“Things I’ve Learned from Lately” is a regular compilation of articles that have made me a smarter social media marketer. Hopefully, they’ll help you, too.
Remember… We’re in a Bubble – The Ad Contrarian shares some stats that should ground all of us on the media habits we exhibit compared to the general population.
Key Takeaway: We live in a bubble. I live in a bubble. We are not always our consumer, so it’s important to reach consumers in ways that are relevant to them, not necessarily us. The majority of the population is not made up of leading edge people. Who says traditional media is dead?
How Red Bull Mastered Content – Digiday follows-up on the groundbreaking Red Bull Stratos skydive from “the edge of space,” highlighting basic principles Red Bull has followed for winning with content.
Key Takeaway: Red Bull understands that the content that it can win with starts with what consumers want and what the brand can provide. Content is often a big challenge for brands, and it’s not easy. But at the end of the day, content requires commitment, fully understood brand architecture, a solid understanding of the consumer and a willingness to take chances.
The Free Ride’s Almost Over… - Jesse Stanchak of SmartBlog asked readers if they incorporate paid advertisements into their social media efforts with 63% saying no and 26% saying yes. He goes on to explain how social media marketing has been viewed in the past as being earned and never paid for.
Key Takeaway: The free ride is over. The social landscape has changed. Marketers were lured in with free Facebook Pages and Twitter profiles that have only decreased in their value. Now, marketers need to pay to leverage platforms to their full potential. Social media will always primarily be earned, but paid will play an increasingly important role.
There was a time when every platform was ‘emerging,’ but today we have some platforms that have fully emerged. Now, they want some of those marketing dollars. There will always be emerging platforms that may be viewed as “free,” but you can be sure that as they evolve, their focus on marketing dollars will too.
Just When You Think You Know… - MediaPost’s Sarah Mohoney shares an interview with VP at MTV Insights Alison Hillhouse on Gen Y. They discuss the transition to Twitter, Generation Innovation, internal optimism and more.
Key Takeaway: The game is constantly changing. Remember when everyone said teens don’t use Twitter? Think again. In any kind of marketing, particularly in the digital space, we should always be checking our assumptions. What was true yesterday could be the opposite today.
Who Owns My Data – David Goldman writes on CNN Money that Facebook is sitting on a “data goldmine” but hasn’t figured out how to monetize it. One idea is to pay users for selling their information, keep users happy, sell a ton of data and come out looking good.
Key Takeaway: Users want their private information safe. Yet, we trust it with free online networks, and whenever those networks betray our trust, we’re upset. We are now at a turning point of figuring out what is okay to do with data and what isn’t. This article highlights one way to push the boundaries a little further than users might otherwise be okay with.
