Advertising Fuelosophy 101

Hey Friend, Did You Just Tweet Me an Ad?

In an article published today in the New York Times, I read about a whole new wave of opportunity for those on Twitter who have larger followings ... send your friends and followers an advertisement. Yes, you can now make a little money sending tweets to your followers that is actually an ad from an advertiser.

It appears that a growing group of celebrities, bloggers and regular Internet users are allowing advertisers to send commercial messages to their personal contacts. As the article reported, "It is perhaps the last frontier in advertising — getting regular people to send a sentence or two of text, on behalf of paying advertisers, to their friends and admirers. The idea, according to the entrepreneurs who are developing such services for Twitter and other Web networks, is that people trust recommendations from those they know and respect, while they increasingly ignore nearly ever other kind of ad message in print, on television and online."

Some of the brand new companies propping up to take advantage of this next wave of advertising distribution are Ad.ly, Izea, Likes.com (set to launch on December 8, 2009) and Peer2. In addition, the article reported, "Even the Internet giants are warming to the idea of harnessing informal chats between friends to promote their products and services. This month, Amazon.com said it would start paying commissions to individuals who refer buyers to the site via Twitter messages."

The goal of each of these companies is to get regular people who have a following to become spokespeople, without feeling like one. As Joey Caroni (co-founder of Peer2) states, “We don’t want to create an army of spammers, and we are not trying to turn Facebook and Twitter into one giant spam network. All we are trying to do is get consumers to become marketers for us.” I don't know how you feel, but it sure sounds a little like spam to me.

What really gets these new companies excited is the opportunity to connect less notable Internet personalities with the huge pool of smaller advertisers. The example given in the article was an expert on cycling, with 1,000 Twitter followers, might agree to send an ad about a new bike helmet — a message that might well be implicitly trusted by his followers. In a recent Google ad, Ad.ly is soliciting people to "tweet cool stuff and get paid."

For me this push by advertisers and this new crop of advertising companies takes away the authenticity of a product or service you really do like and want the world to know about. When you are solicited to tweet and get paid, it is very difficult to know that product, use that product, love that product and write about it. This new stream of advertising perpetuates the traditional way of doing business -- volume of intrusion (send out an advertising message to lots of people and most likely some of it will stick) -- except it now wears the latest wave of technology. Instead I like the idea of an product or service provider really earning their value and endorsement.

Unfortunately, now I wonder if I can trust my friends and those I'm following when it comes to telling me about the newest, latest, coolest thing? That's my thought, what's yours?

Looking for Holiday Deals Online ... Try These Sites

As Black Friday and Cyber Monday draw near, there are a number of new online websites and tools to help you locate bargains this Holiday season. According to MarketingVox the following are some examples of sites ready to help you find the best deals:

1. Dealnews.com -- also offers an iPhone App to track Black Friday offers and includes deals that have both been leaked and confirmed.
2. BlackFriday.org -- this site tracks rumored deals, tips from other shoppers and Twitter.
3. BlackFriday.GottaDeal.Com -- also posts advance copies of holiday sales circulars, online deals and in-store specials.
4. CheapTweet.com -- focuses specifically on mining deals posted on Twitter and offers ongoing, updated lists of national retailers' offers.
5. RetailMeNot.com -- serves up coupons, discounts and promotional codes for merchandise, groceries, travel and services and launched a page for this holiday shopping season that will aggregate Black-Friday and Cyber Monday coupons, deals and promotions. It also features a live Twitter feed.

Well, happy hunting bargain shoppers and let the clicking begin. That's my thought, what's yours?

Want a Deal this Holiday Season ... Go Social.

The uncertainty of the economy is affecting more than just the American consumer's mindset, it's affecting how retailers are reaching out to fickle consumers. This is especially true for online retailers. And, guess what, we win, but you might want to shop early!

According to Shop.org’s eHoliday Study, released on October 22, 2009, conducted by BIGresearch, shoppers will see changes in retail marketing and promotions this holiday season

With an understanding that many of today’s shoppers use Facebook and Twitter regularly, and because these tools are more cost-effective than traditional advertising, 47.1 percent of retailers surveyed will be increasing their use of social media this holiday season. More than half of retailers said they have added or improved their Facebook page (60.3%) and Twitter pages (58.7%) this year, while two-thirds (65.6%) have added or enhanced blogs and RSS feeds. In addition, to provide consumers with an extra incentive to start shopping, one-third of retailers (34.3%) say they will offer holiday deals earlier this year.

The social media sites give the consumer a valuable source of information regarding price comparisons, product reviews and other information to find great gifts at great deals.

In addition, free shipping offers will abound this holiday season:

• 79.4% of online retailers will offer free shipping with conditions sometime during the holiday season
• 57.4% also plan to offer free shipping without conditions
• 35.7% said their budgets for free shipping are higher than last year
• 30.0% said free shipping offers will start earlier than a year ago.

Scott Silverman, Executive Director of Shop.org, says "Retailers... have created promotions and incentives to help Americans save money this holiday season... combining new initiatives with tried-and-true tactics to make their companies stand out."

Finally, online retailers are also compensating for the economy by making operational changes to help them protect their profits. According to the survey, 41.4% of retailers have scaled back on inventory levels and 22.9% have hired fewer people in their stores.

Here's the lowdown based on this study, deals won't be hard to find ... people want the deal because they plan to spend less overall ... inventories are lower ... many are already shopping/comparing ... when the deal is done, it's really done. So Mr./Ms. Gift Giver this is the year of the early bird because you still get the deal and don't lose the gift that someone special really wants. That's my thought, what's yours?

Does Twitter Help You Stay Connected and Current?

Recently the research firm, Chitika released a study on what links are Twitterers actually clicking on. The firm recently broke down a sample of users from their network to see what Twitter users want.

By categorizing the sites that get links from Twitter, Chitika determined that the thing that Twitterers want the most is news, with over 28% of all traffic going to news sites. Movie sites took second place with 22.56% of Twitter traffic, followed by tech and gadget sites with 13.39%. Medical sites rounded out the top 4 with 7.98%. Other sites included video games (4.64%), celebrity (3.94%) and how-to (2.88%).

Daniel Ruby, research director, online insights, Chitika said, "I think you get a bit of an insight into the psychology of the different users of social networks. Twitterers want to be the first to know. They want to be the source of new news and new information, whether that's a new product being released, or something that's happening in the Middle East, or the latest crazy thing that Kanye West has done."

The sample Chitika used consisted of over 973,000 impressions collected from September 1 through 7.

Based on my experience, I don't find these results surprising, but I do wonder if this is your experience. I've included a simple poll to see if Twitter helps you stay connected and current with news or do you use it for a different purpose. So please take this simple poll and let's see how the readers of this blog compare to what Chitika found.

Is Twitter Nothing More than Pointless Babble?

I just became aware of a report that Pear Analytics published in August of 2009. Many of you may have already found it, read it, logged it and moved on. But if was new reading for me and one that held my interest since I'm a Twitter fan, but still consider myself a neophyte.

So here's the synopsis of Pear Analytics research and resulting white paper. First, they analyzed 2,000 tweets from the public time line over a two-week period from 11am to 5 pm, capturing tweets in half-hour increments. Then they categorized the tweets into six buckets (their words):

1. News;
2. Spam;
3. Self-Promotion;
4. Pointless Babble;
5. Conversational;
6. Pass-Along Value.

The results were interesting: Pointless Babble won with 40.55% of the total tweets captured; however, Conversational was a very close second at 37.55%, and Pass-Along Value was third (albeit a distant third) at 8.7% of the tweets captured.

Some of the other results Pear Analytics felt notable:

• 11:30a and Monday’s have the most frequent tweets with Pass-Along Value.  If you want something re-tweeted, try it at 11:30 in the morning, or try it on a Monday.
• Spam seemed pretty consistent all day, everyday, but luckily was second-to-last on frequency.
• News seemed heavier at 2:00p and on Tuesday’s.  Note that we did not collect any tweets during the Michael Jackson news, in order not to skew the results.
• Conversational tweets were high between 2:00 and 4:00p throughout the study, and heaviest on Tuesdays.  Most people are busy on Monday catching up with work, so perhaps it takes until Tuesday to get into the swing of Twittering again.

In addition, the above findings, Pear Analytics is planning to conduct a followup study addressing many of the criticisms of the first study. One of the major criticisms was the subjectivity of what went into the Pointless Babble bucket. They are in the process now of refining the study, part two. Here's a link to their blog outlining the next study with changes.

As the industry and individuals are continuining to put strategic intent behind Twitter, I look forward to the learning. The question becomes as everyone is doing it, how will evolve ... an IM for friends, a trustworthy news source, continuing education, a community to mine for sales, an expertise builder, etc. Time will tell, that's my thought, what's yours?

Of the World's Most Valuable Brands, Who's Most Engaged?

In July of 2009 an interesting report, titled The world's most valuable brands. Who's most engaged? was published regarding the true financial value of social media for the world's 100 most valuable brands (based on Interbrand Best Global Brands 2008 rankings). The purpose of the research was to evaluate how well these best brands are engaging their customers using social media and how that engagement correlates with their revenue and profit.

The conclusion of the research found that the most valuable brands in the world are experiencing a direct correlation between top financial performance and deep social media engagement. As the report states, "The relationship is apparent and significant: socially engaged companies are in fact more financially successful." The research was conducted by Wetpaint/Altimeter Group.

However, did you notice a vitally key word in this report's conclusion -- deep? The financially successful companies have a deep engagement, not merely a presence in the social media world. As I read deeper into the report, the return on investment comes only when you are extremely active and participating in the social media realm with your customers.

The definition the report gives to "deep social engagement" is as follows: resembling any in-person exchange, socializing requires more than just being there — you have to interact with others, instigate discussions, and respond during conversations. So there it is, a company can't dabble in social media and expect a return on investment — the plunge into social media requires a strategic intent and outcome, allocating the proper amount of resources and a commitment to stay engaged.

I was impressed by the four profiles the report presented regarding the level of engagement:

1. Mavens — engaged in seven or more channels and have an above average engagement score (think Starbucks or Dell).
2. Butterflies — engaged in seven or more channels, but have a below average engagement score (think American Express or Hyundai).
3. Selectives — engaged in six or fewer channels and have a higher than average engagement score (think H&M or Philips).
4. Wallflowers — engaged in six or fewer channels and have a lower than average engagement score (think McDonalds or BP).

The report goes on to outline why companies fall into these profiles, i.e., a Maven has a robust strategy and a dedicated team, and it's a core value for their go-to-market; while a Wallflower is slow to get started, testing a few channels, cautious about the risks and uncertain about the benefits so they engage only lightly in the channels.

Finally, click here for the link to the engagement scores for the world's top brands. There's much to be gleaned from this report so happy reading. The challenge still exists to move from being "I need to do this" and blinding jumping on the bandwagon to "Let's get it right" and develop the right direction to experience financial success. That's my thought, what's yours?

The Aging of Social Media

Many of you will remember the advertising slogan from Oldsmobile before their demise, "This isn't your father's Oldsmobile." Well perhaps there is a new slogan for the rapid rise of social media sites, "This isn't your child's Facebook or YouTube or MySpace."

A report released today from Forrester Research indicates that more than four out of five U.S. adults (ages 18 and up) use social media at least once a month. In the report Forrester also developed an interesting set of groupings to indicate the level of engagement/activity of the U.S. Population. I've included a picture of their groupings called a behavior ladder. Here's their definition of the behavior ladder, "The profile puts online people into overlapping groups based on their participation (at least once a month) in the behaviors shown in the ladder. We've kept the ladder categories consistent to allow us to make comparisons year-to-year, across ages and genders, and across geographies. This provides something that's often sorely lacking in analysis of online social phenomena: perspective."

The implications of this report are huge for both consumers and marketers. The trend is and will continue to be for the foreseeable future -- if you're online, you're using social media, no matter the age. Forrester reports that the over 55 demographic has about two-thirds participation and the 35 and under crowd is over 90% participation. In total for U.S. adults only 18% don't use social media technologies (last year the number was 25% so participation continues to grow). These newest statistics shout to all of us in the marketing industry that a new paradigm exists to reach and connect with customers. And the strategic adopters (notice I didn't say early) will gain an advantage over the less enthused members in their competitive space.

Actually , I thought that Josh Bernoff of Forrester Research states it well in his blog, "In my travels, I've found that marketers have a variety of attitudes about social technologies, ranging from "it's obvious that they're growing" to "it's a flash in the pan". The point of data like this is to provide a real, solid, objective basis for planning and discussion that goes beyond personal experience. No matter who you market to, and in what country, you need to know what your customers are doing."

Last, but not least, the folks at Forrester have developed a widget based on their data and the behavior profile. I've included both the widget to try here and a link to download it on your own site. Have fun!

Five Mistakes to Never Make on Twitter

I know many people use Twitter for personal reasons. However if you use Twitter for professional reasons, an article just came out on the Five Mistakes to Never Make on Twitter that has some sage advice. The following is the list of five mistakes not to make:

1. Don't Forget to Fully Fill Out Your Twitter Profile: This may seem obvious, but many small business Twitter users fail to capitalize on the space that Twitter provides for a real name, photo, location, bio, and URL. You may not realize it, but you're damaging your Twitter credibility with an incomplete profile.
2. Don't Forget You're Always On: If you're an official representative of your company on Twitter, you need to remember that you're always on. Twitter is most certainly about being human, sharing experiences, and not always talking shop all the time. Given how informal discourse can be in 140 characters, however, it's easy to get overly relaxed and comfortable in your everyday Twittering ways, and in so doing forget that every tweet from your professional account will be analyzed by your audience.
3. Don't Tweet and Delete: Yes Twitter, and a majority of the web, mobile, and desktop clients, support deleting tweets, but the delete feature is not a good fallback method for a mistweet. Deleting tweets is something that you should avoid at all costs for two important reasons: your deleted tweets will live on in Google cache or Twitter search results, and a deleted tweet could send a flare to followers to investigate further.
4. Don't Tweet for Shock Value: For most, this is a mistake that you would never consider making, but for a small percentage of Twitterers looking to make a big splash, shock value tweets are a way to game for instant attention. The short term goals are most likely instant buzz for their small business, or a jump in traffic to their website, but using the micro medium to shock tweet is a definite no-no.
5. Don't Abuse Hashtags: Hashtag spam is a relatively new issue that is starting to plague the Twitterverse. Hashtag spam occurs when a Twitterer appends a trending topic on Twitter to their tweets simply to gain extra attention. Typically tweets have nothing to do with the subject matter being discussed by other Twitterers, but the trending hashtag will be used in the hopes of gaining more exposure.

In the professional environment the goal is to gain credibility, connect and engage with other professionals and become a trusted resource. It's always a good idea to remember your tweet is available for many to see and find. That's my thought, what's yours.

The New Face of Twitter

Twitter has unveiled its new homepage in the hopes to “to better show who we are," according to co-founder Biz Stone. The new landing page has a search box, information on Twitter trends and a panoply of more specific information about how they can use Twitter as well as live feeds of the most popular tweets.

As reported in AllThingsD, Stone said, “You can try it out without having to sign up, so you can get an idea of what Twitter is before you use it. We need to do a better job of explaining ourselves to people who hear about us and then have no idea what do to.”

Hopefully the redesign will go a long way in explaining to the 69% of adults who said they didn’t know enough about Twitter to have an opinion about it. This statistic was released in a new study by Harris Interactive.

I just tested the new Twitter homepage, and although it's an improvement, it’s not enough. It's not enough to just click on a subject and be dumped into a conversation topic with no explanation of what Twitter is really all about other than “Share and discover what’s happening right now, anywhere in the world.”  Wow, I can currently do that anywhere on the internet, TV or radio. Personally, I give it an A for effort, and a C on execution.

Note: To see the new page in action you either have to have no account or not currently be logged in.

Does a Brand have to Cut Through the Clutter by Going in the Gutter -- Part Two

Last week in our post, Does a brand have to cut through the communication clutter by going in the gutter?, one of the largest franchisees of Hardee's emphatically stated that his stores weren't going to use the restaurant chain's controversial biscuit hole ads. Well, Hardee's latest promotion is called "French Me" and continues their marketing theme of raising eyebrows with innuendo and sex to sell their brand.

This newest promotion is featuring its new French Dip Thickburger and the campaign enlists the support of four French Maids. The Maids have a tour schedule visiting stores in 11 markets throughout the South and Midwest during July and August. The campaign is event-based driven by social media. The microsite offers Facebook, You Tube and Twitter posts as well as the appearance schedule and reports on the Maids adventures. Also, guests can have their photos taken with the maids accessed online with a code.

I'm just thinking out loud and I know retailers for years have used sex to sell stuff, but how far is too far and when does the it all become me too? It seems only a few used the racy stuff, but now its not just a few chains, but many that are choosing to grab attention by going to the sexual edge.

I had to laugh out loud by one comment from Ron Ruggless, southwest bureau editor for Nation's Restuarant News, "Hooters has been seeing a growing number of competitors successfully engage them in the lure for the customer. Concepts such as Tilted Kilt, Twin Peaks, Bone Daddy's and Brick House are enjoying success in the 'breast-aurant' category." In addition, he stated "...restaurant chains and the people who market them just have to make sure they don’t over-sell the sex and underestimate their patrons’ sensibilities. The race for the bottom line can only be so racy." Click here to read his editorial.

I'm really curious to know, what consumers think, have the "breast-aurant" wars passed the fine line of sensibilities? Do the frequent diners of Hardee's, Quiznos, Burger King really get turned on for the brand because of sexual innuendo (sorry couldn't help myself on this pun)? I wonder if these tactics turn off just as many customers? I would love some feedback from customers and experts. That's my thought, what's yours?

Does Social Networking Help Brands?

According to a study recently released by WorkPlace Media the answer to the question posed in this blog's title is no. The overall impact of a brand's presence on social networking sites is minimal in terms of impact and perception, according their conclusions.

The major findings in this study state that 96% of respondents said their opinion of a product brand did not change if that brand had no presence on a social networking site, and only 11% of social networking users reported following any major brand through a social networking site, and just 12% of respondents said their opinion of a brand changes if that brand maintains a social networking presence.

In addition, the study found that only 25% of respondents recommend a business/product via a social network site and just 18% acted upon a business/product recommendation from a social networking site.

Stephanie Molnar, CEO of WorkPlace Media, says "When it comes to influencing brand perception and purchase decisions... social networking... has a long way to go."

Well, the opinion of this writer is what would you expect? Much of the social media environment was built upon the premise of "keeping in touch." Facebook was started so college friends could connect, Twitter began with the simple thought of "what are you doing," LinkedIn was the business version of Facebook and You Tube was created to upload and share videos. And if you check into the histories you'll see all of these social sites (and more) are still in their infancy.

Think about it, if the goal is to connect with friends, family, coworkers, business associates, laugh over a video, then it makes sense that it is not a brand influencer ... yet. The key word here is yet. As the social networking sites continue to evolve (and they are evolving ... who doesn't get irritated when someone tweets what they're having for lunch), a brand can have an impact. But the brand must think like a person, not a product, not a service, but a person.

You might be thinking what a stupid thought, brand think like a person ... bear with me ... people connect with each other, they gain value, support, help, enjoyment, etc. by sharing life ... a brand can do the same. A brand can offer value, insight, support, help, enjoyment by sharing its attributes with people who are interested or part of a community. What a brand shouldn't do is think like an advertiser and just blanket the social sites with offers, deals and more. This is mass advertising, not social networking.

And as us in the industry grow in understanding of evolving social media, the better we can help brands think like a person. In a year from now, I would love to see this study again ... because smart people are already figuring this out. That's my thought, what's yours.

Where Do Trust and Influence Converge in the World of Brands?

Today I read two different reports from two different companies and I thought it would be interesting to link the reports, in a casual kind of way, to see if there is a learning lesson for brands. The first report comes from Razorfish, titled "Fluent." The second report comes from Nielsen, titled "Global Online Consumer Survey."

The Fluent report concludes, "traditional top-down branding will become increasingly  impotent as social media grows. Consumers continue to rely on personal  networks to learn about products and services. Consumers are shaping brands as much as brands themselves are. Brand management will require greater transparency and a stronger connection to consumers than ever before." And just for the record, we have known this fact for a while and agree with its premise and direction.

Razorfish advises that all brands should at least grasp how social media plays into purchase decisions. The study indicates that "social influencers," people active on social platforms, tend to hold the most sway during the consideration phase leading up to a purchase. Close family and friends play by far the biggest roles at the initial awareness and final "action" stages relating to a purchase. Corporate bloggers typically rated at or near the bottom among influencers at each stage of the process.

 The Nielsen report offered these conclusions, "recommendations from personal acquaintances or opinions posted by consumers online are the most trusted forms of advertising worldwide. 90% of consumers surveyed said that they trust recommendations from people they know, while 70% trusted consumer opinions posted online. However, in this new age of consumer control, advertisers will be encouraged by the fact that brand websites, the most trusted form of advertiser-led advertising, are trusted by as many people (70%) as consumer opinions posted online."

Jonathan Carson, President of Online, International, for the Nielsen Company, said "The explosion in Consumer Generated Media... means consumers' reliance on word of mouth in the decision-making process... has increased significantly."

So what does this all mean when you link the influence of Razorfish's report with the trust of Nielsen's report? In reality I think it is quite simple, people trust people ... the little guy ... the voice of the people ... and social media has given the voice of people a very large stage. And the people are looking to shout good or bad their experiences and every so often the shouting gets very, very loud.

In day's past, all of us in this industry knew that word-of-mouth was always the most powerful form of advertising and we could quote the rule-of-thumb: one good experience is told to 10 people and one bad experience is told to 100 people. Well, today, word-of-mouth is exponentially larger, think You-Tube, think Facebook, think Twitter, it doesn't take long for a message to reach out and touch someone.

To end where we began, where do trust and influence converge for a brand ... in the hands of those who type 140 characters, post to a wall and search for information ... and all tell a story about your brand ... so how about it joining in on the conversation. That's my thought, what's yours?

 

A Big Cocktail Party??

Unless you live under a rock or don't get out much, you are familiar with the popularity of social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter.  I recently came across what hit me as a pretty funny yet perhaps accurate analogy for social networking sites.  It caused me to stop and give it some consideration, maybe it will for you, as well.

Brett Hurt, founder and chief executive of Austin-based Bazaarvoice in a recent Forbes.com article referred to social networking sites as being something like hosting a big cocktail party.  It seems to me the premise for his comment, which really made stop and think rather than chuckle and move on, is do marketers fully realize why they allocate resources for social networking and are they looking for quantifiable results or have they created objectives inline with what social networking sites can offer?

If you are looking for hard results and accept Hurt's analogy of social networks resembling cocktail parties, then the question becomes do people really buy at a cocktail party?  After all, during this time of hyper sensitivity and urgency to demonstrate ROI, are the resources a brand marketer devotes to social networking sites a justified allocation of resources?

If you understand the reason for being of social networking sites and grasp the benefits available, the answer is yes.  As far as trying to "monetize" social networking sites, nobody has really figured out a proven method yet.  Hurt's belief is you can take the social networking principle and move it to brand sites and achieve sales.

Hurt has launched and is receiving big results from its new "channel advertising" product called BrandVoice.  BrandVoice allows manufacturers to publish user-generated/customer reviews for their products on retail brand sites.  The belief is this ultimately benefits the retailer as much as the manufacturer.

I wonder at what point retail brands will find away to monetize BrandVoice for their own benefit.  It seems BrandVoice has just increased the value of a retailer's website space.  Do product reviews for a manufacturer's brand on a retailer's site carry more or less credibility with you than if they are on an independent social networking site such as Twitter.  Maybe I am a little jaded, but as they say always follow the money trail to get your answer.

What does the Twitter World Look Like ... A Recent Study Lets Us Know.

Over the past few months, Twitter has experienced explosive growth, attracting celebrity users such as
Oprah, and a growing mountain of media and blog coverage. And one company, Sysomos Inc decided to conduct an extensive study to document Twitter’s growth and how people are using it. Their study was released just this June and, in my opinion, it portrays a Twitter all a flutter (explosive growth with people not knowing how to really use it).

After analyzing information disclosed on 11.5 million Twitters accounts, they discovered that:

• 72.5% of all users joining during the first five months of 2009.
• 85.3% of all Twitter users post less than one update/day
• 21% of users have never posted a Tweet
• 93.6% of users have less than 100 followers, while 92.4% follow less than 100 people.
• 5% of Twitter users account for 75% of all activity
• New York has the most Twitters users, followed by Los Angeles, Toronto, San Francisco and Boston; while Detroit was the fast-growing city over the first five months of 2009
• More than 50% of all updates are published using tools – mobile and Web-based – other than Twitter.com. TweetDeck is the most popular non-Twitter.com tool with 19.7% market share.
• There are more women on Twitter (53%) than men (47%)
• Of people who identify themselves as PR professionals, 65.5% have never posted an update
• Of the people who identify themselves as PR professionals, 15% follow more than 2,000 people.
• This compares with 0.29% of overall Twitter users who follow more than 2,000 people.

“We wanted to take an extensive snapshot of Twitter that goes far beyond anything done to document
Twitter’s growth and demographics,” said Nick Koudas, Sysomos’ co-founder and chief executive. “While
Twitter’s growth has been well documented, we wanted to put the spotlight on how people use Twitter,
as well as identify many of the key trends in their backgrounds, demographics and activity. Our study,
based on the most comprehensive data set of Twitter users, provides a wealth of information for anyone
interested in getting in-depth details about Twitter.”

I find a couple of facts very interesting. First, that 5% of Twitter users account for 75% of all activity; second, that over 85% of users post less than one update per day. And the deeper you go into the study, it reveals a large percentage of people who are inactive. This tells me that the few rule the flow of information and it seems the social media marketers are the most prolific. Could it be that Twitter isn't really consumer-based, but industry-based? And the industry that controls it are those building a personal brand of their expertise ... like social media marketers.

I'm just thinking out loud, don't know if I'm right, and I'm not saying it's good or bad, I just find the question plausible. That's my thought, what's yours?

Mobile Marketing: A Best Practices Guide

I recently ran across an article with the title above and thought it would be good to pass along. It was written by Mike Wehrs, president/CEO of the Mobile Marketing Assocation. The Mobile Marketing Association is a nonprofit trade association dedicated to growing the mobile channel by establishing guidelines and best practices.

Here's a synopsis of the article:

1. Since the consumer is central to the mobile marketing experience the only way to ensure success as marketers is to build faith that this is a positive way to engage with their favorite brands.
2. Because mobile devices are so personal the marketing messages must engender trust. To engender trust, deliver messages that are positive, highly relevant and contain specific value.
3. The marketer needs to know how to develop a true dialogue of interaction with its customers.
4. Marketers must move away from traditional push (interruption-based) advertising and adopt the tenets of positive consumer experience.
5. The tenets of a positive consumer experience are as follows (according to Mobile Marketing Association's global code of conduct):
   1. Choice: consumers must opt in and make it easy to opt out if so desired.
   2. Control: consumers should have control of when and how they receive messages.
   3. Customization: any information provided by consumers is to personalize content.
   4. Consideration: offer value to consumers who allow you to communicate with them.
   5. Constraint: manage and limit communication.
   6. Confidentiality: don't share consumer information with non-affiliated third parties.

Wehr states "the ideal ambassadors for the mobile marketing cause are consumers ... brands should make sure their communications are interesting, relevant, valuable and, above all, requested."

In the end, I guess that is what we all want ... to be wanted! That's my thought, what's yours?

P.S. If you would like to read the article in its entirety, just click here.

Facebook Meets AARP, Your Children Just Say "Oh No."

Ok it's official, I have a Facebook page with no friends and there's nothing on my wall. Instead all you'll find is my picture from last summer. That's it.

You might be thinking (and rightfully so), why haven't I embraced Facebook when social media is a part of our company's strategic direction. Well, I must say, I blame it on my children ... yes my children. And here's why ... each of my children have come to me and said, "Dad one of your friends just invited me to be their friend (keep in mind my children are in college) and its just "creepy." And they said it keeps happening and they don't want to be friends with a bunch of my friends. Then, they made me promise I wouldn't become one of those parents trying to be cool befriending their friends and so on. I'm now paralyzed into inaction.

Now, here's the deal, my children are not alone in their feelings and I recently was introduced to a blog that literally made me belly laugh, it's named "Oh Crap. My Parents Joined Facebook." And here's the introductory greeting, "Congratulations! Your Parents just joined Facebook. Your life is officially over."

Here are a few sample wall posts:

 

According to iStrategylabs, Facebook's 35-54 year old demo is growing fastest, with a 276.4% growth rate between June 2008 and January 2009. The 55+ demo is not far behind with a 194.3% growth rate. And now the total number of users aged 35+ has gone from 8.2% to 18.9% of all Facebook users in just under six months ... that's staggering growth. It sure seems that us parents like connecting too (much to the chagrin of our tech savvy children).

Well, now that Facebook meets AARP, I just wonder what the kids will do ... hmmm ...

Hey AARP, do you think Facebook is available to purchase? That's my thought, what's yours.

Marketing Metric Alert! New Study Finds Social Media Produces Millions in Sales

Social media is unquestionably a marketing hot topic. But the question remains: Does it work? According to a new study it does. An unidentified package-goods brand was able to tie $1.28 million in offline sales to a $1 million social-media campaign, not counting returns from repeat sales among consumers the brand won via the campaign. Hello ROI!

Until now it was perceived that marketing on places like Facebook and MySpace might generate conversation, but not necessarily make the cash register ring. These findings suggest otherwise.

MySpace recently teamed up with ComScore and Dunnhumby to closely monitor the overlap of their two databases. ComScore tracks internet usage from a panel of more than 1 million people in the U.S. Dunnhumby runs loyalty programs for supermarket retailers, such as Kroger Co., and has access to loyalty card purchase data from 59 million people in the U.S. Approximately 60,000 people are a part of both databases, creating a single-source database that provides a definitive look at how internet presence affects offline purchases. 

Last year, the unnamed packaged-goods brand ran a $1 million campaign on MySpace, including a video contest and online couponing. By the traditional standards sometimes used to measure digital marketing effectiveness (i.e. traffic and impressions), the MySpace results weren't that impressive. As estimated by ComScore, of the 76.9 million exposed to the campaign over 4 months, less than 1% visited the packaged goods page on MySpace.

BUT (and a big BUT it is!) when Dunnhumby compared purchases of shoppers exposed to the online campaign with those who were not, they uncovered $1.28 million in resulting offline sales. Amounting to a 28% return on investment.

Research findings were presented at the Advertising Research Foundation's Re:Think 2009 conference. The method seems promising. The next question is: Will it hold up to even bigger social-media marketing efforts? 

How Brands Can Jump on The Social Media Bandwagon and Make Sure The Wheels Don't Fall Off

 This post is actually about more than just social media. But let's face it, from a marketing perspective, Social media is the topic du jour. The mantra to corporate America and small business in magazines, blogs and white paper after white paper is get on the bandwagon or lose in the accelerating age of "digital marketing." It's generating a whole new industry of "experts" (yes, you too can be a certified social media expert for just $1495).  And social media is generating buzz that is making C-level execs and mom and pop jump to attention and run to the Internet like a swarm of African Killer Bees was about to fly up their you-know-what's. It's that kind of reaction I'd like to focus on here.

Social Media, or Social Madness?

At Fresh Fuel we talk to a lot of companies, both clients and prospects alike. The buzz has got to them, too. And who can blame them for looking for silver bullets in these sour economic times? What we're finding as we talk with companies is that they fall into two camps.

1. They think they are ready to make the leap but have done nothing yet.

2. They have already hitched up the wagon and got themselves a Facebook page, Twitter account, blog, YouTube page or combination of the above. Companies in the second camp are either doing nothing with their new "assets" (because they don't know they are supposed to do), or they are participating somewhat, but usually doing it all wrong. The wheels are already wobbly on the bandwagon.

As a Brand Action Company, we preach method instead of madness... strategy into actions.  So when confronted with these situations, we typically ask a one word question...  "why?" Why do you want to be on Facebook? Why do you want to have a blog? Why do you want to be on Twitter? The answer is typically, "because we know we have to be there, everyone's doing it." This may be true, but it's a reason, not a strategy. And that, in a nutshell, is the problem.

Strategy is fundamental to success... in any business endeavor.

A lack of strategy in the social space is the biggest mistake many companies make. And it's not just for Social Media. In many cases there is no cohesive strategy for their entire online efforts... from their website to their pay per click campaigns. They haven't taken the time to learn what these new tools can do for them, or how to correctly use them within the context of their business objectives. Again, who can blame them? Most businesses and marketing people are scrambling just to stay on top of what they are already doing and keep their companies afloat.  

The companies we typically talk to usually do a bang-up job offline. They generally have an overall marketing plan and well-thought out advertising and media strategies, often supported by good creative - TV, radio, direct mail, outdoor, you name it. But when it comes to the Internet, here come those killer bees and reason goes out the door. It's replaced by a "gotta be there now" mentality that usually defies logic (and planning).

This is where companies need to take a deep breath and slow down. After all, it is called social "media." In the brick & mortar world, there would be meeting after meeting debating the merits and potential ROI of one channel or another to distribute "the message." Before a single dollar was spent, documents would be generated, poured over and revised until everyone was on board with the plan. The result would be a clear strategy, defined tactics and measurable goals. All within the context of an overall marketing plan/strategy defining business and communication objectives for the brand.

It should be no different online.

The overall marketing plan for your brand mentioned above should serve as the guide for your online communication strategies. Granted, most online efforts and especially social media are very different from a TV commercial, or a print ad, etc. Social media is a actually a reinvention of the way companies can interact and communicate with consumers... essentially a high-tech return to the pre-tech days when word of mouth and personal interactions werethe only way goods and services got sold.  It even has the potential to revolutionize how companies function and share information internally (more about that another day). Social media is by no means advertising. So it's not surprising the concept is hard to get a handle on from a brand and marketing perspective. Compound that with the fact that how to measure SM effectively is still a hotly debated topic and it becomes even more apparent why creating a sound strategy for joining the conversation is necessary and vital. Without a clear understanding of how to use social media, or any other "digital media" tool or channel, and without a well-thought out umbrella Internet strategy with individual strategies defining your goals and objectives for each digital media choice, your chances off success are minimal.

So what to do? Firmly bolt on the wheels. 

If you are determined to jump on the Internet bandwagon (and you should be), here's a way to look at it that might shed some perspective:

1. On this particular bandwagon, think of its axles as the Internet.
   The Internet is changing everything for marketers. You are no longer in control of your brand, the consumer is. Influencers and customers are telling you what they want you to be. They are not so much consumers anymore, they are participants. So it stands to reason that you can't just go there and do what you do in the brick & mortar world. You need to understand the digital world and its inhabitants and you need to engage them the way they want you to in order to get results.
   ACTION REQUIRED: Before you do anything else, learn all you can then develop an umbrella Internet marketing and communication strategy for your brand.
   
   
2. The wheels necessary to get the bandwagon moving bolt on to the axle hubs.
   The hubs represent your website(s). At Fresh Fuel, we believe you should put your website(s) at the center of your marketing universe. Everything you do, both online and offline should push or pull to your website. Nothing else in your arsenal can let people experience your brand and create preference for your products, services and expertise better than a well-branded, content-rich, search engine-friendly and engaging website. Before you do anything else, you need to invest in your website to make it an effective tool to get the results you're hoping for on the Internet.
   ACTIONS REQUIRED: First, understand what it takes to create an effective website in 2009 and then, develop a separate strategy (within the context of your umbrella Internet strategy) for your own website. Next do a thorough, critical audit of your current site to see if it has what it takes to fulfill your Internet strategy. It is critical to get your website right before you do anything else. These actions may require outside expertise. Remember, this is an investment, not an expense. Read Greg's post "If they find you, what do they find," for more on this topic.
   
   
3. The wheels themselves represent your overall marketing efforts.
   
   
   They roll to build momentum, push/pull people to the hubs (your website) where they are engaged to take action and advance your business objectives forward.
   ACTIONS REQUIRED: Audit everything you do at every consumer touch-point, online or off, to make sure it pushes or pulls people to your website. Then make sure your site is fully optimized to engage them and achieve your business objectives. There's no point leading them to water if there is nothing to drink.
   
   
4. The wheels are supported and strengthened by their spokes.
   These are the tools, channels and marketing tactics you use to achieve your business objectives.
   ACTIONS REQUIRED: See above. Make sure the spokes (TV, print, radio, outdoor, online display campaign, search marketing, social media, etc, etc., etc., are) are tight. In other words, well thought out with individual strategies and measurable objectives for all.
   
   
5. The horses pulling the wagon are you.
   If you don't have a team of people in the marketing department or money to spend on outside resources, there is no way around this. All forms of marketing require an investment of your time, online or offline. But social media requires much more of your time for it to be effective for your business. You can't just be on Facebook, or Twitter, or start a blog. You have to participate and engage daily. You have to update content regularly (be it blog posts or twitters), monitor what's taking place, respond to the conversation (both good and bad) and have an authentic voice. You absolutely must commit to developing an ongoing dialog in the online world that is not about selling, but serenading. It requires a fundamental shift in thinking and to make it work for your business, you must understand how it works and what it requires... time, and lots of it. If you can't commit the time, do not commit to social media. There are better ways to invest your marketing dollars until you are able to do it right.

Don't just do it, do it right.
To sum up this lengthy but hopefully helpful post, we absolutely believe in the power of the Internet and social media in particular. Companies absolutely need to jump on the bandwagon to be successful in the future. The game has changed and will continue to as people become savvier and seek more control over the products and services they consume.

In a related post worth reading, Fresh Fuel's own Greg Williams wrote, "realize that today's consumer is no longer just a consumer, instead they are multi-dimensional. Your consumers have become a user, a producer, a participant, a community and more. They hold more power today than ever before because it's now easy to spread a message good or bad with the click of a mouse. Your customer is now your critic or your champion and they will manufacture content about you, your product or service. The goal is to give them the power to work for you ... social media at its finest."

Brands definitely need to climb aboard. Just understand that it isn't easy and it (social media) most definitely is not cheap. Participating correctly requires an enormous time investment and, more importantly, a carefully thought-out strategy - for SM and everything else you do in the digital realm - designed to take you down the trail and firmly stake your claim in Cyberspace.

At the end of the day it's about having all your ducks in a row - offline, online... inline - it's a brand action process we follow for our clients called Inline Branding®. If you're interested, check out Fresh Fuel's fuelosophy on the subject and let us know what you think.

Photo Credit: TwOsE's

Before You Spend A Nickel On Search Marketing, Read This!

I really enjoy the sage advice dished out by Andy Sernovitz on his "Damn! I Wish I Thought of That!" blog. We talk to people all the time about the potential power of blogging to push their expertise and offerings out into Cyberland, build credibility and improve search results. Sure, it's hard to invest the time to do a blog right, but it's an investment that could be well worth the effort.

We're not knocking paid search marketing. But in these tough economic times when every penny counts, a little blogging has the potential for big returns. Andy's short but sweet post makes it a little clearer why and how this is indeed a fact! Thanks Andy.

Photo Credit: Monkeyc.net

Social Media Marketing ... A Viable Strategy in a Difficult Economy?

Yesterday I participated in a webinar, titled 10 Secrets to Social Media Marketing led by Paul Gillin. The moderator commented that there were nearly 1,000 people registered and online for the presentation. By any stretch of the imagination Social Media Marketing has the attention of many marketers.

The question becomes, Is social media marketing a viable strategy in an economy where companies need buyers and results now? I will give you my thoughts and then you be the judge.

First, social media marketing is not your father's advertising. It takes a fundamental shift in thinking because it's not advertising at all. You can't get stuck in thinking about social media like you would traditional advertising -- it's just another channel to distribute a message. This thinking already puts you many steps into failure. Instead, think connect and engage -- the goal is to get people to talk to you, you listen, you respond and you repeat the process. In other words, you're thinking participation in a dialogue. According to a study in 2008 by Razorfish, nearly half (49%) of respondents have made a purchase based on a recommendation through a social media site. And social media is still in its infancy for companies!

Second, realize that today's consumer is no longer just a consumer, instead they are multi-dimensional. Your consumers have become a user, a producer, a participant, a community and more. They hold more power today than ever before because it's now easy to spread a message good or bad with the click of a mouse. Your customer is now your critic or your champion and they will manufacture content about you, your product or service. The goal is to give them the power to work for you ... social media at its finest.

Third, just because you can build it, does not mean you should build it. The thought behind this statement is that you should always start with your business objectives and not the tool. I have witnessed companies jump into social media trying to join the bandwagon of the hottest trend. The fallacy is that these companies forget thought #1 above. It is compelling, fresh content that people find valuable, engaging, and thoughtful. It is that commitment to content that brings them back and starts the dialogue. We believe every company should go through the simple strategic process of determining what are the business/marketing objectives, how does social media support them, what tool is best, how do I use that tool properly and what are my expectations for success. Once this is done, then execute your social media strategy methodically, but don't take on more than you can handle. It is my recommendation you only do what you can do very well -- less is more here.

Last, but not least, there is a case study that demonstrates the power of social media. It demonstrates how social media can actually bring instant results versus the prevailing thought of "social media takes time to work." Hewlett-Packard introduced a new laptop called the Dragon.The Dragon is a behemoth as a 15 pound laptop with a 20.1-inch screen and 500-gigabyte hard drive and the sales were underwhelming for HP. With the help of Buzz Corps, HP developed a social media campaign called 31 Days of the Dragon, where they contacted 31 tech bloggers to give away 31 laptops in 31 days. Each blogger made up their own rules about the contest but each agreed to promote the contests of everyone else in the group.

In a post by Janet Meiners, she outlined the campaign's results, "The result was that the first five pages of Google results for searches on HP and HP Dragon were blog posts about the contest. According to HP they had over 380,000 links to the 31 sites discussing the contest. Bloggers got over 25,000 contest entries and an average 150% increase in traffic. Here’s the kicker though - almost 85% increase in sales of a computer that was released nine months ago!"

When social media marketing is developed under the umbrella of business objectives, the power can be both instant, as was the case of HP, and long-term as you give people the opportunity to connect with you. So, perhaps it is the right strategy in an economy where companies need buyers and results now. That's my thought, what's yours?