Yahoo, Tumblr & responsive marketing

I mentioned how certain social networks and online communities grow at a rapid rate.  Tumblr is one such sharing site that allows users to easily share images, video, blog posts and links.  It’s been in the news the past week because of a possible deal with Yahoo.  It was announced Monday that Yahoo has acquired Tumblr for $1.1 billion in cash.  No doubt Yahoo expects to grow its audience with this acquisition, but whether it is at the cost to Tumblr remains to be seen. The best part? Yahoo promises ‘not to screw it up’ in its official press release.

The notion of responsive web design is that where a single website design self-adjusts to be viewed on a variety of devices.  David Armano, Managing Director of Edelman Digital takes it one step further, proposing the notion of responsive marketing.

Useful reminder that when implementing your email marketing strategy, content really does matter.

Bad marketing + a year without the internet

This past week I asked you to share your worst customer service experiences.  One thing that was clear from all of your examples was that the companies in question were not thinking about how to help you.  It was about them.  So this article on bad marketing from ski marketing blog Slopefillers is very timely.

While this class is all about the internet, I found this article fascinating.  What happens when you go a year without the internet?

Finally, some food for thought – for what (and for whom) are you optimizing your website?

Customer service, marketing & sales + smartphone growth

Travel websites have changes a lot over the years, and Skift has a look back into the ‘way back’ machine at what Travelocity & company used to look like.

Caveat – this article isn’t specifically about website usability, but it relates to it. Who knew that a tax service would be an example of good customer service (and thus, usability)?

Sales is a direct result of marketing.  You knew that, right? If not, you’ll definitely want to read this post on Duct Tape Marketing.

Globally, mobile phone adoption is growing.  What does that mean for your online business?  Two words – be prepared.  That may mean m-commerce, a mobile specific design or optimizing your business for local (mobile) search.

Good copy, best time to send emails + title tags

Short post this week with a few relevant articles.  Want a quick 5 points extra credit? Read the articles and respond in the comments with one takeaway you learned.

• Further to last week’s module on website usability, here’s an article on everything you wanted to know about title tags.
• Here’s a tip – sending emails late at night can result in higher open and clickthrough rates, more transactions, and greater revenue per email, according to a recent study via eMarketer.
• And finally, something that will help not just your marketing skills, but how you communicate in class.  A guide to writing good copy.  My personal favorite is #2.

Website considerations – content, SEO and testing

Welcome to week two of Intro to Online Marketing. This week is all about website design, from architecture to content.

• The axiom ‘Content is king’ is particularly relevant for websites. The Duct Tape Marketing blog explains why your small business needs not just content, but really good content.
• Many of you have expressed interest in SEO. This course does not go into great detail, but I liked this article in Search Engine Guide because it talks about taking analytics in context, and looking at SEO performance as a whole.
• If the idea of testing elements of a website to better reach your objectives, this article in SEO Book may be useful.

Spring 2013 quarter welcome

Chances are that you’re reading this because you’ve enrolled in BSN 251: Introduction to Online Marketing at Lake Tahoe Community College.

Welcome!

I use this blog to provide relevant supplementary information related to the topics we cover.  Technology changes constantly, so as a marketer you should be prepared to keep up with those changes.  This blog aims to help you do just that.

Let’s begin with a video.  While the concept of online is mostly associated with desktop and laptop computers, it now includes mobile, thanks to the growth in smart phone and tablet usage.  The below illustrates how mobile usage is exploding, and why it’s important to widen our definition of ‘online’ to include mobile.

Value, engagement + social media tools

We’re approaching the final countdown to the end of the quarter, and since I’m sure you’re working diligently on the final project, I’ve kept the list of articles brief.

• I’ve emphasized the notion of creating value for your audience this quarter, and this article illustrates why it’s more important that ‘going viral’.
• How do you create social engagement? A few large brands offer their perspective in this article.
• Going back to the measurement module, Socialnomics has a list of 100 social media tools.  While it’s unlikely all of them are relevant to you or your client, there may be more than a few that you find useful.

Pre-weekend reading

• Remember the influencer scores like Klout and Kred mentioned in an earlier module? I came across an article that looks at why people may not want their data public for such scores, and the balance (or lack thereof?) between personal privacy and transparency.
• Social media marketing versus advertising on social sites – there is a difference.
• YouTube is changing its strategy, seeking more engagement through longer videos.  The cost here is a decrease in overall views, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

Social ads, semantic web, and offline branding

To think, just four weeks left in the quarter.  If you’ve not begun to consider your final project, I strongly recommend you start planning for it this week.  Once you’ve finished reading these articles, naturally!

• “Indeed, the chatter about the chatter has gotten so out of control that companies might be better off running ads next to media coverage of social media rather than on social media.” Or, why ads on social networks aren’t as successful as you might think.
• Six ways social media is changing communication…and marketing.
• Yes, this class is about social media online.  But don’t forget that there is a whole world out there beyond Facebook.  A world that is worth factoring in when you’re developing a marketing strategy.
• Wired has an interesting article on Facebook’s Open Graph.  We’ll talk about the future of social web later this quarter, but Facebook is getting closer to the vague-ish concept of the semantic web.

Facebook power users, ORM, and how Yahoo killed Flickr

• Going back to the module on influencers, this infographic on what a Facebook ‘power user’ looks like might be of interest to those of you who see Facebook as a priority for your clients.
• This article on how Yahoo made a number of bad decisions about Flickr is worth a read, as it explains the tendency of big corporations to buy  smaller upstarts (remember MySpace?) that won’t succeed, if only due to the nature of the corporate structure.
• AdWeek has an article that relates to this week’s module, looking at social media and why brands need to monitor it.
• Some not so surprising research on Google+ user activity levels.