Marketing Pilgrim Published: "Online Listening Is One Thing But Should Brands Respond?" plus 4 more |
| Online Listening Is One Thing But Should Brands Respond? Posted: 26 Oct 2011 07:02 AM PDT Most people agree that literally everyone, from the individual to the multi-national corporation, should be paying attention to what is being said about them online. The use of listening tools like Trackur are a critical component of the online strategy of a business because it's simply the prudent thing to do. If you decide not to listen to the online space you have no one to blame but yourself if and when something gets sideways concerning your reputation. A recent report from eMarketer tells of some research conducted that suggests that listening should only be the first step in this strategy as consumers are looking for response to their online pleas although the level of expectation of any response at all varies greatly based on age. Look at these findings from a study conducted by Maritz Research and evolve24 regarding Twitter complaints and the expectations of those who lodge them.
There are two ways to take this data and neither are very nice. First, it looks like the old adage that the older you get the whinier you get holds true. Also, people who are older probably think that people are not listening to them in general so the online space is one place where they hope they might get some attention paid to them. High expectations, however, could lead to serious disappointment. The other side of tis is that the younger, tech savvy crowd has a cynicism or skepticism that results in thinking they just won't be responded to. Those reasons could be many including the fact that they have low expectations in today's business world of being treated personally (which is really sad) or they have just decided that expecting a response isn't worth their effort either. No matter how you shake it, the expectations of response from a complaint on Twitter is not very high and that says something about the medium. Now pay attention all of you Twitter business folks. This next bit of info should be enough to help you make sure that you are at least acknowledging these issues.
This basically says that even if you can only somewhat satisfy someone it will benefit you more than ignoring them completely. Another sorry statement about the general expectations of consumers and brands on Twitter but it could be worse. Of the companies that are trying to be responsive to complaints and concerns voiced through social media there are certain things that are believed to be achieved through this active engagement. A study from Forrester that was commissioned by Dell shows these elements
It appears that there is a considerable amount of work to be done in this area. What might be some of the reasons for companies not fully engaging people who complain in social media? The most common ones are summed up in FUD (fear, uncertainty and doubt).Many still fear social media because they are uncertain about its benefits and doubt that it isn't more than a fad. I have heard that from actual businesses myself. I have to check to see if my ears aren't clogged up since it seems like that wouldn't be a very smart response in this day and age. Looks like there is plenty of work to do then in the reputation space. What are your thoughts on this one?
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| B2B Technology Purchasers Influenced by More Digital Collateral Posted: 26 Oct 2011 04:24 AM PDT B2B marketing is usually viewed as being behind the curve with regard to the online space. It has a reputation of being more traditional in its approach to how prospects and customers are reached and then developed. While this image of B2B marketers being less progressive than their B2C counterparts is warranted to a degree it appears as if that perception may be changing. A recent study by Eccolo Media (which is a content marketing company so our research source antennae should be up class) shows that B2B technology buyers are expanding their marketing intake palette a bit. In other words, it's not all white papers any more. Here is a snapshot of some of the ways that these tech folks are consuming marketing messages over the past six months.
These figures are showing that over the past six months B2B buyers are going to more options like web sites (oh no not those!), social media, blogs, video and more. What was once purely the domain of the white paper, tech B2B marketing may be changing to a more digital look. It only makes sense in the technology sector but maybe you were as surprised as I was to see that this sector isn't as digital marketing savvy as you might suspect. One additional finding of the study showed that the inclusion of a sharing option actually increases the perception of just how influential the content is. Here are the findings.
The report posits that maybe people perceive that content that is worth sharing carries more weight. In other words, if you, the marketer, want someone to share it then it has to be right? Unfortunately, in a world where less and less critical thinking is taking place this line of thought could be very real and something that needs to be considered in any marketing not just in the B2B space. You almost have to take advantage of the mindless passing along of information that is being fostered by social media etc even though it may not be of the highest quality "referral". Do you see significant differences in the way that B2B marketing is taken in? Is this shift toward more online collateral options a surprise? Did you think that the B2B space was even that much different than the B2C space? So many questions with many potential pilgrim answers. Let us know your thoughts on this in the comment section. Pilgrim's Partners: SponsoredReviews.com – Bloggers earn cash, Advertisers build buzz!
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| Groupon IPO Parody Not Funny to Lawyers Posted: 25 Oct 2011 04:01 PM PDT There is a very funny parody regarding the Groupon IPO that was put together by the folks at Runningshoes.com. It really is funny. That is unless you are part of the "we are funny and irreverent unless you do the same to us" folks at Groupon. It's all fun and games until someone makes fun of Groupon, huh? Oh well. It's not like they haven't invited it as of late with their comical handling of their public image. Here is a shot of the site. Check it out and chuckle a little before the Groupon legal eagles do their thing.
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| 1 in Four SMB Owners Hates Social Media Posted: 25 Oct 2011 01:06 PM PDT
The biggest offender? Groupon. Says iContact, 70% of small businesses hate Groupon. They received particularly low marks from those in the financial industry (80%) but only 45% of those in the salon and spa biz had bad things to say. Surprisingly, Facebook had few haters. 76% of respondents gave the social network a thumbs up. Non-profits were among their biggest fans (87%) as is education (82%) and that last statistic frightens me. LinkedIn also fared well, which isn't surprising given that it's a business-oriented social network. 63% of respondents gave the site a thumbs up, with most of the love coming from businesses with fewer than 50 employees.
Twitter landed neither here nor there with 54% loving it and 46% getting their hate on. The biggest complainers were businesses with under 25 employees. Which could mean that they're already spread too thin and Twitter is an unnecessary burden. Google+ had a similar result with 48% loving it and 52% saying, not so much. Do you have a strong feeling about social media, one way or the other? Tell iContact about it and you could win some big bucks. Check out their "Social Media: Love It or Hate It," campaign at social.icontact.com. Join the Marketing Pilgrim Facebook Community
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| Q3 MobileMix: iPad Impressions Up 456 Percent Posted: 25 Oct 2011 12:19 PM PDT
It all begins with the smartphone. Ownership is up 7% over last quarter, 37% year-over-year. And since every other commercial on TV is about the iPhone, you probably think they're leading the way for impressions, but they're not. Android still takes the top spot with 56% of all smartphone impressions. The MobileMix says this is due to largely to the fact that Android technology is being used by a variety of manufacturers, and more importantly, being offered at a wider variety of price points. But Apple isn't shedding any tears over the number two spot for impressions. They're up 60% year-over-year and when you add in the iPad, they're number one for connected devices. 46.7 million iPads will be sold in 2011 and that's given them a 456% rise in impressions year-over-year. When it comes to apps, Android is battling back with 20% growth over last quarter, giving them 49% of the market. Apple is right behind them with 41%. Gaming applications are the most popular choice accounting for 34% of all app impressions. Entertainment and mocial round out the top three. Weather apps dropped a notch in popularity, and productivity tools made the top 10 for the first time. That's probably due to the rise in tablet use. Where will we be at year end? Will Apple rise about Android in apps? Will iPads blow every other tablet out of the water? Will anyone still be using their phones just to call people? Stay tuned and find out.
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