Web 2.0 Marketing

This is the fourth in our speaker preview for the upcoming Panel of Peers Annual Conference in Las Vegas. Each week we’ll profile one of the speakers to entice those still considering joining us:

About the Speaker: Web 2.0 Marketing
The www has evolved so much in the last ten years, even in the last ten minutes – years ago, the focus was on a killer look and feel, a site that was easy and intuitive, coaxing the customer to stay on the site and make a decision. There was talk about targeted up-sells, cross-sells and dynamic personalization. The only problem was that this was a singular focus…

Today’s online balance includes so many other channels – blogs, communities, Flickr, Facebook, MySpace, YouTube, Twitter… the new challenge is leveraging all these into your eMarketing mix. Companies that you wouldn’t typically expect are making strides in world of Web 2.0, incorporating user generated content to engage others.

I’ve invited a speaker for this year’s Panel of Peers Event who has been conducting seminars throughout the country on how to leverage Web 2.0 techniques; she’s had the opportunity to mentor and lead many organizations; helping them connecting with emerging markets and taking advantage of available technology.

I am convinced that her insight is something that we will all appreciate. To learn more about our upcoming conference and other sessions, visit our Panel of Peers site. It’s not too late to join us in Las Vegas; hope to see you there.

I LOVE THIS TOWN!

Grab your camcorders Bon Jovi fans – today’s post is about how to leverage video to engage the recipient, create a sense of community and sustain the interaction even after the event.

The email shown is an invitation to Bon Jovi fans to participate in an interactive contest; recipients were asked to gather friends and video the virtues of their town – the I LOVE THIS TOWN! promotion. Winning entries could have their video played; win free tickets or one of ten autographed CDs.

With the growing popularity of YouTube and other Web 2.0 channels, it is a great opportunity to get user generated content. The Bon Jovi offer is quite compelling; it engages the user and asks them to get involved. This involvement is going to help them pay attention to the campaign, provide feedback, look for subsequent campaigns and (most importantly) provide valuable feedback on other interests.

This campaign is absolutely brilliant. You are appealing to the user’s interests – all through your email program. So eMarketers keep talking to your readers, keep them involved in your program and when a tangible offer isn’t available ask them to participate. Participation and acknowledgement are great ways to sustain a relationship, email makes it efficient.

A special thank you to our friends Eyal and Shaun – who allowed us to host the LA Panel of Peers Workshop in their facility. Good luck with your campaigns and don’t worry there won’t be any eCommerce Team videos submitted.

Getting Started with Twitter

We talked on Friday about 17 ways to use Twitter. So, you're ready to get started - now what? Here's some simple tips on what to do next.

Set Up a Twitter Account - This is the most basic step, obviously. First, go to Twitter.com, but don't create an account right away. Take a minute to think about what the best username will be to identify your company and brand. You can change the screen name later, but it's best if you get the right one the first time. One company who uses Twitter has changed their screen name 3 times in 6 months, making it difficult to remember who they are.

Next, take a few minutes to set up your picture and back ground for your page. Again, make sure it fits with your brand. Carnival Cruises has an excellent set up, as does M&Ms.

Read the Public Timeline - Take a look at what people say, how they use the system. Twitter now allows you to search for users, so look for your friends, colleges, and other businesses. But don't just look at businesses, look at individuals as well. This will help you get a good idea of what you can write yourself.

Get a Badge - Twitter provides badges that will update what you are doing on your normal page. You can plug this into your blog, Facebook/MySpace page, or even your home page. This badge will make it easier for people to see what you're doing with Twitter, as well as make it easy for them to find you.

If You Build It, They Will Come - Just having an account will attract followers from several places. If you want to boost your followers, put a notice about your account in your email newsletter, or start following other people who seem interesting to you.

Start Writing - Posting to Twitter takes a lot less effort than writing a blog. You're limited to 140 characters per post, so that isn't much you can say. A post (or tweet) could be a link to a new product, thoughts on something new your business is doing, or just whatever you're doing at the time.

Other things to keep in mind:

• Twitter is much easier to keep up with than some other social networking sites. I use Twitbin, a Firefox plug in that runs on the side of my browser, and keeps a running tab on who I'm following and allows me to quickly post. In addition, there are a number of free desktop clients that you can install.
  
• It's a good idea to read the Twitter Etiquette guide, so that you don't do anything to annoy the customers who are following you.


• Twitter can be used for more than a promotional tool. You can also use it to manage tasks and do other things around your work life, such as take notes. There are dozens of other apps for Twitter. Do some exploring and see which ones you find most useful.

When you sign up for your account, make sure to follow us!

17 Effective uses for Twitter

The blog Dosh Dosh has published a list of 17 effective uses for Twitter.

There’s been a great deal of articles on how Twitter can be used for marketing purposes and I think most of them can be condensed to the simple aim of tracking and directing attention. Twitter allows you to monitor how influencers think or feel, you can also get into their attention zone via active networking.

For businesses, Twitter is another channel which connects current and potential customers with your product or brand. It allows deeply infiltration into the lifestyles of interested participants, which helps to build brand persistence/loyalty.

The article goes on to examine both the pros and cons of using Twitter, including a list of 17 effective uses for Twitter as a business tool. Read through the article at Dosh Dosh, and think about how you could apply these tips in your business.

Reagan’s eBucket List

In the spirit of Jack & Morgan’s latest film, we thought we’d borrow the idea and apply it to email. So to set the stage, we’re writing our must-dos for 2008… my eBucket List includes three suggestions:

Welcome Email: As a consumer (and eMarketing consultant) nothing irritates me more than not receiving an email following sign up. I’m even willing to make concessions, say a welcome or first campaign within the same week. To all of you without a welcome email campaign – what are you waiting for? You’re missing a perfect opportunity to set the stage for future campaigns, reinforce the recipient’s expectations of your brand or even convert them to a customer right out of the gate.

Private Email Club: If you compare recipients across campaigns, you’ll likely see that there are a handful that consistently open and click. Acknowledge them; let them know they are in your First Responders Club. Give your first responders the perks of receiving offers a couple hours before the remainder of your list; or offers unique to them. This First Responders Club could evolve further, maybe even a Private Email Club – something that could include a paid membership for personalized emails with offers sent before the remainder of the list. Your cost could be based on the shipping fees your repeat customer made in the past year (play with it based on the customer.)

Mix in a little Web 2.0: User Generated Content is huge; it gives you the third party endorsement your product/ service needs. See how you can take this feedback and incorporate it into a Web2.0 medium – a community, a blog, videos etc. If nothing else figure out a way to make a presence on the various channels – put your TV commercials on YouTube, post your emails on a blog with a little comment about the campaign.

Keep reading, more eBucket List ideas coming this week.

Remember your piggy bank?

I don’t remember when I got my first piggy bank, but I must have been really young. I do remember my first savings account, I was in second grade and a bank representative came to our school to talk about savings, I still have that account, and a couple more.

Times have changed and now with the growing number of banks, their marketers are having to compete with others for attention… sound familiar? This competition has spawned some interesting approaches; one that I recently heard of was a bank that sponsored a concert targeting teens. More than 400 teens attended the concert; but only 24 of them opened savings accounts (the point of the event.) Unfortunately there was little connection between the bank and the event.

One of my neighbors runs marketing for a credit union; his team is part of a coalition focused on educating youth on the virtues of saving. Their site is phenomenal – it has calculators, games, stories, testimonials and quizzes to engage users; but they get maybe a dozen hits a month are will likely shut down the site.

The concert and the site are creative approaches but they miss the mark when it comes to association – none of the teens targeted wanted to be forced to go to a non-traditional channel. One possible way to strengthen the connection would be through the social networking power of MySpace… yes, it’s a non-traditional channel for some marketers, but the target market is very familiar with the site.

Ease into the process, maybe start with advertising within your zip codes. Another approach would be to create a bank’s profile to post upcoming events, tips etc.

Be Prepared
The immediate reaction of most, is a negative perception of MySpace, particularly that of upper management. When you present your case, share with them the number of accounts created on MySpace each day – according to Wikipedia, they have over 230,000 new registrants each day; and hit the 300 million account bar in December 2007.

By having your page on MySpace, you’re marketing to you future customer, your emerging market … maybe without cost. Sure there are risks in this approach but we predict that MySpace (and other social networking sites) will begin to take measures to safeguard their users. Until then, choose your friends wisely and make sure your offering is in line with your brand after all, it’s just another medium.

User Generated Content – Web 2.0

“Damn good information!” This was one of the quotes we received from Eric, one of the participants on Friday’s Service in Action call. Our call focused on leveraging emerging Web 2.0 technology into your general marketing mix.

Dog.com talked about leveraging their online community to create unity. Their site is not about selling but about customer service. Their community gives you the opportunity to personalize information around your pet, bringing participants back to the site again and again. If you have a pet, you absolutely have to register – their community is phenomenal.

Stave Puzzles was closed December 25 through January 1! To keep their customers engaged they offered games, a blog and a community site to keep customers and friends engaged through the holiday season. They do this to build a loyal base of fans, and this is what helps you drive new products and new sales.

Reagan and I visited an 1154 LILL Studio store and were fascinated by the amount of help we received from their customers. Everyone wanted to help us design our bags, we had nine people mill around a table and only one was an employee! They’re on their way to creating the same sense of in-store community on their blog.

If you read the blog at King Arthur Flour it is extremely engaging; there are recipe after recipe of heavenly palate creations. They follow a great process to move people from stage to stage. You read a little summary of the recipe and then have the opportunity to click on the link to the main article. They have incorporated pictures and links to all the ingredients you need to create the recipe.

One of the concerns raised about blogs was about listing negative feedback, inappropriate information or promoting competitors. A lot of senior management is concerned that this could tarnish their company’s reputation. Not so surprisingly every one of the businesses on the call have encountered a minimal number of issues – more importantly, they felt that their readers actually policed their community sites against these threats.

The personal passion and commitment each one of these companies exude towards their customers and prospects is what makes me love these businesses. Thank you again and thanks to all of our readers and friends who have been an inspiration to us. Not only have we had the opportunity to learn from you and with you, but we have also enjoyed you taking the lead by implementing seemingly simple ideas.

Remember, incorporating Web 2.0/ User Generated Content into your marketing mix is very easy; the key though is starting correctly. Philip and Reagan should to publish a book on the best things to do (and what not to do); until then, contact us for help with your endeavors.

Thank you again, and you can always listen to the podcast on the SIA site.

New Year, New Approach

Join today’s Service In Action call at 2:00 PM EST to learn how to incorporate User Generated Content into your marketing mix.

Today’s call will be a roundtable discussion with representatives from Dog.com, 1154 LILL Studio and Stave Puzzles about ways they have strengthened relationships with their customers and prospects through feedback and Web 2.0 techniques.

Visit the site for information or come back for the podcast if you can’t make the call (available by 5:00 PM EST). We look forward to hearing you at 2:00!

Web 2.0 Dangers

Computerworld published an article today warning of the dangers to corporate security as a result of social networking…

I’ve lived the big-brother, mega-company life; I know that you can be tracked online and that IT can impose the most rigid restrictions; however as eMarketers, we are tasked with the responsibility of engaging our customer/ prospect base (therefore giving those IT guys something to restrict). So how do ride the wave of Web 2.0 with a huge IT cinderblock strapped to your ankle?

The tone of the Computerworld article seems to suggest that tighter controls are the answer. I disagree; my belief is that your customers and prospects will benefit if you educate them… but be subtle and make sure you’re offering killer service. This will help you benefit too.

It’s not all Bad
While I agree that the line between personal and professional online interaction (I’ve been guilty too) is blurred, closing shop is not the answer. Just figure out ways to co-exist.

If you accept online payments or eBanking, highlight points from your privacy/ security policy or tips that show you value the relationship and keep users safe. This could also apply to the links you provide (on your site) to any of your Web 2.0 ventures.

Above all, keep the user in mind… my parents generation didn’t have computers in school (my grandmother isn’t even sure what email is…) but everything as evolved. Today’s IT team may be forced to allow Web 2.0 ventures because that’s what the public expects and demands… closing up shop isn’t the answer.

What the heck is M 2.0?

If you were to open a business, you need to let people know that you are in business. In the “good ole days” all you did was call the phone company and you were in the book. Some people went the extra mile and registered with the Better Business Bureau, hosted a grand opening or did a little advertising. These still apply but given the challenges and opportunities today, it’s fascinating what David can accomplish with all the Goliaths out there.

Here are a few (Web 2.0) things to consider to enhance your presence:
1. Your website – This is your imprint for the online world and an absolute to let people find you. Keep it simple and current, and try to engage people – but don't stop there.

2. Your email list – Ask people to sign up, ask them for preferences, communicate with them on a regular basis. Overstock.com, Paul Fredrick Menstyle and King Arthur Flour are three companies that do an outstanding job in getting people to sign up.

3. Your blog – Keep this current; incorporate customer feedback, product information, testimonials, email campaign information and editorials – all written with a passion to keep users engaged. The Craving Anthropologie blog is a masterpiece; Stave Puzzles and Duncraft also have great special interest blogs. An up-and-comer in this space is the blog of 1154 LILL Studio’s.

4. Your MySpace & Facebook Page – Set up an online profile about your company, feature key people within your company. If you are a financial institution – feature your reps, if you are a consumer products company – feature some of the personas that you market to, if you are a B2B company – feature the difference you are making in society, if you are selling a city – market it and so on. This is how the new generation will find you, and we better learn to be connected.

5. Twitter – Remember the Dell Dude? People enjoyed looking for him – now people track their favorites on Twitter – just remember to keep it brief.

6. Flickr a little – Why not put images up so people can find them, if people can see a delicious desert on Facebook with a note that it was put together with the finest ingredients from King Arthur Flour – odds are they will visit the site to learn a little more.

7. YouTube is cool – This weekend, we enjoyed watching two hours worth of clips with the kids – all different kinds of videos. A couple of months ago Britton’s of Columbia posted a video on how to tie a bow tie; the Masai shoe is so aptly displayed in a video from Herrington Catalog (part of their site). Of course you may have already heard the story of BlendTec. The point is that we should look for ways to engage the user through infomercials, as well as testimonial videos – linking all of it back.

8. Surveys are vital – we always want to know what our customers are thinking and how we can help them even more. Design Toscano does a great job in engaging their users for feedback. The key point is that you should always look for reasons to ask questions and try to leverage this information for future communiqués.

9. Podcasts are effective too – Why not record customer testimonials and play them on your site. Same thing for a bank – have someone provide a daily update on the rates and the market performance, trends, etc. Set these up on your site so people can come and be entertained as well as engaged.

10. Mashups are good way to integrate – think of it as a site cocktail, for instance you can combine mapping sites (Google or Yahoo!) and overlay apartment listings or traffic information. There are a couple sites that make it possible – visit Popfly or Yahoo! Pipes

So how do you use these Web 2.0 techniques? Yogis define M2.0 as new era marketing, in a recent seminar on M2.0 in Woodstock, VT, Reagan Taylor defined M2.0 as a strategy and tactics that leverage Web 2.0 technologies. The beauty of M2.0 according to Taylor is that all of this can be done on a minimum budget. Look for future seminars on M2.0 – we’re planning on in Atlanta soon.