Marketing Pilgrim Published: "Social Media for the Career Minded [Infographic]" plus 5 more |
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Social Media for the Career Minded [Infographic] Posted: 27 Sep 2011 05:18 AM PDT
Our Infographics channel sponsor, Voltier Creative, has put together this pretty cool infographic (hmmm, I think I am seeing the connection here) about what is required for a career as a social media strategist. We are in a transitional time where this type of job is rapidly evolving and many companies are trying to figure out just what a social media strategist is (or should be). Be sure to contact Voltier Creative if you have infographic needs for your business. So click below to see this great use of an infographic about just what it takes to be in the social media field.
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If You've Got the time, Facebook Is Taking It Posted: 27 Sep 2011 04:49 AM PDT The chart below says quite a bit all by itself. it comes from SAI's Chart of the Day feature using data from Citi Investments (is that the part they have not renamed OneMain Financial so they can run away from their horrible reputation but I digress).
On a side note, what is maybe even most telling about this chart was the response it got from my 10 year old son. He said, "I know who Facebook, Google, Yahoo and Microsoft are but who is AOL?". Ahh yes, from the mouths of babes.
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Google+ Benefits From Opening Doors to All Posted: 27 Sep 2011 04:29 AM PDT Bring me your tired, your huddled masses, your social media early adopters looking to get away from Facebook. Maybe that's the tag line Google should have used when it became the refuge for those tired of being a part of the Facebook nation. In its invitation only period the service was able to attract around 25-30 million users. Last week with its new "you don't have to be some tech connected person to use us" approach, Google+ saw its number shot up to about 40 million users after just one day! The chart below from Experian's Hitwise shows the dramatic rise in market share (although admittedly this chart was made this way to look dramatic but hey its numbers and they bend to the presenter's whims every time).
Now, so that we don't get all crazy and see this as the downfall of the Facebook Empire (imagine Mark Zuckerberg with a fiddle as Facebook burns, it's fun), it's important to remember one thing. The total Google+ account base (around 40 million) is just 5% of the size of the reported Facebook account base (800 million). Not bad after just a few months but Google+ has a long way to go before they can be declared a real threat to Facebook's dominance in the social world. Having said all of that though any time you can say that you have seen a 1,269% increase in traffic in a week like Google+ has you can celebrate a bit. So do you think Google+ is really going to challenge Facebook's social media dominance ….. ever?
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There Are Too Many Apps For That Posted: 26 Sep 2011 12:41 PM PDT This past weekend, I gave into temptation and bought myself an iPad2. I wasn't as thrilled as I thought I'd be but that's another story. This story is about apps, because one of the first things I did, when I took it out of the box, is look for apps to load. I started with the ones I use most on my iPhone, like Skype, eBay and GetGlue. I also use a lot of shopping apps, but those didn't make sense. I won't be taking my iPad to the grocery store, but I do carry and use my iPhone there. Then I remembered the advice I'm always giving in this column — iPad apps shouldn't simply be resized versions of iPhone apps or web pages, they should encompass the whole iPad experience. And therein lies the problem. When I bought the machine, the salesman told me it would change my life and he genuinely believes that. My iPhone certainly changed the way I work and communicate so it's likely the iPad will to, as soon as we all figure out how to make it work like a tablet and not like an over-sized smartphone. The key to that is apps and there are plenty of them out there. So many, deciding which ones to choose is overwhelming, especially since many of them have price tags attached.
So why aren't we downloading and using more apps? Is it because we can't find good ones? Estimates say that more than 1 million apps have been developed in the past few years, so surely we aren't hurting for content. Maybe the problem is one of too many apps. I went in looking for a PDF reader for the iPad and discovered dozens of options. The apps with the highest ratings cost from $5.00 to $9.99 and I wasn't about to hand over that amount without a test run. I ended up downloading a freebie which really didn't fill my needs. Mobile apps need to be marketed in the same way we sell a book or a piece of software. Kindle offers a free sample of ebooks, software developers have trial versions. Paid apps need to come with a limited trial, too. Freemium rules and more developers need to jump on that app wagon. We also need a better way of sorting and categorizing the growing number of apps. Apps can be an excellent marketing tool, but only if you can get people to download and use them. Right now, you're fighting to take one of less than 10 places on the average mobile device. In the future, that number will certainly rise but will your company be ready? I'm happy to download your app, Mr. Brand Advertiser. Just give me something I can use.
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Google+ Business Profiles Are On the Way Posted: 26 Sep 2011 11:56 AM PDT
Right now, only Ford and General Motors have official profiles, but since Google+ opened the gates to everyone and anyone, a few "unofficial" profiles have popped up for brands such as Snapple and Taco Bell. Most of these branded pages are blank which leads me to believe people are place holding in hopes of a coup. It's not going to happen, though, because there's no limit to how many times the same name can be used. If a company wants to complain about misuse of their logo, Google+ will listen and possibly shut down the offending profile, but it doeesn't sound like verification will be a priority at all. The other kind of brand pages that are popping up are franchise homes. Sunnyside Toyota in Cleveland has their own (empty) brand page, as does Alexander Toyota in Yuma. This pattern is starting to look very familiar. Yes, I'll say it, it's Facebook all over again.
I know every social media site has its growing pains, but you'd think Google would have learned a few tricks from the site they're trying to emulate. Did they expect businesses to shun the service? Is that a portion of the online population they want to turn away? It makes no sense that Google+ didn't have a plan for business right out of the gate. Now we're rolling into that same, mixed up mire we were in before Facebook worked the kinks out of their brand pages. Ad Age asked Michael Zuna, chief marketing officer of Aflac what he thought about Google+ and he said:
I think he speaks for many of us who don't want to miss the boat but aren't convinced that Google+ is worth the effort. Then again, if Google+ opens up to brand pages tomorrow, there's really no reason not to build one for your business.
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Local Information Sources Vary by Age Posted: 26 Sep 2011 10:21 AM PDT In the "this is not a surprise but I still have to be reminded of it " research category comes the latest findings by the Pew Research Center and the Knight Foundation called "How People Learn About Their Local Community". In a nutshell, the study, which analyzes how people get their local information shows two rather distinct categories. § Young Internet consumers § Older "other media" consumers While the lines blur in some areas it is pretty obvious that the digital divide is as much a function of age as it is economic. This first chart shows clearly the differences in how local information is taken in with regard to age group.
Once again, no real surprise but as a marketer in this era where you have equal parts those who have grown up on the Internet and those that have had it thrust upon them, it becomes critical to understand where different folks go for local data. The rest of the report concentrates on breaking down different types of information and what outlets people use to get that information. This next chart shows where local TV coverage is the way to go. The categories where TV is the primary source for information tend to be the weightier ones of the day.
Turning our attention to what types of information are more Internet centric shows the lighter side of life.
Now a natural connection here would be that as people get older they pay attention to different things. That makes sense. What should be a shift we see in the next 20 or so years is the younger crowd turning their focus to more serious topics more (like politics) but still keeping the Internet as their primary vehicle for gathering this data. We are living in a very transitional period of time with regard to information. Not since the advent of the television age has there been such a sea change with how information is disseminated. Many of today's consumers (especially those with deep pockets due to their longer time in the work force) use what are being deemed more traditional methods of information consumption like TV and even, gulp, newspapers. It's because of these consumption habits that it would be unwise for marketers to simply abandon "old school" media as a way to reach their markets. There will come a time, however, when that group has moved on (ok, let's just say it, they will die off) and marketers will have a more streamlined approach because the vast majority of people will be of the Internet Age and will not be using these older forms of media (at least not as much). So where does this leave a marketer? Today, it's in a pickle because budgets have to be split in many directions to appease the different groups habits as to where they gather and retrieve local information. There will be some relief as traditional media gives way to a wider Internet audience but by that time who knows what the latest and greatest way to get information will be? There will be something that comes along that will make today's Internet look archaic. I have no idea what that might be but if there is one thing we can all count on as marketers it's change. What's your favorite way to consume local information? Do you use different mediums for different types of information? Let us know with your comments!
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