Where did all the teens go?

One of the most popular social media sites are asking themselves where did the teenage demographic go? They have seen a decrease in users from the second to third quarters of 2013. Facebook conducted research to determine and finalize why this has been happening. They dropped from the second to third quarter with participation and activity within the teen category.

They have determined that this target has moved onto other mobile apps such as: Vine, Instagram, Snapchat, Foursquare and more. Vine ownedby Twitter has grown 639% in the last quarter according to a research group. The application SnapChat has been proven more popular then LinkedIn and Vine among this target market.

Overall this demographic has switched over to a mobile device rather than a computer or laptop. Facebook messenger app has seen more growth then Facebook itself. What can Facebook do to regain the teen’s attention?

From my own experience, I have the majority of the apps mentioned above and the reason I choose to Snapchat someone or Instagram is because it is fast, efficient and simple. It has one aspect you can do, for example those who don’t know Instagram is a photosharing application. You can put filters or crop pictures with captions…that’s it. You scroll through your news feed to see what other people have been posting and may even comment or like on one. SnapChat is a photo sharing application as well but with a twist! You take a photo and send it to the contacts you wish to see it for a specific amount of designated time. Once the person you sent it to opens the “snap” the time counts down until it hits zero which is when the picture disappears for good. The contact can screen shot the picture which then would be saved to their phone but at that point you will be notified who screen shot it.

 Facebook embodies many types of communication. It not only allows you to share, like and comment on photos but incorporates Twitter with being able to update statuses and Foursquare by checking into current locations. It’s a hub to do everything. Facebook can use this to their advantage. Who wants to have multiple apps doing multiple things when you do it all in one place? Teens are starting to put Facebook on the backburner. Facebook needs to show the easiness of sharing information or come up with a new way to communicate that these other apps don’t have.

Tweet to Sales!

Using Twitter To The Advantage

Kim Garst is a believer in Twitter and the results it can prove when used properly. I agree with her when she says that Twitter is the most important consumer based mediums since Google. It’s a quick and easy way to post thoughts and information. Anything said with purpose and value can create an impact. Although it is a social media site it can be content heavy and help to build relationships with potential clients. It’s a great way to see what the consumer is saying and to gain feedback right away from your customers. Twitter can be the difference between the highest market share and the second. Using Twitter appropriately to the company or business is the key to using this medium.

Twitter is an “instant fame” it requires a thought our plan, work, time and patience to see results. “Go at and attack Twitter.” Selling involves talking to people and communication. What’s a better platform then Twitter where communication is the basis of it. Twitter is where you can build a community and relationships with those that can be prospects or even turn into advocates for you. I totally agree with her when she says “nobody likes to be sold too” so don’t make it about selling. Of course have your offer or sale available/known but make it more about the customers thoughts, feelings, response to what you are selling.

Kim mentions about separating personal and corporate accounts. Its hard to separate the two, they blend together on social platforms. She makes a good point in saying that people like to deal with other people. Its hard to separate the two, they blend together on social platforms. Why not be more of a person to your customers and let them know whom they are talking too. By being personable to your prospects you can build relationships, which will then be helpful when determining what your ideal customer is like, what they do and what their problems are.

The consumers problems are how you are going to be able to generate appropriate content targeted to them. A consumer doesn’t search out results they search out what’s wrong and look for answers; make sure you have the answer to them, be useful and valuable.

Concluding this, Kim has wise advice to give in improving your twitter skills to grow traffic and sales. It’s all about your consumers, what they need, want, expect from you as a business. Don’t forget who your audience is!

Follow Me On Twitter!

Visuals is worth a 1000 customers!

We all know the famous saying "a picture is worth a 1000 words", well that could not be more true in a social extent. People like to see visuals, graphics, videos and more to stay engaged. There is an increase in posts or tweets or blogs with embedded video or attached images. Sure words can be engaging, but what does the consumer notice first? A paragraph of words or a video clip leading into the paragraph...I would go with the video. More and more social platforms that deal with visuals are being used to engage consumers in this popular visual way. Platforms such as Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube and so on.

Newly added to those platforms are those such as: Vine, or Instagrams video option, or SnapChat. Businesses such as Dunkin' Donuts, Ford and GE have jumped on these formats to show their consumers a unique and different way to gain attention and possibly create shares. Not only are shares great for awareness but can help to measure the success of visuals. Shares can also lead to advocates who will then be marketing the brand for you.

Visual sharing has increased in the past year. People consider themselves "curators" of items they share or re-post. Vine for example is a way to grab peoples attention in a short, creative way. Unruly Media found that online videos are four times LESS likely to be shared then a Vine.

I know for myself I am more likely to watch a 30 second video then read a long blog. I would rather have something to look at then be reading. I notice that in this generation everything is about image and design. Everything has to be appealing in some way and using visuals is a great way to do that.
Check out what these brands have done with their visual social approach.
GE
LuLuLemon
Dunkin' Donuts

They Shoot They Score! Journal Entry

Every canadian knows that you should either be a super fan of hockey or pretend you are when asked. We are very passionate about this traditional sport (majority during the season). "Hockey is a source of personal or collective pride in Canada." What better way to engage a bunch of canadians then using this leverage of hockey?! If your demographic is males between the ages 19 to 35 and enjoys to watch or participate in sports within Canada, why not use hockey!

Using hockey to their advantage is exactly what Molson Coors Canada has done. The new campaign is themed "Anything for hockey." It all relates back to how far would a canadian go for the sport. It aired its first spot "The Hockey Sacrifice" during one of the most popular rivals in hockey, the Leafs vs. Montreal game. The call to action at the end "tell us what you would do for hockey" is what got the buzz going on social media mediums as well. Consumers were told to use the hashtag #anythingforhockey. They wanted to have digital and social channels more then they have had before. The goal is to create a constant conversation around hockey with Molson as the leader. "Hockey represents an extremely important pillar of our strategy for the brand."

Creating a conversation on social media will gain more attention for the brand. It will also increase its influencing status and twitter followers/participation. People will want to keep tabs on what is being said or what has happened with this campaign. They made this campaign based on a personal level with canadians. Its a brilliant way to reach that target market. This could also relate back to my previous blog about multi-channel use. Using multiple channels is what Molson Coors Canada is doing. They have realized the power and importance of social media and want to use it in a "bigger way then ever."

Appealing to the Generation

Link it all together!

Being in the mobile, technology savvy generation I can back up that while watching a show, I have my laptop open and my phone beside me. During boring parts of the show, I search my Twitter feed online or read threw the latest gossip on Miley Cyrus. In between explicit pictures of Miley and updating my status I am replying to a text or pinning something to my Pinterest account on my mobile. Having multiple screens at home is becoming more popular. People use each device for different things but they all can be used for one single purpose, to advertise.

"From smartphones and tablets to laptops and television, 90% of all media interactions today are screen-based"

Using multi-screen advertising links all devices together by having the same idea throughout different tech formats. A website would have a different layout then a mobile site, just like an ad on TV would be different then one on a website.

Some companies are now having the same interaction between all three components. Businesses such as Impact Engine, who claim to be the leading rich media platform, announced the completion of its HTML"Multi-Screen" ad conversion initiative. This allows companies to unify all the mediums at a valuable price. For example shows are now asking people to tweet to cast members or for their opinion on the show and what they want to see next. They may have a contest with a key word asking to go to the website and tweet it out for the chance for a prize.

This generation people are likely to have multiple devices at the ready, which creates opportunity for interaction. They also have been purchasing on different devices. The mobile phone is one of those devices that people are now using to shop directly while in store  “65 percent of online searches began on a smartphone”.

Because people using these devices may be on the go its important to have good content and easy navigation to where you want them to go. "You should check this out" or "Have you seen" are ways to lead consumers in the direction you want. Realizing whom your target is on each device then relating and designing your site to accommodate them will prove to higher results. Keeping your sites up to date and relevant will benefit you when your customer can quickly get to where they want to go. Using Search Optimization will keep you at the top of consumers list within search engines making you the first option to go too. Not only do you want to strive to be first but to take up the whole page.

   Click here to see five distinct profiles ofmulti-channel shoppers.

Is Content Marketing Worth it?

With all the different types of social media advertising available now a days, it’s hard to decide which type is best suited for campaigns within the different industries. Content marketing is one of the newest forms of digital marketing and is sometimes over looked. Companies are wondering if content marketing is worth putting a budget into, and if it is an effective way to reach consumers. Not only does it reach consumers on a personal level, it turns browsers into buyers and buyers into influencers. What is better then having someone who loves your product or service be the ones to sell/market it for you? This makes it seem less like marketing and more personable or real. Every company should have an online presence.

As written in Ann Handley’s book “Content Rules”, content marketing gives businesses a chance to “converse” with their consumers, to know what they like or don’t like about the product/service. Knowing your customer better then they know themselves is the best way to reach them and be on their level. Making sure the content is related to them in either: a problem solving way, a helpful way, or a knowledgeable way can help to keep customers engaged. This conversational feel is what makes the customer feel safe and wanted. Consumers in this age can look up the answers they want on the Internet, making sure your content is creative and relative will make them come back to you.

“Boasting cannot ignite a real conversation the ‘look at my product’ approach also fails because it leaves nothing to talk about.”-This is known as interruption marketing. This approach doesn’t work anymore. People expect more and are learning that marketing sometimes isn’t always true.

One of the main cornerstones of content marketing is to tell a story with the content. Telling a significant, creative story will then build buzz and can then create a fan base. Look at what Snickers accomplished. They launched a global campaign that Mars wanted to give Snickers “more of an emotional appeal by taking a ‘storytelling’ approach.” This campaign was the “you are not you when your hungry” involving Betty White the famous actress. The Betty White spot went viral and gave a lot of free media to the candy. This type of story telling places Snickers as the hero and solution. When you are hungry and become ‘grumpy’ or ‘snappy’ eating a Snickers bar can help cure that feeling, bringing you back to how you usually are when you are not hungry. It helps to crave the hunger until you can eat properly. Snickers candy bar was inventive and insightful to the wanted target audience. They used tone, message and tactics to reach consumers in a different way. Competitors of the brand now want similar ads. Snickers would say it was worth it.

According to marketing interactions blog post on September 22 2013, the top five priorities for B2B marketing are as follows:

1.     Lead Generation

2.     Brand Awareness

3.     Customer Retention

4.    Content Strategy

5.     Lead Nurturing

As it states content marketing and achieving performance outcomes is more than just publishing it also requires intent. A big part of content marketing is to help customers learn how to be more involved with a business. The two top things talked about in this blog post are customer engagement and personalization. Engagement helps to determine what each type of interaction they want to achieve with the customers. The goal of each content type will show where the customer should go next or what to do with the content. Without personalization it is hard to engage effectively. Knowing your audience or consumers is what will make the content relevant and valuable. “Content strategy based on personalization is what results in customer engagement that drives business relationships.”

In Mitch Joel’s blog post “The end of privacy…the beginning of personalization” he acknowledges knowing people can help to create better content and an overall experience for them. One of his examples is Amazon. They have a great ability to create very high quality personalized content, which is key to their success. Knowing their consumer made the content relevant and impressive. “The ability to generate, distribute and engage in much more personalized advertising as a way to compliment the user's experience.” This can bring the true benefit of online marketing to the surface.

93 percent of marketer’s use content marketing this year compared to 91 percent last year as said within Joe Pulizzi’s blog post. He also says that business-to-business marketers are using social media to display and distribute content more frequently as well. SlideShare, Google +, and Instagram have all seen increases in usage. 58 percent of B2B marketers are planning to make their content marketing budget increased in the next 12 months. More B2B marketers are creating more content then ever.

In conclusion, is content marketing worth it? If I haven’t convinced you after reading this blog post its time to do some extra research and see the results for yourself! Not only can you tell the difference with brands and the weight put into content but you can see positive results when there is good, creative, quality content to be shared.

Popular content sharing sites: Blogs, videos, websites, social media mediums, forums and so on.