Like many of our peers in the media "middle," we've been doing a lot of thinking about 2009. So, we kicked off this month's Middle School Marketing meeting talking about our online marketing predictions for the new New Year. Rightfully so, this week there's been a lot of chatter about what's to come: Peter Kim's compilation of social media predictions, eMarketer's article of what lies ahead, and Clickz's What Next piece, to name a few.

Like many of our earlier MSM meetings, we talked about the utility, usage and future of Twitter. Lisa mentioned that she was surprised to learn over Thanksgiving that many of her high school and college-age relatives had never heard of Twitter. Dispite the 1.3 million users, how many of them are active, and what's the demographic breakdown? Even within our small group, there were various use cases: keeping up with current events, networking, RSS feed, following friends, following clients, and networking with other industry types. In the end, Twitter is simply another medium which can be used to broadcast message... in 140 characters or less, of course.

Continue reading "Middle School Marketing - Reflections & Predictions"

Two important reports were released today with enlightening perspectives on social networking and online communities. Jeremiah Owyang of Forrester Research released their Best and Worst of Social Networking, 2008, and Deloitte release the 2008 Tribalization of Business Survey, where the WSJ reports on the study’s findings of why most online communities fail.

The Forrester report has some of the more interesting results, with a great report card of notable case studies:

Forrester applied its Social Network Marketing Review methodology to programs run by 16 firms in four industries: automotive, media, technology, and consumer products. Only the BMW Series 1 received a passing grade, and half of the firms scored a zero or lower. But even with these dismal overall results, we found examples of specific best practices: The Dell/Microsoft (Red) program provided a rich media theme that was easily sharable, Sony’s BMG page for Alicia Keys was personable and interactive, and Kraft’s DiGiorno Pizza delivered a unique interactive experience with its members. To improve social network marketing, brands must develop community-centered content and activities, measure success based on new criteria, and be prepared to participate.

Continue reading "Reporting on the Best and Worst of Online Communities"

Google just built a social media platform—and it’s not called Orkut.

By inserting a small snippet of code, Google’s new social media initiative, Friend Connect, will allow any web site to, "get social features up and running immediately without programming—picking and choosing from built-in functionality like user registration, invitations, members gallery, message posting, and reviews, as well as third-party applications built by the OpenSocial developer community."

The idea is to allow everyone, regardless of money or bandwidth, to integrate social interaction on their web site. I have a huge crush on Google.

In the words of Google’s director of engineering, David Galizer’s:

Google Friend Connect is about helping the ‘long tail’ of sites become more social. Many sites aren’t explicitly social and don’t necessarily want to be social networks, but they still benefit from letting their visitors interact with each other. That used to be hard. Fortunately, there’s an emerging wave of social standards—OpenID, OAuth, OpenSocial, and the data access APIs published by Facebook, Google, MySpace, and others. Google Friend Connect builds on these standards to let people easily connect with their friends, wherever they are on the web, making ‘any app, any site, any friends’ a reality.

Continue reading "Google to Unveil Friend Connect Tonight"

Folks, it’s all about making people’s lives better. Facebook continues to be a solid social media tool because it can actually improve your life (or, destroy it through addiction ... either way) by effectively connecting you with your community.

Their people just published a white paper on viral marketing designed to teach businesses how to leverage customers through Facebook, and they’ve also added another feature that further enhances Facebook users to communicate and connect with their friends. They call it, c-h-a-t. You may have heard of it.

The whitepaper was actually a pretty good read--I learned a few things myself. This was a good move for them as it does two things: 1) It establishes their authority in viral marketing, and 2) Targets the growing Facebook business demographic. Facebook continues to distancing itself from its “Facebook is for kids” criticism as more and more people recognize the name. It is becoming so widspread that you are no longer considered a nerd or young-punk if you’re a Facebook user; instead, the question has become, “You’re not on Facebook?” I mean, my Dad is on Facebook (honestly...).

Also, the chat feature is pretty solid. While there are pros and cons to it, brands now have a new channel for making themselves available to customers. I know it’s already being done by some companies; but brands should be excited about another opportunity to listen to what their customers are saying.

Continue reading "Facebook Making Another Big Push"

UPDATE PT. 2Thanks to Joel, you can now view the commercial I was mentioning at his blog here. Thanks Joel!

UPDATE: Thanks to Muriel’s comment, here is the link to the DirectTV commercial series I was referring to. Unfortunately it doesn’t have the exact spot, but it does have some others that are in the same vein and equally as funny. Hopefully they’ll be posting the “Blog it Out” spot soon.

Direct TV has a new TV commercial series out featuring John Micahel Higgins and a chunk of the Christopher Guest Crew (Waiting for Guffman, Best In Show etc.). I bring that up because not only did the most recent commercial I saw make me laugh out loud; it was incredibly poignant.

The group is sitting around a drab executive style oval table, and they all look bored to tears. They are playing the part of the unnamed cable company executives. Higgins begins by stating that cable TV is losing it’s steam and something must be done. Rather than changing their policies, he says to the crew “We’re going viral. We’re gonna get online and start blogging it out.” I wish I could find that commercial on YouTube--if you find it, please let me know.

Anyhow, that is just a perfect picture of a typical view of digital marketing and social media. Someone, somewhere, heard of social media and decided they needed to be leveraging the new shiny toy. It was clearly not in Higgin’s original business plan to utilize digital marketing. Digital marketing is not a quick fix or a limited one-off; but rather a long-term invested approach of discovering where your customers are, and finding relevant ways to join their conversation on their terms

A recent study by Booz Allen Hamilton and the Association of National Advertisers suggests that fewer than 1 in 4 of the participants in Marketing & Media Ecosystem 2010 consider their organizations digitally savvy. Furthermore, AdAge reports that,

While every marketing executive recognizes the pervasive pull of the internet, most allocate only 5% to 10% of their ad budgets to digital media.

The article goes on to say,

Leading marketers such as Nike, Johnson & Johnson and Procter & Gamble are indeed recognizing that digital and interactive are no longer niche capabilities; they are a requisite skill set for all marketers.

Currently, the way in which legacy marketing treats digital marketing is akin to buying a cell phone for the sole purpose of replacing your land line: You never take the phone with you. You leave it at home, you plug it into your answering machine, and you bolt it to your wall. You now have your shiny new toy and you’ve now become ‘relevant.’ Great concept, but missing the point.

The issue for Higgin’s crew in the Direct TV commercial is that is that not only was it too little too late; but the culture supporting the “blogging it out” is not conducive to blogging.

Continue reading "“Blog It Out” - The Confusion of Digital Marketing"

Lately, I’ve been exerting mental energy over what it takes to ensure a marketing campaign, no matter the medium, is sustainable. The word “sustainability” has come to mean something different to everyone it seems...it has been hijacked by the evil buzzworders.

We need a sustainable definition of sustainable.

This morning while reading Brains On Fire’s latest post my brain literally lit on fire when both sustainability and hockey were addressed.

A few days ago, Geno from Brains On Fire summed up sustainability as being real

“when the community...can continue without having to stimulate conversation and the overall movement with continued funding to stimulate conversation.”

You should go read that post.

The idea here is something we’ve been blogging about as of late. It’s the idea of relational marketing. Conversations are taking place, it’s just a question of where and how to participate. A truly sustainable marketing initiative occurs when the creators are no longer required to catalyze conversation--be it through funding or other means. A campaign is sustainable when conversations spark other conversations, which spark additional conversations, and before you know it the “campaign” has become a living, breathing brand.

So why hockey?

Continue reading "Hockey is Sustainable"

It seems like I’m hearing more and more about the privacy concerns surrounding online marketing. While this has been an issue for awhile, it could be soon reaching a boiling point.

For a lot of people, Facebook’s Beacon initiative put online privacy concerns on the map.

I recently heard a piece on NPR regarding protecting your children from those vicious online marketers. It was just a little one-sided and motivated me to call in to the NPR show for the first time in my life--which I later realized made me the oldest person I know.

Another fascinating article, which had a similar doomsday feel, was a NYT piece entitled, “To Aim Ads, Web Is Keeping Closer Eye on You.”

And to top it all off, Anil Batra’s “Web Analysis, Behavioral Targeting and Advertising” blog just posted the following:

One New York assemblyman, Richard L. Brodsky, has drafted a bill that would make it a crime — punishable by a fine to be determined — for certain Web companies to use personal information about consumers for advertising without their consent.

While I do believe much of the fear is based on a lack of understanding; I also believe this issue will need to be addressed sooner or later--especially now that big bad Google is now allowing us to opt-in to analytics data sharing as well as target our ads based on demographics (also see this post).

Additionally, the fact that Google is uncomfortable with the title “behavioral targeting” speaks volumes as they are beginning to take tactical measures to invalidate the finger pointing.

...Keeping you protected from the savage data sharing pirates; I’ll provide updates when it’s safe to do so.

I just put down Advertising Age’s issue on the Digital A-List. If this issue is any barometer of how digital marketing is evolving, the lines between technology, entertainment and business goals are continuing to rapidly blur. Profiling the year’s best interactive creative work and the people who make it happen, it is this convergence that is defining the digital future:

“Our belief is that marketing and product have converged. The consumer doesn’t separate the marketing experience from the product experience.”

Rather than merely relying on clever creative work, brands are blending form and function to create branded utilities that effectively utilize social media to create community and brand loyalty. As one agency executive said, “The new ‘viral’ is going to be a business solution for clients.”

This whole new approach means that brands and agencies need to begin developing a marketing-as-service strategy:

In other words, marketers can build websites that do cool, useful stuff...examples include Johnson & Johnson and its BabyCenter, a deep repository of information about raising a newborn that’s a clear competitor to Bonnier or Meredith, the publishers of Parenting and Parents magazines respectively. Nike Plus, whose sharp interface connects runners all over the world, is a real threat to any traditional media owners who wants to engage with that running population.

It’s time for marketing agencies and the companies they represent to think different. Perhaps something a bit more radical like Jakob Nielsen’s perspective:

“The basic point about the web is that it is not an advertising medium. The web is not a selling medium; it is a buying medium. It is user-controlled, so the user controls, the user experiences.”

This represents a powerful shift for brands and agencies. Those that tackle this change with creativity and a marketing-as-service strategy that engages their audiences through useful and functional online experiences will be the ones that define success in this convergence of product and marketing.

This morning’s news of Bear Stearns’ firesale to JPMorgan Chase brought on renewed fears of an economic recession. Regardless of whether we’ve hit a full-blown recession or not, marketing budgets tighten when the economy sputters. And what dollars are spent, need to be more on target than ever before. However, a recent Forrester Research report announced that social media efforts will survive tightened budgets more than traditional media spending. 

For the savvy social media marketer, the recession is an opportunity to showcase the real value of social media instead of traditional ad spending. Social media provides a direct relationship between the brand and consumer by leveraging more affordable and measurable online tools that move the consumer from a position of being blasted by generic one-way advertising, to “motivating consideration,” a process that is perfectly suited for social media applications like blogs and social networks.

David Armano of Critical Mass, posted this presentation about the 10 Ways Digital Can Help You Thrive in a Recession:

And when the economy finally emerges from this downturn, hopefully social media will have undergone the maturation it needs by eliminating the hype and fads in favor of strengthening the tools and strategies that show results. 

I’m currently enjoying a book entitled Now is Gone by Geoff Livingston. In this book, Livingston articulately brings to life much of what has been in my head as of late--and something I’ve been talking about with my colleagues as well.

Particularly: I’ve been thinking that social media marketing is the future of marketing--or as I called it in the title: relational marketing. I know I could get in some hot water for such a dogmatic claim; but hear me out.

By “Social media” I mean more than simply the tools of social media such as blogs, Facebook, Twitter etc. Rather, I am referring to something similar to Livingston’s definition:

“Social media...is the democratization and socialization of information as well as the tools to facilitate online conversations. To put it another way, it is the shift from one-way to two-way conversations.”

Marketing has long been seen as information distribution to your target audiences. We gather info, we (gently) shove it down the customer’s throat, and then we ask them to say thank you and hope they want seconds. I understand that’s a bit hyperbolic; but it does have some truth in it. For better or worse (I happen to think for better), that way of marketing is quickly dying. Livingston speaks to this by distinguishing “audiences” from “communities.” It may sound like he’s splitting hairs; but it actually constitutes an entire paradigm shift.

Picture the last movie you saw in the theater (hopefully it wasn’t Vantage Point). As part of the audience, what did you do? You watched and listened; you didn’t interact--and hopefully you didn’t talk. Your opinion had no bearing on the movie’s content as the movie was already edited and produced. Accordingly, you’re only job was to take it all in and perhaps afterwards give it two thumbs up or down.

What do communities do? They engage in dialogue. People in community shape one another. Their opinions and ideas influence those of the others around them.

To return to the movie analogy; as an audience member you have no say over the finished product. However, as part of the community who made the movie, you had complete say. You influenced, shaped and created the movie (and hopefully, it wasn’t Vantage Point).

Marketers no longer have the option of treating people like audiences because people no longer have to sit around and respectfully listen to their message. People have choices. With the democratization and socialization of information, why would I accept a final product that doesn’t work for me when I can go elsewhere and help build one? Why would I continue to watch TV commercials when I have TiVo? Why would I stay on your web site if I don’t like it? Why would I buy your product when I know there are 10 other better options for less money? Why would I listen to a canned message when I can speak directly with the creator?

As Livingston points out, marketers no longer have the option of not engaging in community dialogue. Dialogue is happening whether we like it or not. We can either close our eyes hope they’re saying good things about our products & company; or we can help shape the conversation through our participation--and in turn be shaped ourselves.

We here at Viget Labs know that your web site might not be the sexy, sleek machine you know it could be. Here are some recommendations that will bring the type of gratifying results you can tell your friends about:

1. Get Analytics: Knowing what’s happening on your web site is crucial. My heart breaks a little when clients don’t track their site’s performance – especially because it’s free (see Google Analytics). If you need help, check Google’s list of Google Authorized Analytics Consultants, (we’re one) and just ask.


2. Get focused: Why do you have a web site? Do visitors know what you’re offering? Can your customers find what they’re looking for? Answer these questions, and then fix areas that aren’t achieving your goals and those of your customers, too.


3. Start Optimizing for Search: If none of your content is text-based, you are making a mistake. Have a link-building strategy and target keyword list to optimize your online presence for growth. Take the time to read about search engine optimization at SEOMOZ.org or one of the other 60,000 articles about it. Test your content’s performance. Substantiate your online budget with factual data.

This can be the year you radically improve your web site. These three tips will get you started in the right direction. Stay tuned for more.

I’ve decided to break our don’t-blog-about-entertainment-clients rule this morning.  Last night, several of us caught Brian Regan‘s show at the Strathmore Theater.  The show was hilarious, and we had a blast.

If you’ve never seen Brian’s act, he does ”observational comedy”, with a particular gift for expressive delivery.  As I listened to the jokes, I thought: this material comes across like a series of blog posts.  Very funny blog posts.  Quick stories about childhood memories, insights into the world around us, and simple-but-true reflections on everyday life.  What’s more, Brian is one of those rare people who is just really funny to be around.  He has a way of thinking and talking that cracks you up.

Who better to write a blog than Brian Regan?  I’d read it every day.  So would many of the other 2,000 folks who saw the show last night and the hundreds of thousands of fans who follow him.  He’s got great content at the tip of his tongue and a pre-established audience.  It would be a sure hit.

Brian was gracious enough to invite us backstage after the show for a few photos and a brief chat.

So I had to ask him, “Any interest in blogging?” The short answer: not really.

His focus is on continuing to make his stand-up show the best it can be.  That takes time and effort.  Regular blogging takes time and effort.  As funny as Brian’s Daily Reflections would be (his, not mine), it’s just not a priority for him professionally or personally right now.  Until he decides it is, I would never advise him to launch one.

Blogging isn’t for everyone.  It takes a certain personality.  Think about Brian’s scenario if you’re asking “Should I blog?” Before you consider how hilarious (or informative, compelling, inspiring) your content would be, how many fans (or friends, contacts, colleagues) you already have who would read it, or how much a successful blog will help your career by filling theaters (or sales funnels, job offers, speaking gigs), you should ask, “Do I really want to?” Am I really inspired to share my thoughts with the world several times each week?  Am I really motivated to keep it up over months and years?”

I think many blogs start out because people think they have great information and insight to share.  While that’s significant, it’s more important to know that you’re ready to stick with it.

Oh, and Brian’s best comment backstage?  Kyle, who has managed to meet Brian after a few shows, asked what he could do so that he’d be remembered during their next encounter.  Simple, Brian said. “A one-thousand dollar bill.”

Our clients spend an awful lot of time obsessing over the homepages of their sites. And there is some merit to that; typically, the homepage is one of the most visited pages of a Web site. But in the age of search, any page of your Web site can act as a homepage.

What to do? Put the same amount of thought into secondary pages. As you carefully craft copy and calls to action on the homepage, ensure that each page of your site is designed to convert your visitors by influencing them to take actions you deem important.

Need more convincing? Well, if you have any analytics on your site, it will likely show an interesting long tail trend. The number of people who visit your secondary pages probably exceeds the total visits of your homepage. The impact is even greater if you are building a knowledge-based site like Squidoo or Wikipedia.

The Web has changed. People no longer come in solely the front door of your site - some visitors get dropped straight into your living room, and you need to be prepared to serve them equally.

The importance of correct grammar and snappy text can seem like a low-priority item when blinking, moving visuals, or mind-blowing development options are available to clients. But all the bells and whistles quickly can be forgotten if your content doesn’t convince readers that you are the authority.

Why? Aside from understanding that they should keep it concise, easy-to-read, and objective (thanks to Nielsen’s classic research), clients may not know how to write effective text. Often, in lieu of taking advantage of invaluable copywriting services, the project manager must spend hours of research on the client’s dime to craft content about a subject on which she or he is not an expert just so the plan can move forward—almost as an afterthought to the larger web venture.

So you may be asking, “But these entrepreneurs must have convinced at least some people that they are knowledgeable.” Of course—some of the best businesses are run by brilliant people who are naturals at articulating their expertise. But, translating that same voice to the web can be tricky for several reasons:

• Grammar: For those who remember at least a portion of the teachings of their fourth grade teacher like my own Mr. Grammer (and I’m not lying about that name), basic syntax and language usage are critical to demonstrating that you are credible. And credibility is vital to success.


• Usage: Don’t be outrageously embarrassed if you habitually use “over” instead of “more than” or “which” instead of “that,” or you never fully embraced the difference between “your” and “you’re.” Just stop doing it starting … now. Check out Strunk & White’s Elements of Style for a quick lesson or have an expert proofread your work. Don’t be too stubborn to learn.


• Styles: AP and Chicago are the most popular styles in writing for B2B. They are the styles you see in newspaper writing and throughout the publishing industry. MLA is used mostly in academic writing and is most notably remembered for its reckless use of the serial or Oxford comma (a major debate between English and journalism camps). Pick a style, buy a book (or an online subscription), and keep your site consistent. Or, come up with your own style guide, but write it down and use it in all of your communications.


• Voice: Pick a formal or conversational voice and go with it. I’m talking about the differences between, “Singading Company provides its customers … ” and, “We offer you ... .” There is no correct answer as to which is more effective. You don’t want to turn off readers by sounding like a stiff; but, you don’t want to sound like you’re wearing paint-stained, cut-off jean shorts and inviting them to a BYOB barbeque. Find your happy medium and keep it consistent.

Be among those site owners who ask for help or, at least, a proofread. Above all else, make learning to use language correctly a priority. It’s the little things that make a difference.

As Brian mentioned in his 2007 Resolution post, widgets are going to be one of the trends to watch in 2007. Arguably, they already made big news in 2006 - but only within certain demographics (including teens, young adults, and geeks).

So, what’s a widget anyway?

On a technical level, it’s just some code you insert into your website. But from a conceptual standpoint, a widget is a little tool that packs a great punch, providing fun and useful functionality to websites. Widgets are often placed in sidebars and are very popular amongst bloggers because they allow them to create more personality on their sites. They also can often help site visitors stay better engaged.

While widgets are “fun” for their users, they offer site owners the power to essentially export both the messaging (i.e., content), as well as the branding of their website across the Internet.

Although widgets are somewhat new, the technology behind them is maturing quickly. Services like Widgetbox and ClearSpring now allow widget creators to track the usage of their widgets. KickApps, which does much more than just widgets, also allows widget owners to switch out the content of their widgets. In the case where a significant number of people have placed your widget on their sites (websites, blogs, social networking profiles, etc.), that becomes a very powerful communication tool.

Widgets won’t make or break your web strategy. They are just another tool in the toolbox. But expect to see them start being used in some innovative ways as we continue through 2007.