E-Marketing Prompts Purchases:

Everyday people make a purchase following a similar buying pattern. First something arouses your need or desire to make a purchase. Whether it is an ad you saw on television or you realizing you ran out of your favorite shampoo. You have now recognized the need to purchase an offering. After you have discovered this need, you begin to evaluate your alternatives in an attempt to satisfy this need. This can be in the form of information searching, or simply recalling where you have previously made a purchase with a positive outcome. Lastly, you decide how you will make your purchase, be it online or taking a drive to your destination where the product or service is being offered. Now this process may seem like one that is lengthy, however if you truly think about it, you go through this on a daily basis for a number of different situations. 

Think about it, your hungry but not starving, it’s late so you decide not to eat. Then you lay on the couch put on the t.v. and again another ad is on. It is Burger King, advertising it’s new chocolate swirled cheesecake , $1 for 2. Now because you were already hungry you are paying close attention to this t.v. ad. Watching the ad makes you recognize just how hungry you are specifically for dessert. So now you begin to evaluate the food Burger King has to offer and your past experiences with them. Is it worth getting up to get dressed to go and pick up some dessert? You decide, Burger King’s food has left you  satisfied in the past. So where is the nearest Burger King? You get up, get dressed and head over to Burger King and purchase your cheesecake. You are now satisfied.

I believe we go through this process more now than ever before because of all the new marketing tools that are being used today. Consumers are bombarded with ads daily causing them to purchase things they did not think to purchase. Specifically e-marketing has had an impact on the way we make purchases today. The internet is a very resourceful tool when it comes to making purchases. Before when we recognized a need to make a purchase we would have to physically go out to get more information , or maybe we would call a friend or family member. Now we are able to get as much information as we need online, only a click away. Most companies have websites, with pricing information, fact sheets on products, reviews from customers and so much more.

E-marketing also prompts us to want to make a purchase we otherwise did not desire at that moment. When you sign up to a stores data base and agree to receive information on new products, newsletters, or promotions you are exposing yourself to yet another way to recognize a new need. After you make a purchase you can now complete an online survey or post up a review of your experience with your purchase. E-marketing is yet another tool for marketers to reach their target market and observe consumer behavior. For example, I frequently shop at BeBe. In the past they approached me with the opportunity to become a Club BeBe member, and I decided to join. Whenever I made a visit to their store they would send me home with a coupon to be used with my next purchase, or they would send me promotions and catalogs through the mail. In addition to the marketing tools they were already  using to retain my business, they now send me all of these promos and catalogs via email., and many times it has pushed me to want to visit the store earlier than I anticipated. I am sure this has happened to several consumers.

Social Media marketing has also played a strong role in the consumer buying process, however it could play a stronger role. Yes you can go to a company’s Facebook page and “like” them and read things about them, but they can add a few extra bonuses for visiting their page.  They could add a sweepstake to get more consumers to visit their page, or they can make their page more interactive. In any case social media is still a very successful tool, there are just ways to stimulate more growth using this tool.

E-marketing is changing the world of marketing today. The world surrounds itself by technology and specifically the internet. As e-marketing grows so will our purchases.

Ashley Farrell

http://www.bebe.com/clubbebe

Social Media Outreach: Or is it Really?

Social Media has expanded greatly in a short amount of time. It has become so popular that it is now a new form of marketing. It is yet another way to reach consumers. It has been developed so that consumers are only a click away from creating more brand awareness in their community. Notice how I mention brand awareness. Social media “supposedly” benefits both the brand/company and the consumer. However if you look a little closer, it seems to be more beneficial to a seller /marketer than a consumer.

Think about it. We the consumer are able to enjoy the entertainment of this new found form of marketing, but what happens after we have visited a company’s facebook page and click like? What happens when we decide to follow them on twitter and get others to do the same? What happens when we subscribe to YouTube and get our friends to join? We receive more promotions and news on what they have to offer, and the company potentially makes more sales, and gets their name further out there. However, the consumer is left with nothing more than just information and more entertainment.

Now I am not in any way negating the fact that this is a fast-growing and innovative way to use social media as a marketing tool, I am simply saying that its tools are not being used to its full potential. No matter the brand, the marketing tool or strategy, consumers want to feel as though they have made a difference or are being heard. Having them “like” you is not enough. The seller/marketer needs to also “like” the consumer. The marketer needs to use all the tools offered on these different media outlets to become more interactive with its target market, wouldn’t you agree? Not only will it generate more business, but it will create more loyalty. Consumers will be more intrigued, and feel more desire to engage in the entertainment a brand offers.  Connecting not just technically but emotionally will introduce more growth. As stated in an article/blog I read “If you do not make it easy, fast and safe for consumers to engage you will end up with more than 90 percent lurkers trolling your content.” Basically marketers need to ensure that they to are interacting with the consumer and that their media outlets aren’t a one time stop.

How will marketers grow from this?

Ashley Farrell

http://hashtagsocialmedia.com/blog/connecting-with-consumers-through-social-media/

Starbucks Mobile Card: Fad or Future??

Starbucks has recently developed a new mobile application allowing customers to make a purchase by simply uploading the Starbucks mobile card app and having the cashier scan their bar code at the register. Initially when I discovered this new innovation I thought it was somewhat useless. I felt that this was the same concept as using the credit card, and would not benefit the consumer in anyway. However after a little research to my dismay the app turned out to be a valuable conception.

In my opinion, it is still the same concept as a credit card when making a purchase, however there are other key features that make this a desirable application. I decided to download the app on my iPhone to see what the chat was all about. I soon discovered that not only can you insert your credit card or PayPal information and have it saved; you can see what payments have been made which will allow the consumer a convenient way to manage and control their expenses with Starbucks. You can also locate all the Starbucks’ in the area you are located in while using the app. Finally, you are able to track the rewards you have earned.

It is interesting that Starbucks has designed such a simple yet functional app, especially for those who frequently make purchases with them. Technology has definitely taken a turn and it is amazing to see how the world would be in chaos and unable to function without cell phones, lap tops, etc… We are now approaching a stage in technology where people will not be able to effectively function without applications. I believe that Starbucks has created a new cycle of technology and I believe this is something that other companies will imitate.

Although Starbucks has developed a unique way to reach and retain customers, there are a few considerations which may prevent customers from using the payment part of the app. It does not seem to have too much of a security system set up in case a user loses their phone. They will actually have more troubles to deal with and more inconveniences to be bothered by. If they are able to configure a way to control this potential problem this will become the new age of payment options.

Ashley Farrell

Sources:

http://www.starbucks.com/coffeehouse/mobile-apps/starbucks-card-mobile