Twitter partners up with SoundCloud

On October 16, 2014, Twitter launched its Twitter Audio Card and announced its collaboration with SoundCloud, allowing you to stream audio directly from your feed. This new feature allows for links to audio content to be posted in tweets, meaning influential musicians and media producers now have the ability to share unique audio content with their followers via Twitter.

As an advocate for SoundCloud (you can check out my page here Bec’s SoundCloud) I’m pretty excited about this collaboration. Using this Twitter Audio Card I can now discover and listen to new content from my favourite musicians whilst scrolling through my Twitter feed. The audio continues playing even if you click on other links or click out of the app. The only downfall is that the Twitter Audio Card is currently only available to a select number of partners and creators, meaning that I myself cannot tweet an audio link to show my followers songs that I am loving.

Many artists such as Alt-J, Coldplay and David Guetta are already taking advantage of the new feature by tweeting links of their new material to their millions of followers. This new card is Twitter’s attempt to make accessing and listening to music easier. However it is not only used for music, it is also a tool to stream podcasts and other audio content via your feed.

I think it’s a great idea, what do you guys think? Do you think it will be a success?

Apple Pay

Apple Pay is scheduled to launch in the US next month. Users of Apple Pay will be able to link their bank account details with their iTunes account and make contactless payments with their iPhones, similar to paywave.

 Genius! Right?

What can’t you do with a phone these days?

But swiping your card at the counter is one of the easiest things to do, and lets face it, when don’t you have your phone and wallet on you. What difference does it make whether you use your phone or a card?

The only time I can think of when I wouldn’t have my phone or my card on me is when I am going for a run or a walk. This is when the Apple Watch could come in handy. The Apple Watch is also compatible with Apple Pay, so if I wanted to grab a coffee whilst I was out on a run, instead of stuffing my bra with coins I could simply make a contactless payment with the Apple Watch. Now that’s convenient!

There is still no confirmation as to when Apple Pay will be launched in Australia, but if it is would you consider ditching the plastic?

The Do’s and Don’ts for Retailers on Instagram

Last week my friend Nicola (http://dialmformarketing.wordpress.com) and I were given the task of creating an instructional video for our MKF3881 class that depicted the way a social media tool can generate customer value for a brand.

We chose to look into Instagram and how it can be used by retailers to promote themselves and ultimately create a stronger brand image and a larger customer base.

The challenge was trying to come up with a creative way to present this instructional video without boring you guys to much! We decided to portray the top five ways your retail brand (or any brand for that matter) can utilise Instagram to generate customer value by creating a fake fashion brand Instagram account called “SexyKittenFashion” to show you guys what not to do! We then contrasted these poor examples with real life fashion brand Instagram’s that have excelled in marketing their brands through Instagram.

Here’s what we came up with:

Let us know what you think!

Anybody finding themselves compelled to follow SexyKittenFashion to see their next Instagram disaster!?

One of the most essential sales tools for retailers in their digital marketing strategy

Who wants to pay shipping…?

Who else is guilty of finding a dress they really want for the weekend on a website that charges shipping, then searching all other websites to find the same dress with free shipping?

Who else consciously chooses to shop online at a website that has free shipping?

Paying for shipping is so yesterday.

A joint study was conducted by the Australian Retailers Association (ARA) and ChannelAdvisor (an e-commerce solution provider) whereby 400 Australian retailers were surveyed. The results of this study indicated that free shipping was one of the top ways to generate customer satisfaction, with 65% of retailers already using free shipping as a crucial sales tool.

 

Keeping up with the ever-changing digital marketing trends can be difficult. It is essential that retailers plan their digital marketing strategies and vital that they think about providing free shipping if they are not already doing so. With that being said, if everybody jumps on the bandwagon and provides free shipping, it will no longer be a point of differentiation but rather an industry standard. But meeting consumers’ current and future needs is essential for any retailer.

Do you think free shipping is an essential sales tool for online retailers?

Cross-Device Marketing

What is cross-device marketing?

Cross-device marketing is basically an integrated way of using several digital platforms to reach the same user. This could mean targeting them through a combination of smartphones, tablets, laptops, television etc.

 

Why do marketers need to utilize these platforms?

Consumer’s attention is constantly being fragmented across different media devices. As a result, consumers are using more devices to access the web and it is becoming more important that marketers exploit the use of different devices in their campaign strategies. If marketers don’t implement this cross-device strategy into their campaigns, they risk missing out on interacting with certain consumers for specific periods of time.

Depending on the time of day, the prime usage time for different devices varies. For example research has shown that computers or laptops will be used mostly during the day whilst tablets will be used mostly at night. Smartphones are generally used consistently throughout the day and the night. It is imperative that marketers recognize and understand how, when and why consumers use different media devices. In light of this, marketers can consequently plan how, when and where they should target their consumer. The consumer should be at the core of any cross-device strategy plan.

A cross-device strategy is a cost efficient way of expanding the reach of campaigns and retargeting the same user across devices. However, because it is relatively new, there are tracking and reporting complexities associated with this strategy.

 

How can cross-device marketing be measured?

The ultimate goal of maintaining a distinctive reach across mobiles, desktops and television is still in its initial stages and as a result a universal measurement strategy is yet to be created. Measurement firms such as comScore and Nielsen offer combined measurements for mobile and desktop campaigns, however these measurements are too specific and cannot be applied to all campaigns. Marketers today are seeking a broader set of measurements that can be applied to their cross-device campaigns to determine its effectiveness.

Important features and capabilities that need to be considered in the measurement process are:

          The accuracy of the method used to target consumers across multiple devices

          The ability to enhance effectively across multiple devices

          The ability to reach the same users across multiple devices

A universal cross-device measurement strategy needs to be devised to measure campaign effectiveness. It needs to include measurements of:

          The reach across all screens

          The performance by device and in combination across multiple devices

          The return on advertising investment

          The impact on brand lift in combination across multiple devices

          The impact of sales in combination across multiple devices

 

Google and AOL have acknowledged the driving demand for a cross device measurement system and as a result have purchased measurement specialists in an attempt to discover a big picture measurement perspective.

As a marketer, would you like to see a unified strategy to measure the fragmented digital marketplace?

Hyperlapse

Instagram launched its new app Hyperlapse this week and brands are already jumping on the bandwagon to test out its marketing worth.

The app allows users to create videos and then speed them up between 1x and 12x the original pace creating a time lapse effect. It also includes a stabiliser that allows videos to be filmed in motion without the quality of the video being affected. You don’t need a Facebook or Instagram account to use the app, however you can put the time lapsed videos on these social media channels to reach the rest of the world.

Mountain Dew and Bud Light are a few of the brands that have been testing out this app so far, here are examples of what they have done with it.

http://instagram.com/p/sLyJ9CC8oI/?utm_source=partner&utm_medium=embed&utm_campaign=video&modal=true

http://instagram.com/p/sLcxqGhQ4e/?utm_source=partner&utm_medium=embed&utm_campaign=video&modal=true

Consumers today are fast paced and marketers have the difficult job of trying to grab their attention within a few seconds. This app allows more visuals to be viewed in a smaller period of time, which could definitely be beneficial for social marketing campaigns.

What do you think?

Could Hyperlapse be the next big thing in social media campaigns?

Would you use it?

#TheNextBigThing

Many nonprofit organisations are now turning to social media campaigns to promote their cause and connect with potential donors. It makes sense as the associated costs are minimal and the audience that the campaigns are able to reach is on a global scale. My only question is, whilst these campaigns obviously generate awareness about the organisations cause, do they actually aid in generating donations? Awareness is great, but at the end of the day the nonprofits need donations.

The risk these campaigns run is that people may feel as though they have done their bit for cancer by uploading a philtered photo on Instagram #nomakeup and BAM they have done their good deed for the day… Reality is they haven’t actually done anything to assist in the research to help fight cancer. They haven’t donated anything and they probably don’t think they need to after their contribution of a photo.

 

One of the fatal flaws to this campaign is the format in which individuals #nomakeupselfie without mentioning anything about the charity or links to their websites. As a result there was a disassociation between cancer research and the campaign, leading to a mere $2 million being raised. This may sound like a lot, but if the campaign were executed properly this figure could have been a lot higher.

The ice bucket challenge is an example of a charity that got it right. A strong association between the challenge and the disease (amyotrophic lateral scelerosis) was formed as the campaign was called #ALSicebucketchallenge. Rules were also outlined – if you accepted your nomination participants were to donate $10 if they poured ice water over their heads or $100 if they chose not to. Although these rules may not always be strictly adhered to, their existence makes it more likely that individuals will not only promote awareness by posting their videos but also actually donate to the cause.

 

As a result the #ALSicebucketchallenge has already raised over $50 million for the Motor Neurone Disease Association. It just goes to show that if charities implement a social media campaign properly, it has the potential to be #thenextbigthing.

What would you do differently in these campaigns to generate more actual donations?

Facebook Knows All

So the other day I was googling flights to South Africa, and then the next day I noticed my Facebook news feed was clogged with Trip Advisor advertisements for accommodation in Cape Town.

I thought to myself:

            How does my Facebook know that I’m going to South Africa!?

            Freaky…

It definitely got me thinking that’s for sure, I was very curious to understand how Facebook could specifically target advertisements towards me based on the websites I have been browsing.

The answer is FBX – Facebook’s Ad Exchange

 

Basically, Facebook uses cookies in your browser to track your online activities, and uses that information to strategically place advertisements it knows you will be interested in.

Genius! Right?

But does anyone else feel like their privacy is slightly invaded?

My whole outlook towards Facebook has now changed. I used to think that I was the one who determined what pages I liked or what posts I shared. But now I am realizing that everything in my feed has been strategically placed by advertisers that know everything about my online history.

            Stalkerish much?

These targeted advertisements are definitely a stroke of genius from a business perspective, but for consumers it is very invasive.

How do you feel about Facebook tracking your every move online?

It’s all About the Heading

With an abundance of information being provided to us left right and centre on social media, news forums have the difficult task of attracting consumers to click on their articles with an enticing sentence. Basically they have to encapsulate their audience with just a few words.

More and more news forums, such as Mamamia and Pedestrian.tv are choosing Facebook as a way to stream their articles to the world.

I don’t know about you guys but I definitely get most of my news knowledge now from these links on Facebook – it is always keeping me in the loop – mostly because the headings are so luring that I can’t help but click them!

Like this post for example:

 

Say what? Who could resist the temptation of finding out how it is possible to marry your own brother…

Or this post:

 

Who doesn’t want to see Barack rap Iggy!?

I am often disappointed when I do click these links though, the headings get me excited for the article – but the actual contents itself usually lets it down, I guess you could say the article peaks to soon. When I clicked on the Barack link, I was excited to see the US president possibly caught off guard singing. But when I watched the video I realized it was just a compilation of him saying the words throughout different speeches.

The goal is to get consumers to click the link though, and even though I know I am usually disappointed with the contents, it doesn’t stop me from continually being drawn in by the headings. So I think this is a very effective way of drawing in an audience – it gets me every time.

With that, I will leave you with one last link and a question. I would love to hear your feedback!

 

Is your news feed clogged with eye-catching headings?

Would you click this link if it appeared in your news feed?

Are ‘likes’ becoming a new form of global currency?

I’m sure you are very familiar with these symbols:

In fact I am almost positive many of you would click these buttons several times a day. So why does it mean so much for companies to get their consumers to ‘like’ their social media campaigns?

Traditionally currencies are specific to particular countries or regions but are ‘likes’, ‘views’ and ‘shares’ becoming somewhat of a globally accepted digital currency? When it comes to determining the worth of a marketing campaign, this appears to be increasingly the case.

It makes sense that a company would track the success of their campaign through a return on investment and ultimately the profits that they see. However in todays day and age the presence of digital marketing and the success of a campaign is often measured through the amount of likes generated rather than monetary value. So what’s all the fuss about? Why are companies putting in so much time and effort to launch social media campaigns to get ‘likes’ and online popularity, when this practice does not directly generate any financial return?

A possible explanation is the more online presence a company can generate with their core target market, results in the likelihood of that market choosing their brand over the competition. Many contemporary firms are becoming more market oriented in their operations. Accordingly, by increasing the positive interaction a firm has with its customer base is considered to be highly beneficial. An interesting and engaging social frontage allows firms not only to attract new customers but also assists in retaining those already engaging in their business.

So amongst many other factors, a successful marketing campaign will have more ‘likes’ than their competitors. While things such as likes and views can obviously not be dealt with as literal currency, they are increasingly becoming a strong indicator of financial success. Unlike real currency, a like is universal.

I would love to hear your feedback on this topic.