Posts tagged ‘blogging’
Top 25 Social Networks
Recently, Compete.com posted new statistics on the Top 25 Social Networks ranked by monthly visits. While many social networks like to tout their number of users, monthly visits is a true measurement of usage. In other words, which social networks are getting used? The numbers are below:
(Credit Compete.com)
As you can see from the numbers, Facebook has taken over the top spot from MySpace and previously little known Twitter has climbed to the third spot after the two behemoths. In fact, if you read the original blog post on Compete.com, you will see a few other graphs that show MySpace’s numbers falling while Facebook and Twitter continue meteoric rises.
What’s even more fascinating is that, according to the CNET News blog, these numbers only represent web browser traffic in the U.S. According to writer Caroline McCarthy, “That means that you won’t be pulling in any international numbers, where most of Facebook’s users are now, or data from widgets or third-party applications, which are how many avid Twitter users access the service. That means that it’s likely that Twitter’s reach is bigger than the numbers indicate.”
How does this apply to you? I have often told people in conversation that I am an early adpoter when it comes to social media, which means I am not the innovator who jumps on every new technology in its infant stages but wait for a certain mass before it has business value. I follow many innovators (such as my friend Tac Anderson or Joseph Jaffe) in order to keep my finger on the pulse of what is the latest and greatest, but look for networks or technologies that can really add value for clients. If you want to know whether a social networks would add value to your business, the 25 networks above are a safe bet.
That being said, I have always held true to the notion that focus is better than mass. If there is a small social community out there that is extremely targeted to your core audience, then you need to be an active participant. Sometimes, these social communities are housed within existing networks, such as the 25 above, and sometimes they are separate. As I mentioned in a previous blog post, the web is a collection of coffee shops with people around a table chatting. You need to find the coffee shop that best fits your audience and get involved.
As an old economics professor of mine used to say, “there are lies, damn lies, and then there are statistics”. While one thing that blogs are great for is spewing the latest statistics to prove a point, one thing is true. With numbers even close to these, businesses can no longer argue with the value of social media in facilitating and participating in conversations.
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The Missing Ingredient: Automation
For about the last 5 years, I have been involved in the word of mouth marketing and social media space. I have seen new technologies grow overnight and become relevant components of the online marketing mix. Names like Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, and LinkedIn were mostly non-existent 5 years ago. Using the term “blog” in every day conversation would elicit strange looks. The landscape has completely changed in that short amount of time.
Previous to my consultant days, I marketed and sold enterprise software. I have sold everything from enterprise resource planning (ERP) and customer relationship management (CRM) programs to accounting and retail systems. These software systems were all about automation. You automate the menial tasks and the critical path processes as much as possible.
As social media shifts from techies to early adopters and the early majority, people begin to ask, “where is the business value?” Honestly, that has been the argument for the last 5 years. Now that it has finally taken hold, people are beginning to see how social media can build relationships and grow businesses.
That being said, there are a lot of people who have the same problem with social media that they do with CRM systems, you actually have to go there and open them up and check them/input information. It takes time and effort to do the little things.
I have seen a new trend in social media where the combination of the automation principles from enterprise software with the ambient awareness of social media are creating integration, making social media simpler and more pervasive.
I first heard the term “ambient awareness” in a New York Times article discussing the rise of Facebook and Twitter. The concept of ambient awareness is the ability to passively monitor what is going on in all your networks until something sparks your interest and you comment on it. Facebook took off once it added the News Feed. Twitter grew solely based on ambient awareness. The beauty of ambient awareness is that through RSS, you can integrate your networks in order to consolidate your monitoring. Twitter can even act as a consolidation tool.
Let me give you a few examples:
I can connect my Twitter account to Facebook so that Twitter updates Facebook’s status field. Everytime I update my status in Facebook, it shows up on the News feed of my entire network. You can also comment on someone’s status in Facebook. Therefore, I have held conversations on both Twitter and Facebook from a single Tweet. That’s automation and integration.
Also, you can connect RSS feeds into Twitter. This means you can have a new blog post, a social tag, or any other form of social media post automatically to Twitter. I have found Twitter to be a very effective tool for blog promotion. Everytime I post a new blog post, I see a spike in traffic from Twitter. It is also great for furthering a cause using social tagging.
However, I have found a tool now that will allow me to use e-mail (which has a much higer adoption rate than any of these other tools) as an ambient awareness vehicle. I have mentioned InfusionSoft in previous posts, but I wanted to talk about why I became a Certified Marketing Automation Coach for InfusionSoft.
I am a technology junkie and I have been looking for technology that could help me deliver what I preached. I stumbled across InfusionSoft (actually they found me) and was impressed with its automation capabilities. Combined with social media, I had finally found a combination that could drive sales and give me the ability to track almost every aspect of my customer interaction. Best of all, it was automated and didn’t require people to have to go in and input all the information.
I can produce some great content (white paper, blog post, eBook) and create a web form from InfusionSoft that will allow someone to enter their information in order to download it. That information is automatically entered into my system and a follow-up sequence set in motion to keep my subscriber posted on what I am doing. Each month, I aggregate all of my social media content into an eNewsletter and push it out to subscribers with links to the social web. Now I can use the great content I produce with social media to build relationships and move people down the sales pipeline.
Whatever the tools, integration and automation are where social media is headed. Even Google’s OpenSocial initiative is all about integration. With the number of social media sites and tools out there, you have to be able to integrate in order to lower the switching costs and maintain your sanity.
How are you using technology to integrate and automate?
The Evolution of the Revolution
This is a concept I often discuss in my presentations, but I thought I would outline it here since I believe that a) it is extremely relevant and b) we may be on the cusp of another revolution.
Revolutions have littered human history as the tired, the worn, and the downtrodden have risen up and taken back control of their lives. The American Revolution, the French Revolution, and even the Russian Revolution are prime examples of the disadvantaged masses exercising their right to self-governance. As Wikipedia defines it, “A revolution… is a fundamental change in power or organizational structures that takes place in a relatively short period of time.”
There have also been several non-violent revolutions that occured that have fundamentally changed the way marketing works today. These typically occur because of some technological advancement that gives the masses broader access.
The first of these is the Learning Revolution. The technological advancement:
The Gutenberg Printing Press
Before the printing press, the collective knowledge of humanity was held by a select few. Books were created through a laborious handwritten or block printing process, therefore, there were only a few of them existed and they were well guarded. It is no coincidence that the Renaissance coincided with the invention of the Printing Press. This allowed books and knowledge to be mass produced and mass consumed, creating a revolution in the education of the masses.
The second revolution was the Information Revolution. The technological advancement:
The Television
Although the radio was the first mass communication device, the television ushered in an entirely new level of information. It’s as the old saying goes “a picture is worth a thousand words”. Now scenes from all over the world could be broadcast instantaneously into millions of homes. Ordinary citizens had access to images that, before, were seen by only the select few. Television also provided an incredible opportunity to reach mass audiences with marketing messages.
The third revolution was the Consumer Revolution. The technological advancement:
The Internet
With the advent of the Internet, consumers had unprecedented access to information. As Richard Saul Wurman said in his book, Information Anxiety, ““A weekday edition of the New York Times contains more information than the average person was likely to come across in a lifetime in seventeenth-century England.” In addition, a 1987 report estimated that “more new information has been produced within the last 30 years than in the last 5000.” Think about how much information has been produced since 1987 when that report was written and 1989 when Information Anxiety was published.
At the same time, the information overload has caused a consumer backlash. 3 of the top selling technologies of the last 5 years are the iPod, Tivo (or DVR), and Satellite Radio – all advertising avoidance technologies. Consumers now have it within their power to control when they recieve information, how much of it to receive, and when they will receive it. Consumers have taken back control of their lives and the Internet has proven to be one of the primary weapons in the fight.
I can walk into a car dealership with the exact price the dealer paid for the car – including rebates. I can compare your prices in an instant with hundreds of other retailers, both online and off. I can read hundreds of reviews of your product or service that will inform me of almost any issue that I might have during its use. I can research any media story to see if you are telling the entire truth or omitting key facts so that the story reads according to your own political leanings.We are connected globally in ways that were never thought possible (see my post about Web 2.0 bringing the world together)
This has forced marketers to fundamentally change how they connect and engage with consumers. They can no longer talk at them, but with them.
Finally, the current revolution is what I am calling the “Publishing Revolution”. My friends Jackie Huba and Ben McConnell wrote what I believe is the seminal book on the trend called Citizen Marketers. It started with blogging but quickly spread to photos, video, audio, and social networks like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Even social tagging and voting networks like Digg and Delicious allow consumers to comment on what others publish. What is fascinating is that this revolution brings us full circle back to the days of the Printing Press, except now the consumers are the publishers.
Recently, I came across a company that now combines all of these technologies into a single digital publishing platform. YUDU Media is a UK based company that offers a bureau service converting existing printed publications into digital publications for major media publishers such as Metro in the UK. They launched a product called YUDU Freedom in about April of this year that offered the ability for anyone to upload PDF files in order to self publish a digital publication. This week, they just launched their public beta of their YUDU Plus product which now combines digital publishing with social networking, tagging, reviews, comments, and multimedia.
The Testicle Cookbook on YUDU - You heard right...
I was invited to review the new site and, to say the least, I was extremely impressed. In my opinion, this could be THE tool of the publishing revolution. I can upload PDFs, Word documents, and PowerPoint presentations and then add video and audio to the publication. I can tag and pull in web pages into my library and make my publications public or private. I can even search the library to see other’s publications and YUDU even has a mechanism for selling my content should I so choose. Wouldn’t it be fascinating if this were the next evolution of the blog?
To see how YUDU works, click on my presentation on the Consumer Revolution below:
How do you see the Publishing Revolution evolving?
*Disclaimer: I actually liked the YUDU product so much, I picked them up as a client.
How NOT to Pitch a Blogger
As many in the public relations (PR) industry are aware, blogger relations is the new frontier. The days of writing a press release, spamming journalists, and incessantly pitching your story are slowly coming to an end. The PR of tomorrow is about building relationships with both journalists and bloggers and introducing them to ideas for posts and stories once a relationship is established. As a marketing guru and blogger, I have a unique perspective on this.
If you are a blogger who has any sort of traffic to your site, you have probably had the unique pleasure of being pitched either by a PR flak or a company spokesperson. One such pitch I received recently was what sparked this post. It went something like this (names have been changed to protect the guilty):
“Hello,
I have been an avid follower of your blog for past couple of months.
Recently, we have came up with a viral game for our company, which I felt
like sharing it with you. It’s a “viral game” devised for our poker portal,
where you get points on our portal by inviting people to play.
Can you kindly review this game that we have made for our company and
please mention it in your blog?
Thanking you in advance,
Ivan Awfulitch”
There are a couple things I would like to point out to Ivan (again, not his real name – but a painfully uncreative fake one). First of all, I have never heard of Ivan or his company. If he really was an “avid follower” of my blog, why haven’t I seen a comment from him on any of my posts or even an e-mail saying he enjoyed a certain post? Why is the first correspondence I receive from him asking for me to do something for him?
What too many people don’t understand about the blogosphere is that it is based on mutually beneficial relationships (read “I scratch your back, you scratch mine”). If he truly wanted me to even consider his proposition, I need to see a little love from him. For example, a trackback from his blog, a posting on his blog that links to mine, or even a comment on my blog. Any of those would have made his proposition infinitely more effective.
Secondly, if he truly was an “avid follower” of my blog, why would he send me information about a poker game? While he was mentally digesting every morsel of wisdom that shone forth from keyboard and sat at my feet (virtually, of course) supping from my brilliance, do you think he would have realized that I write about marketing and not gaming? But I do write about viral marketing, so that must be the connection, right? Wrong.
A little research would have been nice. Maybe he read a previous post where I highlighted a case study that he thought was applicable to his product. Maybe he had an idea on how his product can provide a unique viral marketing opportunity. Any insight other than “here is my product, please write about it” would have been nice.
The key to PR in the 21st century is the same as any other form of marketing – engagement. Mass communication doesn’t work any more. There is no BusinessWire for bloggers (and I would argue that it is becoming less valuable to journalists as well). You actually have to do your homework, target specific related blogs, and engage. Build a relationship. Write your own blog and reference them. Just as I said in the last post, you can’t be “efficient” with bloggers. You actually have to get your hands dirty.
What this means is you have to be much more focused about your approach. Rather than spamming a million bloggers that you have been “avidly following”, focus on a handful of targeted blogs and build a relationship. One great way to get several bloggers talking about you is to have one well-read blog write about you and have others read and comment. Work on getting coverage on a specific, targeted blog and send the link to other bloggers you are working with. Unlike journalists, bloggers like to cover what others are talking about. They are not as concerned about covering it first, only weighing in with their opinion.
Blogger relations is not like traditional public relations. It takes a non-traditional approach, just like everything else Web 2.0. Any other bloggers receive mildly amuzing pitches?
What should I blog about?
This seems to be one of the most oft asked questions I receive. It typically comes right after, “I want to start a blog.” Most often this comes from the fact that this person has heard the term “blog” so many times, they feel like they are missing the bandwagon and need to get on board. “Bobby has a blog so that means I need one too.” Well Bobby may just be more interesting than you!
Having a blog is one of the easiest things to do, but one of the hardest things to do well. The first shocker I give people is to tell them it is not a marketing tactic. Blogging is a way to create transparency and, most importantly, start a dialog. It would be like asking someone ” would you like to chat” and then after they say yes proceeding to give a long lecture about how so dang cool you are. Simply maddening.
So why have a blog and how do you do it right? The first step is to first have a cause – a compelling reason to write. As I have often said to clients, customers buy products but evangelists buy causes. They buy into something. And no, selling more stuff is not a cause. Come up with a higher, holier calling about what you do.
Step 2 is to explore the cause. Make it conversational. Explore the different opinions on the topic. Ask for input and feedback. Make it stream of consciousness.
Also, remember the key rule of blogging – make it compelling. That means you need to piss them off, make them laugh, tug on their heart strings, or spark their interest in some way.
Don’t blog just because some marketing guy told you to. Blog because you are passionate about something. Blog because you have some expertise in a particular area. Blog because you want to change the world in some small way.
There are a lot of bloggers out there with some great success. What do you find makes a good blog?
The Blogging for Business (B4B) Conference
Recently, I was asked to speak at a conference in Salt Lake City on June 6th called the Blogging For Business Conference. Now I must be honest, I had never heard of it before, but as I found out more about the conference, I became impressed. You can find out more about the speakers and details here and you can visit the main website at www.bforbconference.com.
I have long admired GM for their leadership in blogging and social media. I have used them as a case study on multiple occasions. The B4B conference is lucky enough to have Christopher Barger, GM’s Director of Social Media keynote the conference. There are also sessions on SEO, Building Customer Evangelists, and my session on how the consumer revolution is driving transparency in marketing.
While blogging has taken off as a consumer journaling tool, it appears to still be in the early adopter phase when it comes to businesses adopting blogging as a marketing tool. I think there is some great content in this conference to showcase the value of blogging in a business environment.
If you are in the area, stop by and attend the conference. If you are not in the area, there is always that whole telepathy thing. Also, I will post a blog afterwards with some of my thoughts and observations. Feel free to keep checking the conference website as well.
Web 2.0 Media Use in Business
A new report just came out that talks about how new media and web 2.0 technologies are permeating the business environment. It is interesting to note that these technologies didn’t even exist 5 years ago. However, according to a new report released by Awareness (via Marketing Charts) titled “Trends in Adopting Web 2.0 for the Enterprise in 2007“, more than half (54%) of enterprise-size organizations use Web 2.0 technologies and an astonishing 74% of companies with fewer than 500 employees.
While Web 2.0 technologies have had several hiccups along the road to adoption, this study show that they are clearly past the tipping point, chasm, ignition point, or whatever other marketing analogy you want to use. The simple fact is people are using the technology and using it effectively.
The study goes on to say that 96% of those surveyed say all Web 2.0 technologies they’ve used have been successful with 83% reporting no clear failures. What? According to the critics, these were great for hobbyists but they had no real business value. I think we are starting to see otherwise.
The biggest obstacle to implementation? Most say limited internal resources. Part of this comes down to the fact that most companies are used to paying someone to place ads, run trade shows, or design cool brochures. However, new media, or Web 2.0 technologies, are engagement tools that require your personal time and attention.
The last tidbit of info I will share with you are the benefits of external-facing social media. The top 3 are:
- Increased customer engagement: 68%
- Increased brand awareness & loyalty: 64%
- Effective market research: 58%
I hate to be “Mr. I-Told-You-So”, but the facts are clear. Web 2.0 is becoming pervasive in business. It increases awareness, engagement, and loyalty with your customers. It provides an effective feedback mechanism on your company and its products and services. Last of all, it is a powerful tool in your marketing arsenal. You simply can’t get a better return on investment for your marketing efforts. Combined with other marketing tactics, Web 2.0 tools can change the way you interact with your customers.
I encourage you to read the report.
Blog Neglect
First of all, I have to apologize. I feel like I am at a confessional, “Father, I have sinned. How long has it been since your last confession? 2 weeks!”
For someone who preaches consistency to his clients, I have been a poor example. However, there is a nugget of wisdom in there as well. Many of my clients have complained about the time constraints of blogging. The reality is, however, that it takes 15 simple minutes out of your week. The problem isn’t time, it’s scheduling and prioritization.
Blogging is not only a brain dump, it is cathartic as well. I could give you an excuse like I was out of town for the last 2 weeks or that I started my MBA program, but the reality is that I need to blog as much for me as well as anyone else who reads my rants (hi Mom).
So take it from someone in rehab, don’t neglect your blog. Your audience is waiting!
The Mystery of a Blog – Revealed
Brian Brown over at the Pajama Market Blog did a great job of producing a video that explains the basics of what a blog is. For those of you who wake up at night in a cold sweat with the word “blog” falling weakly from your lips, this is a good overview.
In summary, here are the basics:
- It’s a Web site. This might seem too obvious, but for technophobes it might need to be said.
- Adding articles is like writing an email. It’s as simple as writing a title, writing a message, attaching an image and hitting send.
- Readers can post comments. This interactive element differentiates blogs from many other Web sites.
- Readers can subscribe. They don’t have to check in all the time since they always know when new content goes up.
Thanks to the MarketingProfs eNewsletter for the summary.
