How To Formulate A Strategy For Social Media Marketing That Works
May 9, 2013
In the article 5 Questions to Ask Before Implementing a Social Media Strategy on Social Media Today, guidelines are presented for pursuing a new social media strategy. These include defining your goals (short term and long term) discovering whether these goals can be accomplished with one strategy or several, creating a step by step outline determining what you will do every day to reach your goals, asking yourself throughout the process whether your strategy needs adjusting, and having a workable timelines in place. The article explains,
“Everyone’s strategy development is different, but the overarching themes can be applicable to all. Oh yeah, and strategy (since I see it everywhere and no real description attached) is the high level plan(s) that’s built to achieve certain, pre-determined goals. Tactics are the executional steps that help achieve the overarching goals of the strategy… There needs to a be a concise list of short term, immediate goals you want to knock out”
One aspect of this guide that the article dwells on is the value of recognizing the difference between what you want to have happen and what is actually possible in reality. In other words- know thyself. Don’t get distracted by the complexities of a big project, make detailed plans and stay organized to keep disciplined. This summary is expanded on with more details at ArnoldIT, where the confusing new world of social media is elucidated.
Chelsea Kerwin, May 09, 2013
If you are interested in gourmet food and spirits, read Gourmet De Ville.
Valley Auto Loans: A Successful Story of Social Media Marketing
May 9, 2013
A press release on Digital Press titled New Social Media Strategy Help Valley Auto Loans Connect with More Bad Credit Auto Loans Shoppers throughout the Country speaks to the rising popularity of social media marketing. Valley Auto Loans, a well-known company that provides applicants with “hassle-free car loans” has adopted a new marketing strategy aimed at the people most likely in need of their services. Social media marketing techniques are explored in the article,
“All companies are now looking to build a strong social media presence for their business. Valley Auto Loans has built their strategy around the highly popular platforms like Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, G+, and Pinterest…Valley Auto Loans operates with an objective of offering 100% approval guarantee to poor credit car loan applicants. By building a strong social media presence, they have done well to get the word out to those people who need them the most.”
Valley Auto Loans credit their recently implemented social media strategy with a recent surge in bad credit auto loans applicants. Realizing that it may be awkward for some of their customers who cannot qualify for a car loan or student auto loans, Valley Auto Loans attempts to provide such individuals with a speedy solution through auto lenders. Reaching out via social media got their message to frustrated people running out of options. For more information on the techniques of social media and tactical implementation, visit ArnoldIT. We explain some of the types of social media and differentiate between their uses and values.
Chelsea Kerwin, May 09, 2013
If you are interested in gourmet food and spirits, read Gourmet De Ville.
Augmentext Video Live on GourmetDeVille.com
May 8, 2013
Short honk: The folks at GourmetDeVille, an information service covering artisanal and craft spirits sent me a link to a short news video. The talent is Jasmine Ashton, one of the ArnoldIT writing and research team. Ms. Ashton told me that she worked with Augmentext to develop this program. I wanted to send a happy quack to Ms. Ashton and her colleagues. I understand that more videos will be forthcoming. Although I am not a video person, I understand that video is a high value information type. I applaud the effort. Check out the 90 second news item at http://goo.gl/nLISJ.
Stephen E Arnold, May 8, 2013
Spnsored by HighGainBlog
Social Media: Changing Marketing From the Inside Out
May 8, 2013
The article 6 Factors That Turn Social Media Strategy Into Results on {grow} is full of tips and advice on how to not only implement a social media strategy but also how to even approach such a transformation in your business. Beginning with the warning that this is unlike traditional advertising, in that you can’t relegate to an outside source, but must instead promote internal change, the article goes on to describe the pitfalls of doing social media the wrong way, such as changing directions before you given the new strategy time to yield results. The article also insists on measurement being united with objectives,
“Repeat after me. “I will measure my marketing efforts.” In today’s data-filled world, there is no reason NOT to measure. It’s just this simple: How do you know your strategy is working if you don’t measure? Don’t get caught up in the endless ROI debate. Pick meaningful KPI’s that are helping to move the needle for your business objectives. “
Because of the ubiquity of blogs and Facebook pages, the article argues that without such tools you are already behind. Also addressing the heads of companies, the article instructs leaders to support the implementation with a hands-on approach, the only way to know what resources to provide out of necessity. The successful implementation of social media strategy is vital in this day and age; it is the only way to reach certain targeted audiences. More about effective approaches to social media strategies can be found at ArnoldIT.
Chelsea Kerwin, May 08, 2013
If you are interested in gourmet food and spirits, read Gourmet De Ville.
More Cool Vendors: A Chill Wind?
May 6, 2013
I was interested in the four news items in my alert system. A large consulting firm, which I think “invented” the notion of “business intelligence”, identified four companies as “Cool Vendors.” I was not familiar with any of these firms: Cloud Sherpas, Glue Networks, Nintex, and Reveille.
Here’s a snippet from the Reveille news release I saw:
The Cool Vendors in Content Management 2013 report provides IT and business buyers with innovative solutions to help them to create, manage, and access their information better. The analysis focused on providing solutions to support content on-the-go, improved collaboration capabilities and more effective management of the applications delivering the content.
And I noted from the Glue Networks’ item this passage:
Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in its research publications, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with the highest ratings. Gartner research publications consist of the opinions of Gartner’s research organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. Gartner disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.
There are many lists generated, including those from one of the publications for which I write a for-fee column. My questions include:
- How does a company get on a “list”?
- Are the lists useful if the organization generating the list does not have some confidence in the listee’s business viability?
- Are these lists of most use to insurance, real estate, and other commercial enterprises trying to sell the listee something?
When I read lists for anything, now more than ever I feel a chill marketing wind, not the hot breath of customer buzz. If a reader can shed light on these lists, please, use the comments section of the blog?
Stephen E Arnold, May 6, 2013
Sponsored by Augmentext
HP, Autonomy, and a Context Free Expert Output about Search: The Bet on a Horse Approach to Market Analysis
May 4, 2013
I don’t think too much about:
- Azure chip consultants. You know, these are the firms which make a living from rah rahs, buzzwording, and pontification to sell reports. (I know. I labored at a non-azure chip outfit for what seems like decades. Experience is a good instructor. Oh, if you are a consultant, please, complain about my opinion using the comments section of this free blog.)
- Hewlett Packard. I recall that the company used to make lab equipment which was cool. Now I think the firm is in some other businesses but as quickly as I latch on to one like the Treo and mobile, HP exits the business. The venerable firm confuses my 69 year old mind.
- Autonomy. I think I did some work for the outfit but I cannot recall. Age and the lifestyle in rural Kentucky takes a toll on the memory I admit.
Nevertheless, I read “HP’s Autonomy Could Face Uphill Battle In Data Market.” There were some gems in the write up which I found amusing and illustrative of the problems which azure chip consulting firms and their experts have when tackling certain business issues.
The main idea of the write up for “investors” is that HP faces “challenges.” Okay. That’s a blinding insight. As you may recall, HP bought Autonomy for $11 billion and then a few months later roiled the “investors” by writing off billions on the deal. That was the mobile phone model, wasn’t it?
The write up then pointed out:
HP wanted Autonomy to jump-start its move into software and cloud-based computing. Autonomy is the No. 1 provider of search and retrieval software that companies use to find and share files and other information on their websites and document management systems.
Okay. But that too seems obvious.
Now here comes the kicker. The expert outfit providing inputs to the reporter doing the bull dog grip on this worn out bone is quoted as saying:
“Software license revenue (in this market) isn’t growing at the same rate as before, and we are beginning to see the rise of some new technologies, specifically content analytics and unified information access,” Schubmehl said. These new types of software can be used with types of business analytics software, business intelligence software and other software to help enterprises do a better job of locating specific information, he says, which is the job of search retrieval software.
I don’t know much about IDC but what strikes me from this passage is that there are some assertions in this snippet which may warrant a tiny bit of evaluation.
Will context free analyses deliver a winner? Will there be a Gamblers Anonymous for those who bet on what journalists and mid tier (second string) consultancies promulgate? For more about Gamblers Anonymous navigate to http://www.gamblersanonymous.org/ga/
Here goes:
A New Report on Search Just in Time for Derby
May 1, 2013
It’s spring in Harrods Creek. The Kentucky Derby marks the beginning of a frenzy of gambling, partying, and social climbing. Spring is also brightened this year by a new report from a big daddy consulting firm. I hesitate to say “azure chip consultant” because so many big time consulting firms have run into a muddy track. Most consulting firms are moving to known methods of boosting revenue. One thing is certain: The marketing horse race is underway. Unlike the Kentucky Derby where the entrants are pretty similar, the horses in the search, content processing, and analytics race are marvelous hybrids. Even though the same words are used to describe some functions, most companies are shaped by their marketing, not their technologies. I think of vendors as having the same bloodline with only the jockeys and their silks differentiating the companies. I suppose that is why there are groupings which are confusing, at least to me.
The particular pair of news announcements in question illustrate this point:
- Attivio, “a visionary”. See http://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/attivio-named-a-visionary-in-2013-gartner-magic-quadrant-for-enterprise-search-205246031.html
- Coveo, “a visionary”. See http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/coveo-recognized-as-a-visionary-in-gartner-2013-magic-quadrant-for-enterprise-search-1784721.htm
A number of other companies are sporting labels awarded by a big daddy consulting firm. I have not seen the “study”, which I hope is based on fact, not marketing. Frankly I am not sure if I understand how big daddy consulting firms conduct their business today in an Adwords world.
Do two firms with the same metatag suggests the type of hybridization of functionality I see?
I find this fascinating because it suggests a similarity between the firms. The firms’ respective Web pages position each company in a different manner: Attivio seems more closely allied to business intelligence via unified information access and Coveo seems more focused on point solutions such as customer support. I probably cannot see the track through the spectators. No surprise there. I am far, far from the burning center of big time consulting here in rural Harrods Creek.
I do know that both Attivio and Coveo and have ingested significant venture funding in the last 12 months. (See “Swinging for the Fences and Search.”) Not surprisingly, various promotional and marketing actioins are warranted, if not essential.
Executives at these firms need to differentiate themselves with new companies entering certain market sectors and capturing headlines. Firms in search, content processing, and analytics have to come up with buzz like upstarts who garner headlines in the influential Techcrunch. (See, for example, “Docurated Is An Enterprise Service To Search And Collect The Data You Need From Your Files.”)
Also firms which have been in business a while are interesting because the point at which organic growth kicks is and carries the companies to Endeca-type heights is a signal of the health of the search and content processing sector. What’s interesting to me is that Hewlett Packard has not been emphasizing “search” as a marketing hook for its high profile Autonomy operation.
I will monitor public news releases about companies which sport a very compelling metatag. I don’t think I will be alone in tracking the actions of these and other search “visionaries” which share a very upbeat metatag. Investors and stakeholders will be monitoring the firms as well. I hope I have contributed to the buzz as pesky outfits like SRCH2 and Docurated gallop through the datasphere.
Stephen E Arnold, May 1, 2013
Oracle Endeca
April 29, 2013
I read “Oracle Extends Business Analytics Portfolio.” The main point is that Oracle Endeca is now at Version 3 and integration with Oracle Business Intelligence Foundation Sure has taken place. However, I also noticed “Oracle BI 11.1.1.7.0 and Endeca Certification.” That write up pointed out:
This is a very short post, and meant to clarify a point of potential confusion. The recently released Oracle BI EE 11.1.1.7.0 release features integration with Oracle Endeca Information Discovery, both for use as a search engine and as a data source in BI Publisher. However, this integration is for version 2.4 of Endeca Information Discovery (doc, download). Support for the recently released version 3.0 (doc, download) is planned and not yet available.
Yep, I am confused. What’s integrated? What is not? When will integration be accomplished? Maybe marketing is a step ahead of the engineers? How could that possibly happen? Interesting.
Stephen E Arnold, April 29, 2013
Sponsored by Augmentext
Mercado Builds Marketplace App on Liferay
April 29, 2013
Cignex Datamatics is launching an open source marketplace infrastructure on top of the popular Liferay open source portal. The aim is to fill another gap in the growing open source worldwide network of services. IT News Online covers the story in the article, “CIGNEX Datamatics Launches Mercado – A Lightweight Marketplace Application.”
The article begins:
“Based on Liferay, popular Open Source portal platform, Mercado allows organizations to build marketplace within enterprise portals, extranets, and intranets. The product addresses the existing gap within the market of having a user centric collaborative space for sharing software products, reports, videos, photos, code snippets etc. . . . The company expects these lightweight products to add value to the enterprise allowing them to realize user adoption with little or no customizations.”
It is interesting to see all of the small lightweight products that are popping up and adding value to the enterprise. Open source initially made a large dent in enterprise services through the large pieces like storage and search. Open source then found its place as the go-to for unstructured data or Big Data. However, solutions like LucidWorks are trying to cover all the bases, offering a broad framework that can suit a variety of enterprises with as few addition add-ons needed as possible. Customers appreciate the strong track record, satisfying user experience, and scalability.
Emily Rae Aldridge, April 29, 2013
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Beyond Search
The Evolution of Analytics
April 23, 2013
In the Kontagent Kaleidoscope article “Analytics: 2012 Is For Mobile What 1997 Was For The Web” marketing executive provides a video overview of the evolution of analytics. Known as an expert in his field, Schulman makes some bold statements such as the Web is dead. Schulman believes that in its current state mobile marketing is the same as simply measuring the number of hits on the Web. This does provide you with some information but it doesn’t give you everything you need. App developers try to get their apps at the top of user lists by testing names, categories and other things that might hopefully lead to the best rankings. He states that developers and marketers need to also be able to test the messaging, channels and segments to determine which of them would best attract potential users. In the beginning the Web only looked at visitors and not the unique users and there were only two kinds of marketing, direct mail and response. However, once Web analytics came along this also brought a whole new way to measure marketing and taught marketers how to not only track but also optimize campaigns.
“The evolution of marketing continues as we enter the multiscreen world. Think of it this way: 2012 is for mobile what 1997 was for the Web. Take it a step further; Kontagent is to mobile what Webtrends was to the Web. You can draw parallels around early adopters of Web analytics: these tools require some scientific methods of controls, A/B testing, cohort analysis, etc. Marketers need to take these proven methods and transfer them to measuring mobile users and in-app behaviors. In order to optimize conversions in mobile, imperative to help optimize conversions in mobile.”
If mobile marketers dig a little deeper they can use analytics to figure out where they should be focusing their mobile marketing for optimum results. Remember some things are more than just skin deep.
April Holmes, April 23, 2013
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, developer of Augmentext
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