This week the sixth annual Google I/O (input/output) conference took place in San Francisco. Google I/O is a developer-focused conference that features super in-depth discussions around the various projects that the company’s developers are working on.
This is a basic break down of what went down…
If there’s a reason why we often cover this topic, it’s because it’s a pertinent one.
Over the years, we’ve seen just how successful a well thought out B2B digital marketing strategy can be. The social environment isn’t only for selling to consumers, it’s about engaging in conversation with targeted audiences.
This time around, our Managing Director – Tom Manners, discusses a three step plan to success in social for B2B organisations.
One of Clockwork Media’s longest standing clients, Ster Kinekor Entertainment, recently asked us to conceptualise and develop a game that would run in a Facebook application format.
Edge Rank, for those who’ve never heard of it, is Facebook’s semi-secret algorithm that determines what content is shown to users. The first common misconception that needs to be alleviated, is that everything on Facebook is treated equally, and that your timeline is a conveyer belt churning out status updates as they are published.
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It’s no secret that Facebook already uses the personal information that you’ve entered into your profile to determine which adverts you see when browsing the social network. Basic information like age, gender, marital status and interests is used to compile massive databases of users that are divided into categories and passed on to relevant advertisers so that they can target potential customers.
However, for the first time, Facebook adverts will soon begin to target users based on their purchasing history, and that is not even limited to online purchases. Unveiled last week, ‘Partner Categories’ will link into the databases owned by massive consumer data companies Axciom, DataLogix and Epsilon.
The golden rule when promoting a product or service is to get in front of the consumer’s eyeballs in a manner that is thought-provoking and innovative. This is Marketing 101: have product, advertise product, sell product.
Although this may sound wonderfully simple, it can be difficult to achieve. Striking a balance within the marketing mix while juggling platforms and budgets is no modest feat – it demands a combination of dexterity and intelligence the likes of which one might only find in the offspring of a Russian contortionist and a Harvard mathematics professor.
The emergence of the social web as a powerful promotional tool has made it more challenging to find that happy medium. Although online marketing cannot be ignored, many organisations are still wary of dipping their toes into the raging torrent sometimes referred to as social media.
Unfortunately, this apprehension seems to be more apparent in organisations focusing on business to business transactions. It makes sense – why should an enterprise-level multinational market to customers on platforms they don’t use? Social media is better suited to consumer brands aiming to reach large numbers in an environment that encourages conversation, right? Not necessarily.
We work in an industry where it is extremely important to understand why people talk about things, and share the things that they do. It’s essential that we develop insight into the underlying psychological mechanisms which cause people to identify with a piece of content and decide to share it with the individuals they are linked to on their respective social media platforms.
There’s a fair amount of semi-science that goes into understanding these processes, and there is also a lot of guess work. One of the more compelling explanations I’ve recently encountered comes from Johan Berger, in a book called Contagious. If this is a topic that interests you, then I recommend checking it out. In the meantime, the following is a brief summary of some of the core points Berger makes.
At the heart of his explanation lies an idea which I fully agree with. Basically, social epidemics are driven by the content itself. Sure, reaching out to key influencers and making sure you are plugging into the right networks helps, but at the core you need to be communicating content which is going to appeal to something inside your audience member, or at least communicating it in a way which does so.
So what makes content appealing, and more importantly, what makes people want to share it?
Today our Managing Director, Tom Manners, has a recently penned piece investigating real time marketing on BizCommunity. Read an extract here.
If this year’s NFL Superbowl had one winner, it would be a simple biscuit.
Last week Facebook announced a series of impending changes to News Feed which will have significant implications for any business that uses the platform as a marketing tool.
The way visual content is displayed to users is being adjusted. This will see Facebook introduce several new features which are sure to affect the way users interface with brands on the platform.
The changes have been attributed to a steep increase in the amount of image related content being posted to Time Line in the past two years.
In response, the News Feed is being made wider to accommodate larger images, and Facebook’s side bar is being made slimmer. This is great news for brands, which will be given more power to leverage powerful visuals.
