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Feb
27
2012

Just Click It; Social Business, Conversation Index, FourSquare, Too Much Listening Can Kill Your Business

Category: just click it (hot links),social media,social media marketing,tech opinion — jmacofearth @ 5:11 pm

(Collecting the most important stories in social media so you can digest them without having to hunt for them. Updated several times during the week.)

Report: The State of Inbound Marketing in 2012 (HubSpot)

SEO leads have a 14.6% close rate, while outbound sourced leads have a 1.7% close rate. // 65% of B2B companies report that they have acquired a customer through LinkedIn.

Pinterest’s Potential Pitfall (Social Media Today)

It took Facebook 5 years to turn a profit, and almost 4 years for Twitter. The model? Ad revenue. It is no secret Pinterest will follow suit, the only question is how long before the network becomes so saturated with inauthentic material that it becomes irrelevant? What will stop Pinterest from becoming another hub of information overload?

Social Business Facts and Fiction (Prezel Logic)

The hubris around Social Business is scaling new heights these days, and yet in many ways the concept seems to be redlining to nowhere.

Is Social Media Becoming a Vast Wasteland? (Forbes – Shel Israel)

Companies with the largest online presence are messing with our personal data, traditional marketers are shouting messages rather than building relationships. Our social streams are being polluted by scammers, spammers, phishers, groupies and people who are not who they claim to be.

Pushy or Persistant: Is Their a Difference When it Comes to Salespeople? (InsideView)

I’ve found that when done right, clients want persistence because your helping them keep you top of mind. I can’t tell you the number of times I kept calling/emailing a client with no response, and then when we eventually connected they thanked me for staying on top of them.

Google+ Users Are Spending Less Time on Site, ComScore Says (Bloomberg Businessweek)

The company said last month that Google+ had topped 90 million members, more than double the amount in October. Still, its user base is dwarfed by Facebook’s 845 million-plus members.

Facebook Replaces Google as Feared Disruptor of Online Advertising (Ad Age Digital)

The chieftains of online advertising — Yahoo, Google, WPP — are convening in Miami, but the talk is about the company not taking the stage: Facebook.

Conversation Index presents surprising consumer insights (Bazaarvoice – congrats on the IPO boys!)

5.8 million data points from 210 countries. Real, actionable results.

Jimmy Webb and the Power of Storytelling for B2B Companies (The Customer Collective)

Social media and technology provide efficient ways for people to tell stories. But according to Dr. Pamela Rutledge, Director of the Media Psychology Research Center, “The human brain has been on a slower evolutionary trajectory than the technology. Our brains still respond to content by looking for the story to make sense out of the experience.”

The School of Fishes and the Startup (barefoot ceo)

As an entrepreneur I know all too well how important it is to be passionate about what we do. However, when pitching to investors it is also very important to stick to the facts. Although we started our companies because we are wildly passionate about our jewelry and our widgets, the VC’s are simply looking at the bottom line.

The Oscars, "The Artist" and the Death of Your Business Model (Forbes)

The winning film this year is, in essence, a story about how technology killed a business model. And, what is actually happening in the movie business is that new technologies are currently killing their business model. The irony seems to be lost on the Academy, but it’s obvious to me.

Is Foursquare a Waste of Time? – Plus Infographic (Jeff Bullas)

Turning a game into a meaningful commerce platform that benefits retailers and B2C store fronts is what will make it a success in the future. It will also need a large participating community that connects consumers and retailers.

TEDxIowaCity – Dr. Terry Wahls – Minding Your Mitochondria (TEDx)

Dr. Terry Wahls learned how to properly fuel her body. Using the lessons she learned at the subcellular level, she used diet to cure her MS and get out of her wheelchair.

Content: Marketing’s Best Hope or More Hype? (Ad Age Digital)

Done Right, It Can Work Wonders; but too Many Confuse ‘Content Marketing’ With PR or Advertising

Dell is a PC company (for now): The numbers don’t lie (ZDNet)

In the fourth quarter, Dell’s large enterprise revenue was $4.91 billion. Of that sum, 43 percent was attributed to client—a word for PCs. That percentage works out to $2.1 billion.

GraphScience Debuts SocialEngine Facebook Ad Platform (All Facebook)

GraphScience says it has delivered more than four billion connections and generated return on investment of four to eight times per click-based conversion for its customer base. (Comment: Don’t you love press releases as news? 4 to 8 times per-click of… what?)

+++

IN MY OPINION: I’ve been waiting for the case to really be made for the location-based app. I hate the generic check-in, "I am at McDonald’s" for example. I know some people love them. Some are newbies that haven’t figured out how to disable the auto-checkin function. But to be quite honest, I’ve never used FourSquare.

I almost signed up this Friday night with the offer for a free pint of beer at a local Irish pub. But even that, after I downloaded the app, I balked. Why do I want to do this? To give the bar some additional demographics? To give my email to a marketing campaign from them or other FourSquare-empowered businesses?

NOPE.

So the man who wrote the book on it, Geo-Location Marketing for Dummies has yet to make the proper case in 200 words or less. And I suspect it’s not because he doesn’t have the ideas and the case studies. I’m guessing the proof is in the pudding. And as huge retailers like Target and McDonald’s begin winding down their "social media experiments," I think the location apps are going to be an easy cut. Coupons, maybe not so much, but I HATE them too. All this to say, I don’t "know" what I’m talking about, I’m merely voicing my opinion. I can do that.

Checking Out!

@jmacofearth (also seen on Google+: jmacofearth)

permalink: https://uber.la/2012/02/just-click-it-27/

NOTE: don’t forget that February has an extra day this year.

Other posts about kicking ass in social media:

See all of the Social Media Marketing Videos on the Social U. page.

Tags: ad age, bazaarvoice, bazaarvoice ipo, checkin, checkins, comscore, content marketing, foursquare, hot links, hubspot, InBound Marketing, links of the week, location-based marketing, news in social media, social business, social marketing, social media, social media news, state of inbound marketing report

Comments (12)

May
17
2010

Just Click It Links for Monday 5-17-10: Microsoft IE, Facebook Privacy, Apple iPad

Category: just click it (hot links),microsoft,social media — jmacofearth @ 2:08 pm

Mayors of Starbucks Now Get Discounts Nationwide with Foursquare

It had to happen. Foursquare is tying into Foursquare promotions. I saw this coming, but now I might have to join the movement… Nah… I’ll check in on my own, thanks very much.

Check Your Facebook Privacy Settings With ReclaimPrivacy

Fighting privacy battles with Facebook, is like trying to protect your online data from Google. All I can say is, "Good luck." The rest of my advice is, "Be informed, and turn the shit off if you are worried about it. And if it *really* freaks you out, just quit using Facebook. And then get over it." But all my rants aside, there are some issues with Facebook’s rampant use of your images, your "likes" and other information that they want to use and sell to third party vendors. I’d say these are worth opting out of.

How Facebook’s ‘Community Pages’ and Privacy Changes Impact Brands by Jeremiah Owyang

When JO speaks you need to listen. One of the smartest guys in social media and business metrics. Here’s the nut:

Facebook has launched several new policies and features since the F8 Conference ‘Crusade of Colonization’ which has resulted in a large backlash from media around user privacy. It’s not clear if beyond the vocal media if users will leave the site in droves. Perhaps more importantly, Facebook launched “Facebook Community Pages” (read the official post) a feature that aggregates content from wikipedia and Facebook wall posts. Think of it as a cross between Wikipedia with user comments –sometimes unwittingly. These changes cause confusion for users, diminishing control for brands, and strains on the already torrid relationship between Facebook and brands.

What if FDR’s Ideas Ran the C-Suite and Your Social Media?

I can’t help to think his words and wisdom might serve us all now as we look for leaders — not dreamers — to change the world and get growing again.

Federated Media goes all Facebook for this Monday’s SIGNAL.

Microsoft Needs to Stop Trash-talking IE6 and Just Trash It

Microsoft Australia has launched an online campaign to try to persuade people to stop using Internet Explorer 6. The campaign likens the browser to a carton of milk: you wouldn’t drink nine-year old milk, so why would you use a browser of a similar vintage?

The iPad: Beautiful product demos, rich presentations & seamless syncing between HQ and travel

We’re not waiting. As soon as the iPad was unveiled, my team saw its potential and ordered a few. For $31 worth of apps, total, we’ve turned the device into a powerful way to show off our products and keep our travelers in sync with each other and our Austin HQ. Our Sales Directors, Client Success Directors and Market Developers attend around 30 total events per quarter, from the Bay Area to London and beyond. When they bring along fully-equipped iPads to each conference, show, meeting and client dinner, they’re bringing with them a way to enrich each interaction.

How To Get Verified on Twitter

Twitter verifies a limited number of accounts. There’s no guarantee that your verification request will be processed by Twitter. I know of several celebrities whose verification request was turned down by Twitter. Therefore, Twitter advises users to apply for a verified account only if they are under the threat of impersonation account.

And if you can’t get Verified, you can go to an earlier post of mine

So If I Can’t Get Twitter-Verified, I’ll Just Create An Elite Club Of My Own

@jmacofearth

permalink:

Tags: apple ipad, bazaarvoice, communities pages, elite accounts, facebook, facebook privacy, facebook security, foursquare and starbucks, IE6, IE7, IE8, ipad-iway, jeremiah owyang, mayor of starbucks, microsoft, reclaim privacy, verified twitter

Comments (1)

Jan
21
2010

Challenge ROI, Challenge the Model, but Social Media Means Real Business

Category: apple,dell,executive learnings,social media,tech opinion,tools,trust & reputation — jmacofearth @ 6:54 am

ROI ROI ROI seems to be everyone’s challenge to social media here and in the mainstream media’s coverage of social media. And having been at Dell during the TWITTER sells a million dollars of refurbished computers news, I can tell you there is a lot more to the picture trying to draw the old school marketing equation around social media engagements. (5 dollars spent will earn 20 dollars in sales)

It’s not quite that easy to see. But if you take the Dell story as an example, what Bob Pearson and his communities and conversations team built (empowered by Michael Dell himself) was a team of over 100 people working the web 24/7. But they were not sales people. Their first question was not, WHICH COMPUTER DO YOU WANT TO BUY?

The first question of the Dell outreach team is still, "How can we help?" The answer, depending on the situation will be different every time. But not having that conversation is like being deaf and dumb to your customers concerns, ideas, innovative solutions, and YES sales opportunities. But it’s not 100% focused on making the sale. That’s called marketing or sales. There IS something called social media MARKETING and social media SALES. All part of the spectrum that we are still trying to hold under one umbrella as "social media." The follow-up question is "social media [what]?" If you just call it all social media, you are mixing up all the possible roles the conversation can play in your business.

So in the accounting driven model it might have been hard to justify the expense of 100+ FTE’s a few very high level executives and an army of consultants, vendors and contractors running around "doing social media."

However where the benefits get outrageously profitable, and yet still not quite trackable, is in the large business space. Often sales for large installations of systems and networks and storage platforms can take months to put together. The deal is usually being driven by numbers as well as personality. If you hate your account executive, the 10% discount on the project will probably not translate into the deal. So what is it that influences the final sale more than the ± 10% pricing difference?

It’s the people. It’s the way you are being communicated with. It is even the communication platforms and patterns that are largely responsible for how smoothly these transactions go through. In a multi-million dollar technology purchase, so many layers of management, finance and technical engineering are involved that the overall project team will probably lose and gain a number of key decision makers during the course of the 6-month close.

How well does your company respond to questions?

What about if those questions are not posted on your site? What if someone is complaining about your SAN disc product on GetSatisfaction.com and you are not listening? What if the twitterverse is a twitter with just how bad your after-the-sale support is?

Are you listening? Are you responding? Are you solving problems on all levels of your organization using informative discussions rather than marketing/advertising push-like blasts?

In a Social Media Club meeting on Tuesday night we listened to Bazaarvoice and IBM’s Rational Software talk about the value they provide companies like Petco, Dell, Best Buy. And the quote that really stuck out and was even clarified by @wesley83 in the crowd.

"So you are saying the conversation IS the currency?" he asked.

"Exactly," said Michael Osborne from Bazaarvoice. "That’s right. The conversation IS the conversion point."

So the big challenge that defines success for social media is "Are you listening?" Because at every level, if you are working your business right, they are talking about you. If you put up your listening tools and there is ZERO discussion about you or your products, you might need to rethink your marketing strategy.

Listen, Talk, Learn!

@jmacofearth (also seen on Google+: jmacofearth)

permalink: https://uber.la/2010/01/roi-challenge/

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