The Think eBiz Blog

@BronxZoosCobra: A Great Example of Viral Twitter Marketing

Have you been living in a zoo cage? You do know about the Bronx Zoo's escaped Egyptian Cobra, right? However, were you aware that this cunning cobra has been tweeting about her escapade through NYC? Meet @BronxZoosCobra, a viral marketing genius.

"Checking Google maps. RT @sesamestreet The @bronxzooscobra is visiting places around NYC. Can anyone tell it how to get to Sesame Street?"

Within days, this sssssly snake gained over 200,000 followers and appeared on the Piers Morgan show with the founders of Twitter.

"Hey @piersmorgan, @jack and @biz, What does a snake have to do to get this account verified?"

Soon after, she was mentioned on CNN and Fox News and more. And her followers began to retweet and join in the fun at the hash tag #snakeonthetown.

"Enjoying a cupcake @magnoliabakery. This is going straight to my hips. Oh, wait. I don't have hips. Yesss! #snakeonthetown"

Magnolia Bakery along with Ellis Island, Guggenheim and many other NYC attractions received  great (and we presume free) viral publicity. Not to mention the publicity for the Bronx Zoo.

The BronxZoosCobra lives on after her recent capture...

"Just regurgitated my iPhone. Oh, it's ssso on now. You'll never guess what's coming. #freethebronxzooscobra"

What can business learn from the Celebrity Cobra's twitter campaign?

The Cobra struck fast; being the first to enter the Twitter jungle. Her tweets were topical, humorous and relevant - visiting interesting sites in New York City. A few copy cat snake Twitter accounts came online; and fell flat. There was room for only one small snake in this big city.

And most importantly, the ssssneaky snake did not try to monetize it's adventure; at least not right away. She established an interested base of followers building trust and credibility. Has she began to monetize her adventures?

"Even while incarcerated my reach extends beyond my 20 inches. I have hijacked Ryan Seacrest's Twitter. See for yourself @RyanSeacrest"

Twitter can be an incredibly powerful tool in your social media marketing campaign strategy. Even for a 20" escaped snake: BronxZoosCobra.

Facebook: Losing its Touch with Real People?

Banner Blindness; test subjects that "...either consciously or unconsciously ignored information that was presented in banners". Could this happen to Facebook; as a majority of updates are originating from commercial groups - rather than "friends"?

In the beginning; Facebook was about individuals sharing worthy (and at times mundane) information about themselves. Brands began to realize the value; the social aspect of Facebook. And some manage their social communications extremely well. Others simply have a Facebook presence because they believe they must be there. Not a worthy nor a successful Social Media Marketing strategy.

Side note: if you have a branded Facebook page and yet you "do not" allow people to write on your "wall", is it indeed social?

On my own Facebook page; dozens of news agencies and corporate brands present daily updates; while my friends communiques are buried in-between. At some point; will the people, the real faces of Facebook, drift away due to over-commercialization?

Brands should become aware of this; and present their updates when they have socially relevant information to share. Where they eagerly wish for their "faces" to come and respond and be social within their company Facebook page. The strategy should inspire responses; evoke shared experiences (including photos); and clearly not over-communicate. The branded sites that create a socially welcome environment will deliver on the ROI promise. We would like to see individuals vote on this with their "like" and "dislike"; which would send a clear message to the best and worst sites.

We'd like to know what you think of the current state of Facebook and how brands can enhance the experience - not cause its downfall.

B2B Social Media: It's about Listening (State Farm Insurance)

In my old age, I have become such a customer service curmudgeon. When a product disappoints me, I want to share this information with the company. In some cases, it might be just an outlet for my disappointment - or could be that I want an action to take place. In the past, I would send off a letter addressed to the company president, then wait to see if anything happens. Today - there is often a better way. Social Media.

In a previous blog entry, I discussed brands that made it easy for their consumer fans to reach out; and one that was not as interactive. In future articles, I will discuss sites that succeed or fail in this regard. One success story is State Farm Insurance.

In an Social Media Examiner interview with  Kelly Thul, Director of Communication Services at State Farm Insurance, Kelly discussed how they leverage social media for both employee's and customers. The one big take away for me - was that they use their social media platforms to "listen". Simple concept - to listen to your customers. And naturally, to respond back as well. In this example, lifted from the State Farm Insurance Facebook Fan page, a customer is clearly unhappy; and has received an immediate response. Whether they can help is not the issue; that they listened and responded is key. Key to maintaining and preserving their brand and customer base.

 

Comment in with any examples of the good, bad or ugly use of social media by major brands.

 

 

 

 

 

Social Media : A two-way street leads to success.

Recently I encountered Facebook fan pages for brands that left me feeling flat about their online social intent. My concern was that they did not allow their visitors (fans) to post on their wall. In other words, they presented themselves with the privilege to start the conversation; yet not allowing others the same accord. They do allow comments in their posts however. One of these is Quaker Oats.

A very good example of social intent on Facebook is Best Buy. When I had problems with service for a digital camera, I posted my complaint on their fan page. I stated my concerns clearly and received a helpful response. Best Buy monitors their fan page and responds. In the end, their response helped to satisfactorily resolve my issues (and I posted my appreciation on their fan page). Quaker does not allow for this level of interaction and therefore, their social conversation is one sides and unsatisfactory for a consumer brand.

Consumer brands can learn much from their "fans"; whether from positive or negative comments. The value of this interaction can be powerful. In the case of Best Buy, turning a negative situation into a positive experience.Coca Cola recognizes this power as well and openly shares their Online Social Media Principals.

We recognize the vital importance of participating in these online conversations and are committed to ensuring that we participate in online social media the right way.

Company's that care about their consumer audience can learn from Coca Cola and Best Buy. Are you listening Quaker?

 

 

SEO Basics: lessons for the Bill Gates Blog

Bill Gates, of Microsoft fame and fortune, has boldly entered the social networking scene with his blog The Gates Notes and a twitter account. Leave it to Danny Sullivan to gently poke fun at Mr. Gates and yet provide a good lesson on the basics of search engine optimization (SEO). Even the rich and famous could use online help.

With his blog, The Gates Notes comes challenges we all might face - fakes and other pretenders that in fact could out-rank your blog or website. In fact, there are a number of fakes that are outpacing Bill Gates blog; all the more reason to focus energy on SEO.

Danny Sullivan makes it clear; there are basic elements that anyone can do to enhance their blog or website in terms of ranking. And for what appears when your site is displayed after a search. We have educated many of our clients that the title and meta description tags are your most important and easiest changes you can make.

The title tag, which displays content at the head of the browser is read first my the spider - but equally as important - can be the actual display on the search result. In Danny's example -Mr. Gates blog original title tag: "The Gates Notes" and recommends a change to : "The Gates Notes – Official Bill Gates Blog".

In The Gates Note example, there was no identified meta descriptions, so the search engine took any content it could find. Instead, by adding this tag, in most cases you are providing the sentences that will help your searcher decide to click on your site.

SEO contains many elements, yet there are a few basic constructs that can provide immediate benefits. Read Danny Sullivan's educational and fun article : "Some SEO Advice for Bill Gates".

Post Note: Bill Gates acknowledged Danny's advice on twitter:

"@dannysullivan, thanks for the advice - the people who work on the site are on this now, should see improvements tonight.."

Crush-It: Gary Vay*Ner*Chuk's Social Marketing Motivation Book

If you never heard the name Gary Vaynerchuk, you have not been on Twitter, Facebook, Podcasts, YouTube or, for that matter, anywhere online. Gary is a high energy way over-the-top social marketing show man, business owner and now author. He is loud (his words).

His genesis is Wine Library, a wine store in Springfield New Jersey - and then an engaging Podcast called Wine library TV.  In his episodes, he discusses wine but with an entertainment flair. He truly brought wine to the every-man/woman. He is passionate about all things wine and it shows. His podcasts are must-see and infectious. You want to try these wines; do the "sniffy sniff" and so on.

However; today we are talking about his book:   Crush It!: Why NOW Is the Time to Cash In on Your Passion

Crush-it is a motivational book; where Gary implores you to drive your passion hard into real cash, using all the social media tools available. His point - these tools are mostly free and there is nothing stopping you from achieving your goals; except yourself. The book is a quick read and although he doesn't go into details on how to use Facebook or Twitter, he gives you a feeling of empowerment. That yes - you can!

Yet this isn't a book just for make hiking (my passion) a lucrative business. It's a great read for any business owner and entrepreneur. In the coming weeks we will be leveraging Gary's ideas and strategies for a client in that promotes PowerPoint Presentation templates - and for our own... hiking. We will document are steps, strategies, successes and learnings. Stay tuned as we try our own hand at Crushing It!

Facebook: Privacy and 350 Million Connected People; a real challenge

Mark Zuckerberg announced yesterday that "It has been a great year for making the world more open and connected. Thanks to your help, more than 350 million people around the world are using Facebook to share their lives online.". He does on to discuss privacy, a real challenge when you manage a community of this size. How to you maintain an "open and connected" society yet place rules to protect ones privacy?

One thing is for sure, Facebook need to implement the ability to control privacy in an easy to  understand - intuitive manner. This is not as easy as it may sound, as this community has highly advance technology people - and those far less so. Yet online privacy is critical to the success of this and other social platforms. failure to secure personal data could be crushing to a social platform.

Currently, we can control who has access to our Facebook page and we restrict access to the content and images from 3rd party entities. The question; is it working? How do we know if the security structure we setup is actually what we intended and is correctly in place. To this; we suggest a privacy wizard that, after making your selections - it provides an easy to understand report and analysis. Further , we suggest the use of a graphical representation of your privacy settings; so it is clear who is in - who is outside.

We personally use Facebook for fun and pleasure (which is why we don't publish our Facebook page here); and yet we believe this is a highly strategic social media platform for B2B and B2C organizations. We will explore this aspect further in the coming days. Add your comments and concerns about privacy n Facebook; we'd like to hear from you.

Blogs: Should they be incorporated within your company web site?

We are advising a B2B company about their social media marketing strategy and the question came up: "Should we integrate our blog with the web site, including navigation and look 'n feel, or should it  be a stand alone entity?".  A great question, so we asked the experts on LinkedIn for their advice.

Background: The company sells PowerPoint templates to business professionals. We advised them to create a blog, and leverage other channels, to establish thought-leadership in creating and giving effective presentations. A natural tie-in for their product, yet useful information that business professionals can value (without an obligation for making any purchase).  

Results: The over whelming response was to maintain integration, including branding to the B2B eCommerce site. The blog should not be sales oriented however - the content should be neutral to the templates and related offerings provided by the company. This follows the business networking notion of give and give, and returns will follow. Provide good useful information and establish trust and credibility - sales will follow. Of course, other blogging rules apply including frequent and fresh content, staying on topic and allowing people to comment and add to the conversation and wisdom.

Why would a company not integrate their blog? We aren't sure - please add your comments if you have a compelling reason to dis-associate your web site from your blog.

Selected quotes from the LinkedIn response (we could not have said it better):

“Staking out a thought leadership position in the market for our products is an integral part of establishing your value proposition, and something customers would expect to see from a supplier charging premium pricing. Said another way, if you want to charge premium pricing, you better have a blog site with your subject matter experts providing non-proprietary information on how customers can solve problems.“ (David Wick)

“Rather than the commerce side devaluing the blog, I think a useful and well-written blog enhances the reputation and trust in the company and its products. If visitors come to value the information on the blog, then they will turn to your clients company for templates, before searching out another source, because they already trust them for being an authority in this area.”    and

“…if the content is good, it will build credibility and that will support sales. My clients tell me that they find my blog helpful, and new clients tend to contact me after first exploring my blog entries.”  (Heidi Cool)

“I feel blogs add a personal side to a company and help the (potential) customer to relate to the company and get a feel for their level of passion and enthusiasm.” (Carl Wilson)

"I think that incorporating the blog is a great idea. Why make it stand alone? They are experts, the blog is the place to make their expertise known and have them shine.” (Melissa Galt)

 “The best case for not adopting the same look at the "mothership" site is when the blog is a sponsored blog, rather than the company blog”  (Michael Martine)

Social Media Marketing: Big Opportunity for Small Business

Do small businesses leverage social marketing for their lead generation? A Citibank Small Business survey reports that most do not use or find social media marketing effective. In an eMarketing article "Does Social Media Work for S mall Biz?" (Oct 27, 2009), only 12% reported any effectiveness for their business. The vast majority, 63 % said it was not.

It would be helpful to determine the product/service breakdown of these businesses and more on their experiences (what vehicle did they try, for how long etc).  We believe that social marketing can work - and may be vital for SMB's (small and mid-sized businesses), especially if they are in a competitive  environment. A simple Facebook Fan page could help increase awareness and drive sales - or a blog that positions the business owner as a thought leader. Would this work for a dry cleaner...why not? For an auto dealer -  you bet. A funeral home... a local computer repair center... a landscaper... yes yes yes. It just takes the right strategy.

We see this survey with a glass half full - in presenting opportunities for SMB's to successfully leverage social media marketing. In future think-ebiz social media articles, we will show-case strategies for social marketing for different businesses and verticals.

Search Engine Wars: The Murdoch Gambit

Haven't we learned that online wars do not achieve value. Browser wars - mobile fragmentation, and now the Murdoch gambit. We will come out and say this is a bad thing for the internet-sphere.

Rupert Murdoch, News Corporation, has stated that he wants to pull his content off of Google. Naturally, this makes Microsoft's Steve Balmer salivate. An interesting strategy unfolds; if you can't beat Google - bribe the content providers to block their material from Google. Pay Murdoch to shut off the Wall Street Journal content from Google and anyone else. Then of course, Google would counter by having the New York Times remove their content from Bing - and on and on. And who loses - You Do as you content with content fragmentation.

Two articles that state the pro/con case:

Forbes Magazine' Velocity "How Murdock can kill Google"

New York Times Opinionator "Murdochs Google Gambit"

with interesting comments by:

John Battelle, “Just give Google summary text and headlines to index (like the W.S.J. does now). Then do your best to convert would be readers to your paid model. That’s it. What’s the big deal? The rest is bluster."  Yes yes, provide great content found no where else that consumers will want to buy...

Mark Cuban, "I love to tweak all the internet information must be free bigots. They get so damn religious about information on the net that they lose what little objectivity and awareness of the real world they had in the first place."  Sounds like he enjoys stirring the pot..."

Mr.Cuban goes on... "TWITTER AND FACEBOOK are platforms that allow the news sources, like newscorp to post breaking news and gain value from their brand."  We agree, Twitter could be the best source of breaking news and quick ready access to the content...  Leverage these platforms instead of rattling swords at Google.

Jason Calacanis, however, says "Murdoch is savvy." and goes on to imagine Bing advertising that states,

"Want to search the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, USA Today and 3,894 other newspapers and magazine?" "Well, then don't go to Google because they don't have them!"
"Go to Bing, home of quality content you can trust!" We can't imagine a worse case -- trust? More likely it is content that we paid for...  which does not lend credibility to content.

We believe that any means of blocking content from one search engine, in favor of another will ultimately backfire. Google won't die from this gambit and Microsoft won't win. Some savvy entrepreneur will develop a super-search engine that sits above the others helping us - the consumer of information to access content...without having to play favorites. And this gambit will not sell login access either. And if Murdoch thinks this will help save his "pulp" based product... and although we think this is sad...  it won't. Newspaper subscriptions are declining (as are magazines) - so let's find better ways to monetize the content online...  no one really wins a war.