Continue reading »]]> Here are 5 Marketing Technology stories you might have missed.

This week: iPhone 5, LinkedIn Company pages, Google+ business profiles, smartphones and SMS campaigns.

1. This is Why Apple Didn’t Announce The iPhone 5

[link] It’s the hardware silly. It appears Apple wants the iPhone 5 to support 4G network speeds. The current available 4G chips use too much energy and are too large.

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Anand Shimpi, a chip expert and CEO of Anandtech said:

2. Linkedin Updates To Company Pages

[link] LinkedIn added the ability to provide company updates on Company Pages.

My Take: I’ve always wondered who would win the enterprise. Facebook could have made a bid to do for businesses what it did for individuals. LinkedIn, who already has the top spot as THE professional social media network lacks social features and is still seen by many as a “resume site”. It still seems pretty wide open with LinkedIn having the edge for B2B and Facebook the edge for B2C. In listening to the Quick N’ Dirty Podcast, it seems like this update to LinkedIn could be the first in a series of changes to LinkedIn. Game on LinkedIn, Facebook and Google.

3. Google+ Lays the Groundwork for Business Profiles

[link] Google began promoting its support for brands. Up until recently, Google+ has been for individuals only and the platform has only been available to all users for a few weeks.

My Take: As a platform, Google+ has a lot to like. On Google+ brands can post messages, engage in real-time and reply to customer issues privately. Google+ still doesn’t have enough users to make it super compelling for users, but services continue to improve. Given the increased SEO benefits of being a Google property, brands must consider how/when/if to establish a presence on Google+.

4. What Smartphones Say About Their Users

[link] Frankly, this study my Prosper Mobile Insights validated what you might have suspected. Android and iPhone users use their smartphones for more media consumption, games and social media use than Blackberry users.

My Take: For the most part I tell people to invest in an awesome Android or iPhone – it can change your life for the better (seriously). However there are still those tech laggards that don’t really “get” why they need any of those fancy apps. For those people, the Blackberry is a step up.

5. Redbox Creative SMS Campaign Drives Results

[link] If you’re interested in how to execute a SMS campaign that generates business, review this case study in detail. Elements Redbox included: variable discount offers (gamification), scarcity, cross-channel (Facebook), and social outreach.

My Take: I’m very interested in SMS campaigns. Why? Open rates over 95% and it works on any kind of phone. Redbox built the blue-print for using new technology that many retail organizations should be using as a starting point.

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Photo Credit: Jamie Quinn who likes to make fun of how well I shred in Rock Band

Most think of LinkedIn as a way to promote yourself, but actually it’s a flexible tool that also allows you to promote your brand or company too. In this Double LP set (ahem – two post series), I’ll show how you can use LinkedIn “apps” and “sections” to do just that.

So Let’s Rock it! First up, LinkedIn Apps…

LinkedIn Applications

Apps are a powerful way to connect your content and engage with your fans. LinkedIn provides applications that plug-in directly to your profile. I’m focusing on how these apps can help you:

1. Stay social with your fans
2. Show off your best content
3. Aggregate your full collection of content.

Social Outreach

Social Outreach is simply making a purposeful human connection with your audience. LinkedIn provides two apps that foster social connections:

• Polls (LinkedIn) – Conduct regular (monthly/weekly) polls to judge audience sentiment, get feedback on recent changes or gauge interest in new features.  You’re giving everyone a chance to vote and shape new ideas.  Still not sure what kind of polls to conduct? Look at the news headlines and make a connection to your products/services.  Once the poll is created anyone can include it in their LinkedIn profile.
• Events (LinkedIn) – Going on tour? Is your company sponsoring a seminar? Let those visiting your LinkedIn profile know about it!  Add the Events app to your profile and add or create in events. See who else is attending the events and start connecting!

Content Outpost

Content Outposts are the bread crumbs that lead prospects to you – you know like the flyers you put up around town just before your next gig.  LinkedIn provides several ways to include these outposts into your profile.

• Portfolio Display (Behance) – Great way for creatives and artists to show off their portfolio.
• Slideshare Presentations (Slideshare) – I suggest doing more summarized presentations on Slideshare with the call to action of driving viewers to your website or microsite for the full content.  Depending on the value of the content, there is a potential to use this as a lead generator.
• Google Presentation (Google) – Similar to, but probably less popular than (?), Slideshare.

Content Aggregator

If your company has content on social networks, LinkedIn provides an easy way to aggregate that content into your individual profile.  Remember, we’re using individual profiles to represent the brand.  These apps are a great way to present your thought leadership (thought leadership is kind of like your guitar solo – it’s what you do better than anybody else), so let’s get to it:

• Tweets (LinkedIn) – If your company has a twitter account you can pull that content into your LinkedIn profile.
• WordPress (WordPress) – If your company is using a WordPress blog this is your go to app.  It allows you granular controls over which posts are visible in your LinkedIn profile.
• Blog Link (SixApart) – like the WordPress app, but also supports Moveable Type, Blogger, LiveJournal, etc.

Continue reading »]]> Where does Digital & Traditional Marketing intersect?

Probably one of the biggest areas of confusion for marketers working to understand digital marketing is “how does digital marketing fit in with traditional marketing?“  Actually the questions don’t come that way they sound more like:

1. Do we need a Facebook page?
2. Does social media mean we should spend less on our website?
3. What if someone says something we don’t like, can we delete it?
4. Shouldn’t we build a iPhone app?

Traditional Marketing vs Digital Marketing

The figures below show the difference between the old world (traditional marketing techniques) and the new world (traditional marketing enhanced by digital marketing).

The noticeable difference is the addition of a “Social Outreach” circle.  But before we go into that, let’s go over how the traditional elements are recast in their digital world.

“New” Core

The core are your owned media properties – your company and product websites.  To address the early concern of “do we still need a website”, yes.  Never abandon your owned media. The various social media networks have varying policies regarding who owns what when you post on their networks.  For that reason alone you want to maintain your main web presence.

As hinted, the content of your website must change.  Posting 20 page whitepapers is becoming rather staid. Your main content needs to be updated to be more interactive and interesting.  You’re not just competing with your typical product and service competitors, you’re competing with everything that may steal the attention of your audience.  Make sure website visitors have their questions answered and the interest piqued. Further, your new core needs to allow your customers/prospects interact with the content.  This may be accomplished by allowing thought leaders to maintain blogs and allow readers comments. [A word of caution, the more anonymity commenters are able to have the more likely the comments will be ugly]

“New” Amplifiers

Traditional amplifiers include TV, radio, print and display.  To that equation we add technical amplifiers like Search Engine Marketing, mobile, RSS feeds and email registration.  These Digital Marketing techniques improve your ability to get the word out.  The name of the game is “Lead Generation.”

Social Outreach

So what’s new? Social Outreach.

Let’s review some examples of social outreach:

• Using LinkedIn groups for feedback, idea generation and updates
• Organizing formal or informal Meetups (or tweetups)
• Active social listening and responding to customer complaints
• Engaging with passionate customer segments seeking product advice

Admittedly, social outreach is a fuzzy idea, but the difference with social outreach is the purposefully human connection.  This is hand-to-hand marketing, getting out there and interacting with your customers on a personal, individual level.

In terms of customer segments, I see social outreach as focusing on your existing customers.  Social outreach allows you to:

• Maintain relevance and top of mind
• Deal with customer problems while they are still relatively small problems
• Obtain referrals because your customers know you and like you
• Build “earned media” by leveraging your customers to drive “Word of Mouth”

Let’s revisit the questions mentioned

Now that we’ve covered of Digital Marketing supports Traditional Marketing, let’s revisit the common questions mention earlier:

1. Do we need a Facebook page? Maybe you need a presence on Facebook (is that where your audience is?)
2. Does social media mean we should spend less on our website? Your website is as important as ever but it can’t be the only place for your content (use content bread crumbs the sites your customers visit)
3. What if someone says something we don’t like, can we delete it? You can’t delete what someone says about you (you don’t have control over your customers)
4. Shouldn’t we build a iPhone app? Mobile is an important part of your strategy (but consider the content and the customers interaction with it on a mobile phone)

Drive Ideas Out. Draw Audiences In.

To recap, how does Digital Marketing interact Traditional Marketing?  It helps drive ideas out and draw audiences in. Digital Marketing doesn’t supplant traditional methods, although it may change them a bit. Marketers have new tools in their toolbox to get their message out.  Rather than just relying on broadcast messaging there are new mediums available to find and connect with customers and prospects.

A recent tweet from Laura Fitton said it best:

I happily credit Nate Elliot and Forrester research for planting the seed in my head with Nate’s research The Interactive Brand Ecosystem.

Continue reading »]]> In the past two months I’ve seen an anxeity at both technical and marketing conferences.  Many attendees share a similar affliction – Social Media Anxiety.  People fear that they are behind the social media curve.  They fear their competitors are ahead of them and that they are in “catch up” mode.  Conference dinner discussions continue to center on, “what is your social media strategy?” 

While we may be at different levels of social media awareness, no one has a lock on “what to do” – things are moving too fast.  Social media continues to morph and we’re all in catch up mode – always.  New technology keeps popping up and we continue to evaluate and make go/no-go decisions.  For example, how many people have figured out how to leverage Foursquare/Gowalla/Yelp for their brand?

Don’t freak.  Don’t fear. Do…

1. Define your social media goals focusing on listening and message
2. Put together your social media team
3. Define your strategy
4. Try, test and measure
5. Keep adapting