Local Online Advertising To Increase 50% In 2008
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
In a recently published report, local media research firm Borrell Associates projects a 50% increase in local online ad spending in 2008. Their research shows that small and medium sized firms are reducing their off-line spends and focusing more or all of their dollars on local online (link to Mediapost article).
It makes sense to us here at getsugar. Over the past few months we have seen a marked increase in the number of inquiries and interest in getsugar from past and new advertisers. Anecdotally, we are also hearing more advertisers telling us they are reducing their print buys and looking to do more things online.
New Client: Barbershop Lounge
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
We started working today with a new client, Barbershop Lounge (245 Newbury Street www.barbershoplounge.com). They have a cool concept which is a place where men can go to get services they would normally have to go to a salon or spa to receive. So, men can not only get their haircut, they can get a hot shave, a massage, pedicure, manicure, facial, show shine and other services. The space is very male friendly and meant to put a guy at ease. Plus it has a plasma TV, pool table and coffee bar.
Bruce Miller, one of the owners of Barbershop Lounge, contacted us because his trainer Justin Budovsky (thanks Justin!) has run several personal training offers through getsugar. Bruce thought that reaching women might be a good way to reach men. It's counter-intuitive and none of us were sure how it would work, but we all thought it worth a try. Bruce and Judy Fogarty, the General Manager, put together a great first offer - a 60 minute mens facial which normally costs $85 and sold it to getsugar women for $42.50. We launched the offer today and have had really nice sales (see offer and buy). Next up is a Father's Day special offer scheduled for Thursday June 5
Email Marketing More Effective Than Search and Display
Thursday, January 24, 2008
A new study was published by Datran Media that echoes previous marketing studies. Eight out of ten marketers rated email marketing ahead of search and display. 82% of marketers said they planned to increase their email marketing budget. And the ROI on email marketing was $45.65 for every doallr spent, which was twice that of search and display.
getsugar's email marketing choices are the best way to reach women in and around Boston and outperform every other list by a wide margin. To learn more, please contact Ben Tregoe at ben at getsugar dot com or 617 833 8515.
Editors' Collection - Holiday Bliss List
Thursday, December 20, 2007
On December 6 we launched the first getsugar Editors' Collection Holiday Bliss List. We gathered holiday themed offers from Wish, twilight, Moxie, Velvet Ribbon, dresscode and Healthworks Fitness.
Each offer is placed in the catalog and then is part of the Dedicated Email announcing a new Editors' Collection. Over the month, each offer is placed in as many Monday and Tuesday emails as we can as well as receiving prominent placement on the getsugar homepage. In addition, the business gets to keep and use their photos for their own marketing.
The idea behind the Editors' Collections is for businesses to get their item beautifully shot and styled and then promoted heavily by getsugar as part of a package that costs much less than if they did a similar amount of photography and promotion by themselves.
To learn more about the photographer, Tim Gray, please visit his website www.furnaldgray.com.
Skin Cancer Fundraiser - Cause Marketing
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
In the early spring of this year, we took an idea for a marketing and fundraising project to Cheryl Clarkson, President & CEO of SkinHealth Centers. The idea was that SkinHealth would run a series of offers through getsugar and getsugar and SkinHealth would then donate a significant amount of the sales to a charity. We would market this through getsugar, SkinHealth, 3rd party advertising and PR. We thought this would be a terrific way to raise money and awareness for a great cause, help build the business of SkinHealth, and help build the awareness of getsugar.
Cheryl loved the idea and we got to work. Cheryl had lost her sister to skin cancer and since then has been very focused on raising money for skin cancer research. For example, SkinHealth has donated a percentage of sales from all their skin care products to skin cancer research. We thought it was important to find a local skin cancer charity to work with and Cheryl agreed so she reached out to Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center and they were delighted to be the charitable recipient.
We launched the first promotion on May 30, 2007 with SkinHealth sending an email to their email list. The first offer was a choice of three services, all significantly discounted. On the day of the SkinHealth email, we did $290 in total sales, raising $125. The next day, getsugar sent out its first Dedicated Email about the special promotion. We generated $1,958 in sales that day raising $925 in donations.
Over the next month, getsugar spent $2,750 on dedicated emails to the Stuff@Night email list, Shecky's Boston email list, Boston Magazine email list, The Phoenix email list and the Boston Event Guide email list. As would be expected, we saw significant spikes in the number of visitors to the landing page as well as in sales. Using the same creative, we could then see how each list did relative to each other and the results are below:
getsugar Dedicated on 5/31/2007
(4443 sent, 2619 opens (59%), 431 click-thrus)
Stuff@Night Dedicated on 6/5/2007
(2822 sent, 690 opens (24%), 86 click-thrus)
Shecky's Boston Dedicated on 6/6/2007
(results not available)
Boston Magazine 411 Dedicated on 6/11/2007
(21808 sent, 3318 opens (15%), 354 click-thrus)
The Phoenix Dedicated on 6/12/2007
(8092 sent, 1013 opens (13%), 89 click-thrus)
Boston Event Guide Partial Dedicated on 6/26/07
(2260 sent, 596 opens (26%), 123 click-thrus)
Summary of Results
The fundraiser has been seen by over 12,000 unique people.
To date, getsugar has sold $11,398 of SkinHealth services to 117 people and together we have raised $4,400 for Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center.
getsugar has devoted over $2,000 in web development, $2,000 in advertising inventory, $2,750 in paid advertising through third party dedicated emails and $285 in credit card processing fees for a total contribution of over $7030. We have also enjoyed working with SkinHealth and the people at Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center including Dr. Arthur Sober and Dr. Tsao.
If you are interested in learning more about this fundraising project or are interested in seeing how getsugar can help your business or charity in a similar way, please contact Ben Tregoe at btregoe at getsugar dot com.
Myre Studio Parties
Thursday, November 8, 2007
Myre has come up with a really fun idea to introduce more women to their couture line. Women can host a Studio Party at the Myre Studio. Myre will have complimentary wine and treats. The guests meet Jess Meyer and her team, hear about the inspiration for her desgins and then see how her couture pieces are made. Even better, women can pick out a design silhouette - like a jacket, dress, top, pant or skirt - then choose a vintage fabric from their large fabric library, and be measured to ensure a great fit. Myre then produces the unique piece. And, all purchases are at 20% below retail prices. The Host also receives a complimentary piece with a value up to $250. Myre also makes it clear that the Host and guests are under absolutely no obligation to purchase anything. So, the Host invites her friends and Myre throws the party. Studio Parties can be booked for anywhere from 5 to 20 guests. Individual appointments are also welcome. To book a Studio Party, contact Alexandra at 617 464 4404 or alexandra@myredesigns.com.
It sounds like a fun way to get friends together to do something new, learn a little more about fashion design and manufacture and potentially create some unique and beautiful clothes just for the buyer. getsugar promoted the concept through a Dedicated Email.
UPDATE: November 17, 2007
Myre let us know that their Dedicated was a success. They had 4 people call to book the Studio Parties and Stuff@Night contacted them to do a story.
A new client | Premier Dental Care
Monday, November 5, 2007
Dr. Jinous Hassanein, owner of Premier Dental Care, contacted us because her friend, Michael Albor, owner of The Loft Salon and Day Spa, recommended getsugar (thank you Michael!). We talked about her practice and her goal of bringing in new clients. We also talked about her marketing to date and what has worked for her and her colleagues. We have never worked with a medical practice before, but I thought there could be a good match given the getsugar audience and what Dr. Hassanein has done with her practice.
One part of her marketing that impressed me was her attention to the design of the office. She spent considerable time and money building out a very inviting space which looks like a great place to visit and work.
She had run a complimentary teeth whitening offer before (free teeth whitening take home kit with a full fee exam, cleaning and full mouth x-rays - a $300 value) using direct mail, so we tried the same offer, but using getsugar email banners. I like how the banner came out (link to email) and think they looked strong and eye catching at the top of the Monday emails where we placed them. I am looking forward to seeing the results. And if anyone is looking for a new dentist, call Premier Dental Care in Watertown at 617 923 8100!
A new getsugar.com!
Monday, October 29, 2007
We have been hard at work over the summer and into this fall, preparing the new getsugar.com for launch and we are very excited to be unveiling it. Our goal is be a catalog of local luxuries. What we mean by that is helping women find and buy services, experiences and merchandise from the Boston area's best spas, salons, stores, restaurants and other businesses. Much of the time, these things will be buyable online through getsugar and so we have set the site up like a catalog where you can browse or search for specific offers.
The feedback we have had from businesses has been very positive. But it takes awhile for us to get the word out. So, our catalog of offers will be growing. In other words, we are asking for a little time to make the catalog all we believe it can be!
When you sign up for getsugar emails, you will be the first to know about the latest offers in the catalog. We will send no more than 1 email per day (other than purchase confirmations etc.). And we promise that each email will be carefully edited for content and relevance. Some of these emails will have advertisements, but these also will be relevant and we hope useful. Additionally, many businesses pay for their ads using their gift certificates, which we can then turn around and sell to you at a discount.
Please let us know what you think. For each offer, we have added shopper feedback and a cherry rating system. You can also add comments here on the blog. And you can email us (feedback@getsugar.com) or call us 866 438 7842.
If you would like to work with getsugar, please contact me at btregoe@getsugar.com or 866 438 7842.
I hope you enjoy the new getsugar.com!