Astonishing number of Facebook
• The most trafficked web site in the United States
• Has more than 400 million members of which 70% are outside the US
• 25% all US Internet page views are on Facebook
• 54% of all US Internet users are on Facebook
• Over 200 million people login everyday and spend an average of 55 minutes
• Members upload 10 million videos and about a billion photos every month
• More than 20 million people join Facebook pages everyday. Those pages have been “fanned” (and now “liked”) 5.3 billion times.
• People have pressed the "like" button more than 1 billion times in 2 months
• Members’ on average are 34 yrs old and have 130 friends
Pure and simple this is the WOW factor. This is not advocating Facebook taking over the internet. But truth is, Facebook is a force and something marketers need to incorporate into their short and long term strategies and I am not just talking about a domestic front, but more importantly the international stage. Think about it - 280,000,000 people from outside the US are utilizing Facebook. This is almost the size of the US by todays population numbers. In my opinion this information above is evidence of Social Media's strength in reaching people. Now translating this into a business opportunity is so mouth watering that many are failing miserably right now. Why? Well, because they forget this is a "SOCIAL Media" place. It is an electronic bar and who wants to be sold anything other than a beer and good conversation at a bar? No one!!
Ultimately these numbers have "OPPORTUNITY" written all of them, but businesses just have to tread lightly or else risk alienation from the very folks who pay for their office lights.
Monday, May 17, 2010
Monday, April 26, 2010
Why did I do it?
That is set-up a Facebook, twitter and blog accounts, and create a website as well as “really” update my Linkedin profile? Well for me it was because of a few things;
1. To prepare me for the job hunt
2. Get more in-depth working knowledge of Social Media and how it can work
3. To express myself and show my knowledge
4. Create a much larger web footprint and
5.Present a professional image along with a little personal image to perspective employers.
Funny thing is, I did all this about 4 months ago and at the beginning those in the know were telling me most people (job hunting) do not have a personal website with their work experience (resume detail stuff), or a Linkedin account. Seems odd considering today’s job market, but what they do have is a Facebook account displaying their exploits from their off hours. Most job hunters don’t seem to realize or care about their professional image at all. One problem! Employers care! This is why they type your name in the Google search field to see who you are. Is it no wonder you are not getting employers calling you?
Well never fear because today you will get a list of 10 ways to utilize Social Media to land that next job. For more details on how to accomplish each to the “10 Way” go to http://newgradlife.blogspot.com/2010/04/get-job-business-jobs-graduate-jobs.html
This is great little article to help you do the right thing.
So let us list out the 10 ways so you can get on your way:
1. Set-up multiple accounts – this means keeping your private life separate from you professional image.
2. Use the Privacy settings in Facebook etc. - to hide your dirty laundry from the world
3. Be very very very careful what you say – never ever put yourself in a situation you cannot really talk yourself out of. Think “American Political Correctness” and you should be just fine
4. Promoting you and your knowledge – If your current boss is too stupid to listen to you, then release your expertise onto the world of the internet
5. Spamming is a no no no no thing to do – do you like to get bombarded with stuff you really care nothing about? Think of all the stuff that comes through your e-Mail and do the opposite
6. Follow the right folks – Paris Hilton may have a seemingly fun life, but what intelligently has she ever said?
7. Join your industry, professional interest focused groups – this is a great place to have your ear to the ground on current trends and also see job postings
8. Perform a job search on your specific industry or discipline on specific associated sites – sorry you will probably not find a job for bull fighting on a PETA specific site
9. Make a video resume – Oh boy this may be scary and this is one I just have not done yet, as this is a new trend and not top of my list to get done just yet
10. Measure how you are doing – Yep, we just cannot get away from metrics, but this is very good to do as it will help you focus on the tactics which work best for you. Time is a limited resource.
All of the above is a great starting point for the 21st century job hunter and for those also employed. Why for those still employed? Well, many people do not get the opportunity or know how too really self promote. Creating an on-line Professional Social Media Presence (PSMP) is a great way to do this and linking with your management staff will help keep them informed about you. Also, people are curious and it is very probable your bosses etc. will Google you at some point during the year.
Good luck in creating a PWF (Personal Web Footprint) and landing your next opportunity.
1. To prepare me for the job hunt
2. Get more in-depth working knowledge of Social Media and how it can work
3. To express myself and show my knowledge
4. Create a much larger web footprint and
5.Present a professional image along with a little personal image to perspective employers.
Funny thing is, I did all this about 4 months ago and at the beginning those in the know were telling me most people (job hunting) do not have a personal website with their work experience (resume detail stuff), or a Linkedin account. Seems odd considering today’s job market, but what they do have is a Facebook account displaying their exploits from their off hours. Most job hunters don’t seem to realize or care about their professional image at all. One problem! Employers care! This is why they type your name in the Google search field to see who you are. Is it no wonder you are not getting employers calling you?
Well never fear because today you will get a list of 10 ways to utilize Social Media to land that next job. For more details on how to accomplish each to the “10 Way” go to http://newgradlife.blogspot.com/2010/04/get-job-business-jobs-graduate-jobs.html
This is great little article to help you do the right thing.
So let us list out the 10 ways so you can get on your way:
1. Set-up multiple accounts – this means keeping your private life separate from you professional image.
2. Use the Privacy settings in Facebook etc. - to hide your dirty laundry from the world
3. Be very very very careful what you say – never ever put yourself in a situation you cannot really talk yourself out of. Think “American Political Correctness” and you should be just fine
4. Promoting you and your knowledge – If your current boss is too stupid to listen to you, then release your expertise onto the world of the internet
5. Spamming is a no no no no thing to do – do you like to get bombarded with stuff you really care nothing about? Think of all the stuff that comes through your e-Mail and do the opposite
6. Follow the right folks – Paris Hilton may have a seemingly fun life, but what intelligently has she ever said?
7. Join your industry, professional interest focused groups – this is a great place to have your ear to the ground on current trends and also see job postings
8. Perform a job search on your specific industry or discipline on specific associated sites – sorry you will probably not find a job for bull fighting on a PETA specific site
9. Make a video resume – Oh boy this may be scary and this is one I just have not done yet, as this is a new trend and not top of my list to get done just yet
10. Measure how you are doing – Yep, we just cannot get away from metrics, but this is very good to do as it will help you focus on the tactics which work best for you. Time is a limited resource.
All of the above is a great starting point for the 21st century job hunter and for those also employed. Why for those still employed? Well, many people do not get the opportunity or know how too really self promote. Creating an on-line Professional Social Media Presence (PSMP) is a great way to do this and linking with your management staff will help keep them informed about you. Also, people are curious and it is very probable your bosses etc. will Google you at some point during the year.
Good luck in creating a PWF (Personal Web Footprint) and landing your next opportunity.
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Wow - you mean - really!
What an epiphany! Social Media is about people connecting?? I'm confused. I thought Social Media was about selling my products to people and not just selling myself (ideas, comments, opinions etc.) Hum....well no wonder the first word is "Social". Thus meaning sites such as facebook, MySpace, Twitter etc. were developed to connect people on a social level. Wow isn't that what the whole meaning of "Social" is. You know social gatherings, social societies, socials, etc. It is where you and I gather to meet and exchange conversation.
Check out http://www.theoutsourcingcompany.com/blog/social-media-marketing/what-social-media-marketing-gurus-dont-want-you-to-know/ for a "Hit The Nail On The Head" article.
The whole definition of "social" has been lost by some peddlers of wares and services. This is why people are having such a hard time ( right now ) trying to determine if Social Media is successful in reaching customers. They forget it is about the first word in the description "SOCIAL" . Social sites were developed "for people to connect" and thereafter businesses decided they wanted to get in on the action, but then get frustrated when things don't happen as they do with traditional marketing/advertising.
Think of it this way - Social = wedding = lots of people = equals happiness = opportunity to pitch people right. BUT is this really the place to pitch your "things"? Now it might be if you are a caterer, dress maker, church, assembly hall, band etc.. Of course this means very discrete peddling.
Point is – there is a time and place to peddle your things and you have to be very very careful in understanding your boundaries. Understand the setting! Understand a business is an outsider. People do not want to be marketed to at a social event. But it can be done.
Now I could be way off base here, but an argument could be made that Social Media Marketing is a bit like subliminal messaging. You want to entice people to seek out your “things”, by utilizing sleight of hand, thoughtful suggestions, around the back door conversations, etc. Crazy thought I know.
Point is, Social Media is about people connecting on a social level. Businesses in their haste to sell more seem to forget this and want to find an immediate ROI. Thus the whole discussion of “is Social Media really working” comes into play. Yes, of course Social Media is really working – just look at the number of people who utilize social sites. It is the business side of Social Media that is struggling right now and eventually things will evolve to show a positive business ROI. Of course this means patients.
Check out http://www.theoutsourcingcompany.com/blog/social-media-marketing/what-social-media-marketing-gurus-dont-want-you-to-know/ for a "Hit The Nail On The Head" article.
The whole definition of "social" has been lost by some peddlers of wares and services. This is why people are having such a hard time ( right now ) trying to determine if Social Media is successful in reaching customers. They forget it is about the first word in the description "SOCIAL" . Social sites were developed "for people to connect" and thereafter businesses decided they wanted to get in on the action, but then get frustrated when things don't happen as they do with traditional marketing/advertising.
Think of it this way - Social = wedding = lots of people = equals happiness = opportunity to pitch people right. BUT is this really the place to pitch your "things"? Now it might be if you are a caterer, dress maker, church, assembly hall, band etc.. Of course this means very discrete peddling.
Point is – there is a time and place to peddle your things and you have to be very very careful in understanding your boundaries. Understand the setting! Understand a business is an outsider. People do not want to be marketed to at a social event. But it can be done.
Now I could be way off base here, but an argument could be made that Social Media Marketing is a bit like subliminal messaging. You want to entice people to seek out your “things”, by utilizing sleight of hand, thoughtful suggestions, around the back door conversations, etc. Crazy thought I know.
Point is, Social Media is about people connecting on a social level. Businesses in their haste to sell more seem to forget this and want to find an immediate ROI. Thus the whole discussion of “is Social Media really working” comes into play. Yes, of course Social Media is really working – just look at the number of people who utilize social sites. It is the business side of Social Media that is struggling right now and eventually things will evolve to show a positive business ROI. Of course this means patients.
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
IT WORKS! --??
Yes, you have read the headline correctly - "IT WORKS!" What I am I speaking of? Social Media Marketing of course. Well this is what a new study suggests (http://bit.ly/bW1Ywb).
I do how ever have a bone to pick. A comment to provide etc.
The numbers look great “60% of Facebook fans and 79% of Twitter followers are more likely to recommend those brands since becoming a fan or follower.” Not only that, but an “impressive 51% of Facebook fans and 67% of Twitter followers are more likely to buy the brands they follow or are a fan of.”
Now reality - why the heck would I or anyone else become a follower of a brand and then not recommend it or buy it when possible. Why would someone waste their time looking up how to follow a brand if they were not already a fan of that particular brand. Even if these folks did not follow a brand on a Social Media site they would probably still recommend or buy the brand per the percentages above. Reason - because they made an emotional tie through prior history that drove them to want to follow in the first place. For example; I own a Canon G9 and have owned other Canon cameras. Because I made an emotional investment into research, paying a significant amount and usage I have a bias. So yes, I will more than likely recommend Canon first, but here is the kicker - I have also made positive comments on other brands - Nokia, Sony, Lieca etc., but my preference is Canon. So would my attitude change just because I follow Canon on Facebook? Probably not.
We want so much to brand Social Media Marketing a success and the reality is, it is when it comes to attacking socialites and increasing brand awareness. It is yet to translate into significant (traceable) increased sales. Yes, someone may twitter "hey found a cheap pair of Levi jeans at JCP", "WOW I found a great new coffee @ Starbucks - Mocha Cherry Coco Lux" or "Awesome new Hyundai on the road". At this point tweets have not been tracked and tied back to a business's sales to make a correlational relationship hypothesis. Once we can say – “On this date a significant amount of tweets/chatter was taking place on Mocha Cherry Coco Lux and Starbucks was able to deduce sale increases of X% on that particular date for this particular coffee across this particular area of the country”. Or when a message is put on Facebook about a Starbucks promotion – sales for that promotion show a significant increase in line with non-Social Media Marketing promotions. Once a bottom line result is established then we can say Social Media Marketing is a success story.
For now we need to temper our excitement for Social Media Marketing. I do however believe it will be successful, but I also believe the current formats (Facebook etc. ) will change quite a bit before success can be determined. I also do not believe twitter will survive in its current format. It is a fad and like most fads, will die.
I do how ever have a bone to pick. A comment to provide etc.
The numbers look great “60% of Facebook fans and 79% of Twitter followers are more likely to recommend those brands since becoming a fan or follower.” Not only that, but an “impressive 51% of Facebook fans and 67% of Twitter followers are more likely to buy the brands they follow or are a fan of.”
Now reality - why the heck would I or anyone else become a follower of a brand and then not recommend it or buy it when possible. Why would someone waste their time looking up how to follow a brand if they were not already a fan of that particular brand. Even if these folks did not follow a brand on a Social Media site they would probably still recommend or buy the brand per the percentages above. Reason - because they made an emotional tie through prior history that drove them to want to follow in the first place. For example; I own a Canon G9 and have owned other Canon cameras. Because I made an emotional investment into research, paying a significant amount and usage I have a bias. So yes, I will more than likely recommend Canon first, but here is the kicker - I have also made positive comments on other brands - Nokia, Sony, Lieca etc., but my preference is Canon. So would my attitude change just because I follow Canon on Facebook? Probably not.
We want so much to brand Social Media Marketing a success and the reality is, it is when it comes to attacking socialites and increasing brand awareness. It is yet to translate into significant (traceable) increased sales. Yes, someone may twitter "hey found a cheap pair of Levi jeans at JCP", "WOW I found a great new coffee @ Starbucks - Mocha Cherry Coco Lux" or "Awesome new Hyundai on the road". At this point tweets have not been tracked and tied back to a business's sales to make a correlational relationship hypothesis. Once we can say – “On this date a significant amount of tweets/chatter was taking place on Mocha Cherry Coco Lux and Starbucks was able to deduce sale increases of X% on that particular date for this particular coffee across this particular area of the country”. Or when a message is put on Facebook about a Starbucks promotion – sales for that promotion show a significant increase in line with non-Social Media Marketing promotions. Once a bottom line result is established then we can say Social Media Marketing is a success story.
For now we need to temper our excitement for Social Media Marketing. I do however believe it will be successful, but I also believe the current formats (Facebook etc. ) will change quite a bit before success can be determined. I also do not believe twitter will survive in its current format. It is a fad and like most fads, will die.
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
What!!!????
I ran across an article posted on another social media site/blog and I was a little perplexed. The whole of the article came down to "I just do not understand - should I connect with everyone who comes my way?" Although this may be an innocent question, is it really or does it bring up an excellent talking point?
I have seen and heard the countless stores of people with 1000s of contacts in their online “Social Media Rolodex” (SMR) and have often wondered ---- "WHY?".
Side bar - if you have not read "The Tipping Point" I would suggest you pick a copy up and read it cover to cover.
Back to the question at hand - "WHY?" Well there are obvious reasons 1. It is a game to see who can get the most 2. People think it will make them look popular and 3. People just do not know what they are doing on Social Media sites. Now before we move on, I want to state something - "If you are a business and have 1000s of contacts/customers this is different" BUT you still need to be careful as you will need to have a well defined strategy on how to “individually” connect with your customers. As individually connecting is what Social media is about. Remember it is not Mass Media On-line Marketing.
What this all leads to is - setting goals which include why you are doing what you are doing. You cannot be all over the map and expect to be successful. Example – let us say we have over 1000 contacts in our account. Now realistically you do not have enough time to communicate with all of them (which includes reading their posts and responding to their post). If you tried to, you would not get anything else done in your life. You would become a pasty (from lack of sun light) looking individual. This would in a since make you a prisoner in your own home. You would have become a slave to your computer which is connected to others afraid to experience freedom. Shoot people in China would be considered freer!
Remember freedom comes in many forms and when that freedom is compromised we need to ask ourselves – “is it worth it anymore?”
The whole point is, make sure you have well defined realistic goals that will allow you to be a productive human being. Not a computer controlled drone.
As the old adage goes – “don’t bite off more than you can handle!”
I have seen and heard the countless stores of people with 1000s of contacts in their online “Social Media Rolodex” (SMR) and have often wondered ---- "WHY?".
Side bar - if you have not read "The Tipping Point" I would suggest you pick a copy up and read it cover to cover.
Back to the question at hand - "WHY?" Well there are obvious reasons 1. It is a game to see who can get the most 2. People think it will make them look popular and 3. People just do not know what they are doing on Social Media sites. Now before we move on, I want to state something - "If you are a business and have 1000s of contacts/customers this is different" BUT you still need to be careful as you will need to have a well defined strategy on how to “individually” connect with your customers. As individually connecting is what Social media is about. Remember it is not Mass Media On-line Marketing.
What this all leads to is - setting goals which include why you are doing what you are doing. You cannot be all over the map and expect to be successful. Example – let us say we have over 1000 contacts in our account. Now realistically you do not have enough time to communicate with all of them (which includes reading their posts and responding to their post). If you tried to, you would not get anything else done in your life. You would become a pasty (from lack of sun light) looking individual. This would in a since make you a prisoner in your own home. You would have become a slave to your computer which is connected to others afraid to experience freedom. Shoot people in China would be considered freer!
Remember freedom comes in many forms and when that freedom is compromised we need to ask ourselves – “is it worth it anymore?”
The whole point is, make sure you have well defined realistic goals that will allow you to be a productive human being. Not a computer controlled drone.
As the old adage goes – “don’t bite off more than you can handle!”
Monday, March 1, 2010
Be number 1 in web searches!
I am sure the first question on everyone’s mind about search engine optimization (SEO ) is: “how long will it take me to see results? “ Well this depends on a number of things like, how much effort you put into getting set-up, what you are selling, who your audience is etc. etc. etc.. A rough answer is anywhere from 3-9months. Wow- 9 months!!! That’s right. Do it half (well you know) and it could take 9 months. But if you plan and prepare properly you could very well see results in much less time.
To get started in helping you get yourself noticed we need to define what search engine optimization (SEO ) is. SEO (let us also throw in Search Engine Marketing – SEM) is about all the techniques at your fingertips used to optimize your web pages, videos, photos, etc. to maximize your search engine ranking. The higher you are in the rankings, the more likely you will be found by those searching the web.
Really quick, SEO and SEM are very similar in nature, but SEM is more about paying for customers to find you by utilizing services such as Keyword Sponsored Link Advertising Programs.
Our purpose today is to provide you a quick (Cliff Note) lesson to help you at least be dangerous enough to prepare properly. The first thing to know is, Search Engines “LOVE” social media sites. This is great, but how do you get noticed? Well there are a few easy steps and let us begin with the following:
1. You need to create (or utilize existing) meta-keywords already in your site/s. These can be single words or short phases (3-5 words).
2. Pick a SEM provider such as Google Adwords, Microsoft AdCenter etc. to find out how much someone would pay for your meta-keywords if someone clicked on them.
3. Make sure to use your keywords across all of your sites. Especially in your URL as Search Engines really like these.
4. Title Tags– are less than 70 characters and utilize keywords which are also found in your site content.
5. Meta-Descriptions –are descriptions for “each page” within your site. Search Engines use meta-descriptions to describe a page in the list of search results that are compiled. If a description is not present or is wrong, you may not end up in the right searches or customers may skip over your listing because they do not believe you have what they need. Your descriptions should be no longer than 150 characters.
6. Make sure to use your meta-keywords as often as possible across all of your sites, blogs, posts, discussions etc.
7. For appropriate product pages, link your meta-keywords to them as well.
Now what? Well….get your pencil and paper out and start brainstorming for your meta-keywords, title tags and meta-descriptions. Once you have them all figures out - go forth and reel in the folks out there on the World Wide Web!
If you really want to dive deep into SEO, click on this link http://searchenginewatch.com/ and you will have at your finger tips more information about SEO then you really need to, to get started.
To get started in helping you get yourself noticed we need to define what search engine optimization (SEO ) is. SEO (let us also throw in Search Engine Marketing – SEM) is about all the techniques at your fingertips used to optimize your web pages, videos, photos, etc. to maximize your search engine ranking. The higher you are in the rankings, the more likely you will be found by those searching the web.
Really quick, SEO and SEM are very similar in nature, but SEM is more about paying for customers to find you by utilizing services such as Keyword Sponsored Link Advertising Programs.
Our purpose today is to provide you a quick (Cliff Note) lesson to help you at least be dangerous enough to prepare properly. The first thing to know is, Search Engines “LOVE” social media sites. This is great, but how do you get noticed? Well there are a few easy steps and let us begin with the following:
1. You need to create (or utilize existing) meta-keywords already in your site/s. These can be single words or short phases (3-5 words).
2. Pick a SEM provider such as Google Adwords, Microsoft AdCenter etc. to find out how much someone would pay for your meta-keywords if someone clicked on them.
3. Make sure to use your keywords across all of your sites. Especially in your URL as Search Engines really like these.
4. Title Tags– are less than 70 characters and utilize keywords which are also found in your site content.
5. Meta-Descriptions –are descriptions for “each page” within your site. Search Engines use meta-descriptions to describe a page in the list of search results that are compiled. If a description is not present or is wrong, you may not end up in the right searches or customers may skip over your listing because they do not believe you have what they need. Your descriptions should be no longer than 150 characters.
6. Make sure to use your meta-keywords as often as possible across all of your sites, blogs, posts, discussions etc.
7. For appropriate product pages, link your meta-keywords to them as well.
Now what? Well….get your pencil and paper out and start brainstorming for your meta-keywords, title tags and meta-descriptions. Once you have them all figures out - go forth and reel in the folks out there on the World Wide Web!
If you really want to dive deep into SEO, click on this link http://searchenginewatch.com/ and you will have at your finger tips more information about SEO then you really need to, to get started.
Monday, February 15, 2010
Stats you have to love them or................
Well more stats coming your way. What does this all mean? Go checkout
http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/news/index.cfm?NewsID=3212295
I will make a prediction now. Bye Bye MySpace, and I am being to see a trend for Twitter which is not rosy. It is looking more and more like Twitter is a fad and will fade. Why, well the age demographics keep going lower and lower and what is the one thing we know about teenagers? The one thing is we know they are fickle. Today it is Twitter tomorrow it is enhanced features for SMSing technologies. Let’s face it – Twitter is just a viewable list of text messages without pictures or sound. “Pictures” are we not a image driven consumer race? Are we so shallow we only really want to read 140 spaces made up of less than half words that only drive us to other places to get our complete fill of images, sounds and full bodied words built around a well constructed sentence?
Maybe I am wrong.
http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/news/index.cfm?NewsID=3212295
I will make a prediction now. Bye Bye MySpace, and I am being to see a trend for Twitter which is not rosy. It is looking more and more like Twitter is a fad and will fade. Why, well the age demographics keep going lower and lower and what is the one thing we know about teenagers? The one thing is we know they are fickle. Today it is Twitter tomorrow it is enhanced features for SMSing technologies. Let’s face it – Twitter is just a viewable list of text messages without pictures or sound. “Pictures” are we not a image driven consumer race? Are we so shallow we only really want to read 140 spaces made up of less than half words that only drive us to other places to get our complete fill of images, sounds and full bodied words built around a well constructed sentence?
Maybe I am wrong.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Getting the Word OUT!!!
Now that you have your account or accounts ready to go, you are probably wondering how in the world do I let the world know I have something to offer them! Well, this answer is easy for today. Next time we will dive into some more sophisticated ways such as Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Search Engine Marketing. For now let us stay with what you can do today, right now. This involves using tools you already know and love. O.k. well maybe just maybe you don't love them, but have been forced to utilize them because of our ever evolving society’s marriage with technology. Maybe you long for the days of the Pony Express or snail mail. Or maybe you long for the good ole days of sending Morris code or better yet smoke signals. If you prefer anyone of these I have just mentioned - you might just be a red nec..... O.k. I'm sorry I put you through that. But hey this is my blog! So get over it. Just kidding, but seriously dude chill!
O boy where were we before I took us on a little bitty tangent? Oh yea, getting the word out about what is on your mind about your business.
How about Word of mouth - easy, effective and could be absolutely FREE! Spreading the word about your social media identity is much like spreading the word about any business. The message has to be relevant and ring loud and clear to the recipient before they will store it, use it and then tell someone else. Viral marketing I believe is what it is called. You might also be able to squeeze the idea out that this is a bit of a guerilla or grass roots marketing tactic/strategy. At any rate, this is a viable way to get your word out.
How about networking? Yes yes I know this is a bit like word of mouth, but with a twist. When you go to events you usually meet people right, give them your 30 second elevator “self advertisement“ and then lay the big enchilada on them. It’s called a "BUSINESS CARD". Wow this is a small "take with them" billboard. Just think, you have now just promoted yourself, your endeavor, and now they will have a billboard to follow your link to your Social Media business site. Wow what a novel idea. Yes thank you thank you thank you very much. Yes I know. Today’s business cards should at least have your name, phone number, e-mail, website, and at least one of your social media sites listed on it.
O.k. ready for another “hold onto your seats now cause your mind is about to be blown”! shhhh be very quite cause I don't want this to get out.............o.k. what about.....well maybe I really should not say anything..............o.k. o.k.............using your other social media Sites to help promote your NEW and IMPROVED social media site. I know genius right? Man I love it when I do this! Doesn’t this sound very very familiar to you.....think back to the word "linking". Have you got it? Great! Man, you had me worried there for a bit. That is right; linking all of your appropriate social media sites together is a form of advertising. You already have followers, so get them in the “know” and they can help spread the wonderful word about you as well.
Wow we are almost done for today, all we have is one more idea to go. It is the oldest form of communicating (at least when it comes to the Internet). It is called "e-Mail". Yes, I realize some of you gen x'ers and millenniums may not really understand this term. Think of it as SMS, MMS, IM, tweeting, etc using properly constructed sentences and full letter words.
Using e-Mail is still a great way to communicate with the world. You can now reach out to those whom you can’t see face-to-face, are not on facebook, MySpace etc., don’t have texting on their cell phone, maybe they don’t even have a cell phone, don’t use IM (or even know what it is) or use any other more advanced way to communicate. E-Mail is so universal now that even a monkey has an e-Mail account set-up. To take full advantage of this form of communications make sure to include your social media widgets (RSS, Facebook, BLOG, Linkedin etc.) when e-Mailing your carefully crafted marketing message.
The above ideas are relatively easy and very cost effective if not FREE (depending on your resource allocations). These forms are well established in the fabric for everyday life now and many of those you reach out to will not be over whelmed by the technology. On top of this, you will be delivering to them relevant content, free of charge and on a timely basis. You are putting the control into their hands to customize their enter action with you. I would suggest you don’t just use one tool, but fill your bag with as many ways as possible since not everyone is going to be watching the same show on the same channel.
O boy where were we before I took us on a little bitty tangent? Oh yea, getting the word out about what is on your mind about your business.
How about Word of mouth - easy, effective and could be absolutely FREE! Spreading the word about your social media identity is much like spreading the word about any business. The message has to be relevant and ring loud and clear to the recipient before they will store it, use it and then tell someone else. Viral marketing I believe is what it is called. You might also be able to squeeze the idea out that this is a bit of a guerilla or grass roots marketing tactic/strategy. At any rate, this is a viable way to get your word out.
How about networking? Yes yes I know this is a bit like word of mouth, but with a twist. When you go to events you usually meet people right, give them your 30 second elevator “self advertisement“ and then lay the big enchilada on them. It’s called a "BUSINESS CARD". Wow this is a small "take with them" billboard. Just think, you have now just promoted yourself, your endeavor, and now they will have a billboard to follow your link to your Social Media business site. Wow what a novel idea. Yes thank you thank you thank you very much. Yes I know. Today’s business cards should at least have your name, phone number, e-mail, website, and at least one of your social media sites listed on it.
O.k. ready for another “hold onto your seats now cause your mind is about to be blown”! shhhh be very quite cause I don't want this to get out.............o.k. what about.....well maybe I really should not say anything..............o.k. o.k.............using your other social media Sites to help promote your NEW and IMPROVED social media site. I know genius right? Man I love it when I do this! Doesn’t this sound very very familiar to you.....think back to the word "linking". Have you got it? Great! Man, you had me worried there for a bit. That is right; linking all of your appropriate social media sites together is a form of advertising. You already have followers, so get them in the “know” and they can help spread the wonderful word about you as well.
Wow we are almost done for today, all we have is one more idea to go. It is the oldest form of communicating (at least when it comes to the Internet). It is called "e-Mail". Yes, I realize some of you gen x'ers and millenniums may not really understand this term. Think of it as SMS, MMS, IM, tweeting, etc using properly constructed sentences and full letter words.
Using e-Mail is still a great way to communicate with the world. You can now reach out to those whom you can’t see face-to-face, are not on facebook, MySpace etc., don’t have texting on their cell phone, maybe they don’t even have a cell phone, don’t use IM (or even know what it is) or use any other more advanced way to communicate. E-Mail is so universal now that even a monkey has an e-Mail account set-up. To take full advantage of this form of communications make sure to include your social media widgets (RSS, Facebook, BLOG, Linkedin etc.) when e-Mailing your carefully crafted marketing message.
The above ideas are relatively easy and very cost effective if not FREE (depending on your resource allocations). These forms are well established in the fabric for everyday life now and many of those you reach out to will not be over whelmed by the technology. On top of this, you will be delivering to them relevant content, free of charge and on a timely basis. You are putting the control into their hands to customize their enter action with you. I would suggest you don’t just use one tool, but fill your bag with as many ways as possible since not everyone is going to be watching the same show on the same channel.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Do what I say, not as I do..............
Well well well, seems I have made a snafu (calculated or not). Can you guess what this snafu is? I will give you a hint - consistency. Anybody? Brueler Brueler has anyone seen.............O.k you need another hint? How about – time? I think we are getting closer ........ding ding ding I think we have a winner!!!!! All Right! For all of your efforts you win a big screen TV for your next dream. O.k. o.k. the answer is providing a consistent and timely posting. It has been a bit over two weeks since my last posting and I bet you forgot all about me - well almost. Point is, Social Media Marketing is just like every other form of advertising. If you are not in front of your audience they will forget you or not trust you with their time. Especially when they can click just around the corner and find someone else doing the same thing you are.
This brings up a good question – “do you have to have the same consistent campaign message over extended periods of time and does it really matter”? Well, it is a complicated question. I am going to extend a “yes” and a “no” answer. I know it is a bit confusing, but there really is a “yes” answer and a “no” answer. “Yes” you need to provide a consistent “Brand” message over time and on a consistent timely basis. “No” you do not need to provide the same campaign type of message all of the time. Think of “Nike”, they provide a brand image of athletic footwear that will help you perform better. Their campaign messaging changes depending on the sport they focus on in advertisements.
Check out “Assessing the long-term impact of a consistent advertising campaign on consumer memory.” http://www.allbusiness.com/marketing-advertising/advertising/174156-1.html. This article is a bit long, but it does provide some pretty good insight into “consistent advertising”. If you do not read the article, at least remember this from the article:
Consumer recall and recognition will be better for a brand whose schema has been established with a continuous advertising campaign compared with a new brand using a similar message strategy.
This is very important for all of us trying to brand our product. It is not good to steal someone else’s idea and try to make it our own. Yes, there may be some elements, but be very careful. Just take a look at the Duracell Bunny vs. the Energizer Bunny. Think about this for a bit. Is it the Duracell or Energizer bunny???? Think hard. It is actually both. The point is Eveready (owner of Energizer) captured the concept from Duracell (legally of course), but confusion grew with the public and Duracell actually believes about 40% of those who see the advertisements think of Duracell rather than Energizer.
Without consistency you will
• Slowly lose customer trust and credibility
• Confuse your customers by appearing undecided (make up your mind!)
• Come across as not having been in business very long
Consistency is very very very important!
Let me know if you agree or not.
This brings up a good question – “do you have to have the same consistent campaign message over extended periods of time and does it really matter”? Well, it is a complicated question. I am going to extend a “yes” and a “no” answer. I know it is a bit confusing, but there really is a “yes” answer and a “no” answer. “Yes” you need to provide a consistent “Brand” message over time and on a consistent timely basis. “No” you do not need to provide the same campaign type of message all of the time. Think of “Nike”, they provide a brand image of athletic footwear that will help you perform better. Their campaign messaging changes depending on the sport they focus on in advertisements.
Check out “Assessing the long-term impact of a consistent advertising campaign on consumer memory.” http://www.allbusiness.com/marketing-advertising/advertising/174156-1.html. This article is a bit long, but it does provide some pretty good insight into “consistent advertising”. If you do not read the article, at least remember this from the article:
Consumer recall and recognition will be better for a brand whose schema has been established with a continuous advertising campaign compared with a new brand using a similar message strategy.
This is very important for all of us trying to brand our product. It is not good to steal someone else’s idea and try to make it our own. Yes, there may be some elements, but be very careful. Just take a look at the Duracell Bunny vs. the Energizer Bunny. Think about this for a bit. Is it the Duracell or Energizer bunny???? Think hard. It is actually both. The point is Eveready (owner of Energizer) captured the concept from Duracell (legally of course), but confusion grew with the public and Duracell actually believes about 40% of those who see the advertisements think of Duracell rather than Energizer.
Without consistency you will
• Slowly lose customer trust and credibility
• Confuse your customers by appearing undecided (make up your mind!)
• Come across as not having been in business very long
Consistency is very very very important!
Let me know if you agree or not.
Monday, January 18, 2010
Relevant Content and Linking
Are you ready to spread the “word”? Wonderful!
So you have at least one social media network account set-up and you have determined your resource allocation. The big question is – “is this the right SM site(s) or do you need more? Will they reach your target audience(s)?
For B2B, Linkedin is the premier SM site right now. For B2C, it could be Facebook, MySpace, hi5 etc. To help you pin down where you should focus your efforts take a look through the following links. I am providing a few, as the data is a bit different in each. Overall they will provide you with a good sampling of statistics to help you determine where your audience may be.
http://socialmediastatistics.wikidot.com/age http://www.socialnetworkingwatch.com/all_social_networking_statistics/index.html
http://socialmediaatwork.com/category/statistics/
Suggestion holds you should sign up for Facebook, Twitter and Linkedin. These three sites will provide you the opportunity to reach your intended audiences and they are some of the best known SM sites out there today. After setting up these accounts, create a “group” and have all internal leaders join the group. You will then need to post thought provoking topics which will entice the group members to respond.
Now all you need to do is link all of your SM sites together. Try to include all of your SM site icons on your main website and include them in your e-Mail as well. This by fare is the bare minimum.
Next start a Blog of your own with relevant and engaging content and include your other SM site icons here as well. Use your e-Mail to let your current customers know about your Blog and invite your industry specific contacts as well. Give your audience the opportunity to interact with your postings. Allow them to respond and if no one does, then you should respond in kind. Note: to keep your Blog relevant, you need to keep your audience engaged. This means providing relevant, timely and regular content updates. If you Blog once every week or so, this will not keep your audience coming back for more. People love to be information junkies and the only way to give them their fix, is to provide them their content on a “very” regular basis.
Remember if you link your SM sites up, you can easily write your blog and have your Twitter, Facebook and Linkedin pages pick up your most recent posting. Thus by linking your SM sites you can streamline your efforts to reach many locations very quickly. This saves you time and may reach some of your followers who are not on linkedin or Twitter.
So go forth and Blog “relevant content” to your heart is content. Let the world know who you are and give them something “FREE”. Remember everyone loves “FREE”! By providing something “FREE” you can still gather a lot of statistical information about your follower’s behavior. So they get something and you get something – it’s called a win-win situation.
Next time we will take up the subject of advertising your SM sites.
So you have at least one social media network account set-up and you have determined your resource allocation. The big question is – “is this the right SM site(s) or do you need more? Will they reach your target audience(s)?
For B2B, Linkedin is the premier SM site right now. For B2C, it could be Facebook, MySpace, hi5 etc. To help you pin down where you should focus your efforts take a look through the following links. I am providing a few, as the data is a bit different in each. Overall they will provide you with a good sampling of statistics to help you determine where your audience may be.
http://socialmediastatistics.wikidot.com/age http://www.socialnetworkingwatch.com/all_social_networking_statistics/index.html
http://socialmediaatwork.com/category/statistics/
Suggestion holds you should sign up for Facebook, Twitter and Linkedin. These three sites will provide you the opportunity to reach your intended audiences and they are some of the best known SM sites out there today. After setting up these accounts, create a “group” and have all internal leaders join the group. You will then need to post thought provoking topics which will entice the group members to respond.
Now all you need to do is link all of your SM sites together. Try to include all of your SM site icons on your main website and include them in your e-Mail as well. This by fare is the bare minimum.
Next start a Blog of your own with relevant and engaging content and include your other SM site icons here as well. Use your e-Mail to let your current customers know about your Blog and invite your industry specific contacts as well. Give your audience the opportunity to interact with your postings. Allow them to respond and if no one does, then you should respond in kind. Note: to keep your Blog relevant, you need to keep your audience engaged. This means providing relevant, timely and regular content updates. If you Blog once every week or so, this will not keep your audience coming back for more. People love to be information junkies and the only way to give them their fix, is to provide them their content on a “very” regular basis.
Remember if you link your SM sites up, you can easily write your blog and have your Twitter, Facebook and Linkedin pages pick up your most recent posting. Thus by linking your SM sites you can streamline your efforts to reach many locations very quickly. This saves you time and may reach some of your followers who are not on linkedin or Twitter.
So go forth and Blog “relevant content” to your heart is content. Let the world know who you are and give them something “FREE”. Remember everyone loves “FREE”! By providing something “FREE” you can still gather a lot of statistical information about your follower’s behavior. So they get something and you get something – it’s called a win-win situation.
Next time we will take up the subject of advertising your SM sites.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Darn it I have done it again! I have found something something worth letting you know about and instead of writing my own piece, I have pasted it below. Enjoy!
10 Social Media Travel Tools
8:44 AM Friday March 6, 2009
by Alexandra Samuel
http://blogs.harvardbusiness.org/cs/2009/03/10_social_media_travel_tools.html
Travel budgets are under serious pressure right now. Trips that were once approved via rubber stamp now must pass through the Politburo Standing Committee to get a green light.
Thankfully, a host of social media tools can help you get the most out of every business trip you take and more clearly show ROI. They've certainly helped me get the most out of every hour I'm on the road. I run my own shop so getting approval isn't an issue for me, but using these tools to fill my travel time wisely means that I can travel less, spend more time with my family, and reduce the total carbon footprint of my flying. Best of all, packing a lot into each trip means that I return home with fresh knowledge, relationships and inspiration.
Here are 10 ways social media can help you travel less but do more:
1. Have network, will travel. Nurture a national or international network of contacts in the cities you visit on a recurring basis. Commit 15 minutes a day to instant business trips: Use Twitter to respond to an update from a former co-worker. Find an old colleague on Facebook and drop a short note to connect. Build and maintain your long-distance relationships and they'll be ready when you need them.
2. Do your homework. Set up your computer with an RSS reader that works offline (thanks to Google Gears, that now includes Google Reader). Fill up your reader with content from the sites of companies you'll be meeting on the road. Set your reader to offline mode, and use your flight time to catch up on background research.
3. Meet and greet. Check for topical events in the city you're visiting, before you commit to travel dates. Eventful and upcoming.org list conferences and professional gatherings in many cities.
4. Fill your dance card. Use LinkedIn, a professional networking site, to expand your network when you're in a new city. Use advanced search to set the location you're traveling to, and browse search results for current or prospective contacts. You can also search your destination city for fellow alumni and introduce yourself; many people are delighted to hear from alums of their alma mater.
5. Connect with fellow travelers. Don't limit your networking to people who live near your destination. Use TripIt or Dopplr to track your travel details and share them with friends and colleagues. When you're traveling to the same city as a fellow contact, these services will alert you to your chance to connect.
6. Grab that bulkhead. Use Seat Guru, which offers a map of airplane interiors on a huge range of models and carriers, to find the best seat on your flight. When you choose your seat using online check-in, aim for one with extra legroom (so you arrive well-rested) or an electrical outlet (so you can work in flight).
7. Pack your minutes. Use Google Maps to plot out your prospective meetings so that you can visualize all your meeting locations, and then schedule your appointments to minimize travel time and maximize meeting time. Either print out directions to carry with you, or use a GPS system to plot your routes on the fly; you'll find you can schedule more appointments when you don't need to allow extra time for getting lost.
8. Stay in touch. Use PhoneTag or another voicemail-to-email transcription service. When you're on the road, it can be hard to find a quiet place to listen to messages. With PhoneTag you can get notifications and messages via e-mail (great for iPhone or Blackberry users) or via SMS (for everybody else). If you're trying to juggle scheduling on the fly or worried about missing a call with someone you're supposed to meet with, transcription will make your travel much, much easier.
9. Capture the card. Use shoeboxed to scan and digitize the business cards you collect on the road. Or do it yourself with Evernote: use your iPhone to snap a picture of each card you collect, and Evernote will use character recognition to make it full-text searchable (and accessible from the web or your desktop).
10. Restock your network. When you meet new colleagues on the road, ask them how they prefer to connect and stay in touch: connect on LinkedIn? Follow each other on Twitter? Become friends on Facebook? Follow up by adding them to your networks when you return, and be sure to drop them a note to thank them for meeting.
You're now back at home with a network that's stronger than when you left. Use your social network presence to strengthen those new connections and make the most of your leads, and you can enjoy a break before it's time to hit the road again.
Any tools or tips I've forgotten that you find especially useful?
10 Social Media Travel Tools
8:44 AM Friday March 6, 2009
by Alexandra Samuel
http://blogs.harvardbusiness.org/cs/2009/03/10_social_media_travel_tools.html
Travel budgets are under serious pressure right now. Trips that were once approved via rubber stamp now must pass through the Politburo Standing Committee to get a green light.
Thankfully, a host of social media tools can help you get the most out of every business trip you take and more clearly show ROI. They've certainly helped me get the most out of every hour I'm on the road. I run my own shop so getting approval isn't an issue for me, but using these tools to fill my travel time wisely means that I can travel less, spend more time with my family, and reduce the total carbon footprint of my flying. Best of all, packing a lot into each trip means that I return home with fresh knowledge, relationships and inspiration.
Here are 10 ways social media can help you travel less but do more:
1. Have network, will travel. Nurture a national or international network of contacts in the cities you visit on a recurring basis. Commit 15 minutes a day to instant business trips: Use Twitter to respond to an update from a former co-worker. Find an old colleague on Facebook and drop a short note to connect. Build and maintain your long-distance relationships and they'll be ready when you need them.
2. Do your homework. Set up your computer with an RSS reader that works offline (thanks to Google Gears, that now includes Google Reader). Fill up your reader with content from the sites of companies you'll be meeting on the road. Set your reader to offline mode, and use your flight time to catch up on background research.
3. Meet and greet. Check for topical events in the city you're visiting, before you commit to travel dates. Eventful and upcoming.org list conferences and professional gatherings in many cities.
4. Fill your dance card. Use LinkedIn, a professional networking site, to expand your network when you're in a new city. Use advanced search to set the location you're traveling to, and browse search results for current or prospective contacts. You can also search your destination city for fellow alumni and introduce yourself; many people are delighted to hear from alums of their alma mater.
5. Connect with fellow travelers. Don't limit your networking to people who live near your destination. Use TripIt or Dopplr to track your travel details and share them with friends and colleagues. When you're traveling to the same city as a fellow contact, these services will alert you to your chance to connect.
6. Grab that bulkhead. Use Seat Guru, which offers a map of airplane interiors on a huge range of models and carriers, to find the best seat on your flight. When you choose your seat using online check-in, aim for one with extra legroom (so you arrive well-rested) or an electrical outlet (so you can work in flight).
7. Pack your minutes. Use Google Maps to plot out your prospective meetings so that you can visualize all your meeting locations, and then schedule your appointments to minimize travel time and maximize meeting time. Either print out directions to carry with you, or use a GPS system to plot your routes on the fly; you'll find you can schedule more appointments when you don't need to allow extra time for getting lost.
8. Stay in touch. Use PhoneTag or another voicemail-to-email transcription service. When you're on the road, it can be hard to find a quiet place to listen to messages. With PhoneTag you can get notifications and messages via e-mail (great for iPhone or Blackberry users) or via SMS (for everybody else). If you're trying to juggle scheduling on the fly or worried about missing a call with someone you're supposed to meet with, transcription will make your travel much, much easier.
9. Capture the card. Use shoeboxed to scan and digitize the business cards you collect on the road. Or do it yourself with Evernote: use your iPhone to snap a picture of each card you collect, and Evernote will use character recognition to make it full-text searchable (and accessible from the web or your desktop).
10. Restock your network. When you meet new colleagues on the road, ask them how they prefer to connect and stay in touch: connect on LinkedIn? Follow each other on Twitter? Become friends on Facebook? Follow up by adding them to your networks when you return, and be sure to drop them a note to thank them for meeting.
You're now back at home with a network that's stronger than when you left. Use your social network presence to strengthen those new connections and make the most of your leads, and you can enjoy a break before it's time to hit the road again.
Any tools or tips I've forgotten that you find especially useful?
Now that you have your one or more accounts set-up, it is time to talk about managing your resources in order to provide on time consistent valuable content.
While it is cheaper to utilize SM technology to reach out to others, there are many factors which need to be taken into account. Maintaining a public facing SM site could eat up a lot of resources. This is why you will need to pay close attention to your end goal and be as specific as possible in what you want to communicate. Doing this will help you streamline your efforts and make sure you are utilizing your resources effectively. Remember, SM utilization is no different than advertising. You need people to see your message and they need to see it several times before they will follow. Just because you build it – does not mean they will automatically follow. You have to be committed (not to a hospital) to a consistent approach. You will not build a consistent following if your posting is sporadic (once every 4 ,5,6 days). Once you have a mass following they will want to hear from you as much as possible. Give your customers what they want! Below are a few things to think about when allocating your resources.
The resource areas you will need to take into consideration.
1. Setting-up and managing the IT side of things: Who will do this, how many SM sites will be required to set-up? What about technical difficulties – who will contact support. Who will find out how to build a B2B or B2C customer facing page (uploading pictures etc)? These are all very important steps to consider as this will be the back bone of your SM service.
2. Once you have your IT taken care of, how often do you plan to post? Who will do the research necessary to provide relevant information? How up to date do you want or need your SM site/s to be?
3. Now that you have a posting frequency plan. Who will create the content to be posted? What “official company” guidelines do you have to make sure relevant content is provided? If you don’t have any guidelines, maybe you should think about creating some. The last thing you need to is to plagiarize and be caught. Talk about a credibility killer. Trust is very hard to earn, but very very very easy to loss!
4. Customer inquires/feedback: How will they be handled? Will you respond to them daily, every other day or when? If someone asks a question or makes a strong comment, they “really”do want to have a response. You should respond as quick as possible since their feedback will, or at least should be viewable to the public. The public is watching to see what you do. By not answering timely or providing a quality response, you could lose their trust as well.
5. You do not need to assign one person to each responsibility. You could create a collaborative team effort. This would cut down on the time needed at an individual level, thus allowing for a smaller time commitment from each participating team member. This would also provide a more effective way to manage and provide fantastic relevant content on a timely and consistent basis.
Hopefully you have enjoyed today’s lesson and your brain has received many quality questions to ponder. So sit down right now, put pen to paper and layout your content strategy plan.
Next time we will talk about creating content programs. Stay tuned to your RSS feed for Marketing/Social Media Tools.
While it is cheaper to utilize SM technology to reach out to others, there are many factors which need to be taken into account. Maintaining a public facing SM site could eat up a lot of resources. This is why you will need to pay close attention to your end goal and be as specific as possible in what you want to communicate. Doing this will help you streamline your efforts and make sure you are utilizing your resources effectively. Remember, SM utilization is no different than advertising. You need people to see your message and they need to see it several times before they will follow. Just because you build it – does not mean they will automatically follow. You have to be committed (not to a hospital) to a consistent approach. You will not build a consistent following if your posting is sporadic (once every 4 ,5,6 days). Once you have a mass following they will want to hear from you as much as possible. Give your customers what they want! Below are a few things to think about when allocating your resources.
The resource areas you will need to take into consideration.
1. Setting-up and managing the IT side of things: Who will do this, how many SM sites will be required to set-up? What about technical difficulties – who will contact support. Who will find out how to build a B2B or B2C customer facing page (uploading pictures etc)? These are all very important steps to consider as this will be the back bone of your SM service.
2. Once you have your IT taken care of, how often do you plan to post? Who will do the research necessary to provide relevant information? How up to date do you want or need your SM site/s to be?
3. Now that you have a posting frequency plan. Who will create the content to be posted? What “official company” guidelines do you have to make sure relevant content is provided? If you don’t have any guidelines, maybe you should think about creating some. The last thing you need to is to plagiarize and be caught. Talk about a credibility killer. Trust is very hard to earn, but very very very easy to loss!
4. Customer inquires/feedback: How will they be handled? Will you respond to them daily, every other day or when? If someone asks a question or makes a strong comment, they “really”do want to have a response. You should respond as quick as possible since their feedback will, or at least should be viewable to the public. The public is watching to see what you do. By not answering timely or providing a quality response, you could lose their trust as well.
5. You do not need to assign one person to each responsibility. You could create a collaborative team effort. This would cut down on the time needed at an individual level, thus allowing for a smaller time commitment from each participating team member. This would also provide a more effective way to manage and provide fantastic relevant content on a timely and consistent basis.
Hopefully you have enjoyed today’s lesson and your brain has received many quality questions to ponder. So sit down right now, put pen to paper and layout your content strategy plan.
Next time we will talk about creating content programs. Stay tuned to your RSS feed for Marketing/Social Media Tools.
Sunday, January 10, 2010
7 business models for linked data
This is 100% plagiarized and I give 100% of the creative content on “7 business models for linked data” to Chief Marketing Technologist by Scott Brinker at http://www.chiefmartec.com/. Sit back and enjoy the brain swell.
7 business models for linked data
Now that major companies are implementing linked data, and more marketing thought leaders are championing data as an outward-facing competitive advantage, the question I'm hearing more frequently is:
How do you turn data into revenue?
Creating, publishing, and maintaining data takes work. What are the economic incentives for companies to put in the effort?
Here's my take on 7 business models for data web initiatives:
I've organized these by how revenue is generated, from direct money-for-data to indirect branding programs.
Within each of these revenue models, there's also a secondary dimension of how the data is delivered, whether in raw form for others to leverage in their own applications or embedded into a pre-packaged application provided directly to end-users.
1. Subscription model. Some data will be valuable enough that you can charge people a subscription to access it. This model has been around for a while, but it will gain new life as linked data standards make it easier for people to consume and mash-up data in novel applications.
2. Advertising model. Advertising: the second oldest profession. Data-driven applications will have plenty of opportunity for contextual ads and sponsorships. One interesting twist will be advertisers who pay to include information in raw data feeds, data-layer ads if you will.
3. Authority model. If anyone can publish data on the web, how will you know what data is good? That problem will be an opportunity for third-party "authorities" to validate data — or do official reviews and certifications that are published as data — and charge for participation. Compliance services are related to this.
4. Affiliate model. Affiliate marketing programs generate over $6 billion/year in commissions and are a major source of transactions and leads for merchants such as Amazon.com. Embedding affiliate links in data, so that they are activated when surfaced into end-user applications, are a natural extension of this existing model.
5. Value-Add model. Useful data can be bundled with other services to make the overall solution more valuable. For example, think of the benchmarking data now included with Google Analytics. Access to data can also be offered earlier in the sales funnel, as a lead generation incentive.
6. Traffic model. As with Google Rich Snippets, data can be used to boost the visibility and ranking of sites in major and vertical search engines. This is data-enhanced search engine optimization (SEO++) to increase traffic. Nickname: the "data for nothing and links for free" model (apologies to Mark Knopfler).
7. Branding model. As Josh Jones-Dilworth said, "Data shapes conversations and markets." Data branding can use data — and the vocabularies that define and structure data — to position and promote a company's worldview and differentiation strategy.
Of course, there will be hybrid models that combine several of these approaches.
Particularly in the early days, most organizations will benefit from experimenting with linked data for traffic, branding, and a little value add. Their own value will be learning as much as anything. As the data web matures, and they become more experienced, they may embrace more direct revenue models.
But don't underestimate the importance of data branding. When it comes to establishing industry standard vocabularies and ontologies, there is a definite first-mover advantage.
For the entrepreneurs in this space, however, everything is fair game.
Can you think of other models? Are you willing to share?
7 business models for linked data
Now that major companies are implementing linked data, and more marketing thought leaders are championing data as an outward-facing competitive advantage, the question I'm hearing more frequently is:
How do you turn data into revenue?
Creating, publishing, and maintaining data takes work. What are the economic incentives for companies to put in the effort?
Here's my take on 7 business models for data web initiatives:
I've organized these by how revenue is generated, from direct money-for-data to indirect branding programs.
Within each of these revenue models, there's also a secondary dimension of how the data is delivered, whether in raw form for others to leverage in their own applications or embedded into a pre-packaged application provided directly to end-users.
1. Subscription model. Some data will be valuable enough that you can charge people a subscription to access it. This model has been around for a while, but it will gain new life as linked data standards make it easier for people to consume and mash-up data in novel applications.
2. Advertising model. Advertising: the second oldest profession. Data-driven applications will have plenty of opportunity for contextual ads and sponsorships. One interesting twist will be advertisers who pay to include information in raw data feeds, data-layer ads if you will.
3. Authority model. If anyone can publish data on the web, how will you know what data is good? That problem will be an opportunity for third-party "authorities" to validate data — or do official reviews and certifications that are published as data — and charge for participation. Compliance services are related to this.
4. Affiliate model. Affiliate marketing programs generate over $6 billion/year in commissions and are a major source of transactions and leads for merchants such as Amazon.com. Embedding affiliate links in data, so that they are activated when surfaced into end-user applications, are a natural extension of this existing model.
5. Value-Add model. Useful data can be bundled with other services to make the overall solution more valuable. For example, think of the benchmarking data now included with Google Analytics. Access to data can also be offered earlier in the sales funnel, as a lead generation incentive.
6. Traffic model. As with Google Rich Snippets, data can be used to boost the visibility and ranking of sites in major and vertical search engines. This is data-enhanced search engine optimization (SEO++) to increase traffic. Nickname: the "data for nothing and links for free" model (apologies to Mark Knopfler).
7. Branding model. As Josh Jones-Dilworth said, "Data shapes conversations and markets." Data branding can use data — and the vocabularies that define and structure data — to position and promote a company's worldview and differentiation strategy.
Of course, there will be hybrid models that combine several of these approaches.
Particularly in the early days, most organizations will benefit from experimenting with linked data for traffic, branding, and a little value add. Their own value will be learning as much as anything. As the data web matures, and they become more experienced, they may embrace more direct revenue models.
But don't underestimate the importance of data branding. When it comes to establishing industry standard vocabularies and ontologies, there is a definite first-mover advantage.
For the entrepreneurs in this space, however, everything is fair game.
Can you think of other models? Are you willing to share?
O.k. o.k. the real question is how do I get started letting the world know about my wares? Well today is your very lucky day because I am about to provide you a little bit of a nut shell explanation. Are you ready? Get set - go...........First off you need to setup an account (assuming you have not done so already). If you already have one, setup a brand new one on a different Social Media Marketing (SMM) website. Here is a list of a few well known sites - Linkedin, Twitter, Facebook, Blogs, Myspace, WordPress, hi5, Six Apart and Frienstar. Now mind you, these are just a few of the many SMM sites out there.
Now before you choose which one to grab on to and ride the whacky world of letting people know about your "clean" laundry - you first need to understand what it is you want to accomplish. Let's say you need to find a job. While all SMM sites can be utilized for your job hunt, there is one that stands head and shoulders above the rest. Linkedin is such an SMM site. It not only provides you job hunting capabilities, but it also allows you to build a Business Social Network (BSN) with existing contacts and helping you make new connections as well. Once you have your ever expanding BSN, Linkedin makes it easy to stay in touch with each of them. These connections could also be your "insider" eyes and hears to possible job opportunities. What if job hunting is not what you need – maybe you just need a place to “smartly express” yourself to your valued customers – then how about Twitter? Twitter allows you to quickly and easily touch everyone in your Customer Social Network (CSN) whenever you have a finger twitch. Tweet beware! You will need to hone your short Hand (typing) as you only have 140 spaces to get your message across. Seems crazy I know, but once you get the hang of it – it rolls off the tips of your fingers like butter on the side of a crazy hot metal house.
To help lead you in the right direction of choosing an SMM site - set goals on what you want to accomplish. What is it you want to drive? Is it lead generation, pure product information or customer loyalty? These are very important items to ponder about as they are the corner stone of you choosing the right SMM site to get started. Also, remember SMM is not easy to track and is more for communicating than driving fast to the bottom line. This does not mean your bottom line will not be positively impacted, but it will take time. Before our next get together spend some time with your thoughts and really think about your goals. Once you have them established setup the SMM site you believe will help you meet your goal/s.
On our next session we will cover resources needed to be successful.
Now before you choose which one to grab on to and ride the whacky world of letting people know about your "clean" laundry - you first need to understand what it is you want to accomplish. Let's say you need to find a job. While all SMM sites can be utilized for your job hunt, there is one that stands head and shoulders above the rest. Linkedin is such an SMM site. It not only provides you job hunting capabilities, but it also allows you to build a Business Social Network (BSN) with existing contacts and helping you make new connections as well. Once you have your ever expanding BSN, Linkedin makes it easy to stay in touch with each of them. These connections could also be your "insider" eyes and hears to possible job opportunities. What if job hunting is not what you need – maybe you just need a place to “smartly express” yourself to your valued customers – then how about Twitter? Twitter allows you to quickly and easily touch everyone in your Customer Social Network (CSN) whenever you have a finger twitch. Tweet beware! You will need to hone your short Hand (typing) as you only have 140 spaces to get your message across. Seems crazy I know, but once you get the hang of it – it rolls off the tips of your fingers like butter on the side of a crazy hot metal house.
To help lead you in the right direction of choosing an SMM site - set goals on what you want to accomplish. What is it you want to drive? Is it lead generation, pure product information or customer loyalty? These are very important items to ponder about as they are the corner stone of you choosing the right SMM site to get started. Also, remember SMM is not easy to track and is more for communicating than driving fast to the bottom line. This does not mean your bottom line will not be positively impacted, but it will take time. Before our next get together spend some time with your thoughts and really think about your goals. Once you have them established setup the SMM site you believe will help you meet your goal/s.
On our next session we will cover resources needed to be successful.
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Social Media and Marketing your job search. Yes, believe it or not you too can experience the fluttering world of Social Media for your very own personal gain. Remember you are a product which needs marketing, advertising, branding, virtual merchandising etc. So why not use the options at your finger tips to accomplish this. Think of it this way - this can be your "bill board" so people driving down the internet road can look up and say: “hey I need to get that phone number”. In job hunting we have to go beyond the idea of just posting our resumes on all these different sites, joining linkedin, maybe creating your very own resume website and then hoping someone finds them or actually looks at your resume to click on the links you have provided. So first off, link your entire “professional tailored" social media accounts together. This means you can spread your marketing message across many areas by only visiting one. What? Let’s say you have accounts on twitter, linkedin, and you have a blog. Link them all together. Now to update each at the same time, all you need to do is post something on Twitter (for example) and bang your other sites are updated with “your relevant personal marketing message”. Of course it also helps to have followers. But like any new product it will take time to build those followers (this will be covered on another day). What! You only have a linkedin account right now? No problem. You can begin here for now and build the rest tomorrow. Just remember - every time you make an edit to your profile on linkedin - all of your contacts are notified. Everyone! So now everyone you are connected to knows you are looking for something. "This means" connect with more people (who are in the know) because human nature is to be curious. So even if someone does not really know you (in your linkedin network), they will take a look at your profile, especially if they continue to see you are making updates. Keep your network updated as much as possible. People cannot help if they don’t know you need help. This method is also much easier than writing/calling each one personally. Of course, you still need to make a more personal touch at some point.
Saturday, January 2, 2010
Well it is the new year- so I am told and it is time to regain our social consciousness with realization our world has changed! Well at least we are in 2010 vs. 2009. Now on to our concerns with learning how to connect with each of us in order to communication something of interest.
This whole practice of trying to converge technology with social practices is really a big buck of unknown for the most part. There are those who call it piggy feces and then those who swear by it. One thing is for sure – someone, somewhere is twitting, blogging, IM’ing , SMS’ing, MMS’ing, Facebooking, MySpacing, creating an app to be used on an iPod in order to reach out to someone somewhere in the world to say something they believe is very important -----or not! Fact is, this is here to stay and will become a viable way for businesses to keep in contact with their customers. One thing it may not do is generate a measurable ROI. Hopefully it will, otherwise why do we care enough to care anything about Social Media.
Checkout http://www.chiefmartec.com/
This whole practice of trying to converge technology with social practices is really a big buck of unknown for the most part. There are those who call it piggy feces and then those who swear by it. One thing is for sure – someone, somewhere is twitting, blogging, IM’ing , SMS’ing, MMS’ing, Facebooking, MySpacing, creating an app to be used on an iPod in order to reach out to someone somewhere in the world to say something they believe is very important -----or not! Fact is, this is here to stay and will become a viable way for businesses to keep in contact with their customers. One thing it may not do is generate a measurable ROI. Hopefully it will, otherwise why do we care enough to care anything about Social Media.
Checkout http://www.chiefmartec.com/
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