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B2B Community Management: 10 Tips to Get Started
Jan. 30, 2012
0 Comments
Although many people today associate digital "community" with a customer-facing space, B2B communities are also an integral part of social media. After all, businesses are comprised of (you guessed it), people.
Maria Ogneva, the Head of Community at Yammer, has pulled together the following 10 best practices for managing a B2B community. Has your organization followed all of these tips?
1. Know When to Create Your Own
Before jumping on the wagon, so to speak, you need to ask yourself what your objectives are. If you want to take a prominent role in certain industry discussions, for example, it might be best to join an existing group rather than start a brand new one.
2. Have a Vision
What's your purpose of starting a B2B community? Will it facilitate dialogue between customers, or will it serve as an industry best practices forum? Once you have settled on your objectives, it will be much easier to determine how best to achieve them.
3. Guide Them
Again, depending on your objectives (back to #2), you need to set guidelines for membership in your community. You may opt to have an open community, or a closed, invite-only one.
4. Understand Your Members
Again, it cannot be stressed enough that B2B communities are made up of people, each with their own goals, needs and pain points. People don't buy just products, they buy solutions to problems, so if you can appeal to the basic need for success, belonging and gratification, your community will be that much more engaging.
5. Designate Roles
With the case of a very large community, it can be very productive to empower certain contributors to take on the role of moderators. Not only will it add to the sense of collectivity, it will also make your role less complicated!
6. Publish the "Rules of the Road"
Make it very clear from the get-go what the purpose of the community is, and further, what behaviours are encouraged and discouraged.
7. How to Measure Success? Decide.
Here we go, back to #2. Depending on your goals, there can be different metrics for tracking the success of your community. Growth and the amount of active users are two metrics, but there are more. The better aligned the metrics are to your business, the better. For example, if your business offers a software solution, and the purpose of your community is to better educate your customers via best practices, you would ideally see fewer support tickets and higher renewal rates as a result of the community.
8. Assign a Community Manager
Although you want to be transparent in the "rules of the road", and encourage people to participate, it's always good to have a community manager, even just for the purposes of accountability.
9. Build Internal Process to Support the Community
A thriving community can provide some incredible insight to your business, so be sure to establish a process, among the right departments, to harness that dialogue.
10. Success - Share It!
One of the easiest ways to overcome a business problem is to see how others in similar situations have achieved success. Think of this as a "case study" mentality - not only do people love sharing their wins, they can be very inspiring for others facing similar problems.
Infographic: Consumers Spend More on Technology Than Home Utilities
Move over, essential home utilities. A recent study conducted by iYogi Insights (a research initiative that explores the integration of technology into consumers' daily lives) has shown that spending on technology, which includes devices, online services, Internet connectivity and multimedia entertainment, has now surpassed utility costs for a majority of consumers. 63% of the study's respondents spend almost 35% more on technology than gas and electricity bills.
What the research reveals is that staying connected is quickly climbing up the ladder of "basic" needs for today's consumers. Case in point? Of the study's participants, it was discovered that an average family of 3 or more owns 10-11 Internet-enabled devices. Unsurprisingly, researchers have predicted that consumers' dependency on technology, as demonstrated through studies such as these, will only continue to skyrocket in years to come.
The infographic below captures the key findings from the study:
What the research reveals is that staying connected is quickly climbing up the ladder of "basic" needs for today's consumers. Case in point? Of the study's participants, it was discovered that an average family of 3 or more owns 10-11 Internet-enabled devices. Unsurprisingly, researchers have predicted that consumers' dependency on technology, as demonstrated through studies such as these, will only continue to skyrocket in years to come.
The infographic below captures the key findings from the study:
SOPA: The Rise of a New Internet Era?
For journalists, bloggers and techies 
alike, this week has passed in a
whirlwind of headlines covering
the controversy surrounding SOPA, the
proposed anti-piracy legislation in the U.S. Some of the powerful language used to characterize the dispute? Protest, blackout, fear and censorship, to name but a few. Some of the bill's opponents, namely Mashable's editor-in-chief Lance Ulanoff, have declared that the passing of SOPA, if it were to occur, would be a regression into the "Dark Ages".
A bold statement indeed, but his sentiment is shared by many who see this bill, along with PIPA, (Protect Intellectual Property Act) as an attempt to drastically alter the internet, reverting back to the days of one-way content distribution (remember that good 'ol Encyclopedia Britannica on CD-ROM?). Others have taken a less apocalyptic stance, but most agree that if passed, this legislation would radically change the face of the internet and content sharing.
What is SOPA?
SOPA, the Stop Online Piracy Act, is designed to target and penalize online copyright infringement. The part of the legislation that is deemed to be most threatening is not just the penalty against individual offenders, but the shutting down of those sites that provide "tools" for copyright infringement to take place, as well as the removal of such sites in search engine results.
What does that mean? If the bill is passed, any website "directed" towards U.S users that is seen to violate copyright laws will be targeted and shut down. What's more, any site that relies heavily on user-generated content will be at some form of risk, which includes Wikipedia, YouTube, Twitter... the list goes on.
Protests
Wednesday's blackout protest intended to raise awareness of the issue beyond the technology community, and tens of thousands of websites took part, including Wikipedia, Twitter, Cheezburger and WordPress. Check out some of the other participating websites here.
Although Facebook and Google couldn't risk full-scale blackouts, they found their own ways to announce their opposition. Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg took to Facebook to comment, "We can't let poorly thought out laws get in the way of the internet's development. Facebook opposes SOPA and PIPA, and we will continue to oppose any laws that will hurt the internet." Google took action by changing its homepage in the U.S, encouraging visitors to sign a petition against SOPA and PIPA, and they have already received 7 million signatures.
Meanwhile, a backlash campaign has also been launched in the U.S by Creative America, an organization representing leading entertainment unions and media companies in support of the bills. The campaign included a banner ad in New York's Time Square that offered suggestions on what to do during an internet blackout, including reading, listening to music or watching a movie.
What's Next?
It's difficult to know what will happen leading up to the Senate vote on PIPA on January 24th. However, a wave of further blackouts has been predicted and Wikipedia, for one, has announced that "We're not done yet."
What are your thoughts on SOPA? Is this really a death to content sharing as we know it in the U.S? If you're curious to get a sense of some of the other perspectives on the matter, check out this "Viewpoints" piece from BBC News and let us know what you think!
alike, this week has passed in a
whirlwind of headlines covering
the controversy surrounding SOPA, the
proposed anti-piracy legislation in the U.S. Some of the powerful language used to characterize the dispute? Protest, blackout, fear and censorship, to name but a few. Some of the bill's opponents, namely Mashable's editor-in-chief Lance Ulanoff, have declared that the passing of SOPA, if it were to occur, would be a regression into the "Dark Ages".
A bold statement indeed, but his sentiment is shared by many who see this bill, along with PIPA, (Protect Intellectual Property Act) as an attempt to drastically alter the internet, reverting back to the days of one-way content distribution (remember that good 'ol Encyclopedia Britannica on CD-ROM?). Others have taken a less apocalyptic stance, but most agree that if passed, this legislation would radically change the face of the internet and content sharing.
What is SOPA?
SOPA, the Stop Online Piracy Act, is designed to target and penalize online copyright infringement. The part of the legislation that is deemed to be most threatening is not just the penalty against individual offenders, but the shutting down of those sites that provide "tools" for copyright infringement to take place, as well as the removal of such sites in search engine results.
What does that mean? If the bill is passed, any website "directed" towards U.S users that is seen to violate copyright laws will be targeted and shut down. What's more, any site that relies heavily on user-generated content will be at some form of risk, which includes Wikipedia, YouTube, Twitter... the list goes on.
Protests
Wednesday's blackout protest intended to raise awareness of the issue beyond the technology community, and tens of thousands of websites took part, including Wikipedia, Twitter, Cheezburger and WordPress. Check out some of the other participating websites here.
Although Facebook and Google couldn't risk full-scale blackouts, they found their own ways to announce their opposition. Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg took to Facebook to comment, "We can't let poorly thought out laws get in the way of the internet's development. Facebook opposes SOPA and PIPA, and we will continue to oppose any laws that will hurt the internet." Google took action by changing its homepage in the U.S, encouraging visitors to sign a petition against SOPA and PIPA, and they have already received 7 million signatures.
Meanwhile, a backlash campaign has also been launched in the U.S by Creative America, an organization representing leading entertainment unions and media companies in support of the bills. The campaign included a banner ad in New York's Time Square that offered suggestions on what to do during an internet blackout, including reading, listening to music or watching a movie.
What's Next?
It's difficult to know what will happen leading up to the Senate vote on PIPA on January 24th. However, a wave of further blackouts has been predicted and Wikipedia, for one, has announced that "We're not done yet."
What are your thoughts on SOPA? Is this really a death to content sharing as we know it in the U.S? If you're curious to get a sense of some of the other perspectives on the matter, check out this "Viewpoints" piece from BBC News and let us know what you think!
Perspectives on The Digital Privacy Debate in 2012
Privacy in the digital age...an oxymoron for
some, a heated debate for most. The following
webinar from eMarketer is
incredibly effective in outlining different perspectives around the digital privacy issue, while also the exploring the ways in which marketers and advertisers can address these concerns.
Here are some highlights, but be sure to check out the full slidecast on Slideshare:
Factors Driving the Privacy Debate
Trust. Control. Transparency. These are just a few of the buzzwords that have surrounded the privacy debate over the past few years, with control of consumer data remaining central to that debate. As eMarketer research in 2011 has uncovered, 79% of female consumers in the U.S agree that online companies have access and control over too much of their personal information, with male consumers following at 74%. Of concern to many is the inability to determine who can collect and share your data, along with the inability to dictate how or how long that data can be used.
Adding to this dispute are the differing ideas around how transparent companies should be in their data collection. Some have even made the argument that the problem of privacy is now outdated, as our very concept of privacy has evolved with the pervasiveness of digital technologies.
Consumer Concerns
eMarketer research has found that privacy concerns vary according to age, with non-millennial respondents (those 30+) having stronger concerns around hackers, Facebook privacy, targeted web ads, search engine tracking, etc. Consumers are also found to have contradictory viewpoints in their attitude towards privacy, which adds a layer of complexity to the issue. For example, an August 2011 eMarketer survey found that 37% of respondents are very suspicious of targeted ads, while 41% are also frustrated when shown ads that don't apply to them. In addition, there seems to be a disconnect between consumers' apprehension over privacy and a general unwillingness to actively manage their own privacy settings.
The Role of Mobile and Social Media
Also inherent in the debate is the role that mobile plays in amplifying consumers' fears around privacy. For example, in a February 2011 eMarketer study, 38% (the biggest segment) of respondents indicated that privacy was their primary concern when accessing mobile apps. Often thought of as a personal device, many mobile users are uncomfortable with location tracking, along with ad-supported apps that have built-in data collection. For many mobile users, it's the fear of unsolicited use of data (on a device that follows you just about everywhere!) that is most disconcerting. Marketers too find the deployment of mobile ads to be a challenge, with privacy issues being at the top of the list.
Social media adds another layer to the debate. Most survey respondents have expressed some level of concern about privacy on Facebook, for instance, as regular changes in Facebook's privacy settings are difficult to manage and keep track of.
Government Regulations
The contention over who should be regulating user privacy is a whole other debate, but interestingly, eMarketer's research has found that most users feel that individuals should be wholly responsible for protecting their own privacy, as opposed to government legislation or independent privacy certification organizations. Research ultimately discovered that few users (only 9%) actually trust government regulation enough to protect their privacy in this area.
Solutions for Advertisers and Marketers
Some ways in which the ad industry is addressing these challenges? Transparency and trade-offs, providing something of value in exchange for data, are two prime examples. Other methods, including those which place more onus on the user, include privacy policy pages, the Digital Advertising Alliance's "Advertising Option" icon, opt-outs, and "do-not-track" headers.
However, about 1/3 of users indicated that data collection is justified when receiving something of value for free, and are more likely to interact with companies that employ this kind of value exchange. Marketers are starting to catch onto this wave, and rewards have proven to be an effective incentive for sharing personal data.
To close off, we'd like to share a couple of concluding quotes from the slidecast:
Click here to check out the full slidecast. We highly recommend it as a complement to your 2012 marketing thought leadership resources.
some, a heated debate for most. The following
webinar from eMarketer is
incredibly effective in outlining different perspectives around the digital privacy issue, while also the exploring the ways in which marketers and advertisers can address these concerns.Here are some highlights, but be sure to check out the full slidecast on Slideshare:
Factors Driving the Privacy Debate
Trust. Control. Transparency. These are just a few of the buzzwords that have surrounded the privacy debate over the past few years, with control of consumer data remaining central to that debate. As eMarketer research in 2011 has uncovered, 79% of female consumers in the U.S agree that online companies have access and control over too much of their personal information, with male consumers following at 74%. Of concern to many is the inability to determine who can collect and share your data, along with the inability to dictate how or how long that data can be used.
Adding to this dispute are the differing ideas around how transparent companies should be in their data collection. Some have even made the argument that the problem of privacy is now outdated, as our very concept of privacy has evolved with the pervasiveness of digital technologies.
Consumer Concerns
eMarketer research has found that privacy concerns vary according to age, with non-millennial respondents (those 30+) having stronger concerns around hackers, Facebook privacy, targeted web ads, search engine tracking, etc. Consumers are also found to have contradictory viewpoints in their attitude towards privacy, which adds a layer of complexity to the issue. For example, an August 2011 eMarketer survey found that 37% of respondents are very suspicious of targeted ads, while 41% are also frustrated when shown ads that don't apply to them. In addition, there seems to be a disconnect between consumers' apprehension over privacy and a general unwillingness to actively manage their own privacy settings.
The Role of Mobile and Social Media
Also inherent in the debate is the role that mobile plays in amplifying consumers' fears around privacy. For example, in a February 2011 eMarketer study, 38% (the biggest segment) of respondents indicated that privacy was their primary concern when accessing mobile apps. Often thought of as a personal device, many mobile users are uncomfortable with location tracking, along with ad-supported apps that have built-in data collection. For many mobile users, it's the fear of unsolicited use of data (on a device that follows you just about everywhere!) that is most disconcerting. Marketers too find the deployment of mobile ads to be a challenge, with privacy issues being at the top of the list.
Social media adds another layer to the debate. Most survey respondents have expressed some level of concern about privacy on Facebook, for instance, as regular changes in Facebook's privacy settings are difficult to manage and keep track of.
Government Regulations
The contention over who should be regulating user privacy is a whole other debate, but interestingly, eMarketer's research has found that most users feel that individuals should be wholly responsible for protecting their own privacy, as opposed to government legislation or independent privacy certification organizations. Research ultimately discovered that few users (only 9%) actually trust government regulation enough to protect their privacy in this area.
Solutions for Advertisers and Marketers
Some ways in which the ad industry is addressing these challenges? Transparency and trade-offs, providing something of value in exchange for data, are two prime examples. Other methods, including those which place more onus on the user, include privacy policy pages, the Digital Advertising Alliance's "Advertising Option" icon, opt-outs, and "do-not-track" headers.
However, about 1/3 of users indicated that data collection is justified when receiving something of value for free, and are more likely to interact with companies that employ this kind of value exchange. Marketers are starting to catch onto this wave, and rewards have proven to be an effective incentive for sharing personal data.
To close off, we'd like to share a couple of concluding quotes from the slidecast:
- Danah Boyd, Senior Researcher at Microsoft Research: "The battle that is underway is not a battle over the future of privacy and publicity. It's a battle over choice and informed consent."
- Chris Babel, CEO of TRUSTe: "How do you make the jump from seeing self-regulation as a threat to ad targeting to viewing consumer choice as a brand enhancer?"
Click here to check out the full slidecast. We highly recommend it as a complement to your 2012 marketing thought leadership resources.
Has Google Handed Market Share to Bing on a Silver Platter This Week?
This is a guest post from Sagar Jani, Digital Strategist at Station X Communications.
Google's recent algorithm updates, which fully integrate and prioritize Google + into its search results, have spurred a wave of debate and criticism, and it’s quite clear that the search engine giant is losing out in the arena of public opinion. No stranger to controversy, however, Google has made other questionable moves in the past, including Google Wave or the Buzz for example. They have also been involved in suspect deals, including one where they profited from online Canadian pharmacies running illegal ads, a deal which proved to be a $500 million mistake.
Despite this, Google’s core business, the search engine responsible for the majority of its revenue and traffic, has remained largely secure. However, Bing has been plugging away over time, becoming the number 2 search engine, and this recent move has inadvertently helped Bing gain popularity.
The reception to this change has been all but warm: Gizmodo has labeled Bing as the better of the 2 search engines, and Dave Winer at Scripting News stated that "Google's search is getting cluttered with pointless crap", concluding that he’ll stay with Bing as long as it continues to outperform Google.
Google has indicated that this change will deliver more personalized results, but some have seen these results skewed more towards Google services than anything else (Google+, Picasa, YouTube, for instance). Take the following scenario: when you search for a restaurant, you're now presented with Google Plus results before Yelp results, where there are generally a large number of useful restaurant reviews. As you can imagine, this doesn't strike a positive chord with many users. Adding to this discontent, SearchEngineland has compiled several damaging examples of the ways in which Google's new interface promotes Plus over relevancy.
Of course, Google has an incredibly strong global brand presence, with millions of loyal followers, and it remains to be seen what kind of effect these changes will have on the mass of searchers. With two more influential Web sites moving over to Bing's side this week, others may follow. Microsoft might be pulling its "build a competitor, then wait for the rivals to crumble" strategy as it did with Netscape, AOL, and Sony. We will keep a close eye on the ComScore search reports over next few months, when we can fully assess the impact of Google’s recent move. In the meantime, Microsoft adCenter may see an upswing in popularity, as it already displays ads to 30% of the market.
4 New Year's Resolutions for Digital Marketers
Can we call 2012 the year of digital? eMarketer
has predicted a 14.4% increase in U.S. online ad
spending over the next year, and there are
undoubtedly a wave of changes in store for
marketers. As the year
progresses, though, it's always worthwhile to remain grounded in those best practices that have seen us through 2011, as captured in a recent Mashable article. Here are the highlights, or the resolutions we find to be most essential for 2012:
1. Relevancy
Today's consumers are more time-constrained, demanding and in control than ever, and this continues to pose a challenge to marketers. The upside is that the days of marketing to the so-called "cherry picker" are fading - customers are placing higher priority on value versus price alone, which provides a great opportunity for both B2B and B2C businesses to redefine their brand USP.
2. Context and Content - Two Sides of the Same Coin
You can have all the technological flash you want - a shiny, beautiful ad, for example, goes nowhere without solid, resonant content in it. Similarly, you can develop engaging content, but if you aren't engaging your target market in the channels they're participating in, you've wasted your effort.
3. Data Quality over Quantity
Sophisticated measurement tools are making data collection more fruitful than ever, making it easier for marketers to test their marketing efforts and make the most out of their digital footprint in the future.
4. Channels Have Adapted, and So Can You
It's no longer enough just to be present on social media channels. Brands and businesses have developed new ways to take their social media initiatives to a whole new level, delivering content to their customers in hyper-relevant contexts. Consider, for example, Best Buy's “Twelpforce,” a Twitter-based help desk, which stands as a perfect example of using social media for multiple functions, including customer support, streamlining call centre costs, PR and marketing.
has predicted a 14.4% increase in U.S. online ad
spending over the next year, and there are
undoubtedly a wave of changes in store for
marketers. As the year
progresses, though, it's always worthwhile to remain grounded in those best practices that have seen us through 2011, as captured in a recent Mashable article. Here are the highlights, or the resolutions we find to be most essential for 2012:1. Relevancy
Today's consumers are more time-constrained, demanding and in control than ever, and this continues to pose a challenge to marketers. The upside is that the days of marketing to the so-called "cherry picker" are fading - customers are placing higher priority on value versus price alone, which provides a great opportunity for both B2B and B2C businesses to redefine their brand USP.
2. Context and Content - Two Sides of the Same Coin
You can have all the technological flash you want - a shiny, beautiful ad, for example, goes nowhere without solid, resonant content in it. Similarly, you can develop engaging content, but if you aren't engaging your target market in the channels they're participating in, you've wasted your effort.
3. Data Quality over Quantity
Sophisticated measurement tools are making data collection more fruitful than ever, making it easier for marketers to test their marketing efforts and make the most out of their digital footprint in the future.
4. Channels Have Adapted, and So Can You
It's no longer enough just to be present on social media channels. Brands and businesses have developed new ways to take their social media initiatives to a whole new level, delivering content to their customers in hyper-relevant contexts. Consider, for example, Best Buy's “Twelpforce,” a Twitter-based help desk, which stands as a perfect example of using social media for multiple functions, including customer support, streamlining call centre costs, PR and marketing.
The Psychology of Social Commerce: An Infographic
Knowing the psychological motivations behind purchase decisions can bring B2B and B2C marketers one step closer to reaching their target audience, and psychologists have identified six traits that are becoming more prominent in social commerce.
The following infographic from Digital Buzz Blog captures the enormous power of social influence in purchase decisions. Some highlights? When making purchase decisions, buyers rely on:
1. Social Proof
• Refers to the advice offered by friends and family members on social media. 81% of buyers rely on this.
2. Authority
• 77% consult reviews.
3. Scarcity
• Exclusive offers garner more interest and appeal from 77% of potential buyers.
Have a great weekend!
The following infographic from Digital Buzz Blog captures the enormous power of social influence in purchase decisions. Some highlights? When making purchase decisions, buyers rely on:
1. Social Proof
• Refers to the advice offered by friends and family members on social media. 81% of buyers rely on this.
2. Authority
• 77% consult reviews.
3. Scarcity
• Exclusive offers garner more interest and appeal from 77% of potential buyers.
Have a great weekend!
Don't Miss Out on the Webinar of the Year! Registration for "Top Website Design Trends for 2012" Now Open
It’s that time of year again! As 2011 draws to a close and you prepare for your 2012 web marketing strategy, there’s no better time to evaluate your organization’s most powerful marketing tool: your website.
Join us on Thursday, December 8 at 10:30am PST for a sneak peak into the 2012 web design landscape. If you're looking for insight into which website design trends can engage your visitors and help you meet your business goals in 2012, this webinar is a must-see!
Register now to reserve your spot - we hope to see you all there!
Join us on Thursday, December 8 at 10:30am PST for a sneak peak into the 2012 web design landscape. If you're looking for insight into which website design trends can engage your visitors and help you meet your business goals in 2012, this webinar is a must-see!
Register now to reserve your spot - we hope to see you all there!
What Google's Search Algorithm Update Means For Marketers: An Interview with Dan Biggs, Digital Strategist
Many of you have heard of Google's recent
update to its search algorithm.
The search algorithm change has caused
quite a stir in the SEO space, and many marketers (some of which are undoubtedly
daunted by the mere mention of the word 'algorithm') are still trying to figure out
what exactly the update means for their business.
We're joined today by Dan Biggs, Digital Strategist at Station X Communications. Dan, the ever-talented (but always humble!) SEO expert will take us through the ins and outs of Google's search algorithm updates.
M: There has been a lot of buzz lately around Google’s change to its search algorithm – Dan, can you explain what is involved in the update?
D: The first recent change was called "Panda" and was rolled out around the world in April 2011. The main target of the Panda update was to try to reduce what they consider "webspam" - an entire team at Google is focused on this, because relevancy of their search results is of utmost importance. It's true, in my opinion, that their results were becoming bogged down with less-than valuable results. The algorithm change tries to get rid of sites that are considered "content farms", sites that use various methods to post tons of content and flood the results -using scrapers, distributed editorial teams and all sorts of other strategies. Huffington Post, Demand Media and sites like that are well known ones. Here's a video that illustrates their technique: http://youtu.be/s6q7np6cya0.
The most recent update in the Panda saga took place on November 18, and it could be argued that while it's not as fundamental a change as the one back in April, it has more significant impact as it affects about 35% of searches. Google has indicated that they've given more value to pages covering hot topics and very recent events. Basically, sites that provide the most up-to-date information about any topic will get more prominence. Of course this only applies to sites that pay the cost of entry by being considered "high-quality" by the Google algorithm which means that content farms would theoretically be disqualified from manipulating this. This isn't that new, because Google's had what they call QDF or Query Deserved Freshness for a few years now, so this update is working to refine that and place more importance on freshness.
M: How might this update have an impact on marketers?
D: It's a pretty exciting time right now in the SEO world, and things are changing very fast with social search, Bing's growing market share, Google's algorithm updates and lots of other developments. If a marketer is serious about SEO, they're going to already be well aware that fresher is better when it comes to anything on the web. Googlebot loves shiny objects. It's been the case for years that if you update your site more often, Googlebot will visit you more often. Nothing has changed there, except maybe now Googlebot will be visiting a bit more often. I think this is definitely going to have a negative impact on marketers that aren't working to develop fresh and interesting content. Their SEO may have suffered before, but it's going to be much worse now.
M: Could you provide some quick tips and tactics that marketers can use to update their SEO/content strategies to leverage the update for their benefit?
D: I'd start by getting a solid content strategy and some sort of owned media platform if you don't already have one, whether it's a news section or a blog on your site. Nobody with a static site that doesn't get updated at least once a day is going to benefit from this update.
M: If there’s one piece of advice you could leave with our readers, what would it be?
D: Google built their vast market share because of one thing - relevancy. If your site is frequently pushing out high value content that's relevant to your business, Google will reward you by sending Googlebot to your site to spider it. They'll continue to punish sites for being lazy, scraping and churning content from other sources on the web. My advice is to build a content strategy, and get fresh and relevant content flowing. There's a great little book by Erin Kissane that I recommend reading - it's called The Elements of Content Strategy.
M: Thanks for the insight, Dan! Any closing thoughts?
D: If you want to learn about SEO and stay current with Google's search tools and algorithms, you should also subscribe to the Google Search Team blog.
update to its search algorithm.
The search algorithm change has caused
quite a stir in the SEO space, and many marketers (some of which are undoubtedly
daunted by the mere mention of the word 'algorithm') are still trying to figure out
what exactly the update means for their business.
We're joined today by Dan Biggs, Digital Strategist at Station X Communications. Dan, the ever-talented (but always humble!) SEO expert will take us through the ins and outs of Google's search algorithm updates.
M: There has been a lot of buzz lately around Google’s change to its search algorithm – Dan, can you explain what is involved in the update?
D: The first recent change was called "Panda" and was rolled out around the world in April 2011. The main target of the Panda update was to try to reduce what they consider "webspam" - an entire team at Google is focused on this, because relevancy of their search results is of utmost importance. It's true, in my opinion, that their results were becoming bogged down with less-than valuable results. The algorithm change tries to get rid of sites that are considered "content farms", sites that use various methods to post tons of content and flood the results -using scrapers, distributed editorial teams and all sorts of other strategies. Huffington Post, Demand Media and sites like that are well known ones. Here's a video that illustrates their technique: http://youtu.be/s6q7np6cya0.
The most recent update in the Panda saga took place on November 18, and it could be argued that while it's not as fundamental a change as the one back in April, it has more significant impact as it affects about 35% of searches. Google has indicated that they've given more value to pages covering hot topics and very recent events. Basically, sites that provide the most up-to-date information about any topic will get more prominence. Of course this only applies to sites that pay the cost of entry by being considered "high-quality" by the Google algorithm which means that content farms would theoretically be disqualified from manipulating this. This isn't that new, because Google's had what they call QDF or Query Deserved Freshness for a few years now, so this update is working to refine that and place more importance on freshness.
M: How might this update have an impact on marketers?
D: It's a pretty exciting time right now in the SEO world, and things are changing very fast with social search, Bing's growing market share, Google's algorithm updates and lots of other developments. If a marketer is serious about SEO, they're going to already be well aware that fresher is better when it comes to anything on the web. Googlebot loves shiny objects. It's been the case for years that if you update your site more often, Googlebot will visit you more often. Nothing has changed there, except maybe now Googlebot will be visiting a bit more often. I think this is definitely going to have a negative impact on marketers that aren't working to develop fresh and interesting content. Their SEO may have suffered before, but it's going to be much worse now.
M: Could you provide some quick tips and tactics that marketers can use to update their SEO/content strategies to leverage the update for their benefit?
D: I'd start by getting a solid content strategy and some sort of owned media platform if you don't already have one, whether it's a news section or a blog on your site. Nobody with a static site that doesn't get updated at least once a day is going to benefit from this update.
M: If there’s one piece of advice you could leave with our readers, what would it be?
D: Google built their vast market share because of one thing - relevancy. If your site is frequently pushing out high value content that's relevant to your business, Google will reward you by sending Googlebot to your site to spider it. They'll continue to punish sites for being lazy, scraping and churning content from other sources on the web. My advice is to build a content strategy, and get fresh and relevant content flowing. There's a great little book by Erin Kissane that I recommend reading - it's called The Elements of Content Strategy.
M: Thanks for the insight, Dan! Any closing thoughts?
D: If you want to learn about SEO and stay current with Google's search tools and algorithms, you should also subscribe to the Google Search Team blog.
Webinar Recap - 7 Tips to Get More Leads from Your Website
Thanks to everyone who attended our latest webinar, "7 Tips to Get More Leads from Your Website". We had a great group in attendance!
Our hosts, Dan Biggs, Digital Strategist at Station X Communications and Adam Koebel, Client Success Specialist at Marqui, provided their insights into the world of online lead generation, exploring 7 simple tactics to help you get more leads from your website.
Here are the 7 tips:
We also had a few outstanding questions:
Jeff, you had a question about suggestions for a good resource on industry benchmark data. It's a great question - as it stands currently, eMarketer is one of the most valuable resources for industry trends and benchmarks, although you do have to pay for a subscription. It's definitely a great investment though, check them out here.
Edward, you had a question about LinkedIn, and whether or not it's the best online network for B2B. The answer is both yes and no, depending on your business and your offering. As an example, our blog is arguably one of our strongest social platforms, as we deliver easily consumable and sharable pieces of proprietary content. However, a business that specializes in more knowledge-aggregating functions might find Twitter to be the most valuable social platform for their business, as it allows you to easily share links and headlines from other sources. Essentially, the best way to determine if a social network will be effective for your business is to experiment and test its level of success. Those who attended the webinar were undoubtedly ignited by Adam's passion on this topic - testing and experimentation are two of the most valuable tools any marketer can have!
We hope this helps answer your questions, and we look forward to seeing you all again at the next webinar, which will be held on Thursday, December 8, 2011 from 10:30-11:30 AM PST. The topic is "Top Website Design Trends for 2012", and if there's one webinar to attend before you begin your holiday festivities, this is the one! Stay tuned as we reveal more details closer to the date.
Our hosts, Dan Biggs, Digital Strategist at Station X Communications and Adam Koebel, Client Success Specialist at Marqui, provided their insights into the world of online lead generation, exploring 7 simple tactics to help you get more leads from your website.
Here are the 7 tips:
- Know What Your Current Situation Is
- Know What Your Visitors Want
- Make a Good First Impression
- Build Strong Content and Update it Frequently
- Control the Conversion Path
- Cast Your Net Over Multiple Channels
- Experiment and Test
We also had a few outstanding questions:
Jeff, you had a question about suggestions for a good resource on industry benchmark data. It's a great question - as it stands currently, eMarketer is one of the most valuable resources for industry trends and benchmarks, although you do have to pay for a subscription. It's definitely a great investment though, check them out here.
Edward, you had a question about LinkedIn, and whether or not it's the best online network for B2B. The answer is both yes and no, depending on your business and your offering. As an example, our blog is arguably one of our strongest social platforms, as we deliver easily consumable and sharable pieces of proprietary content. However, a business that specializes in more knowledge-aggregating functions might find Twitter to be the most valuable social platform for their business, as it allows you to easily share links and headlines from other sources. Essentially, the best way to determine if a social network will be effective for your business is to experiment and test its level of success. Those who attended the webinar were undoubtedly ignited by Adam's passion on this topic - testing and experimentation are two of the most valuable tools any marketer can have!
We hope this helps answer your questions, and we look forward to seeing you all again at the next webinar, which will be held on Thursday, December 8, 2011 from 10:30-11:30 AM PST. The topic is "Top Website Design Trends for 2012", and if there's one webinar to attend before you begin your holiday festivities, this is the one! Stay tuned as we reveal more details closer to the date.
Facebook Tracking Sparks Controversy, Engineering Director Reveals All
Since its rising popularity,
Facebook has often been the
target of
concerns around online privacy. In the spirit of transparency, and undoubtedly in hopes of placating its critics, Facebook engineering director Arturo Bejar has recently shared what personal information the company retains with its tracking cookies, as reported by USA Today.
When logged in:
Facebook will keep a time-stamped list of the URLs visited and pair it with the user's name, e-mail address, list of friends, user preferences, IP address, screen resolution, operating system, and browser.
When logged out:
Everything except a user's name, list of friends, and preferences. Instead, it uses a unique alphanumeric number to track users like a cookie. Even though Facebook isn't tracking users' entire browsing history, there are a lot of sites out there with "Like" and "Share" buttons. Bejar mentioned that Facebook has the ability to link users' names to their logged-out browsing data, but they make a specific point not to do this.
Naturally, these facts stirred up some concern and debate, but Facebook has revealed its strategic rationale for tracking data. Security is one, as tracking logs helps Facebook pinpoint fake accounts. Enhanced user experience is another, along with increasingly targeted ads. Facebook revealed that it does not use tracking logs, but instead uses the profile information and "likes", as voluntarily disclosed by Facebook users, to display targeted ads.
Although this information sparked controversy for some, others see Bejar's revelation as a necessary move towards increased transparency around Facebook's data tracking practices. Even more broadly, it alludes to the conflicting pressures that Facebook continues to face as it navigates its way through the need for profitability amid industry controversy around online privacy.
Facebook has often been the
target of
concerns around online privacy. In the spirit of transparency, and undoubtedly in hopes of placating its critics, Facebook engineering director Arturo Bejar has recently shared what personal information the company retains with its tracking cookies, as reported by USA Today.When logged in:
Facebook will keep a time-stamped list of the URLs visited and pair it with the user's name, e-mail address, list of friends, user preferences, IP address, screen resolution, operating system, and browser.
When logged out:
Everything except a user's name, list of friends, and preferences. Instead, it uses a unique alphanumeric number to track users like a cookie. Even though Facebook isn't tracking users' entire browsing history, there are a lot of sites out there with "Like" and "Share" buttons. Bejar mentioned that Facebook has the ability to link users' names to their logged-out browsing data, but they make a specific point not to do this.
Naturally, these facts stirred up some concern and debate, but Facebook has revealed its strategic rationale for tracking data. Security is one, as tracking logs helps Facebook pinpoint fake accounts. Enhanced user experience is another, along with increasingly targeted ads. Facebook revealed that it does not use tracking logs, but instead uses the profile information and "likes", as voluntarily disclosed by Facebook users, to display targeted ads.
Although this information sparked controversy for some, others see Bejar's revelation as a necessary move towards increased transparency around Facebook's data tracking practices. Even more broadly, it alludes to the conflicting pressures that Facebook continues to face as it navigates its way through the need for profitability amid industry controversy around online privacy.
LinkedIn for Lead Generation: 5 Ways to Get Started
If you're a B2B company, LinkedIn’s network is the ideal platform to connect your business to over 120 million professionals. Here are five ways you can improve your company’s presence and begin increasing your lead flow.
-
Use Your Company Profile More Effectively
LinkedIn recently added company status updates which work similarly to Facebook’s Wall feature. It’s now possible to post videos, news articles, industry articles, promotions and many other different kinds of content. These status updates are sent out over your company’s followers' networks, resulting in a vast reach.
-
Recruit Staff via LinkedIn
Posting jobs and taking applications through LinkedIn helps to raise your company’s profile on the network and allows your company to stay connected with potential employees. For recruiters and talent scouts, the ability to view a candidate’s referrals, recommendations, experience and network is also extremely valuable.
-
Go Team!
Encourage your company’s employees to complete their LinkedIn profiles as much as possible, follow your company page, and help them list their current position with the correct company name, so that their profile will be listed on your page. You can also power up your blog’s reach by encouraging your employees to connect your company’s blog to their profile through the TypePad BlogLink application.
-
Start an Invite-Only Group
Joining professionals with common interests related to your company’s field and fostering discussion can help to build relationships and network with a well-targeted audience. Building active groups can also help to develop your organization’s strategy and market knowledge.
-
Use Ads and Capture Leads
Even though LinkedIn company pages are a great headquarters for your business on LinkedIn, they’re not yet customizable enough to function as effective landing pages. If your company’s goal is to capture a lead from a LinkedIn ad, it’s best to send the visitor to a form that allows them to provide their contact information.
If you have any other tips or tactics for using LinkedIn for lead generation, post them here!
Content Marketing: 5 Tips and Tricks for a Winning Strategy
The importance of great content cannot be 
overstated. Without content, there is no
marketing. Period.
So what is content marketing? To make things simple, let's start with what it's not:
Copy.
Advertorial.
Spam (we had to say it!)
Think of content marketing as a method of
creating and distributing content of value to your customers and prospects. The guiding principle behind content marketing is the belief that by offering relevant, meaningful content, businesses can build their brand integrity, loyalty and eventually, their customer base. What channels can content marketing encompass? Your website, whitepapers, webinars, blogs, YouTube, LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter - the list goes on.
Many companies recognize the importance of content marketing, but feel daunted or confused about where to begin. Creating content doesn't have to be a burden - it can be incredibly rewarding, and a great way to foster contribution amongst various departments in your organization. Setting yourself up for success in content marketing involves building the right infrastructure to support content creation.
Here are some tips and tricks to help get you started in your content marketing strategy:
overstated. Without content, there is no
marketing. Period.
So what is content marketing? To make things simple, let's start with what it's not:
Copy.
Advertorial.
Spam (we had to say it!)
Think of content marketing as a method of
creating and distributing content of value to your customers and prospects. The guiding principle behind content marketing is the belief that by offering relevant, meaningful content, businesses can build their brand integrity, loyalty and eventually, their customer base. What channels can content marketing encompass? Your website, whitepapers, webinars, blogs, YouTube, LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter - the list goes on.
Many companies recognize the importance of content marketing, but feel daunted or confused about where to begin. Creating content doesn't have to be a burden - it can be incredibly rewarding, and a great way to foster contribution amongst various departments in your organization. Setting yourself up for success in content marketing involves building the right infrastructure to support content creation.
Here are some tips and tricks to help get you started in your content marketing strategy:
1. Find Your Editor
You need to create a content marketing process that works for your organization, one that ensures timely, relevant content in support of your business objectives. When it comes to content creation, envision your company as a traditional print magazine: the best place to begin is to build an editorial calendar, one which lays out all the hot topics your audience would find value in reading and sharing. Be sure to also incorporate any special “ad hoc” events or promotions planning into the calendar.
Don't forget seasonality! Framing your content around milestone holidays can provide instant relevance to your customers.
2. Get the Right People Involved - Look Inside
Before you think about outsourcing your content creation, look to those within your company. You may be surprised at the number of fantastic writers around you! Or, at the very least, you will discover those with lots of great ideas who can contribute to your content plan. If you find at least one avid Tweeter, you will already be in a better place to start building your content marketing strategy. This is where your company's subject matter experts (i.e product developers) and customer-facing staff can really thrive. They are the ones with the deepest insight into what you are selling and who you are selling to, including their concerns, interests and priorities.
Find a way to reward these people for their involvement! It can be a prize, or even just bragging rights for the most-visited blog post. Either way, take a note from those gamification gurus and give your colleagues playful incentives to contribute. Also, getting a sense of where everyone's interests lie will help them find fun in the process - some people love Tweeting, others love taking photos - capitalize on people's interests and that passion will translate through into your final product.
3. Look Outside
Leverage the voices of your customer into your content marketing plan - let them be your ambassadors! For example, if you have some really vocal customers or fans on any of your social media, invite them to help produce content for you. Case in point: MTV did this in 2010 with their search to find a Twitter "jockey".
4. Use Variety
They call it the spice of life for a reason! Experiment with the types of content you produce. Enlist the help of your creative department to produce unique, highly-valued infographics, and link to relevant audio and videos (think interviews!) Not only will your audiences be instantly drawn in, it makes your content easy to distribute across platforms and channels, reaching more people.
5. Don't Launch and Leave
Monitor your blog comments and social media sites and keep your responses timely - the more active you are in responding, the more willing your readers and followers will be to engage in dialogue with your business. Don't forget to make it share-able by implementing social sharing plug-ins to your blog.
Following these simple tips and tricks, your organization will be in a much better position to build a sound process, with opportunities to evolve your content marketing strategy over time.
To finish off, here are some useful quotes about content marketing. Hopefully you find them as inspiring as we do!
Webinar Recap - Cloud CMS: The Best Marketing Investment You Can Make This Year
Thanks to everyone who attended our latest webinar, "Cloud CMS: The Best Marketing Investment You Can Make This Year". We had a great group in attendance!
Our hosts, Richard Sharp, VP of Marketing, and Adam Koebel, Product Specialist, provided their thoughts and observations about the current digital marketing and next generation CMS landscape.
Here are some highlights from the webinar:
• The web is complex and fragmented – yet, integrating tactics is crucial to proving ROI.
• With traditional web tools, control of web content rested with a legacy CMS, IT or an agency. The next generation of CMS is agile, flexible and marketing-enabled.
• Next generation CMS allows for a lead’s successful journey through multiple touchpoints.
• CMS tools and tactics provide measurable returns for your business, improving lead engagement, capture, nurture, qualification and closing.
If you’d like to know more about Cloud CMS or next generation content management, check out the full webinar here. Also, stay tuned for the next webinar in our series, coming soon!
Our hosts, Richard Sharp, VP of Marketing, and Adam Koebel, Product Specialist, provided their thoughts and observations about the current digital marketing and next generation CMS landscape.
Here are some highlights from the webinar:
• The web is complex and fragmented – yet, integrating tactics is crucial to proving ROI.
• With traditional web tools, control of web content rested with a legacy CMS, IT or an agency. The next generation of CMS is agile, flexible and marketing-enabled.
• Next generation CMS allows for a lead’s successful journey through multiple touchpoints.
• CMS tools and tactics provide measurable returns for your business, improving lead engagement, capture, nurture, qualification and closing.
If you’d like to know more about Cloud CMS or next generation content management, check out the full webinar here. Also, stay tuned for the next webinar in our series, coming soon!
Gamification and Your Website: The Next Frontier?
You may have heard some buzz around the notion of gamification. The term has been
characterized
by some as the next frontier in web and mobile, one predicted to
become as central to marketing as social media has become.
So what is it? Gamification refers to the use of game mechanics and tactics in non-gaming environments, and it relies on rewards, incentives and challenges to stimulate action and motivate behaviour. The explosion of social gaming in recent years (Foursquare are Zynga are two prime examples) has brought with it a wave of game mechanics increasingly woven into the fabric of our daily lives. A recent Gartner report predicts that by 2015, more than 50% of organizations that manage "innovation processes" will gamify those processes.
Marketers have recently tapped into the power of game mechanics, applying similar principles to their website design and functionality, under the premise that successful websites encourage participation via many of the tactics more traditionally reserved for the gaming space.
Check out some of our quick tips and resources below on "gamifying" your website. Does your organization currently use any of these tactics?
characterized
by some as the next frontier in web and mobile, one predicted to become as central to marketing as social media has become.
So what is it? Gamification refers to the use of game mechanics and tactics in non-gaming environments, and it relies on rewards, incentives and challenges to stimulate action and motivate behaviour. The explosion of social gaming in recent years (Foursquare are Zynga are two prime examples) has brought with it a wave of game mechanics increasingly woven into the fabric of our daily lives. A recent Gartner report predicts that by 2015, more than 50% of organizations that manage "innovation processes" will gamify those processes.
Marketers have recently tapped into the power of game mechanics, applying similar principles to their website design and functionality, under the premise that successful websites encourage participation via many of the tactics more traditionally reserved for the gaming space.
Check out some of our quick tips and resources below on "gamifying" your website. Does your organization currently use any of these tactics?
User- Generated Content
The aim here is to provide incentives for visitors to generate their own content on your site. Not only will it increase engagement, it will make your site richer and more SEO-friendly. UGC can be encouraged through feedback mechanisms such as ratings, reviews and comments. How can you reward people for this type of user-generated content? One way is to consider providing “badges” to those users who comment or participate frequently.
Feedback Tools
You’ve heard of the Facebook “like” button and Google’s “+1”. Both of these are tools for people to share content while also providing their feedback on it. One way to encourage this is to reward users for “liking” or taking some kind of action on your site. Often this is done through an activity feed, which shows popular articles or pages on your site, along with top users' activities (i.e those with “badges”).
Social Login
Keeping with the social nature of today's web consumer, it follows that many visitors will participate in game-like scenarios if the benefits of doing so extend beyond the game itself (i.e users are more likely to become involved in activities that those in their social circle are engaged in).
These tactics really are just the tip of the iceberg - check out these resources for more in-depth info on gamification and examples of successful gamification-in-action.
Mobile Websites for Higher Education
If you find this post useful, check out our webinar, Mobile Web: A Crash Course, along with our Higher Education Resources.
It’s more than clear that young people are leading the growth in usage of smartphones and mobile web in North America - 42% of people aged 18-29 go online mainly via mobile phone (eMarketer, 2011). If your target market falls into this age range, as is the case with higher education institutions, neglecting this vital statistic would result in missed opportunities to connect with your key audience.
Marqui's friends at Lakeland College, a progressive, technology-embracing school in Canada, have recognized the incredible value of having a mobile website in the post-secondary education industry. They came to Marqui looking for a full website redesign, along with a brand new mobile website. Using our CMS for Education, Lakeland was able to launch a mobile website engineered with the same functionality and popular features of the full website, but in mobile-friendly format.
When designing the user experience for the Lakeland mobile website, our team of mobile web specialists were sure to incorporate everything that the multi-tasking, social student of today needs to access on the go, including social media, event calendars, links to student portals, news feed, and a zoomable campus map. Combined with a course fee calculator, registration capabilities, and a job posting page, the essential features of the full site were wrapped up in a compelling icon-driven navigation, in a format compatible with all mobile devices.
Check out some visuals of the mobile website below. It's received some phenomenal traffic so far (mobile website traffic for Lakeland has increased over 200% since the launch in July!). We're proud to have partnered with Lakeland to build this, and encourage all higher education institutions, if they haven't already, to develop a sound mobile web strategy to fully maximize reach in their target markets.
Home/Landing Page
Academics
Event Calendar
Social Media
For more info on what Marqui can do for your mobile web presence, check out our tools for Mobile Website Content Management, along with our Mobile Design & Build services.
It’s more than clear that young people are leading the growth in usage of smartphones and mobile web in North America - 42% of people aged 18-29 go online mainly via mobile phone (eMarketer, 2011). If your target market falls into this age range, as is the case with higher education institutions, neglecting this vital statistic would result in missed opportunities to connect with your key audience.
Marqui's friends at Lakeland College, a progressive, technology-embracing school in Canada, have recognized the incredible value of having a mobile website in the post-secondary education industry. They came to Marqui looking for a full website redesign, along with a brand new mobile website. Using our CMS for Education, Lakeland was able to launch a mobile website engineered with the same functionality and popular features of the full website, but in mobile-friendly format.
When designing the user experience for the Lakeland mobile website, our team of mobile web specialists were sure to incorporate everything that the multi-tasking, social student of today needs to access on the go, including social media, event calendars, links to student portals, news feed, and a zoomable campus map. Combined with a course fee calculator, registration capabilities, and a job posting page, the essential features of the full site were wrapped up in a compelling icon-driven navigation, in a format compatible with all mobile devices.
Check out some visuals of the mobile website below. It's received some phenomenal traffic so far (mobile website traffic for Lakeland has increased over 200% since the launch in July!). We're proud to have partnered with Lakeland to build this, and encourage all higher education institutions, if they haven't already, to develop a sound mobile web strategy to fully maximize reach in their target markets.
Home/Landing Page
Academics
Event Calendar
Social Media
For more info on what Marqui can do for your mobile web presence, check out our tools for Mobile Website Content Management, along with our Mobile Design & Build services.
Top Mobile Website Design Trends for 2012
If you find this blog useful, check out our webinar, Mobile Web: A Crash Course.
In 2011, the explosion of mobile internet consumption has brought with it an unprecedented wave of developments in mobile website design. In just one year, the mobile web landscape has changed dramatically, and the growing popularity of HTML5 and CSS3, amongst other developments, has played a pivotal role in expanding the realm of design possibilities.
With that in mind, here are the top mobile website design trends for 2012:
1. Fingertip Optimization
In 2011, the explosion of mobile internet consumption has brought with it an unprecedented wave of developments in mobile website design. In just one year, the mobile web landscape has changed dramatically, and the growing popularity of HTML5 and CSS3, amongst other developments, has played a pivotal role in expanding the realm of design possibilities.
With that in mind, here are the top mobile website design trends for 2012:
1. Fingertip Optimization
When taking a survey of current mobile websites, it's more than evident that many are being built for fingertip navigation. Many elements including search fields, menus and images are created large enough to accomodate finger-clicking.
The tactile nature of today's mobile web experience should always be kept in mind when designing a mobile website.
2. Simplicity
Capturing the interest of today's attention-deprived mobile user is no small feat. Complicated mobile websites are clumsy and difficult to navigate, making it difficult for users to access the info they need on-the-go. For this reason, current mobile websites feature functional, minimalist layouts. With a fraction of the navigational choices offered by the full website, these scaled-down versions make the internet experience much more accessible to mobile web users, who are more demanding and time-constrained than ever.
3. White Space
White space is a must for any good web design, and its importance takes on special meaning in
the mobile realm. An instant detractor from any mobile website, visual clutter can be distracting and frustrating (picture those times when you've clicked on the wrong link because there isn't enough whitespace!). The most compelling mobile website designs today are built with this fact in mind.
4. Increasing Number of Videos
and Images 
With a rising number of unlimited data plans and the growing popularity
of the 4G network, concerns around loading times and data consumption are not as prevalent as they once were. Although it is always important to keep these factors in mind, today's mobile web designers have found more flexibility in creating visual interest. With this, there's a growing trend towards video galleries, image sliders and other forms of dynamic content on mobile websites.
5. Designs Borrowed from Apps
With the success of touchscreens,
mobile website designers have used the
app layout, adapting menu items into
buttons or icons similar to those found in
apps. The result is a clean, icon
driven design that many mobile users have grown accustomed to.
6. Social Networks Integration
The nature of mobile usage is incredibly social, so lots of mobile websites are
catching onto this wave by incorporating links to all their social media channels,
along with incentives for "liking" them on Facebook or "following" them on Twitter. Whether they're waiting in line at the grocery store or having lunch with friends, the mobile web allows your business to establish a social, casual connection with your customers, one that's interwoven into the fabric of
their daily lives.
7. Introductory Pages
Many mobile websites feature an
introductory or opening page
containing only branding and a
large background image. This tactic is a
good way to instantly capture
interest and set the tone of the
mobile website experience without overwhelming your visitor with unnecessary text or calls-to- action.
It's always important to note that while you need to keep aware of ever-changing trends, all aspects of your mobile website design should align with your larger mobile marketing strategy. To remain competitive, and to truly evolve your digital marketing presence, any mobile website design initiatives you take on must be firmly rooted in your business objectives.
All mobile screenshots were taken from mobileawesomeness.com.
If you're looking for more info on mobile websites, check out how Marqui can help you with your mobile web design and build, along with mobile website content management .
Google Acquires Motorola: Global Smart Phone Domination?
By now, you’ve heard about Google’s acquisition of
Motorola Mobility. As the largest deal in Google’s
history (a whopping $12.5 billion!), there has
been, unsurprisingly, a flurry of debate 
and discussion. There may be some significant change on the horizon, but what does it mean for the industry?
On one hand, the deal puts Google in a position to settle the tumultuous patent wars between the “big 3” industry players: Microsoft, Apple and Google. (Case in point: Motorola’s lawsuit against Apple for violation of patents is merely one of many still pending). Currently, the FTC is undergoing a full-scale scrutiny of Google’s business, which will provide another layer of complexity to this already- tangled battle.
Above and beyond patents, however, the deal works to support the Android platform. With the explosion of Android phones on a global scale (150 million), Google is in an interesting position to take on the dominant mobile device, the iPhone. Some have speculated that this bold acquisition is paving way for a Google phone, and although there haven’t been any definitive claims about this yet, the opportunity is undeniably lucrative. Seizing control of the hardware and software process enables Google to move one step in the right direction to usurping Apple’s domination of the mobile device market.
Another interesting dimension to the deal: it may also prime Google for a competitive edge in the set-top box and cable-modem market. Both Google and Apple have been testing the TV waters (GoogleTV launched last spring with minimal traction so far) and the acquisition may bring some wins for them in this space.
Amongst the speculation, one thing is for certain: the acquisition indicates Google’s commitment to mobile as a key driver of its future growth, and if the deal fuels a retaliatory consolidation from Apple, it could mean some dramatic changes in the mobile space.
Will Google and Apple go head to head? Let us know what you think! For those who love polls, check this one out on Mashable…
Webinar Recap – Mobile Web: A Crash Course
Thanks to everyone who attended our latest webinar, “Mobile Web: A Crash Course”. We had a great turnout!
Our hosts, Richard Sharp, VP of Marketing, and Dan Biggs, Digital Strategist from Station X Communications, provided their thoughts and observations about the impact of mobile on the web.
Here are some highlights from the webinar:
- The potential user base for mobile sites is growing exponentially
- For example, in Canada, 60% of the population is a mobile user, and in the U.S, the number jumps to 77%. In the U.S, there is a 14% per year projected growth of mobile users until 2015.
- Mobile browsers have specific needs and advantages, and mobile websites need to be designed with these in mind
- Mobile apps may or may not be the best solution for your business, depending on your objectives
- Managing content for your websites and mobile websites is much easier from a single platform
If you’d like to know more about mobile web, check out the full webinar here. Stay tuned for the next mobile webinar, coming in September!
We also had a question from Liliana about mobile statistics for EMEA. We hope these graphs help, Liliana!
#Tweet This! 5 Strategies for Building Engaging Conversations on Twitter
You have likely heard about the business benefits of a strong Twitter presence: competitive intelligence, increased brand awareness and customer engagement, to name just a few. However, if the Twitterverse is still foreign to you and your colleagues, check out these tips for starting and maintaining a meaningful dialogue:
• Have a clear goal/focus of your tweet(s). What are you hoping to achieve and how will you measure your success? Will it be based on the number of people participating/retweeting, or on the nature of responses (i.e negative, positive or indifferent)? Remember, your social strategy should always align with larger business objectives.
• Be relevant. The word gets tossed around constantly in the digital marketing world, but what does real relevancy look like? It involves understanding your followers and target markets. Use surveys, polls, Q&A to learn more about them. Follow topics of interest, trends and news that relate to them as well as your brand. When tweeting, avoid being overtly promotional – it’s a conversation, not ad copy!
• Listen and participate – don’t just lead. Make sure your efforts to initiate are matched by your efforts at joining existing conversations. Engage with other businesses in your industry. Think of it this way: would you attend a networking event, give your presentation and then cower in the corner during breaktime? Be fearless.
• Build a schedule and stick to it. Set reasonable, manageable goals and stick to them week over week. For example, instead of tweeting 10 times in one day and then staying silent for a week, try starting a conversation once or twice a week consistently, leaving you enough time to let the chat grow before moving onto another topic.
• Don’t forget the experts! If that consultant gave an earth-shattering presentation on the merits of Widget X, ask them to tweet about it. Conversations are nothing without people, and you want to associate your brand with industry thought leaders.
• Passion. Don’t leave home without it! There’s some truth to the age-old adage: if you love what you do, you will be good at it. Others will want to do it too.
Oh, I almost forgot: in the spirit of conversation, let me know if you have thoughts or any other tips to share!
