Social media has taken connectivity to a new level. Let your eyes drift around any public location and you will see people tweeting about what they are eating for lunch, Facebook chatting with friends and total strangers, and searching the internet for everything from restaurants to library locations.
It is said that Generation Y (born between 1980 and the 1990s) is the tech-savvy generation. In truth, they are the tech-dependent generation. Why is this important to you? Regardless of whether you are interested in reaching them for your business, social concerns or curious about their political views, they are a significant market segment – 71 million strong. (The Social Librarian, William J Schroer) By 2017 it is expected that Generation Y will be outspending the Baby Boomers.
Imagine tapping in to such a vast market and reaching them where they live – online. Not only do you want to reach them where they spend a major portion of their time, but you want to be the first to attract their attention. Generation Y is also the convenience generation. They grew up with fast food, fast cars and fast information through the internet. Why not give them the specific products they want, your products, in exactly the time and place they prefer to shop.
Welcome! It is my pleasure to introduce you to Splurgy. No, the word does not appear in the dictionary, yet. A decade ago the word Google did not appear in the dictionary; now Google is a household word as both a verb and a noun. We Facebook someone or Google something. Splurgy has the potential to corner their segment of the market.
So what is Splurgy, you ask? Splurgy has the capability to embed discounts, coupons, and promotional offers in your social media communications. Imagine the potential of not only being able to promote your offer but have the capability to capture the email addresses and names of everyone who engages with your promotion through the automatic tracking platform Splurgy has incorporated within their system.
The San Francisco-based startup considers itself a “universal promotions platform,” through which marketing teams can conceive and execute on giveaways, flash sales and social coupons that can be synced across their Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest accounts, and even embedded in their websites. Splurgy is on a mission to give brands some granularity in terms of how they offer promotions and coupons via social networks — and to whom. For example, marketers are keen to find ways to reward their faithful users and top influencers, so Splurgy allows them to create VIP coupons, in which they reward users based on settings they choose. In 60 characters or less, brands can describe the benefit of the coupon to the users (say an additional 15 percent discount) if they qualify based on certain criteria, which might be having at least 300 followers on Twitter,” Techcrunch.
Social media has taken on a life of its own in terms of popularity. Generation Y has adopted social media as their connectivity and research platform, but it does not stop there. From grandparents to elementary school students, people are using social media. In the 1990s, the internet became the “latest and greatest.” Next social media claimed that coveted spot. Splurgy may be the next innovation to receive the “latest and greatest” label.
Now that you can embed your discount coupon or any other promotional offer in your social media, you can reach a vast market instantly. The Splurgy technology is already expanded to your website. Soon Splurgy technology will appear in articles, email blasts, blogs and You-tube.
Reaching the potential customer is the first objective. Tracking the visitors with their name and email address allows the ability to follow up. Your follow through is critical. Remember that Generation Y is the convenience generation; they like fast everything. Prompt follow up keeps your product or service top of mind and allows you to continue additional offerings. Caution: “fast everything” can also mean that unless your offer is extremely compelling, it may slip to the back recesses of the priority list. Timely follow up can solidify the sale.
Just as your marketing requires a variety of media, your follow up does also. Follow up immediately online and continue the mental refreshers through post cards. You can use a QR code on your post card to take the potential customer back to the precise location in your social media where you made your Splurgy offer.
Social media and Splurgy are significant market opportunities. Join the bandwagon or be left behind in cyberspace.