FEATURE PROJECT
                          Online & Social Marketing

Yipes! Is an online retailer selling cheer, dance and fashion accessories/equipment. FORTHGEAR had previously designed the company’s website, developing an extensive backend with admin tools to manage sales of all their various products, along with offering design and personalization services. The company’s new goal was to create a more interactive experience for their customers, which they hoped would lead to increased sales and customer loyalty.

The Challenge
Because of the company’s youthful primary target market (junior high and high school students), Yipes! wanted to utilize social media tools to create a "community" where customers could share experiences and they could promote their products. These tools also needed to resonate with their audience — teenage girls and their coaches/advisors.

The Solution
FORTHGEAR developed a "MyYipes!" zone with links to MySpace, Facebook and Twitter to create a more interactive environment. Increased efforts were made to collect and create a customer database, and HTML e-mail campaigns were developed to encourage participation with the social media tools and highlight new products. Banner and cross-banner advertising was also introduced to increase consumer reach and promote visibility of their brand.

The Result
Yipes! continues to build followers and fans, and engage with its customers on several social media sites, including MySpace, Facebook and Twitter. These online social tools, along with the online chat service, are tying customers closer to Yipes! by offering increased customer support and awareness while continuing to build an online cheer and dance community.

Testimonial
"Very Efficient, conscientious, and a pleasure to work with."
Debbie Schaefer, Yipes!

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