Friday 2 November 2012

SHIFTING POWER: THE SOCIAL CUSTOMER AND BRANDS (AND WHAT IT MEANS FOR YOU)


Fifteen years ago, if you were looking for a car, your first stop may have been the right-bottom corner of the grocery store newsstand.  You’d scan Car and Driver, Luxury Auto and a slew of publications offering vehicle reviews and advice. Then you would visit dealerships with little to no information about your desired make, model or payment plan. You had no cohesive way to compare the prices and features of your final choices, or hear the opinions of current customers. After a few weeks of research, you’d make your decision, hand over the money, grab the keys and drive away.

In the age of the social customer, where the average shopper consumes 10.4 sources of information before handing over their money, this buying process has changed radically. Social media, search technology and tools for publishing content on the Web are giving brands the ability to bypass the press and bring their message directly to customers. No need for Ford to wait for the Fiesta model to be featured on the cover of Car and Driver. With more than 1 million fans on Facebook, 150,000 followers on Twitter and multiple Web properties, Ford can get the word out themselves.  And thanks to communities such as AutoTrader.com, which allows customers to buy and sell their car online, buyers can now complete all of their research in one place with access to buying and selling tips, reviews, videos, photos and more. This example illustrates the fundamental power shift between brands and media and the challenge that both sides have to reach and engage with today’s social customer.

There are several reasons for this shift, the biggest one being the emergence of the Internet and technology that allow just about anyone the ability publish content that a wide audience can consume and share. In turn, social media and search technology give customers access to more information than ever, complicating the decision-making process. Instead of young women waiting for the prom edition of Seventeen magazine to come out to decide what eye shadow would match with their dress, they can search “makeup tips” on Google and call up pages of Web results. (It’s important to note that Cover Girl, an affordable cosmetic brand, ranks higher than Seventeen and Cosmopolitan — both go-to beauty magazines.)

This shift in power has enabled enterprise brands to small businesses to engage their audiences like a newspaper would — with compelling stories that address their challenges and speak to their interests. According to an annual survey report published by MarketingProfs and the Content Marketing Institute, 9 in 10 organizations market with content — regardless of their industry. Brands are investing in journalist talent to ensure that they are moving in the right direction. According Hanson Dodge Creative, the top-level reporters from Business Week, PC Magazine and The Economist are filling content-production roles at IBM, AOL and JWT and other big brands. On the flipside, publishers such as Forbes have adjusted their editorial models by inviting influential executives at Fortune 500 companies, startups, and top consulting firms to contribute byline articles. In order to compete with the sheer amount of content, publishers must be producing more than ever — and they need a sizable team of quality writers with diverse perspectives to keep up.

With change comes opportunity. Red Bull is a brand that has made the most of this opportunity. The energy-drink giant launched its own media house in 2007, which ranked 29 in Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies of 2012. CEO Dietrich Mateschitz explained that its branded content (focused on extreme sports) provides customers with an “invitation to be active, performance-oriented, alert and to take challenges.” Just like its beverages — Red Bull Media House’s films, magazines, blog, newsletters and social media postings aim to help customers recognize their ultimate potential.

On the B2B side, it’s hard to differentiate IBM’s General Business division’s Midsize Insider content-marketing program from media publications focused on the needs of small to mid-sized business owners and technology professionals. Since 2010, the site has published more than 1,100 articles on virtualization, security, analytics and other relevant topics, written by 38 regular expert industry contributors. The Midsize Insider is also a member of the Google News program — which highlights breaking news from the top sources above all search results.

For publishers, in order to compete with the billions of pieces of content published daily, reach new audiences and ensure that articles are accessible across social channels, they need to expand their reach and develop content at scale. This requires more content providers and a wider range of perspectives. The Wall Street Journal MarketWatch does this through the Trading Deck, a community of money managers, brokers, analysts, financial advisers and other professionals knee deep in the trading industry. Multiple articles are published per day thanks to its growing community of expert contributors. By taking on the role of content curators and developing a system for “expert-sourcing,” the WSJ is not only a resource but also a dynamic community that readers feel compelled to go back to and participate in.

We see this movement as a chance for brands and publishers to deepen the way that they tell stories, create communities and live out the organization’s mission.  What have you noticed about the changing landscape? What brands and publications do you think are leading the charge?  Let us know on Facebook or Twitter.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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Thursday 1 November 2012

♔ SOCIAL MEDIA CASE STUDIES [GB_V81]


Target launched an interactive short film that allows viewers to purchase merchandise by clicking on the video and sharing them via Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest - Business2Community

Aldo rewarded unknowing fans with a new pair shoes when they followed instructions on a busy street to take pictures of their own shoes and share it on Instagram - Adverblog

In support of this year's New York City Marathon participants, ASICS is encouraging runners to post pre-written messages on their Facebook page that will be posted in real time at certain mile markers along the course - MediaPost

Taco Bell, Tide, SmartCar, and other brands are responding to social media bullying with sarcastic infographs, friendly tweet battles, and hilarious video responses - Digiday

Jell-O challenged their fans to see who can eat their pudding the fastest by having them upload a video of their own attempt on Facebook to compete with professionals' official times - AllFacebook

Toshiba and Intel have earned 55 million views and 95,000 Facebook likes with a web series starring 76 of their social media fans in the lead role - The Realtime Report

Bloomingdale's is rolling out a new branded video strategy that focuses on content-rich fashion tips and advice for fans to view and share online - Luxury Daily

PR News announced their Digital PR Award winners including EPSN for best blog, Tropicana for best use of Facebook, Ritz-Carlton for best location-based digital campaign, The Clorox Company for best social networking campaign, and many more - PR News Online

Dunkin Donuts is promoting their new mobile efforts to fans with a Halloween-themed photo sharing contest on Instagram and Twitter - Mobile Marketer

Starbucks is bringing their coffee cups to life with an app that lets you send personalized augmented reality videos via Facebook or eCard - Popsop












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Wednesday 31 October 2012

♔ Seven Secrets to Optimizing Your Facebook Page


Facebook changes features and functionality on what seems like a weekly basis, so it can be difficult to keep up with what’s new.  And as a result of a slew of recent changes, you may not have noticed a number of updated features that give you more control over your Facebook page—and, by extension, your Facebook marketing efforts. Therefore, consider this your cheat sheet. If you’re not already putting these features to work for your Facebook page, now’s a great time to start.

Organic vs. Viral Visibility
Stats are a goldmine for marketers. And Facebook provides no shortage of data and insights that can help you track how your Facebook content resonates with your audience, as well as what types of post spark the most engagement. You can also see how many people have viewed your Facebook posts organically (your page’s fans) and virally (friends of your fans). Simply hover over the “…. people saw this post” link below your page post to see the count. Regularly checking out these numbers can help you fine-tune your content to consistently post information that resonates not only with your page’s audience, but with their connections, too.

Reposition Photos
Whether you love or hate Timeline, you can’t deny that it’s a much more visual experience for Facebook users. That being said, a photo may sometimes not appear as you’d envisioned because of the site’s automatic cropping and positioning parameters. The good news? You’ve got control! Go to your post and click the pencil icon in the top right corner. Select Reposition photo, then use your mouse to better align the photo within the space provided. This is a great trick for the default photo size, as well as photos that you enlarge by highlighting the post.

Schedule Facebook Posts
We don’t advocate automating your entire social presence (after all, you’re not a robot—you’re a person!) But the ability to schedule posts can save you a great deal of time and make sure your page is covered during traditional downtimes like evenings and weekends (which is when a lot of page admins see increased Facebook traffic). To schedule a post, make sure you’re in your page’s admin view (where you can see insights at the top and your page posts below). If you switch over to your page’s News Feed and try to post from there, you won’t be able to schedule. Under the status window, you’ll see a clock. Click and add the year, month, date and time you want your post to publish. Once you’re done, a window will pop up that confirms the update has been scheduled.

Define Admin Roles
If you work with a team of people to manage Facebook pages, you’ll want to take advantage of the more recent admin role functionality. Facebook has defined several roles: manager, content creator, moderator, advertiser, and insights analyst. Each role comes with a varying number of responsibilities, with managers having complete access to all tasks (pictured below).  This way, you can ensure that your admin team can fulfill various page-related tasks, but perhaps it’s not appropriate for every member to have full-fledged access.

Edit Links
It’s happened to all of us. You find the perfect link, copy and paste it into the status update window, and bam—the meta data leaves a lot to be desired. Facebook automatically imports this information from the source, and although you can’t change a link’s thumbnail, you can edit the title and description. When the link preview pops up under your status window, simply double-click the headline and description text and you’ll be able to make edits as needed. This might seem like a small adjustment to make, but let’s face it—everything you post on your Facebook page counts. And the more polished and enticing the information is, the more engagement you’ll likely see.

Highlight Fan Posts
One of the more consistent complaints with Timeline is that it consolidates fan posts into one window on the side of the page, rather than interspersing them on the page’s main feed. Just as you might highlight a status update, you can highlight fan posts, too, and draw more attention to user-generated content. Click the wall posts box, select the post you want to highlight and click the X in the right corner to select Highlighted on Page. Not only does this feature give your page some increased content diversity, but also signals to your fans that you’re paying attention to their content—and appreciate their contributions to your page.

See Page Likes
Getting people to like your Facebook page is the key to a robust presence and an engaged community. Yet it’s also important that you, as a Facebook page, like other pages—and they return the favor. Not only does this increase the size of your Facebook audience, but it creates a more robust news feed and allows you to more easily share updates and activity from other pages. To see which pages have liked your page (and so you can return the favor, if applicable), go to New Likes in your admin panel. Click See All, then go to the top left and change from People to Pages.

You’ve likely heard the saying “the devil is in the details.” And Facebook marketing is no exception. By incorporating these tips into your Facebook strategy, you’ll make subtle yet noticeable improvements to your page—and continue to know more about your audience, too. When you factor in Facebook’s fast-moving stream and continually growing user base that’s approaching 1 billion people, you need all of the competitive advantages you can get to make your Facebook page stand out in a crowd.

Have you discovered any other little known Facebook tips or tricks that have improved your Facebook marketing efforts?  If so, please feel free to post on Goodbuzz or email it to us (and we will do thy bidding). 








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