More Digital blog

Trying to think of new and interesting ways to keep your business’s social media marketing alive and kicking can be tough. When you get stuck, it’s important to find inspiration and the news is a great place to start. I’ve had a look at what people are talking about this week and how this can help your businesses social marketing campaign.

The kids are alright:

Last week I wrote about the Mommy bloggers and this week it’s all about the tweeny bloggers. Think of it as the revenge of the tween (young teen, to the unitiated) fed up with their mothers endlessly blogging about their nappies, then their first day of school and even their first kiss, the tweens have started to take control. The Independent reported that 15 per cent of 12- to 15-year-olds are already blogging and one in four are interested in starting.
As we are all aware social media is huge amongst teenagers, so targeting the younger segment of this age group is a sure fire way to get yourself noticed. Send a tween blogger your product, ask them to review and watch as all their friends begin saying to mum and dad ‘I want one of those!’

Bugging you:

According to the New York Times, as America is trying to eradicate the recent infestation of bedbugs, the pest control companies are having a war of their own- which ad will be seen first by those searching for pest control online? The New York Times article says: According to Google, general searches for “bedbugs” have increased 83 percent in the last year and 182 percent for bedbug-related searches in the last four weeks compared with the same period a year earlier.

If there is a sudden epidemic, let’s say bedbugs or swine flu, it may be a great opportunity to generate traffic, but don’t forget your ethical compass. Nothing is more likely to alienate potential customers like jumping on a public health bandwagon. It may be all about making the most of the moment – but unless your product is relevant, be cautious.

Be more open minded:

It can be easy to get caught up in trying to drum up business in the UK and the USA. We forget that money can actually be made elsewhere and we may not be as clued up as we think we are when it comes to social media.
India, for example, is currently in the midst of a social media phenomena- Bubbly. It already has 2 million users and is popular with Bollywood stars and big companies. It is basically a voice- based Twitter, using text alerts and dial-in codes to record and receive voice updates on mobile devices. When a user records audio messages and updates, followers can listen in whenever they want.
The idea for Bubbly came from America and presumably must have been targeted to India where mobile phone usage exceed internet usage. So, if you have an idea, think about where it would really work. Do your research and don’t be afraid to target countries you are not so familiar with.

Silver Surfers:

This may seem pretty obvious but you may not be aware about just how much and how fast social networking among older adults is growing. 42% of online adults age 50+ now use social networking sites, nearly twice as many as the 22% who did so a year earlier, according to a study by Pew Research. They are officially the fastest growing demographic among social network users.
This is a big step for the world of social marketing. It is a real chance to get a product out there to what could be a new market. What’s great is that when a mature adult says they like something on Facebook, their friends will listen. Older people still do have an authority that youngest users just don’t quite have yet. Get the oldies on your side and you’re laughing.

I know what you’re thinking. “We use email, social media, instant messaging – what else do we need?” Well, for starters, if you’re one of those offices comprised of fifteen programmers spread across the world who communicate and organise themselves and their projects digitally, you’re at a disadvantage. Working physically alongside people can often be beneficial, but sometimes, the closest we can get is through video conferencing.

Credit to www.dannyok.com for the graph.

In the first 24 hours after Google’s VOIP service launched, one million calls were placed. Of course, most of these were probably test calls placed so people could go “hey, Tony! It’s just like Skype, but with a different logo, and in Gmail, right?”, and then hang up. But it proves a point – Google experiments, but will very rarely launch something it doesn’t have the utmost faith in. Voice calling is dominated by Skype, with telephones being manufactured and built into keyboards specifically for this. In fact, it’s probably why 99% of office workers who aren’t receptionists are buying headsets.

But does that mean we’re communicating well? Do we lose the tone of voice, or the ability to physically show someone an architectural model because we’re using webcams instead of sitting there in the office with them? Some things tend to get lost in the transfer, and unfortunately it’s usually the personal side to a business. Businesses, large ones at least, are not the most personal of entities to deal with. Large, faceless corporations, often have an automated telephone network and a bored set of people on the phones. If we apply the same “once removed” strategy to our internal communications, are we really a team, an empathetic, tight-knit motley crew of people able to hit the big numbers?

I find that although I can show someone a design for a website, or a bit of content, over the web, it doesn’t always mean they’re entirely following what I’m saying. Technology is fallible, and if we return to the example of the network of programmers, what happens if the Skype network goes down? No VOIP, no face-to-face or voice-based communication, and half the meaning in human speech is lost the second their thoughts hit the keyboard. Unless, of course, they send little vlogs to one another by YouTube, but if that ends up being the case they’re probably doing more video editing than programming at that point.

VOIP is a useful tool – it doesn’t require our fingers, and this means we can often keep working, take down notes, or surf to the site they’re telling us about without having to avoid multitasking. However, if we continue to rely on communication via digital channels and phase out the good, old-fashioned phone call, doesn’t all business conducted become less human? I agree it’s a rather philosophical concept for a Monday afternoon, but realistically we need to take a look at the way we’re talking to each other. I speak to a client on the phone, or face-to-face. We understand each other better, there are no mixed messages. This is preferable when you’re meeting for lunch on a work day, but if you’re meeting to discuss a £5m contract, it’s crucial.

I’d love to try the Google VOIP system, though I’ll be waiting a while as the UK aren’t getting free calls unless it’s to the US or Canada. However, when it does go free, and it will have to if it wants, in true Google-style, to stomp the competition flat and dance on its digital corpse. Skype must be shaking in their boots right now, either that or they know something we don’t.

Today marked the launch of an exciting and innovative new website called FashionStake.

A New York-based company has come up with the idea of allowing the consumer to purchase a ’stake’ in a designers collections. In return they get various privileges, which any fashionista would love, such as pre-order discounts and runway show tickets.

The idea is a novel one; it gives us, the consumer, the chance to fund and shape a designer collection before it has even been produced. It allows you to become more hands on, or to have more online input, in the clothes you will eventually wear.

Firstly FashionStake allows you to  provide feedback, so you can vote for individual pieces and also interact with the designers themselves in discussion boards.

Secondly you can become a buyer. This means you can pre-order from a collection and get a big discount, thought to be about 40%.

Thirdly you can become a funder. Pay $50 and you can purchase store credit, worth up to $125 return on a $50 stake, which you can use to shop till you drop once the collection goes live.

And lastly, for the die-hard fashion fans, you can pay $500 to be a VIP. You will get things like Fashion Week tickets, dinner with one of the designers and even a free item from the collection.

So, it’s great for designers who want to launch a career, it’s great for the owners of FashionStake who don’t have that much money to support all up and coming designers and it’s great for the consumer. It offers them the interactive aspect that you don’t get when buying clothes in most shops and there is also a social media feel to it that people want.

Is this the way forward for all new online businesses? If you lack the funding to do everything you want, then this seems like a good alternative because you get the money and also a fan base. It’s using the principle of crowdsourcing and crowdfunding.

We know this idea does work, to an extent anyway, look at Ebbsfleet United, the English football club.

In 2007 instead of allowing the club to be owned by millionaires, it was announced that it would be taken over by the website MyFootballClub.com.

27,000 members of the website paid £35 which provided the £700,000 takeover fund and they were all given an equal share in the club, although they do not make a profit.

Similar to FashionStake, the members vote on transfers, player selection, even the kits.

Initially ideas like this do very well, especially with all the press involved and people like to be a part of exciting new projects.

Ebbsfleet United is still owned by the members of MyFootballClub.com. However in March of this year, only 800 out of 4000 members have continued to pay membership fees. The initial idea clearly works but the future of the club may be rocky. Speculation suggests that the club had far too many debts in the first place for this to succeed.

What about FashionStake? Presumably it will do very well in the first year but whether it will stay the distance is anyone’s guess.

But if you are looking for an injection of funding, a chance to get your customers involved and drum up a little publicity, crowdfunding seems to be the wave to ride.

Let’s forget about all the teen-based online attractions for a minute and take notice of the latest thing making waves on the web, yes it’s the mummy bloggers.

Ok, so if you’re not a mother, it’s probably unlikely you have come across these, but put ‘mummy blog’ into Google and see how many you are faced with: metropolitanmum.co.uk, potty-diaries.blogspot.com and littlemummy.com to name but a few.

Starting in America, like most things, mummy, or ‘mommy’ blogging as they like to call it, is a big deal. And as with most things that are a big, companies realise that this means money and will find some way for them to get in on the act.

But what exactly is this ‘mummy blogging’? It’s basically a mum, or sometimes a dad, talking about their experiences of parenting. It’s the ins and outs of what is like to have a child, covering everything from nappies – which are good to use? Recipes – what work well with children? And great days out – where to go? Can you see a theme here?

Recommendation is the common theme running throughout these blogs. Women are one of the most influential consumer groups and it is thought that typically they are the ones who buy products for their children and make decisions on the big household items to buy. So, if a woman sees that another woman liked a product or a place they will be more likely to use it or go there.

How can you use the mummy bloggers? If you have a product that you think could be useful in any way at all to mums, families, couples, then target them. Ask them to write a blog about it. Even the big shot companies are doing it.

This year Universal Pictures contacted the most well-known mummy bloggers in the USA at the time of the release of their movie Despicable Me. One mum Jennifer Donovan, who has been blogging for six years, was flown to the LA, put up in a luxury hotel and met all the stars of the film. Of course, she then blogged about it and openly admits a little more time was devoted to it, than perhaps if they hadn’t given her the trip.

The head of digital, online and mobile marketing at Universal, Doug Neil said: “We believe that the parents can be big influencers for us, and helping to sell the film and get their interest in promoting the film to their audience, as a stamp of approval for being a good wholesome safe film for families.”

In the UK, things are on a smaller scale, but advertisers and PR agencies are still keen to get their products out there and they know that mummy bloggers are a great way to do this.

As a business, it is an affordable and effective way to get your product seen and talked about. Elisa Camahort Page, the chief operations officer of BlogHer.com , a leading US-based community for women bloggers, said: “Blogs also act not only as a loud speaker for the person writing but as entertainment for those reading.

“People are twice as likely to report turning to blogs for anything about information-sharing,” she says, citing the results of a recent BlogHer survey that compared blogs to other social media. The BlogHer directory lists almost 22,000 blogs and about 28 per cent of those are about parenting, she says, with fresh voices joining the blogosphere all the time.

So, particularly if you are small business, it is clearly worth targeting bloggers is an ideal opportunity. The mummy bloggers are often looking for ways to make a little money or to get freebies, so will be more than happy to try out your product.

Remember they are mummies and they write these blogs because they genuinely love their child and are devoted to giving them the best things in life (well, we hope so anyway). Without wanting to stereotype, women do enjoying sharing ideas and discussing things that work well, especially when it comes to children. So, writing a blog is just an extension of that. It’s creating that word-of-mouth buzz that would normally cost big bucks. And if the blogger doesn’t actually like your product, it really isn’t the end of the world, because online any news generated really is good news.

I’m sure everyone’s read this week that there’s a distinct likelihood of The Social Network, the Facebook film, being swiftly followed by a film about Google. Googled: The End of the World as We Know It, the book about the company penned by one Ken Auletta, has been optioned for the silver screen by producer John Morris.

I can’t help but wonder how the CEOs and employees in question feel about these films. Sure, they might not be representing the most positive view of the company, but surely any press is good press? I know no one needs to call attention to Facebook and Google – that’s a done job, being the two of the most popular online destinations on the internet.

But why not make a statement? Embrace the fact that the films are the talk of the town? I’m looking forward to The Social Network and the drama and controversy that the film aims to convey. Mark Zuckerberg, the film’s protagonist and arguable founder of Facebook itself, doesn’t think the film will hold to the truth. However, doesn’t he realise that Facebook’s saturation of the planet’s population means hundreds of thousands of people are going to see the film anyway?

Google’s film, however, may be far more interesting. Google is, like Facebook, a monopolistic online entity. Their market-share hovers at around 95%, they’re rapidly spreading into every digital market and medium, from their search engine to books, television and domain management and registration. I have an account, a homepage, a domain, a YouTube account and a browser, all done by Google and used by me on a daily basis.

But the end of the world? Is this really bad market for them, or is it an opportunity for Google founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page to show off their PR muscle and demonstrate they’re serious, business-minded entrepreneurs whose determination meant they were able to place themselves at the centre of the internet. How many companies can lay claim to inventing a verb?

It’s an interesting, online-focused Russian doll concept to consider; the film’s advertised on sites, some of which using domains sold to them by Google, to talk about a Google movie that people will research using Google. No other company can claim to act as such a seller of information, and they could raise or sink the film depending on the complex, secretive algorithms they use to determine what comes first in their search engine – the excited Google critic, or the excited Google fan.

Both Google and Facebook have had their fair share of third-party controversy – Facebook has stalkers, kidnappers and rapists, and Google’s safe-search features aren’t always as “safe” as they proclaim. But what other companies will we now see drifting into the limelight? McDonald’s PR staff must’ve had minor aneurysms after Super-Size Me was released to the public, and they’re the most dominant fast-food chain on the planet – I discovered only last night that if you’re visiting the pyramids of Egypt and fancy a Happy Meal or a Big Mac, it’s only over the other side of these sacred architectural relics.

It begs the question; are you really coping with your critics as well as you could be? Everyone releases statements, denial-esque press releases, and product changes to respond to critics without actually responding. But what if Google’s founders sat down, tomorrow morning, and used Google Video to release a vlog of them discussing what they’d love to see discussed in the film. It calls attention to a film that could be dangerously critical, while making them seem involved in how they’re perceived by the public.

As with all the major shifts in the online sphere, time will tell on this one, but hopefully we’ll get a Google film that pulls no punches and stays neutral. The Social Network seems fun, but a little dramatic. An adaptation of a critical work of non-fiction about a company with monthly online visitors numbering in the billions deserves to be taken seriously, and the company should take the opportunity for a little serious marketing of their own.

As proved by Starbucks and Converses and use of the word ‘movie’, you can bet you you bottom dollar (pound) that if the American’s are drinking/wearing/doing it, it won’t be long before we are too.

Launched last Thursday, and currently only available in the States, is the new Facebook application ‘Facebook Places’. Places allows you to ‘check in’ at your current location, giving friends the opportunity to see your whereabouts immediately. Are you coincidently attending the same event? Brilliant! Have you skipped their dull birthday ‘do to attend something far more glamorous? Not so brilliant…

As if this wasn’t likely to become addictive enough, you can also tag those that are with you, like you would in a photo or status update, as well as browse other people who are checked in at the same place. Obviously, this has raised numerous privacy issues – something which the site is all too familiar with dealing with.

But what’s the implication for small businesses? Aside making it even easier for skiving employees to be caught out by a social networking slip-up, there are several advantages to using geolocation technology.

Twitter has offered geolocation for tweets since last year, as well as its ‘local trends’ feature allowing local business the ability to promote themselves as a ‘trending topic’. Location tagging network Foursquare also found popularity with small businesses, many which used the opportunity as a free platform to get themselves noticed amongst local customers. Of course, now that Facebook’s caught up, the site’s tendency to crush its competitors (i.e. The Myspace Effect) could see changes in the way geolocation is implemented elsewhere.

Facebook’s huge online presence means this latest development is likely to be even more effective for small businesses aiming to benefit from geolocation technology. Businesses in less commercial regions are advised to offer incentives to customers on geolocation networks in order to generate interest and draw people in from more tech-savvy areas. Teaming up with other local businesses to do this can be even more profitable for the companies involved, as well as the local area.

Geolocation content also has the advantage of operating in realtime, and by featuring in conjunction with social networking sites it offers businesses the opportunity to utilise valuable social interaction. Many businesses already use static location services, such as GPS, but the social aspect of applications such as Facebook Places are much more effective when it comes to networking opportunities.

Of course, businesses (large or small) will be well aware that no amount of advertising can beat social recommendations from real people, and Facebook Places could well be the answer into generating such valuable publicity. Yet whether a rise in corporate use of geolocation technology from those keen to make their make their mark using social media might result in little more then irritating promotional advertisements and more organised after-work socials is yet to be seen.

You may be thinking, firstly, who on earth is Justin Bieber and secondly why am I writing about him? Well, unless you are a tween reading this, which is unlikely, or have young daughters, you’re forgiven for not knowing who he is.

Justin Bieber is an internet sensation. In 2008, his music, which his mum had posted on youtube, was discovered by manager to the stars, Scooter Braun, who arranged a meeting between him and the singer Usher. The rest is history. Bieber went on to be signed by Island Records. His debut release My World went platinum in the US, he was the first artist to have seven songs from a debut album chart on the Billboard Hot 100. Then he released the single Baby in January 2010 and things really blew up.

But what does this have to do with social media you may ask? Well Beiber currently has 4,556,617 followers on Twitter and there are over 200 profiles devoted to the 16-year-old. So, I think it’s fair to say he is doing something right and, it turns out, a few things wrong, all of which business owners can learn from.

I’m going to take a look at what he does and see how it can be applied to your business, so you too can be a teen heartthrob with millions of girls following your every word. Maybe not that, but at the very least, become a small business with a big presence.

Get the big guns involved:

For a middle-class teenage boy who is only 5 foot 2, Beiber has some pretty cool friends. Not just cool, but ones who are hugely influential in the social media world, such as Kanye West (who has only had a twitter account for a few weeks but has already racked up 689,562 followers.) Following and being followed by these big names of the Twitter world, can only be positive. Having someone with a huge amount of followers @ing you or retweeting your comments brings you to the attention of a much larger audience.
Although this may be easy to do if you are Justin Bieber, if you are not you can still get in there with profiles that relate to you and have a large following. Twitter is all about flattery, so flatter someone and make their ego and profile bigger. Even JB does it, just two days ago he tweeted ‘@kanyewest me, u, and the chef 2gether on a song = EPIC. haha. might sound crazy 2 u but even having this convo is living the dream. thanks’

Talk to the ’small people’

Although there has been plenty of stories saying Beiber is a brat, one thing can’t be denied – he makes a huge effort connecting with fans via Twitter, and there are a lot of fans. Instead of ignoring his crazed fans he will retweet their comments and engage them in conversation.
Beiber, or his management, knows that it is these people who buy his records, so it is them he looks after.
It has been said time and time again, but letting the customer know that you are not a faceless business is essential. A bit of time and effort will make them feel relaxed, trust you and be more likely to buy from you or use your service over someone that ignores them via Twitter or sends out generic messages.

Keep it relevant

This relates to the previous idea. It’s all very well having the followers, but to keep them you have to keep them interested. Beiber knows that the way to do this is to talk about the things they want to know, like his shows or where he currently is. He always directly addresses the people of that town and he will then thank them for their support.
Make sure your business profile isn’t talking rubbish. Before you hit tweet think about what you are saying, will anyone care? Will it make them want to be involved with you more? Always keep in the back of your mind that you are using twitter as a marketing tool, the idea is to get more custom from using it.

Don’t get twitter revenge

However angry you are do not seek Twitter revenge (Twengeance? Twit for Tat?), it not only makes you look immature but it shows you get hot headed in situations, a disaster for a business. People will be reluctant to work with you if you are seen to make rash or malicious decisions.
Just this week JB posted a teenage fan’s number on Twitter in revenge for having the fan having hacked the Twitter account of a friend of Beiber to get the star’s phone number. The boy, Kevin Kristopik, has consequently had to delete his Twitter page and change his mobile number after being inundated with calls.
Beiber, of course will not suffer greatly from his childish act, but if you are a small business you will. Word spreads like wild fire over the internet, so one mistake or one disgruntled text could marr your reputation beyond repair.

So what have we learnt from Justin Beiber? He’s not just a teen heart throb who can kind of hold a tune but he’s a social media, and especially Twitter, guru. Whether his fan base has grown since he joined the world of social media or his Twitter following is expanding as his fame escalates, is redundant because either way he has a huge following that isn’t going anywhere any time soon and that will continue to buy his music. And this is what all businesses want, loyal followers and a big Twitter following.

Every business, every person, has one specific thing about them that can’t be replicated or improved on. Most businesses don’t see offering contracts by recorded mail as a USP, but it can be, and everything about you and your business that’s unique must be capitalised on as soon as possible.

I’ll give you an example – one man found that several CEOs had no featured results in Google when searching their names. So he placed a few adverts, and voilà, he was offered a job by two of them within a couple of months. The total cost? $6 dollars. That’s right – it cost him the price of a decent meal at MacDonald’s to gain a senior copywriting job at one of the biggest firms in America, dealing with clients such as the BBC, Sears, Cadbury’s and other brand giants.

This is something you could potentially be putting to work, but chances are you’re not. Search yourself, search your company, and see what comes up. If the top results aren’t linking back to you, you’re not doing it properly. Set your SEO goal for the year to outrank Wikipedia’s entry on your CEO, and if, by the time New Year’s Eve rolls around, the Google result for CEO Joe Bloggs of BlueCorp’s links back to BlueCorp.com before anything else, then you’re doing well.

The problem with Wikipedia and other online community sources of information is that they’re taking away chances for you to speak about what you do, both as an individual and as a business. By letting Wikipedia talk about your USP, you’re not selling yourself properly. If you’re the only packing and distribution company putting a GPS tracker in every shipment, then make sure that all 500 searches that could lead someone to that site propel you to the top of the list.

However, Wikipedia does have its business uses. When talking about your philanthropy, tooting your own horn is a bad idea, both from an individual and a business perspective. Bill Gates has never once directly said how amazingly generous he is on Microsoft.com, but the Gates Foundation is everywhere. It’s not doing wonders for Microsoft’s reputation as a monopolistic entity, but some people (usually the ones at the top of other companies) have to respect the fact that, at least in the public eye, Gates is a stand-down former CEO who put all the cash to good use. That’s more than can be said for many London bankers.

Interestingly, London bankers were missing one key weapon against the massive press-onslaught against them during last year, and that was anti-press statements. Most people think the fact a banker earns £400k a year is disgusting. It’s easy to point out that it’s ridiculous that they’re earning more than the President of the United States. However, when speaking with one of their representatives at a financial journalism seminar late last year, I realised something; footballers and film stars are no different.

It might have done bankers a world of good had they put money into PPC to pick up searches for “dodgy bankers” and then sent users to a site exonerating bankers – saying they earn a lot of money, but in ways that are no more, if not less ridiculous than sports and entertainment icons. The point is this: your page rank on Google decides whether someone reads your positives and your USPs, or your negatives and your generic aspects first. Work on it, and you’ll find that the first words into any curious net-user’s head are always words that will make them invest, rather than criticise.