by Jacqueline Koch | Apr 7, 2016 |
Now that 2016 is off to a running start, it’s a good time to take a step back and look at some of the social media trends that are expected to make an impact this year. From livestreaming on social media platforms to enhanced image search on Pinterest, there are some exciting developments that are transforming how users interact with social media.
Livestreaming on social media
Real-time streaming is one of the biggest trends hitting social media this year. Companies as diverse as VISA and Spotify are using livestreaming applications like Meerkat and Periscope to drive deeper engagement with their customers who continue to crave intimacy and immediacy.
And the cost of entry remains low because livestreaming apps turn a phone’s camera into a live-streaming device, broadcasting everything it sees to a user’s Twitter followers with the tap of a button. In January, Twitter-owned Periscope took livestreaming one step further by integrating with GoPro to let its 10 million users broadcast to their followers from an action camera connected to an iPhone.
Paul Ronzheimer, a journalist from German publication Bild, used Periscope to help Syrian refugees tell their stories to the publication’s readers. ‘Periscope’s features include the ability for viewers to comment during the broadcasts, which in this case often included questions that the refugees could answer live and unmediated,’ he said.
On a lighter note, BuzzFeed recently used Meerkat to live-stream the ‘vigil’ for Zayn Malik—a teen-driven, reaction to the pop singer leaving the group One Direction.
Facebook has also joined the livestream party with Facebook Live. According to Facebook Live team members Vadim Lavrusik and Dave Capra, on average people watch a video more than three times longer when it is live compared to when it is not. To share a live video, users simply tap ‘What’s on your mind?’ at the top of their News Feed and select the Live Video icon. With 1.5 billion users, Facebook is sure to be a driving force behind the adoption of livestreaming on social platforms this year.
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by Jacqueline Koch | Aug 7, 2015 |
In a world of short attention spans, the idea that you could have someone’s attention for the 50 minutes they spend in their car each day is very appealing. So it’s easy to see why the concept of a connected car is very attractive to auto-manufacturers looking to create new revenue streams, software developers looking to build in-car applications and advertisers looking for new opportunities to reach consumers.
What is not entirely clear yet is what applications will consumers embrace, what are the most promising opportunities for content providers to deliver digital content to vehicles, and who will be the winners in this burgeoning ecosystem.
SNS Research just released a report in which they estimate that by 2020, connected car services will account for nearly US$40 billion in annual revenue. This growth is driven by a host of applications, including infotainment, navigation, fleet management, remote diagnostics, automatic crash notification, enhanced safety, UBI (Usage Based Insurance), traffic management and even autonomous driving.
by Jacqueline Koch | May 12, 2015 |
A baby boomer, a Gen-Xer and a Millennial walk into an incubator.
Sounds like a joke,right? Nope, in fact it was the scene unfolding at a recent B2B Startup Weekend event hosted by 9MileLabs in Seattle where all three age groups ended up on the same team. The goal: Listen to one minute product pitches, pick one, join a team, develop a minimum viable product concept, validate it with potential customers, build a business case and present it to a panel of judges including entrepreneurs and VCs on Sunday afternoon. Whew!!
Now it’s starting to sound as though there could be some humor involved.
Why? I was there and I was the Gen-Xer. And I’ll be frank: Millennials make me nervous for a lot of reasons, many of which are outlined in this Marketwatch article. The bottom line is that we’re being upstaged by the kids we baby-sat and our salaries are starting to look like baby-sitting money. So, hey Millennials, yes you, I’m trying to figure you out.
Want to Connect? Got Content? Get talking
A recent Forbes article shines a reassuring light on the effort to market to Millennials: It’s not business as usual. Millennials don’t want to be talked at. They want to engage, to be engaged, and they want rich, original content.
For a Gen-Xer like me who has a journalism background, this sends a pleasing tingle up my spine. It’s my “I-told-you-so” moment. Here’s why. I’ve always been perplexed when corporations feel they need to bludgeon their audience with their brand. Instead of pelting us with logos and branding, let’s embark on a “conversation.” It’s been a long time coming and I’m finding myself grateful to Facebook. Intended or not, the power of 1.3 billion active users will ensure the shift will happen through a revised newsfeed algorithm: According to a recent article in Social Media Today: “This change further underlines the need for brands to move from a broadcast focus to making themselves part of the conversation.”
Strength In Diversity
Anyway, back at the incubator. A collaboration is underway and the process has gone a long way toward defanging the Millennials working by my side. A remarkable age-span, from senior in college to pre-retirement, has infused a powerful mix of varied experiences and perspectives in a complex project. Yet it’s gotten us over the finish line—from “I have no idea if this is a good idea”— to a compelling pitch. I’ve always been a proponent of strength in diversity, cross-culture, cross sector and now, more then ever, cross-generational.
by Jacqueline Koch | May 7, 2015 |
Our friends at 9MileLabs hosted a fascinating talk on b2b content marketing last night. The speaker, Rich Stillman from Altus Alliance, did a great job demystifying the basics.
First, let’s be clear on the definition of this popular buzz-phrase. The Content Marketing Institute (CMI) describes b2b content marketing as, “a strategic marketing approach focused on creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and retain a clearly-defined audience — and, ultimately, to drive profitable customer action.”
And for those who may have been under a rock for the past few years, a recent CMI study reveals that 86% of b2b marketers are ‘doing’ content marketing.
If you haven’t dipped your toe in the b2b content marketing pool yet, Rich suggests there may be a few reasons why you’re a bit gun shy:
- You think it’s too labor intensive
- You won’t be able to get customers to talk
- You can’t generate enough content for all use cases
- You don’t want to waste money because you can’t get specific stats or metrics
Rich thinks this is all just whining and that you have no option but to jump in head first because content marketing is the way b2b companies connect with customers today.
Ok then, let’s head up to the diving board and get ready to drive in. But wait, what do you need to think about before you get started so that you execute an elegant swan dive rather than a messy cannon ball?
Develop, document and actually stick to a marketing strategy
Whether you are a startup without a marketing budget or a more established company, you must have discipline around developing your marketing strategy. You must understand what your value proposition is and who your customers are and your content should flow out of that in a disciplined way.
Be fanatically market driven
A winning b2b content marketing strategy must be built on a deep understanding of what your customers need. For startups, identifying this is usually part of developing the business plan. But understanding what customer characteristics are more broadly is critical to informing your content strategy. It is also important to be informed what is happening in your competitive landscape.
Convert website analytics into funnel mathematics
Rich suggests that if you think about b2b content marketing as leading someone through the decision making funnel, you realize that it’s about understanding what information you need to provide your customers along the way. There is a natural progression from “I don’t know who you are” to “I can’t wait to open up my wallet and give you money” and content marketing should pave the way.
Execute content around bigger ideas
Your customers are busier than ever and are constantly being interrupted by people trying to show them content that may be valuable to them.
In the social media-centric world we operate in today, we have to work with a small headline and a small amount of copy and an image. To rise above the noise and find your audience, there should be a big idea behind your 140 characters. A campaign theme that is connected to something deeply held by your target audience. And, your content should be consistent with your mission and your message. You can always create a thematic connection with a powerful visual.
Measure leads not traffic
Website traffic is not leads – but traffic can become leads. In the world of B2B marketing, the goal is to create leads that become customers – not awareness.
Rich suggests that we learn a thing or two from Lean manufacturing and keep iterating:
Try something, measure it, optimize. The task at hand is to keep trying different keys until we can open the door. Don’t stay loyal to an idea that isn’t working.
Tactical ideas to get you started
In closing, Rich shared some tactical ideas for creating and sourcing content:
- Enlist outsiders to create content for you
- Customers, industry experts, college students
- Record interviews with people and transcribe them
- Learn from the best – or at least those better than you and copy with impunity
Ok, I think you’re ready to take the plunge. If you need help, contact us!
by Jacqueline Koch | Mar 12, 2015 |
We sat down with Janinne recently on our blog to peel back the onion, get her take on marketing strategy and messaging, and find out what makes her tick. Here’s what we learned.
Elizabeth: So, since our readers can’t hear your accent, do you mind telling them where you’re from?
Janinne: Actually, yes, I do have an accent. That’s because I am originally from South Africa. Although, I’ve been in the US since late 1996 and am now lucky enough to be an American citizen. But, I do still have the accent.
Elizabeth: What brought you to the States?
Janinne: Well, I had just finished an MBA at the University of Cape Town Graduate School of Business and had the opportunity to participate in an exchange program at the Snider Center for Entrepreneurial Management at Wharton/University of Pennsylvania. I jumped at the chance to work as a consultant at the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) along with Wharton MBA students.
Elizabeth: Can you tell us about the clients you worked with?
Janinne: With an undergraduate degree in Journalism and psychology, the MBA was a fantastic learning opportunity for me around marketing strategy, among other things. What was really exciting at Wharton was the chance to see the theoretical concepts I had learned come to life. One of my favorite projects was working with a client who manufactured and sold life-sized artificial palm trees for hotels and motels along the Jersey shore. It was fun, it was funny, and it was a great lesson in production costs. Once we analyzed all of his costs, we realized that he was losing $60 on each tree he sold. Clearly, the implications for his business were dramatic. Our task was to help him streamline his manufacturing process and market the business to drive more revenue.
Elizabeth: Where did you go after your time at Wharton?
Janinne: I got a job as a product manager at a Philadelphia software company that specialized in sales force automation. This was a real baptism by fire as I had no technology experience. I was responsible for inbound product management and outbound product marketing. And that was the beginning of my career in technology marketing and marketing strategy in general. After that, I moved to Seattle and worked for Concur Technologies and RealNetworks before venturing into the start-up and consulting worlds.
Elizabeth: And what’s one of the biggest marketing challenges you’ve faced so far?
Janinne: That’s an easy one. I landed at RealNetworks as an Industry Marketing Manager for the enterprise and education segments. My job was to market RealServer (later Helix Universal Server), RealProducer and the enterprise version of RealPlayer. The challenge was that Microsoft had recently included the Windows Media technology into Windows Server and it was essentially free with purchase. It became critical to the job to understand what customers really valued about our products that was not available with the free alternative, and then be extremely disciplined about the messaging across every channel. Unfortunately, there was no silver bullet but we worked diligently to uncover every opportunity and turn that into a sale.
Elizabeth: Why did you decide to start Boost! Collective?
Janinne: I’d been working as a lone ranger for a long time – doing marketing consulting on my own and realized it would be much more interesting to bring together people with diverse but complementary skills to offer customers a much broader yet integrated set of services. My expertise, for example, is traditional marketing strategy, product positioning and messaging, content creation, product launches etc. But it becomes much more interesting for customers when we add you into the mix and include digital marketing and social media. Allison and Steven bring analytical rigor with their data-driven approach. Jill and Gretchen make sure that all the trains leave the station when they are supposed to and Jacqueline brings the magic of storytelling and a broad set of experiences gained in the nonprofit world. Together, I think we have something special to offer.
Elizabeth: I’ve heard you talk about the work you do with the CASA organization. What’s that about?
Janinne: I’ve been a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) for about 6 years. This is an incredible program that takes volunteers, trains them and then has the Juvenile Court appoint them to be advocates for children who are in the process of becoming or already are dependents of the State. The role of the CASA is to form an independent opinion of what’s in the best interests of the child and to report back to the court. The court is particularly interested in getting input into what the permanent plan for the child should be – returning home to their biological parents or becoming legally free to be adopted. This has been rewarding and, at times, heartbreaking work.
Elizabeth: Finally, we must talk about Mollie, your labradoodle and muse.
Janinne: (smiling) Mollie is so much more than a pet. She’s our companion and she makes every day more fun. Whether we’re hiking or camping or kayaking (she has her own life preserver), Mollie comes along and brings her good nature, curiosity and sense of adventure. I highly recommend that anyone considering adding someone furry to their family considers a labradoodle. They’re the best.
And now, it’s time for a cup of tea.
by Jacqueline Koch | Feb 27, 2015 |
Imagine a line-up of creative, inspiring individuals with eclectic interests. Each person will go onstage to deliver a five-minute presentation—a mini TED talk—with slides on the subject of their choice. The Secrets of the Winning Handshake. Eating Animal Parts and Feminism. Seeing the Unseen. Delving into the World of Anime.
Now imagine the guy from junior high among them, the one who lived for weekend math Olympics: big hair, chunky glasses, utterly indifferent to girls or fashion. Now he’s an exuberant 20-something, practically diving onto the stage (too many cans of Red Bull?) and he’s announced the title of his presentation: Parasitic Wasps are Awesome!
WTF?
Like I said: WTF? He is psyched and passionate about this curious genre of wasps, like the one that inhabits a caterpillar, then makes it change colors and do weird situp tricks. Parasitic wasps are AWESOME! We watch crazy slides of wasps at their weirdest flash up on the screen. Hands down this is cooler than anything I’ve ever seen on Animal Planet. How about this wasp: It immobilizes a cockroach, drags it around by its antenna—like a dog on a leash!— and then colonizes its body. Gross, but AWESOME! This guy’s enthusiasm is viral, his audience is mesmerized. He can’t wait to tell us more, racing from one slide the next, punching the air and lighting up the screen with his mantra: Parasitic wasps are AWESOME!
Can’t Get Those Wasps Out of My Head
Parasitic wasps are AWESOME! stuck with me in the days that followed. I told friends about it. I Googled it. I watched it again on You Tube. Not so with the 13 other presentations that faded into a vague recollection of thinly veiled platforms for self-promotion. Then it hit me. To feed the growing appetite of social media, Parasitic Wasps Are AWESOME is a winning formula. It’s an original mix of unexpected, fascinating, and above all, absolutely genuine marketing content, bundled together with humor.
Sometimes It’s An Insect, Sometimes It’s Also a Marketing Content Moment
What’s the take away? With the accelerating demand for content marketing , there’s a lot of unexplored territory out there. Take your audience on an adventure and don’t take yourself too seriously. Make it fun, make them laugh, and make it compelling.
And never forget: Parasitic wasps are AWESOME!
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