Web trends, social media, viralmarketing

Web trends, social applications and viral marketing PER AXBOM, XLENT 0708 – 77 80 08 SUCCESSFUL DEVELOPMENT OF WEBSITES

My background (opens a Google Earth tour) http://www.axbom.se/files/axbom_country_tour.kmz

@ the axboms Honey, do you have the start page?

Common phrase when I am really asking for the first section of our morning newspaper

Agenda

Web trends

Web strategy and social media

SEO and viral marketing

The long tail of social media

Agenda

Web trends

www.vimeo.com

Moving from stand-alone computers to computer plants

The paradigm shift Production . Distribution . Consumption

Web 2.0

Web 2.0 is a term describing changing trends in the use of World Wide Web technology and web design that aims to enhance creativity, information sharing, collaboration and functionality of the web. Examples: social-networking sites, video sharing sites, wikis, blogs, and folksonomies.

While the debate is on about Web 2.0, most agree that Web 2.0 sites generally include some basic characteristics, such as:

Network as a platform

Users own the information / can influence the information

An architecture with participation and democracy that encourages users to give the site more value when they use it

Interactivity based on Ajax or other internet applications

Mashups

Social networking

Why blog?

Easy to publish

Comments

Pings

Trackbacks

RSS

standards

Blogs complete media

Web feeds (RSS, Atom)

RSS allows users to subscribe to content using a “feed reader”. They get updated content from a variety of sources without having to visit a website.

Podcasts Pod-TV http:// popurls.com /

Web trends Ajax Podcasting RSS Pod-TV IP-telephony Explorer Firefox Opera Chrome Personal content Open Source Online services Freeware Folksonomies Communities Bloggar Wikis CMS Apple Google Microsoft W3C RSS/XML Section 508 Mobile internet Technology Users Accessibility Players Trends Browsers search web 2.0 buy/sell SMS Mobile web Maps GPS Mobile

Online services Flickr MySpace YouTube LinkedIn Zoho 37signals Google Wikipedia Wordsmyth Blogger Wordpress Productivity self-publishing knowledge community del.icio.us rememberthemilk.com jotform.com tools Newsgator Bloglines Google Reader syndication Google Groups

Online services: jotform.com

Who’s web strategy is this? The faster our website visitors leave , the better.

Gmail Google Apps Calendar Groups Google Pack Google Docs and Spreadsheets Picasa Google Video YouTube Images <http://www.google.com/intl/en/options/> Blogger Google Sites Google Books Google Scholar Books Officeware Analytics Desktop Publishing Talk WiFi Telecom Multimedia Groupware E-commerce Music SMS Mobile Maps for mobile Google Base Froogle Checkout Mobile Maps

Random… I’m Feeling Lucky!

… or ingenious? Insure me!

Succeeding on the web RSS SMS E-post Code that follows standards Text-based alternatives Employee blogs Dialogue Podcasting Top in Google wins Accessibility Searchability Open conversations Syndication Self-service Interactive customer service Put users in charge Customer service decentralised information think beyond the internet Fast responses (Ajax) Fast iterations: test, evaluate Usability

Who do we listen to? Professional media is valued in the same way as private blogs.

(change tires on your car)

Confused? Who should I trust? To traditional corporations, networked conversations may appear confused, may sound confusing. But we are organizing faster than they are. We have better tools, more new ideas, no rules to slow us down. Cluetrain Manifesto www.cluetrain.com 1999

The long tail

How did we get here?

Social trends

Broadband, a generation of webbies (bloggers, social networks, IM) creators!

Business trends

Utilize the long tail, web services, insight about user value, openness

Technology trends

XML, agile development, maturity of web browsers

User-created!

Profitable!

Bungy jump – the insurance

Agenda

Web trends

www.vimeo.com

Web strategy Long-term purpose and goals. Assess business demands. Navigate through company politics. Understand user needs, human behavior, competition, partners, stakeholders All tools and technology; strengths, weaknesses, limitations, costs. Inspired by Jeremiah Owyang - www.web-strategist.com/ User Experience Business Tools frustration unprofitable in- efficiency

A web strategy can be broken down by activity

Business:

what are the business goals for this activity and what demands does this place on the solution? time, money, number-crunching...

User Experience:

in what context do we want to be seen (how do visitors find the site), what expectations do the visitors have based on these contexts?

what do we want the visitor to experience when he/she is on the website and when he/she has left the website?

design, color, language, images, interaction design...

Tools:

what tools can help us reach our business and user goals?

The Company

Internally What do employees need to know? What does management need to know? Who is best at providing that information? What tools do we provide for collecting and sharing knowledge?

Externally What do stakeholders want to know about us? What do we want to know about the stakeholders? Who is best at providing that information? What tools to we provide to collect and share knowledge?

Web communication 2.0 news blogs social media web services web communication

Where do we want to go?

Are they talking about your company? Do they have good ideas? Are they active in social media? Are you in?

What’s stopping us?

Ignorance

Fear / worry

” Our employees will expose our secrets”

” Our employees will make us look bad”

” Our stakeholders will give us a hard time”

” We will be up to our necks in mean comments”

” It will be embarassing...”

The ignorant firewall... Corporate Censorship: Half of Employers block Facebook Behavioral rules on Second Life

What value can

social media

bring companies?

Social media...

increases sales

contributes to market intelligence

encourages self-support

give us opportunity to build better products

add to an authentic conversation that the market appreciates

reaches target groups

motivates target groups

Corporate Storytelling

Corporate Storytelling identifies, harvests and packages companies’ true (usually) stories about themselves, their clients, products and services. This it to mobilize and use them in brand building , marketing and in the ongoing work with values, company culture and identity..

As such, the stories support recruitment and business operations . They are important resources next to the numbers, tables and diagrams. They are a part of the organisation’s cultural capital and can of course also be used all the way into commercial messages .

Dove Film 2 1 min 16 s http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-kSZsvBY-A Film 1 1 min 14 s http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hibyAJOSW8U

Summary

Social applications on the internet are a goldmine for Corporate Storytelling .

Project blogs

GM

H&M

Multimedia press releases

Use your community!

IHT

Arla

Web services, not websites

Connect people

Make your content portable, don’t lock it down

The decentralised website

Agenda

Web trends

www.vimeo.com

Evolution of search engines

Anonymous FTP sites (Archie)

Robots / Crawlers (*crash*)

Web directories

Spiders (RBS)

Search directories (Aliweb)

Excite (Architext – concept-based)

Yahoo (David Filo, Jerry Yang)

AltaVista (natural language, boolean, tips)

Meta Engines (compilations, mashups)

Google

Limited area search engines

Relevancy ranking based on backlinks

Natural language searching

Clustering/cataloging information

Image searching

Multilingual searching and translations

The shift to simplicity

1993 1990 1994 1995 1997

SERP

SEO – What is it?

Making sure that a website appears in the top results in the search engine results for specific keywords. The core ambition is to increase volume of traffic to the website.

Making sure that search engines easily can read the content on a website and that users, who are looking for the type of content that you are offering, can find you.

SEO – the tools

Title

Headings

Links

Content

Other aspects (permalinks, age…)

User-Centric

SEO

The SEO business exists solely because people who build and run websites do not know what they are doing . If people and companies managed the structure of their websites, gave them good titles and headings and texts that are target group oriented there would be no need for companies that work only with search engine optimisation.

But it’s no small potato

In Sweden:

Search word marketing has grown this year by 67 %

In two years it has grown by 560 %

Total spending on online advertisements has surpassed printed media in 2008

5 billion SEK spent on online media (total media spending 32 billion)

“ Search word marketing” consists of both sponsored links and search engine optimisation.

The story 330 words (SEO is always dirty)

The effect

7 blog articles by renound SEO professionals

each blog post on average 500 words

Comments on Computer Sweden’s website

Comments in the blogs

Debate in the Swedish online SEO Forum

13 500 words 28 pages in Word

Most read article?

Media linking to blogs

RSS feeds /

Google blog search

Twingly

Knuff

Statistics – referring sites

Statistics – keywords

Tactics

Who is linking to the article?

Who is linking to the blogs?

Who is commenting on the posts?

Respond!

Where is the summary of the ongoing discussion?

Right here

The outcome After analysis, I liked just about everything in Per Axbom’s article except the headline. Of course we are all working with manipulation. That Google (currently) thinks what we do is OK does not mean they always will. In another time we are all black hats.

Next-generation SEO / SEM

Know the internet

Know how to search

By taking part in the online discussions you can control discussions, gain approval, create interest for your ideas and create new business alliances

If you do not do anything these discussions will take place out of your reach and out of your control. And: The discussions are “permanent”

You can never un-Google yourself

Online discussions

Initiated decisions are taken somewhere else, before you come to the corporate web

blogs wikis social networks podcasts user forums artificial branding corporate-speak tagging user films

Viral marketing

Viral marketing and viral advertising refer to marketing techniques that use pre-existing social networks to produce increases in brand awareness , through self-replicating viral processes , analogous to the spread of pathological and computer viruses. It can be word-of-mouth delivered or enhanced by the network effects of the Internet . Viral marketing is a marketing phenomenon that facilitates and encourages people to pass along a marketing message voluntarily . Viral promotions may take the form of funny video clips, interactive Flash games, advergames, images, or even text messages.

Going viral on Youtube

Mobile phone popcorn?

Will it blend?

John Edwards – Feeling Pretty http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2AE847UXu3Q John Edwards – Hair http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y1qG6m9SnWI

Viral marketing

Hotmail

Cancerfonden

DropSend

Dove

Subservient Chicken

Million Dollar Homepage

Most used method: free

Tip a friend / e-postcard

E-books (free whitepapers)

Free software

Free knowledge

Quizzes…

Interactive video

With great power comes great responsibility…

Respond!

A good user experience

A story to tell

Positive feedback

Reasons to evaluate / measure

Engagement / Commitment

Quick reactions give

Short timelines Skilled web team Clear planning Concise documentation information about the user change / reaction

Mitt gäng Ideas

Agenda

Web trends

www.vimeo.com

ok, what is the long tail? 80/20-rule, Pareto Principle, the law of the vital few, principle of factor sparcity

but seriously, why is the long tail making everybody horny? Source: gapingvoid : "cartoons drawn on the back of business cards" http://www.gapingvoid.com/Moveable_Type/archives/002693.html

so really... bye bye 80/20 rule, welcome long tail... We sold more books today that didn’t sell at all yesterday than we sold today of all the books that did sell yesterday. - Amazon-employee in his blog

excuse me, but WHAT!? the books we sold yesterday and today (every day) the books that are less often sold are more than the books that are sold everday business business development

ok, i get it... sort of. explain social media? Social media are people communicating with each other online. Blogs Microblogs Social networks Chat RSS Widgets Social bookmarks Forum Podcasts Video sharing Photo sharing Virtual worlds Wikis and so on... tools enable people experience

communicating? why aren’t they watching TV? participation confidence exchange acknowledgement communication

why do people persist in this? I write blogs and participate in social networks because I can reach millions of people at once. I like the rush and feel empowered. I like blogs and their ideas. They tell the truth, not like ads.

Companies that don't realize their markets are now networked person-to-person, getting smarter as a result and deeply joined in conversation are missing their best opportunity.

Companies can now communicate with their markets directly. If they blow it, it could be their last chance.

Companies need to realize their markets are often laughing. At them.

Companies need to lighten up and take themselves less seriously. They need to get a sense of humor.

Getting a sense of humor does not mean putting some jokes on the corporate web site. Rather, it requires big values, a little humility, straight talk, and a genuine point of view.

cluetrain manifesto

how did this happen?

people are social – we live in communities – we share experiences – we seek company, friends, like-minded

social networks allow us to be people – only more efficiently

http://current.com/items/77385841_computer_nerd_auction

do I really have to care? 36% 32% of active Internet users look more positively upon companies that have blogs of active Internet users trust blogger’s views on products and services Networked markets are beginning to self-organize faster than the companies that have traditionally served them. Thanks to the web, markets are becoming better informed, smarter, and more demanding of qualities missing from most business organizations. - Cluetrain Manifesto 1999. McCann Social Media Tracker, Wave 3, March 2008

but seriously: isn’t it just a passing fad? Wikipedia 4,000,000 articles Youtube 100,000,000 movies Blogs >200,000,000 blogs Second Life 1,500,000 inhabitants Facebook 90,000,000 members Myspace 185,000,000 members 66% 30,197 18,226 Middle East - Africa 33% 53,248 40,098 Latin America 9% 131,255 120,848 North America 35% 165,256 122,527 Europe 23% 200,555 162,738 Asia Pacific 25% 580,510 464,437 Worldwide Percent Change Jun-08 Jun-07 Unique Visitors (000) Social Networking Growth by Worldwide Region June 2008 vs. June 2007 Total Worldwide Audience, Age 15+ - Home and Work Locations Source: comScore World Metrix 19% 21,041 17,638 Skyrock Network 32% 24,017 18,200 BEBO.COM 41% 34,028 24,120 Orkut 50% 37,080 24,675 FRIENDSTER.COM 100% 56,367 28,174 HI5.COM 3% 117,582 114,147 MYSPACE.COM 153% 132,105 52,167 FACEBOOK.COM 25% 580,510 464,437 Social Networking 11% 860,514 778,310 Total Internet : Total Audience % Change Jun-2008 Jun-2007 Total Unique Visitors (000) Worldwide Growth among Selected Social Networking Sites June 2008 vs. June 2007 Total Worldwide Audience, Age 15+ Home and Work Locations Source: comScore World Metrix 1055% 11,931 1,033 Latin America 403% 14,951 2,974 Middle East - Africa 458% 20,712 3,712 Asia Pacific 303% 35,263 8,751 Europe 38% 49,248 35,698 North America 153% 132,105 52,167 FACEBOOK.COM % Change Jun-2008 Jun-2007 Total Unique Visitors (000) Worldwide Growth for Facebook.com June 2008 vs. June 2007 Total Worldwide Audience, Age 15+ Home and Work Locations Source: comScore World Metrix

hmmm, we’re ahead in the west... Asia’s slipping?

look again

okay, but what are all these people doing? watching video clips online reading blogs reading personal blogs visiting photo sharing services handling one or more profiles on social networks leaving comments on blogs uploading photos to photo sharing services leaving comments on news sites downloading podcasts running their own blog uploading video clips on video sharing sites subscribing to RSS-feeds 83% 79% 68% 63% 57% 55% 52% 46% 45% 39% 39% 34% McCann Social Media Tracker, Wave 3, March 2008

isn’t it a bit embarassing?

Earlier users cared much more about personal integrity. People were pissed off when pictures of them turned up on the web and cried that it was upsetting personal integrity. This situation has changed with the wide adoption of social networks. Now, personal expression and exploration are guiding users. We register and publish, willingly, highly private information om what books and films we like – a goldmine for advertisers.

Ro Choy, Rock You

but how many friends can one person have? close contacts acquaintances ” old” contacts no relation

how long is a piece of string?

but I can’t take it all in... information we are being suscepted to tid our brain’s ability to handle information

so you just plug your brain into the computer? http://nehatiwari.com/2007/11/08/social-network-schizophrenia/

sure, but sometimes I just don’t have the energy to participate... identification belonging commitment

ok ok, but what does social media have to do with the long tail?

people reach reach social networks how many contacts does each person have? how many members does each network have?

Per Axbom’s contacts on LinkedIn Aug 22, 2008 Person (1 to 150) Number of contacts

reach social network myspace facebook orkut golf link GC website Peter’s blog

reach social network identification belonging commitment

reach social network level of participation

why is participation important? A person who is commited to your product will help market/sell your product A person who feels belonging with your product is a returning customer. A person who identifies with your product buys once.

do-it-yourself networks : Ning http://blog.pmarca.com/2007/09/ning-passes-100.html Create the embryo of a social network in 2 minutes use OpenSocial FriendConnect >150 000 (January2008) more that 70% active

what? an IKEA for social networks?

plug-and-play-network: Google Friend Connect

Websites that are not social networks may still want to be social — and now they can be, easily. With Google Friend Connect (see http://www.google.com/friendconnect following this evening’s Campfire One), any website owner can add a snippet of code to his or her site and get social features up and running immediately without programming — picking and choosing from built-in functionality like user registration, invitations, members gallery, message posting, and reviews, as well as third-party applications built by the OpenSocial developer community.

Visitors to any site using Google Friend Connect will be able to see, invite, and interact with new friends, or, using secure authorization APIs, with existing friends from social sites on the web, including Facebook, Google Talk, hi5, orkut, Plaxo, and more.

customer service network: getsatisfaction.com

Demand Media : filling up the long tail Demand Media is building the leading vertical media network and world's largest content and social media marketplace connecting content creators, users and publishers on a mass scale. Richard Rosenblatt

social media aggregator and directory upload video and podcasts (South Africa) a web app that maps SMS reports of violence by location

marketing 2.0 – how many bubbles are there? Listen. Understand. Dive in. Blow your own horn. Discuss. Participate. Share. Control. Inspire. Influence. Engage.

the tail can’t fail, right? Lengthen your tail Where are the most committed users? Give them the tools they need to understand and spread the word on your product/service. Think: niche networks, blogs, customer support, your own website, offline research Widen your tail How do I expand the reach of my products/services? Think: accessibility, commited users, offline, new channels engagerad användare med stor räckvidd = jackpot

web strategy for social media

monitor what people think and say about your company / product

increased revenu by reaching a long tail of people

the business can engage people (and technology) to broaden it’s reach

tools must be simple, cost-efficient and ”plug in” with social media

reuse common tools on the web with a large user base to create widgets, RSS feeds, video- /photo sharing, etceteras...

offer a dialogue around the brand

give away content

be personal about your company, be open (show real people)

be where the users are (easy to find)

create a central profile for the company

offer quick responses, be first to communicate in a crisis

User Experience Business Tools

Use the right tool for the job based on the report ”How to choose the right social technologies”, by Josh Bernoff Development speed Communities/suggestions Embracing Development Decrease in calls Forums/wikis/social networks Supporting Support Members, buzz Communities/widgets/ tip a friend (viral) Energizing Sales Awareness, sales Blogs/social networks/UGC Talking Marketing Insight Communities/brand monitoring Listening Research SUCCESS METRICS SOCIAL APPLICATIONS OBJECTIVE FUNCTION

Copyright © 2005 by XLENT No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means - electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise - without the permission of XLENT. This document provides an outline of a presentation and is incomplete without the accompanying oral commentary and discussion. thank you live the presentation <axbom.se/presentationer> and Slideshare the movie e-mail to your friends post on facebook / other sites comment / ask connect with me online: http://www.linkedin.com/in/axbom

Internet everywhere