Microsoft has a neat new iPhone app out to create panoramic photos. Here is one I took.
I manage the SMU Facebook page and over the summer I started looking closer at the stats for that page to find ways to improve. I quickly noticed the number of impressions our Facebook page’s content received was significant, more than 100,000 per month.
I wanted to place that number in context with our other digital marketing efforts to get a sense of how Facebook compares to other channels. I settled on page views as the closest relative to Facebook impressions and began comparing them to pageviews on the SMU website. It became clear that our Facebook page should rank in the top 10 of most important web pages at SMU.
About the same time our student worker completed a survey of peer institutions and what they were doing on Facebook. One clear discovery was that schools who posted content more often had more fans. So we started posting content more often to Facebook.
We average about 12,000 impressions for each piece of content that we post. So, there was a quick rise in our monthly impressions. In October we received 350,000 impressions from our Facebook content. Our Facebook page had eclipsed every page on our website except one, the SMU homepage.
Then in January, which is typically a slower month for our website it happened the SMU Facebook page logged nearly 500,000 impressions beating the number of homepage pageviews by 4%. Now, we were left to ask, what is the value of an impression versus a pageview and what does this change about the way we market the University?
Quick Conclusions
A few weeks ago I put together a presentation on HTML5.
Here is the presentation:
Here are my speaking notes:
Here are a few resources that I recommend:
For most organizations, your physical location is just a part of the way a customer experiences your brand. However, it can quickly ruin a customer’s experience because it gives them a concrete image to associate with your organization. A poorly maintained location places an obstacle to your customer doing business with you again. All business should focus on getting the following basics right before you ever invite a customer to your site.
The Basics
Do you know of an organization that does a particularly good or bad job with this? Tell us in the comments.
For most companies, the best reason to have a social media strategy is to play defense. The effort to effectively use social media to influence sales or conversations requires commitment and time. Most companies aren’t ready to put in that effort.
Your Social Media Defensive Strategy
This strategy allows feedback and conversations to flow through official channels. You can observe and, if needed, participate in the conversation, without being locked out or caught unaware. In addition by establishing a presence you are able to be the authoritative voice in the channel instead of ceding that voice to someone outside the company.
This isn’t an ideal use of social media but it address immediate needs and provides the opportunity to grow into a fuller social media strategy at a later time.
Type what you want to track.
One of my favorite tools to track mentions of a company, product or person is Google Alerts. This is a simple tool that can give you an edge in understanding what people are saying about you or your organization.
Choose a search term and use advanced search options to tailor your results. Google will scan the internet for you at the time interval you decide and then email what it finds to you.
You can also decide what type of content you want to hear about. I like the comprehensive option, but it can also selectively search: news sites, blogs, the general web, video and groups.
Once you’ve created your alert you’ll be able to login using a Google Account to edit your alerts. You can also receive the results as an RSS feed to insert into your favorite feed reader by clicking the search term while managing your alerts. Just look for the RSS icon either in the address bar of your browser or on the left hand side of the page.
What have you used Google Alerts to track? Leave a comment and let us know.
Lately I’ve had several people ask me about adding social media to their marketing mix. Here are my three essential rules for social media:
It’s still marketing
Social media is new, exciting and sometimes intoxicating. Before you jump in remember, the fundamentals of marketing still apply. You must still be able to answer:
What can happen is that because it’s new and cool you think you need to join in. However, just because Twitter is in the news right now doesn’t mean it’s a solution to your problems. Social media isn’t a case of “if you build it, they will come.” Start with the basics and look to see if social media tactics are right for your situation.
Expect conversations on difficult issues
Be prepared to talk about the weaknesses or difficult issues of your organization or product. Social media creates a town hall atmosphere where critics are certain to voice their opinions. It’s more productive to allow these opinions in an arena where you have a opportunity to respond than other forums simply where you have no voice.
Regular updates are key – plan accordingly
Unlike a new brochure, social media efforts will have a long life. People expect you to update them and respond to comments that they share. Creating a social media channel requires a time commitment. If you don’t update regularly, it will appear that your organization isn’t active and thriving. Your social media presence will affect how people view the quality and vibrancy of your organization in the same way your traditional marketing materials do.
Questions or comments? Leave them in the comments.
If you want to succeed as a business or organization, consistency is crucial.
Last week one of the blogs that I follow had a post that was different than the type of content they normally publish. The blog has a strong following in its specific niche so after reading a post that didn’t have anything to do with their niche I was left scratching my head. It was a clear case of “one of these things doesn’t belong.”
Consistency does three main things:
Consistency = Repeat users
When a new restaurant opens its doors, people will come just because it’s new. If customers enjoy the experience, they’ll come back. The second visit makes the difference between a trial and a customer. Can you deliver the same experience twice? If so, you’ve earned a repeat customer.
A single great performance will fail when compared to lesser but consistent performances.
Consistency = Trust
Trust comes from meeting expectations over time. People want to trust you. They value trust because it streamlines their life. They don’t have to hedge against you not delivering. As a result they are willing to pay for the ability to trust. Consistency impacts the bottom line because people who trust you are willing to pay in order to continue trusting you.
Consistency = A Brand
When you combine repeat users with trust, you have the beginnings of a brand. This also gives you the opportunity to expand with the goodwill that you’ve created carrying over. You can easily create a brand that stands for not meeting expectations and turning people away after one try but it won’t be around for long.
Find what you can do consistently
In order to succeed find something you can do consistently. Start small and consistent and then build or expand.
My current working theory of marketing says that there are two core elements, stories and relationships.
Stories
Stories are the threads that tie all the pieces together. Packaging, distribution, pricing and advertising are all parts of a story that is being created about a brand, product, organization or person.
Relationships
Relationships are how people see themselves tied to a brand, product, organization or other person.
Best Stories
The best stories are those that bring a person into a relationship or further develop the relationship.
As a marketer, you should be looking for stories that create a relationship between what you’re promoting and the audience you’re targeting.
Facebook Comments
Last week Facebook introduced a new comments tool that allows websites to add comments powered by Facebook. I’m testing the comments out on my blog but several other high profile sites, including TechCrunch, have switched.
One of the strengths of this system is that it ties a comment to a person. For large blogs, it prevents anonymous users from posting spam or other non constructive content. In addition, by linking blog comments to your Facebook profile, it offers the possibility of bringing new visitors to a site through a user’s friend network.
Several downsides include not being in control the content of comments, because they are stored by Facebook, and requiring users to be on Facebook (or Yahoo) in order to comment.
It will be interesting to see if Facebook comments become the default standard for comments on the web or just a side venture that never pans out. With plug-ins, like the one I’m using, to integrate Facebook comments into WordPress – I would be hard pressed to bet against at least moderate success.