5 Social Media Trends that Need to Die
October 31, 2008 | 9 Comments
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In the spirit of Halloween, I want to do some grave digging for some aspects of social media that are really starting to stink. These things are all, in my opinion, superfluous, outrageous, and annoying. Sure, plenty of them are still palatable to social media marketing, and though there is some life left in these zombies, their time is just around the corner.
Email Forwards - These social media dinosaurs are nearly extinct, but they will still not cease to annoy me from time to time. Sure, they are the foundation of how things started spreading virally in the first place, but times have changed and so have technologies. While I don’t think everyone’s parents need to be on Facebook or Twitter yet, I did tell mine that I would no longer read any epic email of some “heartwarming” story or awful joke. There are better platforms out there for aggregating content, and while I know most marketers are hopefully smarter than this by now, it still makes me cringe every time I see [FWD: This is hilarious!] make its way into my inbox. I don’t need any attachments, I don’t want propoganda, and I certainly don’t want some enormous PowerPoint presentation to remind me to vote. Send me a link on Twitter, and maybe I’ll read it, but please, stop clogging up my inbox.
Rick Rolling - Sorry Rick, but I do want to give you up, and I do want to say goodbye. Rick reached his peak recently when he was up for a Best Act Ever award for MTV Europe, and voting took place online. Quickly, voting was hacked and sites like Best Act Ever sprouted up in hopes that Web 2.0 could make this joke never die. Please, Internet, I beg you: Let it go. The first few times I was RickRolled, I laughed, said oh you got me, and shook my head. I even scored big on April 1st by grifting my friends multiple times, and YouTube made it easier. But seriously, it is no longer funny. Other things that need to be buried along with Rick: Dramatic Prariedog, Chocolate Rain, and funny raps.
Wannabes and Killers - Plurk, Rejaw, Scribefire, and other self proclaimed platform killers are doing their best to stay ahead of the game. Unfortunately, there are still plenty of people moving to Twitter and getting used to it for there to be a “Twitter Killer” just yet. Sure, Twitter is hardly perfect, but it has time to improve. Don’t try to reinvent the wheel before the darn thing even starts rolling. Part of the reason Wordpress and Blogspot are so successful is because they have suffered through the test of time. With new platforms emerging left and right, people are going to check out what’s new– but if others aren’t there to participate, the killers themselves are the ones who are bound to die. If you don’t believe me, check out Jim’s post on Twitter Killers. New social networking sites might be the ones who suffer the most, because when you are trying to compete with giants like Facebook and Myspace, you’re not going to have much luck. If you are going to go for it, at least try something different.
“Pimped Out” Profiles - MySpace is ugly enough as it is. Please stop making it uglier. Putting up sparkly icons, silly fonts, ridiculously large pictures and dreadful color schemes are the cardinal sins of profile creation, so unless you are 14, please keep it clean. There are more examples to count out there, but please don’t give me any more reasons to NOT visit your profile. If you think you can stand to see something really scary this Halloween, check out SoyBuddha’s Myspace profile. I sincerely hope this is a joke, but if it isn’t— dear Lord help us.
Denying It - When I tell people what I do, I get one of two looks: a smile and response of “oh, cool!” or the look a puppy might give you when you explain to him in detail the tenets of quantum physics. Social media is nothing new, and if you aren’t using it yet, you’ll go on surviving, of course, but you’re going to be in the dark completely in a few years. Most of the news I read comes to me from “citizen journalism portals” like Digg or Reddit, and if you ask me if I’ve “seen that video,” the answer is yes, yes I have. You don’t have to be a social media snob to appreciate what social media tools can be good for, but stop denying that it is happening. I had a friend who swore that Twitter was “stupid” for several months, but now he’s louder than I am. Sometimes social media is excessive, but we also can’t deny that it is happening faster than we can possibly imagine. Don’t forget, though, social media is merely the tools we use– we are the builders. So don’t be the grasshopper in the snow.
photo via: Qole Pejorian on flickr
From DrugLords to the CDC: How Mobile Technology is Reshaping the Social Media Landscape
October 30, 2008 | 1 Comment
In today’s technology-driven society, we’re using cell phones to do just about anything, from chatting with Grandma to watching Monday Night Football highlights. When we’re constantly on-the-go, it’s no wonder forgetting to grab our cell phone is kind of like forgetting to pick up the kids from daycare (yikes!).
In the article Flying Fingers: Text-messaging overtakes monthly phone calls, worldwide marketing information giant, The Nielsen Corporation, revealed that people all over the world are using cell phones more than ever. In the U.S. alone, texting has increased by more than 350% since last year. This means that text messages per month now exceed cell phone calls per month (per individual) in the U.S. with the 13-17 age range dominating the texting market. This explosion of text messages, also referred to as SMS messages, is a global phenomenon. Jim’s post Nearly All Young Europeans Use Text Messages shows us that the U.S. has been lagging behind its overseas competitors for awhile now. We haven’t quite caught up, but we’re making significant progress.
Source: Nielsen
So what exactly does all this mean for the future? Well, for one, it demonstrates the expansive accessibility of mobile technology because it is available at our fingertips anywhere, anytime. Companies of all sorts are beginning to realize the increasing capabilities of cell phones and how to stuff them full with as many uses as possible. The future of cell phones seems to be taking us everywhere from mobile online gaming on your iPhone to emergency disaster relief funding.
The mobile gaming world seems to be headed towards the world of LBMMOG, a lengthy acronym that Mashable.com’s Stan Schroeder explains in his post Become a Drug Lord - onYour iPhone. That’s right, you will be able to compete for rule of your neighborhood’s virtual gang land via real-time GPS tracking on your phone.
Source: Mashable
Other organizations and companies like the Centers for Disease Control and Save the Children are utilizing the mobile media boom for socially conscious marketing campaigns. Social marketing blogger Alexandra Rampy, a.k.a. SocialButterfly, efficiently summarizes how these organizations and many others like them are using mobile technology in a variety of ways. The Cool Factor About Mobile shows how text messaging is being used for more than just brief chit chat with friends. Text messaging is being used for conducting research, fundraising, and promoting products and services.
In light of past campus tragedies, universities across the U.S. are also utilizing the functionality of this mass communication method. Colleges, such as my alma mater and Jim’s greatest foe, The University of North Carolina, have implemented emergency text message alerts to more efficiently warn students and faculty of possible campus threats or other emergencies.
Efforts are being made globally to develop text message 
programs aimed at improving peoples’ health, like The University of Auckland Clinical Trials Unit in New Zealand and its partnership with Healthphone Solutions to create a campaign to assist with smoking cessation.
Source: SocialButterfly
There doesn’t seem to be an end in sight to the possibilities of expanding the ever-evolving world of social media. Our thirst for instant-gratification and constant accessibility leaves the door wide open for continued growth of information infiltration from our homes to our pockets.
Social Media Marketing Example #5: ExxonMobil
October 29, 2008 | 1 Comment
Continuing with the series, “26 Social Media Marketing Examples in Detail” we will now look at Exxon Mobil’s efforts in this area:
What are they doing?
- Blogging
- Currently the ExxonMobil site does not host a blog. Instead, it offers its content up in specific categories, with the ability to grab RSS for news feeds. Unfortunately, the site is chunked up into specific content areas which mean some really interesting editorial content (op-eds, speeches, etc) is not available through RSS.
- Podcasting
- Currently the site has a “Speeches” section within the news category on ExxonMobil’s corporate site. In my opinion, this content should also be offered in audio format through a podcast that investors and customers could subscribe to.
- Widgets/Applications
- From my search, ExxonMobil hasn’t created any widgets or applications, however it appears their competitor BP has created an application within Facebook. The “BP Ultimate Rally Challenge” is a fun racing application that has an impressive 4,585 monthly active users. Since ExxonMobil is generally more conservative, I see the opportunity for them to create a useful widget or application for Exxon cardholders and stakeholders (to deliver news, gas deals, etc).
- Social Networking
- ExxonMobil isn’t present within social networking from a corporate standpoint, but as far as customer conversations they are a hot topic. On Facebook alone, the majority of groups are based around boycotting ExxonMobil, with nearly 3,000 members in the group “Don’t buy gas from mobil or exxon”. This shows that Exxon needs to step in and begin reputation management in these areas by creating positive groups around the brand.
- Twitter
- ExxonMobilCorp seemed like a legit effort of Exxon Mobil entering the Twittersphere, but instead it was a fraudulent attempt from an outsider. Exxon Mobil claims that Janet, the woman behind this Twitter account was not a representative of the company, but was evidently doing a great job in her role. Unfortunately, the page is now locked (so her efforts are forever lost). I think this could have been an asset for ExxonMobil going forward, and perhaps could have generated an interesting news angle if Exxon continued Janet’s efforts where she left off (or allowed her to be hired and trained to become the companies social media spokesperson).
- Video
- You Tube: I’m afraid that Exxon Mobil is once again suffering by letting others overtake their presence within social media. As I searched for a You Tube channel, I was able to find many videos about Exxon Mobil, channels created by You Tube users based around Exxon (mostly covering negative press), and zero corporate activity on behalf of ExxonMobil or Exxon. If they were involved, perhaps they could uncover their good works and actions for the environment in an effort to help the public forget about Valdez.
- Videos are found in a “multimedia” section of the site, but these videos are unable to be embedded elsewhere. This is unfortunate, since many of these videos seem as if they are content that could help change the publics perception of ExxonMobil.
The takeaway from this? Sometimes the leap into social media isn’t a choice. It is very clear that ExxonMobil already has a presence within social media, but it won’t become positive or brand building unless they begin becoming part of the conversation.
5 Social Media Treats for Halloween
October 28, 2008 | Leave a Comment
Trick or Treat! I was trying to find a costume for a Halloween party when I found some fun social networks. While Lisa is working on 26 Social Media Marketing Examples, I thought I’d bring you 5 Social Media sites to sweeten your day. Don’t worry there aren’t any tricks!
1. Are You a Hoff Hottie? - David Hasselhoff fans unite! This is the ultimate social network for any fan of the Hoff-man. With over 16,000 members this site is no joke. Members can add widgets like the Hasselhoff slide show, view his videos (though I am certain that his most infamous is absent) and most importantly add a music widget so fans can hear “Looking for Freedom” all day long. Fans can read David’s blog, write their own blogs, talk in the forum or chat room.
2. It’s Bacon! - While its not officially live, Bacon Lover’s Talk packages itself as “a community where you can share, discuss, and participate around all things bacon.” The blog has enticing, artery choking entries like “Chicken Fried Bacon” and a blog roll of other bacon lovers like The Royal Bacon Society. The best part has to be the Bacon pin-up calendar. Who wouldn’t want that on your screen everyday? The site is hosted by Oscar Mayer and it will be interesting to see how they brand themselves on the page.
3. I See Candy In Your Future - Ever want to predict the future? Well Ziitrend.com is the site to give you that chance. Create a topic with various outcomes, and join other Ziibos (members of the community) to vote for predictions. Later you can see how different predictions played out and how well you do at predicting. Some predictions are surprisingly accurate (88% did not believe Facebook would adopt the OpenID system), some are not as accurate (only 15% expected the Google Phone to appear this quarter) and some are just silly (like trying to predict the stock market).
4. Do You Know Who Your Dog’s Friends Are?- One would think that animals are incapable of joining social networks. However, these non-human fur balls have jumped on the social media bandwagon evidenced by the fact that I am a friend of a dog on Facebook. Now more animal friendly sites like Dogster and MyDogSpace have showed up. Now your pet can friend other pets on multiple networks. Owners can chat about health and care, breed, and even adopt more lovable companions. Don’t have a dog? Don’t worry! There are multiple places for cats, ponies, and even hamsters.
5. More than Just Kicks - How much do you love your shoes? Personally, I wear one pair until the soles slap the pavement. But if I had other pairs then I might showcase them at Sneakerplay.com. Upload your shoes, browse other footware, and discuss all things street fashion. The most interesting thing seems to be Sneaker Battles. Sneakers go head to head and all results are tallied into a master ranking. A fun site with a lot of advertising backing from companies like Nike and EA.
Of course with sites like Ning allowing users to create their own niche sites, I am sure there are some zanier sites out there. What are some of your favorite social sites?
Have a safe and Happy Halloween!
New Research: Consumers Like Social Media Marketing
October 27, 2008 | 5 Comments
New data from a survey of 1,092 consumers by Opinion Research Corporation found that 85% of social media users thought companies should interact with them through social media. This is strong validation for social media marketing. Consumers, tired of being shouted at, are ok with properly managed social media marketing campaigns like those we do for our clients.
Emarketer reported the results of the study. Only 7% of people felt companies should not be in social media at all, while another 8% felt that it would be ok for companies to have a presence but not interact. (I’m not sure I really understand that perspective, but ok…). 51% felt that social media marketing was ok if the interaction was somewhat limited and the last 34% felt companies should go all in.
I can tell you first hand that companies are jumping into this space rapidly, but another survey puts some numbers on the trend. Online retailers are naturally early to the game, and a plurality are choosing Facebook, followed closely by MySpace and YouTube.
I’m glad consumers are accepting the early entries, even though some of the initial social media marketing examples have been a bit clumsy. My hope is that as professionals in this space, we continue to earn this trust by not turning this into spam.
The Scariest SEO Conference Ever is Friday!
October 23, 2008 | Leave a Comment
Today I will be jet setting down to the tropical state of Florida to present at ScarySEO. It is a small mini-con lasting 2 days with many upincoming bright minds in the field of SEO, SEM and Social Media. This is the first of hopefully many more Scary SEO’s, and I wanted to give a big thanks to Dave and Jordan for putting this all together.
To see the full agenda check out Scary SEO.
In case you were curious who is speaking at the conference here is the list:
- Jeff Quipp
- David Snyder
- Jordan Kasteler
- Martin Bowling
- Loren Baker
- Brian Chappell
- John Carcutt
- Ross Dunn
- Brian Carter
- Chris Hart
- Brandy Eddings
- Carolyn Shelby
- Rhea Drysdale
- Pamela Lund
Also, I encourage anybody who has some spare change lying around to donate to the IM Charity Party. All proceeds go to the Ronald McDonald house!
Social Media Marketing Example #4: Del Monte Foods
October 20, 2008 | 2 Comments
Because of brand recognition, I’ve only associated Del Monte with fruit, rather than an entire line of products like 9 Lives, Starkist, Snausages, Milk Bone, and Kibbles and Bits. That being said, this overview will include a few of these lines (if I’ve missed anything please forgive me).
What are they Doing?
- Widgets
- Meow Mix doesn’t have any widgets that I’m aware of, but they do have fun games on the meow mix website like “Cat IQ” that would be interesting within Facebook or other profiles because they challenge competition and sharing.
Do you have any other Del Monte examples within social media? With so many brands, I’m sure there is something more to add!
How to Use Social Media Marketing to Promote Yourself as a Brand (part 5)
October 16, 2008 | 1 Comment
Welcome to the conclusion of this series of posts on Using Social Media Marketing to Promote Yourself as a Brand.
Finding Success
I don’t want to answer the question of “How do you measure the success of a social media marketing strategy?” but what I will do is offer up some advice on how to know if you are headed in the right direction. Here are some of the ways in which you might be able to understand that that what you are doing will lead to success (or that you’ve already nailed it).
- Connectivity – I don’t think that there is a magic number of Twitter followers you need in order to know your personal branding venture has been a success, but what is important is whom you are reaching. Are the people following you just a bunch of so-and-sos? That’s fine. Are they people who have money that they can give you for doing what you do? Even better. If you’re a blogger, hopefully people are commenting on your musings, and possibly contacting you about guest posting. The more you can build contacts, the easier it will be to build notoriety if you have your work showcasing your talent in many places.
- Return – Since there is often little financial investment as establishing yourself as a brand in social media, your biggest investment is your time. Your time is just as important, though, so don’t discount it. Don’t expect to make a ton of money right away, no matter what you are doing. Sure, you could be one of those rare cases that has a video go viral in a matter of hours, but those views don’t equal dollars. (For more on this, you can check out my previous post on viral video as an effective marketing strategy). Return can mean more than just dollars in your pocket. Return can be about those people who continue to “return” to see what you are up to because they appreciate what you do. Again, notoriety and identification can be this measure of success.
- Being Better – Something I don’t think that people take into consideration when they think of success is the idea of personal success in your craft. I feel like I have become a better writer as a result of my blogging, and social media has really come to show me that there are a lot of other people out there like me, and that I can learn from them. Nobody ever got anywhere without failing once or twice, so don’t get discouraged. You’ll only get better, and that in itself makes the journey worth it.
- Case in Point – I’d like to take a moment to talk about an artist who I think is a prime example of someone who has had some success by promoting himself as a brand and as an individual. Austin Kleon is Texas based cartoonist and writer who has a great blog and is possibly my favorite person to follow on Twitter. His blog is top-notch, and he has recently gotten a book deal for a collection of his (very cool) newspaper blackout poems. (You might have Stumbled these before, but if you haven’t read them, you should start now.) His Tumblr blog is also nicely done, and he’s done a nice job of keeping his design and brand consistent through his other social media Kleon is a creative and humble guy, but he seems to have some great passion for what is doing. (Austin, expect my submission for the October contest soon!)
I hope that my tips have been helpful in steering you in the right direction to help promote yourself using social media marketing. If there are any other helpful hints you want to share, please let us know in the comments. You can read the whole series of these posts at the following links:
• You as a Brand
• Know Your Audience
• Know Your Competition
• Do What You Do
Also, you can follow me on Twitter here: TheDynamo, and you can follow Mr. Kleon here: death2gutenberg.
Social Media for MORE than just marketing?
October 15, 2008 | 2 Comments
In support of blog action day, I want to share with everyone a few ways businesses can use social media to do more than just add to their bottom line. The topic for 2008 is poverty and, as we are a social media marketing agency, we want to help businesses use social media to not only market their products, but also to be better corporate citizens.
Max Gladwell wrote a post Monday on Sustainablog on ways to use social media to change the world. (A follow-up post to 10 Ways to Change the World Through Social Media.) In these posts, he lists some great social sites and social media tools allowing people to spread and connect on social issues. Here are just a few of the sites Max found:
- KIVA - A community where individuals or groups can connect to lend money to entrepreneurs in developing countries, helping them get on their feet and out of poverty.
- CauseCast - A community where you can share your cause with others, donate to partner organizations, and promote or find local events.
- Just Means - A LinkedIn-type community where businesses and professionals concerned with social change and protecting the environment can connect.
So how does this apply to social media marketing? For ethical companies that truly care about their social responsibilities, marketing shouldn’t only be about selling a product. Social media marketing allows companies to talk with consumers and take a stand on issues. It also allows companies to hear directly from consumers which issues are most important and how they can help. Here are some ways that companies can use social media to make a difference in the world.
- Educate and inform - Your customers will appreciate knowing where you stand on the issues that affect them most. Maybe you already share this information with your shareholders in an annual values report to make them feel better about investing in your company. Or maybe these are unofficial values shared among your employees. Either way, every company has a certain set of values (or at least it should) but few take the time to really tell or show the world that they care about more than just profit. We know that no one’s perfect and we know you need to turn a profit to survive, but letting others know that your company is socially aware and committed to being better corporate citizen can’t possibly hurt your bottom line.
- Raise money - Most companies already contribute to charities of some kind. Why not give more then ever by raising money among your employees and loyal customers? McDonald’s has no problem asking its customers to pay an extra dollar to write their name on a paper hot air balloon (and contribute to the Ronald McDonald House.) Why not activate your customer base too? Six Degrees allows anyone to raise money for any charity. Just create a badge and place it on your site allowing visitors to donate directly to the charities your company sponsors and include a link in your newsletters or promotional emails.
- Promote an event - Are your employees working on a Habitat house this weekend or putting together a Relay for Life team? Make it easy for them to invite their friends and family or for people in the local community to join the team by posting the information on your blog, Facebook, or the Make the Difference Network.
Want more ideas on how you or your business can make a huge impact? Check out Social Actions, a site that aggregates opportunities to make a difference from 24 sites dedicated to connecting people interested in changing the world.
Social Network Traffic Analysis - 37 Sites Compared
October 14, 2008 | 12 Comments
Social Network traffic has seen some interesting trends as of late. There is no doubt that social networks are here to stay, and will only continue to become more mainstream. However, not all sites are seeing booming traffic, in fact some seem to be dieing.
Below you will find 37 sites, compared, with their traffic estimates over the last 12 months via Google Trends for Websites.
Google is by no means completely accurate, but like most tools that estimate traffic you need to look at trends and not exact figures. Googles explanation of how they determine these results is below.
Google Trends provides insights into broad search patterns. Please keep in mind that several approximations are used when computing these results. All traffic statistics are estimates.
3 Interesting Social Network Traffic Analysis Takeaways:
- There seems to be a decline in social traffic for a multitude of sites since September
- Twitter and Plurk are seeing explosive increases while Pownce and Identi.ca are falling.
- Facebook, Flickr, Hi5, Linkedin, Mixx and Yelp to name a few are all seeing large surges of increased traffic over the last year.
If you enjoyed this post make sure you check out my Social Network Geographics post as well for more insightful data.