Social media users have an insatiable hunger for content. The proof? A whopping 30 billion pieces of content are shared each month on Facebook including blog posts, news stories, photos, videos and links. So why is some content not seen by anyone other than the poster?
A brand new study of 2,500 participants from the New York Times in conjunction with Latitude Research reveals the top 9 reasons (or skip straight to the end for a somewhat surprising Key Takeaway):
1. Your customers don’t trust you
Corporate mistrust is rife. Globally, only 56% of people trust businesses “to do what is right” (Source: 2011 Edelman Trust Barometer), falling in the US, the UK and Japan from 2010 to 2011. People won’t share your content if there is a lack of trust, so use the social space to drive honest and open public conversations.
2. Customers don’t care about your brand
Sorry, but customers are a fickle bunch. If you don’t offer at a minimum: valuable information, great deals and a forum to meet other like-minded people, they will look elsewhere. Don’t just feed them what they want; actively exceed their expectations.
3. Your posts are boring
Intriguing and funny content gets the most shares. Look to Volkswagen for inspiration. Their Star-Wars spoof video ‘The Force’ racked up over 40 million views. Of course, it helps to have an established power brand behind you, but the principle is to create ‘got to share it’ content. More »
There’s little worse than putting your heart into crafting top-notch website content and blog posts only to discover that nobody has read it. Or ever will.
Given that there were some 152 million blogs live at the last count (BlogPulse: December 2010), the bad news is that most people will never find you online. Follow these 10 steps, however, by Demian Farnworth for copyblogger.com, and the good news is you can beat online obscurity for once and for all…
1. Dominate LinkedIn groups
Joining LinkedIn groups in itself isn’t enough. Embark on a posting and commenting spree and the potential to become an online influencer is vast – even from groups that you haven’t started.
2. Give away content for nothing
Remember, visibility and exposure are the most important things for a nascent business blog. Farnworth cites online powerhouses Seth Godin, Hugh MacLeod and Leo Babauta among those who started off by giving away a large part of their best stuff for free. More »
There is an art to creating brilliant blog content and video, but the real mastery lies in ensuring that content goes viral.
These insights from Jon Steinberg over at Buzzfeed offer a great starting point, so we decided to share the love.
1. Keep it short
To create viral video – think 30 seconds good, 90 seconds bad. Any longer than that and people won’t reach the end, let alone share.
2. Offer an interpersonal, human angle
People only share what they know and feel a connection with.
3. Create rough content that feels authentic
Avoid over-produced content – people prefer a behind-the-scenes feel to a slick, edited product.
4. Make it something that people can engage with
People want to engage with content, not passively consume it. Include options to upload images, create quizzes or games.
5. Offer a platform for reactions/comments
The best business blogs offer a comment system, which you should aim to build into a community with viral potential.
6. Use lists and images
Why? Simple: people love them. Try creating blog posts that are lists and make it clear in your headline (it works for us!). Images are also highly shareable. More »
New research has revealed the most commonly used social media marketing tactics implemented by B2B marketers.
According to a new report from MarketingSherpa, B2B marketers are responding to a rapidly changing landscape where increased expectations on marketing departments point to a marketing mix more complex than ever before.
The findings from the 2011 B2B Marketing Benchmark Report indicate that 87% of respondents say they use a branded social network (Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter). The report suggests that the popularity of this tactic may be due to the ease of setting up a profile on a social network site, but warns that this tactic requires a strategy and consistent execution for good results.
Maintaining a corporate blog and microblogging were the next two most popular social media marketing tactics, with both tactics executed by 64% of B2B marketers.
Although corporate blog management was regarded as heavy on resources with the pressure of consistently creating and publishing blog posts being an issue, corporate blogging was regarded as a highly effective tactic. More »
A recent article from eMarketer has highlighted that corporate blogs are now a key tactic in corporate marketing strategy.
Now fully integrated into the marketing mix, blogging has grown into a vital marketing tool for all types of companies. In fact eMarketer estimates that 34% of US companies will use a corporate blog for marketing purposes in 2010, a proportion that will increase to 43% by 2012.
“Businesses are increasingly using the blogosphere to further a variety of corporate functions, such as communications, lead generation, customer service and brand marketing,” said Paul Verna, eMarketer senior analyst and author of the new report “Corporate Blogging: Media and Marketing Firms Drive Growth.”
Advantages for firms implementing a blog include full control over branding and advertising and integration with all corporate websites. Studies have indicated blogging’s usefulness for lead generation. More »
Figures from the 2010 ABA Technology Survey Report show that there has been substantial growth in corporate blogging by law firms.
The US survey reveals that 30% of large law firms had blogs, compared to 18% in the 2009 survey, indicating a clear shift in attitudes towards the value in social networks. In fact 10% of respondents “had a client retain their legal services as a result of use of online communities/social networking”.
Overall 14% of law firms of all sizes reported having blogs compared to 9% in 2009. However, the Above The Law blog notes “this data seems a little skewed downwards for small firms”, due to the probability that a large law firm with many staff is more likely to have staff members involved in maintaining a blog than a small practice. More »
New research has revealed that UK business leaders have been slow to adopt Web 2.0 applications such as social media, blogging, collaborative platforms, web mail, and content sharing tools, to benefit their companies.
The report, commissioned by antivirus software company McAfee, titled “Web 2.0: A Complex Balancing Act, reveals Brazil, Spain and India lead in adoption of Web 2.0 technology for business, while adoption was lowest in Canada, Australia, the US and the UK.
The research highlights that although organisations see the potential value in Web 2.0 tools, companies are unsure about allowing employee use of the technology in the workplace, with 60% of companies surveyed concerned about loss of reputation as a result of Web 2.0 misuse.
While a quarter of organisations monitor how staff use social media, almost one in three have not introduced a social media policy in the workplace.
40% of companies found that Web 2.0 tools had led to increased productivity and better results from marketing, and 75% had increased their use of the technology in order to develop new revenue streams for their organisations. More »
While growth of social media use by consumers has outstripped blogging in recent years, in the corporate world, it’s a different story, with the corporate blogging showing strong growth, according to a report in Emarketer.
“Companies are finding that blogs fill a specific niche that other forms of social media do not,” says eMarketer senior analyst Paul Verna.
Emarketer estimates that in 2010 one in three companies are using a public-facing blog for marketing purposes, forecasting a rise to 43% by 2012.
“Studies have shown that marketers perceive blogs to have the highest value of any social media in driving site traffic, brand awareness, lead generation and sales—as well as improving customer service,” said Verna.
There’s also evidence that smaller companies are faster adopters of corporate blogs than large companies.
Grammy award winning musician Alicia Keys is looking to recruit a ‘Head Blogger’ for her website ‘I am a superwoman’ – www.IAAS.com, reports Brandweek.
The advertisement, posted on Monster explains that Alicia Key’s voice has reached millions, but now she needs help “to blast it into the blogosphere”.
The goal of the site is “is to create an online community connecting, inspiring, and broadcasting important topics related to women”. the advert says. “You will be the main voice of the website aiming to motivate and encourage women all over the globe!”
Final candidates are to be interviewed in New York as part of a news segment on a national TV network morning show and in London, at the Black Ball.
Ben Southall, the Briton who won the ‘best job in the world’ competition to be Queensland Tourist Board’s PR representative this summer has confessed the six month experience has left him tired out and in need of, yes, a holiday.
During his tenure as a one man publicity machine the tourist board calculate that Southall posted sixty blogs on www.islandreefjob.com representing 75,000 words, along with 2000 photo uploads and 750 tweets.
“It was a job that needed 18 to 19 hours work every day,” he said. “Not just the interviews and the social side of it, but also sitting up late at night blogging and uploading pictures, it’s very time consuming.”
The demands on the normally indefatigable Southall’s time show through in his recent Twitter posts: “Bashing out the last of this years blogs – its Boxing Day what on earth am I doing!?!”
Leaving no social media channel unploughed, Southall also recorded 47 video diaries, the last of which is below.
It’s not all over for Southall though, Queensland Tourism have rehired him on an 18 month six figure contract to promote Queensland around the world. Meanwhile, he’s got a few, very well deserved days off.
Social media users have an insatiable hunger for content. The proof? A whopping 30 billion pieces of content are shared each month on Facebook including blog posts, news stories, photos, videos and links. So why is some content not seen by anyone other than the poster?
Ben Southall, the Briton who won the ‘best job in the world’ competition to be Queensland Tourist Board’s PR representative this summer has confessed the six month experience has left him tired out and in need of, yes, a holiday.