Thursday, July 4, 2013

Singapore Hawker Food Challenge With Celebrity Chef Gordon Ramsay

Gordon Ramsay's Hawker Food Challenge| Venue at Newton Circle Hawker Center Singapore on Sunday 7th July

Gordon Ramsay Singapore Challenge to be held at Newton Circle ,Singapore

Come support  and Join the top 3 hawkers chosen to face Gordon Ramsay,the following were reported at the Straits Time communities entertainment ;
After eight days of intensive voting and over 2.5 million votes, Singapore has chosen its favourite hawkers to challenge Gordon Ramsay at the SingTel Hawker Heroes Challenge.

Guess If Newton Circle ,Singapore Will be Fully Jam Packed on 7th July

Mr Ang Kiam Meng from Jumbo Seafood, Mdm Foo Kui Lian from Tian Tian Chicken Rice and Mr Ryan Koh from 328 Katong Laksa will go up against the celebrity chef.



Over the course of two days, from July 5-6, chef Ramsay will spend time with each of the three hawkers to learn their signature dishes.

The Michelin star chef will then put his own flavours into the dishes and go against the chosen three at the final showdown event held at Newton Food Centre on Sunday, July 7.

The event will be open to members of the public, who will be able to sample the dishes prepared by the local hawkers and chef Ramsay and vote for their preferred version.

Event: SingTel Hawker Heroes
Date/Time: Sunday, 7 July 2013. From 1800hr
Venue: Newton Food Centre
500 Clemenceau Avenue North Singapore 229495
Details: Non-ticketed event, open to the public free of charge. 1000 servings are available on a first-come-first-served basis.

Check Out why Gordon Ramsay is Being Challenged , Find out his Credential;
Before Checking out Singtel challenge ; Google Youtube for Masterchef USA Season 3 , Watch How Christine Ha ,Blind Contestant is able to win Gordon Ramsay's Hearts and crowned the Winner of Master chef Season 3 "" ,. Find out how She subtlety climbed her way to the top by performing consistently well, triumphing over her own self-doubt, all the while maintaining her signature grace and integrity.

Gordon always presented a good flair in his judging skill and has been the most encouraging judge anywhere , except when he plays a hellish role in Hells Kitchen
Ramsay will pit his skills against three popular hawkers, who has been selected through a poll on the HungryGoWhere's website with Over 2.5 Million votes 

Saturday, June 29, 2013

Masterchef 's Host Chef Gordon Ramsay Accepts Singapore Singtel's Hawker Food Challenge

Michelin winner and celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay is real busy  these  days hosting  Masterchef US  Season 4  ( the Best Masterchef  Cooking Competiton  )as he  has just officially accepted the Singtel Hawker Food Challenge. A group of Singapore bloggers, along with Singtel wrote  and challenged him to a cooking contest against three Singapore hawkers.

Ramsay posted a video accepting the challenge, saying that although he was not an expert on Singapore food, he was "certain that Singaporeans would like [his] version better.".Gordon always presented a good flair in his  juding  skill and has been the most  encouraging  judge  anywhere , except   when he plays a hellish   role  in Hells Kitchen 
Ramsay will pit his skills against three popular hawkers, who will be selected through a poll on the HungryGoWhere website.
Before Checking  out Singtel  challenge  ; Google Youtube  for  Masterchef Season 3 , watch  How Win Christine Ha  ,Blind Contestant  is able to Win Gordon Ramsay's Hearts and crowned  the Winner of Master chef  Season 3 ,. Find out  how She subtlety climbed her way to the top by performing consistently well, triumphing over her own self-doubt, all the while maintaining her signature grace and integrity.
For more about the Gordon Ramsay cooking challenge: click here.

Typically  , I will recommend the following  Cookbook  to  Good Food Fanatics ,   which is  available  only from the USA  for the  Hardcover copies . I am a  Fan to Masterchef Cooking Competition  and  Chef Gordon Ramsay ; and typically  this  book  is published for the  Famous  Blind Cook , Christine Ha , who Won  the Masterchef US  Season 3 competition , with  Full  acknowledgement under  Chef Gordon Ramsay 

Masterchef- Amazon 

Millions of viewers tuned in to watch Christine sweep the thrilling Season 3 finale, and here they can find more of her deftly crafted recipes. They’ll discover food that speaks to the best of both the Vietnamese diaspora and American classics, personable tips on how to re-create delicious professional recipes in a home kitchen, and an inspirational personal narrative bolstered by Ha’s background as a gifted writer. Recipes from My Home Kitchen will braid together Christine’s story with her food for a result that is one of the most compelling culinary tales of her generation.


In her kitchen, Christine Ha possesses a rare ingredient that most professionally-trained chefs never learn to use: the ability to cook by sense. 

Source : People.com  | Christine Ha - legally blind  in 2007 , Winner of MasterChef US  Season 3  ( Fox ) 
After tragically losing her sight in her twenties, this remarkable home cook, who specializes in the mouthwatering, wildly popular Vietnamese comfort foods of her childhood, as well as beloved American standards that she came to love growing up in Texas, re-learned how to cook. Using her heightened senses, she turns out dishes that are remarkably delicious, accessible, luscious, and crave-worthy.

                                                        
Kindle  Download  Copy   

Direct  Download with  Kindle 

Recipes from My Home Kitchen: Asian and American Comfort Food from the Winner of MasterChef Season 3 on FOX .
Take the opportunity  as Amazon  starts shipping to Singapore 

Friday, May 24, 2013

Power of Mobile Social Media Knowledge

Small business owners who are in the battle for more local customers will find it tough  this days  with traditional  method  therefore  engaging  into the HOT mobile market is a Priority

Mobile device usage is on raging  with Hot fire and  Steam rising up fast , so businesses today have to adjust their marketing efforts to keep up... that's if they want any chance of out-doing their competitors and maintaining their share of the market.

Profit from Mobile 


If there's one thing small businesses understand, it's the Power of Mobile Social media  .

 Learning the different ways of Mobile Social marketing  and  When you couple that with the love of smartphonesmobile social media  will be  the perfect solution to help businesses bring in more local customers.

Did you know that approximately 95% of all text messages are answered within 15 minutes of receiving them?

Did you know that MOBILE coupon offers receive 10 TIMES the redemption rate of traditional advertising methods?

These stats alone prove just how beneficial mobile social marketing can be when it comes to helping small businesses generate more sales, profits, and revenue.

The EXPLOSIVE usage of smartphones has changed consumer buying patterns and the way they like to do business.

However...

It has also left some businesses scratching their heads as they try to figure out how they can tap into this new-age digital market...
Profit From Mobile Social Media Revolution


While many companies KNOW they need to "mobilize" their businesses, some of them are CLUELESS about how to go about it.

Many business owners are actually still pondering the idea of mobile marketing, while their competitors are already up and running with their mobile campaigns... snatching up  good leads along the way  and learning new technique of Mobile Social media marketing

In order to grab your share of local business clients, you need all of the TOOLS and STRATEGIES you can get...


This Credibility ebook : Profit from Mobile Social Media Revolution  will help you EDUCATE local business owners about  how  Mobile Social media can help them. Many business owners today want to market to the massive mobile audience, but just haven't taken action yet because they simply don't understand it...

To help you overcome this barrier, this book will help you generate new leads simply by explaining the power of mobile  social media  in a way that they can understand it.
 

Saturday, April 27, 2013

Have Fun with Mobile Tagging - QR Codes, SnapTags and more


Connecting the digital and physical worlds– tags are on tangible things – like products, signage, flyers, countertops,display windows, print ads (newspapers, magazines and more.) Scanning themconnects the consumer to a relevant digital experience. Using tags allows you tomeasure response rates to a particular marketing effort.
There are anumber of different mobile tagging apps that you can use to tie physicalmarketing materials to your mobile website, texting program or other mobilemarketing services. Some mobile tagging services to consider are:
·        QR Codes
·        Microsoft Tags
·        SnapTags
QR codes are a type of 2D barcode made upof a series of square dots that encode alphanumeric data. When scanned, yoursmart phone reads the data and takes the action indicated, whether it sends theuser to the home page of your website, to a special offer you’ve created oreven your company Facebook page.

QRcodes were created in Japan and have been widely used there and in Europe, butare just evolving into wide use in America in the past couple of years. Thegreat thing about QR codes is that they are free to use and there are a numberof free applications you can use to easily create them for your small business.The downside is that they are more functional than aesthetically pleasing. ( see Picture ) 

Microsoft tags are much like QR codes in theirfunctionality, but have more visual style. Another plus to Microsoft tags isthat you can easily create a custom tag in just a minute or two for absolutelyno cost. There are five different types of Microsoft tags:
·        URL tags – these open a webpage on the customer’s mobile phone and sends them to a specific page of yourmobile site or a video or some other type of content.
·        vCard tags – these open avirtual business card that customers can add instantly to their contact list.
·        App Download tags – itrecognizes the type of mobile device and sends the customer to the appropriatedownload source to get your mobile app.
·        Free Text tags – this displaystext of up to 1,000 characters, but is not an SMS/text message, it simplydisplays the text.
·        Dialer tags – thisautomatically dials a specific phone number that you specify – it can be yourbusiness number, a help-line or even an automatic voice message.
SnapTags  work in much the same way as QRcodes and Microsoft tags, but typically take either your company logo or associated icon and convert it to an interactive tool that will direct people to your digital content. The upside of using a SnapTag is the advanced customization and visual appeal; the downside is that both creation and use ofthe tags come with a price tag. 

Mobile Coupon Redemption 


There are several different types of SnapTags:
·        Branded SnapTags – these are tiedto a particular marketing campaign and can take you to product information, aspecial promotion or something similar.
·        Social SnapTags – these arelinked to your Facebook or other social media account and allow the consumer toeasily “like” you or “follow” you depending on which social media site it istied to.
·        Buy It Now SnapTags – these arelinked to a specific product and take the consumer to an instant “buy it now”window where they can buy your product or service instantly.
·        Action SnapTags – theseinitiate specific actions when scanned, such as getting a mobile coupon,emailing you, accessing your website, viewing video or requesting information.
·        Mobile Giving SnapTags – these allowyour customers to make a donation to a specific charity you have selected. Youcan even offer to match customer donations to promote your brand.

No matter which platform you decide to try, mobile tagging is a great way to make use of everyinch of physical advertising space available. These can be created and placedon your checkout counters, takeout menus, packaging, posters, flyers, printads, on your car or anywhere there is a physical surface and will increase yourbrand recognition.

Good Contents Attract Traffic Will Boost Making Money Chances with Mobile Phone Affiliates


Do you want to profit from the popularity of mobile phones?  Do you want to do so without making a large investment?  If so, start a website and work as a paid affiliate.  But, how do you get started?

Join an affiliate program.  Perform a standard internet search with anything that is remotely related to cell phones.  View the page for information on affiliates.  This information is typically found at the bottom of the page and in small print.

An affiliate is someone who helps to generate sales.  Many companies use affiliate programs as marketing tactics.  Instead of doing their own marketing, they allow website owners, like you, to do it.  When you join an affiliate program, you get links and banners.  You position these on your website.  Whenever a click is made that results in a sale, you make money!  It is very easy to get started.

As previously stated, you need to visit the online websites of companies or individuals who sell mobile phones and accessories.  If an affiliate program is available, apply.  You may need to visit a third party website, such as Commission Junction or LinkShare.  These websites handle affiliate marketing programs, such as payment and tracking.  In fact, you should visit these websites and search for cell phones, mobile phones, and other electronics retailers too.

When most people think of mobile phones, the phones themselves often come to mind.  Yes, you want to join affiliate programs for cell phone stores and cell phone providers, like Verizon Wireless, but expand your horizons.  Look at every aspect of a cell phone.  For example, mobile phone owners buy accessories, ringtones, games, and they subscribe to text message services.  These are all ways that you can make money.  Find companies who offer affiliate programs and apply.

As stated above, you need to apply for an affiliate program.  Some companies are picky.  Many want their links to appear on well established websites.  Regardless of your traffic, a good website will still increase your chances of gaining admission into an affiliate program.  A good website is one that is marketed online and has good content.

If you want to make money through mobile phone affiliates, you need to have related content on your website.  Good examples include buying guides, phone reviews, accessory reviews, and so forth.  If you aren’t good at writing, consider hiring a professional writer.  If not, take your time and proofread each article before posting it.

In terms of internet marketing, the more traffic your website receives the more you can make through an affiliate program.  There are many ways to market a website.  You can buy advertisements on other websites, submit articles with links to article directories, promote your website in message board signatures, and learn about search engine optimization.

Mobile Website 


Good content and traffic will increase your chances of making money with mobile phone affiliates, but ad placement is important too.  You want to target all website visitors, even those who leave within a few seconds.  If you don’t have what they were looking for, be sure to have catchy advertisements readily available.  For that reason, place all affiliate banners above the fold, which is the portion of the webpage you can see without scrolling down.

In short, making money through affiliate programs is a very easy process.  Once you develop a website, put affiliate banners on it, and drive traffic, you should start seeing sales.  Although these sales will start out small, think of the big picture.  Affiliate programs generate residual income, meaning it continues to grow overtime.

Sunday, April 7, 2013

New Engagement Trends in Location-Based Mobile Marketing


No matter what type of device they use, more and more consumers are browsing the web on the go for places of business near them. Not only do consumers use their smart phones to find businesses, they actually use them while shopping, dining and spending.
A recent study showed that 55% of smart phone users will comparison shop on their device while in a store – nearly 47% will search for reviews while shopping – 21% searched for coupons to use instantly – 12% opted to buy online instead of in-store and over 5% searched for a recommendation on the business or product from their friends.


Consumers age 25-44 are most likely to comparison shop and search for reviews on products, services and businesses using their mobile devices. If these ages are in your target demographic, this lets you know that location-based mobile marketing services would likely be used by your target customer.
When it comes to location-based mobile marketing, coupons are increasingly popular. 44% of smart phone users have redeemed an online coupon and 18% have redeemed a mobile coupon. Another growing outlet for location-based mobile marketing services is QR codes. Over one-third of mobile devices have a QR code scanner.


In fact, all location-based mobile marketing trends are on the upswing. Last year, over half of all local business searches were conducted via a mobile phone or other mobile device such as a tablet or web-enabled iPod.
 Location-basedmarketing services are now getting even more local with the emergence ofproximity marketing. Already huge in Japan, proximity marketing is now trending in Europe and spreading to the US. Using proximity marketing, the nearness of a consumer to a specific object or physical location triggers a specific action.


NFC chips, QR codes and other new technologies can provide consumers with an interactive experience. QR codes in particular are attractive for both consumers and vendors because they are free to set up and easy to use. As more businesses use QR codes, their increased presence will increase consumer interest and use of the tool.


As more and more consumers seek to engage with local businesses, it will become more and more critical for business owners to equip their establishments to accommodate the increasing demand for mobile interaction. Consumers now prefer establishments that offer free Wi-Fi and this baseline service will be a necessity if you want to expand your mobile strategy to embrace proximity marketing. By hosting Wi-Fi services for customers, you’ll be able to offer fast-loading content attached to proximity items such as QR codes and NFC chips.





 More advanced proximity tools such as iSign allow you to ping a customer’s smart phone as soon as they enter or near (1KM  or less depending on your platform and technology) your establishment and ask if they would like an offer from your establishment. The mobile consumer can click yes or no. Current response rates are nearing 25% and may induce drive-by customers that may not have been planning a visit to your store to stop by and transact with you.  55% Percent of consumers  express an interest  in Mobile  coupons but only 10% have actually received one from a merchant . This trend  will further improve  since iSign  proves effective  to get merchant and consumers to  engage better with the new  facility .


 Mobile marketing is here to stay, is prevalent and constantly evolving. Ignoring this trend will be at great peril to your business. The good news is that many aspects of mobile marketing have a very low cost to use and a low barrier to entry.  








Friday, April 5, 2013

How Catering Business and Restaurant Embrace Mobile Social Marketing Strategies


 With mobile technology quickly becoming an integral part of our everyday lives . It has become vital to pay attention to the wide-spread influence of the mobile device as it  has become a highly influential marketing tool for businesses world-wide. 
Even  so , while it is  the  most promising  marketing  tools , it  shockingly  reported  that a study  in 2012 made  by  Restaurant Sciences Industry  confirmed   that  95% of independent restaurants don’t have a website optimized for mobile devices and only about 50% of chain restaurants have one. Mobile applications ( mobile apps  ) used by restaurant and  development  to use them  to  work specifically  for  Chain restaurant  has been  just  picking up  

http://www.socialgonemobile.com

With millions of active  mobile  accounts on Facebook, Twitter and Foursquare, restaurant owners now have the ability to directly access their customer base on a daily basis ,it is  therefore   Not likely  that  Mobile technology  will be  going away and its usage will keep  increasing  by the day.

All  types of Mobile applications will therefore  present companies with unique opportunities to increase revenue and customer loyalty and they offer  full accessibility  to user on the  go .
Mobile  Social media outlets provide the best  and most ideal  way to share tantalizing information that will satisfy  all hungry  customers  with  Good Food  for Thought  .. Reach your customers on your mobile social media platform  of choice by sharing any of the following information:

Embracing Mobile Technology

Mobile websites will   offer  the  first major benefit.  . A mobile website can be optimized for search engines  for your restaurant  and it can be  optimized to use for  most type  of  mobile devices, the ever increasing usage of mobile devices for browsing the mobile  internet means your restaurant’s online presence will appreciated well by customers 


Mobile apps
Like most  general mobile applications , most apps  offer as the menu  to  the restaurant’s  information source. Contact information, nutritional facts, location search tools, and menus dominate these types of apps, but a restaurant app can be more than an information source.It also can serve  as  Online Order  tools . Restaurants with online ordering systems offer customers the ability to browse  online and place an order for pick up via their mobile device or computer or relatively   in the restaurant or  for  early booking  avoiding  the  queue   for  advance  food ordering concept . Such application can be incorporated   into  the restaurant’s own reservation system or utilize as an online booking network  reservation services  to allow diners to easily reserve a table.

With  special  custom mobile application , restaurants  now have the opportunity to promote  unique or exclusive  dining experience while increasing business and building brand loyalty.
This  might  include
•       Offering  guests a discount if they uploaded a review  to specific Mobile ads  site 
•       Reward uploaded photos to some Mobile promo  sites  with a free drink or small dessert
•       Encourage spreading your name through any other food-related app with rewards 
•       Mobile Games competition



In the current mobile market, many restaurateurs  participate  and  utilize  major mobile apps  with mobile marketing  sites  like   Yelp, Foodspotting and OpenTable to market their  Food and wine  establishments which  allows users to be  able to directly share reviews, event scheduling , photos, check-ins and more with their social friends network  .Various other social networks can be integrated into your restaurant application to facilitate a seamless process for diners to share their experiences. 

Geolocation 


Some  good example for  integrating social networks ,like  Foursquare   will benefits to your restaurant by  its  word of mouth sharing ,check-in review , or coupon redemption  campaign . Pictures of food dominate social photo sharing sites these day  as friends  share around  wonderful pictures of the  food  meals  that they enjoyed  making it a great option to integrate into your restaurant application.  Restaurants can also include an interactive events promotion  to inform potential diners about exciting parties or event like Happy  hour , wine tasting  at your restaurant in order to  bring diners back to your establishment again and again.
The potential benefits of  an effective mobile social  strategies  to the restaurant industry are virtually limitless. .Reaching  out   to  your customers effectively and stay actively engaged with mobile social media opportunities will only grow in popularity as more people embrace the ease-of-use and convenience of their mobile devices.  

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

“ Mobile Influence Factors “ | Effects of Smartphone on Traditional In-Stores Sales


Market insights of Mobile technology  taking on the   World   has started the transitioning  where     mobile  technology has  embarked  on several types of   different platforms , ranging from the  SMS text messages all the way to full- fledged mobile apps , mobile advertisement ,  mobile ready video and commercials 


The power of Mobile Social Media  technology  lies in the fact that more and more people are accessing the internet through their smartphones rather than any other device. This is mainly due to the fact that  adoption of mobile devices have evolved tremendously  by leaps and bound . In addition, more and more websites are adapting to this by making their content mobile-friendly and even  shoppers -friendly

To help you understand the big picture, here are a few interesting statistics

·         More than 86% of Americans are cell phone owners.
·         An average of 5   billion text messages per day were delivered  .
·         Visa and Paypal  are  expanding its E-wallet services and challenging rivals with their  new in-store payment system, as the company broadens  their services  to the retail stores industry also with mobile  technology
·         Almost 60 % of Consumer who own a smartphone  have used it for  offline and online store related shopping
·         Mobile fundraising will be another  new way of  giving donation

As you can see, smartphones are becoming increasingly important in people's lives, and as it happens, they are an excellent way to reach out to a enormous number of people.



 They open your brand and business to a whole new and unexploited market which is only waiting to be tapped into, and that's precisely what most people are going to do in the near future. If what you are looking to do is increase your brand's exposure and have the opportunity to market yourself to millions of new potential customers, then you should get into Mobile Social media  marketing straight away; a market stays untapped for only so long.

Today’s Mobile Marketing Trends

The mobile  social media  outlook is a positive .
With  prediction that there  is high   possibility rate  of  Mobile   overtaking traditional PC Internet access in the next few years,  simple math tell marketers that abundant opportunities  exist within all this Go Mobile technology to present  media ads  to the right audience at the right  time 


Beside with  the advent of low cost  telcos mobile plan , virtually everyone  will  at least  have  access to almost free  SMS  text messaging capabilities or newer  application  like  - Whatapps .
Beside SMS , other new mobile marketing  trends   with use of  devices like  the  smartphones  and PC tablet  are   increasing  in  numbers introducing new application ,  like  the  Mobile apps  , LBS  and QR codes  therefore    boosting  the industry with multiple benefits  as such they serve  more than  just mobile customer but  also provide new marketing element for brands and retailing  business  to interact  with customers  to  increase their businesses  both in exposure and profits.



Furthermore, more  location-based  services (LBS )  platform are being introduced  and  marketing campaigns  using  both  mobile coupons  and QR codes  will be easier  implemented , translating into more  venue search traffic for retails  and  shop  establishments  .
Many retailers were at  helm  to drive and utilize this  new technology   to their favour ,as it offers a new approach  for retailers to push for in-stores  sales using  the different  features offered by the Mobile technology . According to estimates, such promising drives  will translates  possible  over US$ 750 billion in forecasted in-store  sales for 2016  for Global market including the Greater China

Indeed, a recent released report  from Microsoft, “Mobile in the Consumer Journey,” finds that 30%  of average consumers use their  smartphones to compare  prices during shopping  for  both in-store ,  a figure that rises to almost  71% among savvy smartphone users , while another  report from  Deloitte , it mentioned that  Over 60% of mobile shoppers use their smartphones  while in a store, and another 50% while on their way to a store.

 Deloitte  recently developed  a metric called the “mobile influence factor,” which measures the percentage of traditional in-store sales being influenced by mobile devices, versus by straight dollar figures. This report advise  that  Shopping mart  and  appliance stores see the highest smartphone use and frequency among 11 types of retail stores (including department stores, apparel, grocery stores, etc.), where smartphone use influences 5.1% of sales on average.



They call it “showrooming”,initially retailers do fret about consumers using smartphone in their stores ,but  it turns out consumers who use smartphones when out shopping are 14% more likely to make a purchase in the store than those without. The  best conceptual understanding is that   consumers are increasingly going to stores, getting up close and personal with whatever items they’re shopping for, then turning to their smartphones  to buy said items on the spot in-store  or instead from competitors online  or otherwise , the  smart buying factor may also include  checking product’s review  to judge on performance or  possible comparison of prices online as  it works around a   new  fond  concept called 
In-Stores Showrooming  ,Browsing Boost Smart Buying”





The whole process in turn encourage entrepreneurial  in-store retailers  to  aggressively pursue  mobile  app development for  their product or brands  rather than  lamenting on the effects of third-party services or  apps  and  this strategy  may be proven  as the  right direction if they do not wish  to lose  out  to competitors who has started in-stores  mobile apps which target  smartphone  based promotion  campaign  .As recent studies confirms that 43% of smartphone owners surveyed do download specific retailers’ app at their stores to make product purchase ,and smartphone  owners has high tendency to browse online  for data of  products which they intend to purchase in  order get  a personal justification to the specific  product’s  right  pricing or features , giving them a  peace of mind


Connected Devices

The Big Paradigm  shift  has  happened already  ,connected devices are going to become increasingly  important  to Brands’ mobile strategy with  the biggest growth in the area of mobile  search ,as more customer uses their phone  for engagement  and  to locate  products or subject of their interest.

As smartphone ,phtablet and Pc tablet are becoming more and more popular , the industry  will  see an increased  opportunity for  rich creative  media as the industry adopts  them   and  more new developments  will be  invested   into new incremental innovation  for dedicated application that   increase  social  consumer  engagement  via mobile

Continued development  may focus on target  advertising solution  for behavioural targeting  and ensuring ads that are sent  are contextually  relevant to consumer based on customer choice


    Source : compliment  : Benjamin Wane ,TextHK  



Saturday, March 9, 2013

Find Out The Impact of Using SMS marketing on the Mobile Market for Your Business


SMS, or text message marketing, is basically the same as email marketing but with one key difference – you're marketing to mobile devices instead of PCs. You send your customers text messages on their phones with offers, deals, coupons and news they can use.
Checkout SMS   article 

SMS has been around for quite a few years and even with all the advances in smartphones and mobile marketing, it's still the most effective way to reach your audience.

A Higher Response Rate

Do people like being marketed to on their phones? It's tough to say from surveys. Whenever a marketing firm asks, they get mixed responses. Some people absolutely love it and take advantage of every deal offered. Others see it as an annoying invasion of privacy and prefer to get messages to their email inbox.

The stats, though, paint a totally different picture. Response rate with mobiles is overwhelmingly higher than that of email. Conversion rates are everything from 10% to 60%, which blows email marketing away. Response is also quick, with almost all text messages being opened within the first 15 seconds of receiving them.

Why the great response? It's because people are always carrying their phones on them. They don't log in once a day and have to battle spam and junk mail to get to your message. It also feels more personal to get messages from the brands you love straight to your phone.


You get an even higher response rate with location-based marketing. This means using the device's built-in GPS capabilities to make offers. When your customer enters a certain 'zone' defined by you, they get a message offering them a deal. You can tie in your mobile marketing with deals at offline stores.

This works so well because it's just what your customer's looking for at just the right time. In other words, it's a marketer's dream come true. They're looking for a place to buy shoes and the minute they step into the mall, they get a message from you offering the deal they were hoping for.


We now market to mobile phones that have Internet browsers using Facebook, applications, games, and all the other capabilities the device has to offer. But statistics show that SMS still gets the best results. According to a survey by YouGov and SocialMediadd, 77% of the smartphone users they asked said they preferred SMS even when other marketing avenues were available.

This is probably because it's so simple and people are used to it. It's also a strategy marketers have used for years, so it's a well-worn path, whereas these other methods are still largely uncharted territory.

Why Not SMS?

SMS marketing is cheap and easy compared to other methods. It's something any type of business can use to its advantage. In the same study mentioned above, SocialMediadd reported that only 1 out of 100 of its clients use SMS, where 90% only use email marketing. Why not go where the conversions are higher?

Synergizing Mobile Apps and Social Media


The Web is getting increasingly social. Experts even predict that someday you may search for all of your information through social media sites instead of search engines. People love Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Groupon, YouTube… the list goes on. These are some of the most visited sites on the Internet.

Studies show that people on mobiles are especially prone to socializing. They spend way more time on social media sites than PC surfers do. Mobile apps and social media are a perfect match. If your business can take advantage of this pairing, you can really increase your bottom line.

Mobiles Go Social



Mobile users love social media because of the speed. Everything is happening in real-time. You carry your phone with you everywhere. You might be on the go or hanging around with time to kill, and what better time to check out your friends' news feeds? If you think about it, it makes sense. People aren't as likely to be planted in front of a desktop doing that.

We socialize more on mobiles because our friends are there when we need them most. For example, you're going to check out a new restaurant for lunch, but you want to see what your friends have to say about it first. Mobile connects you quickly.


Social media works together with mobiles through apps. These are software programs designed just for mobile devices. They connect you directly to social media sites so that you can engage with them anywhere.

Apps that let word of mouth travel are extremely popular. Foursquare is an example of one of these. It's an app that lets users leave and read reviews and “check-in” to places. You can leave an instant review of a place you just visited and share with friends.

Apps can also help people find local businesses using maps as well as reviews left by friends. When you're looking for a place to eat, you can read your friends' reviews before you get there. Geo-local services use your phone's built-in GPS to show you reviews of places in the area.

Photo sharing apps are also big. Instagram is currently the fastest growing social media app in the mobile world. The number of users grew about five-fold in the first six months of 2012. It lets you take pictures, edit and share instantly.


Businesses can benefit by creating their own apps that allow users to communicate better through social media. These could be photo sharing apps, location-based services, review apps, or anything else your customers would enjoy using.

You can also create your own social network. Facebook is for everyone, but you can create a networking app that's just for your customers. Focus on a particular industry, interest, hobby, location, or anything else that connects people. Think of a way your customers would like to communicate with each other.

Social media and mobile are both more than just trends. While social media sites come and go, the phenomenon of socializing online is never going to go away. Mobile use only keeps increasing. If your business can harness the power of this perfect match, you can do great things for your customers and that'll translate to profits for you.

QR Code Ideas to Enhance Your Mobile Marketing


QR codes make it easier for your customers to interact withyour business. Your challenge as a business is to figure out how to use these codes to help them get what they want. It's tough to think up ideas out of the blue, so here are some to get you started.

Your Promotional Items

One of the best ways to use QR codes is to put them on your promotional items. Put them on any little thing you give away like fans, keychains, mouse pads, mugs, etc. You can even put a small one on a pen. Be sure to also put one on your business card. They can scan it to find out more about you.



Cover Your Store

You can put QR codes all over your store. Plaster them on posters, menus, walls, and all available counter space. Make decals with them and put them on your doors and windows. A great use of QR codes is to put them on your products or product tags. When they scan the code, they're directed to more information about the product. You can also put them on your products' packaging and bags.

All Correspondences

Whenever you send out promotional mail or newsletters, make sure you've got a QR code prominently displayed. This is much better than giving them a URL which they have to go to the computer and type in. Instead, all they need to do is scan it with their phone.

Advertising Materials

You can put QR codes on any of your advertisements. It's just a small black and white code. If you put one on a billboard, it can be scanned by drivers as they zoom by. A great way to get them to scan it is to offer an exclusive deal.



Lots of marketers say there's no need to use QR codes online. After all, you can just give them a link and they can click on it. But there are some creative ways to use it and they can scan the screen with their phone. For example, you can use it as an avatar for your Facebook or other profiles.

What to Do with QR Codes

The simplest idea is to just send people to your website. But with QR codes, you can direct people to any URL at all. This can be much more than just your website. A few ideas here include:

l         Bookmarking. When they scan it, it instantly bookmarks your site on their browser.
l         Contact Info. They get your contact information automatically added to their address book.
l         Maps and Directions. They get a map or directions to your business. This is great because people use their mobiles to search for businesses.
l         Coupons. One quick scan and they get a mobile coupon they can use at your establishment.
l         Tweets and Likes. When they scan, it tweets or likes your business so all their friends can see it. This is a nice promotional tie-in; they like/tweet and you give them a special deal.
l         Download. They get an app they can use on their mobile.

You can do anything with your QR codes, so take these ideas or come up with your own. The key is to approach it from your customers' point of view. It needs to make interacting with your business quicker and easier for them. Focus on improving the convenience of using your service.

Social Mobile Blogging on a Social Network


Blogging is becoming increasingly popular and social networks are also becoming more and more popular as well. Social networks include popular websites such as MySpace.com where users can create personal websites and interact with other users. These websites may include a wide range of components including text, images, audio, video and blogs. Here system users can voice their opinions, provided updates on their life, offer insight into current events or accomplish a number of other goals. However, bloggers who utilize a social network to maintain their blog should consider a few different factors. This article will discuss some of these factors including whether to make the blogs available to the public or keep the private, considering the audience of the blog and dealing with harassment through the blog.

Making Blogs Private or Public


Most social networks enable users to make their website either private or public. Private websites are only available to the user and other users he specifically approves to view his website while public websites are available to all users of the system. These same capabilities also apply to the blogs which are maintained on a social network. For this reason bloggers must determine whether or not they wish to make their blog posts available to the entire social network or to only a fraction of this network.


This decision will be largely based on a matter of personal preference. Social networks can be quite extensive and some bloggers may be apprehensive about their blog being available to such a large audience while other bloggers may have no apprehensions about the size of the potential audience. Bloggers should carefully consider this option before staring a blog but always have the option to change these settings after the blog has been established if they change their mind about the choice they originally made.

Considering the Blog Audience


Bloggers who utilize a social network to maintain a blog should also carefully consider the potential audience for the blog. Most social networks include a broad cross section of the general public. Therefore bloggers should be aware of this audience when posting a blog and should consider how the blog entries will be interpreted by blog audience members. While it will never be possible to avoid offending all potential audience members some bloggers may wish to consider at least attempting to ensure the blog entries they post are appropriate for all members of the social network. If this is not possible the blogger may consider making the blog private.  

Dealing with Harassment through the Blog


Another aspect bloggers who use a social network to publish their blog should be aware of includes the potential for harassment from other members through the blog. This can be in the form of offensive comments posted in response to blog entries. Depending on the degree of the harassment the blogger may choose to ignore these comments or take stronger actions. Bloggers should review the policies of the social network and solicit their assistance in dealing with harassment from other users. In most cases dealing with the problem may be as simple as blocking the user from making comments on the blog but in some cases it may be necessary to contact the social network administrators in an attempt to get the user banned from the system. In this situation the administrators will review the situation and make a judgment regarding whether or not the user has violated the terms of service.