It makes for interesting reading especially with regard to the exponential growth of online behaviour on mobile devices and how social media has become deeply integrated into our lives. Below is what we believe are the key learnings from the report:

Nevertheless, a good understanding of the dynamics of the Internet can help you to continue to post]]> Making social media work for your bottom line is dependent on people sharing your content – be it a special offer, a new product announcement or a new shop opening. But there is no guarantee that your connections will share. Everyone wants their message to go viral, but there is no magic formula that you can follow for viral success.

Nevertheless, a good understanding of the dynamics of the Internet can help you to create content that will appeal to people who influence trends online and increase the shareability of your content. Content on the internet can be more risque than on traditional media. Consider ‘The Old Spice Guy’ campaign – most of the videos used in this viral campaign wouldn’t have been approved for TV airing or would have been deemed too strange, too niche for the general public. But it’s this type of strange-but-wonderful content that thrives online. Jonah Peretti who co-founded the Huffington Post and runs viral analytics company BuzzFeed writes interestingly about this topic. According to Peretti “couch potatoes don’t matter on the web, crazy people do”. Your content will be shared only if it is original and appeals to the crazy side of your potential customers (or their friends or family).

Below is a slideshow from Peretti explaining some more of his thoughts on original viral content. Part of the presentation is a pitch for the BuzzFeed business and some of the slides don’t quite make sense without the accompanying commentary, but there are some interesting points in there. You’ll find our quick four-point summary of the presentation below:

• You need to take into consideration who will make your content viral. The key audience is the “Bored At Work” brigade. You need to deliver them something they will easily understand, is easy to share and has an incentive for them to share it.
• Only some things will go viral, so try lots of different options.
• Be a Mormon, not a Jew (!) i.e. be an evangelist and spend time working out the mechanics of how your content will be shared.
• The web is ruled by maniacs like Perez Hilton and Apple fanboys, not ‘regular people’. Target the crazies.

YouTube has taken the old media world by storm, forcing them continue to post]]> It’s hard to imagine a world without YouTube but the fact is the website was launched just 5 years ago. The growth of YouTube is phenomenal – every minute over 24 hours worth of new video content is uploaded to the site and YouTube embeddable players are to be found on tens of millions of sites across the world wide web.

YouTube has taken the old media world by storm, forcing them to join the party or suffer the consequence of losing out to audiences watching pirated versions of their content. Many TV channels enable much of their schedule to be watched within a branded YouTube interface, for example Channel 4s 4OD. And far from being the preserve of dogs on skateboards, YouTube has become a viable business channel. Webvideo is fast becoming the way people consume what would traditionally be considered ‘TV’. If you’ve always wanted to air TV ads for your business but couldn’t afford to do so, YouTube gives you the opportunity to do it, except your message can be a lot longer and it’s a fraction of the cost of traditional TV advertising.

While not a social network in the same way that Facebook or Twitter is, YouTube is a powerful tool for sharing content. Users can connect their YouTube profile with their other social networks, allowing for autosharing across all connected platforms. Over 4 millions users autoshare YouTube videos to at least one other of their social networks and YouTube stats show that an autoshare to Twitter generates an average of 6 additional views for that video.

Of coruse, web videos are also great content to post to your own social network profiles to keep your existing followers engaged, but another reason to use the platform is to gain new customers through Search performance. YouTube is owned by Google who consequently gives preference to YouTube content in search results, so if you maintain a YouTube channel with relevant content and keywords you will improve your search rankings. As we’ve blogged about before, people use a variety of sources when researching on the internet – a YouTube channel in addition to your website and social networks provides additional sources of customer information and can therefore strengthen trust in your business.

Depending on your business YouTube videos can be used to varying degrees. Most people are familiar with the great YouTube Old Spice campaign which came out of the United States in 2010 but don’t be put off if you are a small business. There are many great ways the medium can be used for a surprisingly wide range of niches. Consider this case study for magnetic jewellrey makers Dynomighty, who used product demonstration videos on YouTube to drive sales.

No matter what size your business, you can produce slick videos for YouTube. Recording equipment is cheaper than ever (high definition Flip cameras can cost as little as E100) and editing software easier to use than ever. In no time you can have a professional looking YouTube channel for you business and produce videos to promote your products or services which can be easily shared with your target customers.

Time was that Google and Yahoo based their search rankings on things like the number of external links to your website continue to post]]> Here in Social Return we don’t supply SEO (search engine optimisation) services. Or do we? The reality in 2011 is that search ranking is calculated differently than just a few short years ago. And that’s because of the rise of social media. Which is, of course, what we do specialise in.

Time was that Google and Yahoo based their search rankings on things like the number of external links to your website and the use of meta tags. But search engines have had to constantly revise their algorithms, not only to defend against spammers misusing the system, but also to keep abreast of the changes in the way people now use the web. What has become more important in recent times, is the quality of content you publish online and how much it has been shared, ranked and commented on by others. Google now reward people with high search rankings if they are producing regular and relevant content which provokes a reaction in others. It has been termed the age of ‘social search’, where group reviews and feedback determine search success (some commentators have gone so far to suggest that the ubiquity of the Facebook ‘Like’ button points to a future where search results will be ranked by number of ‘Likes’).

So with the emphasis shifting to interactivity and share-ability what does that mean for businesses wanting to ensure they maintain a good Search ranking? Here are 5 tips in social media which will increase your SEO performance:

• Join all the main social media channels – focus your efforts on updating a few regularly and autopost content to the other, less influential channels
• Regular blogging about your business area (however niche) will pay dividends
• Writing ability counts – use clear language and key words and phrases as much as possible
• Integrate social media buttons across all your web platforms to encourage shares
• Make friends online with similar businesses / experts. Guest blogs and links from more popular websites will improve your search rankings in addition to gaining you new potential customers

image from theoatmeal.com (click to enlarge)

You’re probably already familiar with Groupon, even if you may not think so. Locally in Ireland it operates under the ‘City Deal’ moniker and offers subscribers a continue to post]]> Time was when coupon redemption was viewed as the domain of the elderly or the cash-strapped housewife. But in the past year or so it has been modernised for the Internet age by a company called Groupon.

image from theoatmeal.com (click to enlarge)

You’re probably already familiar with Groupon, even if you may not think so. Locally in Ireland it operates under the ‘City Deal’ moniker and offers subscribers a location-specific daily deal sent out via email. The phenomenal success of Groupon (it is predicted to reach US$1billion in sales faster than any other company in history) has re-awakened the world to the power of email marketing and spawned many imitators. But Groupon isn’t like traditional eCRM – it harnesses the power of social networks and the culture of sharing that social media has grown. Only if enough people purchase a daily deal will it become available to the entire group – creating an incentive for people to share the offer with their friends. and Groupon also reward people for sharing by awarding them credits to redeem against offers in the future.

(click to enlarge)

It’s no coincidence that Groupon is thriving during a recession, when people are more value-conscious than ever. Time-limited heavily-discounted offers, even if they are an initial loss leader for business, have the longer term benefit of introducing new customers to your business, offering the opportunity to up-sell, developing long-term customer relationships and generating a wave of positive word of mouth. They can also be viewed as a branding channel – getting your business name and logo in front of tens of thousands of engaged people.

Taking advantage of these new, highly popular channels and bolstering them with your own online marketing efforts and social networks is a surefire way to give your business a kickstart in quieter times. And there is much to be learned from how Groupon and other coupon operators do their business; above all that people will voluntarily share great offers if you give them a good reason and easy way for them to do so.

The Red C research examines the issues effecting the Irish consumer in 2010 and makes for interesting reading. You can view the entire report on Slideshare but continue to post]]> In this post I’d like to focus on two interesting reports which have been released in the past six months; firstly, a ‘state of the nation’ report from Irish research agency Red C and secondly a ‘state of the global web’ report from the global researchers Fleishman Hillard.

The Red C research examines the issues effecting the Irish consumer in 2010 and makes for interesting reading. You can view the entire report on Slideshare but we’ve highlighted some of the key positive indicators which we believe can present opportunities for Irish business:

• While the recession has undoubted negative effects, many people believe it has improved their quality of life.
• People are enjoying in-home activities more. They are taking up more ‘free’ activities – e.g. jogging instead of gym membership
• Social media is moving mobile. Smart phone subscriptions were up 32% in 2010.
• People are more knowledgeable than ever. They research online before purchase.

The Fleishman Hillard study explored the role of the Internet in the lives of respondants from 7 different countries; the UK, the US, Canada, France, Germany, China and Japan. The full report can be downloaded in .pdf from here but we’ve pulled out what we believe are the key points in the report:

• The Internet is the most influential medium in the lives of consumers. (Influence is calculated by combining time spent with the medium and a rating of how important it is to an individual’s life)
• Internet research (using Search) is critically important in the decision making process.
• People rely on several sources of information before they make their minds up – not just one. Recommendations from known friends is important.
• People are skeptical of businesses who pay for online PR (such as hiring bloggers).
• People trust businesses that use Twitter to engage with online audiences and respond to customer concerns in real time.
• The vast majority of people believe that the Internet will continue to play as big an influence or play an even greater influence in their lives in the next two years.
• However most businesses under-resource digital marketing and continue to overspend in traditional media.

Adoption versus Influence in Internet activity (click to enlarge)

The message from both studies is that an online presence for business is key – and not only that, but it is businesses who are pro-actively engaging with their customers over the Internet and using a variety of media who will be trusted the most. Businesses who invest time and effort into cultivating a strong online presence will reap the rewards of high search rankings, positive customer reviews and recommendations.

]]> http://www.socialreturn.ie/2010/12/the-internet-in-the-life-of-your-customers/feed/ 1 http://www.socialreturn.ie/2010/12/what-is-social-media/ http://www.socialreturn.ie/2010/12/what-is-social-media/#comments Fri, 10 Dec 2010 17:53:34 +0000 admin http://www.socialreturn.ie/?p=1 So lots of people are telling you that you need to promote your business through social media. But just what exactly is social media and why should it have any impact on your business?

Put simply, social media is the term given to the range of web-based technologies that allow people to interact and share content with each-other. The explosion of social media channels from the mid noughties onwards was called the continue to post]]> So lots of people are telling you that you need to promote your business through social media. But just what exactly is social media and why should it have any impact on your business?

Put simply, social media is the term given to the range of web-based technologies that allow people to interact and share content with each-other. The explosion of social media channels from the mid noughties onwards was called the ‘web 2.0′ revolution; a change in the way people used the internet from being passive consumers of content (like TV or print media) to being active co-creators of content. Social media channels allowed regular, non-technical people to build their own profiles and websites on the internet and to publish their own thoughts, photos, videos and links to other content they liked.

A map of the social Internet 2010 (click to enlarge)

We’re all aware of the big players in the social media world; currently these are Facebook, YouTube and Twitter. But the landscape is constantly changing and evolving and neither size nor heritage is a guarantee of enduring success online. The user base of MySpace, the granddaddy of social media sites, has shrunk hugely and the once-popular Bebo has lost the majority of its users too. In both these instances people have shifted their time and allegiance to Facebook, the worlds largest social network and with over 500 million users globally, arguably an unsinkable ship.

Often when you hear the term ‘social media’ it is followed by the word ‘revolution’ which might seem like hyperbole. However the growth of online media consumption in the past 5 years is nothing short of revolutionary. A recent global study by Fleishman Hillard evaluating the role of the Internet in peoples lives found that the Internet was the most influential source of information for modern consumers by far – twice as influential as television and ten times more influential than print media. And there is no sign of this trend abating. The era of the smart phone, cloud computing and location-based technology is likely to result in even more change and development in the coming 3-5 years.

So why does this matter for your business? Well, it matters because increasingly the first place people go look for a service or a product is online. They expect you to be there, but not only that, they expect to be able to interact with you. And they want to hear from other people who have done business with you. The modern consumer reaches out to his or her social network before making any significant purchase; looking for recommendations, reviews and value for money. If you aren’t listening to and taking part in this conversation then you are cutting yourself off from potential business. Can any business afford to do this in the current economic climate?