LISTENING TOOLS, CONVERSATIONS AND MICRO-BLOGGING: Tools to help you listen to what’s happening around the world in your niche along with help you manage searches and other platforms and also networking your SM platforms updating several at once.
Wired Magazine has moved to cutting edge technology with flashy publishing by integrating it’s magazine with the interactive iPad.
Digital Magazines
Adobe now has a digital publishing platform that will allow ANY magazine publisher to have this snazzy, flashy interactive application. They have introduced “a rich, immersive digital magazine experience available on the iPad, and created in collaboration with Adobe using Creative Suite 5 and new Adobe Digital Publishing technologies.” (courtesy of Adobe TV)
PCWorld states the following in their blog – “Adobe’s work with Wired has resulted in a digital magazine format that creates an immersive experience, allowing a publication’s unique content, look and feel, and advertising to stand out in the digital realm,” said David Burkett, Adobe’s vice president and general manager of Creative Solutions. “We aim to make our digital viewer software available to all publishers soon and plan to deliver versions that work across multiple hardware platforms.“
Readers can flip through articles with the flick of a finger, scroll through a timeline view of stories, rotate and zoom in on images, and more. For any publisher whose content involves a lot of imagery — and who wants to appeal to advertisers — these kinds of features are great eye candy taking magazines and newspapers to a completely different level. Imagine your magazine or newpaper coming to life with articles full of live content – reader’s can be reading along following your hot news right off the press with a video or slideshow inserted. The object is to give readers the design fidelity of a print magazine and the dynamic interactivity of digital media, Adobe says. Realtime magazine with realtime content can it get any better than that? Yes it does…
Consumer Interaction At Your Fingertips
According to PCWorld – What the viewer technology does for editorial content also applies to advertising. Looking at the Wired project, advertisers used the program’s interactive features to deliver more innovative ad campaigns. Creating a more personal look and feel (consumer control), it encourages readers to interact with the products and the content. While giving the consumer this control to interact at their own interest, it also maintains the magazine experience. This new digital magazine medium can give publishers the opportunity to expand advertising, reach readers in new ways, increase circulation, and deliver incremental digital revenue. Florida Today brings up the fact that companies are paying newspapers AND magazines up to five times as much to place ads in their iPad apps. Lou Cona executive vice president of Conde Nast Media Group states ” I think it will redefine publishing and also redefine how advertisers connect with our audience.
With these changes continuing to evolve, advertisers and publishers are on the watch for consumer interest and demand. Are you digitally prepared?
Traditional marketing just can’t reach the size of targeted audience that digital can. More and more marketers are pulling away from these methods and investing into digital. For 2010, expect an accelerated move of ad dollars from traditional media to digital media.
Forrester Research says that 59% of US marketers plan to increase their budgets towards digital by pulling funds from traditional outlets. eMarketer currently is forecasting 5.5% growth with banner ads and online video. Geoff Ramsey, CEO of eMarketer states:“media dollars have imploded, media consumption will continue to explode. Due to increasingly empowered consumers and further advances in technology”.
With this being a consumer’s market that can skip or fast-forward through commercials, block out emails they don’t want, use cell phones to tweet, text, bank, shop, get directions…using ratings and reviews to make smart purchases…you can bettcha that video marketing is on the rise where businesses need to use creative, quick moments to entertain and sell their wares or services at the convenience of the consumer. This is very important as wherever the consumer pauses…stop lights, traffic jams, train stations, subway stations, airports…digital media can reach them right where they’re at. This is where Traditional media runs into trouble because traditional ad outlets can’t do that. Most consumer’s are now engaged in their mobile media vehicle whether it’s an iPhone, or one of the other numerous phones available.
Video Marketing is a BIG part of search marketing because people are very likely to watch a video that is part of search results over text results. Also…video’s often show up near the TOP of those search results depending on the number of views they have received.
Video’s are also fun and easy to understand.
Consumer’s are more likely to share fun and easy to understand video’s. Viral videos can and have climbed vertically through out the internet world as people have viewed and shared content that they viewed as compelling. YouTube has rocked the online community with it’s versatility and phenomenal growth along with incorporating comments and ratings thus creating an engaging environment. Another statement made by Geoff Ramsey states that consumers in this digital age simply have too much control over their media environments these days for marketers to be pushing unwanted banners, buttons or video’s.
Marketers and agencies need to develop new forms of messages that are welcomed.
Businesses need: “tocreate communications that are so compelling, entertaining, informative or useful that the consumer is not only happy to receive them, but also motivated to share them with others.” Geoff Ramsey
As the consumer is empowered to: accept, view, delete, block, share, rate, comment, in an amazing amount of Social vehiclesthen businesses need to capture this audience in 2010 with VIDEO MARKETING. As video canbe viewed in a greater arena then the home… remember that your online audience has a very short attention span to start off with. This actually works in your favor because it allows you to save on production time and costs. Some great video guidelines are offered at ReelSEO.
Have you noticed how fast word gets around? How there’s no waiting for the news…it seems like everyone knows? Have you noticed how your buying habits have changed? Yet it doesn’t seem so different…
The marketing landscape has been flipped upside down. Retailers, companies, businesses, buying and selling are all scramblingbecause of YOUR WORD.
Didn’t know you had that much power did you?
Looking at 2007, 2008, 2009 and getting ready to head into 2010, we’ve seen the shift changing right before our very eyes. We’ve watched the housing industry drop into an almost endless abyss, we’ve watch gigantic car companies plummet right behind them. We’ve also watched and heard retailers groaning from the east coast to the west.But in the middle of all that earthquake shattering chaos…we’ve watched other companies rise and increase. What do they have that you don’t?
The Power of Your Word.
What? I don’t get it you say? Well let’s look at some amazing short stories.
Amazon…very large company. Offers alot of great deals and value. But here’s the secret. They also offer “the power of your word” – RATiNGS & REViEWS.What a consumer says about a product or service.
Netflix – Simple yet straight forward. Great movies all the time at your convenience with GREAT customer service and RATiNGS. Seriously how likely are you to watch something with a 1 star rating?
Overstock.com – GREAT values, great selections, Great shipping, and GREAT REViEWS. What the customer thinks about the item.WOW…the Power of Your Word!Will you buy an item with a negative review? More than likely the answer is NO!
This all started back when EBay made sure to inform people about sellers and buyers. If you wanted to make sure you bought from a reputable dealer….you checked his or her feedback/ratings for any negative feedback or problems other customers might have experienced. Before all this rating and review…most of us relied on the “commercials”, “ads”, “salesperson” and before that…it was “word of mouth” what our “friends”, or “friends friend” had to say about something. Today, it’s similar – “old world values” but “New World technology”. Just visit Facebook or Twitter ask and see what your “friends” say about an item or service. We could go on and on but you get the idea.
Advertising and sales has reached a crossroad.
Today’s consumer has the last word about what they think. With cell phones platforms changing rapidly to interactive means of talking, shopping and doing business, it’s up to you to either listen or risk falling into that deep abyss groaning. Social Media has emerged as the conversation platform of consumers. Social sites have “listened” to the consumer and answered. Internet Marketing is continuing to climb vertically, Mobile marketing is on the rise as are video marketing sites.
It’s up to you to tune in to what’s being said….or tune out.
Companies that are widely engaged in SOCIAL MEDIA surpass their peers in both revenues and profits.
300,000+ business have a presence on Facebook
Dell sold over 3,000,000 computers over Twitter.
Blendtec quintupled sales with “Will It Blend?” YouTube videos
37% of Generation Y were aware of the Ford Fiesta via Social Media before it even launched.
What these statement speak LOUDLY is Social Media has given POSITIVE RESULTS with low overhead. THATspeaks volumes by itself. BUT marketing wants ROI’s drawn up on paper. In today’s marketing….not happening presently. Traditional marketing has lost it’s high dollar appeal, fueled by this economy, its generating a mass movement to Social Media Marketing. Only 18% of traditional TV campaigns generate a positive ROI…old media was Pay to Play…do you think the majority of media dollars will reside there tomorrow?
WHAT ABOUT THE ROI’S?
Good question…but shouldn’t we be answering:
“WHY ARE WE TRYING TO MEASURE SOCIAL MEDIA LIKE A TRADITIONAL CHANNEL?”
71% of companies plan to increase investments in social media by an average of 40% because:
Low Cost Marketing
Getting Traction
We Have To Do It
Socialnomics blog states really well: Social media touches every facet of business and it should be viewed more as an extension of good business ethics. Which, if done properly, will harvest sales down the line. Enjoy this video by Socialnomics. It gives you a simple straightforward ROI explanation…
ROI’S? Most definitely Social Media is moving and keeping up with technology. Marketing – traditional marketing has just barely started moving in that direction. Realize that people have taken the power of conversations into their own hands.Most people become informed on whether a product or “brand” is worthwhile by opinions and comments from consumers via reviews, Social site, email, and twitter.
Those can’t be tracked as traditional ROI’s. So quit trying. Think OUT OF THE BOX!
Mcdonalds says it plainly: “Our head of Social Media is the customer”
It’s a new era, with old value’s…at the speed of the internet = realtime: word of mouth.
Connection, Uniqueness, Comfort and Variety. These needs vary in importance for each individual and each person’s need can also shift resulting in trading off needs. Example: Connection during holidays might be very important to some….others might need comfort, others crave uniqueness (standing out in the crowd) while others yet might like variety or choices (visiting lots of friends/family).
Marketing has only focused on the middle of the curve area…and not worked with consumer NEEDS. So the consumer navigates through the world without the influence of marketing.
How can they do that?
Consumers have shifted their spending with an awareness using online reviews, social media sites, chats and emails from friends. This puts the reins in their hands, helping them make informed decisions. Meanwhile, marketing budgets have been shrinking making it harder for marketers to create awareness let alone interest in their products.With budget cuts tight, marketers need to lean to digital as opposed to traditional. Smart Marketers will take that jump using digital to enhance the brand experience with current customers and acquire new ones through “word-of-mouth” marketing.
As 72% of consumers say prior experience has driven their brand loyalty, 58% of online adults say they trust online reviews MORE than any other medium except chat/emails from friends. For marketers to do more with less dollars, they will need to STOP focusing on gaining and spend more with current customers. Those customers will be your “word-of-mouth” marketing campaign.
Also use digital means to enhance how you connect with consumers making your brand responsive and connected to the consumers ever shifting needs.
10 Things you can do:
use online reviews
redesign your website with an interactive design or SEO friendly WordPress site allowing comments
In this Recession people have moved toward comfort and connection. Marketers and businesses MUST be reassuring and comforting to the consumer meeting their unique needs.
…as the traditional marketing sector has also been affected by this recession. Withcompanies slashing their marketing budgets from traditional means such as Television, radio, newspaper ads, SMM and RM has increased 10 fold due to it’s affordability and outreach.
The gas price inflation which in effect has kick-started this change, encouraged businesses to look for other vehicles or means to “get the word out”.Vehicles or means that were available but low-keyed in existence were: Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin, Myspace, blogs, ping, Youtube, Delicious, digg, StumbleUpon, Squidoo and countless others. They were vehicles just waiting to be boardedand boarded they were.
Twitter’s vertical climb was off the charts and couldn’t be harnessed because it was moving so fast. Facebook’s social outreach created such a landing place for personal and businesses pagesthat it also has morphed into a community which has blown itself off the charts with phenomenal growth. Youtube went from being a fun place to upload personal video’s to a wide open advertising market, with phenomenal growth continuing as it has and is becoming a tool for businesses & marketer’s having a lower price tag than television. (Consisting of someone shooting the video, processing it and uploading to their site, versus full blown production costs.)
Video itself is ubiquitous – existing or being everywhere at the same time…constantly encountered it also has helped change the market field. Businesses are changing their vehicles from traditional means to places like-YouTube, Facebook, Hulu, Metacafe, Blip.tv, which can host or provide links to user friendly self-help video’s, educational video’s, how to video’s and news-feeds.
Networking has become a part of who we are.
Businesses are reaching out to customer loyalty, which in turn creates “word of mouth” marketing in today’s world on an internet level.This is where Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, blogs, YouTube and others have become so important to businesses.People are talking in these places, talking to friends, relatives, and certain acquaintances/businesses. If they like your product or service, they will talk about you, to you, to family, to friends, to neighbors and connect with you.
Online ratings and reviews are an amazing tool that affects consumer’s buying decisions, and consumers really are using this information to make those decisions. Online companies have already realized this and business owners are now turning to this phenomenon as consumer’s are wanting to know how good the product is, how many people are liking the product and more. The consumer has become very active in researching product information. Businesses need to understand this.
Studies show that the average person has around 250 friends, acquaintances, business connections, etc. within their network/social life.Things to focus on – building relationships with your customer/client, not buddy buddy, but really listening to what they need, being helpful, finding the best deals and passing that on, being aware of what’s happening in your region. Keeping in contact with your clients, even sending thoughtful cards to them. These things will bring your customer/client back and open the door for “word of mouth” marketing, whether it’s in person, online with Facebook, Twitter or others.
The magic is this: If one customer likes your product/service, then you have the potential of reaching 250 more through that one connection. If you have 10 happy customers then you have the potential to reach 2500 connections, if you have 100 happy customers ….. well, you do the math
Have you changed your playing field yet?
If you’ve changed your marketing practices…leave a comment in the comment field below and let us know how it’s helped…
If you NEED HELP to change your marketing practices…fill in the contact form below:
Internet Marketing…That’s the BIG buzz word lately. You want to optimize? You want to create a niche market? Are you branded? Have you targeted your audience? All these questions…and your head is spinning…
Where do I start? How do I know what is effective? Who knows how to get there most effectively?
Taking the First Step
Step 1: Research what people are interested in.
Before you develop your product, the best place to start is research…finding out exactly what people are interested in and want. With the available technology, you have unlimited resources to create and market your product to a global community.
Ok..so you’ve researched, you have your information, you have a targeted audience…so where do you go from here?
Develop a great web site.
Step 2: Develop your image online
Question: What is a great web site?…what specifics do you need to know to set you apart?
Let’s start with a great web site. A great web site targets your audience, it’s designed to sell your product, it specifically draws the visitor in to become your customer. When you write your site, write specifically towards one person, identifying with that visitor’s need. Whether it’s a solution, or how-to, or a help guide, write explaining why your product is their solution and explain how it can help them by solving their problems. Great web sites are also SEO friendly…like WordPress sites. These are equipped withtitle tags that can be easily customized for optimum rankings and branding purposes. These along with permalink structure and header strategies are what can make you highly visible in search engine rankings.
Set Yourself Apart
Step 3: Set yourself apart from others.
Question: How can you be set apart from all the others?
That is one of the top questions being asked by businesses. Online businesses are growing by leaps and bounds. To set yourself apart, you need to stay on top of current marketing strategies. Current marketing strategies are focused online making yourself available to the consumer-client 24/7. This creates an attraction along with maintaining your consumer/client relationship as you provide helpful information available at all time. With today’s mobile society (via internet mobile devices) that’s becoming a number 1 priority!
Use Social Media and Relationship Management.
Step 4: Use Social Media Marketing and Relationship Management.
Question: How can we use Social Media Marketing and Relationship Management?
SMM – Social Media Marketing which includes Search Engine Optimization and Relationship Management. It is a know fact that consumers feel a stronger connection and feel better served when they are able to interact with companies.
Interactive Marketing – According to Forrester Research, Interactive Marketing is on the rise…it invites more efficient interactive tools: via search marketing, Display advertising, Email marketing, Social Media and (the new kid on the block) Mobile marketing. It also includes: consumer participation with “value-added benefit”, Service, Focus on meaning and making a positive impact.
Marketing…Internet Marketing, Relationship Marketing, SMM, Interactive Marketing… it all leads to this:
“the process of attracting, maintaining, and enhancing relationships with key individuals over time.”
“Relationship marketing is one of the most time-consuming, but most effective strategies for marketing Extension programs. Relationship marketing is a process, not a one-time event; clientele must understand that you are committed long-term and that they can depend on you to provide education.
To be effective, you must establish a relationship with the audience you are targeting by making a connection with them over time. In order to build a relationship, as with any other relationship in life, Extension needs to be constantly in touch with its audiences. By making a connection with diverse audiences, Extension can build strong community networks that promote the programs we market beyond the limited scope of small workshops and community meetings.“
Social Media Marketing (SMM) is the future of marketing and advertising in REALTIME.
SMM (Social media marketing) predicted to grow at an annual rate of 34 percent – faster than any other form of online marketing and double the average growth rate of 17 percent for all online mediums…Social Media Marketing Management integrated with your traditional marketing starts to develop your digital “word-of-mouth” brand awareness (Fans/followers spread your message). Informs in realtime, with relevant up-to-date information. This creates realtime web presence when partnered with Social Media Marketing.
Social Media 101 - Realtime SM Training – basic training course helping employees understand the hows, whys and where to engage in socialmedia…Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn
Social Media Train-the-Trainer 201 – course introduces more complete tools and helpful tips to help ‘Make Conversations’, ‘How to Listen’, authorized to train fellow employee’s along with strategy building from the ground up…how to design your social media campaigns, action plans and organizing your time effectively in SM.
Recapping what Social Media is and what SEO does to help businesses.
As Social Media embraces a wide variety of formats, each format provides users with a personal preference appeal means to interact and share information.
Breaking News: Places like Twitter, FaceBook and blogs give ordinary people the ability to share news and events before the news media even gets there. Items like iphones and blackberries, laptops, along with these sites have increased the news sharing so much that online news or traditional news has almost become snail paced.
Information Distribution Center:Depending on the format, Social media allows one-to-one, one-to-many, or many-to-many communications. Information can be distributed in multiple fashion, including Twitter updates, RSS feeds, blogs and podcasts, postings on social networking sites like Facebook, MySpace, Ning and YouTube.
Building online communities around people, events and brands: Using tools such as Twitter, Facebook, Myspace along with blogs, enables people to gather and participate with like-minded people.
Consumer input: Enables user contribution serving as information filters by content sharing and ratings, using the strength of comments and submissions on Twitter, blogs and video sites, also known as wisdom of the crowds.
Social Media has forever changed the traditional content marketplace making it readily available in a large variety of formats. This way the individual or business can mold it into whatever their needs are, making this a very appealing change where companies are in charge of their own personalized media content.
So how does this tie in with SEO?
SEO or Search Engine Optimization brings you to higher rankings in your Search engines like Google, Yahoo, ect. As more and more businesses are launching web sites, blogs and venturing in the online arena, page rankings have become increasingly important. How to get higher page rankings? Have a clear and precise strategy using SEO and Social Media. Why do I need both? Because you can’t succeed at one without the other.
If you venture the SEO path, great…so now your optimized and everything is in place. So how do people find out about you? Answer: Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Digg, StumbleUpon, these are just a few examples of important avenues to use in Social Media. One Tweet on Twitter can drive up your traffic. As YouTube and Facebook have become daily routine for most people, an informational video clip of 2 min or less can broaden your traffic, along with increasing your page rankings. So can a Facebook page or blog, inviting discussions, comments, and reviews/share your story places. People are looking for quality, caring and real places.
I also really like how Lee Odden states in his blog-”if you’re going to create it, why not optimize it?” His Social Media Readiness: 6 Questions is also a great information siteand a must read.
Are your Social Media Strategies compounding results?
