Posts Tagged ‘twitter’
Thursday, March 22nd, 2012
 Findings from the second Adobe Digital Index report suggest that marketers are undervaluing social media impact by nearly 100 percent and need to re-evaluate their attribution methods.
The study evaluated how marketers measure the impact of website traffic from major social media sites, including Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Tumblr, Blogger, YouTube and Yelp. Adobe analyzed more than 1.7 billion visits to more than 225 U.S. companies’ websites in the retail, travel and media industries, concluding that marketers significantly underestimate the value of social traffic.
“As an industry, digital marketers have been quick to add social media to the marketing mix, but have perhaps not considered new and better ways to measure this complex channel,” Aseem Chandra
Key Report Findings
- The use of last-click attribution, the most common attribution model used by marketers, may cause marketers to undervalue social media’s website impact by up to 94 percent
- First-click attribution models more accurately capture the benefits of social media in engaging customers earlier in the buying process
- Significant differences in the results of first-click vs. last-click attribution data for various social media sites may cause marketers to change how they allocate the budgets across social and other digital channels
Why First-Click Attribution is Better for Social
Last-click attribution assumes that the marketing channel most responsible for a consumer’s behavior is the channel the consumer last touched before a visit or purchase.
First-click places responsibility on the channel the consumer first touched. Social media creates an environment in which brands can build awareness and engage with prospective and existing customers early in the purchase process.
By ignoring the value of these earlier interactions, last-click attribution gives disproportionate credit to the marketing channels customers use late in the purchase process, potentially undervaluing the role of other channels in building awareness, engagement, and ongoing relationships between customers and brands. In contrast, first-click attribution gives social media more credit for these earlier interactions.
The difference between last-click and first-click is significant and has the potential to change the way companies allocate social media budgets.
Aseem Chandra, vice president, product and industry marketing, Digital Marketing Business, Adobe, said, “As an industry, digital marketers have been quick to add social media to the marketing mix, but have perhaps not considered new and better ways to measure this complex channel. This study shows that marketers tend to default to traditional direct measurement models. Better measurement of social marketing will lead to better ROI.”
Full details of the Adobe Digital Index report on social media are available for download here or at CMO.com.
Tags: Adobe Digital Marketing Index, attribution, Blogger, facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Tubmbr, twitter, Yelp, YouTube
Posted in Analytics, Facebook, Google, Internet/New Media, Marketing, social media, Twitter | Comments Off
Monday, March 19th, 2012
 Businesses can improve communications, recruiting, customer relationships and other processes by expanding their social engagement beyond well-known public sites, according to new research from CompTIA, the non-profit association for the information technology (IT) industry.
“Social media and social networking are widely recognized terms associated with large public sites like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn,” said Seth Robinson, director, technology analysis, CompTIA. “But these terms do not fully convey the full range of social applications available to businesses.”
Business social space includes two categories
For businesses the social space can be divided into two categories: public social media sites and social enterprise tools that bring social capabilities into an organization’s business processes.
“Social enterprise tools incorporate the characteristics of social media into business processes, allowing for stronger internal collaboration, deeper understanding of customers and other positive outcomes,” Robinson said.
The top five business benefits of employing social tools identified in CompTIA’s Social Business: Trends and Opportunitiesstudy are:
- Better communication with customers, cited by 61 percent of responding companies
- Cost savings (51 percent)
- Brand positioning (49 percent)
- Real-time customer satisfaction (48 percent)
- Potential lead generation (43 percent)
“Companies find that the conversational nature of social media allows them to carry on discussions with their customers, strengthening the relationship and gleaning insights on products, services and satisfaction,” Robinson said. “It makes good business sense to apply their success using social tools to internal activities and processes.”
Robinson noted, however, that for the large majority of organizations the move to the social enterprise is in its infancy – if it’s even started at all. Companies may also struggle through several trial-and-error scenarios as they meld new social tools with existing communications platforms and operational processes.
Widespread Use of Social Media
The CompTIA survey of 400 business and IT executives finds that that the large majority of firms now using social tools are taking their first steps by using social media.
A full 82 percent of responding organizations have a Facebook presence, 68 percent have a Twitter profile and 68 percent, a LinkedIn page. By comparison, less than one in five companies are currently using social enterprise tools.
“Confusion over terminology and hesitation to adopt a consumer-driven development inside the enterprise make the social landscape one that still requires definition and justification for many companies,” said Robinson. “Understanding the characteristics of social technologies is a critical starting point for understanding their business use.”
Robinson noted that while the marketing staff has been the primary owner of social activity to this point, IT departments will play a critical role in the further development of the social enterprise. IT departments may craft strategies, develop policies, build the overall social platform, select the appropriate social tools and integrate them into the enterprise environment.
The social enterprise may also offer opportunities for IT solution providers, even at this early stage. In fact, 10 percent of companies surveyed by CompTIA said their solution provider owns their social activity. Another 38 percent have consulted with a solution provider on social topics.
CompTIA’s Social Business: Trends and Opportunities study is based on a January 2012 online survey of 400 IT and business professionals in a variety of industries in the United States.The complete report is available at no cost to CompTIA members who can access the file at CompTIA.org or by contacting research@comptia.org.
Tags: business benefits of social tools, CompTIA, facebook, LinkedIn, social enterprise tools, twitter
Posted in Facebook, Internet/New Media, IT, LinkedIn, social media, Studies, surveys, reports, Twitter | 1 Comment »
Thursday, March 15th, 2012
 Joel Ludenfeld, director of global brand strategy for Twitter, is among the more than 75 speakers at the upcoming Digital Summit in Atlanta Only one day remains to grab the early bird rate at TechMedia’s Digital Summit 2012, slated for May 9-10 at the Cobb Galleria Centre in Atlanta. This year’s event features speakers from Twitter, Mashable, Klout, Pandora, The Onion, Huffington Post, StumbleUpon, and Google, among many others.
The Digital Summit is offering an Early Bird rate until tomorrow, March 16.
More than 50 expert panels and presentations by more than 75 thought leaders will cover topics such as Customer Engagement, SEO, Analytics, Usability & Design, Paid Search, Email Marketing, Ecommerce, Online Video, Facebook & Twitter Marketing and many more.
This year you can also sign up for a pre-conference event that offers a dozen more sessions covering social media from fundamentals to advanced features and usability & design. The 5-hour long workshops are designed to provide take-aways you can put to work as soon as you get back to your office.
TechMedia events sell-out, so it’s always a good idea to register early. Do so by March 16 and get the Early Bird rate of $245.
From March 17 to April 13, registration will be $295, and after April 14 rises to $345.
Tags: analytics, Atlanta, Cobb Galleria, customer engagement, Digital Summit, early bird rate, ecommerce, email marketing, Facebook & Twitter Marketing, Google, Huffington Post, Joel Lunenfeld, Klout, online video, paid search, SEO, speakers, StumbleUpon, The Onion, twitter, usability design
Posted in Events, Facebook, Internet/New Media, IT, Marketing, Microsoft, Mobile, Twitter | Comments Off
Tuesday, March 13th, 2012
 Payvment, the number one Facebook ecommerce platform, says results of its F-Commerce Facts survey of over 100,000 sellers on Facebook, the majority of which are small businesses with less than 500 Facebook fans, shows strong adoption and favorability towards Facebook Ads, with most sellers planning to use the social network’s ad products again.
The data also shows that small sellers are using a wide variety of outside marketing channels to drive traffic to their Facebook storefronts, including Twitter, Google ads and email marketing.
“While a handful of large retailers have put their F-commerce efforts on hold, there are hundreds of thousands of small businesses who are successfully selling products on Facebook”
“While a handful of large retailers have put their F-commerce efforts on hold, there are hundreds of thousands of small businesses who are successfully selling products on Facebook,” said Christian Taylor, founder and CEO of Payvment.
“This data provides a quick snapshot of the current state of Facebook commerce and shows a robust and vibrant environment in which sellers are aggressively marketing their products through many different channels, driving sales for their products and bringing revenue and traffic back to Facebook.”
Key conclusions from the survey include:
1. Facebook Ads are the top promotional tool for sellers beyond general Facebook marketing.
Facebook sellers are doing their part to fuel Facebook’s $5 billion forecasted ad revenue this year.
More than one-third (39 percent) of respondents report having used Facebook Ads, making this the most prevalent marketing tactic used by sellers to drive traffic to their stores beyond general Facebook marketing — such as promotions and deals posted to their wall — and nearly 70 percent of respondents say they plan to use Facebook Ads again.
Facebook Ads enjoy high favorability among Facebook sellers who have used them. Sellers cite effectiveness in fan and customer acquisition as their top reason (68 percent) for planning more Facebook Ad campaigns.
Other reasons for continuing to use Facebook Ad programs include the ability to start and stop campaigns (60 percent), Facebook’s targeting capabilities (60 percent) and Facebook Ads’ ease of use (55 percent).
But not all Facebook sellers have had success acquiring new fans and customers with Facebook Ads. Among the 30 percent who say they wouldn’t use Facebook Ads again, 68 percent report that they did not acquire many new fans or customers through this channel.
Lower-than-anticipated results may be due to confusion about how to effectively use Facebook Ads, as one-quarter (25 percent) of respondents who haven’t tried Facebook Ads say they don’t understand how to use them.
Cost is also cited as another top reason for not using Facebook Ads again: 65 percent say they wouldn’t continue using Facebook Ads because they are too expensive. Interestingly, among those who aren’t currently advertising on Facebook, only 32 percent say that Facebook Ads are too expensive to use — the majority (63 percent) cite lack of budget as their primary deterrent.
2. Sellers are using many outside marketing channels to bring traffic back to Facebook stores.
 While most sellers are actively marketing their Facebook storefronts and products on Facebook (84 percent) and 39 percent are using Facebook Ads, many are also using other marketing channels to drive traffic to their stores.
More than one-third are promoting their Facebook store on their company web site (38 percent), 34 percent are using Twitter, and 30 percent are using email marketing. A small percentage also use paid media outside of Facebook to attract new fans and customers: 12 percent are running print ads, 9 percent are using direct mail and 8 percent are buying search ads on Google.
The data also shows that Facebook sellers plan to increase their marketing efforts across the board over the next six months.
Use of Google Ads is expected to grow by 38 percent; use of print ads is expected to grow by 30 percent; use of email marketing is expected to grow by 29 percent; and use of direct mail is expected to grow by 26 percent.
In addition, 21 percent more businesses plan to promote their Facebook store on their company web site over the next six months, which would bring the total number of sellers linking back to Facebook from their web site to nearly half (46 percent) of all sellers.
3. The ability to market and sell products on the same platform is a top benefit for sellers.
The survey also validates the appeal of Facebook as a platform where sellers can both market and sell their products. When asked what they like best about selling on Facebook, the majority of respondents cite the ability to promote their products via social marketing as a top benefit (61 percent). About the same number of people (60 percent) also like that customers don’t have to leave Facebook to buy their products.
Familiarity with Facebook and its ease-of-use are also perceived as major benefits of selling on Facebook. Nearly 50 percent say it is easy to set up and maintain a storefront on Facebook, and 40 percent say they like selling on Facebook because they are already familiar with how Facebook works.
Product discovery is also seen as a benefit, with one-third of respondents (33 percent) saying they like selling on Facebook because shoppers can more easily discover their products.
4. Facebook storefronts are the sole sales destination for more than one-third of sellers.
Facebook storefronts are the sole sales channel for more than one-third of Facebook sellers (37 percent), while 63 percent of sellers are also selling products on their company web site.
Other top sales channels for Facebook sellers include trade or craft shows (30 percent); retail stores (29 percent); eBay (29 percent); Etsy (21 percent); and Amazon (15 percent).
5. The biggest challenge for new sellers is growing their fan base.
Facebook commerce is a relatively new phenomenon and is still in its early days. Nearly 50 percent of respondents have been selling on Facebook for less than 6 months, and 72 percent report having less than 500 fans.
The majority of respondents (72 percent) point to their small fan base as the biggest challenge of selling on Facebook.
The data also underscores the need for additional tools and support to help sellers grow their Facebook presence: more than one-third of respondents (38 percent) cite lack of understanding about how to do marketing on Facebook as a top challenge, and 31 percent say they don’t have enough time to do marketing.
About the F-Commerce Facts Survey
The F-Commerce Facts survey was conducted by Payvment, the number one Facebook ecommerce platform whose more than 100,000 active sellers drive nearly 80 percent of all the shopping on Facebook.
This survey was fielded online, between February 15, 2012, and February 28, 2012, and sent to a random sample of Payvment’s seller base of over 100,000 business owners.
There were 750 total responses from sellers across 12 different countries. Nearly 50 percent of respondents were new sellers on Facebook (less than 3 months), and 72 percent of respondents report having less than 500 fans. No incentive was offered to complete the survey.
Tags: ad revenue, benefits, channels, cost of ads, drawbacks, email marketing, Facebook storefronts, Google, small buinesses adopting Facebook ads, twitter
Posted in Facebook, Internet/New Media, Marketing, Studies, surveys, reports | Comments Off
Tuesday, March 13th, 2012
 Columbia Business School Marketers are failing to use “big data” effectively and while they’re using new digital tools, they’re struggling to measure their impact, according to Columbia Business School’s Center on Global Brand Leadership and the New York American Marketing Association (NYAMA) in the first BRITE-NYAMA Marketing Measurement in Transition Study.
The study surveyed senior marketing executives from large corporations in order to gain a better understanding of changing practices in the following areas: data collection and usage, marketing measurement and ROI, and the integration of digital and traditional marketing.
It focuses on three findings:
- The failure of big data for marketing
- Marketers are quick to adopt the newest digital tools, but struggle to measure them
- ROI – marketers know they need it, but cannot agree on its meaning and implementation
METHODOLOGY
The study was piloted by Columbia Business School Marketing Professor Don Sexton, board member of the NYAMA, alongsideDavid Rogers, Executive Director, BRITE, Center on Global Brand Leadership. 253 corporate marketing decision makers, director-level and above, were surveyed online between January 27 and February 8, 2012.
These professionals are employed at large companies (90 percent have a global annual revenue of over $50 million; 45 percent are over $1 billion). Respondents were from b2c and b2c companies in diverse industries. The study was made possible with support from Research Now and GreenBook.
FINDING: THE FAILURE OF BIG DATA FOR MARKETING SO FAR
The researchers found that marketers’ desire to be data-driven is not yet matched by a consistent effort to collect the data necessary to make these real-time decisions. 29 percent report that their marketing departments have “too little or no customer/consumer data.”
When data is collected by marketers, it is often not appropriate to real-time decision making. 39 percent of marketers say that their data is collected “too infrequently or not real-time enough.”
Furthermore, marketers today are still much less likely to collect new forms of digital data like customer mobile device data (19 percent collect it), and social media data (35 percent), than they are to collect traditional customer survey data on demographics (74 percent) and usage (60 percent).
FINDING: MARKETERS ADOPT NEW DIGITAL TOOLS, BUT STRUGGLE TO MEASURE THEM
Marketers are also struggling to measure the impact of the newest digital tools, despite the widespread adoption of these applications. 51 percent of marketers said they use mobile ads (in-app, or SMS); 85 percent use social network accounts (brand accounts on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and Foursquare).
Yet these tools are among the least likely to be measured for ROI despite their profusion of data. Only 14 percent of the social networking users are tying them to financial metrics, and only 17 percent of those using mobile ads are tying them to financial metrics. By contrast, 41 percent of email marketers measure their results with financial metrics. In addition, as number of marketing tools expands, the challenge of measuring and comparing them grows. 60 percent of companies report that comparing the effectiveness of marketing across their different digital media is “a major challenge.”
FINDING: ROI – MARKETERS KNOW THEY ALL NEED IT, BUT CAN’T EVEN AGREE WHAT IT IS
The study also revealed that there is confusion about the meaning and significance of ROI among marketers. Specifically, 31 percent of respondents said that they believe simply measuring the audience you have reached is “marketing ROI.” 57 percent are not basing their marketing budgets on any ROI analysis, and 28 percent are basing marketing budgets on gut instincts. 21 percent are using financial metrics for “little” or “none” of their marketing budget and seven percent are spending most or all of their marketing budget with “no metrics” at all. However, marketers are under pressure. 70 percent say that their marketing efforts are under greater scrutiny than in the past.
CONCLUSIONS: FIVE IMPERATIVE ACTIONS FOR CMOS
After its analysis of the dynamic and challenging environment for marketing today, the report recommends that Chief Marketing Officers should focus on five key leadership imperatives: Set objectives first; Design metrics to ensure marketing is linked to these objectives; Gather the right data for those metrics; Communicate to the entire organization what your objectives are and how they are being measured; and Evaluate and reward employees in part on how well objectives are achieved.
Tags: big data, Columbia Business School, digital tools, facebook, marketing failure, twitter
Posted in Analytics, Best Practices, Facebook, Marketing, Studies, surveys, reports, Twitter | Comments Off
Thursday, March 8th, 2012
 What is your day on the Internet like? For 172 million people, it includes a visit to Facebook. Another 40 million folks go to Twitter, while 22 million show up over at LinkedIn.
Here’s an infographic from MBAonline.com showing a typical day on the Internet:
Created by: MBA Online
Tags: A day in the Internet, facebook, Google, LinkedIn, MBAonline.com, Netflix, twitter
Posted in Facebook, Google, infographic, LinkedIn, social media, Studies, surveys, reports | Comments Off
Thursday, March 8th, 2012
A new study by social marketing company Zuberance has revealed three surprising findings about Brand Advocates- influential consumers who frequently recommend brands and products without pay or incentives.
The Zuberance study found that:
1. Brand Advocates are even more active recommenders than previous studies have suggested. On average, Brand Advocates recommend nine brands, products, and services per year. The study also revealed that 32% of Brand Advocates recommend 10 or more brands, products, and services. On average, Brand Advocates make 26 recommendations per year. Eighteen percent of Brand Advocates recommend about once a week and 12% recommend several times per week.
2. Brand Advocates have larger social networks than earlier estimated. On average, Brand Advocates have between 200 and 450 people in their social networks. And online Brand Advocates – consumers who recommend their favorite brands and products using Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, plus shopping and review sites like Amazon.com, TripAdvisor, and Yelp – have between 300 to 600 contacts in their social networks. This indicates that Brand Advocates’ ability to reach friends and peers with recommendations is much larger than earlier thought.
3. Brand Advocates recommend both consumer and business products. Many people mistakenly believe that Brand Advocates’ recommendations are limited to consumer products like iPhones, energy drinks, and restaurants. In fact, the majority of Brand Advocates (67%) recommend both business and consumer products and services. This finding supports the view that advocacy is a powerful weapon for both B2C and B2B marketers.
“Power Advocates”
A new study by social marketing company Zuberance has revealed three surprising findings about Brand Advocates- influential consumers who frequently recommend brands and products without pay or incentives.
The Zuberance study found that:
1. Brand Advocates are even more active recommenders than previous studies have suggested.
On average, Brand Advocates recommend nine brands, products, and services per year. The study also revealed that 32% of Brand Advocates recommend 10 or more brands, products, and services. On average, Brand Advocates make 26 recommendations per year. Eighteen percent of Brand Advocates recommend about once a week and 12% recommend several times per week.
2. Brand Advocates have larger social networks than earlier estimated.
On average, Brand Advocates have between 200 and 450 people in their social networks. And online Brand Advocates – consumers who recommend their favorite brands and products using Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, plus shopping and review sites like Amazon.com, TripAdvisor, and Yelp – have between 300 to 600 contacts in their social networks. This indicates that Brand Advocates’ ability to reach friends and peers with recommendations is much larger than earlier thought.
3. Brand Advocates recommend both consumer and business products.
Many people mistakenly believe that Brand Advocates’ recommendations are limited to consumer products like iPhones, energy drinks, and restaurants. In fact, the majority of Brand Advocates (67%) recommend both business and consumer products and services. This finding supports the view that advocacy is a powerful weapon for both B2C and B2B marketers.
“Power Advocates”
The Zuberance study also has suggested that there is a segment of Brand Advocates who are extremely active and have very large social networks. These “Power Advocates,” which comprise about 15% of Brand Advocates:
- Recommend dozens of brands, products, and services
- Recommend several times each week
- Have more than 500 people in their social networks
The Zuberance study also has suggested that there is a segment of Brand Advocates who are extremely active and have very large social networks. These “Power Advocates,” which comprise about 15% of Brand Advocates:
- Recommend dozens of brands, products, and services
- Recommend several times each week
- Have more than 500 people in their social networks
Tags: active recommenders, Amazon, brand advocates, facebook, LinkedIn, social networks, Trip Advisor, twitter, Yelp, Zuberance
Posted in Amazon, Facebook, Google, Internet/New Media, LinkedIn, Marketing, Studies, surveys, reports | Comments Off
Monday, March 5th, 2012
Facebook, YouTube and Twitter top a global study carried out by the brand value rating agency BV4, in cooperation with the Department of Social Media Management of the HWZ University of Applied Sciences in Business Administration Zurich, that ranks the most valuable social network brands.
Facebook takes the top of the ranking with an estimated brand value of $29.115 billion, followed by YouTube with a brand value of $18.099 billion, and Twitter with $13.309 billion. Less well known in the Western world is the Chinese network Qzone which, with a brand value of $11.237 bilion, is in fourth position. Together, the thirty most valuable brands have a brand value of $125 bn.
The usual suspects and emerging “exotic” brands
 Just call me Larry. As can be expected, the globally known social media brands Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter lead the ranking.
The most valuable brands are dominated by social networks in the USA; with a total value of $82 billion they account for the lion’s share of total brand value. It is not a great surprise that there are three social networks from China in the top ten. After Qzone in fourth position, Sina Weibo appears in fifth place, and Tencent Weibo is ranked in eighth position.
Their rankings may mainly be attributed to the disproportionately strong development of Internet user numbers in China. The two Facebook copies, VKontakte from Russia and Renren from China, certainly belong to the category of “exotic” brands. They occupy the eleventh and twelfth ranks thanks to strong user statistics.
The valuation method
For the development of the valuation method, the competencies of the HWZ and BV4 ideally complemented each other. As a first step, the study design was developed on the basis of the scientific expertise of the HWZ. The BV4 brand value rating specialists then determined the data basis and carried out the monetary calculations.
Employing this procedure, brand value corresponds to the income of a social network that can be generated merely by virtue of the brand. On the one hand, brand value depends on the income generated by a social network; on the other hand it depends on the strength of the brand.
Therefore, the stronger a brand is the more its income is driven by the brand. Important value drivers examined in individual brands are, among others, brand awareness and diffusion rate, as well as loyalty (such as average visiting time per user).
The growing importance of social media brands
Brands are important intangible factors of value creation for corporations. Compared to corporate values, brand values are continually increasing.
This is also true for social network brands which have spread rapidly throughout the world.
This development manifests itself in the results of the study at hand.
Important value drivers are global reach, growth, omnipresence in the day-to-day life of consumers, as well as the enablement of simple and efficient communication. This dynamic development has induced the HWZ Department of Social Media Management and BV4 to study the strength and monetary value of the most valuable social media brands worldwide.
The detailed report “The Most Valuable Social Media Brands 2012″ by the HWZ and BV4 can be obtained at no cost at:http://www.fh-hwz.ch/fsmm and http://www.bv4.ch
Tags: facebook, HWZ University of Applied Sciences in Business Administration Zurich, Ozone, ranking of social media, twitter, YouTube
Posted in Facebook, Internet/New Media, Studies, surveys, reports, Twitter | 1 Comment »
Friday, March 2nd, 2012
The study found that consumers who saw a social media icon near a product that might embarrass them were significantly less likely to buy that product than those who saw the same product without the icon. On the other hand, consumers who viewed products they would be proud to show off were significantly more likely to buy than those who saw the same product with no such icon.
“Our study finds that the mere presence of social media icons on a web page where we shop appears to cause us to feel as if our purchases are being watched by our social network, and we adjust our buying decisions accordingly,” said Claudia Townsend, an assistant professor of marketing at the University of Miami School of Business Administration who conducted the research with Empirica’s David Neal.
“Marketers should be aware that the placement of these symbols in their web design strategy could have a major impact on buying behavior.”
For this study, nearly 200 consumers explored products in an online shopping context – some were products people were happy to display in public (e.g., sportswear for women, a desirable fragrance for men) and others were products they might not want publicly displayed (e.g., compression underwear for women, acne products for men).
Participants were randomly assigned to see product pages that either included small Facebook and Twitter icons or did not. The researchers then measured the intended purchase behavior of the shoppers.
Here are the key findings:
- When the product was one for which public consumption is desirable (e.g., sportswear or a desirable fragrance) the presence of the Facebook and Twitter icons made people 25 percent more likely to purchase. But when the product was more private in nature (e.g., Spanx, Clearasil), the icons suppressed purchase intentions, also by 25 percent.
- The impact on intended buying behavior emerged regardless of whether people had any memory of having seen the social media icons. This suggests that these symbols have penetrated people’s unconscious processes and can influence decisions and behavior in ways that may bypass our awareness and ability to control.
Tags: affecting online buying, facebook, icons, twitter, University of Maine
Posted in Facebook, Internet/New Media, Marketing, Twitter | Comments Off
Thursday, March 1st, 2012
 Google scores highest among college students looking for an apartment as students continue to turn away from traditional advertising – such as ads in campus newspapers – and instead go online to shop for a new place to live, according to a nationwide survey of more than 500 college students.
The survey provides hints to marketers trying to reach the college student audience for any reason and also shows how much digital media is beginning to dominate their lives.
The survey was conducted by Catalyst, an Austin-based marketing firm that specializes in the student housing industry, and asked students about their use of digital/social media and the types of marketing tactics that typically impact their housing decisions.
Fifty-three percent of students surveyed ranked Google/internet searches as most important in helping them find a place to live. Friends’ recommendations and those from parents followed at 37 percent and 27 percent, respectively.
They identified Facebook, ads in the student newspaper, student activities sponsored by apartment communities and online ads/promotions as least important in helping them find an apartment.
Google ranked most important
The survey also found that 98 percent of college students use Google Search to find information online, and 71 percent of the students ranked Google as the most important website/application they use. Google was followed in order of importance by university websites and Facebook. The students said they rarely turned to Twitter or Google+, which is still relatively new. In fact, the majority of students surveyed said they never use Twitter.
When looking for an apartment, few students use apartment-specific websites, such as apartments.com or apartmentguide.com. The survey showed they prefer to simply use Internet search engines to find information about apartment communities.
As expected, they also placed greater importance on digital marketing methods that leveraged the social media posts/messages of friends and peers, as well as email messages.
Students increasingly savvy
“What we’re seeing is that college students are becoming increasingly savvy in how they filter digital media marketing messages,” Catalyst CEO John Kerrigan said.
“They are using search engines, Facebook pages and comments from friends to do their homework in their search for apartments. At the same time, we are seeing a steep drop-off in the impact of traditional advertising in print publications, such as campus newspapers, on searches for student housing.”
The survey’s findings mirror those seen in college student focus groups Catalyst conducted in the fall. The firm periodically conducts focus groups and surveys of students to identify the most effective ways of marketing student housing properties to them.
This latest survey shows that digital media is becoming increasingly prevalent among college students as a resource when making rental housing decisions.
Other highlights from the survey include:
- Almost half (47 percent) of students surveyed spend four to seven hours online every day
- The majority of students have some type of smartphone with 42 percent saying they have an iPhone and 30 percent saying they have an Android
- 61 percent of students say they will watch a video that is on a website they are visiting
- 78 percent of students surveyed said they would use Facebook to learn more about an apartment community
- Email (68 percent) and texting (49 percent) were ranked as their most important methods of electronic communication
Tags: apartment hunting, Catalyst, college student use of digital media, college websites, facebook, Google, twitter
Posted in Facebook, Google, Internet/New Media, Marketing, smartphones, social media, Studies, surveys, reports | Comments Off
Thursday, March 1st, 2012
 Small businesses continue to gravitate to digital/online media, particularly to self-serve advertising and promotional tools, including video, social media and search engine marketing (SEM). Analysts say SMBs are “On the verge of a revolution in marketing platforms,” particularly around digital.
So says the Local Commerce Monitor, BIA/Kelsey‘s 15-year tracking study of SMB advertising spending, media usage, Web presence and sales channels. SMBs surveyed in LCM Wave 15 reported they plan to allocate 26 percent of their budgets to digital/online media over the next 12 months.
“SMBs continue to get more focused and precise about how they use and analyze their advertising and marketing budgets,” said Steve Marshall, director of research, BIA/Kelsey.
“We continue to see a powerful pattern in usage of digital/online media according to the age of the business. Younger businesses spend much more of their ad budgets on digital/online media than their older counterparts that spend more on traditional media.”
According to LCM Wave 15, nearly half of respondents (49 percent) reported they purchase online advertising (including SEM products) themselves, directly from a website, either with or without live operator assistance. More than half (52 percent) of LCM respondents reported they use social media to promote their businesses, and 22 percent said they plan to have a video on YouTube in the next 12 months.
“The LCM data show SMBs love the easy-to-use tools, like YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and self-serve advertising,” said Matt Booth, senior vice president and program director, Interactive Local Media, BIA/Kelsey. “Our analysis is that we are on the verge of a real revolution in marketing platforms that serve SMBs, in particular around digital presence.”
Tags: BIA/Kelsey, facebook, revolution in marketing, SMB ad budgets going digital, twitter, YouTube
Posted in Facebook, Google, Internet/New Media, Marketing, Mobile, Studies, surveys, reports, Twitter | Comments Off
Monday, February 20th, 2012
 Tax sites rapidly grew in January as millions of Americans looked to begin preparing to file, according to comScore, the digital measurement firm. Many Americans also booked travel to escape the winter doldrums, while others resolved to begin the new year by researching new careers and education programs.
“In January, the average U.S. Internet user spent a record 36 hours online, reflecting the growing importance of digital media to Americans’ daily lives,” said Jeff Hackett, executive vice president of comScore.
“Among the biggest category gainers in this heavy month of Internet usage were Travel and Career sites, which posted double-digit gains, and of course Tax sites as the non-procrastinators among us decided to get an early jump on getting their refunds.”
Winter Blues Melt at Travel Sites
Several Travel subcategories were among the top-gainers in January, including Transaction sites which grew 28 percent to 3.7 million visitors. TravelPN.com led the category with 798,000 visitors (up 11 percent), followed by Viator.com with 642,000 (up 9 percent), WWTE.com with 442,000 (up 86 percent) and OneTime.com with 278,000 (up 48 percent).
Car Rental sites jumped 22 percent to 6.2 million visitors during the month, led by Enterprise Rent-A-Car Company with 3.2 million visitors (up 14 percent). Avis Budget Group ranked second with nearly 2 million visitors (up 19 percent), followed by Hertz with 1.3 million (up 21 percent), CarRentals.com with 793,000 (up 30 percent) and Dollar Thrifty Automotive Group, Inc. with 790,000 (up 27 percent).
A trip wouldn’t be complete without lodging, so it is not a surprise that Hotels/Resorts also ranked among the fastest-growing Travel sites. The category attracted 33.2 million visitors in January, representing an 18-percent increase.
Marriott secured the #1 position in the category with 5.1 million visitors (up 30 percent), followed by Disney Parks & Travel with 4.8 million (up 36 percent), Hilton Hotels with 4.6 million (up 25 percent) and Expedia Hotels with 3.3 million.
Career-Minded Americans Research Options Online
As the new year began, Americans turned their focus to career services and education. Traffic to Job Search sites grew 27 percent in January to 24.2 million visitors. Indeed.com Job Search ranked as the category leader with 13.7 million visitors (up 33 percent), followed by CareerBuilder.com Job Search with 9.8 million (up 27 percent), Monster.com Job Search with 5 million (up 28 percent) and SimplyHired.com with 3.5 million (up 42 percent).
Training and Education sites also gained traction, with a sizeable increase of 23 percent to 14.7 million visitors. LiveCareer.com topped the list with 1.2 million visitors (up 58 percent), followed by AesopOnline.com with 940,000 (up 44 percent), FastWeb.com with 736,000 (up 30 percent) and Learn4Good.com with 599,000.
Tax Sites Spike as Season Begins
Visitation to Tax sites swelled in January as millions decided to get a jump on filing and hopefully getting a refund check from Uncle Sam. More than 30.7 million Americans visited a Tax site in January, up 359 percent to rank as the fastest growing category.
Top 50 Properties
Google Sites ranked as the #1 property in January with 187.4 million visitors, followed by Microsoft Sites with 179.2 million and Yahoo! Sites with 177.2 million. LinkedIn.com jumped 8 positions to rank #29 with 36.8 million visitors, while Everyday Health, which helped many fulfill their New Year’s resolutions to be healthier, leapt 10 positions to #38.
Top 50 Ad Focus Ranking
Google Ad Network led the January Ad Focus ranking with a reach of 92.9 percent of Americans online, followed by AOL Advertising (85 percent), Yahoo! Network Plus (84.8 percent), ShareThis (82.4 percent) and AT&T AdWorks (82.3 percent).
Table 1
| comScore Top 10 Gaining Properties by Percentage Change in Unique Visitors* (U.S.)January 2012 vs. December 2011
Total U.S. – Home, Work and University Locations
Source: comScore Media Metrix |
| |
Total Unique Visitors (000) |
| Dec-11 |
Jan-12 |
% Change |
Rank by
Unique
Visitors |
| Total Internet : Total Audience |
220,439 |
220,154 |
0 |
N/A |
| IRS.GOV |
5,044 |
16,259 |
222 |
107 |
| ED.GOV |
5,201 |
9,160 |
76 |
185 |
| Pinterest.com |
7,516 |
11,716 |
56 |
148 |
| Travelocity |
4,869 |
6,957 |
43 |
241 |
| Kayak.com Network |
5,851 |
8,087 |
38 |
210 |
| ChaCha.com |
9,151 |
12,279 |
34 |
138 |
| Orbitz Worldwide |
8,965 |
11,868 |
32 |
141 |
| Info.com |
5,883 |
7,740 |
32 |
219 |
| Dominion Enterprises |
9,622 |
12,650 |
31 |
131 |
| Indeed |
12,928 |
16,985 |
31 |
103 |
*Ranking based on the top 250 properties in January 2012. Excludes entities whose growth was primarily due to tagging through unified digital audience measurement.
Table 2
| comScore Top 10 Gaining Site Categories by Percentage Change in Unique Visitors (U.S.)January 2012 vs. December 2011
Total U.S. – Home, Work and University Locations
Source: comScore Media Metrix |
| |
Total Unique Visitors (000) |
| Dec-11 |
Jan-12 |
% Change |
| Total Internet : Total Audience |
220,439 |
220,154 |
0 |
| Business/Finance – Taxes |
6,685 |
30,715 |
359 |
| Retail – Computer Software |
41,616 |
54,081 |
30 |
| Travel – Transactions |
2,913 |
3,730 |
28 |
| Career Services & Development – Job Search |
19,098 |
24,209 |
27 |
| Career Services & Development – Training and Education |
11,979 |
14,679 |
23 |
| Travel – Car Rental |
5,079 |
6,197 |
22 |
| Travel – Hotels/Resorts |
28,035 |
33,213 |
18 |
| Career Services & Development – Career Resources |
46,145 |
54,398 |
18 |
| Entertainment – News |
100,121 |
116,229 |
16 |
| Travel – Ground/Cruise |
12,164 |
14,097 |
16 |
Table 3
| comScore Top 50 Properties (U.S.)January 2012
Total U.S. – Home, Work and University Locations
Source: comScore Media Metrix |
| Rank |
Property |
Unique
Visitors(000) |
|
Rank |
Property |
Unique
Visitors(000) |
| |
Total Internet : Total Audience |
220,154 |
|
|
|
|
| 1 |
Google Sites |
187,368 |
|
26 |
Twitter.com |
38,410 |
| 2 |
Microsoft Sites |
179,220 |
|
27 |
ESPN |
38,296 |
| 3 |
Yahoo! Sites |
177,249 |
|
28 |
Technorati Media |
38,227 |
| 4 |
Facebook.com |
163,505 |
|
29 |
LinkedIn.com |
36,848 |
| 5 |
Amazon Sites |
109,997 |
|
30 |
NetShelter Technology Media |
34,954 |
| 6 |
AOL, Inc. |
107,085 |
|
31 |
Tribune Interactive |
34,517 |
| 7 |
Ask Network |
93,954 |
|
32 |
AT&T Interactive Network |
33,780 |
| 8 |
Glam Media |
90,895 |
|
33 |
Disney Online |
32,708 |
| 9 |
Wikimedia Foundation Sites |
88,527 |
|
34 |
iVillage.com: The Womens Network |
31,942 |
| 10 |
Turner Digital |
84,041 |
|
35 |
Alloy Digital Network |
30,782 |
| 11 |
CBS Interactive |
81,631 |
|
36 |
Yelp.com |
30,668 |
| 12 |
Apple Inc. |
81,536 |
|
37 |
Fox News Digital Network |
30,283 |
| 13 |
New York Times Digital |
80,161 |
|
38 |
Everyday Health |
30,208 |
| 14 |
Viacom Digital |
76,254 |
|
39 |
Netflix.com |
29,777 |
| 15 |
eBay |
71,554 |
|
40 |
Superpages.com Network |
28,971 |
| 16 |
Federated Media Publishing |
70,260 |
|
41 |
Break Media |
28,252 |
| 17 |
Demand Media |
61,344 |
|
42 |
The Washington Post Company |
27,602 |
| 18 |
VEVO |
59,000 |
|
43 |
Scripps Networks Interactive Inc. |
27,580 |
| 19 |
Weather Channel, The |
58,643 |
|
44 |
Verizon Communications Corporation |
26,763 |
| 20 |
craigslist, inc. |
53,431 |
|
45 |
NBC Universal |
26,546 |
| 21 |
Comcast Corporation |
52,890 |
|
46 |
Target Corporation |
26,142 |
| 22 |
Gannett Sites |
46,620 |
|
47 |
Cox Enterprises Inc. |
25,529 |
| 23 |
Answers.com Sites |
44,377 |
|
48 |
Discovery Digital Media Sites |
25,265 |
| 24 |
Wal-Mart |
41,462 |
|
49 |
Internet Brands, Inc. |
25,263 |
| 25 |
Adobe Sites |
41,451 |
|
50 |
Myspace |
25,124 |
Table 4
| comScore Ad Focus Ranking (U.S.)January 2011
Total U.S. – Home, Work and University Locations
Source: comScore Media Metrix |
| Rank |
Property |
Unique
Visitors (000) |
% Reach |
|
Rank |
Property |
Unique
Visitors (000) |
% Reach |
| |
Total Internet : Total Audience |
220,154 |
100.0 |
|
|
|
|
|
| 1 |
Google Ad Network** |
204,468 |
92.9 |
|
26 |
CPX Interactive** |
124,089 |
56.4 |
| 2 |
AOL Advertising** |
187,109 |
85.0 |
|
27 |
Adconion Media Group** |
120,144 |
54.6 |
| 3 |
Yahoo! Network Plus** |
186,587 |
84.8 |
|
28 |
Undertone** |
118,198 |
53.7 |
| 4 |
ShareThis |
181,372 |
82.4 |
|
29 |
Traffic Marketplace** |
116,903 |
53.1 |
| 5 |
AT&T AdWorks** |
181,247 |
82.3 |
|
30 |
AOL, Inc. |
107,085 |
48.6 |
| 6 |
Google |
179,685 |
81.6 |
|
31 |
Meebo |
98,130 |
44.6 |
| 7 |
Yahoo! Sites |
177,249 |
80.5 |
|
32 |
Technorati Media** |
97,287 |
44.2 |
| 8 |
ValueClick Networks** |
176,229 |
80.0 |
|
33 |
Bing |
95,661 |
43.5 |
| 9 |
24/7 Real Media Global Web Alliance** |
176,227 |
80.0 |
|
34 |
Smowtion Ad Network** |
95,226 |
43.3 |
| 10 |
Microsoft Media Network US** |
174,276 |
79.2 |
|
35 |
Ask Network |
93,954 |
42.7 |
| 11 |
Tribal Fusion** |
170,715 |
77.5 |
|
36 |
Glam Media |
90,895 |
41.3 |
| 12 |
Facebook.com |
163,505 |
74.3 |
|
37 |
Amazon.com* |
90,774 |
41.2 |
| 13 |
Casale Media – MediaNet** |
162,269 |
73.7 |
|
38 |
Rocket Fuel** |
89,373 |
40.6 |
| 14 |
AdBrite** |
162,088 |
73.6 |
|
39 |
Wikipedia.org |
88,224 |
40.1 |
| 15 |
PulsePoint** |
154,100 |
70.0 |
|
40 |
Kontera** |
86,005 |
39.1 |
| 16 |
Specific Media** |
153,336 |
69.6 |
|
41 |
Monster Career Ad Network (CAN)** |
78,243 |
35.5 |
| 17 |
Collective Display** |
151,427 |
68.8 |
|
42 |
Windows Live |
74,579 |
33.9 |
| 18 |
AudienceScience** |
149,336 |
67.8 |
|
43 |
Federated Media Publishing |
70,260 |
31.9 |
| 19 |
Cox Digital Solutions – Network** |
146,632 |
66.6 |
|
44 |
Dedicated Media** |
67,243 |
30.5 |
| 20 |
Vibrant Media** |
143,793 |
65.3 |
|
45 |
About |
62,480 |
28.4 |
| 21 |
interclick** |
139,508 |
63.4 |
|
46 |
Demand Media |
61,344 |
27.9 |
| 22 |
Burst Media** |
133,900 |
60.8 |
|
47 |
Weather Channel, The |
58,643 |
26.6 |
| 23 |
YouTube.com* |
126,279 |
57.4 |
|
48 |
MTV Networks Music |
53,932 |
24.5 |
| 24 |
MSN |
125,561 |
57.0 |
|
49 |
Redux Media Network** |
52,684 |
23.9 |
| 25 |
AdBlade Network** |
125,421 |
57.0 |
|
50 |
Apple.com |
49,689 |
22.6 |
Reach % denotes the percentage of the total Internet population that viewed a particular entity at least once in January. For instance, Yahoo! Sites was seen by 80.1 percent of the 220 million Internet users in January.
* Entity has assigned some portion of traffic to other syndicated entities.
** Denotes an advertising network.
Tags: Amazon, AOL, AOL advertising, Apple, AT&T adWorks, comScore, Demand Media, Disney Online, ESPN, Everyday Health, facebook, Fox News Digital Network, Google ad Network, LinkedIn, Microsoft sites, NetShelter Technology Media, New Times Digital, online advertising, ShareThis, Technorati Media, top 50 web sites, Tribune Interactive, Turner Digital, twitter, Viacom Digitalk, Village.com, Yahoo! Network Plus, Yahooo, Yelp
Posted in Amazon, Analytics, Apple, Facebook, Google, Internet/New Media, Marketing, social media, Studies, surveys, reports | Comments Off
Wednesday, February 15th, 2012
 The average employee will spend 12% of the working day using unproductive applications, such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube. Only 59% of the day is spent using applications, which are deemed productive. This amounts to 65 hours a month, which have not been used productively, according to data analyzed by DeskTime.
Of course, DeskTime has a dog in this hunt.
The data demonstrates that after a month of using a time tracking system, the productivity of an employee increases by 15%. When considering this data it must be understood that the employees have access to the collected time-tracking data, that is, they see which applications they use and they see the amount of time spent productively, unproductively, and neutrally.
Personally, we use social networks as part of our job. We’ve also seen studies that show that allowing employees some social networking time actually increases their productivity, so we’re not sure it’s a cut and dried equation of time on Facebook equals time lost.
The company created this infographic to illustrate its findings:
Tags: DeskTime, employee time on social networks, facebook, increasing productivity, twitter, unproductive work habits, YouTube
Posted in Facebook, infographic, Internet/New Media, social media, Studies, surveys, reports, Tech Culture, TechLife, Twitter | 1 Comment »
Monday, January 30th, 2012
 Businesses still complaining about having to adopt yet another social network better listen up – the way Google displays organic search results has forever changed and will now incorporate Google+ social data in the top few organic spots in search results.
6S Marketing has created an infographic (see below text) to illustrate how Google is dominating the social search market and why Google+ is growing as rapidly as it is, comparing its growth to Facebook and Twitter.
The change, called Search Your World, will have a major impact on businesses that rely on sales through their website and displays social data from Google+ members above the regular search results returned when someone performs a search query.
This change will ultimately make it harder for people to find the information they are looking for, and for businesses, it will mean a decrease in their organic search engine traffic and sales.
Creating Google+ Business page essential
So what can businesses do to minimize the impact of Search Your World on their bottom line? For starters creating a Google+ business page is now an essential part of a search engine optimization strategy as the targeted keyphrases used within posts on the page will help to increase the number of social mentions that are displayed above the regular search results.
Along with the incorporation of social data from Google+ into the search results, the exponential growth of the social network is also another reason why businesses need to take notice and start integrating Google+ into their search engine strategy.
Currently growing at a rate of 625,000 subscribers per day, it took just 16 days for Google+ to obtain 10 million users; a subscriber base that took both Twitter and Facebook over 700 days to reach.
This growth pattern has set Google+ on the path to be the most widely used social network of all, even more so than Twitter and Facebook. Here at the TechJournal, we’re still not sure Google+ is going to overtake Facebook, which seems to us more oriented to personal friends, relatives, and old school mates more so than business for most users. Twitter, too, has unique uses quite apart from Facebook and Google+.
We think all three are to some extent different critters, but we agree that the change in Google’s search displays suggests businesses need to pay attention to Google+.
Tags: 6S Marketing, Best Practices, facebook, Google+ business pages, Search Your World, social search market, twitter
Posted in Facebook, Google, infographic, Marketing, social media, Studies, surveys, reports, Tech Culture, TechLife, Twitter | Comments Off
Friday, January 27th, 2012
Is social media a waste of time? If it is, we’re wasting a lot of it. Nielsen reports that Americans spend more time on Facebook than on any other site, Twitter has sparked and nurtured global revolutions, and Google+ is forging ahead.
Schools.com, though, says social media is not a waste of time and created this infographic to show why:
Courtesy of: Schools.com
Tags: AOL, F, facebook, LinkedIn, MSN, schools.com, twitter, Yahoo, YouTube
Posted in Facebook, games, Google, infographic, Internet/New Media, LinkedIn, Mafia Wars, social media, Twitter, video | Comments Off
Friday, January 27th, 2012
 Optimism returns to the media buying industry after it reports impressive growth during the fourth quarter 2011, according to a new STRATA quarterly survey of leading advertising agencies. The industry is confident that business and client spending on advertising will continue to increase in 2012.
However, the STRATA Survey noted that Digital advertising was flat during the fourth quarter, but Mobile is building momentum.
STRATA, the system of choice for over 1,000 agencies nationally, found that 81% expect client approach to advertising and marketing to either increase or stay the same. This is up 14% based on the same figures reported third quarter 2011.
Adding to this positive economic surge, nearly half of respondents said they project the 1st half of 2012 to be better than the last half of 2011 with increases in business compared to the same time last year.
The impact shows 31% of agencies noted they plan on hiring in 2012, which is up 29% over third quarter 2011 and up 28% over the same time last year.
Digital advertising dollars were nearly unchanged during the fourth quarter 2011 compared to the previous quarter. When agencies were asked about client focus, 81% said more than a year ago, which is actually down 4% from the previous quarter.
There is also significant confusion around Digital due to the fact that agencies still say clients don’t understand the value (54%).
On the social front, Facebook continues its dominance in ad campaigns with 89% of agencies planning to utilize the medium for clients (followed by Twitter (39%), YouTube (36%), LinkedIn (21%) and Google Plus (18% – up 28% over 3Q 2011).
Agencies reported Mobile advertising during the fourth quarter 2011 was up 39%.
iPhone the top choice, Android closing
The iPhone remains the top choice as reported by 83% of agencies surveyed, though Android continues to close the gap, up 32% over third quarter 2011 and up 50% over the fourth quarter 2010. Although the iPad is still third for Mobile advertising, 76% do say that with Apple and Amazon continuing to focus on building tablet content, there will be an increase in interest in advertising on the newer medium.
The STRATA Survey reveals that the top medium of choice for clients in the fourth quarter was Spot TV (Broadcast and Cable) as reported by 51% of agencies surveyed. Digital was second at 31%, which is down 9% from third quarter 2011, followed by Spot Radio (8%). Spot TV (Broadcast) continues to be an area of interest as 28% of respondents said that they are more focused on it than a year ago, up 12% over fourth quarter 2010.
As for Spot Cable, 26% say they are more focused on it than they were a year ago, which is up 66% over last year.
“The key word for advertisers in 2012 is growth,” said John Shelton, CEO/President of STRATA.
“Agencies started to reap the benefits of balance sheets turned in their favor during the fourth quarter 2011, brokering a bright early 2012. The STRATA Survey shows that many advertisers are confident that their business and the economy will return to a strong period by midyear. That sentiment, coupled with strong numbers from the political race, provides an overall positive barometer for advertising in 2012.”
Client Attraction remains the biggest agency challenge for the second straight quarter according to 37% in the STRATA Survey. ’
Client spending was the next area of concern with 19% reporting, however it is not nearly as much of an issue as it was in the third quarter 2011, with a decrease of 13%. A growing issue identified by 16% of agencies is advertising costs, which is nearly double the amount reported a year ago. Determining ROI is the top issue in measuring campaigns (47%), followed by Merging Digital and Traditional (41%).
Other prominent findings of the STRATA survey:
- 42% say their 2012 political ad spend will be more than 2010.
- 46% say that during the political season they will advertise in alternative mediums to avoid competition by politicians (41% will compete with politicians for space).
- 49% said they project the 1st half of 2012 to be better than the last half of 2011 (46% also see business increasing compared to the same time last year).
- 4% say that it will be 3-5 years before there is a greater spend in Digital than Traditional media (that’s a 50% increase over 3Q 2011); but 38% still feel that shift will not ever happen.
- Android is the second most popular mobile advertising choice at 71%; iPad remains third (46%).
- For mobile advertising the top option is Display (46%) followed by SMS (25%, but up 61% since 4Q 2010).
- 44% are somewhat interested in self-service inventory of Digital assets.
- Only 4% said they are more focused on Print than they were a year ago.
Tags: ad spending, Facebook advertising, LinkedIn, mobile advertising, spot TV advertising, STRATA ad spending survey, twitter, YouTube
Posted in Facebook, Google, Internet/New Media, Marketing, Mobile, social media, Studies, surveys, reports, Twitter | Comments Off
Thursday, January 26th, 2012
 A modified Acura Many of the most useful automotive websites share a common thread—they consistently integrate access to social media platforms throughout their pages, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2012 Manufacturer Website Evaluation Study(SM) (MWES)—Wave 1 released today.
The semiannual study, now in its 13th year, measures the usefulness of automotive manufacturer websites during the new-vehicle shopping process by examining four key measures: speed, appearance, navigation and information/content.
Wide variation in use of social media
All automotive brand websites provide users with the ability to access various social media platforms, such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, to connect with the brand’s social media presence or share information about a brand or model under consideration.
However, there is wide variation among websites in the pervasiveness of social media access—for example, whether it’s available from only the site’s home page, or from a variety of pages.
Most useful use social media throughout site
The study finds websites that are the most useful tend to provide users with social media access from a variety of pages, including the home page, model pages, configurator tool and photo gallery. Brands that do not perform well in usefulness tend to have limited social media availability throughout their sites, such as access only from the home page and model pages.
“The widespread usage of social media has created an expectation of constant availability,” said Arianne Walker, senior director of media and marketing solutions at J.D. Power and Associates.
“By integrating links to social media platforms throughout several site features, automotive brand websites enhance convenience for users and also increase the possibility that website users will promote the brand within their social networks.”
Overall satisfaction with the usefulness of automotive brand websites has decreased significantly to an average of 772 on a 1,000-point scale in Wave 1 of the 2012 study from 784 in Wave 2 of the 2011 study, which was released in August 2011. Much of this decline is due to decreased satisfaction with navigation and information/content. These declines may be attributable to the challenges that automotive brand websites are facing in designing sites that are usable on both tablets and desktop computers.
Sites need to accomodate tablets
While only 20 percent of new-vehicle shoppers say they own a tablet, among those who do, 47 percent say they have used their tablet to access automotive information. Tablet ownership is expected to increase during the next several years, which makes it particularly important for brand websites to be able to accommodate both tablets and desktop computers without sacrificing usability on either type of device.
“As automotive brand websites attempt to accommodate the dimensions, resolution and layout best suited for tablet use, some have changed their design in ways that inhibit usage on desktop computers,” said Walker. “For example, pages that require scrolling to view all of the content on a particular page may be preferred by tablet users, but they are quite frustrating for desktop computer users, who are used to clicking to access content directly, rather than finding it on the page by scrolling.”
In addition to differing levels of tolerance for scrolling, following are two key differences in navigation conventions between tablets and desktop computers:
- For tablet devices, big button links are preferable to text links, while text links work well for website navigation on desktop computers.
- Users of tablet devices often utilize finger swiping to access website content, while desktop computer users click and drag their mouse cursors. Effective websites should allow for navigation both ways.
Acura’s website ranks highest with a score of 808 on a 1,000-point scale, and performs particularly well in the navigation and speed measures. Rounding out the five highest-performing automotive websites are Honda (806), Hyundai (803) and Infiniti and Lincoln, in a tie (802 each).
The 2012 Manufacturer Website Evaluation Study—Wave 1 is based on evaluations from more than 9,400 new-vehicle shoppers who indicate they will be in the market for a new vehicle within the next 24 months. The study was fielded inNovember 2011.
| Manufacturer Website Ranking |
| (Based on a 1,000-point scale) |
| Acura |
808 |
| Honda |
806 |
| Hyundai |
803 |
| Infiniti |
802 |
| Lincoln |
802 |
| Kia |
796 |
| Jeep |
792 |
| Lexus |
790 |
| Porsche |
787 |
| Toyota |
787 |
| MINI |
785 |
| Buick |
784 |
| Mazda |
784 |
| Cadillac |
783 |
| Subaru |
776 |
| Volkswagen |
775 |
| Nissan |
774 |
| Suzuki |
774 |
| Audi |
773 |
| Industry Average |
772 |
| Mitsubishi |
771 |
| BMW |
770 |
| Mercedes-Benz |
768 |
| Ford |
763 |
| Land Rover |
763 |
| GMC |
762 |
| Jaguar |
760 |
| Volvo |
759 |
| smart |
756 |
| Chrysler |
755 |
| Dodge |
752 |
| Ram |
752 |
| Chevrolet |
750 |
| Fiat |
729 |
| SAAB |
721 |
| Scion |
691 |
Tags: Acura, Audi, automotive web sites, BMW, Buick, Cadillac, Chevy, Deep, Dodge, facebook, Ford, GMC, Honda, Hyundai, Infiniti, J.D. Power, Jaquar, Jeep, Kia, LandRover, Lexus, Lincoln, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Porsche, Ram, SAAB, SCion, Suzuki, tablets, Toyota, twitter, YouTube
Posted in Best Practices, Facebook, Internet/New Media, Marketing, social media, Studies, surveys, reports, Twitter | Comments Off
Monday, January 23rd, 2012
 Usage of the term “big data” has exploded online, according a Cutsomer Relationships Metrics study, but despite the buzz, a lack of workers with the skills needed analyze big data, it’s tough turning it into business action that drives results.
The study was conducted by analysts at Customer Relationship Metrics using Nielsen McKinsey’s NM Incite technology, which collects user-generated content from over 180 million sites worldwide, including blogs, message boards, usenet groups, Twitter, Facebook and Video/Image sites (e.g., Youtube, Flickr).
“Ironically, use of the term big data grew significantly in mid-2011 when McKinsey & Co. issued its seminal research report Big data: The next frontier for innovation, competition, and productivity. The report warned of a growing shortage of talent to leverage big data and make decisions based on data trends.”
Virtually unheard of at the beginning of 2010, big data has quickly become one of the hottest buzzwords in IT circles. In the past three months, big data was the topic of discussion over 20,000 times per month in the press, blogs, and social networks, as measured by NM Incite. See accompanying chart.
Big Data? Big Problems!
But here’s the rub: even world-class enterprises are struggling with getting real value from big data, solely because knowledgeable workers are in short supply: those with the skills necessary to analyze and understand what the data is saying; translate the data into real business action that drives bottom-line results; and communicate recommendations to senior executives.
Dr. Jodie Monger, founder and president of Customer Relationship Metrics, said, “Right now, big data is nothing more than a buzzword. Everyone in IT knows that the enterprise cannot afford to overlook the massive data sets they create. They know that these data sets contain a plethora of information that can help them better serve their customers. But nobody knows how to actually reach this Holy Grail.”
Dr. Monger continued, “Ironically, use of the term big data grew significantly in mid-2011 when McKinsey & Co. issued its seminal research report Big data: The next frontier for innovation, competition, and productivity. The report warned of a growing shortage of talent to leverage big data and make decisions based on data trends.”
Big Problems? Big Solution!
So enterprises are caught in a jam: they need to analyze and act on data trends, but don’t have people who can do the job. Increasingly, these enterprises are outsourcing the job to Customer Relationship Metrics.
Dr. Monger continued, “Customer Relationship Metrics serves many of the most recognizable consumer brands on the planet. We help these companies dig deep into their data, spotting trends that emerge from daily interactions with customers through call centers, email dialogues, chat functions, and social media interactions.”
By focusing on data embedded within real customer interactions, companies can easily identify those service issues which lead to the most customer dissatisfaction. Once these problems are fixed, reputation grows and customer satisfaction increases organically.
Dr. Monger added, “Analyzing big data can be overwhelming. But we make it simple for customers by pointing our solutions at the most meaningful data sets that can deliver the most significant customer service results in the quickest timeframe possible. We eliminate blind alleys and avoid time and resource vampires, while making big data solutions easy to implement.”
Big Data as a Managed Service
Customer Relationship Metrics is a SaaS-based end-to-end big data solution. It includes data integration, software, and analytics that can be up and running within 60 days.
Dr. Monger concluded, “Deployment is where big-data-based BI solutions break down most frequently. Custom solutions and complex software development timelines mean delays, cost overruns, and intense frustration across the chain of command. By structuring our solution as a managed service, we deliver real value from big data and business intelligence in an abbreviated timeframe, with no significant capital costs. That’s a win/win for all involved.”
Tags: big data big problem, big data is the new buzzword, blogs, Customer Relationships Metrics, facebook, Flickr, Jodie Monger, message boards, twitter, workers needed to understand big data, YouTube
Posted in Facebook, Internet/New Media, IT, LinkedIn, Studies, surveys, reports, Twitter, video | Comments Off
Monday, January 23rd, 2012
Print and email beat Twitter and Facebook for consumers seeking great holiday deals, according to the latest JustAsk! survey from audience research and measurement company Crowd Science. The study measured the Shopitudes of consumers during the 2011 holiday season between the weeks of Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Top retailers, however, benefited strongly from a Facebook presence, according to comScore.
Holiday Shopitudes. The holidays are NOT a favorite time to venture into the stores for almost one-half of study participants: 47% disagreed with the statement
“The holidays are my favorite time to shop in person”, while only 15% agreed. The negative sentiment was more pronounced as time progressed, with disagreement climbing from 45% before Thanksgiving to 49% as the holidays approached.
One-third did it all online
Almost one-quarter preferred conducting all of their holiday shopping online. But despite the relative ubiquity in ecommerce, one-in-five worry about security when buying online.
The concern over online safety was more pronounced among lighter Internet users (less than 24 hours per week) versus their more experienced counterparts. Those aged 24 years or younger were less inclined to prefer online shopping for the holidays, as compared with older shoppers.
Whether they shop in person or online, 17% of respondents admitted to doing nearly all of their holiday shopping at the last minute. Among those who denied being last-minute shoppers, women were more prominent, at 51% versus 38% of men.
Where The Deal Hunters … Hunt. When searching for the best holiday deals, 25% of those surveyed chose “visiting companies’ websites” as their favorite method, followed by print/hardcopy at 15%. Email newsletters & notifications (13%) and talking with friends and family (9%) each beat out social media channels like Facebook (3%) and Twitter (1%). One-quarter had no preferred method for finding deals.
Holiday Spending Trends. 4-in-10 anticipated spending about the same amount during the holidays as they had the year before. Those who indicated they would spend less traced more to lower income households. More interestingly, as the holiday season progressed, the study found a five-point increase in those anticipating spending more. The week ofThanksgiving, 17% said they would spend more, rising to 22% as the Christmas holiday drew closer.
“Our Shopitudes study indicates social media like Facebook and Twitter have a ways to go when it comes to influencing holiday shoppers,” says Crowd Science VP of Research Sandra Marshall.
“Another fascinating finding is the significant change that can occur in consumer shopping behaviors and sentiment over time. As the holidays approach, we saw a shift in consumers’ spending plans, away from sticking to last year’s holiday shopping budget, and more toward increased holiday spending.”
The study was performed in two waves over the extended holiday season from November 16th through December 29th, 2011. The research was conducted across the Crowd Science network with a sample of 5,301 respondents.
Tags: email, facebook, online holiday sales, online shopping trends, print, security concerns, twitter
Posted in infographic, Internet/New Media, Marketing, Studies, surveys, reports | Comments Off
Friday, January 6th, 2012
 TechMedia's 2011 Internet Summit event kept people connected via LinkedIn, Twitter and the TechJournal. Our next event is the Southeast Venture Conference in Tysons Corner, VA, Feb. 29-March1. Social media and mobile are rapidly changing business events, says Certain Inc., which sells cloud-based event management software.
We’ve certainly noticed the added-value that both mobile and social media bring to TechMedia’s digital conferences and other events.
Just following the Twitter stream at events often provides top take-away information and insights, while LinkedIn keeps attendees connected before and after the conferences.
Based on insight from visionary industry leaders, customers and partners, Certain has identified key shifts that it believes will shape the industry over the next 12 months.
“2012 will kick off a breakthrough for the industry that will revolutionize the value that attendees, meeting professionals and executive sponsors derive from events,” said Peter Micciche, CEO of Certain.
A tsunami of connectedness
“A tsunami of connectedness, driven by social, mobile and virtual, will ultimately enable the attendee engagement experience. Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitterare mainstream, making integrated event marketing the new normal for event professionals.
“This integration of digital solutions with event planning software will result in 2012 as the ‘year of the platform.’ Software-as-a-Service solutions are now seamlessly woven together into a comprehensive ecosystem architecture designed to meet, track and measure planner, marketer, sponsor and attendee needs.”
Certain’s top three predictions for 2012 are:
1. Traditional event planning will be massively disrupted by the widespread adoption of social media and mobile.
Social media and mobile will become core components of events — with or without the sanction of the organizers. This will create new and exciting opportunities for agile organizations that can adopt these technologies to create high-performance event interactions that lead to increased revenues and market share.
The industry will evolve quickly from simple and personal experience usage of Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter, to the more strategic ability to support “continuing the conversations” post-event and year round. Because of the increase in popularity of social media and mobile devices, planners will need to focus on harnessing the attention of attendees by finding ways to leverage thesemarketing tools.
Social media disrupting tradtional speaker formats
Social media will also disrupt the traditional format of speaker presentations. Instead of pushing information and talking “at” participants, speakers will find new methods of creating conversations with and amongst attendees long before the live session begins, and facilitating and supporting two-way, real-time interaction and evaluation after the event closes.
In 2012, speakers and planners who do not embrace social media as a means to fully engage and support all participants risk the potential of attendees dominating the buzz around their events, and miss an excellent opportunity to gain real-time feedback and to deepen their understanding of participant needs.
2. 2012 will be the “year of the platform”
Single use mobile and virtual applications are short-lived. Over the next year, leading enterprise software vendors will introduce new platform-as-a-service offerings.
Event planners will discover that in order to meet industry demands, technology must be integrated into a holistic, consolidated approach that is best expressed through a single event management platform covering logistics and digital solutions for all aspects of the event ecosystem. This framework best suits the growing demands for all event participants via a one-stop digital shop from which they can access event details and engage and connect with other participants via social media, mobile, and virtual.
Single purpose mobile and virtual applications will get acquired or become obsolete as leading vendors raise the bar for platform application integration. The industry will witness a natural evolution of products and only those companies that best adapt to the advancing technology landscape will emerge as the fittest.
3. All roads lead to 1:1 business activity
1:1 meetings will become the norm for events and tradeshows. The year 2012 will overwhelmingly point to the importance of productivity derived from facilitating one-to-one, quality relationships at events. Attendees will increasingly leverage technology to network and build business relationships, maximizing the Return on Investment (ROI) from the eventsthey attend.
Opportunities for networking and relationship building will become key determinants in the value of a particular event, and mobile technology will play an integral part in fostering those connections. Event organizers can best meet the demand for rich 1:1 participant experiences by providing strategic, matched appointments and a platform for communication between attendees before, during and after events.
Next-generation appointment matching solutions, tightly integrated with SaaS event planning and CRM platforms, will leverage social media capabilities and mobile to connect individuals based on their interests resulting in the optimal value from face-to-face meetings.
For more information about and opinions from Certain, visit the Certain Blog at: http://blog.certain.com/.
Tags: Certain Inc., event planning, Internet Summit, LinkedIn, social media and mobile changing event planning, Southeast Venture Conference, twitter
Posted in Events, Internet/New Media, LinkedIn, Mobile, smartphones, social media, Tech Culture, TechLife, Telecommunications, Twitter, Virginia | 2 Comments »
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