2014 saw the world of social media take some new turns; some for better, others for worse. We’ve seen mobile use skyrocket; activity on social media during TV shows rise (according to research by Virgin Media) and the arrival of shopping via Twitter. But with the year coming to a close, it’s time to have a look at which of these social media trends will take centre stage in 2015’s social landscape.

1. Mobile as priority
According to Roger Katz of clickz.com, carriers’ shelf space for mobile handsets with screens sized 4.7 inches and over has grown from 4% to a third, whilst the number of daily active mobile users on Facebook has grown 15% in 2014 alone. If these stats aren’t enough to send a clear message, consider that the number of mobile-only users on Facebook grew by 34% – a startling spike that suggests mobile is no longer a secondary channel. It’s fast becoming first-choice. Taking Facebook as a guide, Katz suggests ‘mobile-aware’ should become ‘mobile-first’ and think about how their social presence can cater to the mobile user. Big platforms have already been doing this, with Facebook creating its separate Messenger app and purchasing smaller mobile apps like WhatsApp, Instagram and Karma. Twitter, on the other hand, recently purchased the MoPub ad exchange platform in 2013 and even Google Ad words is focusing more on mobile-centered display ads.

2. Paid amplification
A recent Forrester report stated that organic interaction on Facebook brand posts has shrunken to just 0.073%. For a while now, Facebook has been pushing its promoted posts feature as a way to further monetize the platform and allow businesses to increase their outreach. And Twitter’s promoted tweets, have become more prevalent, and attracting more users with each quarter (Thomas Armitage, site-seeker.com). Katz believes brands ought to “ditch thinking about social media as a free-place market”, and instead take the time to think about audience segmentation and the needs of their particular audience.Once brands have chosen carefully which social platform(s) to focus on, they can invest money into expanding their reach; capitalizing on promising demographic and/or encouraging engagement from otherwise passive users.

3. Social shopping
The idea of shopping via social media is probably an obvious one in hindsight, but it wasn’t until Twitter rolled out the idea earlier in 2014 that marketers started to consider it as a realistic possibility. With the integration of a ‘Buy’ button in certain tweets, visible only to a small segment of users, Twitter was able to test out the service through select brands like (RED) and Rihanna. Facebook soon followed, rolling out a ‘Buy’ button trial of its own, and even micro blogging site Tumblr recently announced it will try out the feature. If engagement rates are satisfactory and there’s no decline in user-base, the chances are companies could be making more of this new feature. And for good reason too – social ‘buy’ buttons would potentially enable them to increase their sales; acquire concrete revenue figures from specific social media activity, and involve users in their brand in a whole new way.

4. Vlogging
Vlogging is becoming an increasingly common advertising channel for brands both large and small, giving blogging a run for its money as consumers’ go-to platform for reviews and advice. With the growing emphasis on unpolished, human-centred and consumer-generated content, companies are realizing that customers want to hear the truth from other customers – not so much brands themselves. YouTube is a platform with over one billion unique monthly visitors, and the second largest search engine according to Laura Harrison of Socialnomics. It has a wide demographic of 18-54, and videos are known to be shared “12 times more than links and text posts combined”. A brand can either host its own vlogging channel or offer indie vloggers free goods in exchange for reviews and exposure. With the rise of young ‘celebrity’ vloggers like Zoella, Alfie Deyes, Tyler Oakley and Lily ‘Superwoman’ Singh, it’s now a strong contender for engagement that brands would be crazy not to take advantage of.

5. Social wallets
Earlier in 2014, a Stanford student leaked hacked photos that revealed a line of code in Facebook’s Messenger app that suggested a payment and transfer platform could be on the cards. The payment system would allow Facebook users to not just make payments for goods over social media (hence the integration of a ‘buy’ button) but also send money to friends via direct debit. The concept yet remains inactive, but if it were to come to fruition it would make social media a financial arena as well as a social one. Were users to trust Facebook and other networks with their money, these players would certainly enjoy increased power as a result (and brands would no doubt be able to cash in on this new relaxed willingness of users). When we consider the rise of mobile contactless payment systems such as Apple’s iPay and EE’s Cash On Tap, combined with social media users’ shift towards mobile, the idea of social wallets makes perfect sense.

6. Interest-based, not people-based
The last couple of years have seen a wave of new social platforms enter the foray; from image-based sites like Instagram, Pinterest and Tumblr; to Google+ and Ello. The changing trend here has been in how we consume our updates (images over text-based; short GIFS and videos etc). But a new trend emerging is altering the kind of updates we choose to consume. Newer platforms like Foodie, Fitocracy and PlantWorking are geared towards individual audiences rather than taking a ‘everything, everyone, everywhere’ approach. While Foodie is a place for chefs and cooks to share and explore recipes, Fitocracy allows gym bunnies to share workout plans and talk fitness, while PlantWorking is a social network for gardeners. The main takeaway here is that new social networks are likely to be more interest-focused in 2015, uniting users through common hobbies and passions.

7. Continued quest for personal privacy
With an increasing level of publicity surrounding data sharing and privacy on the internet, several platforms have tried to step it up a notch in 2014 by promising more privacy to their users. Newcomer Ello, for example, promises never to sell user data, whilst Snapchat, Whisper, YikYak and Telegram have each taken a different approach to the social stratosphere. These platforms allow users to engage in conversations privately among their friends, or in some cases, connect with strangers while still keeping their identity private. However, incidents such as the Snapchat hacking and Whisper’s secret compilation of posts and locations (for use in its own search database) have proven that the battle for privacy is not yet won. Ryan Holmes of Time.com has commented that the pressure for privacy will only grow stronger in 2015.

Author: Adele Halsall is the lead writer and researcher at Customer Service Guru, the UK’s leading Customer Service blog. Follow her on Twitter @gurucustomers

www.sdsar.com

Signs of the Times | Signarama San Diego (Kearny Mesa), CA

Signs of the Times

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Creating signs that reflect seasonal themes, holidays or unusual events (like the recent winter-like conditions in usually balmy San Diego) can differentiate you from the competition. It’s a good idea to have a variety of signs at your disposal, so you can switch them out as appropriate.

It’s a good idea to have signs that beckon customers shopping for:

• Valentine’s Day
• Mother’s Day
• Father’s Day
• Graduations
• Weddings
• Birthdays
• Anniversaries
• Christmas and Hanukkah

You can also use signs to showcase:

• Fall, winter, spring or summer specials
• Weather occurrences, i.e., keep cool, warm up, stay dry, etc.
• Early bird specials
• Midnight madness sales

The start of a new year is a perfect time to take stock of your signage and see if you need an infusion of new messages on hand so you’re prepared to respond rapidly as the need arises. We look forward to helping you enhance your sign inventory for 2015.

Signs of the Times | Signarama San Diego (Kearny Mesa), CA

The Power of Size | Signarama San Diego (Kearny Mesa), CA

The Power of Size

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While it’s certainly fine to choose to do business with a mom and pop sign shop, you gain quite a few benefits when you work with Signarama—Kearny Mesa, one of more than 850 Signarama stores around the world. Here are just a few:

• Personalized service. While we’re part of a large organization, we provide an “old-fashioned” brand of customer service that focuses on doing what it takes to meet customer needs.
• Ongoing training. Our team of sign professionals stays current on the latest industry developments—including technological innovations—to be able to provide customers with the latest and greatest end products.
• Buying power. We can often get discounts from suppliers due to the power of the Signarama name—and we pass on those savings to our customers.
• Broad product menu. Our in-house capacities run broad and deep—from large format digital print signs and window and door graphic signs to indoor and outdoor signs, banners, letters and graphics, vehicle graphics and lettering, and trade show and point of purchase displays. If customers request something we can’t do—which seldom occurs—we have a large network to call upon for assistance.

It has been our honor to serve the greater Kearny Mesa community since 1999, and we look forward to many more years of helping customers solve their sign challenges and grow their businesses. Happy holidays and Happy New Year from our family at Signarama—Kearny Mesa to yours!

The Power of Size | Signarama San Diego (Kearny Mesa), CA

It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like… | Signarama San Diego (Kearny Mesa), CA

It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like…
Yes, tis the season for gifting, and if you own a retail establishment, you certainly want to make sure you get your fair share of consumers’ holiday dollars. How can signs help you? Here are a few suggestions:

• Create signs that promote two-for-one deals or buy one, get one off may draw people into your store—as may the suggestion that it’s appropriate for individuals to treat themselves, too. Everyone is looking for a deal at this time of year, especially those who have long shopping lists.
• Ramp up your signs’ “festive quotient” by using seasonal colors and images to engage potential customers. The holidays are supposed to be a “feel good” time of year, and as a retailer, you can certainly help set the right tone.
• Don’t forget Hanukkah. If your store is in an area with a significant Jewish population, produce signs catering to that market. The first night of Hanukkah is Dec. 16 and it’s traditional to exchange gifts for each of its seven nights—which means plenty of spending to be done.
• Think about using signs to draw people to in-store events such as book signings, music performances and cooking demonstrations. Events can attract a crowd and spur spending.

Ho, ho, ho! At Signarama—Kearny Mesa, we’re happy to serve as your “elves,” helping you have the merriest and most prosperous holiday season.


www.sdsar.com

It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like… | Signarama San Diego (Kearny Mesa), CA

The Importance of Proofreading | Signarama San Diego (Kearny Mesa), CA

The Importance of Proofreading

If you were producing a big report or responding to a request for proposals, it’s likely that you would ensure one or more individuals checked the copy for typos, grammar errors, and anything that doesn’t make sense. Although signs are often light on copy, that doesn’t mean the potential for making errors goes away.

Imagine how the creators of the following signs felt when their errors came to light:

• ·         So Fun, They Won’t Even Know Their Learning
• ·         WE BYE USED CARS
• ·         Customer Parking Only—All Others Will be Toad
• ·         Cakes for all occasions: Wedding’s, Birthday’s, Anniversary’s, Christening’s
• ·         IF YOU DON’T LIKE THE PRICE, TO BAD
• ·         MEMORIAL DAY SPECILAS

In case some of the mistakes escape you:

• ·         “Their” should be “They’re”
• ·         “BYE” should be “BUY”
• ·         “Toad” should be “Towed”
• ·         All the apostrophes should be deleted, i.e., Weddings, Birthdays, etc.
• ·         “TO” should be “TOO”
• ·         “SPECILAS” should be “SPECIALS”

The takeaway from this should be clear: make sure you have a bunch of people reviewing the verbiage on your signs before the production process gets underway. It doesn’t make a difference if your mistake involves homonyms (bye and buy, toad and towed), grammar (their and they’re, to and too), punctuation (wedding’s, birthday’s, etc.) or typos (SPECILAS and SPECIALS)—you look equally bad when the public sees it.

As your sign professional, we’ll do our best to ensure your signs are always a positive reflection of your organization, but we are not writers or editors. You can help us out by providing us with copy that’s been carefully reviewed by more than one person.

 www.sdsar.com

The Importance of Proofreading | Signarama San Diego (Kearny Mesa), CA

72% of People Who Complain on Twitter Expect a Response Within an Hour

by Pamela Vaughan
July 23, 2014 at 12:00 PM

Turns out people have some pretty high standards when  it comes to Twitter response time. Especially when  they've got a bone to pick with your brand.

We recently came across some survey data from Lithium  Technologies that shows just how critical response time  is in social media if you're a brand.

According to charts published on Search Engine Watch, 70% of surveyed Twitter users expect a  response from brands they reach out to on Twitter and of those users, 53% want that  response in under an hour. Impatient little bunch, eh?

It's worth noting that this is self-reported data -- not observational data -- so what people say they  want might be inflated. Still, this is fascinating data. Let's take a look at how it breaks down ...

The Majority of People Want a  Response in Under 2 Hours

In Particular, People Who Complain  Want Quick Responses

People get even antsier when they have beef with the brand: The percentage of people who  expect a response within the hour increases to 72% when they're issuing a complaint.

Consequences of Poor Response Times

So what happens if your brand doesn't respond to those tweets in a timely manner? Nothing  particularly positive, for the most part. In fact, 60% of respondents cited negative consequences  to the brand if they didn't receive timely Twitter responses. More specifically ...

• 29% of respondents would tell their friends and family about the experience. 
• 26% would escalate their concern through other sources of communication.
• 24% would consider buying less from that company in the future.
• 21% wouldn't recommend the company's products/services.
• 15% would complain about (or shame) the company/brand in social media.

So how does poor response time impact people's perceptions of the brand? For the majority -- 49% -- their perception doesn't change at all. That said, 38% hold a grudge, saying they feel  more negativity toward the brand as a result .

And ... would you look at that ... strangely, 14% actually end up feeling more positive about the  brand


How Timely Twitter Responses Are Rewarded

Now I'm not exactly sure what to make of that 14%, but the vast majority of this research clearly  indicates that devoting resources to customer service on Twitter (and likely other social networks  where applicable to your brand) is critical for companies.

Luckily, the payback is good.

Specifically, when a brand responds in a timely manner on Twitter ...

• 47% of people recommend the brand in social media. 
• 43% of people encourage friends and family to buy from that brand. 
• 42% of people praise the company in social media.
• 38% of people are receptive to advertisements.
• 34% of people buy more of the company's products.

In fact, the majority of interactions between people and brands on Twitter is positive to begin with.

• 69% interact with brands to give positive feedback
• 58% interact with brands to recommend them. 
• 61% interact with brands to show their enthusiasm.

No sense in ruining all that positive engagement with poor Twitter management, now is there?  Learn how to tackle real-life social media customer service obstacles in this post, and consider a  tool like Social Inbox to make social media management more, well, manageable. 

Image credits: Search Engine Watch

www.sdsar.com

72% of People Who Complain on Twitter Expect a Response Within an Hour

Thinking Big? We Can Help! | Signarama San Diego (Kearny Mesa), CA

Thinking Big? We Can Help!

Large format digital printing is one of our specialties. That means when you need a big-big sign, you can count on us to provide the same focus on quality that we do for smaller projects.

The bigger the sign, the bigger the impact, so attention to detail is critical. Professional design will ensure a clean look and top-of-the-line large format digital printers will ensure the colors are crisp and provide that “pop” you seek.

Take a look at a couple large format signs you may have seen around San Diego that came from our shop:

Large format digital printing can also be used to create window coverings that double as signs:

(Yes, you can see out!)

The moral of this story: size is no issue for us at Signarama—Kearny Mesa. We’re happy to help with all your sign needs, big and small!


www.sdsar.com

Thinking Big? We Can Help! | Signarama San Diego (Kearny Mesa), CA