Ticketea.com was awarded ‘Most Innovative Product’ at the e-Commerce Awards, 2012. The company is referred to as a social ticketing platform which enables event organisers and concert promoters to publish, manage and sell tickets to their events via Ticketea.com. Promoters also have the option to integrate the event on their own website or across social networks.

The idea is simple and has proven to be very effective. However, the social ticketing market is extremely competitive – so how did Ticketea.com successfully distinguish itself from other online platforms?

The answer is web strategy. Instead of building just another social ticketing platform, Ticketea set itself apart from competitors by adopting a comprehensive approach to its online strategy.

After developing an easy to navigate website, Ticketea was quick to recognise the growing trend towards social networking and enabled events to be published across all major social networks. An app, specifically targeted at Facebook, was also developed to further facilitate viral promotion on the world’s most popular social platform. The Facebook integration allows organisers to promote and sell tickets to events on their Facebook page, while fans can share and promote the event among their group of friends.

Next, Ticketea turned their attention to the actual live events to further enhance customer experience. ticketea Checkpoint was developed as a complementary iPhone app for event organisers which scans attendees’ tickets via QR codes. The team designed the app as a quick, easy and safe way to control access to the concerts, and it can scan both the e-ticket format, ticket within mobiles, as well as printed tickets. The app is free to download and acts as a cost effective way for organisers to monitor access to events.

It’s clear from the triumph of Ticketea.com that the most successful brands understand their target audience, and can identify what social tools to use to complement their needs.

Nowadays, it’s simply not enough to develop a website – customers expect more! Buzzwords such as QR codes, social and SEO are common place in the virtual world and the opportunities for your company to exploit such tools are endless. However, in their pursuit to appear innovative and on-trend, many companies tend to over complicate their web strategies and get lost in a sea of social frenzy. Similar to Ticketea, companies should decide on their objectives and build their social stratgey around them, instead of trying to incorporate every available option into their online efforts.

Of course, if you need any help developing an online strategy you can reach the t2 team here.

IAB has predicted that by the end of 2012, online advertising will account for 20% of total adspend. 

Online marketing and advertising encompasses various tactics such as paid-search listings, which includes Google Adwords commonly referred to as Pay-Per-Click Advertising, and Display Network advertising. Paid-search listings are often seen as text-ads, while display advertising offers company’s more variety in the form of video and image ads. The benefit of Pay Per Click advertising is that you set the budget, you only pay for the clicks that you receive and your ad is shown to users who already have an interest in your product or service. Ireland has responded positively to this cost effective advertising tool and paid search accounted for 42% of total online adspend in 2011.

“All businesses need to consider their digital strategy and how they will capture the opportunities associated with the migration to digital platforms.”
                                                                                                                                                                               Bartley O’Connor, Advisory Consulting,PwC

With over 2m Irish Facebook users, it’s no surprise that advertising spend on social media sites was estimated to be around €5.8m in 2011. Mobile advertising and mCommerce is another key trend that Irish businesses should pay attention to. The new Facebook timeline facilitates mobile advertising in a user’s news feed, and with smartphone ownership expected to rise to 71% of the Irish population by the end of 2012, mobile marketing can no longer be considered as something to try if the budget stretches, but should be considered as a central element to any marketing campaign.

The most obvious reason for this growth in online adspend can be attributed to the increasing amount of time that users spend online. Newmediatrendwatch.com reports that 66.8% of the Irish population is online, while ¾ of Irish adults browse the internet for personal use.

While these figures are a positive reflection of Ireland’s response to changing business and customer patterns, we are still lagging behind The UK. For companies that export to The UK, online advertising should be a key factor in their overall marketing strategy.

Statistics published by The Telegraph at the start of April, calculates that The UK spent an estimated £4.8bn on online advertising in 2011. In the same year, adspend on mobile advertising rose by 157% to £203m.

Similar to Ireland, The UK’s online adspend has been influenced by users spending more time online and a surge in the ownership of smartphones and tablets.

Contact t2 here if you will like advice on incorporating online advertising into your marketing campaign.

The company offers customers choice with a variety of different restaurants and menus, and facilitates a faster and more convenient ordering process. The internet is instant, and customers don’t have to wait for someone on the other end to answer the phone. 

Online Marketing Tactics

 The Irish division of the company operates primarily online with the company website, Just-Eat.ie. The site is marketed online through Google pay-per-click advertising. The company decided to use pay-per-click as part of their marketing strategy because they considered it to be

“god of quality online advertising. Businesses are rewarded for relevancy.
Their costs come down and their volumes go up – it’s win-win for everybody.”*

 The company also offers customers a newsletter and a blog. It uses a strong-call –to-action on their Irish website to encourage customers to sign up to the newsletter. The blog is diverse, updating customers about new menus, promotions or special offers and other additional content that Just-Eat.ie wants to share with readers such as images or messages from the company.

 Social Media as a Marketing Tool

Because Just-Eat is an online operation, customers never physically interact with staff members.     Just-Eat has smartly taken advantage of social media platforms to add a personal touch and face to the brand. 

Just-Eat adopted Facebook as a cost-effective solution to create a personality around the company, which gives customers and fans the opportunity to interact and get to know the brand. The company has created a Facebook business page specifically targeted to each of its audiences, tailored to the language and customs of each country. With over 28,039 likes on their Irish Facebook page, the company frequently engages with their fans through page posts, status updates and competitions.

Just-Eat.ie also has a presence on other social media platforms such as Twitter, Google + and YouTube. The YouTube Channel has over 15,000 video views, while their Twitter account has build up nearly 2,000 followers in Ireland. 

In theory, it would seem that an online company originally started in Denmark with operations across four continents should find it difficult, and not to be mention, extremely costly to connect and engage with their audience in each country on a personal level. However, this is not the case for Just-Eat. The company has effectively utilised powerful social media tools and cost-effective advertising methods to achieve widespread success, build up a loyal customer base and attract repeat customers.

*source: Just-Eat online marketing case study:
              http://www.ebusinesslive.ie/newsletter/Story/4/1653/ob.html/260

By 2015, there will be one mobile device for every one person on earth!
I

The buzzword of the moment is ‘mCommerce’. 2012 is set to be a pivitol year for mobile commerce, and companies are actively optimising their websites to make them suitable for viewing on mobile devices.

Not having a mobile site can cost your company customers, as users will get frustrated trying to navigate a large website on a small mobile screen that is actually designed for viewing on a larger desktop device. Users will leave your site and move to a competitor’s more accessible mobile site.

The rising popularity of smartphone usage in UK and Ireland:

• There are 25.4million smart phone users in the UK, with a population penetration rate of 51.3%. That gives the UK the highest penetration rate in Europe and a higher rate than the USA.
  via: http://www.comscoredatamine.com/2012/02/smartphone-adoption-approaches-tipping-point-across-markets/
  

• Over ¾ of a million people in Ireland own a smartphone.
  via: http://www.techcentral.ie/17716/smartphone-ownership-up-20-in-2011-report

• By the end of 2012, it is expected that 71% of the Irish population will own a smartphone.
  via:  http://redcresearch.ie/news/explosive-growth-in-smartphone-and-tablet-ownership-in-ireland-and-worldwide
  

• By November 2011, over 5 million apps had been downloaded by Irish adults. 82% of Irish smartphone owners downloaded at least one app.
  via: http://www.techcentral.ie/17716/smartphone-ownership-up-20-in-2011-report

These recent trends in smart phone usage show that customers are now purchasing mobile phones based on their desire to connect to the internet, without having to turn on their laptop or PC. There is a need for companies, now more than ever, to develop mobile friendly websites to cater to changing consumer patterns.

Let’s take look at a case study, provided by Google Mobile Ads, of how the well-known online travel agency website, ebookers.com, experienced a 90% increase in visitors and bookings with the launch of their mobile site.

Who is ebookers.com?

Ebookers.com is a global, online travel agency offering a broad range of services including 250 airline services, 95,000 hotels, car hire, insurance and package holidays. In January 2011, ebookers.com launched one of the first fully functional multi-product mobile websites in Europe. The company branded themselves with the slogan ‘book easier. travel happier’.

The idea of ‘book easier’ was supported by a fully transactional ecommerce mobile site. To help customers ‘travel happier’, the company developed an ebookersExplorer iPad app. Rather than concentrating on transactions, the app became a dynamic travel magazine, sharing content from various social media networks.

Promotion

Ebookers used organic and paid search listings to generate interest and drive customers to the mobile site. To promote the app, advertising was employed across various online channels such as social media sites and the official ebookers.com website. An advertising campaign targeted specifically to iPads was introduced, and this campaign saw app downloads increase by 100%.

Changing Consumer Patterns

Ebookers also noticed a change in consumer activity via the mobile app.  Rob Define, Director of Product Strategy, reported some visits to the mobile site lasted 50% longer than visits to the desktop website.

Distinct booking patterns also started to emerge. 60% of advance mobile hotel bookings were made one day or less before the check-in date and 40% of mobile air bookings were made for day trips or one-way journeys. Through this data, ebookers can tailor their mobile site to accommodate these new user requirements which will, in turn, increase customer satisfaction and revenue. Ebookers have also tapped into a previously unknown travel audience, and can now adjust and develop new marketing strategies to attract this market.

The ebookers.com case study highlights the radical change in which consumers are interacting and connecting online. Contact t2 here if you would like to discuss your options regarding a mobile website or app for your company.

The answer is social commerce. The company is ASOS.com.

Who is ASOS.com?

ASOS.com (meaning ‘as seen on screen’) is the leading online fashion retailer in the UK with a core customer base of women between 16-34 year old. Similar to other retailers, ASOS has seen slow growth in the UK in recent months but its international sales have surged.

Its global operations include UK, USA, France, Germany, Spain, Italy and Australia, and ASOS also offers localised language websites in Spanish, French, Italian and German along with websites targeting USA and Australia.

ASOS.com is a dominant force in the online marketing community. Through multi-channel online marketing strategies and by utilising existing social media platforms, the global company is correctly catering to its target market by positioning itself where its potential customers are interacting.

Facebook

Likes: 1,627,988
Tabs:  ASOS men
          ASOS shop
          Future Stylist
          Tick Tock Shop- 24 hour sale. Customers can be alerted of the  next sale
          by clicking ‘like’.
          ASOS Instagram            

ASOS.com became Europe’s first ever fully integrated f-shop, an app which allows Facebook users to shop directly from Facebook without ever having to visit the official ASOS.com online store.

ASOS mobile website

Mobile Commerce is one of the fastest growing online industries and ASOS decided to set up a mobile website after seeing that 10% of their traffic came from mobile devices. In December 2010,ASOS reported earnings of £1 million from its mobile site alone.
via:http://www.nma.co.uk/news/cover-story-fashion-etailers-lead-charge-into-mobile-shopping/3022697.article

iPhone, iPad and iTouch app

After experiencing year-on-year growth of over 800% in mobile revenue, ASOS decided to capitalise on the success of their mobile website and introduce an app suitable for download on iPhone, iPad and iTouch. via:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/the-asos-shopping-application-130434903.html

Consumers can access over 40,000 products and can shop directly via the app. ASOS also offer a digital magazine app where users can keep up-to-date with fashion trends and styling tips.

YouTube Channel

Subscribers: 4,581
Video Views: 8,230,424

ASOSfashion’s YouTube Channel offers viewers and subscribers exclusive interviews with magazine cover stars, celebrity chats and other cool stuff that the company sees on it travels.

Click and Collect

ASOS are rolling out a new service to meet online shoppers ever demanding needs. Many potential customers who are interested in ordering online are greatly inconvenienced by the fact that they will not be available to collect the package at home and will have to collect it from the post collection point. ASOS is aiming to make it even more comfortable for consumers to shop online by setting up collection points in participating stores e.g. Spar, making the delivery of goods more convenient for the shopper.

It’s clear from ASOS fashion’s social commerce strategies that they are at the forefront of online marketing. However, it’s not impossible for you to achieve this success.

The key to success is to take advantage of existing online channels that are currently available. ASOS has chosen platforms that are relevant to their target market. The company has used innovative technologies to their benefit and has acted on key trends within the marketplace to build up customer loyalty, boost sales and increase profits.

Contact t2 here if you need help identifying relevant technologies and social media platforms in your industry, or would like assistance in setting up a social media campaign.

Take a look at the benefits of a mobile app to your company:

1. Increase interaction between customer and brand:

An app acts as a constant reminder of your brand. Once an app is downloaded, it is stored on the screen of the user’s smartphone. The user will be able to automatically interact with your brand without ever having to log into the internet and connect to your company website via the browser.

Social media platforms are an excellent way to humanise your brand and provide a creative way for users to get to know your company. If you don’t have a presence on social media sites, then an app gives you the perfect opportunity to interact with customers. An app will help you to build up brand loyalty as it acts as a constant reminder of your products or services,  and it is also a smart and interactive way to convey brand personality etc.

Consider a fitness company that could develop an app to help people devise a personal training programme, or a travel company that could develop an app to help customers plan their travel agenda, allowing users to share their route with other tourists who are also travelling to the same destinations.

2. Provide additional information/resources:

Apps allow you to develop your product offering and identity by enabling companies to provide additional resources to customers. Think about developing a digital magazine app to keep customers informed about new development or products. T2 recently developed an app for a Castlepark school to keep parents and students updated about after-school activities such as the time and place of events. It also provides a menu for school lunches and other important daily updates.

Overall, an app is great tool for providing additional information about products or services without cluttering your main website. Too much information on a website can confuse customers and leave them frustrated as they try to navigate through a sea of information.

3. More convenient for your customers:

Customers are now dictating the way companies do business. Modern consumers will no longer tolerate closing hours-they’ll simply shop online at a competitor’s store. If your website is delaying them due to slow load speeds, they’ll just move to faster competitor site. Changing customer patterns all point to one word-CONVENIENCE!

Apps allow the users to conveniently connect with your company. Just like mobile sites, apps are designed to facilitate browsing on handheld devices. Users don’t have to zoom in and out, scroll up and down or squint at non-mobile optimised images. The app enhances user experience as it is specifically tailored to suit smartphone devices.

As already stated, the app is stored on a smartphone’s screen. Apps are downloaded by customers because they are attracted by its particular purpose; whether it’s for practical, personal or entertainment reasons, and it conveniently allow users to access these services without having to search for the company website in their internet browser.

4. Gives you an edge over competitors:

Over 5 million apps were downloaded in Ireland in 2011 showing that Ireland really does like apps. 

Let’s face it-apps are cool! Offering a business app to customers sets up apart from competitors.  You’re showcasing your company as an innovative, cutting-edge brand. If you want to impress your existing audience and attract more customers you need to position yourself in their circles. And right now the smart phone circles are downloading apps.

The most important thing to remember when developing your app is that it needs to add value to your existing marketing efforts. It also needs to be useful to the customer. If it doesn’t add any additional benefit to the customer, then why would they want to download it?

Contact t2 here for advice on creating and developing a suitable business app for your company.

• on the top level localised domain www.mydomain.ru
• on the subdomain ru.mydomain.com
• or perhaps in the folder www.mydomain.com/ru

Unfortunately there is no right answer as there are advantages and disadvantages to all options. I think that most web developers and web strategists would agree that a tld (top level domain) with a country specific website on it, is the best option. Search Engines recognise it immediately as being a Russian website and visitors to websites trust domains that have their national domain extension. It can also be advantageous from an SEO point of view to host this website locally.

A disadvantage for many SME’s that target different countries is the expense involved in doing this. For many businesses it is just not financially feasible to have several different websites with the expense that each one incurs. There are also issues surrounding maintaining them. It can often be a challenge for Irish SME’s to have the resource in house to update several different sites.

So maybe using subdomains or folders is a more practical option for small export driven Irish companies? Sub domains or sub folders can all work off of one CMS (content management system) thus reducing expense for licences, domains and hosting. They can be geotargetted using Google Webmaster Tools. The following video explains exactly how this works.

What has your experience in this area been? Have you had more success with tlds or subdomains? T2 would love to hear your feedback.

There is a great article on webseoanalytics.com that relates to this topic from an SEO point of view. Read here.

• Website Development
• Technical Support
• Website Designer
• Sales

We also have a position available through the FAS Work Placement Programme.

If you are interested in the above roles and are a team player, please send us your CV and online portfolio to info@t2.ie – we look forward to hearing from you!