Thanks for a great class!

It has been a fast and furious 6 weeks. Thanks so much for diving in and making this class so interesting and educational for me. I hope you have found it helpful as well.

Look for a media mention next week about us--an educational technology reporter is interested in courses that co-create content so I pitched our class and he wants to know more so I allowed him to peek at our blog (reading, not writing). I am sending him a synopsis of your individual projects so that he can write about the class process and what you all ended up doing. I'll post the link here when he is finished.

Thanks, again! See you in the fall!

Schneider Electric - Digital Marketing Plan

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Schneider Electric (SE) is a global specialist in energy management focused on offering its customers energy efficient solutions that reduce energy consumption up to 30 percent.  SE recognizes the need for sustainable development and is a world leader in renewable energy management.  SE recently introduced EcoStruxure, an active energy management architecture from Plant to Plug and is the only global specialist in energy management providing an integrated approach design for the Digital Economy by offering energy saving solutions for datacenters.

Low Voltage Power is part of the Power North America Business Unit of SE and is divided into two groups; the first is focused on transactional business or the sale of loose component parts and the second is focused on solutions selling where SE is no longer just a product provider but a partner in total energy management by offering a one-stop-shop for a customer’s energy management needs.

Recommendations for improvement in the Low Voltage Transactional Business were developed in the following digital marketing plan.  A focus on flexibility and trial and error are the best way to evaluate the effectiveness of various social media outlets to determine the best approach for SE.  Customer involvement is key to understanding what information they want to see online and what format is best suited for delivery.

-Pam Burr

Digital Marketing Plan - TORC

The Triangle Off-Road Cyclists (TORC) is a volunteer organization dedicated to ensuring the future of mountain biking in the Triangle area of North Carolina through the promotion of responsible riding, establishment and maintenance of mountain biking trails, and preservation of North Carolina's natural resources.  The TORC does a very good job of prompting mountain biking to triangle residents by sponsoring local rides and events through its website.  The principle challenges for the organization are to build its membership base and ensure continued funding.  The primary focus to fulfill this objective will be to build its membership via various online social media outlets.  Since many of these sites are free, the limited budget will not have to be spent on advertising resources.  Since promotion of the sport of mountain biking is paramount to the organization partnerships will also be required in order to fulfill the missions.  If the organization can continue to align itself with other organizations that promote a healthy lifestyle and mountain biking they can overcome these challenges.     

GENBAND’s Digital Marketing Plan

 

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

GENBAND is a B2B telecommunications company providing network equipment solutions based on Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) infrastructure, multimedia applications and solutions for fixed wire line, mobile and cable network service operators. Current telecommunication equipment demand is for technologies allowing the transition from the old wire line to the broadband and wireless capabilities thus allowing consumers to use phones, tablets and other wireless devices with faster and reliable connections and the capability to video stream and download massive amount of data and video over fixed and mobile network. GENBAND’s challenge is to sell products and services to telephone service and cable providers who will be able to implement and use GENBAND’s VoIP technology in their current network infrastructure or as part of their network transformation.  There are several competitors in this field including large corporations with more prominent names; however even though GENBAND is a small company, it has innovative and quality products also invest heavily in research and development and is agile in reacting to customer’s needs as well as markets conditions.  

GENBAND is very active in the digital media space and has a presence on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, RSS, LinkedIn and its own GENBAND Blog.  The digital marketing plan proposed has the goal to increase company awareness and knowledge of product portfolio.

Exec Summary: Digital Audit of Syncfusion,Inc.

I. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY



Syncfusion is a software development tools vendor, delivering a broad range of .NET components coupled with a service-oriented approach throughout the entire application lifecycle. Known for its high-performance Grid control widely used on Wall Street to display real-time data in mission critical applications, Syncfusion has established itself as a trusted partner. Founded in 2001, Syncfusion has more than 7,000 customers world-wide, ranging from small ISVs to global IT consultancies.


The key challenge for Syncfusion is to consistently innovate and release new products quarterly to stay on the cutting edge of technology and to stay relevant in the marketplace. Furthermore, the .NET software development marketplace has lots of competition and it’s a challenge to stand out from the crowd as a thought leader. Syncfusion, although one of the top three vendors in its space, still has the challenge of increasing its name recognition in this market.


Syncfusion is already managing digital marketing proactively by releasing valuable technical content and pushing it through all its digital channels – email marketing, Twitter, Linkedin, Facebook and Google+. In addition, Syncfusion markets these content assets – technical white papers, free software controls and e-books - to a broader audience through partner marketing campaigns. The key recommendations are about further engagement with internal stakeholders (employees) and enthusiastic customers to increase brand awareness; furthermore, to monitor and listen to the online conversation about the brand using social media monitoring tools.

10 Niche Social Networks

Hey I know the class is over but I saw this article for 10 social networks must people have never heard of.  Some of them were pretty cool.

Check it out!

-Pam Burr

Marketing Plan - Candance Goins

Executive Summary

Michelle Lewis Design is an up-and-coming event design and decorating company that serves the Tidewater and Northern regions of Virginia, as well as the District of Columbia area.  The company is also well known for making custom invitations for all types of occasions.  According to the company’s business plan, the primary target market for Michelle Lewis Design is event planners and their clients.  Secondarily, the owner has focused her marketing strategy towards an upper-class clientele with disposable income. 

Michelle Lewis Design has been in business for less than a year; and therefore, is in the initial stages of creating its marketing strategy.  Through interview with the founder/owner, I have concluded that the key market objectives for the company are to increase sales, customer base and expand name recognition.  The company has traditionally relied on word-of-mouth, wedding planner magazine ads and trade shows as its primary marketing strategies; however, I believe these tactics along with an integrated digital plan would increase visibility of this budding company.  Currently, the company has a website to reach potential customers in the online community.  In addition, the company has a digital presence on Facebook, but to maximize their prominence, they should incorporate the use of Twitter, YouTube, Pinterest and blogs.

Marketing Plan - Jennifer Atchison

My digital marketing plan is for the company I currently work for, United Property Management.

Executive Summary:

United Property Management is a property management company that targets and serves individuals and families of lower incomes. Funding is provided by the North Carolina Housing Finance Agency which is an extension of the government.  Affordable housing is very restrictive in regards to the legal and regulatory forces.  There are many competitors that are nonprofit and for profit that compete with United Property Management for apartment community management, as well as market rate apartment communities.  Currently, the company has a working website that offers pictures and price ranges of the apartment communities across the state of North Carolina.  They also advertise in traditional print media with rental agencies that disburse books of apartment communities in certain areas of the state.  Unfortunately, the website is not as interactive as market rate community’s offer and the goal is to have prospective and current tenants using the website as if they were in a market rate community.  By implementing an interactive website, advertising with social media, and using online rental agencies to market, they will break through the competition and become even more successful. 

Marketing Plan Tyler Yarnall

I. Executive Summary

     Furever Dogs, LLC is a small business my wife and I started to provide custom made dog products such as cooling bandannas, harnesses, homemade treats, hand painted bowls and clothes.  We target mostly small dogs but do have some items that are made for all sizes of dogs.  We originally started this company to offset some of the costs of the chemotherapy treatments our dog is receiving at the NC State vet school.  We currently have a website, Fureverdogs.com, and sell every other weekend at the Raleigh Flea Market.

     We have many challenges that we have encountered during the first few months of our new business.  Our main challenges are competition, lack of a permanent store front, initial investment money leading to inventory issues, time constraints, as well as being amateur business owners and website developers ourselves. Our biggest challenge is getting our name out to the general public.

     In this marketing plan, I plan to make some suggestions to better brand our company, as well as ways to spread the word of our existence and how customers can buy from us.  The overall goal is to develop more company recognition, while increasing sales and establishing ourselves as the premier dog boutique that provides stylish, yet comfortable dog items for all size dogs.  This can be successful by updating our website more frequently, advertising, and using social media more frequently to establish a larger customer base.

Marketing Plan - Faith Wilson

I think I was suppose to put this here... right? This is for my department at work (I have kept it super short on here, hopefully less reading)

I. Executive Summary:

In a marketing environment saturated with competition from other lending institutions, facing economic unknowns and stiff regulatory process, SunTrust Bank’s Institutional Real Estate (IRE) group has a unique opportunity to use its strengths to harness opportunities in the marketplace. 

IRE targets institutional investors with $100 million to $1.5 billion of equity capital committed to commercial real estate.  Offered financial solutions include senior secured debt to acquire, stabilize, and refinance investment grade real estate with a primary focus on office, industrial, retail, and multi-family assets. 

The environment facing the team is different than it has ever been.  Competition comes in the form of other banks, financial companies, and insurance companies and most have had time to establish themselves within the market.  Additionally, concern about the economic issues facing the world and the United States growing regulatory constraints place further pressure on the team.

SunTrust IRE has capitalized on the expertise of the team it has recently created.  The dedication to client experience as well as senior managements buy in has been critical in establishing the group as a powerful presence within the market.  While getting their name out, the group is also working to establish internal procedures that fit their distinctive clientele.  

The attached report recommends an increase in marketing tactics to help IRE achieve its goal of profitable growth for SunTrust Bank.  Included in these tactic- increase participation in professional organizations in the field, update to SunTrust.com’s online content, and a continued effort to raise awareness internally and externally thru use of digital newsletter. 

Oakley Sunglasses: A Success Story and Personal Branding Tips

http://bx.businessweek.com/personal-branding/view?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.noobpreneur.com%2F2011%2F06%2F02%2Foakley-sunglasses-a-success-story-and-personal-branding-tips%2F

Here is an article about Oakley and Personal Branding.  What are your thoughts about the following?

1)  Is what  you wear a true reflection of your personal brand?  How important is that in today's more accepting society?

2) How does new technology contribute to your personal branding?

3) Most Importantly, do you think that Oakley is a good name for a dog?

Entrepreneurship Is The New Women's Movement!

I got this article from LinkedIn this morning and thought it was pretty interesting.  Women were just recently trying to get out of the home and now it seems we are trying to get back into the home and work as entrepreneurs simultaneously!

I wonder with digital media and digital marketing being at an all time high, how these tools will affect the businesses that women start.  I know a few stay at home moms that sell Avon or pampered chef and they use their facebooks to stimulate demand and offer sales.

Amazing what we women can do!

The Paradox of Personal Branding

Here is an article I found regarding personal branding.

1. Do you believe that you can overdue personal branding?

2. How authentic do you expect people to be when selling themselves?

3. At what level does individual personal branding saturate the market?

Personal Branding 101: How to Discover and Create Your Brand

Hey guys,

Here is a link to the article I will be discussing Tuesday night.

Enjoy!

Polyvore

I just love the things I find on pinterest.  This website is really cool and a lot of pinterest users post their creations on their boards once they put outfits together. I am sure the guys in class will not be impressed with this website but I think it is a fun idea if you are trying to define your style.

Polyvore

-Pam Burr

Crowd sourcing: How to use mobile for Syncfusion?

Hey folks,

If you are up to contributing ideas, I'd love to hear them.

One suggestion I plan to make for Syncfusion, is to create a mobile app for Kindle Fire and the iPad to allow customers (or prospects) to read their new series of technical e-books called the Succinctly Series.

Currently, Syncfusion has 2 apps on the Windows Phone marketplace -

http://www.windowsphone.com/en-US/search?q=syncfusion

The apps are:
1) Syncfusion Demo
2) FAQ DEV - way to search technical questions and answers

Windows Phone is a key platform for Syncfusion as a vendor that creates components for windows development. Due to a new product line, the mobile suite will let developers deploy across Windows Phone, iOS and Android, so I think that these apps might fit nicely with strategy.

What do you think?

1- Should I suggest the app creation for the Kindle Fire and iPad apps to read the e-book?

2- Any other ideas for how to incorporate mobile marketing?

Just for fun: 2 news aggregator sites

Just for fun, found out about these sites last week from a friend in PR:

Wesmirch (gossip)
Techmeme (tech news)

Article: Pinterest for business

Since Pinterest came up a few times in class, I was interested in how it could be used for marketers. This e-book is about 40 pages and worth a look. It's full of examples of how companies have used Pinterest for business:

http://www.marketingsavant.com/landing/downloadpinterestebook/

Mom, Please Feed My Apps!

Mobile-game critters need money from their young keepers, and parents are paying. Are the marketers of expensive e-trinkets too eager to take advantage of child consumers?

SEO for B2B webcast, 6/13/12

Below is a link to a free SEO for B2B webcasting on wednesday June 13th.  It is supposed to help marketers use SEO better in the B2B environment.  Could be good!

http://www.seattlepi.com/business/press-releases/article/SEO-for-B2B-Marketers-to-be-discussed-on-live-3612755.php

Itunes App Store on Facebook?

Facebook has crossed into the dark side to follow Apple's iTunes app store.  The "Facebook App Center", discussed in this article, is offering a "send to mobile" type app store.  The center will offer apps for iOs, android, and other operating systems.  You can retrieve apps for free or for a fee depending on the app.  The great thing for the new Facebook App Center is that it only has 600 apps currently offered in it's store.  The apps will gain a lot more attention this way.

Do you think the Facebook App Center will take off and be anywhere near as successful as iTunes?

Can Apple do it again??

Apple's annual developer's conference is next week and there are any new developments to be expected.  In this article, apple discusses the possibilities and outcomes of the annual developers conference.  Talk about the iOS6, upgraded Macs, iCloud additions, and Mountain Lion pricing. 

Do you think Apple can succeed and maintain its position as the leading smart phone and app company?

Even religion and spiritual beliefs are seeping into social media.  In this article, Beliefnet is prized as being a marketing genius because of the way it responds to its followers and members.  This social media site is combined of all religions and spiritual beliefs and believes in every member having a daily dose of inspiration and as many ways as possible.

Check it out and see if you can find some daily inspiration for yourself!!!

2012 Social Media Statistics!!!

We all know social media is very influencial.  This article discusses the 10 new social media stats for 2012.  As I'm sure we could all guess, Facebook was voted/researched to be the most addicting socia media portal. 

1. Do you think facebook will stay the most addicting social media portal with twitter, four square, pinterest, and linked in close behind?
2. The number of mobile users is ever increasing.  Do you think accessing social media on a laptop or desktop computer will become obsolete?

To add to LinkedIn passwords hacked

I got a giggle out of this article, talks about how use "ihatemyjob" as their password... http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2155752/LinkedIn-passwords-hacked-Most-depressing-I-wish-I-dead-I-hate-job.html?ITO=1490

Should Facebook buy RIM (blackberry)

What do you think?  Desperate measures? 

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/technology/tech-news/why-facebook-would-be-smart-to-buy-rim/article4217923/

Thought Leadership?

This class is the first time I have heard of the term of "thought leadership" althought the concept is not foreign (no one living in the apple world is unaware of thought leadership).  I struggled to think that you can become a thought leader- I am not creative, and tend to be a better manager than a leader.  However, according to Forbes, a thought leader can be created in four steps.

What do you think?  Can you become a thought leader?  How important are thought leaders to today's corporations?

Personal Branding Hints

Here is another article I found interesting with personal branding tips.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/erikaandersen/2012/05/14/3-ways-to-create-your-personal-brand-without-sounding-like-an-infomercial/

Additionally, found this article about the dreaded "Tell me about yourself" interview question:

http://www.lifehacker.com.au/2012/05/nail-the-tell-me-about-yourself-job-interview-question/

reminds me of the elevator speech- a quick way to tell someone how great you are! :)

http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/10/brandyou.html

Personal branding is huge right now, when I looked for information on the subject I was inundated with articles.   I thought this one was interesting. 

1)     Do you have a personal brand?  What do others think is your personal brand

2)     The Fast Company article challenges you to:

a.     “You're every bit as much a brand as Nike, Coke, Pepsi, or the Body Shop. To start thinking like your own favorite brand manager, ask yourself the same question the brand managers at Nike, Coke, Pepsi, or the Body Shop ask themselves: What is it that my product or service does that makes it different? Give yourself the traditional 15-words-or-less contest challenge. Take the time to write down your answer. And then take the time to read it. Several times”

b.    What did you come up with?  Can you describe your brand in 15 words?

3)     What outlets do you use to brand yourself?

Here are some examples of those who really know how to brand themselves!

http://www.forbes.com/sites/worldviews/2012/05/18/5-personal-branding-lessons-learned-from-forbes-celebrity-100-women/

Google’s DoubleClick Shooting To Unify Its Tools for Advertisers And Agencies Doing Digital Marketing

Google introduced this week DoubleClick,  a Digital Marketing platform with the capability to seamless integrate, track and measure the effectiveness of different types of digital media into one unified platform. Neal Mohan from Google explains in details on the video.

Starbucks Ireland Caught Out in Twitter Scandal

While I'm thinking about all things Starbucks I'll share this article as well.
In my opinion, Starbucks should have known better than to make a mistake like this.
Do you think this will damage their image overseas? Do you think they should publicly apologize for this blatant mistake?

Foursquare and Starbucks

Okay so this article directly relates to our group project but I thought some of you might be interested as well.
Basically, Starbucks has teamed up with Foursquare to increase their "socially-conscious brownie points" through "cause marketing". Every time you check-in at Starbucks on foursquare between June 1-10th, they will donate $1 to the Global Fund.
This article raises an interesting question...Do you think passive forms of charity detach us from moral responsibility?
Or do you think the ease of donating through something like foursquare will increase the number of participants?

Twitter is Re-branding: What do you think?!

Here is a video describing the development of Twitter's new logo--and an article, too. What do you think?

LinkedIn info

After hearing Dr. Mishra talk about Brenda Bernstein in class- I located her on linkedin and "made friends".  Here is her email to me with some great info about building your summary. 

Thanks for connecting with me Faith! Dr. Mishra is a valued colleague of mine and I'm glad you have the opportunity to learn from him.

In looking at your LinkedIn profile, I noticed you don’t have a Summary -- you could do a great job of marketing yourself in that section! The Essay Expert offers LinkedIn Summary writing services at http://theessayexpert.com/services-rates/linkedin-profiles/profile-writing . And did you know you can change your public profile URL to a “vanity” URL that ends with your name and not numbers? Just click “Edit” in the Public Profile section in the Edit menu, and then click on “Customize your public profile URL.”

I hope this tip is useful and that my advice continues to help you create a KILLER LinkedIn profile!

Also, if you are interested in my free LinkedIn e-book, I invite you to sign up for my e-list at http://www.TheEssayExpert.com or purchase the book in Kindle format on Amazon.com www.amazon.com/KILLER-LinkedIn-Profile-Mistakes-ebook/product-reviews/B007708HJC/ .

Sincerely yours,
Brenda Bernstein
http://www.TheEssayExpert.com
We’re the writing help you’ve been looking for.

"We Love it Here!"

I promised to share this link in class on Tuesday.  This is my company's attempt to reach the younger generation and intertest them in working for Schneider!!

Way too funny Video

-Pam Burr

LinkedIN passwords compromised

Thought you might want to read this.

SEO Upset- the Google Penguin release

I chatted with a colleague this morning who works with SEO and he said that the new Penguin release of google search has really upset the SEO Professionals.

Interesting article on this:

http://www.searchenginejournal.com/shift-in-seo-knowledge-experience-priorities-in-a-post-penguin-and-post-panda-world/44471/

It seems that each time Google changes it's algorithms, it can impact SEO results and SEO experts struggle to find strategies to help their clients.

The article says that quality content and natural links are the 2 key principles for SEO overall.

Ad Invasion!

The advertising started again on my radio this morning.  I had to share!  I've never seen anything like this!



Please comment - can you post the top 3 reasons in your comment?

Here is the question in the survey our group that isn't working, so here is the questions if you can possibly post your answer in a comment. To save time, please just list your top three only:

*4. What made you select the Meredith College MBA program over the others? (Please rank in order of importance, with 1 as the highest importance).
a. AACSB Accreditation
b. The information sessions convinced me of the value of the program
c. Location in downtown Raleigh convenient
d. Networking - flexibility to meet more people since it’s a non-contiguous program
e. Flexibility of taking one or more classes per semester
f. Value of a cost-effective program
g. Other - please comment______________________


Thanks for your help!

Hi, all
please check this out to and let me know what you think.

thanks
Chi

Disney to cut junk food advertising from its platforms .

http://www.kens5.com/news/health/Disney-to-cut-junk-food-advertising-from-its-platforms-157239085.html

Hi, all

Here is the video I posted on YouTube for my digital marketing project. Please feel free to give your suggestions.




thanks all
Chi

The New Yahoo!

I ran across this article today on msnbc.com.  Twice in one day I have read that Facebook will potentially become the "new Yahoo!".  The article discuss points we have made in class for weeks now, without monetizing mobile or increasing ad sales, Facebook will have a problem growing.  Maybe our class should publish our own marketing editorial website! 

Have you used Mingly?

I was reading MediaBistro this morning and came across an article on Mingly. Have any of you used Mingly? What do you think?

Craigslist Phone Verify or Not

http://www.articlesbase.com/social-marketing-articles/craigslist-phone-verify-or-not-644221.html

Here is a link to an article about Craigslist and spamming I would like to discuss in class.  This was interesting to me as I use Criagslist to both buy and sell quite frequently.  A few things to discuss:


1) Does the idea of having to verify your post with phone verification turn you off to Craigslist?

2) Do you see any way that they can stop the spamming and make this a site that is still effective and spam free?  Or can it be safe when you are posting personal information?

3) Should Craiglist start using more paid advertising?  Would this cause spammers to advertise more and spam less?

New Revenue...From Allowance?

On my way to work this morning I heard a news story on NPR about Facebook testing ideas of allowing children under age 13 to sign-up for accounts.  Currently, the company prohibits this.  I have had many discussions with my daughter concerning why I think it is bad for her to have a Facebook page at age ten.  I searched for additional news articles that discussed these trials. 

According to an article on cbsnews.com (found here), many are accusing Facebook of using children as a new revenue stream to increase the stock price; however, the company insists this was in the works over a year ago. 

What are your thoughts?  Would you let your child create a page?

Not clear for Takeoff: Delta's PR snafu

http://www.traderdaily.com/06/not-clear-for-takeoff-deltas-pr-snafu/?utm_source=BX&utm_medium=SMO&utm_campaign=BX&utm_content=ContentPost

Just something I thought was interesting.  $1.65 Billion in baggage fees.

Facebook and younger users

I am not trying to bash on Facebook, but I came across this article today and thought it would generate some interesting conversation.  In light of the recent posts, please post your thoughts about Facebook’s plans to build technology that would allow children under 13 to register for the site and give their parents some control over how their kids may use it.

For tomorrow's class - new way to market. PART 1

Here is my article

 press release Marketo new product

for discussion in tomorrow's class regarding viral marketing. Please read and consider the following questions for discussion.

1) It appears that Marketo has figured out the high value of using many different media types to reach the most people. Do you think other companies will be standing in line to buy? Do you know of any other company that offers this type of marketing?

2) I know we have discussed at length the effectiveness of online ads, but what do you think about the ability to quickly create promotions on social networks? Will people buy?

3) Would your company benefit from this? Will only certain companies purchase? Who and why?

See you all tomorrow- Faith

For tomorrow's class - new way to market? PART 2

In addition to press release about Marketo's newest product offering, please read the following article. This article isn't a press release, but offers some background on Marketo and the company's mission to help streamline the process of identifying customers- something that is key in successful marketing but difficult to measure online. Hopefully this background will help when reading the press release about the newest Marketo product offering.

We will discuss tomorrow. 

Analytics Article for 6.5.12 Class Discussion

I would like to share the following ROI and Social Media article in class this Tuesday.  It can be difficult to integrate Social Media into B2B marketing strategies and the majority of our class discussions have focused on B2C digital marketing. 

How many of us work in a B2B environment?
How does your B2B company utilize digital marketing?
What does success look like and how is it measured?

-Pam Burr

Ding Dong the Witch is Dead

Interesting mini article about FB turning into a Yahoo! or Myspace type of company in the future.

Anti-Social Networking

I found this interesting website about the impact technology has on child development.  While technology offers great convenience and the younger generation is very fluent in the use of technology in their daily lives, there can be a negative side effect.  Check out this website!

Here is just a short list of some surprising stats this site has to offer:

• The total amount of media use by youth ages 8 to 18 averages 6-plus hours a day—more than any other activity.
• The amount of use has increased significantly, up from 4-plus hours in the last five years.
• Fifty-four percent of teens send text messages, and one third of teens send more than 100 text messages per day.

-Pam Burr

900 Million users and democracy

Interesting article about Facebook trying to use its data and likes for outside advertising and sending it out to its users for a vote. This could be the end of FB because it will fall to the will of its 900 users and not be able to use its data that it accrues to market things.  Here is the article.

Socialnomics

by Erik Qualman

Social Media ROI Examples & Video

This article and video is based on Chapter Ten of Erik Qualman's Socialnomics book and provides relevant data attempting to answer the two most common ROI questions: 

• What is the ROI of Social Media?
• How do I measure the ROI of social media? 

His response is: "The ROI of social media is that in five years your company will still exist". He also stresses out the fact that "there is not a choice in whether to do social medial; the choice is how well you do it."; and in an effort to measure ROI, companies are incorrectly using inappropriate tools and measurements. He indicates that 'social media is something the likes of which we haven't seen, so he prefers to ask " What does or will success look like?".

Watch the video and let's discuss on Tuesday.

Article for online discussion: how to review a potential SEO agency

The real title for this article is jazzed up to be, "6 Sure-fire signs that your SEO sucks". The article, though, is really about the challenge that most marketing professionals have when reviewing and hiring firms that claim to be SEO Experts.

Please check it out here.

A question to ponder - how would you assess a potential vendor to handle your company's SEO efforts?

A key risk with outsourcing these efforts is mentioned in the article; the firm may use blackhat strategies which may backfire and have google blocking your site.

Mobile Gift Cards

We talked briefly about using our mobile phones as a digital wallet (as I do with my Starbucks app), but how do you feel about sending mobile gift cards to friends & family?

Is this the wave of the future? Is it easier than carrying many cards around in your wallet? Will retailers have a competitive advantage if they participate and their competitors do not?

Snap your finger and stomp your feet were going class action with this beat

Facebook and all the investment bankers are getting sued, check it out!

Pillars fo successful viral

    This short article discusses the four pillars of viral marketing, what do you think?

Marketing Analytics - Is anyone using these??

This article talks about the huge percentage of firms who DON'T use marketing analytics. 

1)      It appears that companies are placing greater value on marketing analytics – judging by the huge increase in the budgets said to be committed for the next three years.  Given this increase in funds (and implication that firms think that marketing analytics are important) are you surprised by the overwhelming percentage of firms that don’t use currently use marketing analytics?  What are some alternative reasons that firms may have not used analytics in the past?

2)      With the increase in use the marketing analytics, how do you foresee marketing departments changing?  Do you see a future job market for those who can use these analytics to steer marketing campaigns?

Pinterest Resume??

Can all that time on Pinterest really land you a job?  I found this article about a Pinterest resume 
that discusses the creative ways folks are looking for jobs out there.  Think this would work for you?  What kind of jobs would this be best for?

The Long Tail

If you haven't heard of Chris Anderson yet, it is worth spending a few minutes to listen to/watch his Ted Talk.

Chris is the editor-in-chief of Wired Magazine and has written a book called, "The Long Tail." A synopsis of his book is here.

Basically, here are his points:
--The lower the cost of distribution, the more you can economically offer without having to predict demand;
--The more you can offer, the greater the chance that you will be able to tap latent demand for minority tastes; and
--Aggregate enough minority taste, and you may find a new market (in the long tail).

Because there is more room for more inventory in the online world (as opposed to a retail store with a finite amount of space), the long tail allows internet retailers to cater to a wider variety of tastes.

Do you agree?

Do you see this as a good thing for online retailers?

Do you see other outcomes from this in the online space?

New language of Web 2.0?

Something seemed a little off with this article. I am not sure if this was intended or the new language of Web 2.0.   Let me know your thoughts.

Thursday laugh of the day

This is always funny!

But after the hype and media machine that is Hollywood came out with the blockbuster stinker in Battleship I think that this should be made into a movie and looks just about as compelling.

Mobilizing the sheep that are people on social media

This is an interesting Geo-tagging app and the article to go along with to try and get people to check in more often and give companies more advertising by social media and word of mouth. But it is unfortunately again poorly executed because it doesn't give enough incentive to drive business. I would say it could be very useful if used correctly, but geo-tagging by signing in is something people do or they don't do. I would say giving incentive to do this is just going to get a lot of people checking in without buying anything. You need people to buy stuff for you to be a viable business. Tech bubble part deux here we come!!!!!!!!!

Tweet Deck and Hootsuite

Here is a guide for TweetDeck and Hootsuite.

Hootsuite is a multi-platform social media controller similar to what Kurt was looking for, both are mediocre but TweetDeck is owned by twitter and Hootsuite is used by Fortune 500 companies

Hootsuite is more useful for a marketeer in my mind, but it also has some mind numbingly dumb features. Check them out they are useful tools.

Google+ Don't you just want to know more?

I found this useful business article that says its necessary for branding and SEO, so some of you might find that interesting.

Also, I found this article about how to use it personally. Google+ is literally every social media site mashed together while optimizing you search results. The biggest draw back is how the interface is laid out, but from the many YouTube videos and articles I have read about Google+ it actually gets much better the more you use it. Unlike Facebook which seems to get worse anytime Mark Z. decides its a good time to change from one thing to the next. Well happy reading?!?

Mobile ads's promise eludes FB, others

Just what we were talking about--popping up in USA Today. Are mobile ads effective? Not so clear.

With mobile traffic up, this is going to have to be figured out. Any ideas?

Survey for our class

Can you possibly take 5-10 minutes to help us with our group project? Candance, Kurt, Rocio and I are working on a digital marketing audit of the Meredith College MBA Program.

If you can, please take a short survey:

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/LB5XQRN

Thank you in advance for your consideration.

Marketing Automation Software - Marketo

We just implemented new software to help us better nuture leads before sending them to the sales team. It's primarily email marketing on steroids-- you set-up campaigns based on actions that the reader takes.

Ex - if your customer clicks on the link about a certain topic, a follow-up lead nuturing email might be a link to a free e-book on the same topic or video on the same topic. After a series of emails, the prospect is then sent a call to action to evaluate your company's product or service.

I really like this blog post and presentation by the CEO of Marketo - a leading vendor of what is coined "marketing automation software". It's only automated though, after months of hard work writing all the content and mapping out a detailed hierarchy of events.

here's the link to Demand Generation Secret Sauce

Have you obtained lead nuturing campaigns from companies you engaged with online? Does your company nuture leads proactively before punting over to the sales team?

Coke Freestyle

So, here is more about the Coke Freestyle machine. From Fast Company.

It has its own facebook page. What do you think?

Here is a review on serious eats from someone who was very deliberate in tasting each and every flavor.

If you want to follow them on twitter, @ccfreestyle

What do you think of this integrated approach? Is this push or pull? Will a true fan use the app to seek out where they can get it? Will you?!

SPAM: A Cheap Protein Supplement

Thought you might enjoy this article from Bloomberg. I talked a little about it last night.

How is your Pinterest Board being viewed?

How is your Pinterest article being viewed?

Tumblr

The first day of class, someone asked about Tumblr and I have not spent much time on that site, but just came across this article, an interview with the founder, so thought you might be interested.

Here is one example of how Tumblr is used. A recent State of Things story talked about how students at Duke used Tumblr to ask questions about feminism and got responses from around the world.

What do you think? Is Tumblr different from other blogging or story-telling platforms?

Interesting Facebook Article

I found this little article about marketing specifically with Facebook. Interesting read enjoy.

The Facebook Fallacy



This is the link to the article I will be discussing in class tonight. It's a long article, but there is a lot of interesting information in it.

Pinterest Holiday Ideas!

For Tuesday’s class:

Since it was just Memorial Day weekend, this article highlights ideas from Pinterest that were pinned across the US. This is more of a lighter article to discuss but it highlighted really cool ideas.

1.      If you are on Pinterest, did you see any cool ideas that people did for Memorial Day? Even if you aren't on pinterest were there any games or activities that you did that you would like to share?

2.      Do you think Pinterest and other social media sites will continue to stimulate and cycle trends that people across the globe come up with?

3.      What are some fun ideas for other holidays or special occasions that have spiraled off from Pinterest or other social media?

Article: What's the Future of Mobile Search & SEO

In this article, on SEOMOZ, the blogger takes a stance that is slightly cynical with regard to mobile marketing. He thinks that mobile marketing is important, but that there isn't really a need to create a completely different mobile version of your website to be effective.

Furthermore, he says that the types of searches on mobile are very similar to those run on laptops or desktop computers-- usually local searches.

Here's the article on this week's theme of Mobile Marketing:

http://www.seomoz.org/blog/whats-the-future-of-mobile-search-and-seo

A few questions to ponder via this blog:

1- Do you agree with the author that most companies don't need to spend money or time in creating a mobile version of their site?
2- Why/why not?
3- Do you think that web searches on mobile devices are as similar to desktop searches, based on your personal experience?

Do Customers Really Scan QR Codes?

http://bx.businessweek.com/mobile-marketing/view?url=http%3A%2F%2Ftommartin.typepad.com%2Fpositive_disruption%2F2012%2F05%2Fqr-code-case-study-sears.html%3Futm_source%3DBusinessWeek%26utm_medium%3Daggregator%26utm_campaign%3DSearsPost


Here is a link speaking to the usefulness of QR Codes. When reading this article, what are your thoughts about the following:

1)  Do you ever actually scan QR codes and where do you normally see them that draw your attention?

2)  Do you think that the problems Sears ran in to were caused by the locations they placed their ads for their QR codes or was it due to the fact that they have so much competition and/or they are not a leading store when compared to purchases from such places as Amazon, Toys-R-Us, etc?

3)  Are you more likely to use QR codes or URL when using your smartphone for shopping or visiting particular websites?

NYT article: "Fab.com and the Value of Online Word of Mouth"

This article summarizes the meteoric rise of Fab.com. It's a one year-old "social retailer" expecting to make $140M this up coming year. Pretty much everything we've reviewed in class is covered in this article.

The book I'm reading, "The New Rules of PR and Marketing," would summarize the social networking culture as being open and forthcoming in order to gain interest then attract revenue. This private company does just that and provides many of its financials and metrics online in the founder's blog!

The Ethics of Advertising: The TARES Test

The TARES Test analyzes:

1. Truthfulness: Is the information complete and accurate? Or, is it cluttered with phony phrases or half-truths that confuse the reader?

2. Authenticity: Is the ad created with personal integrity? Do you think the creator of the ad would be willing to identify him or herself publicly?

3. Respect: Does the message respect the reader? Does it help the reader to make good choices?

4. Equity: Does it treat people fairly? Is there equality between the creator of the ad and the reader in terms of understanding, insight, and experience?

5. Socially Responsible: Is the communication generally truthful? Is it serving the broader public interest and common good? Does it contribute to the health of society?

Overall, is this an Ethical Ad? Should it have been run/published?

First of all, what do you think about the ad here? How would you evaluate it using the TARES test? Ethical or not?

Second, does this test differ in the digital realm? Do we have different standards when there is greater access to an ad and there are fewer restrictions in place, such as where a child might see an ad or when or what time? In the digital realm, openness and transparency make it more likely that anything unethical is more likely to be seen by more people. Should there be a higher standard? Or not?