Social media marketing

What might surprise you is how quickly Twitter is growing as the social medium of choice among Fortune 500 companies. According to recent studies like “Fortune 500 and Social Media: A Longitudinal Study of Blogging and Twitter Usage by America’s Largest Companies,” conducted by the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth and Financial Insite, a Seattle-based Research Firm, Twitter is the platform of choice for Fortune 500 social media marketers.

The study examined the 2009 Fortune 500 in an attempt to quantify their adoption of social media tools and technologies, finding that 22% of Fortune 500 companies have a public-facing corporate blog – six percent more than 2008. The study also found that 86% of these blogs link directly to a corporate Twitter account, a 300% increase over 2008. Even more corporations have Twitter accounts, but not all link to them from their blog.

It would appear that Fortune 500 marketers are moving fast to Twitter for engaging with their key audiences. Of course, upon further analysis, you’d find that only 35% of these Twitter accounts are active – described as having been updated within the past 30 days. If I’m reading the study correctly, that means 65% are not being actively used.

While Fortune 500 companies have realized they need to be on Twitter – probably as defense against username squatting – few have truly embraced Twitter as a social channel. 

Of the groups that have engaged most heavily with Twitter, the insurance industry is leading the way, with 13 active Twitter accounts according to the study. Of course there are also companies like Exxon Mobil, the #1 company in the Fortune 500, that have no presence on Twitter.

A separate analysis of Fortune 500 Twitter, “The Global Social Media Check-Up” conducted by Burson-Marstellar, found that 79% of Fortune 100 Global companies are using one of four popular social media platforms, with Twitter leading Facebook, YouTube and corporate blogging as the platform of choice.

65% of Fortune Global 100 companies have active accounts on Twitter, while only 54% have Facebook accounts, 50% have YouTube channels, and 33% have a corporate blog. There is still plenty of room for improvement here.

Why Is Twitter the Preferred Platform?

Nobody knows for sure why Twitter is so popular, but there’s a good chance that it’s because it’s the easiest platform to launch. Companies can have a Twitter account up and running in a couple of hours (or less). There is a lot more work to do to launch a YouTube channel, corporate blog, or Facebook presence. It also takes considerably less resources to manage content production and audience interaction on Twitter than these other platforms. It’s a relatively low-cost and low-maintenance option for getting in the social media game.

Are Fortune 500 companies getting any value out of Twitter though? According to the Burson-Marstellar study, the answer is “yes”. Twitter accounts to the Fortune Global 100 average 1,489 followers. This doesn’t seem like much when you consider the average Facebook fan page for these companies has more than 40,000 fans, but it's progress.

A full copy of the new research report can be downloaded here: http://www.umassd.edu/cmr/studiesresearch.

In the last few years, there's been a lot of talk about moving beyond the 30 second commercial. This is more than just a commentary on format. It is really speaking to the way people consume media and the best way to leverage that consumption to get your brand’s message out. Web and mobile are providing a greater percentage of viewer’s video content, and that trend is increasing. But even though they are viewing their content on a different screen, they are still looking for an entertaining and engaging video experience.

The most successful commercial campaigns have always been the ones that entertain, whether humorous, touching, or visually stimulating. As the viewer’s lives become more media saturated, their desire to be entertained becomes more acute. This is why an old concept has resurrected, albeit in an updated form. Branded entertainment was the norm in the early days of television and it’s time has come again. Rather than trying to make commercials entertaining enough to capture consumers’ attention, why not create entertaining programming that promotes your brand. Branded entertainment, when done correctly, is a very effective way to get your brand noticed. Not only will you be putting your brand in front of your customers, you will actually enlist them in spreading the word. The challenge is to create something consumers will associate with your brand in a positive way that will not feel like merely an extended commercial.

For less than what it might cost to create a traditional commercial campaign and buy the media time, you can have a short film or series produced, put it on the web, and get millions of eyes on it. A series has an advantage over a single spot in that it can grab viewers and become a destination, allowing secondary branding opportunities. As with any advertising, there are many failed attempts at this. In order to be successful, you can't throw up just any old thing and hope it sticks. On the web, content is king, and consumers are becoming increasingly discriminating about what they will watch and pass to others. They may have switched screens, but they are looking for the same level of content they are used to seeing on television. There is a lot of competition for people’s attention but right now well produced and entertaining content is hard to come by. Now is the time to take advantage of the void. Produce a great show and users will find you. The most common mistake is thinking that something for web use does not need the attention you might give to something that will be shown on TV. Because the cost of getting something up on the web is cheap (relative to traditional media) many old-guard agencies tend to not put enough money into production. They fall back on old patterns that tie budget to the cost of the media. It is important to put the proper resources into creating your property.

And even though I have spoken mostly about web and mobile as fast growing platforms, that doesn’t mean it is time to abandon the television. Some of the lessons we are learning in the digital realm can be applied to traditional TV. More and more shows are using embedded sponsorship. And the numbers of channels available in specific markets make the prospect of producing a branded show an economic reality. The world of entertainment is changing quickly, with new options and possibilities opening up every day.

1. SalesView:

In recent years it seems as if E-Mail marketing has fallen by the wayside in light of emerging technologies and trends. Time and time again statistics have supported the profitability and legitimacy of E-Mail marketing, so it’s important to take a step back and see how E-Mail marketing is or more importantly isn’t, affecting your company.
Here are three questions to ask yourself or your marketing team in order to answer the bottom line; do we need to invest or reinvest in E-Mail marketing?

1) Have you forgotten about the basics?

In this new Web 2.0 world marketers are constantly scrambling to keep up with the latest trends, throwing money at anything deemed “cool,” “trendy,” or “popular.” At first glance new social outlets and advertising mediums may seem appealing, but sites such as YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, and Myspace have short track records in terms of performance and viewership capabilities. These mediums aren’t poor investments by any means, but more often than not companies are blinded by the popularity of new social sites and forget about the basics of interactive marketing; E-Mail marketing. 
In one Forrester survey E-Mail more than 80% of businesses surveys achieved a significant return on investment - double that of most other marketing initiatives. I highly doubt any current social media site can boast 80% ROI satisfaction for use of their advertising and marketing platforms.

There’s a reason social media and Web 2.0 technology is called the “frontier” of internet exploration; IT’S UNKNOWN TERRITORY. If you’re hoping to catch the wave early and become one of the first settlers on the new frontier, be prepared to sacrifice quite a bit of blood, sweat, and treasure. A word of warning though for those looking to brave these mysterious, ever-changing virtual landscapes;  by the time you and other businesses jump on the bandwagon, the consumer has most likely started getting off to ride the new model bandwagon – the one that has three axels instead of two.

BOTTOM LINE: Like my great grand pappy use to say, sometimes the best things in life are the simplest things; E-Mail marketing may not be as flashy as a MySpace page, but 9/10 it will dole out a much larger reward upon investment.

2) Are you putting your data to good use?

For those already utilizing E-Mail marketing it’s important to take a step back and review your E-Mail marketing process. Do you simply click “send” every two weeks to blast your newsletter or promotion? One of the foremost reasons E-Mail campaigns fail or plateau revolve around the marketers lack of interaction, understanding, diligence, or experience analyzing and applying the data generated by their E-Mail campaign.  E-Mail is light years ahead of almost every other advertising medium in terms of accountability and tracking, the question is whether you’re leveraging this unique capability or not. With the ability to instantly review the results of your efforts, it’s important to analyze the outcome through multiple lenses rather than just a couple such as “E-Mails opened,” “conversions,” or “bounced rates.”

As a rule of thumb every time you receive the results of an E-Mail blast you should be changing at least ONE aspect of your next E-Mail strategy or design. It’s entirely possible to deploy E-Mail blasts without acknowledging the data and still receive a good response and return. As a marketer you need to apply the data you receive in order to run a GREAT campaign. Just because you’re running a “good” campaign with minimal effort doesn’t change the fact that in reality you’re really running a poor to mediocre campaign.
The most effective E-Mail marketing is an evolutionary process consisting of hours, and hours, and hours (and hours) of data compilation, review, and reform. If you or your marketing team takes performs no action other than clicking “send,” odds are you’re missing out on the true strength of E-Mail marketing; quick, intuitive, statistically supported campaign adaptation.  

BOTTOM LINE: We don’t live in a static world; neither should your E-Mail marketing.  

 3) Are you maximizing your dollar during the recession?

Marketing departments across the world have been laying off employees in droves. Even higher level management today is looking for any way possible to show their superiors that they add value to the company. What would your superiors say if they saw you could not only boost revenue but cut costs at the same time?
Marketing budgets have shrank, but thankfully E-Mail marketing prices have stayed relatively the same – cost efficient. Of all the advertising mediums both virtual and physical, E-Mail marketing is among the most cost effective with the privilege of being able to boast one of the highest ROI’s. A single print ad can cost thousands upon thousands after the cost of graphic design and ad-space. Instead of paying $10,000-$25,000+ for one month of magazine advertising, you can run a four month e-mail campaign which normally entails better audiences, conversion rates, and accountability. If you find the costs of traditional advertising to be exorbitant, it may be time to dust off the E-Mail marketing proposal and take another look.

BOTTOM LINE: As the great Benjamin Franklin once said, “A penny saved is a penny earned.”

So ask yourself:

1) Would it be beneficial to scale back on costly new-age technology investments in order to temporarily invest in more dependable marketing initiatives?

2) Would it be beneficial to engage in an E-Mail marketing discovery phase to see if you’ve truly been interacting with your campaigns and applying the data you find?

3) Would it be beneficial to divert your limited budget to more cost effective (and often times profitable) marketing venture such as E-Marketing?

 

According to recent studies and surveys over 50% of all smartphone traffic in the U.S. now comes from iPhones (AdMob Mobile Metrics, March 2009). And it’s growing. Other platforms are starting to catch on, but Apple truly succeeded in building and proliferating a means for people to have a vastly improved mobile web experience. Add to that a rabid user-base and the result is that iPhone’s Safari browser now starts showing up more and more on the overall analytics reports when companies review what browsers are accessing their sites. As an avid iPhone user myself since the first version I’ve been amazed at how I could navigate sites on this platform despite site designs that still required extensive zooming in and out and scrolling back and forth. I was so enamored that Apple designed UI mechanisms to help accommodate sites not designed for mobile that for a while I was simply excited to be able to use them at all. But slowly some sites began creating better mobile versions to make navigation even easier on the iPhone and other browsers. Now I grow greatly annoyed when I try to access a web site from my phone and find myself staring at a microscopic version of the homepage which makes it difficult to even find the buried link that says “Contact Us” just so I can find their address or phone number to get directions and a map while I’m out and about. Or even worse, the site is built in Flash with no HTML version and for whatever divine reason Apple has still not decided to support Flash on the iPhone. So the site is essentially useless on my phone and in some cases looks uglier than a Nip/Tuck season finale. I found it funny when I tried looking at the web sites of some of our competitors, some large digital agencies, and found they had sites built in Flash which are rendered useless on my device.

Numerous solutions exist for creating mobile presentation layers for even the most complex and transactional web sites to handle every different mobile device under the sun. We’ve helped many of our customers do exactly that. But there wasn’t a simple, fast and inexpensive way for a large majority of companies who just have a typical web site with typical CMS needs managed by a small number of people to easily publish and manage simple mobile site versions. With all this in mind, Definition 6 worked to build some simple scripts, toolsets and templates that integrate directly into a Content Management System enabling re-purposing of content by a non-technical marketing manager to easily deploy a site that looks great in an iPhone Safari browser. It leverages iPhone navigation mechanisms, and helps you to offer mobile users with the experience they desire and the information they likely need while mobile which is often quite different than what they want when they are sitting in front of a laptop or desktop computer. We’ve also packaged it all up in a simple series of offerings to make this an easy decision for our current and future customers so they can cost effectively begin to meet the needs of a growing market. If you don’t have an iPhone you can test to see what your site looks like using an iPhone simulator which we have posted at http://www.definition6.com/our-services/mobile.aspx and if you do have an iPhone just visit www.definition6.com now on your device to see an example.

In the coming weeks and months we’ll also be releasing the same kind of CMS plug-ins and templates for other mobile browsers as add-ons to these tools. But we thought we’d start with the one that represented the most traffic. For a quick and simple way to manage mobile sites in a CMS we think this new toolset makes great sense for a large number of businesses.

Sales Marketing Specialist, Dana Long, shares an article on how QSR's and fast-casual restaurants have adopted their own social media strategies...

Giving away freebies in today's economic climate resonates well with consumers -- and huge gains are being made within the restuarant industry by brands who are reaching out to consumers through the use of social media marketing.

There is a recent article on Media Post explaining how restaurant brands can benefit from a social media strategy by incorporating freebies, surveys, polling and even a restaurant locator.  And with the right tools, franchisees can tap into their online social circles in order to market local events through email marketing and other search engine optimization solutions.  Bottom line, online tactics employed at minimal expense lead to massive revenue gains and brand awareness.

Contact online ad agency Definition 6 today to learn how we can help you implement your next social media, SEO or email marketing campaign.
 

Lisa Seals, Definition 6 Project Manager on earning consumer trust through the use of blogging…

Blogs are one of the most cost-effective mediums available for building relationships with your customers, and driving traffic to your website.  But, according to Forrester’s North American Technographics Media and Marketing Online Survey, corporate blogs rate very low on the scale for consumer trust.  Don’t swear off blogging quite yet - rather, use blogging as an addition to your marketing mix and overtime customers will value your openness and candor.  Here are some interesting suggestions from an article I recently read which were key take-aways for me…
 
1. Come up with a well-thought-out blogging policy to institute credibility into your company blog
2. Instill reader value – think about your customer's perspective before you blog
3. Foster transparency - be up front with your readers about who you are as the author.  Include your background, role within the company, if you have vested interests in the topic of discussion and whether they're writing from an insider-expert or end-user perspective
4. Set the tone - abstain from taking on a formal tone, talk to your readers like you would talk to real people in professional situations. Bring in your own personality and say what's on your mind
5. Allow readers to participate in the conversation -  your blog can provide an effective vehicle for gathering and understanding your customer’s perspectives

Check out the full article by logging into MarketingProfs.com and visit our blog to find out how online ad agency, Definition 6, leverages our website integration expertise in providing the right tools necessary to create your own corporate blog.
 

I came across a great article yesterday on MarketingSherpa.com which summarized some very practical and useful tips on improving email opt-ins.  Below are 10 low-cost tactics collected from past MarketingSherpa case studies including how to’s on boosting referrals, establishing co-registration barters, optimizing registration pages and using offline channels for email address collection.

Low-cost Tactics for Opt-in Growth

1.     Increase incentive for referrals - offer a discount coupon to encourage your customers to recruit new opt-ins to their email newsletter and promotional messages

2.     Highlight relevance in co-registration placement - find relevant partners and present your offer in a compelling way

3.     Create co-branded sweepstakes – recruit partners to share the promotion with their own customers and in exchange, trade opt-in checkboxes on one another’s sites.

4.     Combat email address typos – conduct tests to capture email typos before they reach your database

5.     Test a delayed intercept for opt-ins i.e. test a version of on overlay that appears only after your visitor spends 1+ minute on the site.

6.     Test additional locations for opt-in checkboxes i.e. add them on higher traffic web pages

7.     Test small tweaks of registration form such as offer type, images, required fields, amount of information and submit button copy

8.     Use telesales and customer service reps to collect opt-ins – have your inbound call center representatives ask for email opt-ins during calls

9.     Print an opt-in URL on receipts for POS registrations – let customers enter their own information through a custom URL on a sales receipt

10.   Add change-of-email address form to site - place reminders throughout your site that ask customers to report a change of address.

Definition 6 leverages expertise in website integration, managed computer services, design, marketing and consulting to create solutions that help our clients increase revenues and reduce costs to build competetive advantage,

Account Coordinator Jeremy Bromwell speaks out about Social Media:

As we settle into 2009 it is extremely important to stay in tune with market conditions.  Social media is expected to see significant growth as an interactive channel largely as a result of our economic reality.  Earlier this week Erik Qualman at Search Engine Watch published an article with his predictions for social media in 2009.  Here are a few highlights from the article:

1. Social Media will continue growing, Business Networks will surge, Free Services will become defunct, Traditional broadcast television moves online, Social Media will change real world behavior, More Social Media searches for Products and Services, and Marketing Budgets will Continue Shrinking
2. If your business or service does not currently have a presence in the social media space, now is the time.
3. When considering your social media presence, consider the goals.  Many times the success metrics for social media are different than other channels.  The focus for most brands should be brand engagement and awareness.  The primary goals of social media, in my opinion, are viral distribution of your marketing message and to remain top of mind for your audience.  If you can achieve this you will ensure that your brand stays in the buyers evoked set and has a higher propensity to purchase YOUR product/service.
4. Mobile devices will be the primary way people access social networks and tools. 

In summary, companies that are not leveraging this relatively low cost channel will be left behind as more and more users adopt social media.  Developing a solid social media plan is a great place to start and is something that can be accomplished in a relatively short period of time for a low cost this quarter and can then be executed for the rest of 2009.  Additionally, a study conducted by the Kelsey Group and ConStat shows that the percentage of mobile phone users who said they accessed social network sites from their handsets jumped 182% from September 2007 to October 2008 (see graph below).  Check out our Social Networking Quickstart blog to learn how leading interactive agency, Definition 6, can help maximize all of your social media efforts.

Project Manager Lisa Seals presented an article to our Client Services group on the effectiveness of optimzing PPC campaigns through targeted email marketing -geotargeting.  The article reinforces the importance of geotargeting to deliver relevant customized keywords, ad copy and offers to searchers in specific geographic locations.

And according to MarketingSherpa’s 2009 Search Marketing Benchmark Guide, marketers agree that geotargeting is an effective tactic that delivers high ROI.

Lisa highlighted three major points from the report:

1.     In addition to targeting PPC campaigns to searchers in specific locations, ecommerce sites (or other national search advertisers) should also consider geotargeting to optimize their overall search strategy.

2.     Shifting resources to regions that deliver the best performing traffic, or highlight brands based on regional popularity, will deliver the highest ROI.

3.      Always remember to test.  As a geotargeted ad group demonstrates its effectiveness, you can move on to a new region or increase spending in those areas to maximize results.

Check out the full article on MarketingSherpa.com to learn how a national jeans company developed a comprehensive search marketing strategy that included geotargeting to advertise a popular apparel of brands in major metropolitan areas.

Check out our some of our blogs for information about Definition 6's search engine optimization solutions.

Web analytics can be a cost effective solution to understanding where your visitors come from and how they interact with your site.  Learn, first hand, how to improve your site’s conversion process, evaluate the effectiveness of your content and navigation while at the same time optimizing all of your online interactions.
What We Deliver:
• Account set up and configuration, including a branded dashboard
• Standard implementation including tagging your website, report configuration and primary funnel creation
• 2 hours of analytics training

Estimated timeframe for delivery is 1-2 weeks.  Contact us today for more information.

Rapid SEO is a quick, low cost solution for driving traffic to your website as a means to increase revenue without incurring costs typically associated with SEM/PPC and Media campaigns.

What We Deliver:
• Keyword analysis, recommendations and benchmark report
• Strategies and tactics on how to modify your existing site content and code to rank higher with the major search engines
• 20 hours of SEO-related site adjustments

Estimated timeframe for delivery is 1-2 weeks.  Contact us today for more information. 

According to the Mobile Marketing Association, 89% of companies use text and multimedia messaging to reach their audiences.  Nearly one third of those companies plan to spend more than 10% percent of their marketing budgets on advertising in the text SMS marketing medium.

Short Message Service (SMS) is a low cost way to reach a large number of your customers through a device that they are sure to always have with them.  You can reach your customers during those key times when they are out holiday shopping to promote special deals and offers – or you can insert coupon codes directly into your message so that your customers can redeem them in-store.

So how does Definition 6 help customers implement SMS as a low-cost solution to direct marketing?  We offer 1-way and 2-way SMS text message campaigns, leveraging your existing web applications using SMS as a front-end.  In just a brief 2-3 week engagement, we can deliver a landing page with an opt-in and sign up form, an interface to be used to send out SMS messages to registered users and all the necessary underlying infrastructure and services as part of a SaaS model.  For more information and to talk to someone on our Business Development team for pricing, please visit the Definition 6 Contact Us page.

Site search is yet another website search engine optimization solution that we help our clients with.  It is a relatively low cost way to improve overall site experience for users and can help drive conversion by quickly getting users to the content they want.  Onsite Search also alleviates website abandonment if users aren’t quickly and easily finding what they are looking for.

How can Definition 6 help?
• Add “Google-quality” search to your company’s public websites
• Brand it to look like your current site design
• Can be done using a SaaS or appliance approach

What can we deliver?
• Branded search box and results on your public website
• 2 hours of training on the search service or appliance admin interfaces

Estimated timeframe for delivery is 2-3 weeks.  Contact us today for more information: http://www.definition6.com/contact-us.aspx

There is a lot of buzz around Social Media/Networking these days, and in a turbulent economy it may pay off to utilize this medium as a way to get your brand out there.  Social Media is not only hot in the marketplace, it is also a low cost way to market and leverage your employee and customer’s network of friends.

What does Definition 6 offer when it comes to Social Networking?
• Branded social media/networking corporate profiles on some of the major sites
• Guidance and planning for promotion, launch and governance

And what can Definition 6 deliver for your company?
• Branded company FaceBook, MySpace and LinkedIn profiles
• Launch and promotional plan
• Suggested governance and maintenance plan
• 2 hours of training

Check out the Definition 6 branded FaceBook page and you’ll see how we leveraged this technology for our own company: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/pages/Atlanta-GA/Definition-6/6666941028?ref=ts

Lori Willard, a Definition 6 SEO Specialist, recently came across an article in Marketing Sherpa that offered a few excellent pointers on optimizing your videos for internet search engine optimization.

Here are a few key points to take away:

• Host an SEO 101 Class for your video production team. Identify the keywords you would like to incorporate and discuss where they can be included.

• Include the term "video" as a modifier in some of your keyword terms. When people search for videos they will typically include the term "video" in their search query.

• Host each video on its own landing page. This gives you the opportunity to add keyword rich META tags in the html along with a unique URL for that page that includes specific terms related to your video. 

• Write compelling titles and descriptions incorporating targeted keywords that add interest to your visitors.

• Add a transcript or summary of your video in text along with the video itself. This is a great way to add additional content to your page and further incorporate your keywords.

• Add an XML video sitemap to your website. Google will allow you to submit a list of URL's that contain your videos, video titles, along with a brief description.

In closing, video files are not only a great way to add another level of engagement to your website, they also can be an integral part of your websites search engine optimization solutions.

Read the complete Marketing Sherpa article here