Half of the Most Popular Websites Are Social Media
October 31, 2007 | Leave a Comment
If you're new here, and interested in the latest news and insights on social media marketing, you may want to subscribe to our RSS feed. Thanks for visiting Ignite Social Media.
E-marketer is reporting today on the most popular websites in the world, ranked by page views. This is from September 2007. Half of the most popular websites are social media. The other half are search-centric (if you count MSN.com as search… Microsoft probably does. I do not.)
Some quick comments on the 8 most popular websites in the world:
1) Yahoo: Search. They stay at number one by combining a lot of elements into one. News, email, search… Works for them. Not a good strategy to try to replicate for others though.
2) MySpace: Social media. Still the number one social network in terms of page views and in terms of income, although Facebook continues its surge. Look for MySpace to shake up the game in the next 60-90 days.
3) Google: Search. 60% market share in searches. Buying the rest of the e-world (except Facebook). Not much more to say.
4) Facebook: Social media. Continues to grow. Now that Microsoft owns 1.6%, that’ll probably kill it. (kidding). Here’s my page.
5) Orkut: Social media. Google’s social networking play. They’ve grown much more overseas than in the U.S., at least so far.
6) Live.com: Search. Look, Microsoft search looks like Google, about 6 years too late. This site would never make the top 10 if Microsoft didn’t have a zillion properties to link to it.
7) MSN.com: Search/Content. For some reason, this is one of my 4 home pages. A good mix of content and a search engine I personally avoid like the plague.
YouTube.com: Social media. Love those videos. So does everyone else.
More proof that people are expecting to engage with content, not just read it.
Using Social Media to Build Brands
October 30, 2007 | 1 Comment
There are a lot of different social media executions that we’ve covered here. We’ve shown “what not to do” so we can learn from other’s social media missteps - but we’ve also tried to cover social media executions that are worthwhile, mainly to show that social media when executed properly can build brands.
That’s why I wanted to share the latest company that I’ve seen using social media to build their brand - Hewlett Packard. While they have executed blogs, podcasts, and have overall embraced social media - I’ve been impressed with their branded widget - because I truly feel it gives us a lesson in how to build effective brands in the space of social
media.
Now you may be thinking - how can a widget build a brand? Usually widgets are just one tool in the social media toolbox. However, in this case it serves a powerful use that demands review and reflection. Below are some lessons that we can learn from this:
1. Social Media can be branded, but must encourage adoption - While social media isn’t usually the place to whip out your 30 sec. TV spot, practice your sales pitch, or bombard your audience with your message - it is okay for it to be branded. As you see, HP doesn’t hide that it is offering the widget, but it tastefully places its logo to inform its users it is the source. At the same time, the adoption of the widget is increased because its brand is neutral enough to not overtake the user’s own website.
2. Social Media Must Answer a Need - I don’t know how many times I’ve spoken about the value proposition - but this widget clearly answers a need of its audience. Yes, it may be more cost effective for HP’s customers to print more, but at the end of the day it has fulfilled a need, and introduced its brand to a larger audience.
3. Social Media Must Inspire Frequency of Use - I can’t count how many times I print posts from other blogs or websites that I want to bring to a meeting, pass around the office, or keep on hand for later. Imagine the free exposure that HP’s brand gains each time this happens? Effective social media should leave your audience coming back for more.
The above jpg shows how the widget enables its users to select and print multiple posts efficiently and effectively. If you are interested in using it for your own site, you can get it here.
Ignite Featured in Canadian Marketing Magazine
October 29, 2007 | 3 Comments
Ignite Social Media was featured prominently in an article on social media agencies in a Canadian marketing magazine. The article reads, in part:
Outside of PR shops, there simply aren’t many agencies specializing in social media, adds Jim Tobin, president of North Carolina-based shop Ignite Social Media. Before launching his agency earlier this month, Tobin went looking for shops that would be his competitors in the field. “I found fewer than 10 in the U.S. There’s not many out there.”
A version of the article is posted on a blog site here.
Using StumbleUpon for More than A Quick Break
October 29, 2007 | Leave a Comment
I’ve been using StumbleUpon for a while now and thought of it only really for two things:
1. A fun way to take a quick 5-minute break and laugh, learn something or give a thumbs down to a clumsy marketing effort; and
2. An interesting way to drive traffic to our site.
Now, thanks to a great post by Caroline Middlebrook, I realize that StumbleUpon is much more than that. You can use SU to connect with like-minded people if you just spend a little more attention to the StumbleUpon toolbar than I’ve been doing so far.
Here’s Caroline’s process, in a nutshell:
1. StumbleUpon a particular channel that interests you, or Stumble by keywords;
2. Pay attention to who submitted the Stumble’s that are of interest to you and check out their profile.
3. Look at their tag clouds to see how interested they are in the topic you’ve found.
4. Connect with those who are most interesting, keeping in mind SU’s 200-friend limit.
The above is my SU tag cloud. Apparently I like bizarre, and advertising and marketing and internet tools. Interesting.
There’s lots in Caroline’s post, even if you don’t want to build a big SU friends network. For one, Stumbling by keyword or channel is a great idea when you’re looking for that next blog post.
Have you used StumbleUpon in any unique ways like this?
Using Social Media in an Emergency- Google Mashups and Twitter
October 25, 2007 | Leave a Comment
The fires in California once again remind us of a need for improved communication in the case of emergencies. So far, reverse 911 calls have been distributed via cell phones and landlines to notify residents of the impending fires and to warn of evacuations.
I must say - integrating cell phone communication shows a step in the right direction. But as I went to look for directions yesterday I noticed a small link that said, “Map of California wildfire updates from KPBS“.
What I found was a Google Mashup by the radio station KPBS that gave an updated map of the latest fires, evacuation centers, safe areas of return, road closings, and the latest advisories. Interesting information for me to view, but crucial information for those who are making decisions amidst a crisis.
And in addition to the Google Map integration, I found the station is also using Twitter to send information via SMS - allowing residents to see pertinent information in real time and another step toward preventing evacuation center over-fill and traffic delays from road closings.
This is a profound use of social media technologies. I must applaud KPBS for thinking past traditional media and crossing into these new technologies. I have a feeling this may change emergency communication entirely.
Ignite Social Media Hires Gene Smith as Senior Technologist
October 23, 2007 | Leave a Comment
Jim Tobin, president of Ignite Social Media, announced today the hiring of Gene Smith as Senior Technologist. Gene joined Ignite, the first social media agency in North Carolina, in mid-October.
Email Providers Jump on Social Media Bandwagon
October 23, 2007 | 2 Comments
An article from the Wall Street Journal announced that web service providers (Yahoo, AOL, etc) are adding social media features such as tracking friends and creating personal profile pages.
According to the article, these social media additions are a move by email service providers to increase competition and gain back market share that is being lost through social networks like Facebook.
So the question is - Will these “me too” tactics pay off?
This is debatable. Jumping on the social media bandwagon is easy and sometimes profitable, but at the heart of a social media success is inevitably and always disturbingly the value proposition.
After all, Facebook users use the network’s contact features instead of email for many reasons, some that include its convenience, it’s informality, and the ability to connect with friends, family, or acquaintances regardless of contact information or email service provider.
So, for these email service providers to really increase market share, instead of offering nifty features for its current members in an attempt to steal users from Facebook and MySpace, it must be willing to consider how to better integrate these applications into them. They must answer questions like: If a user has a profile on Facebook, will they be able to pull it into an email service provider’s social media application? Or at the very least, will users be able to pull in contacts from their Facebook and MySpace accounts?
Using Social Media as Part of a Product Launch
October 22, 2007 | 9 Comments
Conventional wisdom about social media marketing includes a few truisms, among them:
1. Social media marketing is a slow, steady burn.
2. It’s hard to turn social media marketing all the way up, like you can with a big ad buy or a big PR push.
3. Social media marketing isn’t about selling, it’s about talking about the topic and hoping sales will gravitate to you.
Something Joseph Jaffe has been doing all day Sunday turns that conventional wisdom on its ear. Joseph has a new book, called Join the Conversation, a fact I learned because I follow him on Twitter. I’ve not read it yet, but it’s in the same area as the book I’m finishing up.
So he has a new book. He wants to sell them. He wants to sell a lot, quickly. So he thinks, I guess, “I’m pretty well versed on this social networking/social media stuff. What if I unleash all of it at once? Maybe I can sell a bunch of books all at once and shoot up the best seller charts at Amazon.com.” Ok, gotta give him props. That’s brilliant. Here’s what he’s done that you can learn from:
1. Set up a Facebook event, even though it’s not a traditional “event”
2. Do some video blogging to explain what you’re doing and, heck, plug your customer while you’re at it.
3. Be available using audio chat using Skype
4. Do blogging and podcasting about it.
5. Provide a feedback loop (in his case, writing on the Facebook event wall).
According to his Twitter feed, it’s working well. He’s currently at #26 overall and is the second best selling business book, behind only Alan Greenspan. That’s pretty cool.
So what did Joseph do to kick-start his book sales using a social media marketing campaign? Here are the lessons:
1. He built personal credibility online, well before he wanted anything. (515 people, including me, follow him on Twitter.)
2. He used a wide variety of tools and unleashed them all at once.
3. He made it fun and made it feel like a big group activity even though he’s the sole beneficiary. (He is donating the affiliate fees today, which is nice, but honestly, this benefits only him.)
4. He didn’t pretend to be doing anything other than what he was doing.
5. He didn’t ask anything too hard–you’re just buying a book, which is likely to be pretty decent.
These lessons go well beyond book selling. You can use social media to kick off a campaign after all, IF you follow these rules and IF you’ve invested in the space properly before you do. If you’re a chief marketing officer (CMO) still waiting to figure this whole social media thing out, the boat is sailing. Jump on board now and start figuring it out. If you don’t know how, get help. Call me. It’s what we do. (Gratuitous plug…)
I haven’t bought Join the Conversation yet, but since it’s a topic I’m very interested in and since I’ve got to give Joseph props for being clever enough to figure out this little ploy of his, I think I’ll go buy it now, and write on his wall…
The Basics of Online Reputation Management
October 19, 2007 | 1 Comment
As a social media agency, we have mostly gotten inquires from companies who are a) Not sure if or how they should enter social media or b) They have been thrown into social media and need some help.
More unfortunate are the companies that get thrown in. Take Dell for instance. From a disgruntled blogger Jeff Jarvis came an onslaught of negative blog reactions and a case study that has been referred to since as “Dell Hell“. Or ask Kryptonite bike locks, who are still suffering (at least in web presence) from bloggers revealing that its locks could be picked with a Bic pen.
In my opinion, the most unfortunate part of a company “getting thrown in” is that it often restricts social media tactics to damage control. The crisis communication plan doesn’t have “blogging” anywhere in it, there often isn’t a clear communication channel established, and as a result it takes companies days or weeks to respond.
With an increased emphasis on real-time communication, customers are bloggers - and they are expecting companies to respond in the same medium. So the question exists - are you ready? If you were thrown in - would your company sink or swim?
In order to help get you and your company on the right path (or to see how many of these you’ve gotten right), I’ve excerpted verbatim the 5 pillars of online reputation management from an excellent post from ViperChill:
-
- Taking Stock – Before you can take any effective steps toward ensuring a better digital brand, you will need to monitor the existing situation, i.e. your existing online presence. You would need to know what people are saying about your company, a good way to do this is by setting up Google Alerts for relevant phrases and, of course, your company name. This way, you can stay up to speed about what people are saying about you.You can find more in our post about 5 free Brand Monitoring solutions.
- Analyze your Online Presence within the SERPS – With the web moving more toward user generated content and search engines which now update their indexes more frequently, it’s not uncommon to find a negative comment or blog post in the SERPS for a particular keyword. Something like a company scandal similar to the Media 24 Scandal can live on the Google front page for months. You therefore need to keep an eye on you and your competitor’s search engine environment.
- Gain Points with Optimization – Correctly optimizing your site for search engines mean that your site will rank higher for important key terms therefore preventing any negative publicity from rearing it’s ugly head on the first page or the SERPS.A good idea is also to link out to positive resources on your brand to help them rank for your name aswell.
- Get your Hands Dirty - As a brand, you would also need to actively participate in social networks and online communities through blog posts, forums and social networking sites like Facebook. For example, commenting on blogs will help paint your brand in a positive light as a large percentage of consumers turn to blogs when looking for advice on whether or not to try new brands, etc. This can also help in terms of responding to any negative criticism that has been written about you.
- Wash, Rinse, Repeat – It should be noted that online reputation management is not a once-off but only effective an ongoing process. Be proactive and understand the consumer’s perception of your brand and your organization when choosing an online reputation management strategy. “
What Should a Social Media Marketing Campaign Cost?
October 18, 2007 | 2 Comments
Since we formally announced the launch of this social media agency we call Ignite, we’ve been swamped with calls from companies asking how we can help them. Some have very specific questions and are well-informed on what they’d like to do. Others have an understanding that the social media marketing space is critically important, but they’re not sure how it can help them, how much it costs, etc. In this post, I’ll try to give some rough cost guidance. 
First of all, asking how much a social media marketing campaign should cost is a lot like asking how much an advertising campaign or a PR campaign costs. An ad campaign can cost $5,000 or it can cost $250,000,000. A PR campaign can cost $2,500 a month or it can cost $100,000 a month. So it really depends on two factors:
- How much do you need to do? and
- How much can you afford to do?
Social media marketing isn’t for everyone. But it can work for lots of types of companies. And when it works for you, it works in different ways. So how much do you need to do is a question that we simply need to work through individually.
I told one company yesterday that they should probably allocate their budget in other ways; social media marketing wasn’t going to be their best ROI. I told another company yesterday that they should allocate a significant portion of their budget toward a few different social media marketing efforts. There is no pat answer.
As for how much can you afford, that’s a standard series of questions:
- How much is your marketing budget overall?
- What tactics are you using already and how are they working?
- What percentage of your overall budget should be redirected to social media marketing.”
That might be 5% of your budget or it might be 100% of your budget. Again: it depends.B.L. Ochman has a good post on her site about general costs. In it, she says that you can do an effective campaign for as little as $50,000. And that she’s done other campaigns that cost $500,000 for three months.
That range seems about right to me. We can build you “tools” (sites, widgets, networks) for much less than $50,000. (They can also cost much more than $50,000.) But you can’t really do a campaign unless you have a team out there working it properly. And while much of social media is “free”, time (whether it’s yours or ours) never is.
The right answer very much depends on your situation. So take a look at your overall marketing budget, your target audience and your goals and call me or someone like me to figure out what’s right for you.
If you’re run your own campaigns and want to share rough budget ideas, feel free to talk about them in the comments section below.