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Posts Tagged ‘social networks’

Shameless self-promotion, part XVI Wednesday, November 4th, 2009

I was interviewed a few weeks ago for an article on social media marketing in NETT magazine. The article, “Not all conversations are markets“, published this week, canvasses the views of a range of communication and marketing experts about issues in social media facing businesses today. It covers areas such as:

  • What department should be responsible for social media? (My vote went for the marketing department)
  • Should you try and control what your employees do and say on social networks, particularly during work hours?
  • Should businesses create “trusted avatars” and “sock puppets” (unidentified company spokespeople who try and create and steer conversations on social networks)? (The overwhelming answer was ‘No’)
  • Should you buy lists of friends? (Again, ‘No’)
  • What’s the proper etiquette for joining in on conversations in social networks?

It’s worth a read (of course I would say that, wouldn’t I?).

While on the subject of self-promotion, here are other marketing/social media articles and podcasts we’ve produced recently, for the HotHouse blog:

  • A messy village of communication and Branding’s mid-life crisis - Podcast interview with US branding expert Jonathan Salem Baskin and accompanying article about his book “Branding Only Works on Cattle”
  • Greater than the sum of the parts, The great juggling act and Confetti on the screen – Podcast interview with Australian Internet pioneer Tony Surtees and accompanying articles

    • - Ray Welling, Content Guy


    Types of social media distribution Tuesday, March 31st, 2009

    Here’s a diagram from Peter Kim showing the results of an analysis done showing how popular various types of social media distribution are:

    types of social media distribution

    Types of social media distribution (click on the image to see it in a larger format)

     Note how microblogging (largely Twitter) is the third-largest slice of the pie, behind social networking and blogging. Wonder how this will change in the next 6-12 months?


    Skittles aftermath: nothing to see here, mosey along now Thursday, March 5th, 2009

    Following on from yesterday’s post on the Skittles.com saga, the interest in this story in social media circles has been phenomenal, but now that Skittles has yanked the #skittles Twitter Search page from its home page (you can still find it if you go looking deeper on the site) like a spam Twitter account, the post-mortem has begun in earnest. It’s a bit like a digital version of the finger-pointing that goes on after disasters such as the recent Victorian bushfires.

    Catherine Taylor writes today in Social Media Insider: “Now, it’s time to drown in social media clichés, like the following: The mere fact I’m writing about this means the campaign achieved some success. Awareness of Skittles on the Web probably hasn’t been this high, ever. The underpinning for the strategy for this campaign is in itself a social media cliché: The consumers own the brand.

    “But I’d also like to offer that, in obsessing about this campaign, social media watchers are becoming their own cliché. What stood out to me in looking at the tweets about Skittles this morning wasn’t the naughty stuff, which seems to have run its course, but the whole meta phenomenon where people aren’t talking about Skittles per se, but what the Skittles campaign means for social media. Then there’s all the hand-wringing about the fact that some people said naughty things about Skittles and how that somehow mars the campaign (no pun intended, though Skittles is made by Mars). C’mon. Do you really think the agency and client were so naïve as to not know that would be part of it?

    “It’s time to move on to something truly important. Kudos to Skittles and Agency.com for embracing the idea that it’s not the brand home page that defines the brand. That’s a good thing. But we knew that already.”

    To quote from a couple of the comments on Catherine’s blog post:

    “We have to be very careful about what strong thinkers we are and make sure not to over-intellectualize these new age approaches as marketing professionals. This wasn’t about us. This campaign or experiment thereof was about where we’re going. It wasn’t rocket science, but I’m sure it worked. Skittles displayed a direct interest in finding their consumers where they are likely to be found and used their consumers to communicate the brand however the consumer chose to in their very own language…and the consumers did just that!”

    “I’m not sure what you need to know to wake up and be MORE IN TOUCH with your audience. They got trashed on Twitter because Twitters are about REAL, organic, testimonials and truth in real time. Spending the time, and $$$ with an agency that didn’t understand nor grasp that from the get go, shows that someone at the top of this, should have done more homework, or solicited better advice about using Twitter. Every agency in the world wants to jump on the bandwagon and utilize Social Media. If you don’t understand how to properly “engage” consumers using Web 2.0 technology, you need to be careful, for it’ll blow up it you face.”

    “The only important question is will this cause people to buy more Skittles? I look forward to learning the answer.”

    “I think the real value is less about the execution and more about the philosophy that drove it. If it means anything at all, it’s that this campaign is a recognition of the importance of the role social media plays in brand-building. The game has changed. It’s not 1999 anymore.”

    It will be interesting to see how the campaign is viewed in the fullness of time. Brilliant tactic or big mistake? What do you think?


    11 reasons to get involved in social media Tuesday, March 3rd, 2009

    11. Helps me to be seen as resourceful

    10. Current content maintains my visibility throughout the Web without having to pay for sponsored links or ads

    9. It generates a “buzz” about my business

    8. Connects me with my audience at an emotional level

    7. When I serve my customers well, they’re more likely to pass my name on to others

    6. Establishes my business identity

    5. Connects me with people in places I currently don’t have access to

    4. Helps future clients get to know me better as a business professional and as a person

    3. Connects me with businesses whose services I may need

    2. Helps me to understand who my customers are

    ………….and the number one reason Why I Use Social Media is……..

    1. Builds trust between me and my customer

    Trust is the new currency.

    Reprinted with permission from:
    Ray Schiel © Copyright 2008
    The Global Social Media Network
    http://www.globalsocialmedianetwork.com


    Of toothpaste and social media Sunday, March 1st, 2009

    An analogy-filled discussion on social media on the Ravenous Buglblatter Beast of Traal blog (don’t ask me, I have no idea what that blog title means, either!) this past week compares social media engagement to blurbs on toothpaste tubes. Karthik S. tells the story of a client who said, “Do we need to start a conversation with each and every person who says something about our brand online? Gosh, that’s going to take a lot of time”.

    He points out that engaging every single person who interacts with your brand is both impossible and missing the point of social media engagement. He likens it to the tube of Colgate toothpaste (which he was reading while contemplating social media engagement at 6 in the morning!) which says, “for best results, squeeze tube from the bottom and flatten as you go up.”

    He writes: “A toothpaste is supposed to clean your teeth; remove goo from gums (with the help of that other device, tooth brush); control bad breath…and so on. So, perhaps, it would have been a lot more appropriate if Colgate (and other toothpaste brands around the world) had actually printed, ‘For best results, brush twice every day and after every meal’.

    “Isn’t that the ‘best result’ in question? Why bother about existential activities like squeezing the tube, when the objective of using the paste (and the tube, as a result) is completely something else?”

    One of the commenters on the post, Chris Knutson, had a great response: “As for responding to each and every person who mentions your company on the internet, I don’t think that’s necessary. Rather, companies can use social media to take the pulse of how people feel about their brand, and use it as a second voice for their customers. If you happen to see a surge of complaints or concerns about a particular issue, you respond in the most visible way possible. If there is an ongoing conversation topic on Twitter, reply to the topic with your input, or offerings to provide assistance, or look into an issue for people experiencing pain with your company.

    “These activities do get noticed. The key to doing it effectively is sincerity. If you are perceived as genuinely concerned, social media users will respond positively, and your use of social media to engage with your customers will be respected. If you are perceived as just trying to perform damage control, you could see some backlash.”

    And re: the toothpaste tube instructions, one commenter added: “Reminds me of the nasel inhaler (Vicks Sinex) which includes the instructions: Remove top and push up bottom. Now that would certainly clear your passages. And the Starbucks coffee cups: Caution! May contain hot liquid. Are we really getting so dumb we need these kind of kind of instructions? There again, maybe your client experience shows we do.”


    “Getting” social media Friday, February 27th, 2009

    The Social Media Marketing group on LinkedIn had an insightful discussion this week about why traditional companies struggle to “get” social media. Robert Stinnett started the discussion with a story about his recent visit to a department store and his thoughts on how mobile marketing might have led him to buy a $400 barbeque while he was idly waiting for a salesperson in the next department.

    He said, “It’s frustrating to see companies not realizing the potential of social media. I can’t tell you when the last time it was that I paid attention to an ad on the television or in print; yet I “listen” and “react” to my social networks. I trust the network far more than I ever would an advertisement in traditional formats nowadays.

    “Of course, I also realize how hard this is. Companies seem so unwilling to change until they are facing something that makes them change.”

    Some of the comments posted included:

    • “We often hear or read amusing stories of how some high-profile individuals remark about a technology that is new and amazing to them but that the general public has been using for like 2-3 years. So it could be that the ones who are making decisions are so out of tune with current trends that they simply can’t understand the benefits.”
    • “Consumers in the market continue to move beyond the reach of traditional marketers. This issue of lifestyle habits and running both old and ‘new’ marketing simultaneously to hold aging consumers yet appeal to younger ones plays a role, in-part, in the economic disorientation society is experiencing right now.”
    • “We all want perfect, but in this day and age business is running at the speed of light. You have to have an agile workforce and an agile management team willing to try new things and move with the markets. Sitting around and doing nothing, but what you did for the past 10 years, isn’t going to work. Look at Obama’s speech tonight. Twitter was buzzing; Facebook was roaring. The feedback loop was in full swing - and I felt like I was part of it, and not just some dud sitting there watching ‘another speech’ on television.”

    In the current economic climate, with companies around the globe just trying to stay in business, it will be interesting to see if they view social media as an opportunity to shine in the gloom, or whether it’s easier to just pull down the shutters and spend less on everything in the attempt to survive.


    Creator or consumer? Or both? Or something else? Friday, February 20th, 2009

    Paul Verna has published an insightful article at eMarketer looking at user-generated content online. He says it’s important to understand what makes up content creation and consumption, as well as “appreciat(ing) the complexities of the content ecosystem, which means looking at gray areas between creation and consumption.

    Forrester Research has broken down the user-generated content universe into several categories of users:

    • Creators
    • Critics
    • Collectors
    • Joiners
    • Spectators
    • Inactives

     

    Verna asks: “Do critics and collectors create content by generating reviews, comments and lists, or are they simply reacting to content posted by others? Are joiners actually part of a content exchange if their main interest in social media is to use online networks for interaction and communication?

    “These are the kinds of questions marketers should be asking as they dive into social media. The better marketers understand the habits of the various groups that make up the content spectrum, the better they will be able to use social media to further their campaigns.”

    He writes that marketers need to ”accept a fluid exchange of marketing information across multiple media…. marketers must be prepared to share control with their customers and prospects…. (and) encourage and empower their customers to post feedback, even if those efforts put the marketer’s product in a harsh light. And it means marketers should tailor their campaigns to people who fall into gray areas along the user-generated content spectrum.

    He concludes that ”rules that worked in previous generations need to be refreshed, and in some cases completely rewritten.”

     


    Corporate blogs leading the way Wednesday, February 4th, 2009

    Online Media Daily has reported on a recent HubSpot survey which highlights the importance of a good blog to a company:

    “Compared with the rise of newer marketing tools such as Facebook and Twitter, the corporate blog may seem a bit stodgy. But a new study finds blogging to the most important lead-generation source among social media options, followed by StumbleUpon, YouTube, Facebook, De.lic.ious and Digg.

     ”Of the 167 executives and business owners surveyed by Internet marketing firm HubSpot, three-quarters of those that have tried blogging said their company blogs were “useful,” “important,” or “critical” to their business. Nearly half the companies have a blog, and three-quarters publish content at least weekly.”

     

    Read the rest here.


    Adults dominating social networks Wednesday, January 28th, 2009

    The share of adult internet users who have a profile on an online social network site has more than quadrupled in the past four years - from 8% in 2005 to 35% now, according to the Pew Internet & American Life Project’s December 2008 tracking survey.

    While media coverage and policy attention focus heavily on how children and young adults use social network sites, adults still make up the bulk of the users of these websites. Adults make up a larger portion of the US population than teens, which is why the 35% number represents a larger number of users than the 65% of online teens who also use online social networks.

    Online social network applications are mainly used for explaining and maintaining personal networks, and most adults, like teens, are using them to connect with people they already know.

    • 89% use their online profiles to keep up with friends
    • 57% use their profile to make plans with friends
    • 49% use them to make new friends
    • Other uses: organize with other people for an event, issue or cause; flirt with someone; promote themselves or their work; make new business contacts

    Full report here: http://www.pewinternet.org/pdfs/PIP_Adult_social_networking_data_memo_FINAL.pdf


    But wait, there’s more - predictions and wrap-ups Wednesday, December 31st, 2008

    A few interesting links to finish the year:

    Feel free to add your own, as well. Happy New Year everybody!


    Adventures in Twitter Monday, December 22nd, 2008

    Is it just me, or is Twitter exploding in weird ways? I’ve had heaps of new people following me in the past couple of weeks (my handle is raywelling if anyone who reads this is interested), partly due to me following more people, partly due to blog visitors, and the other part due to goodness knows what. Keeping in mind that my profile clearly shows that I am an Internet content worker based in Sydney, Australia, here are some of the people that have started following me:

    • AOL News
    • Bizarro Grundy, who runs a ‘fictional fighting’ blog (don’t ask)
    • A mentor and trainer based in Birmingham, UK
    • Forexreviewscwg
    • The Florida Strawberry Festival (Did you know that at 10.30 a.m. on Feb 26, Jimmy Sturr and his Orchestra will perform free on the Florida Strawberry Festival Soundstage? No, I didn’t think you did.)
    • someone called ‘bouncyti**ies’ (the asterisks are not there because of fear of offending readers, it’s fear of unleashing a stream of spam comments to this blog similar to what I am still receiving for a previous post which used the word ‘p*rn’)

    How did these people find me? What moved them to start following me on Twitter? I tried to send a direct message to ‘bouncyti**ies’ earlier today to ask those questions (no really, that was the only reason I was attempting to get into direct contact) and it turns out she (at least I think it’s a she, based on the icon), has had her account suspended due to ’strange activity’. Hmmmm…

    Look, I get the principles behind Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, Plaxo, etc. - both parties need to agree there’s a connection before something happens, so only real connections work in those networks. At the same time, I like the fact that I can follow the thought leaders in social media and e-marketing through Twitter without them needing to acknowledge my existence. I think I can even get where miss bouncy was coming from - she was probably preparing to send me a link to an esteemed photographic website. It’s the Florida Strawberry Festival which has me worried. Why me? Why now? And why do I now have this strange hankering for strawberry shortcake?


    …and this is the year that will be Thursday, December 18th, 2008

    There are heaps of opinions about what will be hot and not next year. Here’s a quick guide to expert predictions for social media and e-marketing in 2009:

    • Peter Kim – 50 Social Media &Marketing Predictions for 2009: Fourteen different experts were asked to give their predictions. The list includes: “Obamamaniacs will spawn a new age of activism”, “Social media creates indigestion”, “B2B figures it out”, and “Your ad agency will be disintermediated – by a media company.” My favourite quote from the pundits: “Suddenly, being Facebook friends with your Mom will seem less strange than following 4,000 strangers on Twitter.”
    • Investment bank GP BullHound, cited by NetImperative predicts that: “The mobile industry will see renewed interest and growth in 2009 following the success of the iPhone and developments such as the Gphone resulting in consumers taking ‘PC’ habits with them on the road.”
    •     “Online fashion retailers are also likely to display unprecedented growth as consumers shift spending from the High Street to online.”
    •     2009 will be a tough year for digital publishers with many expected to drop out of the list having either been acquired or have felt pressure on advertising revenue.
    • From ClickZ comes the prediction of all predictions: “The coming year in advertising is predicted to be, if nothing else, unpredictable.”
    • From eMarketer: Online advertising growth will be 8.9% in 2009 – much stronger than traditional advertising, but at a rate halved compared to predictions earlier in the year.
    •  From Frontiering Talk: Video streaming from mobiles - “Soccer mums through to corporate presentations will be beamed from mobiles directly to the internet”
    •     Integrated campaign metrics - “The holy grail of marketing will get one step closer as technology starts to allow a more integrated metrics reporting of campaign media.”
    •     “Attention Surplus Disorder” will be coined as a condition that affects a growing number of people.
    •     “Opinion fraud” will become commonplace with companies paying for positive recommendations for their products and services.

    What are your predictions, serious or otherwise? Please let me know via the comments section, and good luck in 2009.


    Measurement important to social media Monday, December 15th, 2008

    Dave Evans, author of “Social Media Marketing: An Hour a Day”, wrote a guest post in ClickZ last week about one of my hobby-horses, the importance of measuring digital media impact.

    He says a key point when measuring social content is establishing a baseline. “Before you do anything else, measure what’s happening right now,” he says.

    “Quantitatively measuring social content is the simplest, easiest, and lowest risk approach to getting comfortable with the social Web. Once you get a solid handle on the current conversation, you can measure the change in this content over time. This is the most important step toward a defensible ROI.”

    But it’s in for a penny, in for a pound. If you’re going to measure, you have to be comprehensive, Evans says. “Sampling a few points on the social Web does you no good. Like a lone fighter surrounded by swordsman, you’ve got to watch them all. You can’t do this without a robust dataset. Sooner or later a comment or some other content will catch you off guard.” He cites the example of Janet at Exxon, someone who posed as an authorized representative for the company on Twitter. Not only was she not an official representative, she may not even be an employee of the company.

    Evans points out that “What you learn on the social Web may not translate directly into a marketing campaign. It may, for example, inform future product revisions or your definition of an emerging service. This again shows the important connection between operations and marketing when engaging customers socially.”

    He concludes that “Unlike traditional media - where you set the terms of engagement - your customers define the interchanges on the social Web. Operations - including a concerted effort aimed at your own internal behavioral changes, or external (visible) changes to the products and services you offer - effectively influence conversations on the social Web. It’s not what you say (traditional marketing), but rather what you actually do (socially-based marketing) that defines the conversations that enhance or challenge the balance of your promotional and brand-building efforts.”


    Social media - the Australian list Wednesday, December 3rd, 2008

    Gotta love the power of social networks! After my post yesterday analysing a list of international social media marketing examples and wondering whether anyone had done something like this for Australian businesses, the compiler of the original list, Peter Kim, has worked his contacts to find one. Here it is: Steven Noble’s Australian Social Media Case Studies. Many thanks, Peter, and good on you, Steven, who is an analyst for Forrester. I will have a closer look and post more about this later, but wanted to get this link up ASAP.


    Brands OK - as long as they’re relevant Friday, November 21st, 2008

    eMarketer declares that Millennials aren’t brand resistant, but “irrelevance resistant”. Reporting on the results of a Synovate study released this week, eMarketer claims 18-24-year-olds ”are not solidly opposed to brands themselves, and are willing to spread the word about the ones they like.” 
    When asked about their “online brand engagement” in the past month, 28% had talked about a brand on a discussion forum, 23% had put brand-related content on their IM profile, and 19% had added branded content to their homepage or social networking site.
    Interestingly, the worldwide figures were similar to those in the US, with slightly higher results for favourite sites and personal start pages:

      
    According to the report, “Respondents were most likely to pass on comedy clips (62%), followed by music clips (40%) and clips featuring friends (27%). Almost one out of 10 passed along viral advertising and marketing clips. 

    Meanwhile, eMarketer reports that word-of-mouth is an ever-stronger way to market to young people. A recent survey by Alloy Media+Marketing found that uni students thought word-of-mouth was the most useful type of advertising. Samples—always a bonus for students on a budget—ranked second.
    Showing that students do still consider traditional media relevant, TV and magazine ads also ranked highly—higher, in fact, than online ads and sponsored Web applications.
     

     

     

     

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