Posts Tagged: myspace


26
Aug 09

Link roundup: read & recommended between August 18th and August 26th

Added to my Delicious bookmarks between August 18th through August 26th:

  • NYT: Who's Driving Twitter's Popularity? Not teenagers – Another reason that teenagers do not use Twitter may be that their lives tend to revolve around their friends. Though Twitter's founders originally conceived of the site as a way to stay in touch with acquaintances, it turns out that it is better for broadcasting ideas or questions and answers to the outside world or for marketing a product. It is also useful for marketing the person doing the tweeting, a need few teenagers are attuned to.

    "Many people use it for professional purposes – keeping connected with industry contacts and following news," said Evan Williams, Twitter's co-founder and chief executive. "Because it's a one-to-many network and most of the content is public, it works for this better than a social network that's optimized for friend communication."

  • Teens Don’t Tweet, Or Do They?
  • Marketers and SMBs Disconnect over Online Tactics – As a source of information about products and services, SMBs rely most on newspaper and magazine articles (43.6%) and direct mail, including letters, postcards and catalogs (43.5%). Ranked last are phone calls (27.4%) and radio/TV ads (32%). Online, referrals from friends and peers rank first (71.9%) among SMBs, followed by search engine marketing (57%), educational websites (44.5%) and email newsletters (38.2%). Last are ads to cell phones (8.1%), videos/podcasts (19.2%) and forums/chat rooms (20.2%). SMBs rated social networking at 27.8%.
  • Dell, Moonfruit Claim Twitter Campaigns Effective – Dell's Twitter account has driven $3 million in sales since it began operation in 2007, Dell said.

    Moonfruit, a website builder, also said Twitter campaigns have helped the brand. Moonfruit said it spent around 10,000 pounds ($16,400) on prizes for the campaign, and that it brought in more than twice that amount in a single month in new subscriptions

  • Stupeflix – Video production made easy – Simple mashup tool that promises easy remixing of photos, video, music and text.
  • A call for "marketing with meaning" – iMediaConnection.com – "Many marketers have realized that, at long last, when all forms of interruptive advertising have failed, the only decent thing to do is create marketing that people find valuable. " – Amen.

31
Jul 09

Link roundup: read & recommended between July 28th and July 31st

Added to my Delicious bookmarks between July 28th through July 31st:

  • Social Media Best Practices – eMarketer – In late 2008, MarketingSherpa surveyed social media marketers about the effectiveness of their practices. Large majorities rated social media marketing effective at influencing brand reputation, increasing awareness and improving search rankings and site traffic.
  • Managing Your Small Business’s Online Reputation – NYTimes.com – Local review sites are reshaping the world of small business by becoming the new Yellow Pages, one-stop platforms where customers can find a business — and also see independent critiques of its performance.

    How do you manage your reputation when everybody is a critic?

  • B2B Marketers Latching Onto Social Media : MarketingProfs – Most B2B marketers have begun using social media and more of them are planning to use "newer media" than ever before, according a new study by BtoB magazine and the Association of National Advertisers, reports BtoB Online.

    Nearly two-thirds (66%) of polled marketers said they use social media, up from 20% from two years ago. Among B2B marketers, 57% said they now use social media, up from 15% in 2007.

  • MediaPost Publications Study: Who's On Which Social Nets 07/28/2009 – More than half of social network users have associated their profiles with a brand, company or product. While much has been written about negative nature of Web 2.0 and blog posts, social network users are more likely to say positive things about brands, companies or products.
  • The Importance of Social Media Audits « Web Strategy by Jeremiah Owyang | Social Media, Web Marketing – Just as brands conduct audits of inventory, employees, and budgets on an often annual basis, they should also survey the landscape to find out what customers, influencers, partners and employees are participating on the social web. Audits are key for identifying priorities, benchmarking previous efforts, and planning for future efforts; the same applies for social media.
  • Why People Use Twitter – eMarketer – Men and women both used Twitter primarily to keep in touch with friends. Secondarily, men were interested in finding news and women in updating their status.

    Users under age 35 were more interested in broadcasting their status than their senior counterparts. Older users were more likely to use the service for work-related purposes.


21
Jul 09

Link roundup: read & recommended between July 16th and July 21st

Added to my Delicious bookmarks between July 16th through July 21st:

  • iPhone Games: Idea Attracts Coke, Audi, but not Many Others – Advertising Age – Digital – there are only a few handfuls of branded games in the App Store. Those include Coca-Cola's "Happiness Factory," released last month; Miller Lite's "Round Runner," launched in May; Ford Motor Co.'s "Flex Photo Lab," out last October; Audi "A4 Driving Challenge," released last August; and Pizza Hut's ordering and game app and Nissan's "Cube Party Roundup," both introduced last week.
  • Twitter leaps 1,989% YOY | MarketingCharts – Twitter.com was again the fastest growing site for the month, increasing 1,928% year-over-year, from one million unique visitors in June 2008 to 21 million unique visitors in June 2009. Facebook remains #1 for overall visitors as well as time on site.
  • New Study Finds Correlation Between Social Media and Financial Success – Those brands that were the most engaged saw their revenue grow over the past year by 18% while the least engaged brands saw losses of negative 6%.
  • SEOmoz | CAPTCHAs' Effect on Conversion Rates – With CAPTCHA on, there was an 88% reduction in SPAM but there were 159 failed conversions. Those failed conversions could be SPAM, but they could also be people who couldn’t figure out the CAPTCHA and finally just gave up. With CAPTCHA’s on, SPAM and failed conversions accounted for 7.3% of all the conversions for the 3 month period. With CAPTCHA’s off, SPAM conversions accounted for 4.1% of all the conversions for the 3 month period. That possibly means when CAPTCHA’s are on, the company could lose out on 3.2% of all their conversions!
  • 10 Rules For Advertising On Facebook – 'Rules' for Facebook have pretty good crossover for marketing/branding/advertising presence in other social media channels. Some really good advice here.

11
Jul 09

Link roundup: read & recommended between July 8th and July 10th

Added to my Delicious bookmarks between July 8th through July 10th:

  • Tourism BC | Research – B.C. travel & tourism research
  • Global Advertising: Consumers Trust Real Friends and Virtual Strangers the Most | Nielsen Wire – Recommendations from personal acquaintances or opinions posted by consumers online are the most trusted forms of advertising, according to the latest Nielsen Global Online Consumer Survey of over 25,000 Internet consumers from 50 countries.
  • Social Media: Anderson Analytics Reveals Users' Habits – Advertising Age – Digital – "Which social network you favor says a lot about you — and you might be surprised just what it says."
  • 39% of Moms Make 'Net Time Their Quiet Time – MarketingVOX – New behavioural research on digital habits of moms. "The number of moms who use social media regularly (e.g. Facebook, MySpace, BabyCenter Community) has significantly increased from 11% to 63% since 2006; a change of 462%."
  • Kids Flocking to the Web | Nielsen Online – "According to Nielsen, kids 2-11 spent nearly seven hours online per month five years ago, versus 11 hours a month in 2009, with boys spending slightly more time on average than girls (seven percent more this past May). That usage disparity is perhaps most evident in online video viewing, as boys accounted for 61 percent of video streams among kids on the Web and 57 percent of kids time spent viewing videos."
  • 5 outstanding corporate blogs | iMedia Connection – "Corporate blogging is a great marketing tool — but not one that should be launched lightly. Like other marketing initiatives, a company's blog is an investment that should produce a measurable return. Thus much thought should be given to ways in which companies can enhance the value of these programs for both their consumers and their own bottom lines."

30
Jun 09

Link roundup: read & recommended between June 29th and June 30th

Added to my Delicious bookmarks between June 29th through June 30th:

  • Teens More “Normal” Than You Think Regarding Media Usage | Nielsen Wire – "It might sound hip and trendy to suggest they’re too busy texting, Twittering or LOL-ing to be engaged with traditional media, but ultimately, the research proves otherwise."
  • HOW TO: Use Social Media for Enterprise Business – Don’t underestimate how much information is on the web. It’s stunning what you can learn just by reaching out. If you and your business have a strong social presence, it’s simply easier for potential partners, customers, employers, and businesses to find you. In enterprise, it’s about closing the deal and standing out; social media’s one of the easiest ways to achieve this goal.
  • BBQ Chain Smokey Bones Turns Staff Into Social Media Hosts – Advertising Age – Digital – “It's great for somebody to have a job as a tweeter. [It's] much better if tweeting, Facebook, blogging, etc. is part of lots of employees' jobs.” Case study of a small chain of restaurants that has created a 'social media army' of its employees to spread the word about the restaurant. Since the new website and associated features went live in February, web traffic is up 50% and the chain's e-mail list has increased 30%, "to the six-figure range," Mr. Unger said. Building the e-mail database was critical for the agency, which will rely heavily on e-mail blasts for future marketing efforts. Across the Facebook, MySpace and corporate pages, Mr. Unger said, the chain is adding about 2,200 followers each month. The web launch was accompanied by limited print and outdoor support.
  • Mobile Phones Beat PCs for Young Women – The “Women and Digital Life” study, revealed that more than 80% of US women now use a wireless device and 17% use using a smartphone, such as an iPhone, BlackBerry or models from HTC, Samsung, LG or similar. Among those in the 12-24 and 25-39 age groups, smartphone ownership is now 23%. In contrast 11% of women ages 40+ own a smartphone.
  • The 5 Phases Of The Facebook Sales Funnel – A useful 'Facebook Marketing 101' reference: "The Facebook sales process is an elongated one which entails engaging the user throughout the entire sales process (starting with their pre-purchase experience)."

25
Jun 09

Link roundup: read & recommended between June 23rd and June 25th

Added to my Delicious bookmarks between June 23rd through June 25th:

  • Survey Says: Social Networks Should Push the Envelope With Ads – the majority (53%) of web users would view an advertiser favorably if ads were targeted to their interests. Moreover, only 5.6% of them said they’d view the advertiser unfavorably, with the rest falling in the “undecided” camp. Beyond that, most users also said they’d rather have ads targeted to their profile data versus having to pay for services with no ads.
  • What's the Last Innovation We've Seen Coming out from the Banks? Scenarios for Banks in 2020? – Marketing & Strategy Innovation Blog – How can every customer be empowered with the knowledge and tools to take better control of their financial futures?
    How will banking interactions evolve as a customer’s physical and virtual worlds become completely intertwined?
    How will social networks and mobile platforms transform customers’ banking experiences, making it easier, more convenient, and better integrated with their daily lives?
  • Assessing the Power of Ads | AdWeek – You might think today's young adults, who grew up in a pop culture drenched in irony, would be less susceptible than their elders to the influence of advertising when they make major purchase decisions. Instead, the poll's 18-34-year-olds were the most likely to report that ads were at least somewhat influential in guiding their most recent big purchase, with 45 percent saying so — vs. 37 percent of the 35-44-year-olds, 28 percent of the 45-54s and 29 percent of those 55-plus. This pattern of response will not please people who think advertisers pay too little attention to older consumers, as it suggests the elders would be more resistant in any case, while young adults are still comparatively impressionable.
  • What’s Your Child Doing on Facebook? | Ipsos Reid – Over three-quarters (76%) of online Canadians teens aged 12-17 now have a social network profile, up from 50% in 2007. The rate of increase is higher than that reported for the online adult population, which increased from 39% to 56% over the same time period.

    Of note, many online teens have social network accounts at more than one site. Of the online Canadian teenagers with social networking profiles, almost all (93%) have a profile on Facebook. The next most popular social networking sites for these teens are Windows Live Space (29%), and MySpace (19%). Facebook is the only site to experience a significant increase in the last 18 months, increasing by 24 percentage points (up from 69%).

  • 6 Steps to Valuable Internet Content (unabridged) – Marketing & Strategy Innovation Blog – "The web is not a place for a cut and paste from your Corporate paper brochures, there is no value for your visitors in doing that, and they won’t come back to your website if you do this."

16
Jun 09

Bookmarks for June 16th from 17:27 to 17:27

Bookmarked on June 16th