It might be time to believe the hype: Google+ is here to stay, and with nigh on 10 million users, social marketers need to wise up quickly. If you’re panicking about sussing out another social marketing channel after cracking your Facebook and Twitter marketing, here follows a bite size introduction to the quirks and benefits of Google+:
1. The human face of information
Google has stumbled at its previous attempts at social media where it focused on information to the detriment of interaction (remember Google Lively or Google Wave? Anyone?). Proving the nay-sayers wrong, Google’s newest project is ‘scalable’, ‘customisable’ and ‘people-centric’, fulfilling the needs of its users and therefore soon to please the social media industry.
2. Power to the people
Google+ neatly combines the most useful features of all its competitors. Via its Circles feature, users can keep up with friends, Facebook-style, separately from LinkedIn-reminiscent business contact, while also having the choice to follow and post quick thoughts a la Twitter. This is also good news for brands, offering the means to target messages to those interested in particular products or services. More »
Aims: Colgate, with its new Smile campaign, is joining the numerous brands including Bombay Sapphire and McCain attempting to combine their social media strategy with physical marketing efforts, and thereby linking their online and offline communities.
Strategy: Colgate created a dedicated Facebook page, where users are encouraged to upload photographs of themselves smiling. These images are collected and used to build large-scale collage posters, which are being displayed in supermarkets, shopping centres and other point-of-sale locations.
Results: Analysis by WaveMetrix has revealed that Colgate’s strategy is having a “positive effect on purchase discussion”. That is to say, visitors to the Colgate Smile Facebook page have become more likely to post comments about buying the product (eg. “going out to buy Colgate”), and even discuss how seeing the Smile posters made them “want” to buy Colgate. WaveMetrix described this activity as an increase from 6% to 13% “buzz about purchase” from the campaign launch to three weeks later.
What’s more, ‘Smile’ has driven a positive brand image, spurring consumers to identify Colgate with a sense of community and fun, as actual user-generated content from Facebook fans is being depicted on outdoor ads. Some 35% of consumers now perceive Colgate as a “community brand”, while 26% see Colgate as “fun” and “cool”. More »
We know it’s only half way through the year, but 2011 has been such a pivotal period for social media that we can’t help but do some crystal ball-gazing for 2012.
Social media monitoring and analytics have come on leaps and bounds over the past year, making the case for management to shift budgets to social marketing.
We’ve witnessed a bigger focus on real-time search, and welcomed investment into insightful research.
So what trends are going to influence our wonderfully dynamic sector in 2012? Here are a few thoughts from Simon Jones, Digital Visitor’s director of marketing:
1. Social media as a customer service tool
For speed and efficiency of high volume communications, nothing parallels social media. Remember Heathrow Airport’s use of Twitter to placate grounded passengers during last December’s heavy snow? Expect to see more and more organisations wising up to the potential of Twitter in particular for customer service purposes.
2. Creative competitions on social media
Facebook is an ideal medium for competitions. Invest time in making yours exciting and creative enough to grow your online audience while telling your brand and product story. However, take heed of the network’s recent changes to the rulebook – see Digital Visitor’s resource for further info. More »
Web 2.0 blog TechCrunch today revealed that LinkedIn is fast surpassing Twitter as a social driver of traffic to its site, attributing much of this growth to the new LinkedIn Today product. The chances are that you have a LinkedIn account that you use to connect with business contacts. But are you making full use of LinkedIn marketing opportunities?
LinkedIn may not yet pose a serious threat to Facebook, but intelligent features coupled with user growth make it an increasingly strong component of a social media strategy.
If your profile is lying dormant, here are five simple strategies which will help to exploit its potential:
1. Company profiles
One of the lesser-known perks of setting up a company profile is the function to add company products to LinkedIn. ProBlogger did just this with its book and has already attracted 18 professional recommendations. Click here to see social peer-to-peer recommendation in full effect.
2. LinkedIn Today
Launched in March, LinkedIn Today aggregates news from LinkedIn and Twitter, yet serves as much more than just a news source for anyone that publishes content online. Consider getting aggregated via a LinkedIn Share button on your site to exploit its traffic-generating possibilities. Find more information on getting set up here. More »
With Google’s algorithms constantly evolving and subject to regular updates throughout the year, it’s clearly impossible to drill the complex art of SEO down to bullet points.
There are, however, several cardinal sins that will almost certainly be detrimental to an SEO strategy. Even worse, they could get you blacklisted by Google. Over at searchenginewatch.com, Jennifer Horowitz of EcomBuffet condensed bad practice down to the most prevalent and fatal SEO mistakes – have you sinned?:
1. Failing to do proper keyword research
Don’t assume you know how people think and therefore how they will use search. Everybody searches differently, often based on which phase of the buying process they find themselves in. Dedicate proper resources at this stage – use keyword tools, research web stats and check out the competition to gain an edge.
2. Deciding to do SEO in-house, but never actually doing it
Do you actually have the time to handle your SEO strategy? You don’t have to outsource, but if SEO is sitting on a to-do list for months don’t expect increased web traffic from search. More »
You’re at work. It’s hot and sticky, your mouth is dry…you’re thirsty. You log into Facebook and something on the homepage feed makes you drool. Lucy likes McDonald’s new Frozen Strawberry Lemonade. Mmmm.
You Google the product and the search results are crowned with tempting money-off promotions. Next thing you know, you’re in the queue at Maccy D’s satisfying your craving.
The fast food giant has attributed its 3.1% May sales surge to, amongst other factors, new unique promotional tie-ins. Here follow three SEO tips drawn from McDonald’s latest social media strategy that will drive SEO rankings for any social page:
1. Link from your homepage
It might seem a no-brainer, but a surprising six of the top 20 most searched for retail brands failed to include any social media integration on their homepage. McDonald’s links to its promotions, YouTube,Twitter and Facebook marketing activity via its homepage. Search engines value these links highly, so miss this opportunity at your peril, and use your brand name in the link for maximum effect. More »
Furlong launches London PR Taxi series
We’ve launched a new video series featuring interviews with PR and marketing specialists filmed in the back of a London black cab.
View full article here: http://www.gorkanapr.com/news/article?news_articles_id=9182
Fresh global research from workplace provider Regus has revealed that a significant 41% of businesses leverage social media to win new business. This marks an 8% rise from last year’s research, and backs up Hubspot’s recent research.
Findings such as these make it clear that social media marketing can no longer be viewed as a fluffy add-on to traditional marketing activities, but is a necessity.
In the UK, 66% of those polled agreed that without social media their marketing activities “cannot hope to be successful”. Globally, this figure rises to 74% – suggesting that UK business is still playing catch up with its international counterparts with regards to perceptions of social marketing.
That said, a third (33%) of UK businesses now devote up to 20% of their total marketing budget to social media. This figure neatly reflects the fact that one in three UK social network users is now a fan, follower or friend of a company page or profile.
While Regus found that more companies are using social media to connect and engage with existing customers, which is good news, it’s particularly positive to learn that British companies are using social networking activity to actively seek out and win new business.
Click here for the full report
It appears that every man and his dog has something to say about Wimbledon 2011 on Twitter. No, seriously. As the global tennis audience ponders whether this will be Andy Murray’s year, the champion’s dog has opened an official account. Offering unique canine analysis as the tournament kicks off, Maggie May’s musings – allegedly written with a little help from Murray’s long-term girlfriend, Kim Sears – can be found at @maggiemay_hem.
For those seeking more professional insights, Wimbledon-mania has officially kicked off on Twitter, and here follows a guide to the top ten must-follow feeds:
1. @wimbledon
First stop is the official Wimbledon Twitter account, with over 112,000 followers and 3,700 tweets to date. As well as minute-by-minute, rather jovial updates on the latest news and weather, @wimbledon also offers Twitpics and videos.
2. @tennis.com
Tennis.com’s excellent Twitter feed serves up all things tennis related, including articles from former players like Jimmy Connors.
3. @tennis_updates
Does exactly what it says on the tin, so expect tweets by the minute during key match play this Wimbledon. More »
In an attempt to show that B2B videos can be creative and fun, we’ve launched our own video series featuring interviews with online marketing specialists filmed in the back of a London Taxi Cab.
Called London PR Taxi, the video series covers a number of subject areas that make up what we call ‘new fashioned pr’ beginning with, in episode 1, an interview with Brian Storey – Creative Partner at Wand, discussing Viral Video techniques.
While the subject matter is serious, the context is far from it with coffee flying about as the cab, driven by a mad cabbie – nicknamed psycho Paul, swerves around London’s streets.
Episode 2, which discusses the place of media relations in 2011, ends with a cup of Starbucks coffee literally all over Gorakana’s Michael Davies (thanks Michael, you were a star).
The latest episode ‘Media Relations’ can be viewed on our home page here: http://www.furlongpr.com/ or on YouTube here: http://youtu.be/tsMkYiidC70
Episode one, with Brian Storey can be viewed here: http://youtu.be/zEcDWL-kDVQ
