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Businesses need to adopt Google+ due to changes in search results (infographic)

Monday, January 30th, 2012

Google+Businesses still complaining about having to adopt yet another social network better listen up – the way Google displays organic search results has forever changed and will now incorporate Google+ social data in the top few organic spots in search results.

6S Marketing has created an infographic (see below text) to illustrate how Google is dominating the social search market and why Google+ is growing as rapidly as it is, comparing its growth to Facebook and Twitter.

The change, called Search Your World, will have a major impact on businesses that rely on sales through their website and displays social data from Google+ members above the regular search results returned when someone performs a search query.

This change will ultimately make it harder for people to find the information they are looking for, and for businesses, it will mean a decrease in their organic search engine traffic and sales.

Creating Google+ Business page essential

So what can businesses do to minimize the impact of Search Your World on their bottom line? For starters creating a Google+ business page is now an essential part of a search engine optimization strategy as the targeted keyphrases used within posts on the page will help to increase the number of social mentions that are displayed above the regular search results.

Along with the incorporation of social data from Google+ into the search results, the exponential growth of the social network is also another reason why businesses need to take notice and start integrating Google+ into their search engine strategy.

Currently growing at a rate of 625,000 subscribers per day, it took just 16 days for Google+ to obtain 10 million users; a subscriber base that took both Twitter and Facebook over 700 days to reach.

This growth pattern has set Google+ on the path to be the most widely used social network of all, even more so than Twitter and Facebook. Here at the TechJournal, we’re still not sure Google+ is going to overtake Facebook, which seems to us more oriented to personal friends, relatives, and old school mates more so than business for most users. Twitter, too, has unique uses quite apart from Facebook and Google+.

We think all three are to some extent different critters, but we agree that the change in Google’s search displays suggests businesses need to pay attention to Google+.

infographic

Why social media is not a waste of time (infographic)

Friday, January 27th, 2012

FacebookIs social media a waste of time? If it is, we’re wasting a lot of it. Nielsen reports that Americans spend more time on Facebook than on any other site, Twitter has sparked and nurtured global revolutions, and Google+ is forging ahead.

Schools.com, though, says social media is not a waste of time and created this infographic to show why:

 
Americans and social media use
Courtesy of: Schools.com

Ad spending climbs but digital at a plateau

Friday, January 27th, 2012

StrataOptimism returns to the media buying industry after it reports impressive growth during the fourth quarter 2011, according to a new STRATA quarterly survey of leading advertising agencies. The industry is confident that business and client spending on advertising will continue to increase in 2012.

However, the STRATA Survey noted that Digital advertising was flat during the fourth quarter, but Mobile is building momentum.

STRATA, the system of choice for over 1,000 agencies nationally, found that 81% expect client approach to advertising and marketing to either increase or stay the same.  This is up 14% based on the same figures reported third quarter 2011.

Adding to this positive economic surge, nearly half of respondents said they project the 1st half of 2012 to be better than the last half of 2011 with increases in business compared to the same time last year.

The impact shows 31% of agencies noted they plan on hiring in 2012, which is up 29% over third quarter 2011 and up 28% over the same time last year.

Digital advertising dollars were nearly unchanged during the fourth quarter 2011 compared to the previous quarter. When agencies were asked about client focus, 81% said more than a year ago, which is actually down 4% from the previous quarter.

There is also significant confusion around Digital due to the fact that agencies still say clients don’t understand the value (54%).

On the social front, Facebook continues its dominance in ad campaigns with 89% of agencies planning to utilize the medium for clients (followed by Twitter (39%), YouTube (36%), LinkedIn (21%) and Google Plus (18% – up 28% over 3Q 2011).

Agencies reported Mobile advertising during the fourth quarter 2011 was up 39%.

iPhone the top choice, Android closing

The iPhone remains the top choice as reported by 83% of agencies surveyed, though Android continues to close the gap, up 32% over third quarter 2011 and up 50% over the fourth quarter 2010. Although the iPad is still third for Mobile advertising, 76% do say that with Apple and Amazon continuing to focus on building tablet content, there will be an increase in interest in advertising on the newer medium.

The STRATA Survey reveals that the top medium of choice for clients in the fourth quarter was Spot TV (Broadcast and Cable) as reported by 51% of agencies surveyed. Digital was second at 31%, which is down 9% from third quarter 2011, followed by Spot Radio (8%). Spot TV (Broadcast) continues to be an area of interest as 28% of respondents said that they are more focused on it than a year ago, up 12% over fourth quarter 2010.

As for Spot Cable, 26% say they are more focused on it than they were a year ago, which is up 66% over last year.

“The key word for advertisers in 2012 is growth,” said John Shelton, CEO/President of STRATA.

“Agencies started to reap the benefits of balance sheets turned in their favor during the fourth quarter 2011, brokering a bright early 2012. The STRATA Survey shows that many advertisers are confident that their business and the economy will return to a strong period by midyear.  That sentiment, coupled with strong numbers from the political race, provides an overall positive barometer for advertising in 2012.”

Client Attraction remains the biggest agency challenge for the second straight quarter according to 37% in the STRATA Survey.  ’

Client spending was the next area of concern with 19% reporting, however it is not nearly as much of an issue as it was in the third quarter 2011, with a decrease of 13%. A growing issue identified by 16% of agencies is advertising costs, which is nearly double the amount reported a year ago. Determining ROI is the top issue in measuring campaigns (47%), followed by Merging Digital and Traditional (41%).

Other prominent findings of the STRATA survey:

  • 42% say their 2012 political ad spend will be more than 2010.
  • 46% say that during the political season they will advertise in alternative mediums to avoid competition by politicians (41% will compete with politicians for space).
  • 49% said they project the 1st half of 2012 to be better than the last half of 2011 (46% also see business increasing compared to the same time last year).
  • 4% say that it will be 3-5 years before there is a greater spend in Digital than Traditional media (that’s a 50% increase over 3Q 2011); but 38% still feel that shift will not ever happen.
  • Android is the second most popular mobile advertising choice at 71%; iPad remains third (46%).
  • For mobile advertising the top option is Display (46%) followed by SMS (25%, but up 61% since 4Q 2010).
  • 44% are somewhat interested in self-service inventory of Digital assets.
  • Only 4% said they are more focused on Print than they were a year ago.

Most useful automotive web sites integrate social media

Thursday, January 26th, 2012

Modified Acura

A modified Acura

Many of the most useful automotive websites share a common thread—they consistently integrate access to social media platforms throughout their pages, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2012 Manufacturer Website Evaluation Study(SM) (MWES)—Wave 1 released today.

The semiannual study, now in its 13th year, measures the usefulness of automotive manufacturer websites during the new-vehicle shopping process by examining four key measures: speed, appearance, navigation and information/content.

Wide variation in use of social media

All automotive brand websites provide users with the ability to access various social media platforms, such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, to connect with the brand’s social media presence or share information about a brand or model under consideration.

However, there is wide variation among websites in the pervasiveness of social media access—for example, whether it’s available from only the site’s home page, or from a variety of pages.

Most useful use social media throughout site

The study finds websites that are the most useful tend to provide users with social media access from a variety of pages, including the home page, model pages, configurator tool and photo gallery. Brands that do not perform well in usefulness tend to have limited social media availability throughout their sites, such as access only from the home page and model pages.

“The widespread usage of social media has created an expectation of constant availability,” said Arianne Walker, senior director of media and marketing solutions at J.D. Power and Associates.

“By integrating links to social media platforms throughout several site features, automotive brand websites enhance convenience for users and also increase the possibility that website users will promote the brand within their social networks.”

Overall satisfaction with the usefulness of automotive brand websites has decreased significantly to an average of 772 on a 1,000-point scale in Wave 1 of the 2012 study from 784 in Wave 2 of the 2011 study, which was released in August 2011. Much of this decline is due to decreased satisfaction with navigation and information/content. These declines may be attributable to the challenges that automotive brand websites are facing in designing sites that are usable on both tablets and desktop computers.

Sites need to accomodate tablets

While only 20 percent of new-vehicle shoppers say they own a tablet, among those who do, 47 percent say they have used their tablet to access automotive information. Tablet ownership is expected to increase during the next several years, which makes it particularly important for brand websites to be able to accommodate both tablets and desktop computers without sacrificing usability on either type of device.

“As automotive brand websites attempt to accommodate the dimensions, resolution and layout best suited for tablet use, some have changed their design in ways that inhibit usage on desktop computers,” said Walker. “For example, pages that require scrolling to view all of the content on a particular page may be preferred by tablet users, but they are quite frustrating for desktop computer users, who are used to clicking to access content directly, rather than finding it on the page by scrolling.”

In addition to differing levels of tolerance for scrolling, following are two key differences in navigation conventions between tablets and desktop computers:

  • For tablet devices, big button links are preferable to text links, while text links work well for website navigation on desktop computers.
  • Users of tablet devices often utilize finger swiping to access website content, while desktop computer users click and drag their mouse cursors. Effective websites should allow for navigation both ways.

Acura’s website ranks highest with a score of 808 on a 1,000-point scale, and performs particularly well in the navigation and speed measures. Rounding out the five highest-performing automotive websites are Honda (806), Hyundai (803) and Infiniti and Lincoln, in a tie (802 each).

The 2012 Manufacturer Website Evaluation Study—Wave 1 is based on evaluations from more than 9,400 new-vehicle shoppers who indicate they will be in the market for a new vehicle within the next 24 months. The study was fielded inNovember 2011.

 
Manufacturer Website Ranking
(Based on a 1,000-point scale)
Acura 808
Honda 806
Hyundai 803
Infiniti 802
Lincoln 802
Kia 796
Jeep 792
Lexus 790
Porsche 787
Toyota 787
MINI 785
Buick 784
Mazda 784
Cadillac 783
Subaru 776
Volkswagen 775
Nissan 774
Suzuki 774
Audi 773
Industry Average 772
Mitsubishi 771
BMW 770
Mercedes-Benz 768
Ford 763
Land Rover 763
GMC 762
Jaguar 760
Volvo 759
smart 756
Chrysler 755
Dodge 752
Ram 752
Chevrolet 750
Fiat 729
SAAB 721
Scion 691

“Big Data” has sizzle, but workers needed to get at the steak

Monday, January 23rd, 2012

Customer Relationship MetricsUsage of the term “big data” has exploded online, according a Cutsomer Relationships Metrics study, but despite the buzz, a lack of workers with the skills needed analyze big data, it’s tough turning it into business action that drives results.

The study was conducted by analysts at Customer Relationship Metrics using Nielsen McKinsey’s NM Incite technology, which collects user-generated content from over 180 million sites worldwide, including blogs, message boards, usenet groups, Twitter, Facebook and Video/Image sites (e.g., Youtube, Flickr).

“Ironically, use of the term big data grew significantly in mid-2011 when McKinsey & Co. issued its seminal research report Big data: The next frontier for innovation, competition, and productivity. The report warned of a growing shortage of talent to leverage big data and make decisions based on data trends.”

Virtually unheard of at the beginning of 2010, big data has quickly become one of the hottest buzzwords in IT circles. In the past three months, big data was the topic of discussion over 20,000 times per month in the press, blogs, and social networks, as measured by NM Incite. See accompanying chart.

Big Data? Big Problems!

But here’s the rub: even world-class enterprises are struggling with getting real value from big data, solely because knowledgeable workers are in short supply: those with the skills necessary to analyze and understand what the data is saying; translate the data into real business action that drives bottom-line results; and communicate recommendations to senior executives.

Dr. Jodie Monger, founder and president of Customer Relationship Metrics, said, “Right now, big data is nothing more than a buzzword. Everyone in IT knows that the enterprise cannot afford to overlook the massive data sets they create. They know that these data sets contain a plethora of information that can help them better serve their customers. But nobody knows how to actually reach this Holy Grail.”

Dr. Monger continued, “Ironically, use of the term big data grew significantly in mid-2011 when McKinsey & Co. issued its seminal research report Big data: The next frontier for innovation, competition, and productivity. The report warned of a growing shortage of talent to leverage big data and make decisions based on data trends.”

Big Problems? Big Solution!

So enterprises are caught in a jam: they need to analyze and act on data trends, but don’t have people who can do the job. Increasingly, these enterprises are outsourcing the job to Customer Relationship Metrics.

Dr. Monger continued, “Customer Relationship Metrics serves many of the most recognizable consumer brands on the planet. We help these companies dig deep into their data, spotting trends that emerge from daily interactions with customers through call centers, email dialogues, chat functions, and social media interactions.”

By focusing on data embedded within real customer interactions, companies can easily identify those service issues which lead to the most customer dissatisfaction. Once these problems are fixed, reputation grows and customer satisfaction increases organically.

Dr. Monger added, “Analyzing big data can be overwhelming. But we make it simple for customers by pointing our solutions at the most meaningful data sets that can deliver the most significant customer service results in the quickest timeframe possible. We eliminate blind alleys and avoid time and resource vampires, while making big data solutions easy to implement.”

Big Data as a Managed Service

Customer Relationship Metrics is a SaaS-based end-to-end big data solution. It includes data integration, software, and analytics that can be up and running within 60 days.

Dr. Monger concluded, “Deployment is where big-data-based BI solutions break down most frequently. Custom solutions and complex software development timelines mean delays, cost overruns, and intense frustration across the chain of command. By structuring our solution as a managed service, we deliver real value from big data and business intelligence in an abbreviated timeframe, with no significant capital costs. That’s a win/win for all involved.”

Shopitudes: Print, email trumped social media, but one-third did it all online (infographic)

Monday, January 23rd, 2012

Twitter birdPrint and email beat Twitter and Facebook for consumers seeking great holiday deals, according to the latest JustAsk! survey from audience research and measurement company Crowd Science. The study measured the Shopitudes of consumers during the 2011 holiday season between the weeks of Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Top retailers, however, benefited strongly from a Facebook presence, according to comScore.

Holiday Shopitudes. The holidays are NOT a favorite time to venture into the stores for almost one-half of study participants: 47% disagreed with the statement

“The holidays are my favorite time to shop in person”, while only 15% agreed. The negative sentiment was more pronounced as time progressed, with disagreement climbing from 45% before Thanksgiving to 49% as the holidays approached.

One-third did it all online

Almost one-quarter preferred conducting all of their holiday shopping online. But despite the relative ubiquity in ecommerce, one-in-five worry about security when buying online.

The concern over online safety was more pronounced among lighter Internet users (less than 24 hours per week) versus their more experienced counterparts. Those aged 24 years or younger were less inclined to prefer online shopping for the holidays, as compared with older shoppers.

Whether they shop in person or online, 17% of respondents admitted to doing nearly all of their holiday shopping at the last minute. Among those who denied being last-minute shoppers, women were more prominent, at 51% versus 38% of men.

Where The Deal Hunters … Hunt. When searching for the best holiday deals, 25% of those surveyed chose “visiting companies’ websites” as their favorite method, followed by print/hardcopy at 15%. Email newsletters & notifications (13%) and talking with friends and family (9%) each beat out social media channels like Facebook (3%) and Twitter (1%). One-quarter had no preferred method for finding deals.

Holiday Spending Trends. 4-in-10 anticipated spending about the same amount during the holidays as they had the year before. Those who indicated they would spend less traced more to lower income households. More interestingly, as the holiday season progressed, the study found a five-point increase in those anticipating spending more. The week ofThanksgiving, 17% said they would spend more, rising to 22% as the Christmas holiday drew closer.

“Our Shopitudes study indicates social media like Facebook and Twitter have a ways to go when it comes to influencing holiday shoppers,” says Crowd Science VP of Research Sandra Marshall.

“Another fascinating finding is the significant change that can occur in consumer shopping behaviors and sentiment over time. As the holidays approach, we saw a shift in consumers’ spending plans, away from sticking to last year’s holiday shopping budget, and more toward increased holiday spending.”

The study was performed in two waves over the extended holiday season from November 16th through December 29th, 2011. The research was conducted across the Crowd Science network with a sample of 5,301 respondents.

infographic

Social media and mobile driving increased value from business events

Friday, January 6th, 2012

TechMedia's 2011 Internet Summit event kept people connected via LinkedIn, Twitter and the TechJournal. Our next event is the Southeast Venture Conference in Tysons Corner, VA, Feb. 29-March1.

Social media and mobile are rapidly changing business events, says Certain Inc., which sells cloud-based event management software.

We’ve certainly noticed the added-value that both mobile and social media bring to TechMedia’s digital conferences and other events.

Just following the Twitter stream at events often provides top take-away information and insights, while LinkedIn keeps attendees connected before and after the conferences.

Based on insight from visionary industry leaders, customers and partners, Certain has identified key shifts that it believes will shape the industry over the next 12 months.

“2012 will kick off a breakthrough for the industry that will revolutionize the value that attendees, meeting professionals and executive sponsors derive from events,” said Peter Micciche, CEO of Certain.

A tsunami of connectedness

“A tsunami of connectedness, driven by social, mobile and virtual, will ultimately enable the attendee engagement experience. FacebookLinkedIn and Twitterare mainstream, making integrated event marketing the new normal for event professionals.

“This integration of digital solutions with event planning software will result in 2012 as the ‘year of the platform.’ Software-as-a-Service solutions are now seamlessly woven together into a comprehensive ecosystem architecture designed to meet, track and measure planner, marketer, sponsor and attendee needs.”

Certain’s top three predictions for 2012 are:

1. Traditional event planning will be massively disrupted by the widespread adoption of social media and mobile.
Social media and mobile will become core components of events — with or without the sanction of the organizers. This will create new and exciting opportunities for agile organizations that can adopt these technologies to create high-performance event interactions that lead to increased revenues and market share.

The industry will evolve quickly from simple and personal experience usage of Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter, to the more strategic ability to support “continuing the conversations” post-event and year round. Because of the increase in popularity of social media and mobile devices, planners will need to focus on harnessing the attention of attendees by finding ways to leverage thesemarketing tools.

Social media disrupting tradtional speaker formats

Social media will also disrupt the traditional format of speaker presentations. Instead of pushing information and talking “at” participants, speakers will find new methods of creating conversations with and amongst attendees long before the live session begins, and facilitating and supporting two-way, real-time interaction and evaluation after the event closes.

In 2012, speakers and planners who do not embrace social media as a means to fully engage and support all participants risk the potential of attendees dominating the buzz around their events, and miss an excellent opportunity to gain real-time feedback and to deepen their understanding of participant needs.

2. 2012 will be the “year of the platform”
Single use mobile and virtual applications are short-lived. Over the next year, leading enterprise software vendors will introduce new platform-as-a-service offerings.

Event planners will discover that in order to meet industry demands, technology must be integrated into a holistic, consolidated approach that is best expressed through a single event management platform covering logistics and digital solutions for all aspects of the event ecosystem. This framework best suits the growing demands for all event participants via a one-stop digital shop from which they can access event details and engage and connect with other participants via social media, mobile, and virtual.

Single purpose mobile and virtual applications will get acquired or become obsolete as leading vendors raise the bar for platform application integration. The industry will witness a natural evolution of products and only those companies that best adapt to the advancing technology landscape will emerge as the fittest.

3. All roads lead to 1:1 business activity
1:1 meetings will become the norm for events and tradeshows. The year 2012 will overwhelmingly point to the importance of productivity derived from facilitating one-to-one, quality relationships at events. Attendees will increasingly leverage technology to network and build business relationships, maximizing the Return on Investment (ROI) from the eventsthey attend.

Opportunities for networking and relationship building will become key determinants in the value of a particular event, and mobile technology will play an integral part in fostering those connections. Event organizers can best meet the demand for rich 1:1 participant experiences by providing strategic, matched appointments and a platform for communication between attendees before, during and after events.

Next-generation appointment matching solutions, tightly integrated with SaaS event planning and CRM platforms, will leverage social media capabilities and mobile to connect individuals based on their interests resulting in the optimal value from face-to-face meetings.

For more information about and opinions from Certain, visit the Certain Blog at: http://blog.certain.com/.

Saudi Royal family member, “Arab Warren Buffett” invests in Twitter

Monday, December 19th, 2011

Twitter birdPrince Alwaleed bin Talal of the Saudi royal family, sometimes called the “Arab Warren Buffett,” has invested $300 million in micro-blogging service Twitter.

Alwaleed’s investment firm, Kingdom Holdings, said in a press release that it is a “strategic investment.”

“We believe that social media will fundamentally change the media industry landscape in the coming years. Twitter will capture and monetize this positive trend,” the company said.

Nephew to Saudi King Abdullah, Alwaleed has invested in Citigroup, Kodak, Motorola, Apple, Disney, and Proctor and Gamble, among other entitites.

He is also the second largest stake-holder in the troubled Murdoch family’s News Corp.

Alwaleed recently announced his plans to launch his privately owned Alarab news channel. He has invested in many media and entertainment firms in the Arab world.

What was more popular than Jesus on social media?

Friday, December 16th, 2011

DropboxDropbox emerged from 2011, as not only one of the most popular startups of recent memory but also as the most loved topic on social media, according to Amplicate’s annual review of the most loved and hated topics on social media.

Ninety-nine percent of comments about the cloud computing firm were positive, making Dropbox more popular than Jesus Christ who was the most loved personality on Twitter and Facebook in 2011, just above Joe Jonas.

Joe Jonas was considerably more popular than Twitter favorite and fellow musician Justin Bieber who was the most talked about personality on social media for the second year running.

New York most loved city

New York was the most loved city on social media with 91% of opinions expressing love for the the Big Apple, while another kind of Apple, the Apple iPad, was the most loved gadget on social media over the year.

The mosquito was by some distance the most hated topic on social media in 2011, with 99% of opinions expressing hatred for the insect.

The top ten list of the most hated topics on social media in 2011 includes many of the usual suspects, colds, flu, pimples and perhaps more surprisingly the social network Bebo.

Amplicate’s annual review is part of its free social media analytics service. Amplicate offers free online social media analytics as well as in-depth social media reports on every imaginable topic. Reports explain what consumers have been saying about a topic, when and where they are saying it and why.