Mar 132013
 

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Doan began by explaining that nine months ago, OREO made a concerted effort to figure out how to communicate with consumers “in a new social space.” The brand realized there was a huge opportunity to engage with millennials instead in addition to the brand’s core audience of moms. And social media was the perfect place to do so. While Oreo certainly did plan to engage during the Super Bowl, much to the chagrin of conspiracy theorists, the brand did not pull the plug at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome

Bough pointed out that brands must have the “willingness to prepare” for events that may present opportunities to engage with customers. Learning how to respond in real time will be an important new skill for brands to master and fear must be left at the doorstep.

To the point that brands must be willing to engage, Berkowitz noted that if everyone involved with a brand marketing team isn’t on top of large live events that may present opportunities to engage, “odds are you aren’t doing your job.” It was also noted the the mentality of the campaign is still far too ingrained in the minds of marketers. There is no beginning, middle and end any longer. While planning will always play a role — Berkowitz shared that his team had several “dry runs” in advance of the Super Bowl — brands have to be nimble and ready to act on a moments notice when an opportunity presents itself.

via Why All Brands Need to be Real-Time Marketers.

 

 

 

Mar 122013
 

Near the end of 2012, a group of us at Ziba got together to review what we’d learned over the course of the year. Working with dozens of clients who serve customers around the world, we designers spend a lot of time observing people as they interact with technology, services, and experiences, noticing how they seek solutions to everyday problems and make decisions. In the process, certain patterns emerge so forcefully that they’re practically unavoidable.

Meeting over three sessions spread out over a week, 23 Zibites (designers, researchers, and creative directors) discussed the patterns we’d seen, and distilled them down to the 12 insights we thought were most current and useful, to us and to our clients. Each one is presented here, as a brief essay that suggests how it will affect business practices in 2013, and as an illustration created by one of Ziba’s designers.

via The 12 Trends That Will Rule Products In 2013 | Co.Design: business + innovation + design.

Mar 122013
 

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YouTube has opened up its new design for channels, so far available only as limited beta, to all users.

The YouTube One Channel, as it’s called, gives users the ability to slap a big header (called Channel Art) on the top of their channels and to have a video trailer which starts playing for all visitors who aren’t yet subscribed to the channel.

The new Channel Art-adorned channels, YouTube claims, will look good on any screen size and any device.

via YouTube One Channel Now Open for Everyone.

 

 


 

Mar 122013
 

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The most successful companies now understand that high-quality content draws people in, builds trust, drives traffic, mobilizes social media sharing, and results in sales. With more and more businesses jumping on the content bandwagon, there will be even more competition for audience attention. That means it’s more important than ever to make sure your content is useful, interesting, and engaging enough to draw readers in.

You must understand your audience. Go out of your way to learn their needs, desires, and frustrations. Once you know your target customer intimately, you will be able to craft content that stands out, gets attention, and has a long shelf life.

What it means for your business: Don’t just decide to ramp up your content marketing. To stay ahead of your competition, develop specific content marketing goals. By keeping a strategic focus, you’ll stay well ahead of those who are blindly jumping on the bandwagon.

READ MORE:  5 new developments in content marketing (single page view) – iMediaConnection.com.

 

 


 

Mar 062013
 

These two multi-channel retailers found that mobile store locators get feet in stores and dollars in the cash register.

RadioShack launched its mobile site in 2011, streamlining it to make it easier for shoppers to quickly find products and services. It includes a mobile, touch-optimized store locator with click-to-call and GPS functionality. After its launch, the retailer found the average order value increased by 30 percent.

An analysis of four months’ worth of data completed by RadioShack with Mindshare, its agency, found that 36 percent of clicks were on its store locator page. Based on internal data, they estimated that 40 to 60 percent of clicks on its store locator resulted in visits to a physical store. Of those who did shop at a store, 85 percent made a purchase.

Before this study, RadioShack had only tracked conversion on its mobile site; it didn’t have great visibility into how mobile search affected in-store sales. “It wasn’t a good way to capture the whole conversion process and how users are interacting. The study was trying to follow the customer through the whole experience,” says Lisa Little, RadioShack search marketing manager.

READ MORE:  RadioShack and Adidas Find Store Locators Ring Up Sales | ClickZ.

 

 


 

Mar 052013
 

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IMN recently surveyed marketing professionals across different industries to get a clear picture of how they viewed content marketing programs, and subsequently, measured its effectiveness. While the vast majority of respondents understand the value of a content marketing program, have a solid grasp on what the goals of the program should be, and are engaged in content marketing efforts, many are having serious challenges in executing a content marketing program at a very basic level. Internal resource constraints, finding and sourcing relevant content, making sure content passes regulatory compliance, and hiring good content writers were the primary challenges respondents faced when implementing a content marketing strategy.

Content marketing program drivers

Customer and prospect engagement and awareness are two of the top goals for content marketing programs. Combined, these two responses represented the top goal of 51 percent of survey respondents. Customer loyalty, increased leads, increased revenue, and thought leadership are also program drivers. While 82 percent of respondents were either directly or indirectly involved in their content marketing strategy, 29 percent did not feel they had a solid understanding of what content marketing could accomplish in terms of customer engagement.

To achieve any of these program goals, organizations need to map the type of content to the goal. For example, if customer and prospect engagement is a top goal, thinking about the top five questions a prospect might ask and mapping the content to those areas would be a sound strategy.

READ MORE: How to create a stellar content marketing program – iMediaConnection.com.

 

 


 

Mar 042013
 

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This presentation on “6 Social Media Tips for Traditional Media” was presented by Erica Swallow on Friday, June 25, 2010 at Social Media Brasil (http://www.socialmediabrasil.com.br/), the largest social media conference in Brazil.

The presentation cover six tips that online publishers should consider when implementing a new social media strategy or improving upon an existing strategy.

 

 

 

via Six Social Media Tips for Traditional Media.

 

 


 

Mar 042013
 

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When it comes to keyword research, there are a number of great articles out there telling you where to look, what tools to use, and how to get started. Instead of focusing on the traditional tactics, I want to focus on some other ways businesses can identify and evaluate keywords using real customer data.

Internal site search

If you have an internal site search function, you’re potentially sitting on a wealth of keyword data. Visitors coming to your website or blog often use the site search function to find information on the company and its products, or to locate pieces of content they’ve read before.

The great thing about site search is it not only helps you discover keywords your customers are using, it can also help you identify navigational or content issues. If your customers are searching for something, it likely means they are having trouble finding what they are looking for. Does that content exist on the site? If so, you need to make it easier to locate. If it doesn’t, get cracking!

Google Analytics will track these internal searches for you. To enable site search, go to your profile settings and set to “Do Track Site Search.” If you need help identifying parameters, head over to the Google Analytics site for more information.

READ MORE:  3 fresh ways to look at keywords – iMediaConnection.com.

 

 


 

Feb 132013
 


CREATIVITY IS KEY TO INNOVATION. SO HOW DO YOU EXPAND YOUR OWN CREATIVE CAPACITY AND THAT OF YOUR BUSINESS? THROUGH SOCIAL ENGAGEMENT, ARGUES BRUCE NUSSBAUM.

The holidays are over, the weather is lousy, and we’re sober again. We made all kinds of New Year’s promises, but the big one that will change our careers, if not our lives, is the promise to ourselves to become more creative. In my new book, Creative Intelligence, I show that creativity is learned behavior that gets better with training–like sports. You can make creativity routine and a regular part of your life. That’s true for big companies as well as small startups, corporate managers as well as entrepreneurs. Creativity is scalable.

The huge national policy storm brewing over “dwindling innovation” and an “innovation shortfall” also gives creativity an even greater agency. Creativity is the key to generating economic value and getting the U.S. economy to grow fast again.

So here are four specific ways to lead a more creative life and boost your creative capacities. Creativity is not about blue rooms and brain waves but about social engagement and mining the existential. Here’s what you can do.

MORE:  4 Ways To Amplify Your Creativity | Co.Design: business + innovation + design.

 

 


 

Jan 242013
 

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As a favorite hangout for the Millennial generation, Tumblr is already helping some brands reach this prized audience. (Check out some of the brands already on Tumblr here.) Every industry — from fashion to finance — is represented, and these companies are finding new and creative ways to connect to their customers using this platform.

Let’s take a look at a few of the opportunities your brand might be missing on Tumblr, as well as the brands that are getting it right.

Go native

Tumblr isn’t like any other social network, so a content strategy applied to Facebook, Twitter, or a blog won’t yield the same results on Tumblr. The most popular form of expression on the platform is visual — photos and GIFs (animated images).

To be successful on Tumblr, you first need to find a way to express the visual elements of your brand or message. This approach can showcase a different side of your brand, allowing you to communicate your brand’s personality in a new way. Striking images garner a great deal of attention on Tumblr.

MORE:  4 brands that are taking Tumblr by storm