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Category Archives: mobile social marketing

It’s Not About Social Anymore

Posted on June 19, 2012 by marc meyer

I was watching highlights of a Miami Heat game the other night and after every major replay of the game you could hear the shrill cackle of a woman cheering in the background.  You know how some things can gnaw at you pretty quickly for no apparent reason? Well, her cackle got to me pretty quick.  Other things that gnaw at me but at a more “come to a boil type” nature, are the current and future states of social media. It gnaws at me.  I’m constantly wondering where we are with it and where are we going with it. I also have some notions about where it will sit in our digital universe going forward too.

Like it or not, the conversations are NOT solely about social media any longer and I’m cool with that.  You should be too.  There was a time not too long ago where it seemed like every conversation and every blogpost was about social media, both the good and the bad. Hell, I even got tired of my own stuff that I used to write about social media.  In fact back in the day, there came a time where there wasn’t a social media consultant or thought leader out there who wasn’t talking about Zappos, or Comcastcares, or Ford or Starbucks or Dell.  It was part of the spiel.  It got old.  At least to me it did.  What about you?

On the flip side, those same consultants, myself included, were also out there touting that if you were not listening to your customer via social then it was a big FAIL.  Those also were the same people, myself not included, who took to their pitchforks and torches to light up any company who slipped up with any type of ambitious forays into the great unknown called social media marketing.  Even if it was an honest mistake.

But something has happened. No, social isn’t dead, not by a long shot.  In fact there might be more “social media consultants” now than ever before.  Beyond that, what social is doing is it’s maturing.  Social media is growing up.  Yes there are still lots of nuances to be learnt and still lots of totally unqualified people screwing things up, but that’s in every industry right?  The difference between five years ago when I first started and now is that there are more and more qualified people out there who are able to make educated and qualified and experienced decisions on what to do with social media initiatives.  And the results speak for themselves.

That’s not to say that we’ve reached social media nirvana or the promised land, hell we’re not even close to that- It’s just that there are a few less unknowns these days then there was before say…last week. 🙂

So if social media is not the lead in the school play any longer, then what is, you ask?  What has everyone all fired up and in a tizzy?

It might be easy to say and look to Facebook, but beyond the fact that they are still recovering from getting it handed to them during their IPO and though they are closing in on almost a billion registered users, there is no doubt that a wave of Facebook fatigue could be coming soon with an undertow of blowback from incessant sharing.  So if it isn’t Facebook, what is it then?

Mobile and Tablet computing.  The data proves it out and so do retailers, consumers and manufacturers.  They are experiencing it first hand.  If you haven’t noticed, the desktop is dead. Dell in so many words has admitted it and Microsoft with its rollout of its own tablet to compete directly with Apple has validated it.  We love portability.  We still love social but what you’ll be seeing sooner than later is a longing for the days of the niche and not the melting pot of our high school, our college and our work friends all rolled into one.

As we hurdle into 2013 and beyond, watch for the mashup of mobile and social to escalate even more, with mobile leading the way.  It’s no longer about the platform, it’s now about the device and the (computing) and conversational power it will possess and it’s about getting that device into your hands.

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Posted in Mobile marketing, mobile social marketing | Tagged mobile, mobile computing, social, social media

Word of Mouth Marketing-U

Posted on May 6, 2008 by marc meyer

I know it’s a little late to be telling everyone, but if my schedule wasn’t so tight, I would be going to this:

WOMMA’s Word of Mouth Marketing University

Something completely new from WOMMA.

WOMM-U is a 2-day comprehensive and interactive educational experience built around giving you the real-world knowledge you need to execute exceptional word of mouth marketing programs.

WOMM-U is different from any other conference you have ever attended (including previous WOMMA conferences) because of the powerful mix of the theoretical, practical, and hands-on opportunities that will allow you to return to your office prepared to strengthen your existing WOMM programs or begin new ones. The curriculum includes:

  • Keynote presentations and real-life WOMM success stores from major brands highlighting their WOMM success stories
  • Unique, workshop-style breakouts that give attendees an opportunity to begin applying the lessons they’ve learned
  • WOMM in Action: Team study sessions that will give all WOMM-U attendees a chance to share their best word of mouth strategies with highly respected charities and public interest advocacy groups, offering up fresh WOMM tactics that will further their charitable efforts and advance their success.

Who Should Attend WOMM-U

  • Brand marketers, BtoB and BtoC marketers, Corporate communicators, Nonprofit marketers, Advocacy experts, CRM specialists, Social media practitioners, and Agency marketers
  • Marketers new to the WOMM practice
  • WOMM experts
  • Marketers trying to jumpstart WOMM in their organization
  • Marketers trying to fine-tune active WOMM programs
  • Anyone else with a stake in WOMM!

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Posted in internet marketing, Marketing, mobile social marketing, Social Media marketing, Web 2.0, word of mouth | Tagged WOMM, WOMM-U, word of mouth marketing

Mobile Marketing is a $1 billion business. Are you in?

Posted on April 25, 2008 by marc meyer

Did you know that a billion text messages are sent per day? Did you know that 2 years ago that nearly 11% of all voting done on American Idol was via text messaging? What kind of a hard number was that?  Try about 65 million.  Mobile marketing is projected to grow from $708 million in overall revenue in 2007 to $2.2 billion in 2012 according to Jupiter Research. In 4 years it’s going to grow almost 300%.

The mobile web is exploding, and if you don’t understand that by now, then you’ve been living under a rock. Thanks to the iphone in particular,  and Safari more specifically, intenet enabled phones are becoming more user friendly and more robust in their offerings and overall customer satisfaction. With that being said, the mobile web is now becoming a more desirable place for marketers to try and pitch their products.

Interestingly enough, the mobile web is a more collaborative environment for marketers and their products in that It requires and has a lot of moving parts. You cannot run a mobile campaign without buyin from multiple channel partners, multiple departments, and multiple vendors and technological entities. But truly what marketers need to know best is their consumer, their user, the person they are trying to reach through their mobile device.  Yes it’s product centric, but trying to appeal to a demographic of 54+ with a NIke mobile text to win ad, might be tougher than going after  the 18-24 male demo- so the point is mobile is best at going after the meat and potatoes consumer who is no more than a foot away from their mobile phone at all times. The person who’s cell phone is an extension of their personal brand. Find that person. That is the key, then tie that person into THAT specific offer. A 1:1 offer that makes sense to that person.

With more than 70% penetration of mobile use in urban areas. The last great frontier of marketing to consumers is mobile. It’s only going to get better and the potential will be endless.  Opportunities exist for marketers in the form of text to win campaigns- the most pervasive and common currently, as well as consumers using their mobile phones for everything from purchasing tickets, mobile video, searching for pricing, searching for coupons, downloading music through wifi, and or interacting with billboards.

What marketers needs to know is that, yes it’s not too late to get in the game and yes it’s a game that everyone is eventually going to be participating in to a certain extent. Bear in mind that not only are theur savvy marketers and companies out there, but the consumer is becoming more hip and more comfortoable with the technology, and thus the bar will keep getting raised in regards to consumer expectations.  Always keep in mind that the phone is merely an extension of or a conduit for entertainment. Whether its music or video or chat or sufring the net. Consumers like to be entertained and with the continous advances in pushing the content out, the opportunities to piggback enetertainment are just as viable as a text to win campaign.

Along with text campaigns that keep spiffing up the offers, another aspect to keep in mind is that search will become more of a viable optiion with mobile as well. So you the marketer need to be aware of and prepared for your mobile web offerings to be compliant and search engine friendly to mobile search. Yes there is a lot here, but if you start doing your homework now and start small, you will be well ahead of the game and more comfortable with what is thrown at you and what you can bring to clients.

How far does mobile marketing extend? Here’s your last example. Virgin mobile has a mobile campaign that allows users to interact with ads in exchange for free services. How old is the target market? 13-34 year olds. 13. How many registered users are there up to this point? Almost 700,000. Your goal, figure out what the consumer wants and deliver a mobile solution.

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Posted in Gphone, Marketing, Mobile marketing, mobile social marketing, SEO/SEM, Social Media marketing | Tagged Mobile marketing, mobile phones, mobile search, mobile web practices. mobile search optimization

Projected mobile search numbers grow

Posted on March 31, 2008 by marc meyer

ANNUAL REVENUES FROM MOBILE SEARCH services are expected to hit $4.8 billion by 2013, according to a new report from Juniper Research. Among the factors driving growth are the decline of carriers’ “walled garden” approach, falling data costs and the entrance of search heavyweights such as Google and Yahoo.

Local search will be the most popular service among advertisers, attracting 40% of mobile search ad spending over the next five years. Globally, China and the Far East are expected to generate most revenues from mobile search in the coming years, followed by Western Europe and North America.

The Juniper report, however, cautions against an “advertising overload” in mobile search that could alienate consumers as well as citing ongoing concerns over use of personal data gleaned from mobile search.

 

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Posted in Mobile marketing, mobile social marketing, SEO/SEM | Tagged Mobile marketing, mobile search, mobile social marketing

User-generated content. 10 tips for marketers.

Posted on March 5, 2008 by marc meyer

Web 2.0 has empowered online users like never before. Because of this, it has opened up and increased the desire for marketers to tap into this group to unleash the potential to virally market products and services to levels only dreamt of previously. Here are 10 things marketers need to be aware of as they dip their toes in the water.

  The Sixth Estate-respect its potential

If the 5th estate is the broadcast media then the 6th estate is anyone with a computer. Think about it, the 6th estate is, at this juncture, online users; every day run of the mill online consumers who can and do, crank out information, opinions and content, without the fear of any type of backlash. They can say virtually anything online and find an audience for it.  Marketers can never underestimate the power of the this user. Regardless of their lack of an audience, all it takes is one piece of media that no one has ever seen. So never discount anything or anyone’s  potential content or group in marketing your product.

The Marketing upside for user generated content will never be greater, so what are you waiting for?

But within that forum for their opinion, their thoughts, and their comments, lies potential. Marketing potential. The marketing potential of user generated content has never been greater than it currently is. The marketing impact and influence that user-generated content has over people, products, ideas, and decisions has never been more valued and never been more underutilized. User generated content if positioned correctly, can create a viral buzz for anything.  The reason for this is that the growth of social networks is growing at a pace that rivals and exceeds the dot com boom of the late 90’s.  To be more sucinct, a new blog, it’s been said, is created every second. THAT means, that someone is creating content. A user is creating content that COULD influence others. If a marketer has not immmersed themselves in all things social media driven, now is the time.

Marketers think they know how to position themselves

For marketers, the challenge has always been how to leverage and push their product.  One key is to take the leaders, the movers and the shakers of user generated content and have them buy in.  Or you position a product or marketing promotion in front of “a group” in which they want to participate, they want to crank out content and they want to share it with their peeps. The marketer can dangle rewards and other incentives to do this, and that can work but… The reward or payoff for the user, is the desire to be noticed, or found, or be recognized for their efforts in creating some viral multi-media based piece of content that “may” take on a life of it’s own. YouTube is a classic example of this.

Marketers  should know that all creators of UGC are secretly hoping and looking for their 15 minutes.

Those people who don’t have an audience yet, may be wanting to grow to online stardom levels seen by those who have cultivated their sites over time. Some great examples of this would be The Drudge Report, Shoemoney, Guy Kawasaki, and Seth Godin. All of these folks have a loyal and large following. With the ease that it takes them to crank out a piece on something they may like or dislike or mention casually, they can influence thousands of people, who then can influence thousand of others. Instant traffic and instant credibility to something that previously had nothing. Therein lies the potential that marketers salivate over. 

Marketers could theoretically get to these influencers and have them, for a price, (bare in mind that everyone can be bought, don’t be so naiive to think they cant) pitch or promote a product, a service, a sight, or whatever and in turn it will, if it hasnt already happened, have a direct and immediate impact on the audience of that influencer. An indirect example of this is Google adsense ads sprinkled all over sites with high traffic.

Marketers need to be transparent

Within social networks for example, people who blatantly pitch a product can be looked upon has disingenuous, and thus will never be taken seriously. So a marketer needs to immerse themselves within a group and become more of an under the radar type of person who slowly and yet effectively influences the rest of the group. By doing this they gain street cred and legitimacy whenever they speak about anything. Thus, if they tell or mention or post about widget x rocking their world, then the rest of the group may listen. If marketer y comes right out of the blocks and says, “check out this kick ass product,” they’ll never get off the ground.

Marketers need to incent and leverage the group

Traditional online marketers look at social networks in a similar fashion, with the thinking, “I can market right to this captive audience”. And they are right! With some specific niche based social groups numbering in the thousands and within those groups are thousands more, marketers can tap directly into those groups who are  possibly waiting or are ripe to be pitched with products, services and offers. If the pitch is right and the timing is perfect, it can be huge. To that end If a marketer can work with and enlist users of THAT group to carry the flag on behalf of a product, if they can get that user to become an evangelist of that product, then they will have hit the mother lode.

Marketers need to realize, it’s a marathon not a sprint

Although a new blog is created every second, a new blog does not grow its base overnight. It, like any social group grows over time. Marketers have the ability to drive traffic using specific and traditional means, but there still needs to be some meat on the bone, once someone arrives to the group and or the blog. And that does not happen quickly. Marketers have to acquire some street cred. They have to be able to establish a presence either under the radar or not. Social users have the ability to fact check more than they ever have and they do, thus the marketer needs to realize that. If they smell a rat, you are done. So stay cool. If the marketer paces themselves, the reward at the end will be recurring and not just a one time deal.

Screwing up is viral too

If you think success is great and viral and exciting; then keep in mind that if you mess up, if you wrong the consumer, then you can expect an equally as strong and viral reaction. With that failure or error in judegment comes a stickiniess and a refusal to forget that can kill a marketing campaign faster than bug spray. What’s more, with a users ability to fact check, they will to see if you have done something in the past that caused someone to post and vent online and complain. They will find it, and when they do, you and your marketing campaign or efforts will fail. You’re done.  So in other words, the key to your future success is predicated on your online reputation and past. If you make a promise, you better keep it. If you have a made a promise, you better have kept it.

Know your audience and why they are creating their content

Marketers have to realize that the premise of all user generated content is that you have this person who wants to be seen or heard. You have to ask the questions: Why? What are they trying to get out of it? What is the purpose? Do they want a job? Are they venting? Do they want to be a star? A wannabe journalist? The more you know about your market, your audience and the reasoning behind their actions, the easier it will be to create a plan that will enlist their help, or incorporate their readers or audience into what you are trying to achieve. It may just be that all  their user generated content is for entertainment and nothing more. It might be they are doing it, because they can. Which is cool.  It’s merely up to you to figure that out.

You will never know as much as them, deal with it and then embrace it

You think you are on top of things, but you have no idea. Unless you have built the social site they are flocking to or you are immersed in their culture, you will never know as much as them and you will never fully know what they are thinking. So never pretend to, if you do they will bust you. Remember that with the user comes a sense of entitlement. Its the new culture. I’m going to get mine and I have a right to it. It may be why they think they should be a star. And you know that all might be well and good but remember, as a marketer the idea is to influence, and push ideas, products and services. It doesn’t mean you have to sleep with them, it just means you need to know that they think they know more than you do. They might and if they do, let them. Just learn, absorb, take it all in and then go get it! Give them what they need and you get to profit from their efforts.

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Posted in Emarketing, Etailing, Facebook, google, Honor Roll, internet marketing, Marketing, mobile social marketing, Myspace, Orkut, sem, seo, SEO/SEM, Social Media marketing, Social Networking, Social Networks, Web 2.0 | Tagged Facebook, internet marketing, Marketing, Myspace, sem, seo, social media, Social Media marketing, user generated content

Social Networks’ Global Reach

Posted on February 29, 2008 by marc meyer

Courtesy of Le Monde here is a cool map of how strong each social network is all over the world. The map provides great insight into what is the network of choice in various parts of the world.

social_map_1.jpg

 social_map_2.jpg

Stating the obvious MySpace has a slight lead on Facebook in North America, while Orkut is growing in popularity in Brazil and India. What’s neat is that most users beyond the Big 2 don’t know about these other popular and accessible sites, thus bringing into focus sites we rarely talk about in the US “starved for anything social media related” press. Examples of sites you might know about are: Cyworld and Mixi which are the #2 and #4 social networks in Asia-Pacific, while Netlog, Yonja, and Skyblog are #3, 4, and 5 in Africa, respectively. And, in addition to being really popular in Latin America, hi5 is apparently #1 in that destination vacation spot… Mongolia.

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Posted in Marketing, mobile social marketing, Myspace, Orkut, Social Media marketing, social media optimization, Social Networking, Social Networks | Tagged Facebook, Myspace, Orkut, social media, social media marketing. social newtworks

2% of the world currently uses a mobile social network

Posted on February 28, 2008 by marc meyer

Guess what? If you’re a marketer or an advertiser or even someone who wants to get some skin in the game. There is still time. According to Informa’s latest report entitled “Mobile Social Networking: Communities and Content on the Move,” the number of mobile social networking users exceeded 50 million. Which is roughly 2.3% of the worlds mobile user population on December 31st, 2007.

The research company argues that with only low investments from mobile network operators, the growth in users and community registrations will continue at a CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) of 30-50%, depending on the type of community and the region.  So think about it, low-ball figures still put the CAGR at 30-50%

 So in less than 4 years, there will be between 12.5% penetration of mobile social networks among mobile users globally in the most conservative scenario and approximately 23% in the high growth scenario.

In 2006, mobile social networks made more than US $1.5 billion and that amount more than doubled in 2007.  Though revenue growth will accelerate in the next two years  much depends on mobile network operators’ policies and the interests of users after that to determine whether the growth will be sustained, flatten out, or decline.

By 2012 revenues generated from all business models in this industry is forecast to reach US$28.9 billion in the most conservative scenario and $52 billion in the high growth scenario.

What is safe to say given the ramp up by all arms and legs of the Entertainment industry is that the biggest community segment revenues will be seen within this market.  Look for entertainment to overtake all other industries in some regions by 2010, If they have not already.

 Other community segments — like those focused on productivity, fame and social shopping — are beginning to emerge on mobile platforms, diversifying their offers and attracting different kind of users… Thus expanding the social awareness and acceptance of mobile social networks. 

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Posted in Mobile marketing, mobile social marketing, Social Networks | Tagged Marketing, Mobile marketing, mobile social networks, social media, Social Networking, Social Networks
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Marc Meyer is a Digital and Social Media Strategist at DRMG. This is my personal blog where I share observations, thoughts and opinions that are all my own.

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