Rachel Levy: Social Media & Marketing

On Wednesday and Thursday of this week, I attended the Inbound Marketing Summit conference put on by New Marketing Labs at the Gillette Stadium. Attending this conference was an interesting milestone for me, as it is where I really got my start in social media last year.  Day 1 of the conference last year I showed up without a computer and barely any knowledge of Twitter (I was registered but wasn’t using it, and didn’t “get it”) and much of social media.  Day 2, I showed up with my laptop, and started tweeting.  I haven’t stopped since, and have learned so much since that time about other forms of social media, and have put them into practice at work and through consulting projects.  A lot changed for me in that year.

Anyway, the conference was even more incredible than it was last year, so I thought I’d share some of my favorite quotes/learnings. (Not necessarily quoted word for word; and if you know who said some of the unknown quotes or if I made any errors, please let me know!)

Day 1

• How do you engage customers without pissing them off? Just need to listen. And then figure out WHEN in the conversation it’s right to jump in. ~Citrix (name?)
• SM needs to get out of the corporate communications group. It should be spread throughout the company ~Innovative marketing panel
• In terms if marketing, it’s not about the thickness if your wallet, it’s about the thickness of your mind. It’s a great time to be a poor marketer. ~Justin Rasmussen, Coffee House Ideas
• Who will own social media in the future? PR agencies, interactive agencies or ad agencies? Answer: The companies. ~Brian Halligan, Hubspot

• PR is dead. ~Brian Halligan, Hubspot (I couldn’t disagree more.  I do believe PR is changing, but it will never be dead.  The big difference I see is that rather than companies finding press, the press will be finding them.)

• People turn to social media traditionally to solve 3 problems: 1) sales 2) get the word out , 3) need to make a relationship better or change it.” ~Katie Delahaye Paine, KDPaine & Partners
• You need to look at your “share of suckiness” vs. your competitors. “We suck less” ~Katie Delahaye Paine, KDPaine & Partners (it’s important to look at what your detractors are saying, but also keep in mind industry norms for sentiment.)
• PR = helps groups communicate with one another and facilitate discussions. What is PR2.0? A new approach to PR (PR isn’t just media relations) — it’s about building long term relationships, and now we can do it directlly with the customer. ~Katie Delahaye Paine, KDPaine & Partners
• What is a social media press release? Integrating keywords, SEO, interactive content, links to SM sites, enabled for social media. ~”Getting the Word Out” panel
  
• Measure engagement (not impressions), which will then lead to sales. ~”Getting the Word Out” panel
• Marketing = getting people to know, like and trust you. ~Rich Ullman, Ripple6
• What do you say to the people that say they don’t have time to create good content? Tough! ~Valeria Maltoni, Conversation Agent
• If you’re doing SM, and not email, you’re insane. It has a $44 ROI per dollar spent, on an email campaign. ~Email panel
• Using purchased email lists is just spamming. The people didn’t sign up for the email. ~Email panel
• “Rented list” – means using another list to communicate your message (i.e Daily Candy). ~Email panel
• 20% of tweets mention brands (source http://bit.ly/MVSlV). Twitter users are twice as much likely to engage with brands than on other platforms. ~Jesse Engle, CoTweet
• For a company with multiple tweeters, it’s best to have logo as avatar, twitter background with faces/names of tweeters, and use cotags. ~Jesse Engle, CoTweet
• Kodak’s blog is not about the actual product, it’s about HOW we use our products. ~Jennifer Cisney, Kodak
• Cool free listening tool www.socialmention.com ~unknown
• How to get your video to go viral? Story, spectacle, emotion, conflict, questions. ~Tim Street, APE Digital

Day 2

• Listening helps you find ppl who are passionate about what you do, out on the web. That’s how you build a comunity centric way to market. ~Listening and monitoring panel
• Email’s role in the marketing mix is more important than ever. Email is a main DRIVER of social web activity. ~Greg Cangialosi, Blue Sky Factory
• The blog is the ANCHOR of our social media efforts. ~Paula Berg, Southwest Airlines
• Where else can you get immediate and passionate feedback from your customers other than in social media. ~Paula Berg, Southwest Airlines
• Social Media optimization created the findability of social objects – keywords, titles, descriptions, tags, syndication. ~Christopher Carfi, Cerado
• If there are a bunch of kids in a playground, and there are no toys there, they’re going to leave. (referring to making your Facebook and website interactive). ~CC Chapman, Campfire
• Everyone needs a CMS (even if it’s just WordPress), in order to update site,keywords, tags, etc. ~CMS panel
• Whereever you are finding the most uncomfortable information about you, look there 10 times harder! ~Tim Walker, Hoover’s
  
• What are Social Media Influencers (SIM)? Harnessing social media and social influencers to achieve a goal. ~Shiv Singh, Razorfish
• Market to the community not just the individual. ~Shiv Singh, Razorfish
• Social engagement results in purchases 24 days later on average. ~Shiv Singh, Razorfish
• Focus not just on the platforms, but on the relationsips… focus on WHO is influencing your customer. Research influencers. ~Ken Chow, R2 Integrated
• Great Marketing = Convince people to SELL. ~Dharmesh Shah, Hubspot
• Google’s ranking algorithm = context (does it match what they’re looking for?) + authority (how much does Google trust you?). ~Dharmesh Shah, Hubspot
• Titles are the most important piece of information you’re giving to Google about what the page is about.The MOST important is the one on your home page. Earlier words send a stronger message to Google. So, your title keywords need to be ordered appropriately. Don’t make your Home page titled HOME (even if you sell homes!. ~Dharmesh Shah, Hubspot
• Don’t buy ads on Facebook. Use it to look at the demographic info to find who meets your target profile (brilliant!). (I don’t agree about not buying ads, but the target demos are great!). ~Dharmesh Shah, Hubspot

If you want to see even more highlights from me or others during the Inbound Marketing Summit, check the #IMS09 hashtag on Twitter Search.

Overall, an incredible conference!! A few suggestions for IMS next year. Include people’s Twitter names in the program, on their nametags,  and on the screen while their speaking. Improve the wireless.  Add a case study component… so many great minds together in one room!  We can break into a group of 10 and all work on a different case to put together a social media and marketing strategy and tactics.  Do short presentations so we can all learn from eachother.

(Photo credits: Group, Chris Brogan, iPhone, CC Chapman)

Anything important I missed?  Feel free to add or comment on the above!

uVizz, an innovative application for video sharing, could be the next big video sharing platform. It solves two problems for online advertisers. First, click through rates of advertising on social networks are notoriously low (0.8% on Facebook).  So, while they have a high reach, people very rarely click on them.  The reason for this, is most likely related to the second issue that uVizz solves — that the ads are not relevant to what the consumer is actually doing.  They can certainly be targeted based on content or demographic/geographic information, but the consumer is not necessarily open to seeing them at that time they appear.

Below is my summary and thinking from my demo view of uVizz with the company’s Managing Partner, Matt Johnson.

About uVizz

In a nutshell, uVizz partners with companies who pay consumers to create and share viral videos. It’s a new way to engage users to help promote a company’s products.

How it works… if iPhone started a uVizz campaign, they would decide on an amount they are willing to pay when the video is viewed ($0.15 is the minimum, and I have used $0.20 below).  Hopefully, some passionate consumers, would create a video (or any content, really) about the brand, submit it for approval to the company, and then it’s ready to become viral!  The photo below, explains how this works.

For every unique video view (UVV) (1st view by a new person), the video creator gets 30%, the referral chain (everyone who helped refer the video) gets 20%, and the person (David) who passed the video onto the viewer (Christina) gets 20%.  And, of course, uVizz gets their cut, at 30%. So, if the video gets 10,000 UVV, that all came through David (normally though, not all views would come through one person), iPhone would pay a total of $2,000, and the revenue share would be as follows:

• Video Creator – $600 (10,000 x $0.20 x 30%)
• Referral Chain – $400
• Referral Creator (David) – $400
• Video viewer (Christina) – $0
• uVizz – $600 (30% share)

When uVizz launches on June 15th, it will be available as an application in Facebook, Bebo, and Friendster. (it’s also available with Twitter, but is just link sharing that drives people to Facebook or uVizz.  I’ll explain more about how it will work with Facebook, as that’s the most popular of these three sites.  Basically, uVizz is an application that allows the company to set up the campaign, the video creator to upload their video, and the video to be shared.  Everyone needs to add the uVizz application in order to view or forward on videos. The application tracks all the view information, allows the video creator to upload and manage their video, and allows everyone involved to see the money they have made.  The videos spread virally, not only through people sending it to their friends, but also through optional wall posts.

Even more interesting, is the targeted nature of this.  The company only pays when the video is viewed by someone who fits the demographic profile they have set.  For example, Morningflake, one of uVizz’s first customers, is based in the UK.  So for their campaign, they will only pay for UVV in the UK.  In addition to location, companies can also target by age and gender (more criteria coming at some point). The Facebook application even tells people who of their friends fit the demographic target so they are aware before sending it to a friend.
Consumer perspective

This is a great concept from the consumer perspective.  People who are passionate about brands like getting involved with them, and the fact is, that they are already creating their own content or spreading the word about the brands they love (for example, BzzScapes or BzzAgent).  The benefit is obviously that they can get paid for doing what they are already doing.

I honestly don’t see any downsides for the video creators.  The only potential consumer downside I see, is that it is encouraging people to push the content on others, in order to make money.  It seems similar to some MLM (multi-level-marketing) schemes.  However, what stops this from happening is the people themselves.  If I keep sending annoying videos to my friends, they will eventually ask me to stop, or unfriend me on Facebook.  So, just as with forwarding jokes via email, you have to use discretion, or you will eventually get ignored.

Company perspective

I think this is also a no-brainer for companies.  It’s like PPC (pay-per-click) campaigns, where you only pay when someone clicks on your ad, yet it’s much more targeted.  The biggest question these days with viral content is “what makes something viral?”  Well, with uVizz, the advertiser doesn’t have to know that.  They don’t have to spend tons of money trying to figure that out.  If something takes off and they have a hit on their hands, only then do they pay.

The other benefit, as Matt Johnson told me, is that “it’s a way to engage the company’s consumers in their advertising, and get them to have a stake in the process.”

I also think that since these videos are user generated content, they can often times be so much more effective than ads created by a company.  Believe me, I AM in favor of corporate marketing, given my background in it, but I think there’s something to be said for user-generated content.

My overall thoughts

Overall, I think this is a win-win for everyone involved.  The advertisers get good content, the creators get paid, and people who pass it on get paid as well.  I have a few concerns/questions:

• Although I do think consumers themselves will stop this from becoming spammy, I still think it’s possible.  People are already getting burnt out on the games/quizzes on Facebook, so I worry if this is just one more thing to add to the list.
• uVizz primarily promotes itself for viral videos, but they also mention it can include other content (photos, blog posts, stories). I think creating a video can be overwhelming to some people, so the other forms of content could be more accessible to them.  uVizz should stress this.
• As an advertiser, I would also want to know detailed information about how long people are watching the video for.  As with anything where people can make money, there is always someone out there to scam the system.  Will there be groups formed where people agree to watch each other’s videos so they all make money?  Just click on it for a second, and you’ve “watched” it?  uVizz should be sure they are thinking about these types of scams.
• uVizz is making 30% of the revenue share, which is equivalent to the video creator. That feels like too much to me.  If I were the video creator, I would like to feel like I was making the most from this.

But, as I mentioned, overall, I LOVE this product.

Photo credit: No Spam, Camera

What do you think of this idea?  Any concerns? Good idea?

On Tuesday, I attended the Online Marketing Summit in Boston, which was 1 of 18 stops on their “Whistle Stop Tour”. I attended the same conference last year, at the beginning of my journey learning about online marketing, so it was interesting to see how much I have learned in just one year.  I definitely recommend checking out this conference if there is one in your city.

Below are my notes from the day.  By far, the most interesting and personally useful topic to me, was the talk by Chris Baggott.  You can also see other people’s tweets from the day here.  Feel free to ask any questions or make a comment below.

Keynote (Aaron Khalow)

• Online retail up 11%, overall retail down 3%
• 63% of people who go to a website and don’t find why they want will never come
• 92% of people go first to search to find what they are looking for

Integrating Online Into Your Local Marketing Strategy (Internet Advertising Bureau Local committee)

• Weather.com is a great place to advertise because it’s national but local at same time. National news can be Same if register
• Why pay when you can create your own content? Answer – speed
• IAN smart brief is their weekly email
• Technographic – targeting based on a specific technology
• 66% of Internet users would click thru an online ad if it’s well targeted
• Auto, real estate and general merchandise are highest categories.
• 70 percent of Bostonians (city, not Boston area) are online. Higher than national.
• Only 26% of marketers feel that their company is tech savvy
• Local advertising is growing faster than national

Online Video: Secrets to Viral Video and Advertising ROI (eConsultancy, YouTube, BrightCove, Visible Measures, Nabbr)

• Very cool HD18910 Samsung camera phone ad on YouTube – engaged people
• Once you get popular in video it’s easy to stay popular
• Video campaigns that work invite people in and get people to share
• Advertise on YouTube. It’s not a about getting a million views. It’s about getting the right views
• Healthination is good example of video use. Use answers.com.
• Nabbr is about push and YouTube is about pull
• Another way to get involved in video is with sponsorships
• Video knows no limits. May even want to see what ended up on cutting room floor. May have legs
• YouTube is 2nd largest search site after Google
• Kobe Bryant Nike video was watched for 82 seconds although only 1 min. Rewinding and watching again
  • Only 40% of 14million views were on YouTube. Also users engaged with comments and ratings

Improving Search Marketing ROI During a Recession: Top 10 Insider Tips (Ben Hanna, Business.com)

1. Look before you leap

• Know your goals and priorities

2. Don’t try to boil the ocean (take one step at a time)
3. Improve relationships with sales
4. Find where you’re not capturing value

• Marketing Sherpa increased conversion rates by 39% by adding offers to their thank you page

5. Start from a focused base

• Exact match or advanced match
• Advanced match advertises for keywords that are similar to the keywords you’re paying for
• Search implementation vs. content implementation (??)

6. Pick apart the buying process

• You must cover all buying stages

i. Could focus social media on early state of process
ii. Focus SEO on later stages
iii. Early stage – SEO & relevant community participation
iv. Mid-state – directories
v. Late-stage – branded keywords

7. Reduce buyer risk & barriers to conversion

• Office depot boosted paid search revenue 200% by incorporating customer reviews into ad copy

8. Roll out the purchase incentives

• To improve conversion rates, attack conversion barriers
• Clarify target audience & purchase type

i. Blank slate –> free trial (extend it if need to increase?)
ii. Repeat modified
iii. Repeat

• Simplify landing pages

i. Clear call to action
ii. Compelling trial discount or other incentive
iii. Eliminate sensitive form fields
iv. Indicate commitment level – 30 day vs. 90 day vs. autobill

9. Get social

• Search marketing is the glue that holds together all of their activities

10. Target the doer

• 2 basic buying roles

i. Doers – have to get something done
ii. Buyers – attempting to enforce a rational buying process
• Most people focus on doers

11. misc

• Ad copy – what is the person trying to address? What issue are they trying to solve? Benefit not feature.

Advanced Blog Strategies – Chris Baggott, Compendium Blogware

• People who find you because of searching and finding your blog convert more, bounce less, buy more and stay
• Experience is that if you give people the capability to give content, they will
• Search is an acquisition tool; Email isn’t
• Phones and website are changing the way we do business. It’s not the phone or the website itself though. It’s what you can do with it. And it’s not going to be with ads!
• Fastest growing key words are 5+ words. Grew 22% last year
• Benefit to social media and blogging is to win in search! Not to broadcast.
• What is content? Text, pics, video
• Search means nothing of you don’t have good content
• Most of clicks in search happen in organic results; BUT most qualified leads come from PPC – answer to this issue is blogging

i. If you need to target many keywords, best way is PPC, but it’s expensive;
ii. Most clicks in search happen in organic
iii. So blogging is best way to change organic results

• Most people don’t subscribe to blogs – it’s ok because blogging is for search; most are 1st time visitors
• While they say blogs are good for comments, engaging, community dialogue, it’s ok, but much more important as a foot in the door.
• Good for – More inquiries, increased traffic, more qualified leads
• Can’t control referrals or direct navigation, you can only control search — that’s what a blog is for
• Why does blogging work so well?

i. Search works on titles, keywords, recency/frequency, blog volume, relevance, links

• Blogging is not about thought leadership, although it might happen as a benefit
• Why blogs are your #1 search marketing tool; Keys to successful search blogs

1. Title – instead of Chris Baggot as title, use “list building technologies” … you need MULTIPLE blogs for capturing various types of business – need fleet of blogs

2. Use the language of your customers

• Think about what people are going to type and rank on that

3. Keywords

• 4-7% of your post should have to do with the keywords
• Key to writing posts
• Blogging is a volume driven strategy. Not every post has to be a white paper or major thought leadership. Minimum every day or multiple times a day.

4. Recency/frequency

• Need to blog every day
• Employee bloggers are 5 times more credible than C-level bloggers
• All employees who get a business card, should have capability to blog – tough to do, but ideally would be great
• The more you write about a topic, the more traffic you’ll drive

5. Measure both relevance and ROI

• Great thing about effective search is that the customer gets exactly what they wanted. Blogging does that very effectively.
• Need a way on your blog for your customer to convert to a purchase – Best Buy doesn’t have that
• Ok to use same content on your multiple blogs is good if you have a clear path
• Host multiple blogs on same site, with same domain name – still on same website
• Best way to do a link strategy is to have strong content – it will happen

Big Brands, Big Plans Panel

• How handle irrelevant user generated content? Community will automatically vet it
• What’s a proper extension of your brand and what’s not? (bud tv, ESPN phone failed) you have to listen before doing anything
• Is meaty content generated by users or paid? Must be balanced.
• If you’re not authentic, accessible and consistent yours setting yourself up for failure
• Smartphones will really change how we buy; GPS will change things too
• An injection of negativity in content helps the credibility

Any questions about the above? Comments?