2013
Autospeak-Straight Talk contains articles covering digital and social media marketing social communities and events marketing
Most brands would kill for the mega marketing dollars behind even the smallest of automotive brands. So it's no surprise that some of the slickest and most luxurious ad campaigns of all time come out of the car industry. Auto brands consistently produce the most immersive, technologically sophisticated experiences in marketing. (Have you seen Lincoln's "Hello Again" interactive music experience featuring Beck? My word.)
That said, while you'll often find auto brands prominent on top 10 commercial lists for any given time period -- and they regularly clean up at annual marketing awards shows -- they're not always at the forefront when it comes to social media. Some of the coolest automotive campaigns are actually severely lacking in the "shareability" realm. It's not all that surprising. The car sales process tends to be more of a one-on-one conversation between dealers and consumers than it is in other industries. But more and more, auto brands are realizing that any great ad or campaign can be even better when given the proper legs in a social setting.
Let's take a look at some of best recent social media initiatives coming out of the auto industry. What would you add?
Dodge Dart Registry
Cars are expensive. We all know this. That's why the notion of giving or receiving a car as a gift is an increasingly absurd extravagance reserved for trust fund kids and Jay Leno.
Until the Dodge Dart Registry, that is. The sheer simplicity of the concept, produced by Wieden+Kennedy, is what makes it brilliant. Can't afford a car? Crowd-fund a 2013 Dodge Dart from your family and friends. It worked just like any gift registry, except that instead of registering for throw pillows and a Kitchen-Aid mixer, you registered for a Dodge Dart, customized to your specifications. Friends and family could then sponsor parts of the car for you, and once you hit your fundraising goal, you headed to the dealership to pick up your new car.
Let's take a look at some of best recent social media initiatives coming out of the auto industry. What would you add?
Dodge Dart Registry
Cars are expensive. We all know this. That's why the notion of giving or receiving a car as a gift is an increasingly absurd extravagance reserved for trust fund kids and Jay Leno.
Until the Dodge Dart Registry, that is. The sheer simplicity of the concept, produced by Wieden+Kennedy, is what makes it brilliant. Can't afford a car? Crowd-fund a 2013 Dodge Dart from your family and friends. It worked just like any gift registry, except that instead of registering for throw pillows and a Kitchen-Aid mixer, you registered for a Dodge Dart, customized to your specifications. Friends and family could then sponsor parts of the car for you, and once you hit your fundraising goal, you headed to the dealership to pick up your new car.
Citroën's C1 Connexion
It doesn't get more social than letting consumers design your brand's next car. But that's exactly what Citroën did (with help from partner Brandwidth). Behold: The world's first crowdsourced car.
As Econsultancy pointed out,there was definite potential for back-firing hilarity with this move. Sometimes all it takes is a well-orchestrated group of pranksters to help your company roll out something akin to "The Homer" (the car famously and disastrously designed by "Average Joe" Homer J. Simpson). But, in fact, the end result doesn't look too shabby, and the initiative drummed up a whole lot of buzz, 24,000 submissions -- and most importantly some sales.
Nissan's "Improv-tastic Road Show"
Automotive marketing is often sexy, but it's rarely funny. (Humor just isn't the first voice to come to mind when trying to peddle a $30,000 piece of machinery with which a driver will trust his very life.) So, if an automotive brand decides to try to elicit a few laughs, it helps to call in the experts.
That's what Nissan did with its Pathfinder's "Improv-tastic Road Show." The automaker partnered with improv troupe Second City in an Old-Spice-esque content crowdsourcing. Over the course of 12 hours, the teams took suggestions from fans related to their favorite musical genres and what they would bring on a road trip. Those suggestions manifested in 50 quickly produced music videos that, while entertaining, also extolled the virtues of the new Pathfinder. Ultimately, in addition to driving nearly 150,000 total video views, the campaign also generated significant Facebook fandom and interest in more information on the new model.
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Automotive marketing is often sexy, but it's rarely funny. (Humor just isn't the first voice to come to mind when trying to peddle a $30,000 piece of machinery with which a driver will trust his very life.) So, if an automotive brand decides to try to elicit a few laughs, it helps to call in the experts.
That's what Nissan did with its Pathfinder's "Improv-tastic Road Show." The automaker partnered with improv troupe Second City in an Old-Spice-esque content crowdsourcing. Over the course of 12 hours, the teams took suggestions from fans related to their favorite musical genres and what they would bring on a road trip. Those suggestions manifested in 50 quickly produced music videos that, while entertaining, also extolled the virtues of the new Pathfinder. Ultimately, in addition to driving nearly 150,000 total video views, the campaign also generated significant Facebook fandom and interest in more information on the new model.
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Ford puts a Mustang on the Empire State Building (twice)
If there's one thing the internet loves, it's a good stunt. If it loves two things, it's a good stunt and nostalgia. So, you won't be surprised to discover that people on social media are total suckers for a nostalgic stunt.
OK, OK. I don't know if "nostalgic stunts" were a thing. But they are now, thanks to Ford. Back in 1965, Ford's "Operation Mustang" put a '66 Mustang on the Empire State Building by disassembling the vehicle, lifting the pieces to the roof via the elevators, and then reassembling the car on the 86th floor observation deck. Of course, that stunt was 50 years ago, and no one probably remembered it. That is, until the brand decided to do it again for the Mustang's 50th anniversary. At the time of this writing (March 30), the 2015 Mustang was set to reappear on the observation deck on April 16 and 17. But the buzz on social media and in traditional media outlets was already running wild.
If there's one thing the internet loves, it's a good stunt. If it loves two things, it's a good stunt and nostalgia. So, you won't be surprised to discover that people on social media are total suckers for a nostalgic stunt.
OK, OK. I don't know if "nostalgic stunts" were a thing. But they are now, thanks to Ford. Back in 1965, Ford's "Operation Mustang" put a '66 Mustang on the Empire State Building by disassembling the vehicle, lifting the pieces to the roof via the elevators, and then reassembling the car on the 86th floor observation deck. Of course, that stunt was 50 years ago, and no one probably remembered it. That is, until the brand decided to do it again for the Mustang's 50th anniversary. At the time of this writing (March 30), the 2015 Mustang was set to reappear on the observation deck on April 16 and 17. But the buzz on social media and in traditional media outlets was already running wild.
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"Car on the road with motion blur background" image via Shutterstock.
Countering Bad Reviews Through Effective Digital Marketing
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(Posted on Apr 23, 2014 at 01:57PM )
It happens all the time: The hard-working crew at a small business loses customers thanks to the sour grapes of one person.It could be a disgruntled employee, an angry customer or even a competitor, says V. Michael Santoro, coauthor with John S. Rizzo of Niche Dominance: Creating Order Out of Your Digital Marketing Chaos.
“Anyone can post a bad review online and hurt your business,†says Santoro, who is a managing partner with Rizzo of Globe On-Demand, an internet technology company. “Unfortunately, most business owners are not even aware that these bad reviews are out there.â€
Seventy-two percent of buyers trust reviews as much as personal recommendations, and 70 percent trust consumer opinions posted online, according to a 2012 Nielsen Global Trust in Advertising Survey.
“A bad review published in a newspaper, or broadcast on radio or TV, is short-lived, but a bad review posted online can live indefinitely,†says Rizzo. “With consumers now researching an average of 10 reviews before making a buying decision, and 70 percent trusting a business that has a minimum of six reviews posted, business owners need to be proactive in developing their online reputation. You need several positive reviews.â€
Online searches have been streamlined, combining reviews with maps, pay-per-click advertising, local business directories and Facebook Fan pages, Santoro says. As damaging as bad reviews can be, positive reviews can be equally constructive, he says.
Rizzo and Santoro offer an Internet marketing strategy called “reputation marketing,†described in the following steps:
- Develop a 5-Star Reputation: Begin by having your happy customers post great reviews about your business. Strive to have at least 10. This needs to be a continuous process. Proactively ask your customers to post reviews.
- Market Your Reputation: Once reviews are posted, use a well-designed online marketing strategy to drive targeted traffic to your website. Ensure that your website can convert this traffic into customers. Additionally, showcase these third-party reviews on your website.
- Manage Your Reputation: Regularly check that the reviews being posted are positive. You can use Google Alerts for your business name; however, you will need to check the local directories, too, since they’re not picked up by Google Alerts. By building up the positive reviews, you can counter a poor one by sheer volume. You should also quickly post a reply to a negative review if they occur. Always be professional and indicate what action you have taken to remedy the situation.
- Create a Reputation Marketing Culture: Train your staff to proactively ask customers for reviews and to deal immediately with any customer who appears unhappy. A positive culture will encourage customers to post positive reviews about your business.
Also see Increase Your Sales & Improve Your Reputation
For marketers, Millennials are the most important generation to come along in the last 100 years, according to a recent Adroit Digital study. This group of young adults is the largest generation by number in US history. Millennials number more than 80 million, a population larger than the Baby Boomers, and it outnumbers Gen X almost 3:1. Millennials came of age in the wake of massive advancements in technology, unparalleled communication access, and media exposure that allowed people to spread information faster to a wider, more diverse audience than in any generation before them.As Baby Boomers move closer to retirement, they will take with them close to $400 billion in annual spending. Retailers are scrambling to secure the loyalty of the Millennial tech-savvy and fast-paced crowd, which spends $600 billion a year.
By 2030, Millennials will outnumber non-Millennials. In addition to growing up as digital natives, Millennials entered college in the face of the largest recession since the Great Depression. Many of those who completed their college education are accompanied by massive student loan debt, and they also entered college knowing a bleak job market faced them. They also see things differently because they are culturally different. Millennials are the most racially and ethnically diverse American generation ever, with over 20% of the population now identifying as Hispanic and 13% as African American.
When asked about how they think about brands compared to how their parents think about them, and how brands can gain their future loyalty, 64% of Millennials are more brand-loyal or as brand-loyal as their parents. 24% consider themselves to be more brand-loyal than their parents. Rest assured, says the report, this generation demonstrates strong brand loyalty.
To gain insight into how Millennials view brands and their thoughts on brand loyalty, 60% of Millennials said that social advertising has the most influence over them in how they perceive a brand and a brand’s value. Traditional media, outside of TV, fell flat. In the realm of influence, radio, billboards (OOH), and magazines finished last with mobile and online, both display and video, comfortably in the center.
Key findings in the report show that:
- 39% of all respondents think that brands that don’t advertise through mobile channels, smartphones, and tablets are outdated and undesirable.
- 32% of those surveyed said social advertising lends the most credibility to influencing their brand decisions, compared to 35% who indicated TV as the most influential advertising channel.
- 26% of Millennial respondents said social is the most likely channel to introduce a new product that they will consider for trial.
- 77% of the Millennials surveyed said they are evaluating brands on a different set of criteria than their parents. Millennials may be brand-loyal, and many use several of the same products their parents are loyal to, but they’ll be evaluating them against a new yardstick.
- 55% of young shoppers said that a recommendation from a friend is one of the strongest influencers in getting them to try a new brand. 47% consider brand reputation to be almost as important. Product quality ranks fourth at 35%, while price has the most sway at 62%.
- 36% of Millennials believe digital advertising is the most effective method of influencing their brand decisions, with traditional advertising as a standalone showing markedly less influence at 19%.
- 52% of Millennials want brands that are willing to change based on consumer opinion and feedback to maintain future relevance. 44% want to have open dialogue with brands through social channels, and 38% want brands to be more about the consumer and less about the brand.
- 38% of Millennials will switch brands if a company is found to have bad business practices. Outside of financial factors, a business found to have bad business practices is the number one reason that Millennials will switch brands.
- I'm brand loyal and use the same brands as my parents  20%
- I use many of the same brands my parents use, but not all  43%
- I use a few of the same brands as my parents  26%
- I use different brands than my parents  11%
Good news for marketers, says the report. 64% of Millennials surveyed feel the same level of brand loyalty or greater brand loyalty than their Baby Boom or Gen X parents. 24% fall into the category of feeling more brand-loyal than their parents.
- Millennial men feel they are more brand-loyal than their parents compared to Millennial women, 30% and 17%, respectively.
- As Millennials age, their feeling of brand loyalty compared to their parents drops considerably, with 23% of 18–25 year-olds and 37% of those aged 26–33 indicating they are less brand-loyal than their parents.
39% of Millennials consider a brand to be undesirable and outdated if it lacks a mobile ad presence, a large enough that brands and agencies can’t ignore it, says the report. There is a significant difference in this sentiment between men and women, as well as between younger Millennials compared to their elder counterparts. More men than women feel mobile is modern: 50% of male respondents compared to 27% of female respondents. And, digital natives, those aged 18–25, see mobile as modern compared to older Millennials aged 26–33, who didn’t spend their formative years with mobile phones and the Internet at their fingertips: 50% compared to 32%, respectively
If agencies and brands want to hold sway over the millennial audience, says the report, TV is the champ, but social is quickly coming up on its heels. Those who spent their youth in front of the TV and not the Internet or game console say TV is their primary influencer in perceiving brand value. 73% of 26–33 year-olds, compared to 66% of 18–25 year-olds, consider TV to be their biggest influencer when it comes to brand value.
For brands prospecting new customers, TV and social will pave the way with Millennials: 29% and 26% indicated TV and social, respectively, as the media most likely to introduce them to a new product for trial. Both men and women indicated social and online display as their largest influencers beyond TV. Women are 1.5 times more likely than men to discover a new product for trial through social media exposure or advertising—31% compared to 21% of men.
When asked if Millennials chose brands on a different set of criteria from that used by their parents, the majority, 77%, indicated yes. When were asked which criteria they use to select a new brand for trial, quality was fourth on the list, with 35% of respondents. It was preceded by brand reputation at 47% and recommendation of a friend at 55%. The most important criterion to a Millennial is value and/or price, with 62%.
The big standout difference between men and women in their selection criteria is exposure to a brand through traditional advertising (TV, radio, magazines). Women are almost 2.5 times more likely than men to use traditional advertising in their brand selection criteria, 36% compared to 15%.
The criteria for selecting a new brand for trial, the list ranked by % of respondents is:
- Value/price  62%
- Recommended by friend  55
- Brand reputation  47
- Quality  35
- Brand exposure through social media  29
- Eco-friendly brands  28
- Recommended by parent  25
- Entertaining ad campaigns  23
- Prestige/social perception  20
- Established brands that instill trust  20
- Brand exposure through traditional advertising  19
- 56% of Millennials would change brands when they experience a change in finances, as consumers have to evaluate their current brands and their associated costs and value
- 41% of Millennials would change brands if their current brand increased in price
- The other top three reasons that Millennials would change brands are a recommendation from a friend, at 38%; if their current brand is found to have bad business practices, at 32%; and if something newer and shinier comes along, at 37%
- Women on average are more likely than men to change brands on several counts: something newer, 45% compared to 35%; a brand found to have bad business practices, 36% compared to 28%; and an eco-friendly competitor, 35% compared to 25%.
Center for Media Research
For more information, please visit AdroitDigital here to access the complete PDF file.
Socialbakers surveyed over 500 marketing professionals, spanning 82 countries and 20 industries to better understand where social media is heading in 2014. The State of Social Marketing, Part One, concerned the priorities and practices of marketers. Part Two defines the state of social media advertising, from how Fortune 500 companies operate with no social advertising budget to why Twitter struggles to attract advertisers.Read Part One:Â The State of Social Marketing
Supporting organic reach with paid advertising is the new normal in social media marketing. No matter how targeted or engaging your content is, the fact remains, the social party is crowded and you have to pay for a soapbox. But 14% of companies with more than 5,000 employees reported a $0 social ad budget for 2014. Their content stands alone to fight the noise and competition increasingly present in users’ News Feeds, both from personal connections and competing brands.
However, most companies who know how valuable a well-optimized social strategy can be understand that social advertising is a must. Furthermore, it’s money well spent for brands who optimize and measure their social ad performance.
However, most companies who know how valuable a well-optimized social strategy can be understand that social advertising is a must. Furthermore, it’s money well spent for brands who optimize and measure their social ad performance.
It’s not shocking that marketers say News Feed (native) ads are more effective than other placement options. But when you look closely at specified News Feed placements (desktop News Feed vs mobile News Feed vs desktop/mobile News Feed) it becomes clear that marketers aren’t able to distinguish between the three placement types. This points to the fact that marketers are still evolving and learning to fully leverage improved ad targeting provided by leading social networks. The majority have yet to discover the benefit of creating mobile specific content and CTAs.
However, if we compare similar data from a survey conducted in January 2013, we can see that marketers are getting smarter. Then, 81% of Facebook ads used “Facebook All†placement. As of December 2013, that number has been reduced to 42% and News Feed ads lead the way for effective social advertising by a landslide. Right-hand side ads were so 2009.
However, if we compare similar data from a survey conducted in January 2013, we can see that marketers are getting smarter. Then, 81% of Facebook ads used “Facebook All†placement. As of December 2013, that number has been reduced to 42% and News Feed ads lead the way for effective social advertising by a landslide. Right-hand side ads were so 2009.
The fact that brands are not flocking to Twitter’s adverÂtising platform may not speak directly to the platforms’ ability to offer something of value, but rather, to marketers’ inability to effectively adapt to this new form of social advertising.
Twitter launched promoted posts and promoted tweets in March 2012 to a select number of small business and has cautiously expanded this select group to include beverages, athletic apparel, and even a certain Commander-in-chief. Despite Twitter advertisings’ unique appeal, advanced targeting, and proven ROI for a number of brands and verticals, most brands have been quicker to adapt to social advertising on LinkedIn, YouTube, and the Mother of Platform Monetization, Facebook.
Twitter launched promoted posts and promoted tweets in March 2012 to a select number of small business and has cautiously expanded this select group to include beverages, athletic apparel, and even a certain Commander-in-chief. Despite Twitter advertisings’ unique appeal, advanced targeting, and proven ROI for a number of brands and verticals, most brands have been quicker to adapt to social advertising on LinkedIn, YouTube, and the Mother of Platform Monetization, Facebook.
13.5: that’s the average number of social media pages managed by marketers in our survey. That’s more than 13 different pages (potentially of various countries, languages, and products) that all need to publish and promote content at the right time, to the right audience. But even so, the majority of marketers replied that they manage their social advertising via native platforms!
While many social networks, such as Facebook, have made leaps and bounds to improve their advertising platforms, this approach does not provide any efficiencies for managing multiple pages across multiple social networks. Using a 3rd party application for social advertising simplifies the experience giving marketers more time to do what they do best – create amazing and engaging content for their audience.
While many social networks, such as Facebook, have made leaps and bounds to improve their advertising platforms, this approach does not provide any efficiencies for managing multiple pages across multiple social networks. Using a 3rd party application for social advertising simplifies the experience giving marketers more time to do what they do best – create amazing and engaging content for their audience.
What Do You Think?What do you think about the State of Social Marketing 2014? Does this reflect your own social marketing practices? Let us know here in the comments, on Twitter, or Facebook. We’d love to hear your feedback.
Stay involved in the ever-changing conversation around social media and join us at Engage London 2014. A social media event for marketers, by marketers. Speakers include Beth Foster, Social Strategist at Google, and Robertjan Groenveld, Social Media Hub Manager at KLM. Early bird registration ends March 31st. We hope to see you there!
Who Did We Ask? We surveyed over 500 marketing professionals for a number of industries including Education (13%), E-commerce (9%), Software (9%), Travel (9%), Nonprofit (9%), and Retail (7%). Because social media marketing is not exclusive to large companies, like many above the line communications are, we asked start-ups and fortune 500 companies aÂlike.
Carly Guglielmelli, Social Media Manager
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American consumers don’t feel that their relationships with businesses are improving, according to a new study [download page] from Thunderhead.com. Among the intriguing study findings: one-quarter of customers would switch to a different provider on the basis of a single negative experience, and about 1 in 5 would never re-establish trust in a provider after a significant negative experience. Respondents to the study seem particularly irked by overbearing and irrelevant communications, as well as slow response times. (Clik to Enlarge Image)Indeed, some 45% would definitely or consider changing a provider as a result of receiving communications they consider an invasion of their privacy, while 30% share that sentiment about receiving information that is inaccurately targeted, 29% about receiving excessive volumes of communication, and 28% about being treated with a one-size-fits-all approach. Only 1 in 5 or fewer wouldn’t have some type of negative response to these mistakes.
Those results bring to mind findings from a Janrain study released earlier this year, in which almost all respondents claimed to have received information or promotions not relevant to them, with more than 9 in 10 developing an unfavorable attitude to the company or taking some kind of action to limit the messaging in response.
Meanwhile, more than 9 in 10 respondents to the Thunderhead.com study would have an unfavorable reaction to companies responding too slowly to their inquiries. They might want toconsider a platform other than Facebook if they’re looking for quick responses…
The results are the latest in a string of research pieces indicating that brands are failing to adequately engage consumers. A study by Responsys found about one-third of consumers claiming to have “broken up†with a brand due to receiving poor, disruptive or irrelevant marketing messages. And late last year, an Edelman study discovered that few consumers feel connected with brands.
Overall, just 41% of customers responding to the Thunderhead.com study feel that they even have a relationship with their suppliers, and only an additional 15% would like one. In order to foster better relationships with their customers, businesses should focus on better communications and offering more value, per the report. That’s because 84% of customers have a positive impression of businesses that communicate with customers in the channel of their preference, and 82% feel favorable towards information and deals presented to them at exactly the right time.
About the Data:Â The data is based on interviews conducted by Populus among 2,026 adults (18+) online in the USA between 11 and 18 September 2013. Results have been weighted to be representative of all US adults.
By MarketingCharts staff
Topics: Brand Loyalty & Purchase Habits, Brand-Related, Customer Engagement, Customer Service & Experience, Privacy & Security, Traditional
Delivering marketing messages and content on mobile platforms has become essential as part of any digital marketing solution.You need to have a mobile solution that responds to all device screen sizes for optimal viewing. Some websites are recording 30-40% of all traffic from mobile devices. Â Responsive design is what is trending today for website mobile solutions because of its ability to adapt to any screen but adaptive design does have its place depending on the experience you are looking provide.
Whatever your preference or need may be, having a mobile solution today is essential if you want to successfully compete in today’s digital marketplace. Find out what is going to work best for you by knowing the differences so you can make the right decision in choosing your mobile solution.
One thing is certain. If you are not reaching the mobile user you are losing a lot of traffic to your website.
More than 50% of the pages for local search visits are made on mobile phones and local search is projected to surpass desktops by 2015. And according an exact target 2014 mobile behavior report 76% of  smartphone users and 70 % of tablet users search for something on the internet at least once a day.
William Cosgrove
Bill Cosgrove Straight Talk
Also see MOBILE SHOULD BE A SEAMLESS PART OF YOUR WEB STRATEGY
The Securities and Exchange Commission should be applauded for its new guidance on third-party review sites and financial adviser testimonials, and for clarifying what advisers can and can't do when it comes to client reviews that are posted on sites such as AngiesList and Yelp.But the move to define social-media ground rules also raises important and difficult questions: Who will enforce the guidelines that the SEC has developed for taking advantage of these review sites, and how are they going to go about it?
Like it or not, social media is part of our culture, and neither advisers nor regulators can stick their heads in the sand and ignore it.
As Liz Skinner reported, a survey conducted by Corporate Insight in December indicated that 67% of Generation Y/Millennials and 28% of baby boomers said that they would use an online search tool to find an adviser.
Such searches often lead to sites that feature customer reviews. Slowly, the SEC has come around to realizing that social media is here to stay and has tried to help advisers adapt to it to enhance their businesses, while at the same time protecting investors from its abuses.
(Don't miss:Â Client reviews and you: What you need to know)
First, some background.
Since 1940, the SEC has barred advisers from using testimonials in their advertisements. The rationale is that such testimonials, by their nature, are misleading in that they emphasize favorable comments and ignore those that are unfavorable.
NEW ERA
However, social media wasn't around 74 years ago.
According to the SEC's new guidance, it is now OK for advisers to link to testimonials on these third-party websites as long as the adviser has no control over the reviews and the sites include both favorable and non-favorable comments.
The SEC said that advisers are allowed to cite their average client rating from these sites.
That is all good news, but advisers and the public need to know that these sites aren't without controversy. There have been serious allegations that at least some of the reviews on these sites have been written by freelance writers hired by companies to post favorable comments about the companies' services.
Last year, the New York Attorney General's Office fined businesses more than $350,000 for generating phony reviews online.
Yelp acknowledges that 20% to 25% of the reviews submitted to its site are suspicious, though the company claims that many of them are filtered out before they are posted.
Is the SEC prepared to start monitoring sites such as Yelp to make sure that unscrupulous advisers aren't rigging the system to attract more clients? And if such an adviser can pay to have a positive review posted, would he or she also pay for a fake review that is critical of a competitor?
PROCEED WITH CAUTION
Until such questions can be answered satisfactorily and review sites can do a better job of policing the people who are posting reviews, advisers should proceed with caution.
Advisers must remember that they can't pick and choose the reviews to which they want to link.
Advisers who link to a site should make sure that they know what the reviewers are saying about them and their businesses. At the very least, advisers should learn how to challenge a review they deem bogus or one that uses inaccuracies in its assessment of the firm's services.
As one social-media consultant told our reporter, “There's always a bad apple who figures out how to game the site.â€
Advisers shouldn't let that bad apple take them down. Take the time to monitor what people are saying about your business and be prepared to fight back if necessary.
Editorial Investment News
Including employees as part of an onsite social community can act as transparent communications ecosystem in which to collaborate, communicate and provide your employees with a platform from which they can interact with their social channels, you and your customers.
The following Infographic from The Queens University of Charlotte, Communicating in The Modern Workplace, defines a modern workplace which can be managed and fostered in a company sponsored community benefiting both your employees and company as a whole.
William Cosgrove
Bill Cosgrove Straight Talk
SourceÂ
The following Infographic from The Queens University of Charlotte, Communicating in The Modern Workplace, defines a modern workplace which can be managed and fostered in a company sponsored community benefiting both your employees and company as a whole.
William Cosgrove
Bill Cosgrove Straight Talk
SourceÂ
Majority of Content Sharing to Social Networks now Occurs via Mobile
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(Posted on Apr 11, 2014 at 10:29AM )
Some 52% of “social sharing actions†– sharing of website content such as articles, photos and videos via social networks – occurred on a mobile device during the first quarter of this year, reveals this in a new report.Mobile took the lead on the back of a quarter-over-quarter growth rate in sharing that was more than twice as high as desktop’s (28% vs. 11%). While the iPhone (25%) remained the top mobile device used for sharing, Android smartphones (17%) narrowed the gap.
This had previously indicated that social sharing behavior was more prevalent on mobiles than on desktops, but this is the first release to state that mobile has overtaken desktop in sharing volume.
The new data comes after a recent report from comScore [download page] showed a “multi-platform†shift last year. Looking at the distribution of digital media consumption, comScore demonstrated that multi-platform users (those who use both mobile and desktop devices) grew from 48% share of the digital audience in February 2013 to a majority 56% share in December. With another 8% in December counting as mobile-only, that left just 36% of digital media consumers visiting from desktops only.
Meanwhile, the ShareThis report also notes some trends in the social channels used for sharing:
- Twitter (+43%) saw the fastest growth rate in Q1 sharing, with most activity by 31-35-year-olds;
- Sharing to Reddit (+25%) also grew quickly, with the heaviest activity in the 18-30 age group;
- Sharing to Facebook (+14%) and LinkedIn (+12%) was led by older users (50+ and 41-50, respectively); and
- After rapid growth last year, sharing to Pinterest increased by only 5% in Q1.
The top sharing channels, in order of overall shares, were:
- Facebook;
- Twitter;
- Pinterest;
- LinkedIn; and
- Reddit.
Given that the data pertains to use of ShareThis tools, the results do not account for copying and pasting of links.
Topics: Alternative Connected Devices, Boomers & Older, Connected Device Comparisons, Email,Hispanic, Mobile Phone, Online, Social Media, Tablet, Youth & Gen X
By MarketingCharts staff
We all know that mobile is playing an increasingly important role in online marketing today just ask the 85% of people who say that mobile devices are a central part of everyday life and further illustrated below by this demographic smartphone ownership survey published by Pew Research January 2014.
Daily Activities on smartphones and tablets (Marketing charts February 2014)
Furthermore,  according to web and mobile measurement firm comScore 55% of all time spent with online retail as of June 2013 occurred on a mobile device, 45% occurred on desktops and laptops. Specifically, smartphones accounted for 44% of retail Internet minutes while tablets accounted for 11%.
We can all agree on the importance of mobile today but we also know to keep in mind that statistics can be misleading depending on who is using them and what they are trying to accomplish.
This article seeks to address all the talk recently on the popularity of mobile applications and put it in perspective and to address an apparent content deficiency on many mobile platforms which today is one of the most important media forms for driving customer engagement.
First, the fact is in a lot of cases having a mobile app for most businesses is not going to provide much if any marketing benefit in reaching consumers. So before you make an investment in building your own mobile app make sure you know what the statistics are really saying and if it is right for you to act on, and if building your own app is going to provide you with any real or long term benefit.
Is a mobile app a substitute for a mobile Website/mobile-optimized Website?
According to Canalys., the total number of apps through the Apple App Store and Google Play, just two of the largest, offer over 1.6 million mobile apps. So unless you build an app that is going to take the market by storm or is needed in order for your company to operate- what do you think the chances are that you app will even be found?
If you build a specialty app that is available to download from your site consumers first need to find your site to download it.
After you know and understand mobile apps and which ones that are dominating mobile and by first having in place the tools to provide good organic search rankings and social media initiatives you should conclude that by being involved through having a fully integrated mobile solution for your website is probably your best plan of attack and should be your first priority.
In this piece from Marketing Charts “More Data Shows That, In Mobile, Apps Rule the Webâ€, Pay particular attention to the chart highlighting the top 10 Smartphone applications and you realize that your money, in most cases, is better spent in utilizing the most popular existing mobile applications through your own mobile website instead of building your own mobile app. (mobi Thinking.com)
We can all agree on the importance of mobile today but we also know to keep in mind that statistics can be misleading depending on who is using them and what they are trying to accomplish.
This article seeks to address all the talk recently on the popularity of mobile applications and put it in perspective and to address an apparent content deficiency on many mobile platforms which today is one of the most important media forms for driving customer engagement.
First, the fact is in a lot of cases having a mobile app for most businesses is not going to provide much if any marketing benefit in reaching consumers. So before you make an investment in building your own mobile app make sure you know what the statistics are really saying and if it is right for you to act on, and if building your own app is going to provide you with any real or long term benefit.
Is a mobile app a substitute for a mobile Website/mobile-optimized Website?
According to Canalys., the total number of apps through the Apple App Store and Google Play, just two of the largest, offer over 1.6 million mobile apps. So unless you build an app that is going to take the market by storm or is needed in order for your company to operate- what do you think the chances are that you app will even be found?
If you build a specialty app that is available to download from your site consumers first need to find your site to download it.
After you know and understand mobile apps and which ones that are dominating mobile and by first having in place the tools to provide good organic search rankings and social media initiatives you should conclude that by being involved through having a fully integrated mobile solution for your website is probably your best plan of attack and should be your first priority.
In this piece from Marketing Charts “More Data Shows That, In Mobile, Apps Rule the Webâ€, Pay particular attention to the chart highlighting the top 10 Smartphone applications and you realize that your money, in most cases, is better spent in utilizing the most popular existing mobile applications through your own mobile website instead of building your own mobile app. (mobi Thinking.com)
Further justification comes from this statement from Marketing Charts that states -“There’s one important note: while apps are dominant in terms of overall consumption, there’s reason to believe that individual properties have greater reach among mobile owners through their mobile websites than via their apps.â€
“Through their mobile website†In my opinion is confusing and should read “Through their mobile  soloution.†Because today’s platform technology makes it possible to integrate mobile as an extension of a website platform negating the need for a separate website for mobile that enables any or all of the content on your website accessible from mobile.
A properly integrated mobile solution is a make-or-break opportunity for brands. An integrated mobile solution makes it easier for consumers to access content on smaller screen to find and tap relevant information. Â (Graph courtesy of Cars.com insights)
But as pointed out in this graph 67% of respondents surveyed stated that mobile-optimized websites are more user-friendly but are not meeting demands in terms of accessible content- a problem to which as I have stated above are viable solutions.
“Through their mobile website†In my opinion is confusing and should read “Through their mobile  soloution.†Because today’s platform technology makes it possible to integrate mobile as an extension of a website platform negating the need for a separate website for mobile that enables any or all of the content on your website accessible from mobile.
A properly integrated mobile solution is a make-or-break opportunity for brands. An integrated mobile solution makes it easier for consumers to access content on smaller screen to find and tap relevant information. Â (Graph courtesy of Cars.com insights)
But as pointed out in this graph 67% of respondents surveyed stated that mobile-optimized websites are more user-friendly but are not meeting demands in terms of accessible content- a problem to which as I have stated above are viable solutions.
It is very important that you get it right so look at mobile solutions that are part of a fully integrated marketing platform or can be fully integrated into your current website platform and are compatible with all IOS and Android devices. (Seamlessly Integrated Mobile)
By being properly informed the right decisions can be made that can avoid costly mistakes and provide the information on which to make sound investment decisions. And there are technological solutions to addressing the issues and concerns addressed here that will best serve your needs to provide the best ROI possible. So work with someone who is just not looking for a sale, will give you the broad picture and who will work with you to find the best overall solutions for you.Â
William Cosgrove
Bill Cosgrove Straight Talk