you would have complete control over where and who will advertise your card-linked promotions.

The program has been used in America to great success, with local businesses not needing to train their staff on a new payment system or change their point-of-sale card merchant etc.; in fact, it is a completely seamless program.

Which means…?

OK, let’s say you decided via Twitter, for example, to offer 10% to all your followers when ordering a bunch of flowers online from your website. You may give them a code to input at the trolley cart bit that knocks off this 10%.

You may offer the same discount to people who use Facebook and the other social media sites you use. At the same time, you run a loyalty card scheme for your online shoppers too…

And it call starts to get a bit confusing so when you sit and look at your sales figures, wanting to know who accessed which offer from which online platform, it is information that is almost nonsensical.

(Why do you need to know that information anyway? Because it gives you an idea of what if working where, as well as where you are pulling in customers from. If you are getting zilch customers from Facebook, should you be adding something else? Or maybe the time has come to look at other apps and social media… remember one of the golden rules of your marketing strategy: review what IS and what IS NOT working!)

Back to CardSpring – this clever piece of kit allows you to set up digital coupons, rewards, loyalty programmes via various social media sites that can be card-linked; when people buy, and you get the information that you need: where they found you and what offer they have taken advantage of.

Better still, it is real time so when the consumer buys a product (in other words, they swipe their card to make a purchase), you get told and you can instantly interact with that customer! And we all know, that customers love a conversation with the people they buy from, even online.

Twitter has bought it and they are going to use it… but it might not be here for a while but when it does hit UK shores, you can be some of the first businesses to try it out!

Storing information

Increasingly, people are able to securely store information such as credit or debit card details online and possibly, one advance now that Twitter has acquired CardSpring is that customers could file their details with Twitter, and on linking their card to certain merchants and local businesses, they will automatically receive the discount or promotion on offer.

Twitter and CardSpring: the future for online commerce?

Possibly, as Twitter has one major advantage over all other social media platforms and that is the re-tweet. Whilst others shy away from curating or repeating information, Twitter’s very existence relies on circulating information, adding new in to the mix too. The re-tweet pushes out the message to a whole new audience and, if more than one person, does it the reach of the tweet can be astronomical.

So your consumers could be offered a discount in a tweet from you; they register their card details and when they buy – and this is the clever and useful bit for local business – either online or offline (in your shop, for example!), this discount is still applied!

You get an analytics report and you now have another string to your selling bow.

Backed by big investors, it is no surprise that CardSpring has developed the way it has, and courted the popularity it has and was only a matter of time before some snapped it up. Twitter could be playing a blinder here, especially as it connects the online and offline commerce experience and marketing tactics.

And in this competitive global market even local companies operate in, a professional quality program such as this, could be the thing we have been looking for…