Erik Qualman's Blog, page 648
November 14, 2012
Stand Out Social Marketing: 5 Questions with Mike Lewis
In an already over-crowded social landscape, brands face stiff competition for the attention of the social audience. My new book, Stand Out Social Marketing: How to Rise Above the Noise, Differentiate Your Brand, and Build an Outstanding Online Presence tackles this problem with next-level social marketing tactics and strategies. Here, I tackle 5 questions about standing out in anticipation of my upcoming webinar 6 Keys to Stand Out Social Marketing.
What is Stand Out Social Marketing about?
Stand Out Social Marketing is all about differentiation. I set out to answer the question: “With so many brands competing on the social web, how can your brand rise above the noise?” The book provides the strategies and tactics, using real-life examples to enable brands to accomplish the goal of being distinctive and standing out.
Why did you write Stand Out Social Marketing?
While it was a life goal to write a book, the answer goes a little deeper. My work as VP of Marketing & Sales at Awareness affords me the opportunity to work with some of the world’s largest brands in formulating their social marketing strategy and I’ve found they all share a similar dilemma. As brands get involved in social, they quickly realize they are not only competing with their direct competitors but with every other brand and individual competing for the attention of the social audience. While they may state it differently, their biggest social marketing challenge can be summarized in one word: differentiation.
Can you give us an example of company that does a great job at ‘standing out’?
One of my favorite examples is the story of ‘Foiled Cupcakes,’ a Chicago based company that sells cupcakes over the Internet. Surprisingly, they have no physical fully-operational retail locations to date and all products are sold directly online.
A blog post written by Brian Quinton for Entrepreneur.com describes a bit about the company and their approach to social media:
Foiled fills about 1,000 dozen orders a month at an average cost of $38 each. But what’s interesting is whom Foiled sells to. Founder and owner Mari Luangrath says 94 percent of her clientele was developed through leads received in social media, specifically Twitter.
She was able to generate these leads within social networks through what might be described as “targeted listening”: identifying online conversations that she and her company could become a part of organically, and building trust by contributing useful content and comments to make herself a welcome guest.
“I’m very comfortable with traditional marketing,” Luangrath says. “But I don’t want to market to everybody. I want to find the people who want to hear what I have to say and then, at the end of the engagement, purchase my product.”[i]
Mari’s approach to paying attention is distinctive. Instead of targeting online individuals talking specifically about cupcakes, she began communicating and relating to people within her target demographic (women ages 18-40) about something else she knew a lot about: shoes. In this case, being distinct is all about knowing your target audience and connecting with them.
What are some of the key concepts behind standing out?
In the book I lay out six keys to build and implement a Stand Out social marketing strategy. They include Paying Attention, Interacting, Content, Presence, Management and Measurement. Together these six keys define a stand out approach to social marketing. Inside of each there are multiple concepts and tactics that can be implemented immediately including things like social scoring, social prospecting, hyper-targeting and defining a social path to purchase.
What is the one thing that you hope people take from your book?
In the 1999 blockbuster The Matrix, Neo is asked to make a choice. Choose the red pill and gain greater insight into the world of the Matrix or take the blue pill and return to the normal, everyday life he already knows. Modern marketers are at a crossroads and face the same decision. Choose the red pill and stand out, or take the blue pill and continuing operating in a world of marketing sameness.
The one thing I want marketers to take from the book is a stand approach to social marketing is well within reach. I want them to take the red pill. Don’t let the crowded and noisy social web intimidate you, but rather embrace it and follow the simple steps to stand out and rise about the noise to realize that it is possible to stand out on the social web.
For more insights from on standing out, be sure to attend the upcoming webinar: 6 Keys to Stand Out Social Marketing.. You can also download chapter 1 of Stand Out Social Marketing: How to Rise Above the Noise, Differentiate Your Brand, and Build an Outstanding Online Presence.
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November 9, 2012
Solving duplicate content issues on e-commerce websites
Page level indexation has been facing a number of challenges from the olden days of the internet. Content level duplicate content is one of the most dreaded problems to websites although duplicates off the website pose a new breed of challenges to website owners. This article focuses on how to deal with page, sentence level duplicates to boost site search performance.
Duplicate content doesn’t necessarily mean that replicated content. Those different pages don’t have to be mirror images of each other in order to be considered duplicates. If content is not very different, in the eyes of Google, the content does not add anything new or value. In the end, this content is not indexed at all.
The biggest risk for not being indexed at page level is mainly large sites and ecommerce sites which have a lot of duplicate content or associated risks. Therefore, if your website has page level indexation issues, its best to consider dealing with duplicates at page level. This is to ensure that the search engines, at least index your websites at page level.
If you want to deal with duplicates on your website, here are a few points to ponder.
Lead with the point of difference especially when crafting Meta titles and Meta descriptions. For example, state ’20 mm brass screw’ rather than ‘exterior 20 mm screw’ to emphasize to the search engines that the pages are indeed different.
Removing boiler plated content for example that which is in the footer of all the website pages needs to go. Repeating this all through the website is massive duplicate content. Instead, come up with different unique pieces for each page like materials, our quality materials to make the difference.
Canonize the product page to drive authority to it. The best way to go about this is determining what product pages are similar and then settling on those which can be combined or accessed from a single spot to redirect. If you implement the relative canonical badly, the results could be catastrophic for your website. Therefore, you need to determine how best you can do it using tutorials at popular SEO sites like SEOMOZ.
Handwrite original content
The other great way to deal with duplicate content on a website is writing original content in the first place. Dedicate yourself to writing bespoke content that is original at sentence level. PlagSpotter is one of the most effective tools you can use to deal with duplicate content on your ecommerce website. In the case of similar products on the website, simply jot down a sentence or two that’s totally unique about the product, probably in bulleted formats below the photo.
This approach may not be practical say if you have thousands of products on the website. This means that you have to fuse the different techniques until you achieve uniqueness, at least from all your products.
Overall, duplicate content is shouldn’t be seen as a problem no matter how large your website is. Considering it’s the only block to your e-commerce business, consider investing time in making sure content is unique and worthy of indexing.
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Stand Out Social Marketing is Here!
There is a very strange irony when writing your first book. When I first received the contract from McGraw-Hill to write Stand Out Social Marketing, I signed it, scanned it and sent it back to them almost immediately. My initial reaction was excitement: “Holy #!&*, I’m writing a book!” But roughly 5 minutes after delivering the contract, that excitement turned to anxiety: “Holy #!&*, I actually have to write a book?!?!?!”
For 12 months I toiled with the development of the book and, over time, that feeling of anxiety gave way to pride as I watched the book come together. While there were tough times balancing the convergence of life events at home and hectic demands of a rapidly growing start-up, I took great pride knowing that I was lending my insights to help business owners drive true value through social marketing.
The writing process began in September 2011 and I am very proud to say that today, November 9, 2012, Stand Out Social Marketing is officially released! The goal of the book is to help marketers, business owners, executives and entrepreneurs develop a distinctive and differentiated social marketing strategy and I hope you pick up a copy today!
Over the next few weeks, I’ll be offering some infographics that highlight some of the key concepts from covered in the book. In fact, I released two early this week, one on the 6 Keys to Standing Out and another on Social Listening. Stay tuned for more in the coming days!
Some of my personal favorite chapters from the book include:
Chapter 1: Standing Out sets the foundation of the book and further explains the premise while defining what brands need to do to differentiate their social strategy.
Chapter 3: Standing Out by Paying Attention to Behaviors provides strategies and tactics to help you gather the key information that comes from paying attention well. This chapter focuses your strategy by zeroing in on the behaviors, conversations, and individuals that matter most to your business.
Chapter 5: The Science of Stand Out Interactions digs deeper into interactions by presenting the science behind the best strategic interactions. Learn the best days, times, and frequency of posting to get the most interaction from each piece of content.
Chapter 6: Stand Out Approaches to Stimulating Interactions presents eleven ways you can increase interactions for your brand.
Chapter 7: Stand Out Content investigates how you can create content that rises above the noise on the social web, while highlighting case studies of brands that stand out through the content they deliver on social media.
Chapter 10: Stand Out Measurement for ROI provides a detailed look at how you can measure and gauge the success of your strategy as part of standing out is making sure you measure the right things and keep an eye on trends.
Chapter 12: Out Standing! summarizes the key themes of the book while offering an action plan for the future.
I would love your feedback on the book. Do you think it’s possible to differentiate on the social web? What keys to differentiation have you implemented as part of your social strategy?
Looking forward to your feedback at @bostonmike!
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3 Ways to Create Great Branded Content
Originally posted on the Likeable blog
Today in social media, content is key. With the number of brands on social media sites growing every day, it is becoming increasingly important for brands to capture the consumers’ attention and find ways to stand out among the vast amount of other content on the news feed. Here, we’ll take a look at 3 brands that are killing it when it comes to branded content.
Get creative with product placement
In honor of Oreo’s 100th Anniversary, Oreo introduced the Daily Twist campaign, a play on the “twist, lick, and dunk” routine performed by many Oreo-eaters. During the campaign, Oreo posted a new image on its Facebook page each day that featured the product in a light-hearted, fun, and eye-catching way. The images were not salesy or overly-promotional, but still tied back to the brand in a clever and engaging way. Fans were eager to check back on the page to see what the next “Daily Twist” would be. Oreo is a great example of product placement done RIGHT.
Develop a brand voice
When talking with consumers on social media, it is essential for brands to ensure that they have a consistent brand voice and tone. Consumers are more likely to engage with a brand if they have a clear understanding of who they’re talking to. While some brands have developed their voice by establishing guidelines, appropriate language, and topics that are relatable to their audience, some go as far as developing an entire online personality. Orangina developed Bulby, the brand’s mascot and official host of the Orangina International Facebook and Twitter pages. Through its content, Orangina uses Bulby to tell stories and develop a relatable brand personality. The content involves Bulby going on all sorts of different adventures and partaking in a variety of different activities. This concept provides the consumer with a relatable character with which to interact, as opposed to fan interacting with a nameless brand representative. Organina even encourages fans to create their own adventures for Bulby!
Feature your fans
Burt’s Bees recently ran the “Raise Your Burt’s” promotion where fans had the opportunity to submit photos for a chance to be featured in a lip balm campaign. The finalists were featured in Burt’s Bees Facebook content and in the images that were posted, the finalists’ names was added to the “Burt’s Bees” product image. This was an interesting way to promote a contest while acknowledging the brand’s biggest fans. In order for fans to become recurring customers, they must feel valued by the brand. This was a great way for Burt’s Bees to acknowledge some of their biggest ambassadors.
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What are some of your tips for creating branded content?
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November 8, 2012
Einstein’s Technology Fear Realized in Texting?
Have digital tools at our finger tips is an incredible gift; at least most of the time. However, if not used properly, we can fall into a trap which Einstein predicted “I fear the day that technology will surpass our human interaction. The world will have a generation of idiots.” Digital tools 90% of the time are incredible, but if you are for texting responsibly and the art of conversation please “like” or “retweet” these powerful images (source of image: unknown):
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The day that Albert Einstein feared may have arrived.
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Having coffee with friends.
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A day at the beach.
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Cheering on your team.
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Having dinner out with your friends.
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Out on an intimate date.
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Having a conversation with your BFF
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A visit to the museum
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Enjoying the sights
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November 7, 2012
Social Media Video 2013
Social Media Video 2013: The concluded election has us looking into 2013 and beyond. The future is all about digital media. You, as supporters and fans of Socialnomics understand this and is why you demanded a revised version of my book Socialnomics and its Social Media Revolution video – the are both finally here! Please enjoy and thanks for all the support.
Social Media Video 2013 | Fatboy Slim Music
Social Media Video 2013 | New Music
Social Media Statistics 2013 from Video
Over 1 billion users on Facebook
If Facebook were a country it would be the world’s 3rd largest and 2x the size of the U.S. population
Over 50% of the world’s population is under 30-years-old
Each day 20% of Google searches have never been searched before
In 10 years over 40% of the Fortune 500 will no longer be here
Social Media has overtaken porn as the #1 activity on the Web
1 in 5 couples meet online; 3 in 5 gay couples meet online
1 in 5 divorces are blamed on Facebook
What happens in Vegas stays on YouTube, Flickr, Twitter, Facebook…
Ford Explorer launch on Facebook more effective than a Super Bowl Ad
69 percent of parents said they are currently “friends” with their children on a social media site
92% of children in the US have a digital footprint/shadow
Every second 2 new members join LinkedIn
More members join LinkedIn per day than the entire enrollment of all the IVY League Schools
Social Gamers to buy 6 billion in virtual goods by 2013; movie goers only buy 2.5 million in concessions
Every minute 72 hours of video is uploaded to YouTube
If Wikipedia were made into a book it would be 2.25 million pages long
97% of Pinterest Facebook Fans are Women
53% of people on Twitter recommend products in their Tweets
90% of people trust online recommendations from people they know
Only 14% trust traditional TV advertisements
New Yorkers received tweets about an east coast earthquake 30 seconds before they felt it
93% of marketers use social media for business
Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber and Katy Perry have more Twitter followers than the entire populations of Germany, Turkey, South Africa, Canada, Argentina, United Kingdom, Egypt
“We don’t have a choice on whether we DO social media, the question is how well we DO it.” – Erik Qualman
“We will non longer search for products and services, they will find us via social media.” – Erik Qualman
“Social Media isn’t a fad, it’s a fundamental shift in the way we communicate.” – Erik Qualman
“The ROI of social media is that your business will still exist in 5 years.” - Erik Qualman
Keynote speaker: Delivering a Socialnomics Keynote for Starbucks
Social Media Statistics Sources:
USA Today
Wikipedia Country Populations
http://www.census.gov/cgi-bin/broker http://www.census.gov/ipc/www/idb/wor... [roughly 52% based on table data] | 2010 U.S. 310,232,863 | 2010 World 6,814,609,654 | 30 and under: 3,548,760,268 / 6,814,609,654 = 52% http://sasweb.ssd.census.gov/idb/worldpopinfo.html
Infographic supplied by Awareness
Babson Olin School of Business Advertisement, Fast Company April 2011, page 121. 40% of companies at top of fortune 500 rankings were no longer there in 2010
Source: Huffington Post
Michael J. Rosenfeld, Stanford University* and Reuben J. Thomas, The City College of New York; Meeting Online: The Rise of the Internet as a Social Intermediary,Page 46, Via: Adam Gorlik, “Forget Cupid. Online connections have valentines falling in love, Stanford researcher says,” Stanford University News,
1 out of 5 is also supported by Match.com Blog
Tony Cooper, ”One in Five U.S. Divorces Fueled by Facebook, Social Media, Recent survey by AAML shows Facebook-related antics, extramarital activity burgeoning,” San Diego News ,
Opinion, not a statistic
eMarketer http://www.emarketer.com/mobile/article_m.aspx?R=1008262
Mamapedia http://www.mamapedia.com/voices/placeholder-liberty-mutual
CNN http//www.cnn.com/2012/TECH/social.media/10/07/baby.pictures/index.html
LinkedIn Press Center
2 new members join LinkedIn every second 2 x 60 seconds = 120 per minute x 60 minutes per hour = 7200 per hour x 24 hours = 172,800 members per day
social gamers bought $2.2 billion in virtual goods; Predicted to increase to $6 billion by 2013. (NPD Group) | Movie goers buy less than ½ this in concessions ( http://www.hoovers.com/movie-theatres/–ID__286–/freeuk-ind-fr-profile-basic.xhtml)
YouTube Press Statistics
If Wikipedia were made into a book it would be 2.25 million pages long – that would take you over 123 years to read (50 pages per day x 365 days). (Karen Valby, “I’m Diderot…Bitch.,” Fast Company, April 2011, page 106)
Mashable: http://mashable.com/2012/02/25/pinterest-user-demographics/
Source: 53% of people on Twitter recommend companies and/or products in their Tweets, with 48% of them delivering on their intention to buy the product. (ROI Research for Performance, June 2010) http://www.bazaarvoice.com/social-commerce-statistics
Source: 90% of consumers online trust recommendations from people they know; 70% trust opinions of unknown users. (Econsultancy, July 2009) via Bazaarvoice
Source: “Marketing to the Social Web,” Larry Weber, Wiley Publishing 2007
Washington Post
93% of marketers use social media for business http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/social-media-marketing-industry-report-2011
http://twittercounter.com/pages/100 and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_population
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Engagement Science: Making the Most of Your Social Media Strategy (Infographic)
Social engagement is both a science and an art. I analyzed data from over 100 companies of all sizes to determine the best ways to maximize social engagement. The findings are telling; for instance: did you know that posting to three or more channels increases engagement by over 40%? Or that posts on Saturday received more engagement than any other day of the week?
Check out the infographic below for more insight into the science of engagement, and pick up my book Stand Out Social Marketing: How to Rise Above the Noise, Differentiate Your Brand, and Build an Outstanding Online Presence for a complete guide to maximizing your social media returns.
Have you found this to be true in your social media strategy? Weigh in on Twitter.
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November 6, 2012
Use Social Media to Drive Off with Online Car Insurance
At a time in life when many consumers are trying to save money where and whenever possible, driving off with better rates on car insurance certainly seems appealing.
According to Comscore’s 2011 Online Auto Insurance Report, 20 percent of all consumers presently buy their insurance online.
Meantime, a 2011 JD Power study noted that 58 percent of Gen Y used insurers’ websites to obtain data on insurance, while 48 percent of Gen Y obtain quotes right from insurers’ websites.
So, it would certainly appear that more and more consumers are driven to go to the Internet to shop for and purchase online car insurance. Not only are more insurance providers taking to Facebook, Twitter and other social venues to promote their products, but shopping for car insurance online allows you the freedom of doing it from the comfort of your computer or other technological device.
With that being the case, what are some keys that drivers should focus in on when looking for their auto insurance online?
Among them would be:
* Shop around – The most important tip is to get several quotes right off the bat. While the first quote you come across may sound really great, how does it compare to others? Make sure you get a number of quotes to compare and contrasts the insurance companies. Also take the time to review their customer service record, financial stability, and that the quote you receive is properly rated. Keep in mind that different insurers’ could be writing slightly varying liability limits or different deductibles. Even numbers that are slightly different can end up impacting how much you pay for car insurance in the end;
* Know your driving record – Of utmost importance is your past driving history. Keep in mind that insurance companies check your driving history (at least they are suppose to) when preparing your quote. In the event they don’t, and in the event you have a past violation or two, it could alter the initial quote you receive, making what you would actually pay for car insurance higher;
* Know your credit score – Something that can slide under the radar for many drivers when shopping for car insurance is their credit history. For those with a bad one, it can definitely raise their car insurance premiums. Just as with your driving record, make sure your credit reporting is correct and updated. Keep in mind that should one car insurer do your quote with your record and another does not, you will not receive an honest comparison of the rates. In the event there are problems with your credit history, such as if you went through financial problems like a divorce or failed small business, be sure you can explain such factors;
* Know the right amount of coverage – As you are obtaining your quotes online, remember that there are different coverage packages available. If you have an older vehicle whereby its actual cash value does not warrant a full coverage package, consider less coverage. It is also important to note that coverage requirements can vary in the states, so keep that factor in mind. In some instances, you may have to purchase bodily injury and property damage liability coverage;
* Know who you are dealing with – Lastly, look into the insurers’ track record of raising prices over time. If you see a pattern of consistent hikes, look elsewhere. It is also important to make sure the carrier is licensed by its state’s insurance department. In the event you’re not familiar with the company, contact your state insurance department to make sure they are who they say they are.
As you look to lessen the impact car insurance has on your wallet, yet still say properly covered and protected, take the time to drive on off with the right coverage.
Photo credit: carinsurance.org
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Politics Gets Social: 160 Jaw-Dropping Facts about the 2012 Presidential Election
The election for the 45th President of the United States is upon us. By and large, this election season has run as most do – with lively debates, lots of ‘fact-checking,’ and increasingly antagonistic television ads from both sides. But in one respect, this election has deviated significantly from those that came before it.
This election, the candidates have been tremendously active on social media. In fact the Presidential debates, first in Denver and then at Hofstra University, quickly became not only the most social political event in our nation’s history, but some of the most social of all televised events. Hofstra’s debate is the third most discussed event in social media history, just after the 2012 Grammy Awards and MTV Video Music Awards, but beating out the 2012 Super Bowl. In our newest white paper, 160 Amazing Social Media Statistics from the 2012 Presidential Race, we share 160 staggering social media facts about the election.
For starters, here is a snapshot of the candidate landscape as of October 25th:
As you get ready to drop your ballot on November 6th, here are some statistics to keep in mind about the nation’s social voters:
88% of social media users are registered voters
51% of social media users used social media to learn more about the Presidential candidates for the upcoming 2012 election
6 in 10 people expect presidential candidates to have a social media presence
1 in 4 social media users with mobile phones aged 10-34 said that “it is important to receive information about candidates on their mobile phone”
38% of social media users agreed that information found on social media was as impactful in making a decision as traditional media
The paper highlights social statistics from both candidates, including their digital presence, digital ad spending, social growth and popular content themes, highlights from each debate and voter information. Download the free paper now for even more amazing social stats from the 160 Amazing Social Media Statistics from the 2012 Presidential Race and share your favorite stat. We’d love to about your favorite on Twitter!
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Top free tools for online education
Online education has just come of age and because of the complexities of modern lifestyles, there is need to get organized to tap into its richness. Luckily, there are many free tools which help online learners manage their processes. Without these tools, it’s difficult to find order when studying, accessing information, organizing and communicating. Here are some of the top ones:
Plagiarism is one of the most dangerous vices when your education is confined online. It’s embarrassing, unlawful and could be detrimental to your reputation as a student. Getting rid of plagiarism physically is hard and this application enables you detect and remove copied content in your papers, assignments and essays.
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Among the numerous cloud applications that have been created, Evernote stands out as one of the most stable ones. This application is one of the most brilliant when it comes to recording and capturing content, including photos. It also allows you to take and save notes improving your planning methods. It’s critical if you plan to learn online, especially where its bookmarking capabilities are involved.
Apple iPad
The iPad is one of the newest sensational gadgets that float around for a couple hundred dollars. For an online education, this tablet is enough for all the computing needs you have whether it’s writing, reading, browsing, editing and saving files. You can even use it to store files on the move with an ease that’s second to none. You can also add other apps, textbooks, etc. to use it as an E-reader, among other uses.
Presentations are critical for all forms of education, including those carried out online. Slideshare is an amazing platform for online education because it not only gives you a horde of ideas on how to create presentations, but it’s also a rich resource of presentations in different fields. You will definitely find it resourceful.
This tool is effective for the online learner because it has the same capabilities you’d get from a felt pen offline. Basically, it allows you to highlight digital content and this is an ability that’s hard to come by online. Apart from this, Diigo allows you create sticky notes which enable you remember what you have been taught properly.
This tool allows you access to a digital library which is critical for accessing relevant learning materials, notes and books. The tool also allows you schedule writing tasks, reviews and other activities that are good for learning.
Funbrain sounds like academic fun because it is. It enables you tease your brain while you learn. As a matter of fact, this tool is not only essential to keep you awake and alert, but it also helps you switch your brains on at home.
The tools available on this platform are immense and will enable you develop your learning process. The Khan academy also contains different quizzes you can use to enhance your learning abilities or even prepare for exams among other activities.
Online lectures
There are many online lectures by Ivy League institutions like Harvard, MIT, and others on the internet. There are also many open courseware platforms, search engines and websites you can use to access this information. Search for these to add on the above list for a rich, effective and expansive online education experience.
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