Photo Credit: Anton Diaz
Brrrr! It’s cold in The Midwest (East/West Coaster Translation: The Flyover States). Please keep warm and enjoy these share-worthy links during your Sunday brunch. (more…)
Category Archives: Measurement
2014 Version: Must Read Business Books in Digital Marketing and Entrepreneurship
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Photo Credit: Abee5
I love reading books. They’re my secret weapon for accessing critical thinking. Here’s a short listing of my favorite books / authors who inspired me and exhausted my Kindle in 2014 (by the author’s last name in alphabetical order). Note: Some of these titles are pre-2014.
When It’s Your Turn (and It’s Always Your Turn) by Seth Godin
Mitch Joel described Seth Godin’s 18th book as the most beautiful illustration of Seth’s teachings. You can’t buy Seth’s latest book on Amazon (or any mainstream book retailer). You can only buy it at http://www.yourturn.link/. Beautiful, glossy images explode with color on every page. If I were a Hollywood producer, I’d pitch it as Linchpin and The Icarus Deception collide in a 20-car pile up at Mercedes Benz New York Fashion Week.
Seth calls out our schadenreude, spectator sport culture, and it’s power in curbing intelligent risk taking (except in Silicon Valley). When It’s Your Turn is an in-your-face, call-to-arms, entrepreneurship manifesto. The battle cry rallies around showing up everyday, to create and ship our art. Now’s the time to revel in that uncomfortable place of “this may or may not work.”
I’m moving into a new career as an entrepreneur in an early stage startup, That’s a scary leap after corporate life. But, those simultaneous feelings and fear are the right place to be:
Unleashing the SUPER Idea Virus: Ideas that Spread Win by Seth Godin
I’m late in reading this classic marketing book. I hope to meet Seth, shake his hand, and talk marketing strategy. That requires fluency in Ideavirus terminology (i.e., sneezers – both promiscuous and powerful, the hive, persistence — not the one related to effort, vector, vacuum, amplifier, smoothness, etc.).
Ideavirus parallels Malcolm Gladwell’s idea diffusion theories from The Tipping Point and Geoffrey Moore’s insights from Crossing the Chasm. Like the Beatles music catalog, Ideavirus remains simple, timeless, and relevant.
Everybody Writes by Ann Handley
I’m a die-hard fan and friend to Ann Handley. Last year, I published a public fan letter expressing my appreciation and respect for her work and generosity. Two weeks later, Ann sent me a signed copy of Content Rules and other great marketing books. Her attitude to give versus receive says it all.
Writing Matters. Writing with Purpose Matters More. Ann is an important inspiration for my blog post about six (6) C-Suite traits among awesome female executives who stand out. The media’s endless joy in reporting our children lag their global counterparts in the STEM 100 meter dash ignores an important fact: writing and storytelling skills propel financing for ideas and inventions.
Technical prowess and technical insight aren’t enough. Creative storytelling and written communication carry equal weight (direct quote from Everybody Writes, page eight):
What’s harder is to find a book that functions for marketers as part writing and story guide, part instructional manual on the ground rules of ethical publishing, and part straight talk on some muscle-building writing processes and habits.
What’s also hard to find is a book that distills some helpful ideas about the craft of content simply and (I hope) memorably, framed for the marketer and businessperson, as opposed to say, the novelist or essayist or journalist.
I wrote this book because I couldn’t find what I wanted—part writing guide, part handbook on the rules of good sportsmanship in content marketing, and all-around reliable desk companion for anyone creating or directing content on behalf of brands.
Everybody Writes teaches disciplined practice to elevate and sustain our writing skills. Ann’s book reads like cozy conversation with her while enjoying a great cup of coffee or a couple of frosty Sam Adams beers (keep in mind, she’s a Bostonian).
Ann poured her heart and soul into this work (or as she says “gave birth to a Volkswagen”). I guarantee you’ll benefit from her knowledge, talent, and heart.
Bonus 1: Mitch Joel’s Episode #426 Six Pixel of Separation Podcast: Everybody Writes With Ann Handley.
Bonus 2: Speakers Spotlight YouTube Video — Ann Handley – Chief Content Officer | Bestselling Author.
Platform: Get Noticed in a Noisy World by Michael Hyatt
If I could time travel to 2009, I would grab two books and my MacBook Pro before jumping into a hot tub time machine:
1. Tribes by Seth Godin
2. Platform by Michael Hyatt
If Tribes is the strategic and conceptual framework for digital leadership, Platform is the tactical roadmap for its successful execution. Creating and managing a personal brand is imperative in a crowded marketplace and recovering economy. Michael’s book unpacks the why’s and how’s of building a digital platform — i.e., the collective fans who subscribe to and follow your blog, email newsletter, podcast, Twitter feed, etc.
He explains step-by-step how he built his influential online presence and to power his career as a publisher, educator, and public speaker.
Read this Wall Street Journal article by Taylor Swift (yes, that Taylor Swift). Her anecdote about an actress friend losing a movie role to another actor with a higher Twitter following extends beyond the entertainment industry. It’s the heart of Michael’s book: the reach and influence of our digital platforms (or lack thereof) either rockets (or torpedoes) opportunity.
Steal Like an Artist and Show Your Work by Austin Kleon
Art takes many forms (e.g., words, pictures, spreadsheets, presentations, sculptures, music, photographs, process diagrams, or anything we create with pride). These remarkable books capture Austin Kleon‘s philosophies and experiences on creating and promoting art. These fun, short reads answer two common questions among artists, writers, entrepreneurs, or marketers:
- Question 1: How Do I Create My Art? Answer: Steal Like an Artist
- Question 2: How Do I Promote My Art? Answer: Show Your Work
Austin’s writing and storytelling teach “how to get out of your own way.” Yes, creativity and innovation are messy. They’re hard and time-consuming. Manage those frustrations / fears so you focus on creating and shipping. Struggle produces. Struggle inspires. Steal. Show. Repeat.
The New Rules of Sales and Service by David Meerman Scott
David Meerman Scott influences my thoughts and writing about reinventing marketing strategy every day. I fell in love with digital marketing and inbound marketing strategy after reading The New Rules of Marketing and PR five years ago. I own all of his marketing strategy books, and envy his ability to write with a rebel’s heart.
When David sent me an advance copy of his latest book, I was honored and thrilled. He’s leading the pack in describing how diverse organizations (from the Fortune 500, SMBs, and individual practitioners) use social selling to engage customers throughout the buying process. He published social selling success stories long before LinkedIn Sales Solutions made “social selling” in vogue.
His latest work may finally make organizations pay attention to their most valuable customers—their existing ones. Loyalty, fandom, and connection matter are game changers when fickle consumers can leave with a glance and a tap of their smartphones.
What has changed in the world of selling from David Meerman Scott on Vimeo.
How to Be a Power Connector: The 5 + 50 + 150 Rule for Turning Your Business Network Into Profits by Judy Robinett
LinkedIn’s Economic Graph Challenge generated tremendous hype. If Jeff Weiner (LinkedIn’s CEO), can morph How to Be a Power Connector’s core principles into simple, seamless, and intuitive features, he will create the world’s most valuable social network.
Inc. Magazine selected How to Be a Power Connector as the Number 1 Business Book of 2014. I’m twenty percent through it, and I’m convinced Judy’s book and Seth Godin’s What to Do When It’s Your Turn (and It’s Always Your Turn) will prove indispensable in my new career as an entrepreneur.
I usually don’t publish reviews until I’ve finished reading the book. I made an exception with How to Be a Power Connector. Judy’s 25 years of wisdom and experiences are that important. I’ve arrived at the sobering realization my networking skills are deficient. I’ve done some things well. But, I lack consistency in adding value to my business network as well as strategically assessing, prioritizing, and systematizing it.
Thank goodness that’s exactly what Judy teaches! Her book will change my life. Invest in yourself by buying and studying How to Be a Power Connector. It will change your life too.
Judy Robinett Speaker Reel from Creative Realm Entertainment on Vimeo.
Zero to One: Notes on Startups or How to Build the Future by Peter Thiel with Blake Masters
Change the World. Every time I hear that overused cliche from another self-appointed, Silicon Valley genius, I wanna hurl (or please insert your own Wayne’s World reference).
Study Peter Thiel’s work (and his former Stanford Computer Science 183 Startup student, Blake Masters’ notes) to learn and think like the real deal. The resounding themes throughout Thiel’s book: (1) think like a contrarian; (2) question and take action against conventional wisdom:
That courage to ask and act upon, “why does it have to be this way,” drove not only Thiel’s entrepreneurial successes, but also the successful ventures of Elon Musk, Reid Hoffman, Max Levchin, and other PayPal Mafia members.
As a parent, I’m making it my life’s mission to inspire the same thinking and action in my daughters.
Traction: A Startup Guide to Getting Customers by Gabriel Weinberg and Justin Mares
Traction delivers a clear, how-to method supported by real-world, actionable insights. Gabriel‘s and Justin‘s interviews and case studies describe the successful execution of Traction’s Bulls Eye Methodology. Bulls Eye focuses on the second most important aspect of an early stage startup’s life cycle:
- Critical Success Factor Number 1: Create, release, test, iterate, your product or service (hopefully, a good one solving a current problem)
- Critical Success Factor Number 2: Get customers by experimenting / testing, measuring, and ultimately focusing on one customer acquisition tactic
- Critical Success Factor Number 3: Max out the customer acquisition in CSF Number 2 and repeat Bulls Eye to find another customer acquisition tactic
I’ve ultra-summarized the book’s thesis. Read the first three chapters of Traction for free by joining the Traction Book mailing list. If you’re a team member of an early stage startup (like myself), invest in your company’s development by studying Gabriel and Justin’s book.
Your Turn
Please share in the comments the digital marketing and entrepreneurship business books you read in 2014. What did you love about them? How did they inspire you?
I’m here to learn from YOUR PERSPECTIVE. Comments are open. Let’er rip!
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You can subscribe to my blog via email (and can unsubscribe any time you like). I hope you’ll also share my work with your friends. Many Thanks!
Tony Faustino is a marketing and corporate strategist. He thinks and writes about how The Internet reinvents marketing strategy in his personal blog, Social Media ReInvention. Follow his tweets @tonyfaustino or circle him on Google+.
Sunday Brunch Reads with Social Media ReInvention: Week of 11/30/14 to 12/4/14
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Photo Credit: Anton Diaz
Hi Social Media ReInvention Community Members! Apologies for not consistently posting our Sunday Brunch Edition. External circumstances prevented me from keeping up. I promise to do better job. I hope you celebrated blessed and happy Thanksgiving Holidays with loved ones and friends.
Here are your share-worthy links. Enjoy your Sunday Brunch!
1) CNET: How-To Video: Upgrade Your RAM on Your MacBook Pro. I upgraded the RAM on my MacBook Pro 15 this week. I suck as a do-it-yourselfer (DIY). I researched required steps and tools to lessen my anxiety and increase my confidence. The Result: I successfully upgraded my MacBook Pro 15 (late 2011) from 4MB to 8 MB of RAM (and she performs like a champ)!
As I type, I’m running seven (7) applications: iTunes, Google Chrome (with 12 tabs open), Apple Preview, MarsEdit, Finder, Evernote, and Dashlane. Here’s the content I found most helpful:
- I printed out and followed these instructions from Apple Support: MacBook Pro: How to remove or install memory. Learn how to remove or install memory in your MacBook Pro notebook computer.
- You’ll need a Phillips 00 screwdriver to unscrew the bottom panel. I paid a premium price for the iFixit 54 Bit Driver Kit because the magnetized screwdriver bits are HUGE in removing and reinserting the six (6) tiny screws on the back panel. There’s a reason I went to business school instead of medical school (HINT: I lack a surgeon's dexterity).
- I also purchased the iSesamo: Ultra-thin steel pry tool for opening iPods, iPhones, iPads (and more). This handy device made removing the MacBook Pro back cover easier. Plus, I incorrectly inserted one of the RAM cards on my first try (and it was jammed in tight), The iSeasmo tool helped pry it loose safely. Whew!
2) Fast Company: What Every Young Designer Should Know, From Legendary Apple Designer Susan Kare. Kare has two (2) simple rules for designers: 1) Fake It Tlll You Make It and 2) Design Never Really Changes. I personally relate to Rule #1. When she applied applied for Apple’s graphic designer position, she worked at a furniture store. She prepared for her interview by studying graphic design books from the Palo Alto library (direct article quotes):
Having designed many of the Mac's early system fonts such as Chicago, the (original) San Francisco, Geneva, and Monaco, Kare is one of the pioneers of early digital typography. But when she first applied to Apple, she was pulling her type design qualifications out of thin air.
"I was working at a furniture store at the time, and I didn't know the first thing about designing a typeface," she told me. "But I'd studied graphic design, so I said, 'How hard can it be?'" So Kare went to the Palo Alto Library and took out a number of books on typography. "I even brought them to my interview to prove I knew something about type, if anyone asked!" she laughs. "I went into it totally green."
She's not so green now. Here's a great video of Susan Kare sharing her design expertise:
Susan Kare, Iconographer (EG8) from EG Conference on Vimeo.
If Susan Kare listened to The Resistance, she wouldn’t have achieved her Apple Legendary Designer status. So let’s fake it till we make it. Or, as Dorie Clark of Reinventing YOU, says: “Fake It Till You Become It.”
3) Fortune Magazine: GE CMO Comstock's New Job: Reinventing the Lightbulb. I’m a HUGE Beth Comstock fan. Her strategy to reinvent and power (pun intended) GE's 130-year old lighting business includes embedding social and digital media throughout the business. Comstock transformed GE into a creative, infuential and credible digital marketing player:
Here’s a direct quote from the Google Think article about Beth Comstock titled Market Maker:
The 52-year-old often describes her job as "connecting the dots"–between GE's seven segments (Power & Water, Oil & Gas, Energy Management, Aviation, Transportation, Healthcare, Home & Business Solutions), its many markets, and between the company and the outside world. It's something Comstock regularly does as head of GE's sales, marketing, and communications, and in her management of the company's multi-billion-dollar Ecomagination and Healthymagination initiatives, dedicated to environmental and health care innovation respectively.
In her travels and conversations with customers, she constantly scans for patterns. "When you're in this business, you see a lot of things," Comstock notes. "Marketers are in a great position to notice if something's happening in an industry like energy or healthcare."
Think About that Quote for a Moment. Beth Comstock explained how a great marketer’s expertise is a game changing asset in understanding and exploiting opportunity. Digital and social media marketing continues accepting the rap, “we can’t measure return on investment (ROI)!” Follow her advice and make the case of how not only your digital marketing efforts identify relevant opportunities but also how your expertise uniquely enables you (personally) to identify new business opportunities.
If that’s not a measurable ROI, I’ll be this guy’s uncle:
Photo Credit: Gemma Stiles
Your Turn
Please let me know if you agree or disagree with my thoughts in the comments. I would love to hear from you. I’m here to read, listen, and learn from YOUR PERSPECTIVE. Comments are open. So let’er rip!
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Ideas that spread win. You can unsubscribe any time you like.
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Sunday Brunch Reads with Social Media ReInvention: Week of 09/28/14 to 10/05/14
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Share-worthy links Social Media ReInvention Community Members can enjoy during Sunday brunch:
1) YouTube: Enhance Your Lighting – GE Commercial. Jeff Goldblum provides a brilliant and hysterical performance in the GE advertising campaign for #EnhanceYourLighting. Views continue exploding (1,394,000+ when I wrote this post). GE takes mundane advertising and transforms it into funny, memorable, and campy content.
Hat Tip — Fast Company: JEFF GOLDBLUM GETS TOPLESS FOR GE, NYC GETS A NEW HEART: THE TOP 5 ADS OF THE WEEK.
2) YouTube: Introducing the Post-it® Plus App. No, I won't shut up about this app because I'm a Post-it® geek. Welcome to The Collaboration Age. Enjoy this video and wear your Post-it® geekiness as a badge of honor.
3) Forbes: Gone From Microsoft, Ballmer Begins A Surprising Second Act. George Anders wrote this great profile about Steve Ballmer (former Microsoft CEO, now owner of the Los Angeles Clippers NBA franchise). Anders' article about how Ballmer is approaching this phase of his professional life is a great example of personal branding and reinvention:
- Ballmer analytically approaches problem solving or new challenges by researching as much as he can through self-study or interviewing experts. The guy is 58, worth $22.5 billion, and wants to stay in the game.
- He's finding his own path (away from Bill Gates). Anders notes Ballmer and his wife, Connie, are planning a different charitable route from The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
- Ballmer continues taking calculated risks. Anders references this quote from an August 2014 ESPN interview ESPN conducted with Ballmer: “It’s not a cheap price, but when you’re used to looking at tech companies with huge risk, no earnings and huge multiples, this doesn’t look like the craziest thing I’ve ever acquired.”
4) Forbes: Finding Alibaba — How Jerry Yang Made The Most Lucrative Bet In Silicon Valley History. Parmy Olson reveals Jerry Yang's second act reinvention after leaving Yahoo in 2012. He's now a venture capitalist, Founding Partner of AME Cloud Ventures, and power broker.
Olson's article proves trust and familiarity are the heart and soul of business relationships (versus Excel spreadsheets forecasting ROI). Jack Ma (Chairman and CEO of Alibaba) and Yang's friendship started in 1997 (and may save Yahoo).
Not convinced? The Forbes article cites 36 billion reasons.
5) The New York Times: New York Times Plans to Eliminate 100 Jobs in the Newsroom. Arthur Sulzberger, Jr. (Publisher) and Mark Thompson (Chief Executive) announced the cuts October 1st. Here are some direct quotes:
- "The job losses are necessary to control our costs and to allow us to continue to invest in the digital future of The New York Times, but we know that they will be painful both for the individuals affected and for their colleagues."
- (Referencing the discontinued NYT Opinion app and ongoing NYT Cooking app) "They are all experiments, which we are determined to treat as such: to learn, pivot and, where necessary, make prompt decisions about them."
I admire and respect how a revered publishing institution like The New York Times attempts to adapt a Lean Startup mindset and culture. Yes, they're conducting experiments, validating learning, pivoting, etc.
But, it takes more than carefully sprinkled buzzwords in another announcement explaining job cuts. Organizations like The Times (and others) must wake up to the painful realization that lean startups do not require 1990's staffing levels and infrastructure.
Why doesn't the New York Times "just get on with it." They will thrive as a digital publisher. If it wants to go fully digital, why not commit now and:
- Quantify the required subscriptions to build and sustain a digital business.
- Determine and make the REAL job cuts needed.
- Retain the required staff and physical assets for optimizing a digital MVP (minimal viable product).
But, it won't.
So, the bloodshed continues …
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Tony Faustino is a marketing and corporate strategist. He thinks and writes about how The Internet reinvents marketing strategy in his personal blog, Social Media ReInvention. Follow his tweets @tonyfaustino or circle him on Google+.
Mark Zuckerberg’s 5 Point Plan for Facebook’s Future Growth and Mobile Domination
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Facebook Mobile App iPhone
Facebook released its 2014 Q2 earnings report on July 23rd. Here are some mind-boggling financial performance factoids from Reed Albergotti's Wall Street Journal (WSJ) article:
- $2.91 billion in revenue (a 61% increase); $791 million in net income
- $2.68 billion in revenue from advertising (a 67% increase)
- Mobile advertising accounts for 62% of advertising revenue (up from 59% in 2014 Q1 and 41% in 2013 Q2)
Remember concerns about Facebook arriving late to the mobile advertising party two years ago? How quickly sentiments can change. Here's Reed Albergotti's Wall Street Journal (WSJ) video review of Facebook's Q2 2014 financial performance:
I've reviewed numerous articles explaining how and why Facebook continues transforming and reinventing itself under Mark Zuckerberg's visionary leadership (including but not limited to):
- eMarketer's July 2014 research on global net mobile Internet ad revenues
- Austin Carr's June 2014 Fast Company article on Facebook's / Zuckerberg's Corporate Strategy
- Mark Zuckerberg's July 2014 WSJ article on making the Internet accessible to everyone
- Reed Albergotti's WSJ article on key areas to watch in Facebook's 2014 Q2 earnings
- Josh Constine's July 2014 TechCrunch article on Facebook's Buy Button Testing
Noticeable patterns / themes in these articles give clues to Facebook's and Zuckerberg's long term corporate strategy.
- Facebook's (and others') future global growth requires investment in global wireless infrastructure
- Mobile applications will continue driving Facebook's capabilities
- Strategic acquisitions are for building future (even moonshot) competitive advantages
- When you're big, innovation doesn't come as easily as before (even for Facebook)
- Proving digital marketing delivers positive ROI is a key strategy driver
Here's my take on the Mark Zuckerberg / Facebook 5-Point Plan for Future Growth and Mobile Dominance:
1. Bring Internet Access to the Other Two-Thirds of the World
Zuckerberg described in his July 2014 WSJ article how roughly 2.7 billion people currently have Internet access. That sounds like a lot, but the majority of the world lacks connectivity. He knows Facebook's future growth is tied to increasing and sustainable investment in wireless infrastructure. The phrase "a rising tide lifts all boats" takes on significant implications not only for Facebook but also for its competitors.
Here are some key quotes from his article:
"Bringing the other two-thirds of the world online will enable them to invent and create new things that benefit us, too."
"Not only do the vast majority of people have no access to the Internet, but even more surprisingly, Internet adoption is growing by less than 9% each year. That's very slow considering how early we are in its development and that rate is only slowing further."
"The challenge for our industry will be to develop models for Internet access that make data more affordable while enabling mobile operators to continue growing and investing in a sustainable way. Efforts like Internet.org — a global partnership founded by Facebook and other technology leaders –are already under way to solve this by working with operators to provide free basic Internet services to people."
Here's a great 2013 CNN interview with Zuckerberg describing Internet.org (my apologies for any commercials preceding the interview):
2. Make Facebook THE Killer Mobile App
Flurry (the mobile ad and analytics firm Yahoo recently acquired for $200 – $300 million) says mobile users spend 17% of their time on their phones in Facebook's app. This metric shows Facebook's mobile app is the most popular app on iOS and Android devices. Facebook's Q2 2014 Quarterly Financial Reporting slides show a consistent, steady climb in daily and monthly mobile users:
Q2 2014 Facebook Mobile Daily Users
Q2 2014 Facebook Mobile Monthly Users
Zuckerberg knows consumers live in a mobile, one-screen world. The only screen users care about is the one in front of them. That's why Facebook's mobile apps have to deliver simple, fast, and seamless user experiences.
Based on these mobile user numbers and the percentage of Q2 2014 revenues generated from mobile advertising, Zuckerberg and Facebook nailed it. And, speaking of killer, seamless, mobile apps …
3. Acquire Mobile Platforms (and Emerging Ones) that Increase Short Term / Long Term Competitive Advantages
In April 2012, Facebook bought Instagram for $1 billion. They recently acquired WhatsApp for $19 billion in February 2014. March 2014 marked the acquisition of Oculus VR (a virtual reality headset company) for $2 billion.
Zuckerberg views virtual reality as the next communication platform. It will be fun to track how Facebook leverages Oculus' technologies beyond gaming. Until then, here's a graphic from Austin Carr's Fast Company article showing the 700 million Instagram and WhatsApp users resulting from these acquisitions:
Facebook Brand Portfolio Illustrations:Instagram, WhatsApp, Messenger by Marco Goran Romano
4. Give New Innovations Time to Develop (even if patience contradicts The Hacker Way)
Zuckerberg's brainchild employees 7,000 people. Even at Facebook, creativity and innovation slowed under increasing bureaucracy and jockeying for resources (in both talent and money). Stringent metrics and timelines meant new products had little time to improve post-launch.
That's why Creative Labs is vital to Facebook's future innovations (and talent retention). Zuckerberg created it as a separate division in February 2014. It operates outside of Facebook's traditional product management processes with looser time constraints. That level of freedom and "small-team feeling" produced Paper, the mobile app for reading an responding to the News Feed.
Even Facebook "likes" innovations from skunkworks — cool twist or reinvention of The Hacker Way.
Facebook Creative Labs
5. Prove Digital Marketing Results in Positive ROI
Facebook's successful foray into Mobile App Install Ads, and the experiments it's running with the Facebook Buy Button show how simplifying the consumer buying process results in higher conversion (and that elusive digital marketing ROI).
It's mobile phone, 1-Click Shopping:
Facebok Mobile App Install Ads
In Austin Carr's Fast Company article describing the resounding success of Facebook's mobile app install ads, developers love this advertising medium because:
- Promoted apps are no longer dependent on App Store "Top 10 popularity contents"
- These targeted newsfeed advertisements are based on a Facebook's user's history
- 1-Click shopping simplifies buying for Facebook users
- 1-Click shopping simplifies customer conversion for the advertiser
This advertising medium has resulted in 350 million app installations (Carr estimates this equates to almost $1 billion in revenue). He cites one mobile gaming CEO who invests 75% of his marketing budget in Facebook mobile install app ads because they drive $70,000 in revenues per day.
Facebook Tests Buy Button
If the experiments with the Buy Button prove fruitful, Facebook can validate the ROI value of digital marketing in not only building awareness, but also in converting eCommerce sales. Here are direct quotes from the experts:
Debra Aho Williamson of eMarketer:
"With this step, Facebook is becoming even more firmly established as a major player in direct response advertising, and though this test is still only a test, it's a definite sign that Facebook wants to restart its efforts to become an e-commerce company as well."
"If the test is successful and rolls out, Facebook could eventually earn money on the feature by charging a fee or revenue share in exchange for processing payment and improving conversion rates. It could also use the purchases to prove return on investment to advertisers, encouraging them to buy bigger campaigns."
Closing Thoughts
Mark Zuckerberg is the next Steve Jobs (along with Sergey Brin and Larry Page). I was publicly criticized for making that statement more than three years ago. He is a visionary leader. Remember how Facebook originally started out as a desktop application? That's what makes its reinvention as an industry leader and emerging pioneer in the mobile space so impressive.
And, it only took two (2) years! I can't wait to see what's next as Zuck & Company keep moving fast and breaking things.
Did You Enjoy This Post?
If yes, please share it with your friends and subscribe to my blog. Many Thanks!
Tony Faustino is a marketing and corporate strategist. He thinks and writes about how The Internet reinvents marketing strategy in his personal blog, Social Media ReInvention. Follow his tweets @tonyfaustino or circle him on Google+.
4 Questions Our Futures Depend On from CTRL ALT Delete by Mitch Joel
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Do You Want Want to Be Employable in the Next 5 Years?
If Yes, Grab Some Coffee (Because This is a Long Post). Social Media ReInvention Community Members know of the tremendous respect I hold for Mitch Joel. His books and art have tremendous influence on my marketing strategy and creative perspective.
CTRL ALT Delete Is a Gift on 21st Century Career Leadership and Opportunity Management. Mitch frames and delivers his compelling arguments in two (2) sections:
1. Reboot: Business – The 5 Massive Movements
2. Reboot: You – The 7 Triggers
Yes, his book describes corporate and marketing strategy opportunities impacting organizations (big or small). Yes, his book contains important personal branding / personal reputation implications.
But, all twelve (12) principles focus on individually identifying and framing opportunity (and having the collective or individual courage to pursue it).
We All Have the Opportunity to Differentiate Ourselves and Lead. CTRL ALT Delete's resounding themes are to:
- Take the Initiative
- Take Intelligent Risks (i.e., Embrace the Squiggle)
- Differentiate Yourself (because the opportunities are highest in THIS era)
That's why our futures depend upon studying and practicing CTRL ALT Delete's teachings. Others with vaster audiences and authority than mine share that opinion.
Invest in Yourself and Buy CTRL ALT Delete. Here are four (4) important questions Mitch Joel asks about building competitive advantages to reboot our organizations and individual careers:
How Are We Building Direct Relationships with Our Customers, Fans, and Connections?
Creating a Unique Competitive Advantage. Direct relationships as a competitive advantage (versus price) is best described by these CTRL ALT Delete quotes (page 11) on how Apple executes its retail strategy:
The solution for Apple was to create a "cradle to the grave" business model where the customer is–at every touch point–directly speaking with Apple's brand. A true, direct relationship–in every sense of the word. Apple could not win on price (their computers and other devices are usually much more expensive than their competition's), so they had to win by being there for the consumer and by making these consumers a part of a more complete brand ecosystem.
At the time that Apple first launched retail stores in 2001, the common practices among retailers was to cram each nook and cranny of space with merchandise to maximize the sales per square foot. Sadly most retailers (and businesses) still hold on to the traditional thinking. For Apple, it was less about every square foot of retail space and much more about evey square inch of the direct relationship. Apple didn't start in the retail business to compete with other consumer electronics stores; they went into retail for the direct relationship with their customers. Apple's attitude was: "Why give that power to Best Buy or anyone else?"
Apple Hired Angela Ahrendts Because of Her Ability to Build and Nurture Direct Consumer Relationships. Angela Ahrendts hiring as Senior Vice President of Retail is Apple's signal to re-engage its devoted following. Her retail philosophy is grounded on the ability to feel, empathize, and become a brilliant brand ambassador. That's the foundation for direct and strong consumer relationships (from Austin Carr's October 15, 2013 Fast Company article):
"My dad used to always to say that he could teach anything but he couldn't teach how to feel. That's the hardest part when you have 11,000 people: How do you teach them how we feel?"
"The thing is, I don't want to be sold when I walk into a store to be welcomed. The job is to be a brilliant brand ambasador. Everyone is welcome. Don't be judgmental whatsoever."
"Don't sell! NO! Because that is a turnoff."
Converse Directly With Your Connections and Followers. Don't just tweet out links and "like" stuff. Mitch's observations about building direct relationships highly applies to our personal social network connections. For example, participating in Twitter by sharing links your followers find helpful is a starting point for establishing authority and reputation.
But, if you want to "own and nurture" a long-term direct relationship, you have to directly converse with your followers. Mitch talks in depth about this concept throughout the book. These types of direct conversations are powerful and solidify lifelong loyalty and relationships:
How are You Building Competitive Advantage in a One-Screen World?
Check Out Mitch's Video Sharing Several Factoids on Mobile Trends:
- In 1999: 38 million people had broadband Internet. Today: 1.2 billion have on their mobile phones.
- Facebook has half of its nearly 150 million daily visits from mobile.
- More people have a mobile subsciption than access to safe drinking water and electricity in our world today.
- 200+ million tablets will be sold in 2013.
- 23.1% of U.S. internet traffic comes from mobile devices.
Real-World Case Example: Apple Acquires Topsy. The rationale for the Apple-Topsy acquisition comes straight from this section in CTRL ALT Delete: The One Screen World – The Shift From Four Screens Down to One (pages 90 -109).
The entire chapter describes how consumers operate in a mobile, one-screen world. The only screen consumers care about is "the one currently staring them in the face."
Mitch further makes a compelling argument: The most important consumer screen resides on our smartphones.
Twitter Is Mobile, Untethered, and One-Screen Savvy. It's a social media platform focused on telling Apple WHAT We're Thinking WHEN We're Thinking AND WHERE We're Thinking It. This November 2013 Bloomberg-Businessweek article describes how the Twitter API, its meta data, and tweets provide rich consumer data.
Here are Mitch's thoughts on Twitter and the one-screen world (from page 99 of CTRL ALT Delete):
"Twitter's metoric rise and continued success have less to do with how many followers Lady Gaga has and much more to do with the fact that it was the first-ever online social network that worked better on mobile than it does on the Web. The sheer simplicity of those 140 characters of tweets makes it that much more workable and easy for consumers. Twitter's focus (from day one) was on connecting people as they were on the go. To this day, everything that Twitter does — from acquisitions to business strategy — is driven by a one-screen-world philosophy."
Consumers, Followers, and Connections Expect and Demand Immediate, Real-Time Responsiveness. Communicating and responding with our respective audiences with real-time immediacy is now a competitive differentiator (in both our professional and private lives). According to the eMarketer article: Key Trends for 2014: Always On Means Always Social, mobile, social networking via our smartphones and tablets will continue driving our "real-time" communications:
eMarketer: Key Trends for 2014 – Always On Means Social
Whether we like it or not, consumers (and personal connections) expect us to be there in real-time with the right message, at the right time, in the right place.
How are We Differentiating Ourselves as Critical Thinkers?
A Personal Blog = Personal Competitive Advantage. The Internet affords anyone with a laptop and broadband access an opportunity to stand out. But, we often allow ourselves to be defined by our current job titles and bullet points on our resumes. That's a mistake.
Mitch thinks strategically and critically. In a social media age, when most tweets or Facebook status updates provide diminishing returns on our attention, the opportunity to differentiate ourselves as entrepreneurial, credible, forward-looking strategic, critical thinkers has never been higher.
Writing a personal blog allows you to maintain an identity separate from your employer (i.e., it's a portable asset). Dorie Clark, in her great book, Reinventing You, defines a personal blog as valuable, intellectual property showcasing individual expertise by:
1. Showing how you think
2. Demonstrating your individual creativity
3. Making it easy for a potential employer / great connection to find you (e.g., SEO benefits)
4. Giving you practice in an important and portable business skill set — writing
5. Proving you're technology and Internet savvy
6. Informing people first-hand how you're driven to learn new skills
Isn't Blogging Supposed to be Dead? Hardly. As Mitch points out in the section, "Your Life in Startup Mode," a personal blog describes important aspects about ourselves that a resume fails to represent:
(page 227) "You're writing to exercise your critical thinking skills."(page 225) "But for the purpose of this book, I'll define a blog as an online journal of your work. The spirit of the blog is to create a living and breathing resume and portfolio of how you think and work."
(page 224) "I still believe that a blog is a canvas that allows you to think, share, and connect with an audience."
(page 228) "Because if you care enough to blog, it means that you have something to say. If you have something to say and you're blogging it, it means that you want to share and connect. Ultimately, the world needs more people like that."
Seth Godin and Tom Peters on Why We Should Blog. This classic video from two great marketing teachers on why blogging matters deserves viewing:
What is the Legacy and the Value You are Ultimately Delivering and Leaving?
Pages 190 and 193 from The Marketing of You explain the ultimate goal for connecting (online or face-to-face):
(page 190) "There's nothing wrong with asking for help, but you will always see a more positive result if you start by delivering value first—by being valuable to others before asking them for favors. Give abundantly and be helpful."
(page 193) "True influence comes from connecting to individuals, nurturing those relationships, adding real value to other people's lives, and doing anything and everything to serve them, so that when the time comes for you to make a request, there is someone there to lend a hand. Worry less about how many people you are connected to, and worry a whole lot more about who you are connected to—who they are and what you are doing to value and honor them (in their spaces)."
That sounds like a great philosophy towards achieving professional and personal fulfillment.
Did You Enjoy This Post?
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Tony Faustino is a marketing and corporate strategist. He thinks and writes about how The Internet reinvents marketing strategy in his personal blog, Social Media ReInvention. Follow his tweets @tonyfaustino or circle him on Google+.
57 Resources to Help College Graduates Land that First Marketing Job
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57 Resources to Help College Graduates Land that First Marketing Job
How CONFIDENT are YOU in LANDING a JOB After Graduation?
Low Confidence? Most college students would say things look bleak for finding full-time work after graduating. According to the CNBC article, Job Picture Looks Bleak for 2013, the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), plans to hire only 2.1% more graduates from the class of 2013 than from the class of 2012.
A Significant Gap Between Student and Employer Expectations. Furthermore, a recent Business Insider article shares survey results from the academic services company, Chegg describing skills assessments by both college students and potential entry-level employers. In multiple skills areas (especially those relating to writing and critical thinking), college students are overestimating their skill levels and preparedness for business success in the following areas:
- Writing to summarize results and convey information
- Writing to communicate ideas or explain informaton clearly
- Incorporating information to develop strategic insights
57 Resources to Land that First Marketing Job
There's Hope, If You're Willing to Put in the Work. These various resources are categorized to aid recent college graduates who majored in marketing and communications (or current students majoring in these fields) during their full-time job search (or an internship search for current students).
These resources (along with resources from previous posts in this series) can give recent graduates ideas, strategies, and tactics providing a competitive advantage not only in the job search but also in developing several of the requisite skills and knowledge employers say recent graduates lack.
The categories are listed below with a make-shift table of contents:
- Resource 1: Your Online Portfolio, Evan Kirsch and FolioMatch.com
- Resources 2 – 9: Resources / Ideas from Tom Peters, Seth Godin, Mitch Joel, and David Meerman Scott
- Resources 10 – 18: Career Success Ideas from Dan Schawbel for Young People and Millenials
- Resources 19 – 20: Job Search 101
- Resources 21 – 28: Interviewing 101 (and Beyond)
- Resources 29 – 30: Using Twitter's Real-Time Capabilities to Power Your Job Search
- Resources 31 – 46: 21st Century Marketing and Communications: Walk-the-Walk and Talk-the-Talk
- Resources 47 – 49: LinkedIn
- Resources 50 – 51: Preparing Your Resume
- Resources 52 – 57: Inspiration on Demand
Resources 2 – 57 are in no particular ranking or order. I included numbers to track the number of items and subsequently group them with some logic.
Plus, having a high number for list-type blog post titles is scientifically proven to attract more readers.
Start Here — Number 1: Your Online Portfolio, Evan Kirsch and FolioMatch.com
1. FolioMatch.com. FolioMatch.com is the Kansas City-based brainchild of its President and CEO Evan Kirsch. I met Evan during the 2012 UMKC Regnier Family Foundation Venture Creation Challenge. UMKC's Henry W. Bloch School Management honored him as its 2012 Student Entrepreneur of the Year.
Why Evan and FolioMatch.com are Number 1. Evan created this company for an honorable mission and intent: To Put America's Young People To Work by Helping College Graduates Land that Ever-Elusive First Job.
Addressing Unmet Needs. FolioMatch.com fulfills HUGE unmet needs for young people who may have recently graduated, will graduate in Spring 2014, or are current college students seeking internship opportunities while in school:
- Providing a living/breathing, on-demand online portfolio capturing all relevant projects, class assigments, internship deliverables / work products, accomplishments, awards, etc. throughout a college student's four-year college career
- Making it easy to manage and deploy this online portfolio in a one-screen world
- Devoting a career-focused, portfolio-centric, social network for a narrow audience (college students AND ambitious high school students)
I Think the World of Evan Kirsch and FolioMatch.com. About a year and a half ago, I remember having lunch with him and listening to him passionately describe what drives him to make FolioMatch.com successful (at the time of our lunch the company was orignially named Folioboy.com):
- It isn't money
- It isn't glory
- It isn't fame
Evan founded FolioMatch.com because he genuinely believes:
Helping Others is THE HONORABLE WAY to Lead One's Life.
I'm admiringly jealous of his guts to accomplish so much at young age. 20+ years ago, I lacked Evan's unshakeable vision, heart, passion, and resolve. But, I'm working on that (because it's never too late to commit to becoming a remarkable artist).
Here's a video describing FolioMatch.com:
FolioMatch Introduction from FolioMatch Team on Vimeo.
FOLIO MATCH and MO CHALLENGE from FolioMatch Team on Vimeo.
From the Video. "We started FolioMatch to be a one-stop resource for a student to keep track of all the projects they've completed over the years. Since then we have started sponsoring educational challenges so that we could help boost the content of students' portfolios."
Required Full Disclosure / Am I Receiving Any Money / Am I Receiving Any Equity / Am I an Advisory Board Member and other Boilerplate B.S. I Have to Write For Speaking So Highly of Evan and FolioMatch.com. I receive zero, nada, nothing, and any other cliche, etc. in financial compensation for talking up Evan and FolioMatch.com.
I'm writing about Evan/his company because he leads a committed/dedicated tribe who rightfully deserves it. I'm spreading the word about Evan and FolioMatch.com because it's THE RIGHT THING TO DO.
And, that makes me feel good …
… please spread the word about Evan, his company, and FolioMatch.com's honorable mission.
If you're a college student (or an ambitious high school student), go to the FolioMatch.com site and register.
If you're a parent who's worried your son/daughter who graduates from college in Spring 2014 may face difficulty in this brutal job market (because the odds are he/she will), go to the FolioMatch.com site and register.
If you're a Spring 2013 college graduate and you're still actively looking for that first gig, go to the FolioMatch.com site and register. Learning how to leverage LinkedIn to your advantage during your job search is important. But, it takes more to win an interview slot AND stand out among thousands of applicants.
Resources / Ideas from the Best Marketing and Communications Teachers: Tom Peters, Seth Godin, Mitch Joel, and David Meerman Scott
Common themes running through the resources 2 – 9 are entrepreneurial hustle and creativity. Standing out in an unfavorable economy within an ocean of candidates requires the courage and true grit to aggressively market yourself.
2. Tom Peters / Fast Company: The Brand Called YOU: This August 1997 article is the original classic highlighting the rising importance of personal branding. Mr. Peters was ahead of his time in publishing and describing these timeless career management principles.
3. Seth Godin: Graduate school for unemployed college students
4. Seth Godin and Inc.com: 5 Ways to be Known as a Groundbreaking Thinker
5. Mitch Joel: 8 Ways to Score that Elusive Entry Level Marketing Position
6. Mitch Joel: 20 Best Marketing Books of All Time: Mitch literally posted this article a few days ago. He's often asked what are the best marketing books he recommends studying. If you go to the comments section of his article, you'll see four (4) additional recommendations I suggested. I would also add Six Pixels of Separation and Ctrl Alt Delete to this list (because the author of these classics is a pretty cool dude).
7. David Meerman Scott: Lindsey shows how to market to millenials and how to get a first job: David's blog post describing how Lindsey Kirchoff aggressively and uniquely marketed herself personifies her entrepreneurial hustle an creativity.
Here's a great video David filmed with Lindsey Kirchoff (who started working full-time with HubSpot's Content Creation & Blogging Team in September 2012):
8. David Meerman Scott: Tough love for marketing & PR job seekers
9. David Meerman Scott: 5 ideas for marketing and communications professors' success in the classroom
Bonus. David Meerman Scott — Inbound Job Search: David published this video on December 2nd. He shares five (5) inspiring stories about people publishing creative and remarkable content to win dream jobs. One of the stories is how his daughter, Allison Meerman Scott, leveraged her personal blog to differentiate herself from thousands of outstanding Columbia University undergraduate applicants to win admission!
Dan Schawbel: Have the Courage to Promote Yourself (Because It's a Good Thing)
No one understands more about personal branding for young people than Dan Schawbel. It's why I literally carved out a "Dan Section" highlighting his work. The man knows what he's talking about so take his advice seriously.
I do. And, even though he's 20 years younger, I believe his teachings apply to any age group or professional experience level. He's the epitome of entrepreneurial hustle
10. Dan Schawbel and Forbes.com: My 10 Best Pieces of Career Advice for Millenials
11. Dan Schawbel: Top 5 Job Search Tips for Millenials
14. Dan Schawbel and Time.com: How Recruiters Use Social Networks to Make Hiring Decisions Now
15. Dan Schawbel and Forbes.com: How Globalization and Social Media has Impacted the US Economy
16. Dan Schawbel: Millenial Branding and Student Employment Gap Study
17. Dan Schwabel and Forbes.com: 5 Reasons Why Your Online Presence Will Replace Your Resume in 10 Years
18. Dan Schawbel and Time.com: The End of the Full-Time Salaried Job
Job Search 101
These Mashable articles do a great job in describing the basics AND the things to do to stand out. The common theme here is "put in the work." No magical formulas. Just get to work.
19. Mashable: 35 Surefire Ways to Stand Out During Your Job Search
20. Mashable: How to Nail Your Entry-Level Job Search
Interviewing 101 (and Beyond)
The common theme throughout these articles: Prepare. Prepare. Prepare. Do this and you'll eliminate 50% – 60% of your competition before walking in the room.
21. Fast Company: How to Nail Your Next Phone Interview
22. Lou Adler and LinkedIn Today: Moneyball for Job-seekers: How to Increase Your Interviewing Odds
24. James Caan and LinkedInToday: The 3 Questions People Always Forget to Ask During Job Interviews
25. James Caan and LinkedIn Today: 5 Ways to Avoid Losing Out on that Dream Job
26. Mashable: INFOGRAPHIC — Top Job Search Mistakes Millenials Make and How to Fix Them
27. Mashable: 6 Job Interview Questions and Answers to Avoid
28. Lea McCleod, M.A.: 5 Big Reasons New College Grads are Failing the Job Search
Creative Ways to Use Twitter in Your Job Search
When it comes to real-time news and responsiveness, there's Twitter and then there's everybody else. Leverage its real-time capabilities to your advantage. Finding out about that open, entry-level position before other candidates is a competitive advantage.
29. Mashable: How a 140-Character Twitter Resume Could Land Your Next Job
30. 20 Twitter Resources for Job Hunters
21st Century Marketing, Communications, and Public Relations Knowledge
Talk the Talk Like Seasoned Marketing Pros. The interviewing team will deem you credible only if you "speak their language." Therefore, learn how to speak it. Learn about the movements impacting marketing now (and in the future).
You don't have to memorize vocabulary lists by rote. But, you have to credibly demonstrate your awareness of how marketing, communications, and public relations are constantly changing.
Walk the Walk Like Seasoned Marketing Pros. The following resources provide ideas and suggestions for developing skills in writing, storytelling, and critical thinking. Remember, the Internet turns every moment before, during, and after a job interview into a show-me you're different opportunity — Take the Initiative and Take the Advantage.
21st Century Marketing and Communications Fundamentals Bootcamp
31. HubSpot Inbound Marketing Blog: You Were Too Embarrassed to Google (But Should Definitely Know)
32. HubSpot Inbound Marketing Blog
33. HubSpot Academy
Content Marketing
34. Marketing Profs Daily Fix Blog
35. Content Marketing Institute Blog
Online, Digital, eCommerce Future Trends and Patterns
36. The Mitch Joel Six Pixels of Separation Podcasts on iTunes (and their free)
Blogging
38. Copyblogger Blog
39. Darren Rowse: PROBLOGGER Blog
Measurement and Analytics
40. Occam's Razor Blog By Avinash Kaushik
41. The Future Buzz Blog by Adam Singer
Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
45. The MOZ Blog
46. Danny Sullivan's SearchEngineLand.com Blog
47. Forbes: 7 Ways to Make LinkedIn Help You Find a Job
48. Forbes: 5 LinkedIn Strategies You Haven't Thought of Before: the suggestion to use LinkedIn showing you've researched a company's competitors and the point of "sales reinforcement" has powerful applications in a job interview
Preparing Your Resume
50. Mashable: Why You Need Several Versions of Your Resume
51. LinkedIn Labs Resume Builder: This handy app transforms your LinkedIn Profile into a PDF resume. Therefore, fill out your LinkedIn profile with as much detail as you can.
Inspiration On Demand
52. to 55. LinkedIn Influencers — My First Job Job Series: If you're getting down on yourself during the process, GO HERE IMMEDIATELY. Everyone had to start out somewhere. That includes some of the world's most influential movers & shakers in every industry.
Don't believe me? Here are some samples how:
- Richard Branson's first job as a bird breeder before he became Richard Branson (Founder at Virgin Group)
- Beth Comstock's first job working on an assembly line before she became Beth Comstock (Chief Marketing Officer, General Electric)
- T. Boone Pickens' first job as a newspaper carrier before he became T. Boone Pickents (Founder, Chairman and CEO at BP Capital and TBP Investments Management)
- Claire Diaz-Ortiz's first job as an cigarette seller before she became Claire Diaz-Ortiz (Social Innovation Leader, Twitter)
My First Job. I started out as an unpaid, summer laboratory tech intern / dishwasher at The Washington University School of Medicine. Luckily for me, the department's head researcher paid me that fall because my boss said I was a good guy.
56. Jonathan Fields — The Good Life Project: Jonathan is an A-List entrepreneur and a person driven to help others succeed personally and professionally via entrepreneurship. His video interviews are inspiring.
I subscribe to his free podcasts on iTunes and listen to them repeatedly.
Check out this video on overcoming and reframing risk and the fear of failure and judgment. Pure Gold.
57. Video: Best Day of My Life (Dog Version) by American Authors: Trust me, this video will make you feel soooooo good after watching it no matter how bad you feel. And, it's probably why American Authors are my new favorite band and why this song is now my all-time favorite.
Closing Thoughts
This is post five (and the final one) in a series to help new college graduates and current students land full-time jobs or internships.
Here are the respective links for posts 1 to 4:
Your Turn
If you're a college graduate looking for work, a concerned parent, a worried relative, or a current college student, please let me know in the comments if the content here helped (or if it didn't).
What should be kept on this list? What should be taken off? What resources did I miss? What should be added?
Please help me in continuously improving this page as a helpful resource to others.
Tony Faustino is a marketing and corporate strategist. He writes about how The Internet reinvents marketing strategy for organizations and individuals in his marketing strategy blog, Social Media ReInvention. Follow his tweets @tonyfaustino or circle him on Google+.
Content Curation #6: Three Articles I Bookmarked in Evernote This Week
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The Premise / Goal / Timing of This Weekly Feature
Premise. If you like the content in this blog, maybe you'll also like the content I regularly read, study, and curate from the Web.
Goal. On a weekly basis, I'm going to publish links to three (3) articles I find interesting. I'll include a brief explanation why I decided to curate them.
Timing. I'll publish this content every Saturday.
The Three Articles I Bookmarked in Evernote
1. Personal Cloud to Replace PC by 2014, Says Gartner (Wired). In contrast to last week's curated content describing my skepticism that the concept of the PC is dead, I do agree with Gartner's proposed personal computing model. The article describes the personal cloud as "the hub" and the connected devices as "the spokes" (i.e., laptop, tablet, smartphone, etc.).
The article describes the trend to move manage, share, and secure more applications / conten within the cloud.
Five (5) Megatrends are driving this phenomenon:
- Consumerization — You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet
- Visualization — Changing How the Game is Played
- "App-ification" — Changing from Appications to Apps
- The Ever-Available Self-Service Cloud
- The Mobility Shift — Wherever and Whenever You Want
2. For Young Workers, the Future is Here Already (Fortune). Today's young workers, "the digital natives," are driving the aforementioned consumerization megatrend. This younger demographic communicates with multiple devices. They're entering the workforce in droves so enterprises must deal with this demographic's communication needs to maximize their productivity.
This development is driving the phenemomenon of "unified communications" (direct quote from the article):
"One area which enterprises have begun exploring in recent years is the concept of unified communications – the process of turning multiple channels of communication into a single, seamless conversation. Unified communications uses the concept of presence to help assess which way is best for one user to reach another. It then translates messages and directs them to whichever device the end user is most likely to be using at that time."
3. How Higher Education Helps the Economy (OnlineUniversities.com). It's that time of year when high school seniors receive the results of the university application process (e.g., acceptance / rejection / wait listed). Here's a cool infographic from the Staff Writers at OnlineUniversities.com on the ROI value proposition of a college education:
Via: Online Universities Resource
Your Feedback Please!
I'd like to experiment with this type of post for the next two to three months. Let me know what you think (especially if this idea sucks):
- How can I improve the value of these weekly posts?
- Is my initial timing choice for publication okay with you (e.g., middle of the week versus the end of it)? If not, please tell me.
- What content are you reading? Please share your links with our community in the comments section!
HubSpot 2012 State of Inbound Marketing: 7 Reasons Blogs ROCK!
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Every year, HubSpot publishes and conducts my two (2) favorite deliverables:
- HubSpot's 2012 State of Inbound Marketing Report AND
- HubSpot's 2012 State of Inbound Marketing Webinar
Here are the report and the webinar slides from HubSpot's Inbound Marketing Channel on Slideshare:
The 2012 State of Inbound Marketing
View more documents from HubSpot Internet Marketing
The 2012 State of Inbound Marketing Webinar
View more presentations from HubSpot Internet Marketing
A HUGE shout-out and thank you to HubSpot Team Members Mike Volpe, Melissa Miller, and Maggie Georgieva, for a phenemonal webinar presentation last week!
Last year, I published a post on lessons I learned from HubSpot's 2011 State of Inbound Marketing Report. It became one of Social Media ReInvention Blog's most popular 2011 posts.
Blogs Are Not Dead. Long Live Blogs! Every year, we hear about blogging's continuing and expected demise in the social media universe. But, HubSpot's 2011 and 2012 research say otherwise.
Here's a direct quote and Key Conclusion #5 from the 2012 State of Inbound Marketing Report:
Businesses are increasingly aware their blog is highly valuable. 81% of businesses rated their company blogs as “useful,” “important” or “critical.” An impressive 25% rated their company blog as “critical” to their business.
And, there are more fact-based conclusions in the 2012 State of Inbound Marketing Report. Here are seven (7) reasons from HubSpot's data supporting the continuing relevance of blogging.
1. Blogs Are and Remain the Most Important Marketing Channel
59% of Respondents Say Their Blog Is Either "Critical" or "Important" To Their Business. And, 25% say their blog is "Critical" in importance. Mike Volpe pointed out an important way to increase your blog's business effectiveness is to clearly specify the call-to-action (CTA). Remarkable content isn't enough. Clear and specific CTAs converts inbound leads into paying customers.
Blogs Improve Your SEO and Google Rankings. Another competitive advantage of blogs is the content marketing benefits blog deliver:
- A blog functions as the content marketing hub
- Blogs deliver search engine optimization (SEO) from keywords and anchor text
- Blogs generate inbound links to your site (which increases your Google ranking)
Read this Social Media Examiner post by Jim Lodico: The Fastest Way to Increase Your Google Ranking. It's a great resource describing why blogging is vital to any business.
2. The Value of Company Blogs Keeps Increasing
Look Who's The #1 Social Media Channel in Terms of Importance. It's Blogs! LinkedIn, YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter all ranked in lesser importance. The hub-and-spoke social media strategy model works with a website or your blog as the center. Social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter are short-from outposts guiding customers back to your website or blog (the long-form hub).
Adam Singer says it best: Social Media is More Than Facebook and Twitter.
3. Blogs Have the Lowest Cost-Per-Lead of Any Marketing Channel
52% of Respondents Say blogs are "Below Average" in Cost Per Lead. Blogs are the most cost efficient lead generation channel (inbound or outbound). Not surprisingly, trade shows are considered the most expensive.
Here's a direct quote from the respondent survey:
"The worst thing we did in marketing last year was attend several trade shows and events with low yield and ROI."
4. Blogs are Second Only to LinkedIn In Acquiring Customers
57% of Respondents Say Their Company Blog Acquired Customers. LinkedIn ranked first in customer acquistion. 62% of respondents validated its effectiveness. Interesting how "the two least sexy social media channels" ranked first and second respectively.
And, Speaking of Social Media Sexy – Blogs and LinkedIn Outdistanced Facebook and Twitter in Customer Acquisition. Don't believe the hype that long form content is dead. Or, consumer attention spans last only 140 characters or less.
Competitive advantage in converting leads to real customers doesn't have to be sexy and flashy. Blogs and social media are all part of the inbound marketing process called "closed-loop marketing."
But, making money by acquiring customers is sexy.
5. More Blog Posts Means More Customers
HubSpot's 2012 Data Shows a Direct Correlation Between Post Frequency and Customer Acquisition. At a minimum, post at least once-per-week. But, increasing post frequency from weekly to twice per month provides significant benefits:
- 50 posts a year goes to 100 posts (that's the equivalent of 100 indexed web pages in Google)
- An extra 50 posts, means double the number of keywords increasing SEO relevance
- 50 more web pages mean 5o more opportunities to earn inbound links (and increase Google authority)
Be SEO-Smart with your Blog Posts. Neil Patel recently published a must-read blog post in The Daily SEO Blog describing 12 Things That Will Kill Your Blog Post Everytime. Ignore these principles at your peril.
6. Blogs Are Consistently Effective for Either B2B or B2C Companies
At a Minimum, Your Social Media Strategy MUST Include a Blog. The data shows blogs rank second in customer acquisition for either B2B or B2C companies. Number 1 for customer acquisition depended on business-type:
- B2B: LinkedIn
- B2C: Facebook
A Killer Social Media Strategy Incorporates at Least Three Customer Acquisition Platforms. The companies succeeding in social media are the ones who view these channels as customer acquisition weapons. Based on this data, a three-channel approach geared to customer acquistion by business-type would look like the following:
- B2B: LinkedIn, Company Blog, Facebook or Twitter
- B2C: Facebook, Company Blog, Twitter
7. Blogs Level the Playing Field for Small Companies
Small Companies Allocate Almost 4x the Marketing Budget to Blogs Versus Large Companies. Social media or inbound marketing channels are where small companies invest their marketing budget (i.e., social, SEO or organic search, and blogs). Large companies prefer outbound channels (i.e., trade shows, PPC or paid search, or direct mail).
This data isn't surprising especially in light of Seth Godin's explanation of "mass" consumerism and marketing in his book, We Are All Weird. Increasingly, companies pursue one of two strategies:
- Small Companies = Niche
- Large Companies = Mass
If you're a small company, your products or services are probably part of the niche market place. Use your blog as competitive advantage in the long tail of search.
Closing Thoughts
- What are your thoughts on the relevance of blogging?
- How does your use of blogging align with or differ from HubSpot's data?
- How do you use your blog in customer acquisition or retention?
Please let me know with your comments!
Social Media Strategy Still Isn’t An Executive Priority
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Today's eMarketer article, Executives Fail to Focus on Social Media Marketing Strategy, shows how far we still have to go in convincing the C-Suite about social media marketing's importance in the overall marketing mix and overall corporate strategy.
Here's the executive summary (no pun intended):
1. Executives Think a Social Business Strategy Is Important. 78% of executives thought a social business strategy was somewhat important or very important.
2. But, Social Business Strategy Is Neither a Top Priority Nor Even Necessary). 27% listed social business as a top strategic priority. Nearly half (47%) say it's necessary but not a a strategic priority. And, 19% say social business strategy was simply not necessary.
This Surprises Me
Small Business Executives Say Social Media Is Not a Strategic Priority. 58% of C-Level respondents say social is neither a strategic priority AND 21% say it's not necessary.
Why Does This Surprise Me? Social media and inbound marketing levels the marketing playing field for small businesses lacking the marketing budget to compete with larger competitors. The small company response is similar to the large company response (i.e., 47% for not a strategic priority and 18% for not necessary.
This Is Not a Surprise
Metrics and Measurement Continue To Mystify. Accountability and metrics along with social media strategy and tactics rank very low on the 2011 and 2012 executive priority list.
The Circular Feedback Loop Between Strategy and Measurement. The social media strategy has to be linked to the overall corporate strategy (i.e., what is the objective: increase revenues, decrease costs, increase customer retention, lower customer acquisition costs).
Without those necessary links, accountability and metrics along with social media strategy and tactics will continue languishing as priorities.
Conclusion
Social Media Can Power Customer Acquisition. According to Huspot's 2011 State of Inbound Marketing Report, social media marketing (especially a company blog) can address the top priorities of the C-Suite:
- Lead Generation. 57% of companies using blogs reported that they acquired customers from leads generated directly from their blog.
- Operational Profitability. Blogs, social media, and organic search maintained the top slots as least expensive lead generation channels.
- B2B Firms Value LinkedIn and Blogging For Acquiring Customers. 61% of B2B firms say LinkedIn is their top acquisition channel. 55% of B2B firms say the company blog is the second leading acquisition channel.