WO2014186385A1 - Customer targeting, acquisition, and retention platform and method - Google Patents

Abstract

A platform (205) has, or has access to, one or more databases (210, 215, 218) containing information about customers (230) and merchants (225), and forms for use by the merchants. The customer information includes at least electronic contact information and purchasing preferences. The merchant information includes at least a merchant identification, the nature of the merchant's products and/or services, and offers which can be on behalf of the merchant. A website (220) allows the customer to enter the information into the platform. The platform compares the interests of the customer to the nature of the merchant's products and/or services and, if there is a match, the platform sends an offer to the customer using the electronic contact information. If the customer accepts the offer then the customer is provided with a subsequent offer after a predetermined time.

Description

CUSTOMER TARGETING, ACQUISITION, AND RETENTION

PLATFORM AND METHOD

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

[0001] This application claims the priority of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/823267, filed May 14, 2013, entitled "Customer Targeting, Acquisition, And Retention Platform And Method," the entire disclosure and contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference herein.

BACKGROUND

[0002] Online (Internet) marketing may provide a huge opportunity to acquire consumers for many merchants. The vast majority of methods marketing products and services over the Internet require, however, extensive marketing experience, large budgets, and substantial amounts of dedicated time in order to make marketing campaigns effective and successful. As a result, many companies do not participate in online and Internet marketing methods, or they do so only on a very limited and low level basis. Furthermore, it is nearly impossible for many merchants to effectively manage, promote, and benefit from Internet advertising, especially local merchants with limited technical skills, limited financial resources, and possibly even a limited market area.

[0003] In many online marketing programs, performance is measured by clicks or click- through rates. These may not be reliable ways to measure the effectiveness of an ad, especially if the potential customer is doing a comparison between different vendors, products, or services, and switches back and forth between them several times before making a decision, and that decision may even be not to buy anything at that time.

[0004] A "hook" offer, which may be a traditional "daily deal" or "online deal" type of offer, allows consumers to take advantage of significant discounts to try out a merchant. A typical complaint from merchants about the "online deal" or "daily deal", however, is that such deals rarely result in any new customers becoming loyal, repeat patrons who are not just looking for the cheapest deal. Many merchants believe that customers who are enticed to do an initial transaction through the offer of a deep discount (e.g., 50% off or more) never become repeat customers who are willing to pay an amount close to the full price of the merchant's products and/or services. [0005] Also, many online marketing methods have a very high risk of no or low return on investment. That is, the providers may charge for easy-to-measure activities based upon some estimated or predicted rate of return. For example, they charge a cost-per-click fee, or a cost-per-impression fee, based upon an expectation that some percentage of those events will result in a sale by the merchant. Thus, there is price or fee charged for some number of those easy-to-measure activities, regardless of the results of the activities. Further, even if a sale results, the merchant may have to pay for that service before receiving the benefit of any sale(s) from that service.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0006] A platform is provided which enables a merchant to acquire new customers and retain existing customers. The platform executes a method which generates transactions and/or communications between a desired party and a merchant. Merchants are allowed to quickly, easily, and conveniently create and send offers to persons meeting certain criteria, and even to persons who have actively indicated an interest in receiving the offers. Thus, merchants can target potential new customers and, even more beneficially, can target existing customers so as to strengthen the vendor- vendee relationship between them.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0007] FIG. 1 is a computer architecture diagram showing an exemplary computer architecture for a client access server or other computing device capable of performing the functionality disclosed herein for the platform.

[0008] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an exemplary environment.

[0009] FIGS. 3A-3B are a flow diagram showing an illustrative routine performed by an exemplary platform.

[0010] FIG. 4 is an illustration of an exemplary marketing method which may be performed by using the exemplary platform.

[0011] FIG. 5 is an illustration of exemplary interaction between a consumer and the exemplary platform.

[0012] FIG. 6 is an illustration of exemplary interaction between a merchant and the exemplary platform.

[0013] FIG. 7 is an illustration of an exemplary email creation page.

[0014] FIG. 8 is an illustration of an exemplary Facebook creation page. [0015] FIG. 9 is an illustration of an exemplary campaign scheduler page.

[0016] FIG. 10 is an illustration of an exemplary "dashboard" that the merchant may access to obtain information on the campaign.

[0017] FIG. 11 is an illustration of an exemplary certificate building form. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0018] The instantaneous and pervasive power and presence of the Internet and of social media are harnessed to help merchants to acquire new customers and to retain existing customers. FIG. 1 is a computer architecture diagram showing an exemplary computer architecture for a client access server or other computing device capable of performing the functionality disclosed herein for the platform. The computer architecture shown illustrates a conventional server computer, workstation, desktop computer, laptop, network appliance, or other computing device, and may be utilized to execute any aspects of the software components presented herein described as executing within the computing device and/or other computing devices mentioned herein.

[0019] The computer 100 includes a baseboard, or "motherboard," which is a printed circuit board to which a multitude of components or devices may be connected by way of a system bus or other electrical communication paths. In one illustrative embodiment, one or more central processing units ("CPUs") 102 operate in conjunction with a chipset 104. The CPUs 102 are standard programmable processors that perform arithmetic and logical operations necessary for the operation of the computer 100.

[0020] The CPUs 102 perform the necessary operations by transitioning from one discrete, physical state to the next through the manipulation of switching elements that differentiate between and change these states. Switching elements may generally include electronic circuits that maintain one of two binary states, such as flip-flops and electronic circuits that provide an output state based on the logical combination of the states of one or more other switching elements, such as logic gates. These basic switching elements may be combined to create more complex logic circuits, including registers, adders-subtractors, arithmetic logic units, floating-point units and the like.

[0021] The chipset 104 provides an interface between the CPUs 102 and the remainder of the components and devices on the baseboard. The chipset 104 may provide an interface to a random access memory ("RAM") 106, used as the main memory in the computer 100. The chipset 104 may further provide an interface to a computer-readable storage medium such as a read-only memory ("ROM") 108 or non-volatile RAM ("NVRAM") for storing basic routines that that help to startup the computer 100 and to transfer information between the various components and devices. The ROM 108 or NVRAM may also store other software components necessary for the operation of the computer 100 in accordance with the embodiments described herein.

[0022] The computer 100 may operate in a networked environment using logical connections to remote computing devices and computer systems through the network 140. The chipset 104 may include functionality for providing network connectivity through a network interface controller ("NIC") 110, such as a gigabit Ethernet adapter. The NIC 110 is capable of connecting the computer 100 to other computing devices, such as the merchant's computing device or a customer's computing device, over the network 140 which may be, for example, the Internet. It should be appreciated that multiple NICs 110 may be present in the computer 100, connecting the computer to multiple communication channels in the network 140, other types of networks, and remote computer systems.

[0023] The computer 100 may be connected to a mass storage device 112 that provides non- volatile storage for the computer. The mass storage device 112 may store system programs, application programs, and other program modules and data. The mass storage device 112 may be connected to the computer 100 through a storage controller 114 connected to the chipset 104. The mass storage device 112 may consist of one or more physical storage units. The storage controller 114 may interface with the physical storage units through a serial attached SCSI ("SAS") interface, a serial advanced technology attachment ("SATA") interface, a fiber channel ("FC") interface, or other type of interface for physically connecting and transferring data between computers and physical storage units.

[0024] The computer 100 may store data on the mass storage device 112 by transforming the physical state of the physical storage units to reflect the information being stored. The specific transformation of physical state may depend on various factors, in different implementations of this description. Examples of such factors may include, but are not limited to, the technology used to implement the physical storage units, whether the mass storage device 112 is characterized as primary or secondary storage and the like.

[0025] For example, the computer 100 may store information to the mass storage device 112 by issuing instructions through the storage controller 114 to alter the magnetic characteristics of a particular location within a magnetic disk drive unit, the reflective or refractive characteristics of a particular location in an optical storage unit, or the electrical characteristics of a particular capacitor, transistor, or other discrete component in a solid- state storage unit. Other transformations of physical media are possible without departing from the scope and spirit of the present description, with the foregoing examples provided only to facilitate this description. The computer 100 may further read information from the mass storage device 112 by detecting the physical states or characteristics of one or more particular locations within the physical storage units.

[0026] In addition to the mass storage device 112 described above, the computer 100 may have access to other computer-readable storage medium to store and retrieve information, such as program modules, data structures, or other data. It should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that computer-readable storage media can be any available media that provides for the storage of non-transitory data and that may be accessed by the computer 100.

[0027] By way of example, and not limitation, computer-readable storage media may include volatile and non-volatile, removable and non-removable media implemented in any method or technology. Computer-readable storage media includes, but is not limited to, RAM, ROM, erasable programmable ROM ("EPROM"), electrically-erasable programmable ROM ("EEPROM"), flash memory or other solid-state memory technology, compact disc ROM ("CD-ROM"), digital versatile disk ("DVD"), high definition DVD ("HD-DVD"), BLU-RAY, or other optical storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to store the desired information in a non-transitory fashion. For purposes of the claims, the phrases "computer storage medium" and "computer-readable storage medium", and variations thereof, do not include waves, signals, and/or other transitory and/or intangible communication media, per se.

[0028] The mass storage device 112 may store an operating system 116 utilized to control the operation of the computer 100. According to one embodiment, the operating system includes a member of the LINUX family of operating systems. According to another embodiment, the operating system includes a member of the WINDOWS® SERVER family of operating systems from MICROSOFT Corporation in Redmond, Washington. According to further embodiments, the operating system may include a member of the UNIX or SOLARIS families of operating systems. It should be appreciated that other operating systems may also be utilized. The mass storage device 112 may store other system or application programs, modules, and/or data 120 utilized by the computer 100 such as, but not limited to, customer locations, distances from the merchant's office to a customer, customer email addresses, telephone numbers, Facebook addresses, purchase information, offers made, offers used, time between offer made and offer used, templates, preferences, etc.

[0029] In one embodiment, the mass storage device 112 or other computer-readable storage media is encoded with computer-executable instructions that, when loaded into the computer 100, transform the computer from a general-purpose computing system into a special-purpose computer capable of implementing the embodiments described herein. These computer-executable instructions transform the computer 100 by specifying how the CPUs 102 transition between states, as described above. According to one embodiment, the computer 100 has access to computer-readable storage media storing computer-executable instructions which, when executed by the computer 100, perform aspects of one or more of the methods or procedures described herein.

[0030] The computer 100 may also include an input/output controller 118 for receiving and processing input from a number of input devices, such as a keyboard, a mouse, a touchpad, a touch screen, an electronic stylus, or other type of input device. Similarly, the input/output controller 118 may provide output to a display, such as a computer monitor, a flat-panel display, a digital projector, a printer, a plotter, or other type of output device. It will be appreciated that the computer 100 may not include all of the components shown herein, may include other components that are not explicitly shown herein, or may utilize an architecture completely different than that shown herein.

[0031] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an exemplary environment 200 showing a platform 205, a contacts database 210, a forms and templates database 215, a merchant information database 218, a website server 220, a plurality of merchants 225A-225N (collectively as merchants 225, or individually as a merchant 225, as the context may require), and a plurality of persons 230A-230N (collectively as persons 230, or individually as a person 230, as the context may require), each of which is connected to one or more of the others directly or via the Internet 140. The platform 205 may be constructed in the manner shown in Fig. 1, if desired. Platform 205 may include, or may be directly connected to, the contacts database 210, the forms and templates (collectively, templates) database 215, the merchant information database 218, and the website server 220. Also, the platform 205 is connected to the Internet 140 and, via the Internet 140, to the merchants 225A-225N and the persons 230A-230N. It will be appreciated that platform 205 could also have been connected to the databases 210, 215 and 218 via the Internet 140, and/or that the platform 205 could access the Internet 140 via the website server 220.

[0032] One may consider the operation of the platform 205 to involve at least several different parties or entities. The entity operating the platform and offering the services of the platform to one or more second parties 225 may be considered to be a first party. An entity, such as, but not limited to, a person, charity, politician, business, or other entity who wishes to increase the number of regular or repeat "customers" 230 or "business", for example, may be considered to be a second party. The platform may also send communications to and receive communications from those persons 230. The platform could also be used to increase customers and business for the first party.

[0033] A person 230 may access the website server 220 to enter a contest, shop, and/or to provide contact information and interests to the platform 205, which may then store that information in the contacts database 210. Also, a merchant 225 may send its contacts database to the platform 205, which may then store that information in the contacts database 210.

[0034] When a merchant, such as merchant 225A, decides to obtain the benefits provided by the platform 205, the merchant 225 A connects to the platform 205, either via the Internet 140 or via the website server 220. The merchant 225 A can then request, if desired, templates and the platform 205 will retrieve the requested template and forward it to the merchant 225A who can modify it to create the desired message and appearance, and then return it to the platform. The merchant 225A may also specify information the nature or category of its products, services or business, offers which may be sent, information regarding the desired target audience, such as, but not limited to, age, location, interests, etc., and the media through which the message it to be conveyed (e.g., email, Facebook, Twitter, etc.). That information is preferably stored in the merchant information database 218. The platform 205 then accesses the contacts database 210 to identify persons who meet the target audience specifications. The platform 205 then sends the message (the modified template) to the identified persons 230 through the specified media.

[0035] Multiple merchants 225 can access the platform 205 simultaneously. In one embodiment, merchants 225 do not have direct access to the contacts database 210, that is, they cannot see any information regarding persons 230 in the database 210. Thus, a single database 210 is useful for multiple merchants. In another embodiment, the contacts database may be partitioned into platform contacts 21 OA and merchant contacts 21 OB. The platform contacts are those developed by the platform. The contacts in the platform contact section 21 OA may be for the benefit of all the merchants but the contacts in the merchant contact section 21 OB are preferably used by the platform only for the benefit of the merchant who provided the contacts. Further, based upon the information for each contact, the contacts in the platform contacts section 21 OA may be "qualified", meaning that the information about the contact indicates that the contact is particularly appropriate for a particular merchant or type of merchant. The contacts in the merchant contacts section 21 OB are those provided by the merchant. Preferably, the merchant cannot see information regarding persons in the platform contacts section 21 OA and cannot see information regarding contacts of other merchants in the merchants contact section 21 OB. It will be appreciated that, rather than dividing the contacts database 210 into two or more sections, each contact in the contacts database 210 may be marked to indicate whether it is a platform contact or a merchant contact, and whether a platform contact has been qualified for any merchants. The contacts in the merchant database 21 OB for a particular merchant, and the contacts in the platform database 21 OA, especially those marked as qualified for that particular merchant, may be collectively referred to as "merchant contacts".

[0036] If permitted by the contact, by the merchant, and by any applicable laws and regulations, the platform 205 may monitor the tweets, postings, pins, etc., of persons 230 in the contacts database 210. This may be useful for verification purposes when, for example, the offer sent by the merchant 225 requests that its customers 230 tweet, post, or pin something, and the customer accepts the offer by responding that it did tweet, post, or pin the requested item.

[0037] The platform and features disclosed herein can substantially bolster the effectiveness of the "daily deal" as a tool to build a merchant's contacts list, and to facilitate on-going and repetitive communications and dialogue between a merchant and its customer base, including both the existing contacts of the merchant database 210B and the platform contacts 21 OA, particularly, but not limited to, qualified contacts which were acquired by the platform.

[0038] In one implementation, a daily deal "hook", such as a voucher or a coupon, is used to entice customers into allowing the merchant to contact them directly via email, Facebook, twitter, or other social media. The hook may be, for example, a 20% Off Coupon to a particular merchant, for example, "Smitty's", as mentioned further below. In order to claim it, the customer must first agree to like the Smitty's Facebook page, or follow Smitty's on twitter, send a tweet that they are at or were at Smitty's, etc.

[0039] In another implementation, the customer has to agree to receive emails from the merchant in order to claim the coupon. That email address would then be automatically uploaded into the platform contacts database 21 OA, and would preferably be marked as qualified for that merchant, so that the merchant can contact that customer directly utilizing the features provided by the platform, such as by sending an email to that customer.

[0040] This can result in a substantial increase in potential, actual, and repeat customers, and in sales. For example, if 2000 potential customers claim the coupon, then 2000 email addresses would be uploaded into the merchant's contacts, and the merchant could then email these 2000 potential customers directly. As mentioned, preferably, the merchant cannot see or have direct access to the actual email addresses. In one implementation, however, the merchant may be furnished the names and addresses of the people attached to those email addresses. This allows the merchant to know who claimed a coupon, allows the merchant to see in what areas the customers who are supporting the merchant live, allows the merchant to direct targeted conventional mail to those persons if desired, etc.

[0041] Thus, the platform can be used to build a merchant's contacts list, and to contact potential and actual customers through email and social media. As mentioned, while conventional "daily deal" websites and offers may be good at acquiring new customers, such websites and offers do little to turn those customers into loyal, repeat patrons. Conversely, the platform allows merchants, and the daily deal websites that serve the merchants, to acquire new customers for the merchants with the use of the hook, while simultaneously using the voucher or coupon hook to capture the customer's contact information (email, Facebook, twitter, etc.). Armed with this contact information, the merchant can then communicate with all of his or her contacts by utilizing, for example, the multi-channel marketing tool wherein they can type a message and send it out to the various customers utilizing the various communication channels that the merchant selects.

[0042] Thus, the platform and features disclosed herein improve the results of the daily deal. Instead of simply acquiring one-time new customers through a hook, a merchant can use the same hook to build a contact list, which the merchant can then easily exploit by using the features of the platform to establish regular and/or repeat communications with the customer. [0043] This is a great lead (potential client) generation tool for the merchant because the leads are people who have already expressed an interest in transactions with the merchant because they have claimed the coupon or purchased the voucher. This affirmative action by a person signifies that the person is likely to become a repeat customer, as opposed to a person who just appears at the store or restaurant to take advantage of the daily deal.

[0044] In the example above, if 2000 people claimed the merchant's coupon, then the merchant can now email those people through the platform to entice them to engage in transactions more often. On average, over 80% of a merchant's annual revenue comes from its existing customer base so, although getting new customers is always important, the real benefit comes from existing customers who engage in transactions with the merchant more frequently.

[0045] For example, if a merchant's annual sales are $1,000,000 then, on average, over $800,000 will come from its existing customer base. If, on average, that $800,000 represents two visits per year per customer, then enticing those same customers to come in three times per year, just one more time per year, will increase the merchant's annual sales by 40% to $1,400,000.

[0046] FIGS. 3A-3B are a flow diagram showing an illustrative routine performed by an exemplary platform 205. At operation 305 the platform receives a request from a merchant 225 to begin a campaign using social media. At operation 310 the platform determines whether the merchant had requested a template (or a form). If not then the platform will use 317 a default template and proceed to operation 325. The default template may be a template the merchant has previously designated as a default template, or may be the last template used.

[0047] If at operation 310 the merchant has requested a template, then the platform 205 retrieves the requested template from the forms and templates database 215. The merchant is then allowed to modify the template by inserting, changing, deleting, and/or formatting text, pictures, video objects, etc. It will be appreciated that some of these may not be appropriate for the selected social media. For example, an inserted video cannot be sent as a tweet, but inserted text may be sent. The platform then determines 315 whether the merchant modified the selected template. If so, then the platform saves 320 the modified template as a new template and proceeds to operation 325. If not then the selected template is used in operation 325. [0048] At operation 325 the platform 205 determines whether the merchant has provided new specifications for the offer. If so then the new specifications are saved and used. If not then the default specifications will be used 330. The default specifications may be the specifications the merchant has previously designated as default specifications, or may be the last specifications used. The merchant specifications may limit the persons to whom the offer is to be sent, and may control the time at which the offer is to be sent. For example, the merchant may specify that the offer is only to be sent to persons living or working in a particular ZIP code, or persons living or working on a particular street or streets, or persons living or working within a predetermined distance from a specified point, such as within 3 miles of the merchant's office in Pascagoula, or to persons who have made a purchase within the last week, or to persons who have not made a purchase within the last week, etc.

[0049] The merchant may also specify a time or event controlling when the offer is to be sent. For example, the merchant may specify that the offer is to be sent immediately, in a specified number of minutes or hours, at a specified date and time, when the number of "Likes" reaches a specified value, when the number of tweets referencing a previous offer or specified event reaches a specified value, etc. The platform then proceeds to operation 335.

[0050] In operation 335 the platform 205 accesses the contacts database 210 to determine 335 whether the characteristics of any persons in the database match the merchant's specifications. Some characteristics of a person include, but are not limited to, the interests of the person, the purchasing history of the person, etc. If no person has characteristics matching the merchant's specifications then the platform sends 345 an error notice to the merchant so that the merchant can consider revising the specifications. The merchant may, if desired, specify "none" or some other entry to indicate that the merchant does not want to use the characteristics of persons to determine the persons to whom the offer is to be sent, but wishes to use location to determine the persons to whom the offer is to be sent.

[0051] If one or more persons have characteristics matching the merchant's specifications then the platform 205 determines 340 whether the locations of these persons match the merchant's specifications. If no person has a location matching the merchant's specifications then the platform sends 345 an error notice to the merchant so that the merchant can consider revising the location specifications. [0052] The merchant may, if desired, specify "none" or some other entry to indicate that the merchant does not want to use the locations of persons to determine the persons to whom the offer is to be sent, but wishes to use only the characteristics to determine the persons to whom the offer is to be sent.

[0053] The operator of the platform 205 may require that the merchant enter one or more characteristics, or at least one location, or one or more other restrictions, to prevent a merchant from accidentally or intentionally sending the offer to everyone in the contacts database 210.

[0054] Optionally, after operation 340, the platform may inform the merchant of how many persons meet the specifications that the merchant provided so that the merchant can decide whether to revise the specifications to include more or fewer persons. For example, the merchant may have a small restaurant, and wishes to promote a cozy evening with a dinner for two. If, however, the platform indicates that over 1000 meet the specifications then the merchant may want to reconsider the specifications to narrow them. Conversely, if the merchant is promoting a monster truck rally in an open field, and the platform indicates that only 10 or 20 people meet the specifications, then the merchant may want to reconsider the specifications to broaden them.

[0055] After operation 340 the platform 205 determines 350 whether the merchant has provided restrictions on when the offer is to be sent. If not then the platform proceeds to begin sending 355 the offer. If so then the platform sends 360 the offer when the specified time or event occurs.

[0056] Optionally, the platform 205 may notify the merchant when the offer has been sent, such as, but not limited to, by including the merchant in the "bcc:" field on an email or text message, or by sending an email or text message advising that the offer has been sent.

[0057] Thus, the merchant has been able to quickly, easily, and conveniently create an offer designed to entice potential customers and/or established customers into taking some specified action (buying, tweeting, posting, pining, accepting, registering, appearing, etc.). Further, the merchant can target the offer to those persons most likely to respond favorably to the offer, and the merchant can specify when the offer is to be sent. For example, the merchant may want to send an offer about its new heavy-meat sandwich to persons living or working within 1 mile of its Ingalls Avenue location who have previously visited that location, and the offer should be sent at 10:30 Tuesday morning. [0058] For convenience, "business", "merchant", and "customer" or "consumer" are used as general terms for the disclosure herein. These terms should not, however, be considered as excluding non-commercial applications. For example, running for election or re-election to an office (the "business") by a politician (the "merchant") to a constituent (the "customer") is included. Further, the platform may be used by public safety officials to send a message or warning about a potential flooding problem from forecasted heavy rains to persons living on specified streets or even on certain parts of specified streets. Also, religious services offered by a minister, and other non-commercial endeavors promoted by an advocate are included. Thus, for example, "customer" should be understood to include purchasers, patrons, fans, followers, parishioners, residents, etc.

[0059] As mentioned, the platform 205 at least has access to the contacts database 210. The contacts database 210 contains at least electronic contact information and "interests" for a plurality of persons, and preferably also contains other data about each person such as, but not limited to, a work address, a residence address, a street name, a city, a zip code, age, income, marital status, dependents status, etc. For example, the electronic contact information may include, but is not limited to, an email address, a Facebook™ account, a Pinterest™ account, a Twitter™ account, whether the person is willing to receive text messages to his or her telephone number, etc.

[0060] The "interests" may include any product or service that the person may want more information on, or be thinking about acquiring or using. Interests thus include, but are not limited to, food in general, certain kinds of food (e.g., Mexican, Italian, Chinese, American, etc.), groceries in general, certain kinds of groceries (e.g., home grown, organic, fresh-frozen, free-range, corn-fed, gluten-free, etc.), vehicles in general, certain kinds of vehicles (e.g., cars, trucks, minivans, electric vehicles, hybrid vehicles, all-terrain vehicles, motorcycles, bicycles, etc.), sports in general, certain kinds of sporting equipment (e.g., baseballs, footballs, soccer balls, helmets, gloves, racquets, hockey sticks, hockey pucks, skateboards, skis, etc.), certain kinds of sporting events (e.g., football games, baseball games, basketball games, track meets, swimming meets, games or events for a particular team, etc.), movies in general, certain kinds of movies (e.g., drama, science-fiction, cartoon, action, religious, etc.), magazines (including electronic newsletters and magazines), dating or matching services, etc. Other types, styles, categories, or ways of indicating interest include, but are not limited to: free offers, getaways, apparel and shoes, automotive, beach holidays, beauty and spas, electronics, entertainment and arts, food and drink, health and fitness, home and garden, jewelry, kids and baby, pets, products, things to do, travel accessories, etc. This is just a brief listing of some of the goods or services that a person may consider to be of interest, and should not be considered to be comprehensive or limiting.

[0061] The information in the contacts database may be obtained by purchasing or by acquiring, in any desired manner, customer lists from retail outlets, customer lists from online stores, customer lists from ticket sales vendors, customer lists from credit card providers, customer lists of the merchant, etc. The contacts database may also include information obtained by providing a website which allows interested customers to provide their contact information and areas of interest so as to be included in the database for future offers, advertisements, discounts, coupons, vouchers, loyalty rewards, communications, etc. Persons may be enticed to go to a website and enter such information in return for a prize of nominal value or a prize of non-nominal value. Persons may be notified of this opportunity by the operator of the platform purchasing advertisements on various Internet search engines, purchasing advertisements on various well-visited websites, such as local TV station websites, national news websites, national sports websites, posting or tweeting about the contest, etc. The website may also offer a person the opportunity to register for, and be notified by email of, text message, etc., "daily deals", "specials", etc., in all areas or in just selected areas of interest. Also, there may be more than one such website entry contest, and different contests may be different toward persons having different demographics, or to obtain information for specific merchants. For example, one such contest may offer a chance to win tickets to a sporting event, while another contest may offer a chance to win a mountain bike, while yet another contest may offer a chance to win an outdoor grill, while yet another contest may offer a chance to win a vacation. Thus, the contacts database may be populated by a variety of different techniques.

[0062] Once the interests and/or other information about a person is entered into the contacts database, the platform preferably, but not necessarily, will classify the user as possibly being of particular benefit to a particular merchant or type of merchant. For example, if the user lists "movies" in general as being an area of interest, that user will be marked as being relevant to merchants such as movie theaters, and retailers who rent or sell movies on DVD. As another example, if the user lists "cooking" in general as being an area of interest, that user will be marked as being relevant to merchants who sell cookwares, cooking equipment, specialty foods, etc. [0063] As a general example, assume that a merchant wishes to increase sales by obtaining new customers and/or obtaining repeat customers. The merchant will generate an offer designed to entice potential or actual customers and send that offer to the platform, or log in and enter that offer into the platform. The offer may list, for example, goods or services offered by the merchant, prices, discount coupons, vouchers, loyalty rewards, a daily special, a one-time special, an opportunity to win a prize in return for accepting the offer and purchasing something, or for taking some action specified in the offer.

[0064] The platform compares the goods or services offered by the merchant with the interests of the various persons in the database and generates a list of potential customers or potential repeat customers (hereinafter sometime collectively to as customers or potential customers). For example, if the merchant's business is typically slow on a particular night (e.g., Tuesday nights), the merchant may offer a special on meals for two on that particular night so as to boost sales on that particular night. The platform would then search the database for customers who have indicated an interest in meals for two or an interest in meals on that particular night and generate a list of potential customers.

[0065] The platform would then communicate the offer to those potential customers by, for example, an email or the use of social media, such as but not limited to a social networking service. For example, the email may include the offer or include a link to the offer on the platform or on the merchant's website. The use of the social networking service may include, for example, sending a "tweet" about the offer via Twitter, placing a message about, or placing the offer itself, on a wall on Facebook, "pinning" the offer on Pinterest, etc.

[0066] The customer thereby receives or becomes aware of the offer and then presents or references the offer to the merchant to obtain the specified goods or services, or indicates an acceptance of the offer, such as when a purchase is not involved. For example, the offer may be for a chance to win a front-row seat at a future sporting event of a team if the customer agrees to wear mostly or only a certain color of clothing at the next game of that team. Preferably, but not necessarily, the offer includes a code so that, when the offer is redeemed, the person accepting the offer is identified in the database as having accepted such an offer, and/or the offer itself is identified. If a customer purchases the offered goods or services, or indicates an acceptance of the offer, then the platform updates the database to indicate an established relationship between the customer and the merchant. [0067] It will be appreciated that it may sometimes be difficult, if not impossible, to verify that the customer who accepted the offer performed the specified act, such as wearing mostly or only a certain color to a particular game, especially if many customers accept the offer and perform the specified act. The fact that many customers perform the specified act, however, accomplishes the goal of the merchant, even if not all of the customers follow through as promised.

[0068] It is generally well-accepted in business models that it is more cost effective to keep an existing customer than to constantly strive simply to acquire new customers. If the merchant is pleased with the results of the first offer, then the merchant may decide to provide a second offer. Some subsequent offers may therefore be designed to reinforce the relationship between customers and the merchant so as to turn new customers into, and keep existing customers as, loyal, repeat customers.

[0069] The merchant then generates the second offer, indicates that it is for existing customers, and sends that offer to the platform, or logs in and enters that offer into the platform. The platform then retrieves a list of persons who have an established relationship with the merchant and communicates the second offer to those established customers by, for example, email and/or the use of one or more social networking services, as discussed above. The platform then updates the database to reflect any purchase of the offered goods or services of the second offer by an established customer or the acceptance of the second offer by an established customer. This allows the platform to obtain data regarding the actual actions of the customer, as opposed to merely the indicated interests of the customer, so that future offers may be more carefully targeted to those customers who are likely to respond favorably to a particular offer.

[0070] FIG. 4 is an illustration of an exemplary marketing method 400 which may be performed by using the exemplary platform 205. The illustration depicts the various interactions between the sales person for the operator of the platform, the merchant, the customer, and the platform itself. In the illustration shown, "TBD" means that an action, item, market, person, etc., is "to be determined", and "SEO" means "Search Engine Optimization."

[0071] FIG. 5 is an illustration of exemplary interaction 500 between a consumer and the exemplary platform. At 505, a user (a consumer 230) goes to the website 220. At 510, the platform 205 uses the user's internet address, or information provided by the user, such as a location drop-down menu, to locate the user. Once the user has been located, the platform classifies the user to a market or markets, and submarkets. For example, the user may be classified as Atlanta area, DeKalb county submarket, Lakeside sub-submarket. At operation 515 the platform prompts the user to enter his or her interests, contact information, and other information, as much as the user is willing to provide. At operation 520, based upon the location of the user and information entered by the user, the platform matches the user to potential merchants, preferably but not necessarily primarily to merchants who have specified an interest in consumers located in the user's area. At operation 525 the platform presents an initial or "hook" offer from one or more of those merchants to the user. The hook may be, as shown, an opportunity to try a product or service of a merchant for some percentage off. The hook may also be a certain dollar amount off on a purchase of a certain size or greater. The hook may also be some preferred treatment, such as a reservation, free shipping, entry into a contest, etc.

[0072] At operation 530 the user selects and purchases the offer, such as by paying a specified amount for the offer with a credit card. The user is now "committed" to the merchant because the user has invested that specified amount and will most likely use the offer. At operation 535 the platform establishes the relationship type, such as new customer, or repeat customer. At operation 540, the process to retain the person as a customer begins. At operation 545, based upon the type of products, services, or business, the retention frequency for future communications to the user is established. The retention frequency is preferably based upon the type of products, services, or business. For example, the retention frequency may be 7 to 10 days for a cafeteria, 14 to 20 days for a restaurant, around one month for a spa, salon, hairdresser, etc.

[0073] At operation 550, when the specified retention frequency has elapsed, the platform initiates a retention offer and sends it to the customer. The retention offer may be, for example, the same as the original offer, less of a discount or credit than the previous offer or, in some circumstances, where the previous purchase was much larger than normal, possibly even offering a larger discount or credit than the previous offer. The user then either accepts or rejects the retention offer at operation 530. Thus, the user is preferably provided with a series of offers, regularly spaced or otherwise, to retain the user as a customer of the merchant.

[0074] FIG. 6 is an illustration of exemplary interaction 600 between a merchant, the exemplary platform, and the agents or operators of the exemplary platform. In the illustration shown, "TBD" means that an action, item, market, person, etc., is "to be determined", and "AIM" means the "Automated Internet Marketing" Platform 205.

[0075] FIG. 7 is an illustration of an exemplary email creation page 700. The merchant will access the platform via a network, for example, the Internet, and input any required username, password, pin, etc. The platform will then allow the merchant to select and access a communications creation page. In this example, the user has selected 701 an Email creation page 700 to input and/or upload the merchant's name and/or logo 705, upload a desired picture 710, and input and/or upload desired text 715. The picture 710 may be a picture, a graphic, a drawing, a photograph, etc. The picture 710 may show items of food and/or drink offered by a restaurant, the interior of the restaurant, a resort area offered by a vacation service, sports equipment offered by a sporting goods store, etc. The text 715 may present a new menu, new menu items, prices, hours, location, vouchers, discount coupons, information as to an action to be taken for a specified benefit, etc. This page 700 allows the user to enter a subject 720, title 725, subtitle 730 and the merchant's website address 735. The merchant can then enter the text 740 for the email, which may be copied from, similar to, identical to, or different from, the text 715. The user also selects 745 the type(s) of electronic communication to be used, such as, in this example, email, and enter the email address(es). The user may also select a group of persons who are to receive the email, such as a group of persons defined in the contacts database 210. Once completed, the merchant can click the "Next Step" button 750 to schedule the campaign.

[0076] FIG. 8 is an illustration of an exemplary Facebook creation page 800. In this example, the user has selected 801 the Facebook creation page. The merchant enters 805 the desired information, enters 810 a title, and enters 815 the desired Facebook copy, which may be, for example, the same as, or different from, the text entered at 805. The user also selects 745 the type(s) of electronic communication to be used, such as, in this example, Facebook, and enter the Facebook account(s). The user may also select a group of accounts, such as a group of account defined in the contacts database 210. Once completed, the merchant can click the "Next Step" button 750 to schedule the campaign.

[0077] FIG. 9 is an illustration of an exemplary campaign scheduler page 900. This page allows the merchant to select 901 the campaign media, Email in this example, and to set 905 the campaign or promotional details, such as, but not limited to, whether the campaign is to begin immediately or at a specified date and time. The campaign may also start, as indicated herein, upon the occurrence of a specified event, such as getting a specified number of responses to the electronic communication.

[0078] The platform 205 thus facilitates the creation of a message or messages that can be sent out via e-mail and various social media channels. For example, the merchant can create different messages for the different channels of communication and designate them to go at the same time, or at different times. Alternatively, the merchant can create a single message, select the channels to be used to send the message, and the platform 205 will automatically re-format the message to each of those channels. The merchant can again designate them to go at the same time, or at different times.

[0079] Thus, as an example, and not as a limitation, the merchant can type in one message and click the buttons to send it out via e-mail, Facebook and twitter. The platform 205 then automatically re-formats the message for all three channels. Then, when the merchant presses "Send", or when the merchant schedules the message to go out, the message goes out through all of the selected channels simultaneously. This saves the merchant from having to type the same message more than once. This also facilitates that message going out through all desired e-mail and social media channels - the desired channels are quickly and easily selected by the merchant simply clicking the desired icons on the messaging page.

[0080] The platform 205 allows the merchant to create and market his own coupons, vouchers, and gift certificates through the multi-channel marketing tools described herein. The merchant creates the coupon, voucher or gift certificate and selects the desired channels to market them, just like the merchant would select the desired channels to send out an email message. The certificate builder form, which can be used to generate coupons, vouchers, etc., is described with respect to FIG. 11.

[0081] Each coupon, voucher or gift certificate may have a unique code, if desired, so that it can be purchased, claimed and redeemed through the platform. This code allows the merchant to track activity and also allows the platform operation to track results in order to monetize the operation of the platform, especially if the merchant is being billed for results.

[0082] FIG. 10 is an illustration of an exemplary "dashboard" 1000 that the merchant may access to obtain information on the campaign. The dashboard displays the merchant name 1005 that the merchant specifies is to be used with the campaign. That is, this name 1005 will be displayed as the "From:" name on electronic communications. The merchant may also provide a default destination link 1010, such as the user's website. That URL will be used to link the main image in emails, and as the Facebook link, unless it is changed when the campaign is being set up. The merchant can also specify the time zone to be referenced for initiating a campaign, and whether or not daylight savings time should be considered. This saves the merchant the trouble of having to determine the local time. For example, if the merchant is in Atlanta, and the campaign is to begin at 1 :00 in Arizona, the merchant does not have to determine the time difference, the merchant merely selects the desired time zone. The merchant can then save 1025 these settings.

[0083] Campaign statistics 1030 are also displayed. For example, the merchant can view how many offers were sent, opened, and accepted or clicked for each different type of promotion. The dashboard also displays the number of customers or persons 1035 to whom the promotions may be sent, based upon the number of contacts available to the merchant. The merchant may also upload 1040 a list of authorized users of the dashboard. Linking to Facebook and Twitter accounts is also shown 1050.

[0084] FIG. 11 is an illustration of an exemplary certificate builder form 1100. This is merely an example of one type of certificate builder form as different types of certificate or voucher builder forms may be stored in the Forms and Templates database 215. Some forms or templates may be for general use, whereas other forms and templates may be reserved for use by, or owned by, a particular merchant and not available to other merchants. The exemplary certificate builder form 1100 has several different fields or areas which the merchant may use. Area 1105 allows the merchant to select whether the merchant wishes to build a coupon, a voucher, or a gift certificate. In the example shown, the merchant has selected to build a coupon.

[0085] Area 1110 allows the merchant to view how the coupon will appear as the merchant is entering information. Area 1115 allows the merchant to input information regarding the certificate, and some of the fields therein are linked to fields in area 1110. For example, field 1140 allows the merchant to enter a value for the coupon, field 1145 allows the merchant to enter some detail about the coupon, such as what products or services it may be used on, and at what location, field 1150 allows the merchant to enter a brief description of the offer or deal, field 1155 allows the merchant to enter any desired "fine print", such as, by way of example and not of limitation, "No cash value. No money back. Entire amount must be used in one visit. Limit one per customer. May not be used in conjunction with any other offer. Etc." Field 1160 allows the merchant to enter an expiration date. [0086] Further, field 1125 may link to a picture, logo, icon, or other graphic about the merchant in the merchant information database 218. Alternatively, the merchant may be able to upload another picture, logo, icon, or other graphic to be inserted into this field. Field 1130 may link to the merchant's address in the merchant information database 218. Alternatively, the merchant may insert another address, such as the address of a branch location. Field 1135 allows the user to enter a certificate ID#. This field is preferably, but not necessarily, automatically generated by the platform.

[0087] Area 1120 allows the platform operator to provide tips, messages, and/or instructions for the merchant who is completing the certificate form so as to assist the merchant in generating the certificate. Optionally, the merchant may be able to insert prompts or reminders for himself or herself. Once the merchant has completed the certificate fields, the merchant can preview 1165 the coupon and save 1170 the coupon. The merchant can then go to the procedures of FIGS. 7-10, discussed above, to send or announce the certificate via various electronic media. The platform 205 will then format the information from the certificate builder operations in accordance with the requirements or limitations of the various electronic media. For example, an email message have all the information, a logo, an attached certificate, etc., whereas a tweet may simply have the brief description.

[0088] Consider now some examples of how a merchant may use the platform to further the goals of the merchant to get new customers, and retain existing customers.

[0089] As one example, consider a major league sports team, such as a professional football team, utilizing the platform and functions therein to rally its fan base ahead of the "big game" on Sunday Night. One team (the "Good Guys") has a Facebook page which contains 85,000 diehard "Likes". The opposing team (the "Bad Guys") has, however, for the game on Sunday, 92,000 equally as diehard "Likes". The general manager of the Good Guys deems that to be unacceptable and determines to energize the Good Guys' fan base and eliminate the embarrassing discrepancy between "Likes" for the Good Guys and the "Likes" for the Bad Guys.

[0090] The general manager will utilize the platform and functions provided therein to entice the fans on the Good Guys' email list to "Like" the Facebook page of the Good Guys. In return for "Liking" the Good Guys' Facebook page, a person will be rewarded by being automatically entered into a drawing to win a $1,000 Gift Certificate to the Good Guys' store. The Good Guys' store may have, by way of example and not of limitation, Good Guys' shirts, pants, hats, parkas, umbrellas, coasters, backpacks, balls, pens, blankets, and other various sports clothing and paraphernalia. Note that, in this example, the merchant is not attempting to entice the customer into purchasing anything, but simply into taking a specified action: "Like" the Good Guys. The Good Guys' fans then accept the offer and respond by "Liking" the Good Guys. By Friday, the Good Guys' general manager is very pleased to note that the Good Guys' Facebook page now boasts 102,000 "Likes", which is 10,000 more than the "Likes" for the Bad Guys.

[0091] Encouraged by the building excitement about, and response to, the Facebook contest, the Good Guys' general manager decides to attempt to whip the team's fans into a fever pitch by Sunday. The general manager therefore uses the platform to entice the fans to wear the team's colors to the game by offering to reward them for doing so. The reward may be, for example, a discount on food, drinks, or other purchases made at the stadium that day by a person who is wearing the team's colors, or a discount on tickets to the next game if the purchase of the tickets is made at the stadium that day by a person who is wearing the team's colors. Automatically, the message is sent via email to fans, posted on Facebook, and tweeted to the team's followers.

[0092] Then, on Saturday, as the big game approaches, follow-up emails, posts and tweets are automatically sent, reminding everyone to dress in the team's colors from head to toe. And finally, Sunday morning, to ensure success with the campaign, the message is again sent through all channels, reemphasizing the potential reward for wearing the team's colors to the game.

[0093] In response, the fans send additional emails to their friends, persuade their friends to "Like" the Good Guys, "pin" the event and team colors, etc. Thus, the campaign has gone "viral", resulting in the desired frenzy, a massive turnout at the game, and also months of social chatter recalling and commenting on the night the stadium "turned into" the team's color. Furthermore, because of the renewed interest of the fans in the Good Guys, many potential ticket purchasers have become actual ticket purchasers, and many one-time ticket purchasers have become repeat ticket purchasers or even season ticket purchasers.

[0094] This was all carefully choreographed by the general manager's brilliant utilization of the platform and functions herein, and was also easily accomplished. In order to create this hugely successful Internet and social media campaign the general manager performed the following actions using the platform and functions therein. (a) The general manager accesses the platform and types in the words "Win a $1,000 Shopping Spree at the Good Guys' Store! To enter, simply "Like" our Facebook page and post, "Go Blue!" Winner to be announced at halftime Sunday night." The general manager checks the boxes to send the message via email and post on Twitter, sets the date and time the message was to be sent/posted, and then presses ENTER.

(b) The general manager also types the words, "The Sea is Blue. The Good Guys Are, Too. Come Sunday, the Bad Guys will see a SEA OF BLUE!" The general manager checks the boxes to send this message via email and to post on Facebook and Twitter, sets the date and time the message is to be sent/posted, and then presses Enter.

(c) The general manager also types the words, "The 10 BLUEST PEOPLE in the stadium one hour before tonight's kickoff will lead the team onto the field!" The general manager checks the box to send out via "All Channels", sets the date time the message is to be sent/posted, and then presses ENTER.

[0095] Thus, all three messages are easily, quickly, and simply generated and entered onto the platform, can all at be done essentially at one time, and can all be done even weeks before the game. The general manager can thereby influence tens of thousands of people to behave precisely in the manner desired, but still have the time to monitor and savor every moment of the results. By using the platform and functions therein, the general manager can harness the power of the Internet and social media to get the message out faster, cheaper and more effectively than ever possible before.

[0096] The general manager is pleased by the apparent results, but would like to verify that the actual results match his or her perception. The general manger therefore goes to the team's account on the platform. The platform accurately tracks, records, and may display (in various forms) the following information, as applicable and as requested:

(a) The number of unique emails sent;

(b) An image of each email sent;

(c) The number of email addresses to which each email was sent;

(d) The deliverability (bounce), open, click-through, and opt-out rates for each email message that was sent;

(e) An image of each Facebook ad purchased;

(f) The demographic targeted by each Facebook ad; (g) The number of impressions received for each Facebook ad;

GO The number of click-throughs for each Facebook ad;

(i) The total cost of each Facebook ad;

0) An image of each Google™ ad purchased;

(k) The demographic targeted by each Google ad;

(1) The number of impressions received for each Google ad;

(m) The number of click-throughs for each Google ad;

(n) The total cost of each Google ad;

(o) An image of each Yahoo™ or other Internet ad purchased;

(P) The demographic targeted by each Yahoo or other Internet ad;

(q) The number of impressions received for each Yahoo or other Internet ad;

(r) The number of click-throughs for each Yahoo or other Internet ad;

(⁸) The total cost of each Yahoo or other Internet ad;

(t) An image of each Facebook post;

( ) An image of each Google+ post;

(v) An image of each tweet;

(w) An image of each Pinterest "PIN";

(x) A real-time calculation of how many new Facebook "Likes" have been received since the start of the campaign;

(y) A real-time calculation of how many Twitter followers have been received since the start of the campaign;

(z) A real-time calculation of how many "check-ins" have been received since the start of the campaign;

(aa) An image of every contest promotion;

(bb) A real-time calculation of offers purchased;

(cc) The voucher numbers for all offers purchased;

(dd) A real-time calculation of offers redeemed;

(ee) The voucher numbers for all offers redeemed;

(ff) A real-time calculation of the number of emails added to their email account on the platform since the start of the campaign;

(gg) The first and last name of the people whose email addresses have been uploaded into the merchant's email account on the platform; and

(hh) The total number of people reached by the campaign. [0097] As another example, assume that a regional restaurant chain ("Smitty's") with multiple locations has seen a steady decline in its customer base over the past few years. Smitty's management decides that they need to remodel their restaurants with a more "upbeat" decor and to change their menu by adding many new items at a lower price point.

[0098] As the remodeling of the restaurants is being completed, and the new menus are in hand, the VP of Marketing decides that now is the time to reach out to old and new customers. She uploads the tens of thousands of email addresses that Smitty's has acquired over the years into Smitty's account on the platform. Preferably, but not necessarily, she then chooses an email template from the multiple email templates found on the platform. She can then easily customize the selected template with Smitty's colors, logo, and any images she wishes to be displayed. She then types the following message: "Have you heard about the new Smitty's? Great new food in a great new atmosphere at a great new price! Come in anytime Monday thru Thursday during the month of October and we'll start you off right with the appetizer of your choice. It's on us!"

[0099] She checks the boxes to send the message out via email and Facebook. She then clicks to open the Twitter field and shortens the message that will go out via Twitter to read: "Come to Smitty's any Monday thru Thursday in October and we'll start you with a free appetizer of your choice!" She saves, clicks out of the field, sets the date and time she wants the messages to go out, and then clicks Enter.

[0100] She then clicks to the advertising page for Smitty's on the platform, where she quickly creates and purchases, via the platform, Facebook and Google ads that target Smitty's desired demographic.

[0101] Next, she clicks on the contest page for Smitty's on the platform, chooses and customizes another template, and then types the following message into the provided field: "Who says there's no such thing as a Free Lunch? Win A Whole Year's Worth at Smitty's! To be eligible, just 'Check-In' on Facebook every time you dine with us and your name will be automatically entered into the contest each time. The Lucky Winner will be announced November 1st!" She clicks the boxes to send this message via email, Facebook and Twitter, sets the date and time she wants the message to go out, and then clicks Enter.

[0102] When October ends and the messages have been successfully distributed, the VP of Marketing can utilize the Smitty's account on the platform on a daily basis (or as desired) to communicate directly with everyone who is following Smitty's through the variety of social media channels incorporated into the platform, thereby enticing them, in any way she specifies, to make return trips to Smitty's. She can also uses her email account on the platform once each month (or as desired) to send the monthly newsletter (again preferably but not necessarily customized from a template) to everyone who is on Smitty's email list (unless they have opted out). The monthly newsletters, among other things, may announce monthly specials, feature recipes, and/or contain a coupon which, when printed off and presented to the merchant, is good for 10% off the customer's entire meal.

[0103] As mentioned above, the platform, functions, and benefits described herein are not limited to businesses and merchants, but may also be used by others, such as but not limited to individuals and entities wishing to harness the power of the Internet and social media to effectively promote a position or a message.

[0104] For example, consider a candidate running for a political office. Utilizing the platform and functions described herein, the candidate could email his/her message to the email addresses gathered by his/her political party, post the message on Facebook, tweet it to his/her Twitter followers, authorize the purchase of Facebook and Google ads via the platform, entice people to "Like" his/her Facebook page and to follow him/her on Twitter, prompt people to attend and to "check in" at a political rally, prompt people to bring signs bearing a certain message or slogan, prompt people to rally at a particular location and date to support a particular cause or candidate, remind them to vote, etc.

[0105] As another example, consider a large, nationally branded automotive company. "Massive Motorcars" is such a company and wants to get a message out about the new XYZ model of its "Comfort" car. While traditional media campaigns can work well for large, nationally branded companies who can afford large television and print buys, the marketing team at Massive Motorcars knows that the XYZ model of its "Comfort" car was designed specifically to entice younger drivers, i.e., those who are not the traditional buyers of the "Comfort" car.

[0106] Massive Motorcars therefore wants to promote its message about the XYZ model to a more youthful audience. Massive Motorcars can use its own email list, a third party list based primarily on the desired demographics, or both, to promote its message, to entice people to come in for a test drive, to offer a discount or a rebate, to prompt people to like Massive Motorcars' and/or Comfort's Facebook page, to follow them on Twitter, "PIN" a picture of the XYZ on Pinterest, write an online review, etc.

[0107] Those persons responding to or acting on the message are noted in the database, and then another message may be sent to those persons with a future offer or enticement, such as a free rental for a weekend for a test-drive, an opportunity to win a Comfort car, free oil and filter changes for the 30,000 miles if they buy or order the XYZ model by a certain date, etc.

[0108] Thus, the platform cooperatively employs various online marketing methods including social, search, and viral advertising networks and methods to provide an effective and simple-to-use platform for online marketing and matching of consumers to advertisers (merchants) an effective way to create a commitment from customers to the merchant, that is, repeat customers.

[0109] One particular goal of a merchant may be to acquire consumers who are a match for the business based on location and/or interest factors, such as being the alumni of a particular college, or who graduated from college in a certain year. The platform, and the functions provided thereby, provide a low cost, no risk, and no money upfront advertising method that allows the merchant to promote their products and/or services through a hook offer to attract new consumers, to get the new consumer to "commit" to the merchant in some manner, and to convert new or even existing customers into "committed" customers who are committed to, or are at least interested in, trying out further products and services offered by the business.

[0110] In one implementation, the platform operator may only charge the merchant for actual results, such as but not limited to, actual purchases, a number of tweets or re-tweets, a number of postings, etc. Thus, the merchant pays for results, and pays once the results are known. In another implementation, the platform operator may charge the merchant for number of social media used to send the offer. In yet another implementation, the platform operation may charge the merchant for use of the contacts database.

[0111] The platform therefore addresses the typical complaint from merchants about the "online deal site" or "daily deal" industry rarely converting any new customers into loyal, repeat patrons. New customers and established customers can be targeted for offers designed to attract repeat business.

[0112] A "post-cost" advertising program allows merchants to advertise without risking large portions of cash-flow to acquire new customers.

[0113] Further, many online marketing methods are directed to the merchant end, that is, their focus is simply to present offers from the merchant. The platform and methods disclosed herein, however, also are customer-driven. That is, the platform allows customers to indicate their interests. Thus, rather than a merchant's offers being cast blindly into the Internet, they are directed to those persons who have directly indicated an interest in such offers by registering and providing that information to the platform, or who have indirectly indicated an interest in such offers by previously purchasing a product or service from the merchant.

[0114] To entice new customers, and to entice those new customers and existing customers, into becoming loyal, repeat customers, a merchant's offer is uploaded to, or entered into, the platform, thereby initiating a series of automatically occurring events which help the merchant to convert new customers, such as those acquired through an initial discount offer, into repeat customers who are willing to pay at or near full price. This automated process preferably includes one or more of the following.

(a) The merchant's offer is featured and promoted on an e-commerce site.

(b) An email promoting the merchant's offer is sent to the recipients previously designated to receive it.

(c) The merchant's offer is posted on social media websites including, but not limited to, Facebook™ and Twitter™.

(d) Online advertising promoting the offer is purchased on websites such as Facebook, Google™, Yahoo™, and other websites, particularly but not limited to social media websites, which have been programmed into the system. The websites are preferably selected based on the particular products, services, area, cost sensitivity, and/or customers of that merchant.

(e) An email prompting recipients to "Like" the merchant's Facebook page in exchange for the chance to win a prize or another valuable offer is sent.

(f) If a recipient becomes a purchaser, that information is preferably recorded. A "Thank You" email is sent to all purchasers, prompting the recipient to then interact with the merchant via social media. Such prompted interaction may include, but is not limited to, "following" the merchant on Twitter, "checking in" on Facebook, and "pinning" a pin about the merchant on Pinterest™.

(g) If a voucher or gift certificate has been sent to a recipient, and the recipient redeems or uses same, then that information is preferably recorded and another "Thank You" email is sent to those recipients. The email prompts the recipient to interact with the merchant through the Internet. Such prompted interaction may include, but is not limited to, visiting the merchant's website, filling out the merchant's questionnaire, and writing an online review of the merchant. (h) All purchasers of the merchant's offer will have their email address associated with the merchant's account in the system. This allows the merchant to periodically email purchasers, enticing them to transact additional business in the manner, for the products and/or services, and under the conditions, that the merchant specifies. Preferably, the email addresses of purchasers are not provided to the merchant. Rather, the merchant is merely granted access to send messages to these email addresses through the platform. Purchasers have the right to opt out of these lists.

(i) Web impressions, "click-throughs", and email or social media interaction between the merchant, its potential new customers, and the purchasers of the merchant's offer are recorded.

[0115] In addition to the functions described above, the platform may also implement the following features and/or functions to help the merchant to gain those desirable repeat customers.

[0116] The platform 205 may initiate a program or module which searches ad networks to find new potential customers and a consumer importance index program or module may be used rank persons in the contacts database to find suitable potential clients for the particular offer in order to more effectively drive repeat consumers to merchants. While a customer acquisition process is important to drive new business to merchants, a customer retention program may be just as important as allows merchants to utilize existing, dynamically created engagement triggers to continue to re-engage and remonetize current consumer relationships, such as by targeting those existing customers for certain specials, specialized treatment, priority seating or reservations, etc. The platform therefore helps the merchant to acquire and retain consumers using various automated business methods that are effective, allow performance to be measured, and are low cost and risk free. Smaller advertisers thus have the ability to acquire customers on a larger scale.

[0117] A "cost per customer" billing model may be used with the platform 205 as the cost is based on actual results, and can provide a predefined cost per customer that a merchant is aware of before any customers are engaged or re-engaged. This is a more meaningful metric as it is easily associated with a merchant's day-to-day operations. Also, there is no risk to the merchant associated with using this model as no additional or repeat customers means that the merchant does not have to pay. Thus, merchants can participate in a consumer acquisition and retention process without any money upfront. This gives advertisers the flexibility to participate without affecting daily cash flow as it is now an effective and efficient way to advertise online.

[0118] One benefit to the consumer is the ability to explore and discover nearby and interest-based businesses while receiving significant savings offers. While a consumer is discovering new merchants via the website 220, the consumer is being matched to merchants to create a future relationship or connection between them.

[0119] The platform 205 may use a consumer importance index to consider the distance in different market levels to create a consumer importance factor for a consumer's potential reachability. This allows the merchant to acquire new consumers and convert them to paying customers while focusing on different market levels or areas such as, for example: Metro Markets, City Market, Zip Code / Neighborhood Markets. Utilizing this targeting index, more importance is placed on consumers who are closer and/or more likely to become customers for the merchant.

[0120] Various factors may be used by the platform 205 to decide on the next engagement trigger for a specific consumer based on the consumer to merchant relationship type. A retention engagement process may be triggered automatically when a connection/relationship is created between a specific consumer and specific merchant. This process marks the consumer as being a target for additional or specialized offers. Some factors, for example, may be overall consumer engagement, previous merchant contact, frequency of merchant contact, last merchant contact, etc.

[0121] The platform 205 may use a retention frequency index to set a specific time frame/ frequency for a retention trigger to be enabled. The retention triggers may be different for different types of merchants. For example, the retention frequency for a Cafe category merchant may be 7 to 10 days, for a full dining Restaurant may be 14 to 20 Days, and for a Spa /Salon Frequency index may be closer to 30 days. Each retention frequency index is preferably based on factors such as merchant category, consumer lifecycle, and previous retention engagement. At the end of the specified period, the platform would, for example prompt the merchant for a new offer or a new communication to the consumer.

[0122] In summation, the applications and functions on the platform allow any entity or individual interested in harnessing the power of the Internet and social media to get messages out in a clear, concise, consistent, and timely manner, and also provide for the ability to track results in real time. Whether applied to e-commerce, group buying, group selling, group investing or to any of the various endeavors described above, the platform and functions simplify, streamline and track the results of online and social media messaging. This provides "one stop shopping" for those interested in successful, cost effective marketing in the 21st Century.

[0123] Consider, for example, a computer-implemented method to generate business for a second party. The method may be performed, for example, by the platform. A database is generated. The database contains electronic contact information and interests for a plurality of persons, information regarding the goods or services offered by the second party, and offers regarding those goods or services. The electronic contact information includes at least one of an email address or social networking services information for the person. The platform receives a request from the second party to generate business. In response, the platform: generates a list of potential customers by comparing the interests of persons in the database to the goods or services of the second party and designating a person as a potential customer if the interests of the person match the goods or services of the second party; communicates the first offer to the potential customer using the electronic contact information of the potential customer; and updates the database to indicate that the potential customer is now a customer if the potential customer indicates an acceptance of the first offer. The platform may then receive a request from the second party to generate repeat business from the customers, the request including a second offer regarding goods or services offered by the second party. In response, the platform retrieves a list of customers of the second party and communicates the second offer to the customers using the electronic contact information of the customers.

[0124] Consider another example wherein a computer-implemented method generates business for a second party where the second party is one merchant of a plurality of merchants. The method may be performed by, for example, the platform. A database is generated. The database contains information regarding the plurality of merchants, and the information of each merchant includes an identification of the merchant, an area of service for the merchant, the nature of a business of the merchant, and at least a first offer which may be made on behalf of the merchant. The platform provides a website which allows a visitor to provide information regarding the visitor and, when a visitor accesses the website, obtains location information regarding the visitor. The platform determines market areas relevant to the visitor based upon the location information, prompts the visitor to specify areas of interest to the visitor, stores the location information and the areas of interest of the visitor, compares the location and areas of interest of the visitor to the areas of service of the merchants and the natures of the businesses of the merchants to match at least one area of interest of the visitor to the at least one nature of the business of at least one merchant, and sends the first offer to the visitor. The platform stores an indication that the visitor has accepted the first offer. The platform then determines a second offer to be sent to the visitor and sends the second offer to the visitor.

[0125] Consider yet another computer-implemented method, for example, to promote an interest of a second party. The method may be performed by, for example, the platform. A request is received from the second party to generate "advocates", that is, persons who will support the merchant, charity, politician, sports team, etc. A first promotional information is then sent via social media to a plurality of persons, the first promotional information prompting a person who is a recipient of the first promotional offer to perform a specified action. If a person responds to the first promotional information by performing an action specified in the first promotional information then electronic contact information for the person and an identification of the first promotional information is recorded in a database. At some point after the specified action has been performed by a plurality of recipients of the first promotional information, second promotional information is sent to at least those persons of the plurality of persons who performed the specified action. These are the persons who have indicated an interest in supporting the second party, so the second promotional information is sent to them to further entice or activate them. If a person responds to the second promotional information by performing an action specified in the second promotional information then electronic contact information for that person and an identification of the second promotional information is recorded in the database. At a specified date (e.g., the day after a campaign closes, or an election is held, or the day before game day, etc.) or event (e.g., a certain number of people perform that action specified in the second promotional information, the electronic contact information is retrieved from the database for persons who performed at least one of the specified actions. Then, a prize or other benefit or recognition is awared to at least one of the persons who performed at least one of the specified actions.

[0126] Consider yet another computer-implemented method, for example, to promote a second party. The method may be performed by, for example, the platform. A request is received from a second party to promote the second party. In response, first promotional information is sent via social media to a plurality of persons, the first promotional information prompts a person who is a recipient of the first promotional information to perform a specified action with respect to the second party in return for a first specified benefit. If a person responds to the first promotional information by agreeing to perform the specified action, then that agreement is recorded, the first specified benefit is awarded to that person, and the second party is notified of the awarding of the first specified benefit. Then, second promotional information is sent to at least those persons of the plurality of persons who agreed to perform the specified action, the second promotional information advising the person of a second benefit. The second promotional information could also be sent to other persons such as, for example, the persons to whom the first promotional information was sent.

[0127] Based on the foregoing, it should be appreciated that technologies for acquiring and retaining customers and increasing business, especially repeat business, have been disclosed herein. Although the subject matter presented herein has been described in language specific to systems, methodological acts, and processes, it is to be understood that the concepts disclosed herein are not necessarily limited to the specific features, acts, or media described herein. Rather, the specific features, acts and mediums are disclosed as example forms.

[0128] The subject matter described herein is provided by way of illustration for the purposes of teaching, suggesting, and describing, and not limiting or restricting. Combinations and alternatives to the illustrated embodiments are contemplated, described herein, and set forth in the claims. Various modifications and changes may be made to the subject matter described herein without strictly following the embodiments and applications illustrated and described, and without departing from the scope of the following claims.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1. A computer-implemented method to benefit a second party, the method comprising:

generating a database, the database containing electronic contact information and interests for a plurality of persons, the database also containing information regarding the goods or services offered by the second party and offers regarding those goods or services, the electronic contact information including at least one of an email address or social networking services information for the person;

receiving a request from the second party to generate business;

generating a list of potential customers by comparing the interests of persons in the database to the goods or services of the second party and designating a person as a potential customer if the interests of the person match the goods or services of the second party; communicating the first offer to the potential customer using the electronic contact information of the potential customer;

updating the database to indicate that the potential customer is now a customer if the potential customer indicates an acceptance of the first offer;

receiving a request from the second party to generate repeat business from customers, the request including a second offer regarding goods or services offered by the second party;

retrieving a list of customers of the second party; and

communicating the second offer to the customers using the electronic contact information of the customers.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the database further contains a location indication for each person, and further comprising:

receiving location information for the second party; and

designating a person as a potential customer if the location indication of the person is within a predetermined area or distance of the location information of the second party.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein at least one of the first offer or the second offer is an opportunity to win a prize in return for the person endorsing the second party on a social networking site.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein at least one of the first offer or the second offer is an opportunity to win a prize in return for at least one of the person accomplishing a specified task or the person publicly exhibiting a specified mannerism.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the second party is a merchant.

6. The method of claim 1 and further comprising:

determining a proximity of the person to the location of the second party; and determining, based upon the proximity, which offer of a plurality of offers to send to the person as the first offer.

7. A computer-implemented method to benefit a second party, the second party being a merchant of a plurality of merchants, the method comprising:

generating a database, the database containing information regarding the plurality of merchants, the information of each merchant comprising an identification of the merchant, an area of service for the merchant, the nature of a business of the merchant, and at least a first offer which may be made on behalf of the merchant;

providing a website to allow a visitor to provide information regarding the visitor; when a visitor accesses the website, obtaining location information regarding the visitor;

determining market areas relevant to the visitor based upon the location information; prompting the visitor to specify areas of interest to the visitor;

storing the location information and the areas of interest of the visitor;

comparing the location and areas of interest of the visitor to the areas of service of the merchants and the natures of the businesses of the merchants to match at least one area of interest of the visitor to the at least one nature of the business of at least one merchant; sending the first offer to the visitor;

if the visitor accepts the first offer then storing an indication that the visitor has accepted the first offer;

subsequent to the visitor accepting the first offer, determining a second offer to be sent to the visitor; and

sending the second offer to the visitor.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the location information, areas of interest, and the indication that the visitor has accepted an offer are stored in a database containing information for a plurality of visitors.

9. The method of claim 7 and further comprising:

if the visitor accepts the second offer then storing an indication that the visitor has accepted the second offer;

subsequent to the visitor accepting the second offer, determining a second offer to be sent to the visitor and the indication that the visitor has accepted the second offer; and

sending the second offer to the visitor.

10. The method of claim 7 wherein providing the first offer comprises providing information regarding a product or a service and a price for the product or service.

11. The method of claim 7:

wherein providing the first offer comprises providing information regarding a product or a service and a price for the product or service;

further comprising accepting a payment for the first offer; and

wherein storing an indication that the visitor has accepted the first offer is performed after accepting the payment.

13. The method of claim 7 wherein at least one of the first offer or the second offer is an opportunity to win a prize in return for the visitor endorsing the merchant on a social networking site.

14. The method of claim 7 wherein at least one of the first offer or the second offer is an opportunity to win a prize in return for at least one of the visitor accomplishing a specified task or the visitor publicly exhibiting a specified mannerism.

15. The method of claim 7 wherein the specified task in at least one of the first offer or the second offer is to "Like" the second party on a social media website.

16. The method of claim 7 wherein the specified action in at least one of the first offer or the second offer is to send a short message promoting the second party via a social media website.

17. The method of claim 7:

wherein the database comprises a plurality of offers from the merchant; and further comprising selecting the first offer from the plurality of offers.

18. A computer-implemented method to promote an interest of a second party, the method comprising:

receiving a request from the second party to generate advocates;

sending first promotional information via social media to a plurality of persons, the first promotional information prompting a person who is a recipient of the first promotional offer to perform a specified action;

if a person responds to the first promotional information by performing an action specified in the first promotional information then recording in a database electronic contact information for the person and an identification of the first promotional information;

subsequent to the action being performed by a plurality of recipients, sending second promotional information to at least those persons of the plurality of persons who performed the specified action;

if a person responds to the second promotional information by performing an action specified in the second promotional information then recording in the database electronic contact information for the person and an identification of the second promotional information;

retrieving the electronic contact information for persons who performed at least one of the specified actions; and

awarding a prize to at least one of the persons who performed at least one of the specified actions.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein the specified action in at least one of the promotional information or the second promotional information is to "Like" the second party on a social media website.

20. The method of claim 18 wherein the specified action in at least one of the promotional information or the second promotional information is to send a short message promoting the second party via a social media website.

21. The method of claim 18 and further comprising, prior to sending the promotional information via social media to a plurality of persons:

determining whether there is an established relationship between a person and the second party; and sending the promotional information if there is an established relationship.

22. A computer-implemented method to promote a second party, the method comprising:

receiving a request from a second party to promote the second party;

sending first promotional information via social media to a plurality of persons, the first promotional information prompting a person who is a recipient of the first promotional information to perform a specified action with respect to the second party in return for a first specified benefit;

if the person responds to the first promotional information by agreeing to perform the specified action, then recording that the person has agreed to perform the specified action, awarding the first specified benefit to that person, and notifying the second party of the awarding of the first specified benefit; and

sending second promotional information to at least those persons of the plurality of persons who agreed to perform the specified action, the second promotional information advising the person of a second benefit.

23. The computer-implemented method of claim 22 wherein the first specified benefit is a voucher or a discount coupon for use at a place of business of the second party.

24. The computer-implemented method of claim 22 wherein the first specified action is one of replying to the first promotional information, or taking a specified action on a specified social media.