Twitter and Foursquare have proven that consumers are interacting extensively with social media via mobile devices. But in the scramble to catch up with mobile and social marketing opportunities, many companies aren't leveraging the two to drive each other. At an Ask the Experts showcase on mobile marketing at the InterACT! conference, Hugh Jedwill, CEO of Mobile Anthem, sat down with Andrew Koven of Steve Madden Shoes to talk about how Madden's mobile strategy is driving its social media fanbase.
"Social media, when done well, and when you marry it up with the speed of communication of mobile, gives you unparalleled speed to respond," said Andrew Koven, president, e-commerce and customer experience of Steve Madden Shoes. To take advantage of this, every one of Steve Madden's mobile website pages allows users to connect with Facebook and "like" any products on the page.
Mobile visitors can also become fans of the brand, make recommendations or ask Steve Madden a question. "We want people to communicate with Steve Madden wherever, whenever, however," said Koven. With this approach to "mocial" media, "we make it a lot easier for people to interact socially."
Product "likes" are especially valuable to the company. "It's an endorsement, really, of your products," and a natural one at that, explained Koven. Jedwill seconded that, saying likes are a "kind of defacto recommendation or review." Plus, according to Koven, Steve Madden Shoes finds that "the likes tend to match up with sales." The company considers all the social feedback when making product decisions such as new styles or colors the company should consider.
Crossing your mobile and social Web efforts may seem intimidating, but Koven pointed out that it's still largely uncharted waters. It's very easy to read articles and get excited about what you're doing and you're ahead of the curve or behind the curve, he said, but "there really isn't much of a curve yet, everyone is still trying to figure it out."




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