Offers is beta launched in three US cities: New York, Portland and San Fransisco Bay areas. Not sure about the choices, but New York definitely seems like a good option. Hey! Where’s Atlanta? We’re one of the most socially networked cities in the US!

Anyway, what can we expect?

Google plans on marketing the services just like Groupon and Living Social: Optin emails, email marketing, etc. However, they’re missing the boat here. If they integrate it into Maps, GMail and their other, widely-used services, they could easily compete with the two front runners in this space. Right now the offers are syndicated from Yipit.

My advice? If it’s free it’s worth a try, but I would hold out until Google makes this effort for real. If they start integrating across their channels Google Offers will be a powerhouse. Stay tuned!

I launched Blabberbug back in mid 2009 with an ad-hoc idea of what it was and what it could be. Over the last two years, I watched it wax and wane. Mainly due to my own time constraints in conjunction with changes in geographic locale, the site held together but hasn’t grown beyond where it was at its peak. That’s what happens when you don’t market and don’t sell. However, it’s now 2011 and I’m looking forward.

What I learned from two years of beta is this:

• People will send their friends coupons to get a better deal for themselves.
• Merchants who use the system as a tool to increase effectiveness of their current couponing/email marketing see results
• Pay-for-performance can be a scary idea and a hard one to explain
• Merchants who aren’t currently marketing, probably won’t buy in
• Restaurants want a media that does the work for them

Important lessons that not everyone knows or accepts, but fact is fact. With these facts in mind, we have struck off to lay a stronger foundation, while pushing the features of the system farther than before. Blabberbug is under development again, finally, and this time we’re pushing towards a true Version 1 launch.

So, what’s changing? What’s new? Let me tell ya!

• Full charts and graphs for analytics
• Campaign history & archiving
  You’ll be able to revisit past campaigns to see how they performed.
• No budgets. No pay for performance. Just one low monthly fee based on desired features
• Free 30 day trial for all new accounts
• Menu uploads, customization features, and easier to use/understand blabberpad
• Foursquare and Campaign Monitor tie-ins
• Ad Agency accounts
  Manage your client’s campaigns all from one portal

And those are just the high-level elements. Blabberbug will be a true marketing tool to help boost the performance of your online coupon marketing. With our new development partner, Blabberbug will be better, stronger, faster. We have the technology!

Please, follow us on twitter and subscribe to the INVIGOR8 RSS feed to keep in the loop.

I’ll be posting updates as we hit milestones in development.

Blabberbug.com is a web tool that helps you drive word of mouth via viral coupons. Arooga’s, a sports bar and grille house in Harrisburg, has been leveraging Blabberbug with much success. In fact, in 30 days they saw over 30 people send coupons to over 90 other friends. That’s 120 people all with a coupon in hand ready to come to one of Arooga’s locations. So, how did they do it?

1. They signed up for an account on Blabberbug and set their monthly budget, coupons and store information.

2. They started posting a link at the bottom of their marketing email blasts.

3. They also promoted it throughout their locations on digital screens.

4. Informed the staff of the coupons so there was no confusion.

Now Arooga’s has more traffic from Blabberbug than they’ve gotten with any other media. The best part is, it only cost them a fraction of what other medias cost. Want to know more? Call us!