Marketing Innovation now moves FASTER than Technology Innovation

Technology is now moving slower than marketing.  Think about it: WordPress and Web 2.0 are 1999 technologies still used everywhere.  Web 3.0 is just Web 2.0 but easier, and more broadly used, not really "new technology".  Today, what distinguishes a great blog, website, or online application is how it is marketed.  And the marketing of websites, blogs, online applications and the like is evolving faster than we can even imagine; much faster than the technologies they run on. 

At Karmaback, we help companies experiment with new forms of online marketing: Sweepstakes on Facebook, Twitter, and Foursquare, Viral Coupons, Groupon-like Online Coupons, Referral Contests, Rewards Program, Loyalty Programs, and much, much more.  Most importantly, we have technologies and reporting tools that let marketers determine IF what they are doing is effective.

Karmaback now has almost 2 years of experimentation, best practices, and data in all things Marketing in this new era of marketing dominating technology.  We can tell you what works, what doesn't, and a little bit of why.

Check out what we do at Karmaback with our Social Sweepstakes, Social Coupons and Social Feedback System.  Find out how to keep pace with "The New Marketing"!

Never be out of work. DO!

Never be out of work.  It just looks bad.  "I'm looking for a job" has never been a bigger turn-off to employers.  Who wants to hire someone who doesn't at least have "something" they are working on.  At least run a blog and offer some consulting services.  Lean forward.  Do!  Don't just "be out of work"... or "look for work"... make something.  It's never been easier to start a small business and offer some consulting services or build a simple app or make a craft or something...

Turning "Visitors" into "Loyal Evangelists" is Impossible.

The verb turning implies that you actually turn something.  I believe it is impossible to "turn" a visitor of your website/store/product/service into a "Loyal" evangelist.  It is hubris to believe that we caused a "turning" to happen on a person.  So, instead, we must console ourselves by giving our visitors/customers every possible reason to decide to turn themselves!  Here is a short-list of things I've tried to "turn" visitors into evangelists.... and the success thereof.

1. Make the website/app look good.   Result: fail.  Opinion: good looks are not enough... they are expected.
2. Make the website/app easy to use.  Result: helps.  Opinion: combined with good looks... it is definately a "reason" someone might turn themselves into an evangelist.
3. Cheap Rewards.  result: fail.  Opinion: cheap rewards (such as useless points, etc.) are not effective.
4. Expensive Rewards.  result: so-so.  Opinion: if combined with other "reasons" it can push some % of visitors/customers over the edge.  *See loyalty cards.
5. Charity involvement: result: fail.  Opinion: Charity connections really don't motivate like they used to.
6. Delight the customer... underpromise, overdeliver.  result: WIN.  Opinion.. if there is ever any reason that a person might have to "turn" themselves into a loyal evangelist... this is the one.

An anecdote: I am a fanatic about Audible.com.  I use it for 2 hours every day (on my drive to/from work, I listen to books).  It's super easy to use website is reasonably attractive, and never fails me.  I always find new books I want to read, and the simplicity of sending them to my iPhone is delightful.  I am a delighted Audible fan, and for that reason (and maybe a few others), I am a loyal evangelist for audible.

The question: how can a Marketing Company (like Karmaback) help other companies DELIGHT their customers?  (and how can we measure it)?