Mailbox app: how to unintentionally alienate users
This week saw the launch of the much hyped Mailbox iOS app. Unfortunately, this launch did not go as smoothly as planned and the backlash raises some interesting questions.
Social commenting shootout: Livefyre Vs Disqus
Social commenting is hot, to the tune of $15m as evidenced by the latest funding round from LiveFyre, a dominant player in the space. This brings the startup’s total funding to $21m.
What exactly do the platforms LiveFyre and their competitor Disqus bring to your website or blog? Is one better than the other in any given area? Should comments even be “real-time” and “social?”
I did a bit of my own investigating, and these results are by no means scientific or conclusive.
I’d love to hear member thoughts (yes use our web 1.0 commenting system) if anyone out there has been using one or the other on their website for extended time and has feedback to share!
Five examples of social media marketing excellence
To celebrate the launch of our new digital marketing and ecommerce awards, #TheDigitals, I’ve rounded up five brilliant examples of innovation in social media.
To avoid any accusations of bias, these are all examples that fall outside the eligibility period for the current awards, but give an idea of the sort of thing we are looking for.
#TheDigitals are the new awards that recognise the best in digital marketing and ecommerce. Award entries must be submitted online before the deadline March 13, 2013.
Award categories cover both industry and platform specific areas. There are special categories for best new technology, rising star (free to enter) and the overall Grand Prix winner. Further information on categories and entry requirements is available at thedigitalsawards.com
So without further ado, here are the five innovative social campaigns…
Seven steps for effective Twitter monitoring
Twitter is Econsultancy’s largest and busiest social channel. At time of writing we have about 125,000 followers there, and are growing consistently.
Keeping an eye on all the activity there and looking for useful opportunities takes up a substantial part of my day, and while there are a number of paid services that can update me and keep me supplied with reports, I also like to check in realtime throughout the day.
I thought I’d quickly run through the various searches I have in place so that you can set up an effective realtime monitoring station…
How ASOS uses Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Google+
ASOS is streets ahead of the competition in many aspects of ecommerce, so it’s no surprise that it was quick to see the potential in social media marketing.
It has won numerous awards for its social strategy and clocked up millions of fans and followers in the process.
I’ve previously looked at how Walmart and Tesco use the major social networks, so thought it would be useful to shift the focus onto one of the world’s most innovative social brands.
So here is a quick look at how ASOS uses Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Google+…
Demographic shifts: a social media marketer’s worst nightmare?
For digital marketers, understanding the audience a platform offers access to is crucial. After all, if you don’t know who you will be reaching, it’s all but impossible to craft messages and experiences that resonate.
The good news: digital channels are generally understood far better than their offline counterparts because users can be tracked far more comprehensively and accurately. The bad news: the make-up of digital channels can change, and sometimes quite rapidly. This is particularly true in social channels, where what’s hot today is not hot tomorrow.
Seven Premier League clubs that use Twitter’s Vine
In general, Premier League clubs were quick to see the potential of social marketing as it’s obviously a great way of communicating with fans.
We’ve previously blogged data that shows Chelsea are the top club in terms of social visibility, as well taking a more in-depth look at Manchester City’s social strategy.
And to find out which teams are most on-the-ball with new developments, I thought it would be interesting to look at which clubs have begun using Twitter’s new Vine app.
For the uninitiated, Vine is an iOS app that allows users to post six second video clips through Twitter. The images below are Gifs so may take a second to load, but you can click on them to link to the original Vine…
Coca-Cola reveals lessons learned from its London Olympics marketing
For a business as recognisable as Coca-Cola, marketing campaigns are aimed less at driving awareness and more at increasing loyalty and love for the brand.
At Econsultancy’s JUMP New York event Coca-Cola’s Christy Amador gave an insight into the overarching marketing strategy employed by the brand, with particular reference to its campaign at the London Olympics.
Amador said that Coke’s marketing content always follows two basic principles – it has to be both liquid and linked.
Liquid refers to the fact that the content needs to flexible and able to filter down through all areas of the brand’s marketing activities, but it also needs to be linked together.
Small businesses are not impressed by Twitter: survey
Much of the attention lavished on social networks as marketing platforms focuses in on large brands, many of which have invested heavily in these channels and can boast about large audiences.
One of the most popular social networks with brands has been Twitter, which is now generating hundreds of millions of dollars a year in ad revenue and may go public in the next year.
Are brands overestimating the value of social data?
Brands love social media, and as evidenced by the number of high-dollar acquisitions of social media monitoring and analytics firms last year, they love the data that social media generates.
And, on the surface, there’s a good reason for that: popular social networks like Facebook and Twitter give brands a front-row seat to the collective conversation consumers are having about their products and services. From that conversation, brands may, in theory, be able to gain valuable insights that help them connect with consumers and serve them better.
Q&A: Jeremiah Owyang on Community Manager Appreciation Day
The role of a community manager is one that is becoming more strategic by the day in over all digital strategy.
While different brands may have different needs and approach, the impact and benefits of opening up discourse with your community/customers is such that everyone benefits, and hence the community manager is in high demand around the world.
Since today is Community Manager Appreciation Day (#CMAD) we are releasing the fourth and final installment in our series by JD Waldow on Online Communities, as well as getting some insights into the profession and the holiday created to celebrate it from none other than the day’s creator, Jeremiah Owyang.
The high street and ecommerce: friends, foes or something in-between?
Given the surge of ecommerce and the collapse of Blockbuster, HMV and Jessops, it seems bricks and mortar shops may eventually disappear.
As technology and delivery mechanisms improve, will we become a nation that stares at a screen, clicking away with a cup of tea?
Online shopping is convenient and simple. The way we research and buy online may be changing, but the High Street can still play a major part in this development.
Technology can enhance and rejuvenate bricks and mortar shopping, creating an interactive and enhanced shopping experience.