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That”s more or less the highly misleading headline from today”s @WSJ.
Dare we say it, but the Journal is just slightly behind the curve here as almost everything in their article has been well-known in the SMM community for over a year. Obviously sponsored stories and ads are part of a well-rounded, effective Facebook marketing campaign, so where”s the news?
Effective social media marketing has never been “free.” Rule #1 of social media marketing for business is that you can not run your business and an effective SMM campaign at the same time. Once business owners understand that the question then is simply one of determining the most cost-effective method of implementing their campaign. (Outsourcing is really the only way to go, but we”ll leave that for another day.)
The trick here, of course, is figuring out how best to have your free content on Facebook mimic the paid advertisements and reach a similar number of consumers.
That”s what we do for our clients every day.
We”d tell you how we do it, but then we”d have to kill you. And nobody wants that.
By GEOFFREY A. FOWLER And SHAYNDI RAICE
For advertisers on Facebook Inc., the free ride may be coming to an end.
When the social network filed for its initial public offering on Wednesday, the spotlight shifted from the site”s exponential user growth to a metric that may have more bearing on its market value: ad sales.
For years, many advertisers simply set up shop for free on Facebook, displaying their brands to users who “liked” them. But to see how Facebook now hopes to turn many of those advertisers into paying customers, look at how it convinced Omaha, Neb.-based retailer Gordmans Inc. to stop relying on free Facebook marketing and to start spending on a new kind of Facebook ad called “Sponsored Stories.”
Facebook”s explosive growth attracted Gordmans to set up a free page on the site as a virtual hangout to have conversations with customers. “The cost was the time it took to build the content and post it,” said Veronica Stecker, Gordmans” media manager. The retailer didn”t pay a dime to Facebook.
But last year, as Facebook added more components to its site, and users shared exponentially more content with friends, Gordmans” free messages started getting drowned out, said Ms. Stecker. “There is simply more competition,” she said. These days, she rarely even finds unpaid Gordmans posts in her own personal News Feed, the home page that displays status updates from users” friends, she said.
Gordmans isn”t alone. According to a new study by Portland, Ore., marketing firm BlitzLocal LLC, between June 1 and Dec. 31 of last year, unpaid displays of marketing posts to users, which the industry calls “organic,” decreased 33% among its more than 300 clients. “Content that used to live for a day may now live minutes in a user”s News Feed,” said Dennis Yu, chief executive of BlitzLocal, which analyzed some 5.7 million posts.
Amid this shift, Facebook last year unveiled a new ad format, dubbed Sponsored Stories, which requires marketers to pay for exposure for their posts—including some they might once have gotten for free.
“Over the past couple of years, Facebook has started to make it more challenging to appear in the News Feed,” said eMarketer Inc. analyst Debra Williamson. “If Facebook wants to derive more revenue from big brand advertisers, they want to be in that News Feed where everybody”s eyeballs are.”
Getting advertisers to pay is a critical challenge for Facebook as it becomes an online media company. In its IPO documents, Facebook reported $3.71 billion in revenues in 2011, mostly from advertising. Ms. Williamson says that is nearly $500 million less than she expected.
Facebook declined to comment.
Ms. Stecker from Gordmans, who had already begun buying traditional Facebook display ads to attract more “likes” to her page, decided to give Sponsored Stories a try last spring.
Here”s how it worked: Once a user “likes” Gordmans, the retailer can pay to have posts rebroadcast to the user, and his or her friends. It recently sponsored a story that asked fans to “show your local Gordmans the love,” by casino online participating in a vote for their favorite store.
This type of ad is unique to Facebook, because it essentially creates a word-of-mouth campaign en masse. Facebook executives argue that a recommendation from a friend is more trusted and worthwhile than generic ads on TV.
Still, Facebook lists as a risk factor in its regulatory filing that ad products like Sponsored Stories are “experimental and unproven.”
“Facebook is placing a major bet on Sponsored Stories,” said Jed Williams, an analyst with BIA/Kelsey. “The News Feed has been the long unchartered territory where [Facebook CEO] Mark Zuckerberg would not take [marketers]. That is not by accident. That is a more powerful unit than slapping banner display ads.”
So far, Sponsored Stories have worked for Ms. Stecker, generating click rates of up to four times those of traditional Facebook ads. The “show your love” sponsored story, which ended on Thursday, was seen by 118,000 Facebook users. The reach of a unpaid story is usually 16,000 to 20,000, Ms. Stecker said.
“It was a smart business move on Facebook”s part to charge for premium placement,” said Ms. Stecker. “Advertisers will spend money on advertising, it is our job; the question always is—is the juice worth the squeeze?”
Whether, and why, free exposure on Facebook is drying up is a debate among some social media marketers. The News Feed displays relevant information to users based on an algorithm called “EdgeRank,” whose formula is closely guarded by Facebook, but incorporates factors like how much users interact with a given post.
Some who have noted the shift said they haven”t detected that Facebook is intentionally ratcheting back free exposure to raise more revenue through sponsored stories. “There is just more “stuff” and Facebook has to apply a higher-power filter,” said BlitzLocal”s Mr. Yu.
Regardless, many ad agencies said it is becoming increasingly important for marketers to invest money in Facebook ads if they want to get the most use out of it.
At Gordman”s over the last year, Ms. Stecker”s Facebook ad budget has grown by about 15%, and now a third of it goes to Sponsored Stories, up from zero a year ago. She declined to reveal dollar figures.
Facebook ad prices, and particularly Sponsored Stories, are generally lower than other sites, she said. But they”re also on the rise: In its regulatory filing, Facebook said the average price per ad grew 18% in 2011 compared to a year earlier.
“For us, Sponsored Stories are the most feasible form of advertising on Facebook,” Ms. Stecker said. “At least for the next year, we don”t plan to go anywhere else with that budget.”
Still, she”s not yet convinced it is going to play a big role. “We still don”t have a huge correlation between Facebook fans and return on investment in an actual sales in store. Until that metric becomes a lot more solid, I don”t think our company or other brands are going to be full-fledged into Facebook advertising.”
—Suzanne Vranica contributed to this article.
Little self-congratulatory note here. Our photo from Zucotti Park, looking onto Broadway, at the New York Football Giants Victory Celebration today was published by the Giants:
Here’s a few more:
Well, officially anyway. We’ve been doing this for a lot longer than that.
So, Happy Birthday to us!
Stewie’s account of his being born and turning 1 is eerily similar to our own story:
Hacking right now seems as popular as the Harlem Shake. We don’t have anything against the Harlem shake – if you actually know how to do it, that is. When it comes to being hacked: What does it mean? Who’s susceptible? Should you care?
What it Means…
If you Google the definition of hack, you get: 1. Cut with rough or heavy blows and 2. Ride a horse for pleasure or exercise. Neither of these is what we’re talking about. What we are talking about, obviously, is online hacking. Your website can be hacked. Your email can be hacked. Your social media can be hacked. It essentially means that someone got past your tricky password (which is likely your pet’s name and the year you were born or your favorite number,) and gained access into the “back end” of your site, email or profile.
Some hackers work alone, and some in groups, to get into websites and even (as sort of a trophy,) replace your home page with some sort of image that lets you know they were there. We’ve all gotten the emails from friends urging us to check out this amazing website with the curiously long URL. Using code, these hacks are generally designed to redirect people to a site on which their personal information can be tracked.
When hackers attempt to get into social media sites like Facebook and Twitter it’s not because they want to see all of the pictures of your dog, it’s mainly because of the same reason as those annoying email hackers. They want your personal information including email address, bank information, etc.
Who’s Susceptible…
Jeep and Burger King have both recently been victim of Twitter hacks (and MTV pretended to be.) Burger King’s Twitter account was taken over Monday, February 18 and Jeep’s account was hacked on Tuesday. In both of these instances, the hackers declared the brand purchased by a competitor. While some hacks can be harmful, when those behind it are on a mission to gain personal information, sometimes it’s more of a challenge – come on, wouldn’t it be fun to be Burger King for a day? Free fries for everyone!
If you have any information online including an email address, you are susceptible to this. However, with safety precautions you dramatically decrease your chances. According to an article on CNN.com, “the reward is greater than the risk,” when it comes to social media. “It would be hard for brands to ignore Twitter, because it’s a space full of potential customers.”
While being “hacked” might seem pretty scary, it’s by no means a reason to shut down all of your online activity and run for the hills.
But You Should Care a Little…
While these risks have always been involved in being online, it is news now that more people are online and more people can be vocal about it through social media. That doesn’t mean you cross your fingers and hope for the best. You should pay a little attention to this and use some precautions.
Never open anything you’re unsure of that comes to your inbox.
Never click on anything that’s sent to you in an email, private message on Facebook or Twitter, or website link that you’re unsure of.
Use a different password for each log-in you have, and use longer passwords with special characters.
Check the strength of your password on HowSecureIsMyPassword.net
Always log out when you’re finished.
Good luck out there, folks.
October 29, 2012, Superstorm Sandy surged through the coasts of New Jersey and New York. Thousands of residents were misplaced, some permanently. Hours before the storm made landfall, the power went out, and we were in the dark without more than just lights. Cell phone service went down. Televisions went out. Radios ran out of batteries. We had no idea what was happening beyond our neighborhoods.
Residents woke up and went outside to see fallen trees, broken fences, totaled cars and flooded streets. In some cases, people waited weeks to return to their homes just to see damage that was indescribable.
Something happened during this period of no television, though. We had to communicate. We had to help each other. People got in their cars, turned on the radio, charged their cell phones and searched for service. Residents posted on Facebook and Tweeted. We asked questions, and we gave whatever answers we could. People asked for help and the community was there via social media.
According to DigitalTrends.com, on Facebook, mentions of Hurricane Sandy and “Frankenstorm” increased one million percent, bringing the topic of “hurricane” to a 21,962 percent increase.
The number one top shared term – “We are OK.”
The rest of the top ten shared terms included:
2. Power (lost power, no power)
3. Damage
4. Hope everyone is OK
5. Trees
6. Made It
7. Safe
8. Thankful
9. Fine
10. Affected
On Twitter, mentions of “Sandy” spiked to more than 400,000 between the hours of 7 p.m. and 11 p.m. as the storm made landfall and it casino online was the only way to communicate.
Instagram was also a top source of images as 10 photos per second were uploaded related to the storm. A total of more than 522,000 photos related to the Superstorm were uploaded on Instagram.
One local Facebook page was a go-to site for all things Sandy. Jersey Shore Hurricane News (JSHN) scouted the internet and welcomed community sharing for all information up and down the Jersey Shore. They shared power outage updates, supply information, gas station openings, donation sites, photos and inspiration.
JSHN was started by South Seaside Park resident, Justin Auciello. In the days leading up to and following Sandy, the JSHN Facebook page saw an increase in “Likes” up to 191,000 as people were turning to the page as a primary source for storm news.
Shortly after the storm, Cote Media’s CEO posted an image that was shared by JSHN, and became one of the most popular photos on the page.
In the months that have followed Sandy, residents have continued to help each other in the rebuilding efforts. The sense of community at the Jersey Shore has been a great thing to witness, and we are not only honored to be a part of it, but also inspired.
“Every business should have the help it needs to succeed on the web. Everyday, agencies and web professionals work with businesses big and small to bring us closer to that reality.” ~Google
Those were the sobering words of Google upon launching its Google Partners, a brand spanking new platform designed to give even more to digital marketing companies. So take notice world; Google has done something and it will save you all from yourselves. Although the mammoth search engine has not yet officially created its own reality, Google Partners hopes to bring them ever closer to that aim.
Google has always been digital marketers frenemy: delivering top-notch advances in the way they conduct business, but being totally absent and unreachable. Such is life when you’re an automated monopoly who wants the entire world to use its search engine to look up naked celebrities. But with Google Partners, it hopes to deliver a very useful and easy-to-use tool for all businesses to stay ahead of the curve.
Google Partners 3 Main Goals
We at Cote Media are as excited as a kid before Christmas and eager to rip open our new Google Partner badge.
Do you ever see technological advancements and, much like high-end fashion, think “I don’t get it”? Some look like gadgets straight out of a spy film, including iPhone 5’s fingerprint scanner to unlock your phone’s screen. Unless you’re leading a double life, does this technology apply to a wide market? One step further, EyeLock has created Myris, an eye scanner that replaces word-typed passwords. Still, this seems only appropriate for high-security. Yet, if we aren’t creating a different password for each email account or social network, maybe these devices are fitting for a demographic the inventors never intended: people with terrible memory.
Maybe your mom loves to read and solve puzzles so you got her the KindleFire for Christmas. She’s excited for the thoughtful gift until the tablet asks for her email username and password. Assured that she has entered it properly, she is denied access to connect her email to her new device. “That is my password,” she yells throughout the house! Maybe this wasn’t the best gift.
It could be the ideal gift if she didn’t need to remember yet another password, or recall the one cap-sensitive password she uses for any account. See where we’re going with this? Maybe if your mom had Myris, she would have solved dozens of Sudoku puzzles and be on the final chapter of the final “Hunger Games” book, “Mocking Jay” by now!
Myris connects to your devices on a USB port. It resembles a mouse with a glowing ring on the underbelly. Simply hold the glowing ring a few inches in front of your eye to initiate recognition! Then, choose all your established networks to replace your written password with your Myris account. The palm size iris scanner is more secure than a fingerprint and even more accurate when you scan both eyes. EyeLock plans to release Myris to the public later this year. No price has been set.
While the EyeLock tutorial video emphasizes that the setup is easy, we’d suggest being there with your mom when she eases her password security. We did not find any research to support that the Myris would withstand a throw to the wall!
For more on Myris and to reserve yours today, http://www.eyelock.com/index.php/products/myris
As much as we’d like to conquer the world solo, very few businesses can meet all of their clients’ needs in one stop. That’s okay because success enjoys company! If you’re getting a new business off the ground or jump starting one, a sure way to build your clientele is to go where your clients go: other businesses! We don’t suggest stealing business from the competition. Instead, round out what you can offer. Team up with companies that compliment your own, and can work with you to treat your client like a super star!
There is one occasion that demands plenty of diverse businesses: the wedding! A wedding party’s to-do list can be a mile long! By making everything as easy as possible, you’re guaranteed to have return clients or at least have positive news of your business spread like wild fire! The wedding serves as a great example to understand how getting to know your neighbors can benefit your business and your clients!
Step 1: Know your Client’s Needs
In the case of a wedding, the list of businesses needed for the occasion ranges from a photographer, a printing service for invitations, a caterer, baker, and the list goes on! Point in case, you need the same list that your wedding party has so you can start to look for businesses to partner with!
We’re not saying to sneak into their laptop or smart phone and steal their list! We mean brain-storm! You just might think of something they forgot, or maybe your business could give a wedding that unique touch!
Step 2: Satisfy Your Client’s Every Need
A client does not want to be going all over America to check off their list! This might not be such a problem if everything is over the web, but being geographically close to a business is always the best choice. The best ones to partner with are those that you know can get the job done, either through great reviews or personal experience!
Contact these businesses (plural), in person or online, to discuss how you can help each other out! Be sure to exchange business cards for in-person clients or a website address and pictures to post on your new business partner’s page. Also, in the world of social media, be sure to follow each other!
The Sassy Chic Boutique of Red Bank, NJ, gets a lot of wedding parties in the shop! Owner Donna Orrechia guides her clients to their next destination, The Cheese Cave of Red Bank.
“They’re getting married and I know that they have a lot of parties coming up, and I just feel that that would really add something, add a whole new level to their experience.”
In a town built on independent shops, it’s smart for the businesses to team up! Keep in mind that if you only partner with one service, you could fall short. An extra incentive for potential clients is a discount they can receive when going from a partner business to yours! It can be as simple as mentioning where they heard about your service.
Step 3: Get out there!
Don’t expect the clients to seek out your particular business, especially if you are new to the game or have been struggling. Search for conventions and community events that can benefit your company. Don’t spend money or time on an event that will not return on your investment.
Like we said earlier, you might know a need that most clients forget. If your business satisfies that need, or is unique from the competition in any way, you’ll want to get your name out there as much as possible!
To keep with the theme of making nice with the neighbors, pass on news of profitable events to the businesses you are working alongside. By keeping them in the know, they will return the favor! You’ll also be able to use your cross promotional skills at these events!
Step 4: Success!
These steps don’t just apply to businesses that complete a wedding day! They are a guideline meant to expand your horizon! Whether your business is a small fish in a big pond or you’re surrounded by company, it’s smart to get to know your neighbors! By getting your name out there through other businesses, in their store or on their website, you can only multiple your chances of success!
The first thing we do in the morning is log into Facebook and carouse the Trending Topics column. Don’t lie, you do it too. It’s a pretty fantastic tool and it’s a great way to stay on top of what people are talking about. From a business standpoint, it’s a great way to get involved in the biggest social media conversations. Simply type the topic title in your status update and you’re in. We can’t deny the convenience of this particular innovation but it’s also got us wondering – are Facebook Trending Topics a reflection of what’s important to our society and our culture? If so, we have some thinking to do.
Flash back five months to February. Harold Ramis, an extremely popular actor/director/writer for many years, died of vasculitis. Naturally, Harold Ramis was the number one trending topic on Facebook – at least for that day. Everyone was talking about him, mourning him, trying to figure out how he died, expressing their sorrows. For that particular day, it felt as though the trending topics served as a tool of unity. Fast forward to literally the next day. The number one trending topic on Facebook was Taco Bell’s unveiling of their breakfast menu. That was solid in the top three for at least two days, while Harold Ramis plummeted to the end of the list. It was so interesting to us to see how quickly people’s focus can shift from such an extreme to another.
Currently, about half of the trending topics are pop culture-related. While those topics are arguably a little bit MORE important than Taco Bell, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has reached new and scary heights.. We’ve heard nothing about that anywhere and quite frankly, we’re very surprised it hasn’t hit the trending topics even slightly. Does this mean nobody is talking about it? If so, WHY is nobody talking about it? Perhaps it’s not important enough.
On any given day, the top trending topic is usually pop-culture related. Yesterday, it was Solange Knowles who FINALLY made a statement about the infamous elevator fight with Jay-Z. We get the curiosity and we understand people just have a thirst for gossip. Then that pesky little (HUGE) Middle Eastern conflict sneaks up on us and we can’t stop asking why.
We’ve come to a few conclusions: 1) Our culture has a knack for disregarding the important things in our world and have perfected apathy and naiveté. 2) Our culture is profoundly resilient and knows how to make the best of the most daunting situations by focusing on the little things in life. 3.) Facebook trending topics isn’t as important as we think it might be and it doesn’t actually or accurately reflect the sentiments and feelings of the masses.
While we decide which conclusion makes the most sense, we’ll look forward to seeing what makes the cut tomorrow.
Online shopping is a unique experience. There are no sales reps, there are no lines, and you don’t have to take off clothes, put on clothes, take off clothes, put on clothes, etc! That might all sound great, but there’s also a down side.
Last month, our Senior Content Writer, Jes, took a chance on such a shopping experience, but maybe a bit too quickly. You can find that full story here> http://bit.ly/1yYmPnc Luckily, our nerves were all for nothing! The two hoodies that Jes had ordered (and didn’t expect to arrive until 2015) actually showed up at her doorstep the day after Thanksgiving! Even though the quality of each hoody is less than perfect, considering she paid cheap, we’re not even mad.
Jes, doing what she does best: fashion selfies!
We learned a lot from the experience on both a customer’s end and the business end. While online shopping may seem easier than going to a store in person, it can get a bad wrap. For that reason, online stores have to try harder than walk-in stores. When a customer walks into your store, there’s that opportunity to make a connection face-to-face. When it’s strictly online, it’s a bit harder, but not impossible!
The key to climbing over the competition is real-time customer service! This includes online chatting with shoppers who may be new to the page or returning guests who are looking at new products. By answering any questions and offering reassurance BEFORE a purchase, this cuts down the opportunity of returns! Encourage shoppers to review their experience, too! By receiving that unique feedback, positive reviews can encourage more views and more action on your site! The less-than-positive reviews will help your business improve! Getting the reviews to your business are more productive than searching for them on public pages like Yelp or Site Jabber, or never seeing them at all! Last, but not least, get your business on social media! Do we really have to explain this one?
Is your business strictly online? When you’re ready to climb to the top, we’ll get you there!