Archive for December, 2009

MANAGE CONTRIBUTORS WITH TWITTER’S NEW BUSINESS FEATURE

Last week, Twitter revealed a new service for businesses - a feature that allows them to assign and manage multiple contributors under one account.  Primary account holders can grant access to multiple users, which permits those users to post tweets on that company’s behalf.  A link to the author is then included in the byline of the company tweet.

(image via Mashable)

One of the main benefits of having contributors is giving followers insight into the people behind an account - “making the business to consumer communication more personal.”  Beyond that, the feature allows for centralized news, information, and conversation without the hassle of multiple users logging on to one account, or multiple accounts run by separate users.

Not every business account has access to the feature yet while is still in beta testing, but you can check out Starbucks or Twitter to see how they use contributors, or view behind the scenes screenshots on Mashable.

Using contributors may not be beneficial for every business - some will want and need separate accounts for different purposes, or maybe one account with one owner is enough.  Twitter has also indicated that it is only the first of many new business-specific developments, so maybe a future service will be a better fit.  But no matter how a business decides to use Twitter and its features, active listening and engagement are still the most important keys to building relationships with people important to their success.

*Image courtesy of Mashable.com*

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Published by mghwom
December 22nd, 2009 in MGH Random, Marketing Strategies and Tactics
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SENIORS ARE UPPING THEIR FACEBOOK USAGE

Less than a year ago, we wrote about mom and dad friending us on social networks. Well, it looks like grandma and grandpa are rapidly joining the game, too.

According to recent number released by Neilsen, Facebook is the third most visited site by seniors (65+) – just behind Google and Windows Media Player. These numbers are a dramatic increase from last year when Facebook came in at the number 45 spot. Looking at an even wider picture of seniors’ use of the web reveals that their use of social networking sites and blogs has increased 53% in the past year as well.

As marketers, this is a trend that should not be taken lightly. The 65+ population makes up roughly 13 percent of the U.S. population, and tend to have a higher level of disposable income and leisure time to spending clicking away online. Don’t forget about this group when you’re developing your next social media strategy.

12 11 09 Old People image 3 dests 500x249 SENIORS ARE UPPING THEIR FACEBOOK USAGE

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Published by mghwom
December 14th, 2009 in Marketing Research
3 Comments

GOOGLE FAVORITE PLACES — ARE YOU ON THE MAP?

Google recently announced Favorite Places - “a new way to window shop” with the help of window decals, a mobile phone, and advice from thousands of Google users.

Google sent window decals to local businesses in the U.S. that have been the most researched on Google and Google Maps. Over 100,000 businesses were selected based on popularity, as well as users’ interaction with the local business listings.  Each decal has a bar code, known as a QR code, that can be scanned with a mobile phone. The QR code connects users to the business’s Place Page - a Google-based website with detailed information such as photos, videos, nearby transit, and reviews.  The benefit for users is the ability to check out a business before walking in, and accessing details that could enhance the shopping, dining, or visiting experience.

At the surface, it would appear that Google wants to help local businesses with these popularity-based seals of approval.  Beyond that, Favorite Places seems to be a move for dominance in the consumer review field against competition like Yelp.  Either way, it shows the growing importance of word of mouth marketing for businesses.

Google hand selected the first batch of Favorite Places based off of search popularity and positive reviews, a similar process will likely follow for future mailings. Unless a business is being talked about positively and generating some buzz, it won’t be Google’s radar - and it probably won’t be in the minds of local consumers either.

To be eligible for promotion on Favorite Places, businesses need to be registered with Google’s Local Business Center.  The Local Business Center gives businesses some insight into their word of mouth presence, with information like how many people looked up driving directions, and what customers search for to find them online. In addition to online reviews, this information is a good start for businesses to get a picture of their popularity from Google’s perspective.

As Favorite Places takes off, smart businesses will be aware of their presence in their local community, as well as the network of Google users.

Click here for more information on using the QR code, or check out the video below:

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Published by mghwom
December 14th, 2009 in MGH Random
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INSTANT GRATIFICATION WITH REAL-TIME SEARCH

Google has once again stepped up its game in a race it was already winning - the search engine superpower now offers real-time search, bringing in results from the web as they happen.  Switch your search options to “Latest” to view Tweets, blogs, news, and other web content with the promise of relevant content that Google has always offered.  The announcement from the official Google blog states:

We’re introducing new features that bring your search results to life with a dynamic stream of real-time content from across the web. Now, immediately after conducting a search, you can see live updates from people on popular sites like Twitter and FriendFeed, as well as headlines from news and blog posts published just seconds before. When they are relevant, we’ll rank these latest results to show the freshest information right on the search results page.

Real-time search isn’t new to the Internet though; Twitter has been offering it since late 2008.  Facebook caught on earlier this year, offering some advantages since its searches cover any content posted by users, including links, status updates, videos, photos, and notes.  FriendFeed includes updates from a variety of networks, and Bing recently signed deals with both Twitter and Facebook to include their content in search results too.  But despite the best efforts of its competitors, combining real-time search with the most powerful search engine on the web gives Google a tremendous advantage - and you can guarantee Google will find a way to innovate the feature in some way to stay ahead of the rest.

So what does real-time search mean for marketing and advertising?  Social media is now more important than ever before, thanks to word of mouth publicity that happens through various networks.  Now that Google harvests content from the web as it happens, reviews and opinions from around the world are shared and accessed instantly.  This is great if you’re offering a product or service getting rave reviews, because the publicity could go viral and do great things for business.  On the other hand, bad publicity could be devastating just as quickly.  The most important thing is to monitor your Internet presence and be aware of what the public has to say, and to deal with bad reviews before millions of Internet users have been influenced.  Fortunately, real-time search makes these tasks easier than ever before.

Check out Google’s video below for more information on real-time search:

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Published by mghwom
December 8th, 2009 in MGH Random
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