Category Archives: Trends

Thoughts, Trends

It’s 3:00 AM. Do you know where your content is?

There was a time, not too terribly long ago, when you could just put some information on your website, people would visit, find it (usually after sitting through a two-minute Flash intro), and then go on with their browsing.

Boy how times have changed.

These days, if you want your content to be found, not only should your website be optimized for search, but you should make it as easy as possible for people to find and share your content.

How, you might ask?

It could be that you publish news, insights and other information via a blog platform, and allow that content to be syndicated via an RSS feed.  Visitors could then subscribe to that feed, and receive any future updates in a form that is most convenient to them — whether that’s through their feed reader of choice, via BlackBerry or other mobile device, Outlook and more.

It could be that you’ve created a Facebook Page for your business, and share your news and other relevant information there.

Or, it could be that you’ve established a personal, or professional presence on Twitter or other microblogging services, and share updates with your followers throughout the course of conversation over time.

No matter how you choose to do it, the fact is that you can no longer simply expect people to come to your website to find information about you and your company.  There are too many other avenues through which they can find what they’re looking for, and in many cases they can bypass your website entirely to do it.

The communications landscape, particularly online, has changed dramatically in the past few years.  What are you doing to keep up?

Observations, Opinion, Thoughts, Trends

The Power of Social Media is NOT What You May Think

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For the past few years, and this year in particular, social media has been the darling of the marketing and advertising world. The promise of reaching the customer where they already are online, coupled with meteoric rises in traffic to sites such as Facebook and Twitter have made this realm an incredibly attractive realm for marketers and advertisers.

But the real power of social media does not lie in the tools themselves.  Nor does it lie in the fact that this activity is taking place online.

The internet is an inherently social medium.  Always has been, always will be.  Even in the early days of email, IRC, chat rooms, bulletin board systems and such, the internet provided the medium through which communication could take place online.  It continues to do so to this day.

The communication tools have changed, but the process has not.

So, what is the power of social media?

The power of social media lies in what it allows you to do.  For businesses, that could be how it helps to improve customer service.  Or, how it helps to drive sales, generate demand, or increase brand awareness.

Recently, a group of colleagues and I met for lunch.  During the course of the conversation, the question was asked, “What is the future of social media?”  An off-hand comment was made that “this” is the future of social media — the face-to-face conversation taking place around the table between six people.  In a way, that’s the truest  answer possible.  However, that’s not all.  Social media helps to enable that conversation.  It allows those around the table to stay connected beyond the 60-90 minutes of lunch conversation.  It allows the conversation to extend as long and as far as necessary, through a variety of communication channels.

It helps to remove the limitations of time and space from communication.

Social media in and of itself is a tool — a means to and end — much like a hammer, a car, or Adobe Photoshop.  The real magic happens when the tools are matched with a skilled operator with a specific purpose.  Just as you have a blueprint for the house in place before you start whacking away with a hammer, a good plan and solid strategy should be developed before any social media efforts are implemented.

Otherwise, you may just be driving around in circles.

Articles, Observations, Reference, Trends

The Secrets of Marketing in a Web 2.0 World – a Wall Street Journal Article

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While there are those who have, and will say that there’s nothing new in this article, The Secrets of Marketing in a Web 2.0 World from The Wall Street Journalgives a no-nonsense overview of the challenges those in and around the marketing world face as a result of that which is commonly known as Web 2.0.

A short sample from the opening of the article:

For marketers, Web 2.0 offers a remarkable new opportunity to engage consumers.

If only they knew how to do it.

That’s where this article aims to help. We interviewed more than 30 executives and managers in both large and small organizations that are at the forefront of experimenting with Web 2.0 tools. From those conversations and further research, we identified a set of emerging principles for marketing.

Take the time to read through the entire article. It’s worth it.

Articles, Observations, Thoughts, Trends

The Power of Podcasts

A piece from Lisa Formica, Vice President of fmi direct, inc,  was published on the MarketingProfs site last month discussing The Power of Podcasts. The entire piece is worth a read, and a few of the ‘facts and figures’ are worth repeating:

  • Awareness of the term “podcasting” increased from 22% to 37% in the past year.
  • The audience for audio podcasts grew 18% in the past year.
  • The audience for video podcasts grew 10% in the past year.

The data came from a recent report released by Edison Media Research: The Podcast Consumer Revealed 2008.

So, with all of this information, the question remains — what does it all mean?

For one, it shows that podcasting is not just a fad who’s time has come and gone.  True, it is not getting the attention and time in the spotlight that it was a couple of years ago, but as a medium it continues to gain acceptance.  Also, it demonstrates that podcasting can be used effectively, both as original content, and to augement existing content in other mediums. NPR, ESPN, and the BBC are all good examples of the latter.

Is there a single best use of podcasting, particularly from a marketing standpoint? No. There are thousands of possible best uses – one of which may be right for you and your organization.

Examples, Observations, Reference, Trends

Podcasting – a Practical Example

The folks at Orvis have always taken a unique approach to their business.  Their products are sold through a combination of Orvis Retail Stores, Orvis Authorized Dealers, print catalogs and online via the Orvis website.

Their online presence has also been supported by a variety of targeted banner ads across the web, among other things.

Recently, however, they’ve added a new piece to the mix: The Orvis Fly Fishing Guide Podcast.  This podcast “provides weekly, five minute tips from acclaimed fly fishing author and lifelong fishing enthusiast Tom Rosenbauer.”  Through this podcast, Tom (and Orvis) provides advice, tips, and techniques that have been accumulated over the years.

As a fly fishing enthusiast, I find the show to be a great resource for advice, suggestions, and perhaps a chance to pick up something that I might not have otherwise noticed.

From a business, marketing, and sales standpoint, this is an excellent example of a company that is utilizing a podcast as another way to built loyalty among current customers (such as myself) and attract new customers by providing those customers with something of value.  It is important to take note, however, of how Orvis is using this medium.  Rather than using this channel to talk about themselves and their products, they’ve elected to offer up real-world applications that the audience can relate to.  Do they mention Orvis products?  Of course.  But it’s done in a way that feels like a natural part of any conversation, rather than being forced into the discussion.

Orvis has also been active in promoting this podcast, through a combination of sponsorships and traditional online advertising.  On the sponsorship front, they’ve recently been heard as a sponsor of Fly Fish Radio, which is one of the first fly fishing podcasts ever produced.  The Orvis Fly Fishing Podcast has also been spotted in the search engine marketing realm, appearing in the AdWords sections of relevant Google searches.

All in all, Orvis is doing a lot of things right. Much can, has, and will be learned about their ongoing efforts.