Small business expert Scott Steinberg, a professional keynote speaker and noted strategic consultant, will debut

“The Business Expert’s Guidebook” series and companion show “Business Expert: Small Business Tips, Trends and Advice” in 2012. The first in a series of tip sheets that will be free to download and share from www.ASmallBusinessExpert.com, here he offers a high-tech holiday and social media marketing guide for startups and entrepreneurs.

‘Tis the season for increasing sales, expanding market share and boosting year-end profits. With the bulk of many businesses’ revenues earned during the holiday months, and shoppers in a spending mood, there’s no better time to double down on custom marketing programs. Thanks to the magic of high-tech, from unique value-adds to creative contests, giveaways and online deals, a variety of novel campaigns can quickly be assembled to match any budget. Looking to give your enterprise the gift of record Q4 growth? The following strategies can help you tie a lovely bow around that balance sheet.

Social Media Programs – Paid media can be effective, but it’s also expensive. Merchants targeting local audiences on shoestring budgets can use social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter and Google+ to attract customers instead. But offering eye-opening incentives including steep discounts, free samples or unique hands-on trials is imperative to prompting viral pass-along. Programs such as two-for-one deals, bonus gifts with purchase and exclusive events (“Holiday fashion show tonight – get a sneak peek at our 2012 collection!”) can all drive foot traffic, siphon customers from competitors and aid with lead generation. To ensure beleaguered shoppers don’t discount them though, you’ll need to employ singularly original or arresting bargains. Splurging on customers using loss leaders (e.g. gift-wrapped dog treats with every grooming) and splashy time-limited promotions (“free gingerbread ice cream today only!”) not only helps generate direct prospects. It also allows you to create sampling opportunities, promote to a captive audience, and, while consumers are actively engaged, potentially drive interest in higher-margin goods.

Affiliate and Referral Marketing Programs – Given word of mouth’s growing influence on today’s household purchasing decisions, it pays to turn fans of your business into Santa’s little helpers. The best way to recruit them: Incentivize conversation by providing eye-catching offers and savings, and compensate those that generate direct leads with exclusive discounts, gifts and cash rewards. Using software tools such as those offered by providers like Extole, DirectTrack and ReferralCandy, you can create customized referral programs for almost any industry. (Refer a pal, get $20! Click here to send Facebook friends a code for 60% off!) Distributable via social networks, widgets, apps and email, white-label solutions not only offer wide flexibility across devices, platforms and promotions. They also make it easy to track ads from click to purchase, and conscript an army of credible sales associates working on a strictly commission basis.

Mobile and Location-Based Marketing – Over 420 million smartphones will sell in 2011 alone according to IMS Research, many containing built-in GPS devices that actively monitor users’ locations. Letting you speak to customers at the right time and place when they’re in a shopping mood, mobile and location-based marketing services like Geotoko, Placecast and Xtify can potentially help close more holiday deals. Providing users with discounts, giveaways and specials via text message, pop-up alert or email, you can also integrate marketing with services like Foursquare and GoWalla to tie campaigns to specific stores or locations. From unique apps that send notifications even when closed to search engines that serve up special offers based on zip code, choices continue to grow. Letting you reach customers right when they’re weighing their options, location-based services can help you steal a sale right out from under a competitor’s feet.

QR Codes – Another handy feature many smartphones and tablets with built-in cameras such as the iPhone and iPad enjoy: The ability to scan Quick Response (QR) codes. These high-tech symbols, which operate similar to retail barcodes, can beam over instant savings or provide access to useful online information. Add them to signs, print ads, business cards and brochures, and customers can quickly access coupons, download menus on-demand or even see how low your prices compare to rivals’. Simple bonuses they offer might include providing free seasonal recipes to go with every dining set, complementary festive music downloads for that new stereo or videos showing products you’re selling in action. Letting you offer everything from suggestions on complementary accessories to go with that scarf to driving directions, potential applications are endless. Just be sure each offers customers meaningful rewards and tie a call-to-action to programs (take our survey to win a beach vacation!) to maximize performance.

Discounts and Deals – With value still paramount for millions of households, many entrepreneurs are increasingly coupling door-busting offers with regular distribution through daily deal services. Providers like Groupon, Living Social, Amazon Local and Google Offers can potentially put savings in front of millions for a slice of each purchase. Letting customers register to receive arresting bargains on spas, restaurants, movie theaters and more via email, all offer opportunities to help holiday programs connect with households trying to stretch every dollar. You can even set minimum purchase quantities required before discounts activate. Likewise, savvy marketers are also leveraging bargain-hunting services like FatWallet, RetailMeNot and DealsPl.us to reach today’s most price-sensitive buyers. Providing discount coupon codes, printable vouchers and unique presents for gift shoppers themselves (free holiday sampler with purchase) can help entice cost-conscious customers back into the fold.

Contests and Giveaways – The virtual equivalent of dropping a business card in a fishbowl for a free lunch, enticing customers to sign-up for generic online newsletters and email blasts is often just as difficult. To boost conversation rates and motivate holiday audiences, instead offer value-adding content (“one-of-a-kind holiday recipes delivered right to your inbox!”), interactive promotions that put applicants front and center, and more stirring rewards. Wherever possible, invite users to participate by submitting videos, photos, stories and other personal touches (“tell us your worst holiday gift”). Likewise, convert winning submissions into community spotlights, whether by highlighting contributors online, incorporating their submissions into ad campaigns, or making victors featured guests of honor at neighborhood events. Holiday giveaway prizes should also reinforce the promotion’s theme, provide unique experiences, or play to wish-fulfillment. Hint: “Cozy up with a romantic five-course Italian meal with seasonal wine pairing” sounds better than “dinner for two at Alfredo’s.”

Keywords and Online Advertising – According to the Ponemon Institute, a full third of holiday shoppers plan to spend more money online than in-store in 2011, and 37% and 12%, respectively, to make gift-giving purchases via smartphone or tablet. Knowing this, no matter your desired budget or audience, purchasing targeted keywords on popular search engines like Bing and Google can put you in front of prospective buyers right where they’re doing their primary research. Coupled with custom geographic/demographic targeting and personalized scheduling and spend levels, choosing specific keywords and terms can prove a highly effective sales tactic. For maximum impact, use more detailed search terms (e.g. “bike repair shop Dallas” vs. “bike repair”) and less popular phrases. (Placements are sold via silent auction, meaning purchasing lightly-contested terms may offer a better share of voice at lower cost, and more click-throughs.) Inside tip: If you’re feeling more naughty than nice, you can also buy up keywords related to competing products.

Custom Content and Publications – Resourceful entrepreneurs can also give shoppers the gift of more precious moments to spend with friends and family by providing time-saving hints and advice. Email marketing services ConstantContact, iContact and MadMimi let you send seasonally-themed digital newsletters straight to shoppers’ inboxes for a fraction of the cost of print mailers, and enable content sharing through social networks. Popular service MailChimp even allows gorgeous, customized mailings to be sent free in small quantities, while upgrades allow you to track viewers’ social media profiles and send targeted emails via Facebook, Twitter, Flickr or LinkedIn. Couple with links to bargains, storefronts and online videos (free to upload and host on providers like YouTube, Vimeo and Metacafe, then embed on your own site) to enhance SEO and user engagement. Beyond highlighting your expertise, all can enhance your reach, keep holiday bargains top of mind and help alleviate shoppers’ stress while building brand awareness.

-Scott Steinberg www.akeynotespeaker.com

A study of Competition in Global Mobile Markets
By Chetan Sharma

Over the course of the last decade, mobile communications has become an essential part of the global fabric of evolution. With almost 70% global subscription penetration as of 2010, mobility is being embedded into almost every facet of our lives. Mobility is also spreading across verticals whether it is m-pesa in Kenya or SMS based counterfeit medicine detection in Ghana or paying for your coffee using your NFC enabled mobile phone in a Tokyo café or watching the cricket world cup broadcast while hiking the Yangtze river near Tibet. Consumers expect access to information everywhere they are and the ecosystem is responding with continued innovation, which has become extremely critical in managing the competitiveness of nations.

It is also apparent that some of the innovation and market dynamics has been evidenced by the competitiveness of these markets at different levels – network, devices, and services. While the market entry conditions into the devices and software services markets have gone through significant overhaul this last decade, the competitiveness framework of the mobile networks has been more structured and controlled in many instances.

Given the importance of the mobile network infrastructure to every nation’s competitiveness, security, and productivity, it is useful to understand how the “competitive mobile markets” are formed. In theory, the perfectly competitive markets are in the best interest of the consumers as they provide the best value given the competitive dynamics and the equilibrium provides good checks and balances for the ecosystem.

The global mobile networks have shown a remarkable adherence to the “Rule of Three” which states that in any mature industry, 3 top players dominate the market. Sometimes it has been dictated by the regulators and in other instances by the markets. Some markets like in Europe have settled into a state of equilibrium while other hyper growth markets like India are shuffling to find the right balance.

The elements of globalization are also shaping how mobile network operators grow. The regulators and the political class are increasingly looking at mobile networks as national assets and any foreign ownership generally goes through tremendous scrutiny.

Having worked in major mobile markets around the world, we have been intrigued by the framework  for a competitive market and this is the theme we explore in this working paper. Having the front row seat in an industry that is growing stupendously has given us some unique perspective on the competitive forces at work in the mobile space. We studied the competitive landscape in 40 top mobile markets around the globe.

This paper presents the analysis and an in-depth analytical framework to study the competitive landscape in the global mobile markets.

To download the full paper - go to: http://chetansharma.com/mobilecompetition.htm 

How to get a relationship with the publisher?

Start with the Business Development person at the Publisher

• Communicate product position to publisher
• Use Prototypes/Demos
• Core engine – If you have one, great! Does it feel good? Is it fun?
• The more you have the better. It can be difficult as it may not be in final fidelity, but beauty does matter.

Visuals:

You need to convince the publisher that you can do it. “Concept videos” are good. Gray box – be able to play it (rough draft at least).

Show a “vertical slice” - pick a place in the game and make it pretty

Make sure you have the talent you need lined up so you are ready to go for execution. They will ask!

Events to go to!

DICE , GDC, and E3

Selling your stuff to publishers:

• Practice your pitch!
• You will get asked about your business at a high level – be ready for it!
• How many people do you have to do the work – be realistic!
• Can you execute on it?
• Execution, polish, finish

Next Meeting: Due diligence!

• They will look at your team and your process (Scheduling, have you shipped a game before, etc.
• They will look at your tools – what is your engine? How fast can you iterate?
• Source Control – bug tracker – what you are using? Testing (Bug fix & Chart) what is your “find and fix rate”
• Money – what is your burn rate?
• Ramp of people: what does ramp of hires look like? Be realistic?
• 40 people in 2 months? How do you compete with Valve and Microsoft for hires?

The entire team needs to be on “constant sell mode” – always need to be selling to everyone, everyday at the publisher. Share the great news, new concept art, be ready to demo at anytime. If you scope the game properly, it will work.

If you need to drop a level of your game (most likely you will need to) the game still needs to make sense.

Mitigate Risk!

Transparency is important, don’t bug publisher about everything but don’t hid it either – they may be able to help you out.

Keep people informed

The “honeymoon” phase is short – during that time, spend lots of time with publisher at this early phase. It will get rough and that relationship may be what you fall back on to when it does.

Have more than one contact at a publisher. What if they left? You’ll need to maintain contact at different levels.

Be nice to everyone as relationships are everything!

Publishing with Microsoft for example:

• Microsoft likes games that benefit the hardware. Showcase to products that feature their strengths
• Pitfall: Unrealistic expectations – Microsoft wants games for them not for the Wii.
• Product lifecycle – Usually games will trail off after 6 weeks, however there is a “long tail” as it will always be there.
• Indie developers who are proactive about marketing their game do 10 times better.
• Know all the bloggers – go to PAX and promote your game.
• Do a “dev blog” for promotion
• Marketing – don’t use all your “ammo” at once. Try to manage how you leak out info to the public. Learn the ways you can give info without violating the NDA you signed– Don’t’ give away your internal processes
• Trailers are a good way to sell a demo as well.
• Microsoft is always looking for a good partner – not just a good game.
• Develop a relationship. If you have ducks in a row, the decision makers can see if you have talent. If it’s a good idea and a good team, Great!
• Be passionate, not pompus!
• Develop the partnerships – Prove yourself to be a good partner.
• Publishers – there will always be shifts in management which will change the ideas of the target market they choose to hold in their portfolio

Range of Models:

1. Developer will fund a game – Publisher will test, do localization, ratings, marketing, etc.
2. 3^rd party to 1^st party is 60:40

Good advice:

You have to be at GDC – try to get to them before the event if you can., if during or after GDC, you have the highest threshold of competition. Be prepared: the quality of products get higher and higher every year.

1. Era of franchises MAY be over. Why? All sales are dependent on distribution and retail. People trust brands so they will buy the newest product. Big name franchises don’t succeed on social network distributions. Product relationships have changed and product drives the social world. Franchises dominate the catalog-based world. Now, products are sold through social distribution
2. We will all become services (from products). All revenue is post initial download/acquisition , 50-80% of development efforts are post-launch. Why does that matter? Company structures change as financial models change.
3. Marketing by numbers: Game marketing to web marketing. Customer acquisition, retention, monetization all become numbers driven. Traditional game marketing skills are of limited use. So what? As marketing structures change you need to pay attention to the numbers.
4. Game design changes: No longer player vs screen but player vs player. Design drives audience and monetization. Designs are tested and numbers driven.  Designs for a service need to be multi-platform.
5. Listen to your players: not every email, but listening to your customers will help you improve. Sometimes it will be more feedback than you can handle, so you must structure it well. Balance qualitative feedback with quantitative feedback (review #’s or “stars”). However we are all still learning – creating a hit is still very hard. Monetization is still being developed. Product quality is everything. Be prepared: social network policies and APIs evolve, traffic costs and customer support costs can be high.