Every day while researching the latest trends for clients or finding stories for the blog, I come across some brilliant reads that I bookmark and keep for myself to read when I have a bit of spare time.
Rather than being selfish and keeping all that great content to myself, I decided to start a feature here where I share ten must-read social media and technology stories of the day. Most of these will go beyond breaking news and will be insightful posts, articles or videos that are worth starting your day with.
Most people have been very positive about the social readers on Facebook, but the guys over on Readwriteweb take a view from the other side of the fence: Why Facebook Social Reading Apps Don’t Work
Anywhere you go in the world of social media these days, people are talking about influence and how to measure it, but this is a good piece on The Fallacy Of Influence
A little video today that has nothing to do with marketing or social media, but that put a huge smile on my face and will hopefully do the same for you. These children will never have heard of Facebook or Twitter, but look how happy they are!
Every day while researching the latest trends for clients or finding stories for the blog, I come across some brilliant reads that I bookmark and keep for myself to read when I have a bit of spare time. Rather than being selfish and keeping all that great content to myself, I decided to start a feature here where I share ten must-read social media and technology stories of the day.
Most of these will go beyond breaking news and will be insightful posts, articles or videos that are worth starting your day with.
Google has been coming under lots of pressure in recent months from many different angles. Now one of their founders, Sergey Brin, has gone on a major rant against Facebook and Apple for locking down parts of the internet and not allowing Google Spiders to access them.
Everybody knows that networking is a massive help in business, but this article in the New York Times takes a good in-depth look at how important a role the scene in Silicon Valley played in the success of Instagram.
Jason Calcanis is always somebody who will have a rant on his blog and in emails on a weekly basis, but this week’s one is well worth reading as he makes a great case for Apple becoming a trillion dollar company off the back of mobile payments.
More news on the Google being mildly evil front. This time, MG Siegler has a look at why splitting their stock could be seen as evil as the founders try to gain ultimate control over the company for the long run.
There has been a lot of fuss about the Facebook Instagram deal and one of their competitors (Camera +) have come up with a brilliant little description in their app page on the iPhone.
This citizen journalism app lets you create the news and decide which story matters. It’s a space that is really hotting up at the moment and this app looks to put even more power in the hands of the reporter on the street.
Startups have a language of their own and Virgin have come up with a brilliant series of translations that will have you laughing all day long about the rubbish that gets talked on the scene.
Every week, we have a look at some of the biggest social media stories that are out there, sift through the thousands of articles on offer and bring you 25 stories that you simply have to read.
These are never breaking news stories but rather some of the deepest thinkers and smartest minds from the world of technology and social media, offering their thoughts and views regarding the biggest stories of the week.
You won’t make it through them all in one sitting but it’ll bring you up to speed with this week’s happenings. So just sit back, grab a coffee and enjoy.
Every day while researching the latest trends for clients or finding stories for the blog, I come across some brilliant reads that I bookmark and keep for myself to read when I have a bit of spare time. Rather than being selfish and keeping all that great content to myself, I decided to start a feature here where I share ten must-read social media and technology stories of the day. Most of these will go beyond breaking news and will be insightful posts, articles or videos that are worth starting your day with.
Zynga is now one of the biggest companies in the social web space and their founder Mark Pincus is hailed as a huge success. However, in this brilliant interview, he explains how he has failed in the past before making it big. How to Fail: Mark Pincus
We all spend so much time on our computers, smartphones and social networks these days and this excellent piece asks us the question if Is Facebook Making Us Lonely? Possibly a little over the top but good reading.
Will Data Monopolies Paralyze the Internet? With all of us pouring more and more of our personal and professional data into the social web, Jon Bruner looks at where all this data will take us in the future and wonders about the large corporations controlling it all.
Much of the focus in the smartphone market these days centers around Apple and the iPhone, but one of the biggest battles over the last couple of years has been between Samsung and Nokia. This fantastic piece paints a picture of how Samsung beat Nokia.
So video is fast becoming a great way to convert visitors into sales on your website or blog, and this guest post over on Problogger gives a good run down of what does and doesn’t work. Use Video Testimonials to Increase Conversions
So Apple usually get a ton of praise from everybody in the tech press, but this is a good balanced look at why they might need a fresh start when it comes to their operating system. iOS Needs a Fresh Start
So Ze Frank, one of the most creative people on the internet over the last number of years is back and most people seem to be seriously happy. The guys over on Copy Blogger have a look at what you can learn from his creative side
These guys are brilliant at marketing themselves as they trick a whole shopping mall in to thinking that one of their friends is famous. It goes as far as one of the guys even getting a date out of it.
Every day while researching the latest trends for clients or finding stories for the blog, I come across some brilliant reads that I bookmark and keep for myself to read when I have a bit of spare time. Rather than being selfish and keeping all that great content to myself, I decided to start a feature here where I share ten must-read social media and technology stories of the day. Most of these will go beyond breaking news and will be insightful posts, articles or videos that are worth starting your day with.
Many people reading this blog (built on WordPress) will be thinking about starting their own blog and wondering that platform to choose. A new study just released shows that the top 100 blogs in the world are mostly built on WordPress.
All the talk in the last couple of days has been about Facebook acquiring Instagram, but is there a reason why acquisitions always work so well for the social network? This insightful piece looks at the personal touch that Mark Zuckerberg adds when courting a company they are after.
Yesterday was all about the U.S. government taking a case against Apple because of their pricing in the eBook market and this excellent piece wonders: Who is less evil, Amazon or book publishers?
Facebook and Instagram: When Your Favorite App Sells Out. The New York Times take a look at the biggest social media story of the year so far from a more non-tech stand point and the comments on this story are also well worth reading to help you judge the mood around the sale.
Another story about Apple and this time talking about their music offering and how it’s time for iTunes to right the syncing ship. It is a product that has been around for over ten years now and although it has huge success, it could be time for something different as the music industry starts to evolve.
If you are keen on spending a bit of time over on the newly designed Google+ and are using it for business, you might want to check out this handy list… 5 Top Google+ Tools and Apps for Marketing Pros
There has been a lot of bad press around the Foxconn factory where Apple makes many of its products and this video has just been released showing the process that goes into making an iPad.
Social. Local. Mobile. These are the fastest growing trends in marketing today and are likely to stay for some time. In terms of media consumption, they’ve come to dominate consumer attention. In terms of targeting and communication, they’ve opened more precise channels. In terms of data and measurement, they are reinventing marketing. And in terms of technology, they are disrupting entire industries.
The convergence of Social, Local, and Mobile is often referred to as the SoLoMo phenomenon. Remember the term; you are likely to be hearing lots about it in the foreseeable future.
For the first time, brands can tie social and mobile engagements directly to offline transactions
The fundamental driver of SoLoMo is smart phone adoption. Millions of new smart phones are being activated every day. Mobile devices like the smart phone and tablet are the beginning of a post PC era. Billions of people will now be connected by their current location and interests.
The smart phone represents an opportunity to reach consumers at key times in the purchase decision making process. Knowing a consumer's location, as well as the time they're at that location, is the best predictor of his or her intent to buy.
Location-Based Engagement: The New Channel
There are several types of Location Based Engagements. The engagements that bring together Social, Location and Mobile are the most powerful. Engagements like check-ins and tagged tweets are being shared with a consumer’s social connections via Facebook, Twitter, Google, and/or Foursquare. What most retailers do not realise is that this activity is happening organically around their store locations every day. Consumers are increasingly sharing their experiences, which often include brands and places. Brands need to encourage this behavior and use it as a marketing tool.
What is Location based Marketing?
Location-Based Marketing (LBM) is defined as the use of mobile, social and location marketing to target mobile users within a certain geographic area. This is increasingly being called the SoLoMo space.
The location-based marketing channel presents unparalleled opportunities for marketers. It encompasses social media, direct marketing, consumer research, customer relationship management, loyalty, couponing, content, brand management, inbound marketing, search, customer acquisition, and more.
What types of businesses really benefit from Location based Marketing?
Location-Based Marketing is perfect for you if you want to promote your product or service to people within a specific area. In other words, if you’re a multi store retailer and you want to target people who are within a radius of each of your locations, then you need to consider Location Based Marketing.
Some Examples:
Transforming Retail
Ads and offers that integrate time and the consumer's location generate considerably more business than a generic advert. For example, half price lunch for people that check-in on Facebook or FourSquare after 2.30. This helps restaurants to extend the hours of lunch time trade and also ensure any unsold lunches fly out the door. This can be applied to all manner of retailers, to promote flash sales, move last season’s stock and promote new products in store.
Geographic Targeting for Impulse Items
Geo-targeting works particularly well for local businesses that sell low-cost, impulse items. You can now let prospects know about your offer when they’re in the vicinity, but few people are going to drop by for a last minute mortgage or wedding dress. Think about what you can offer consumers on the spot — like a cup of coffee, a complementary gift or free 15 minute fashion consultation.
Targeting a Geographic Niche
Usually ads are designed to reach as many people as possible. Even online targeted ads have a wide reach. But when you’re looking for hungry people near a certain street in Dun Laoghaire, that really narrows the field. The benefit? You’re not paying for people outside of the catchment area to see an ad for a restaurant in Dun Laoghaire.
Reaching out to this Audience
At The Search Mill we have developed an online package that allows retailers to track location based engagements like check-ins and tagged tweets. This represents an opportunity to reach and engage a new audience of consumers and advocates. You can even identify your customers with the most influence online. Engaging these people is hugely rewarding.
Isn’t it time your business considered Location based Marketing?
Every week, we have a look at some of the biggest social media stories that are out there, sift through the thousands of articles on offer and bring you 25 stories that you simply have to read.
These are never breaking news stories but rather some of the deepest thinkers and smartest minds from the world of technology and social media, offering their thoughts and views regarding the biggest stories of the week.
You won’t make it through them all in one sitting but it’ll bring you up to speed with this week’s happenings. So just sit back, grab a coffee and enjoy.
Think Google’s Project Glasses look cool? You may not have considered the potential problems that may occur when wearing them, especially if Google include pop-up ads on the display.
Every week, we have a look at some of the biggest social media stories that are out there, sift through the thousands of articles on offer and bring you 25 stories that you simply have to read.
These are never breaking news stories but rather some of the deepest thinkers and smartest minds from the world of technology and social media, offering their thoughts and views regarding the biggest stories of the week.
You won’t make it through them all in one sitting but it’ll bring you up to speed with this week’s happenings. So just sit back, grab a coffee and enjoy.
While smaller businesses are slowly getting to grips with the different number of social media sites available, a new report shows that while more businesses are integrating social media into their business, other methods of communication and marketing are held in much higher regard for networking and marketing.
According to the 2012 AT&T Small Business Technology Poll, 39 per cent of small businesses rely on social media to promote their business but they place greater importance on their company website (63 per cent) and on word of mouth (79 per cent).
The poll, which surveyed more than 1,200 small businesses with two to 99 employees across the U.S., found that those with a presence on LinkedIn increased from 25 per cent in 2010 to 31 per cent in 2011, while those with a Facebook presence increased slightly from 41 per cent in 2010 to 44 per cent. However, Twitter is beginning to decrease in popularity with small businesses, but only slightly, with a drop of 1 per cent to 18 per cent for 2011.
An eye catching statistic involves the attitude of gender demographics towards social media. While male business owners are more likely to rely on their company website for marketing than female owners (65 per cent vs. 58 per cent), female owners are more likely to rely on social media for promotion (48 per cent vs. 34 per cent). This suggests that female owners are more interested (or comfortable) in talking with their fans and followers online, whereas male owners prefer their website to do the talking for them instead.
Smartphone Usage
Other interesting statistics revolve around the use of smartphones and tablets, nearly a third of the small businesses surveyed (31 per cent) have a mobile website (75 per cent have a general website). In line with this, 85 per cent of small businesses reported using smartphones for their operations, and around 43 per cent of small businesses report that all of their employees use wireless devices or technologies to work away from the office, a jump of nearly 80 per cent over the past three years.
Those last few statistics are striking as you would imagine that many small business owners work well beyond the usual 9 to 5 hours, using their smartphones and tablets to stay connected even when they leave the office. Owners and workers of small businesses must be careful not to spend too much time on work matters outside hours out, while being footloose has its advantages, not taking time to switch off could, in the worst case scenario, cause burn out and affect your business in the long run.
To summarise, AT&T compiled two videos containing highlight of the poll’s most noticeable statistics, which you can view below.
A survey conducted by Ipsos/Reuters has found that 85 per cent of those around the world who are connected online send and receive email, while 62 per cent communicate through social networking sites.
The latter was most prevalent in Indonesia, Argentina and Russia, with 83 per cent of Indonesians and about 75 per cent of users in Argentina, Russia and South Africa visiting social media sites.The lowest percentage of users who visit social media sites, out of the 24 countries that participated in the global survey, were found to be in Japan where only 35 per cent of users visiting such sites.
While Facebook and numerous other popular social media sites, blogs and forums were founded in the U.S., the percentage of users visiting social media sites there ranged at about 61 per cent.
Regarding email usage, Hungary has the highest percentage of users, with 94 per cent saying that they communicated online via this medium. Similar figures were found in Sweden, Belgium, Indonesia, Argentina and Poland.
Voice-over IP (VOIP) – audio conversations conducted via internet connection – is used by 14 per cent of those connected to the web. In specific countries, VOIP is most popular in Russia (36 per cent), Turkey (32 per cent) and India (25 per cent). Elsewhere, its use is quite minimal with only a few using the service in countries such as the U.S., Belgium (6 per cent each), and France (5 per cent)
On the opposite end of the spectrum, Saudi Arabia had the lowest usage of email with only 46 per cent of people communicating via email. This was followed by India at 68 per cent and Japan at 75 per cent. Other countries had at least 8 or 9 out of 10 people using email as a method of communication.
Ipsos questioned a total of 19,216 adults aged between 18-64 through an online survey. Those who participated came from Australia, the U.K.,the U.S., Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Poland, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden and Turkey.
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Every day while researching the latest trends for clients or finding stories for the blog, I come across some brilliant reads that I bookmark and keep for myself to read when I have a bit of spare time.
