1. Four senators address Zuckerberg and Facebook about privacy. Funny thing - I think a lot of politicians agree with the "ask forgiveness not permission" motto.
2. Facebook edges Google out as the "Web's most important company." Facebook had already edged out Google in terms of traffic (at least for a week). Open Graph puts it in a whole new league.
3. Social media has a postive effect on advertising. Study shows significant correlation between ad recall, awareness, and purchase intent with social media advocacy.
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
The Mumbo: Facebook Takes Over the World
Ok, it may seem a little dramatic to announce that facebook is taking over the world. (Not like it's the first time I've been accused of being dramatic.) But it's not so far from the truth. They are taking over the Internet.
I hope that by now (especially if you are an Ad:Tech or AIM attendee), you have heard about Open Graph. Facebook announced Open Graph at f8, the facebook conference for developers.
From the User's perspective:
In a nutshell, Open Graph allows facebook users to "like" across the Internet, not just within the facebook environment. This action may update your facebook profile (ie, "liking" movies on IMDB will add them to your "Favorite Movies" on fb). You can also chat about items on other sites. There is a legitimate concern about privacy now that fb is connected to the rest of the world. (Oh BTW, data can now be cached for more than 24 hours.)
From the Developer's perspective:
Facebook created specs for meta tags that can be added to sites to integrate the content with facebook, allowing users to "like" the content and create a social experience.
Facebook is launching with 30 partners, including CNN, ESPN, Pandora, and IMDB.
This is huge, people. Stay tuned.
I hope that by now (especially if you are an Ad:Tech or AIM attendee), you have heard about Open Graph. Facebook announced Open Graph at f8, the facebook conference for developers.
From the User's perspective:
In a nutshell, Open Graph allows facebook users to "like" across the Internet, not just within the facebook environment. This action may update your facebook profile (ie, "liking" movies on IMDB will add them to your "Favorite Movies" on fb). You can also chat about items on other sites. There is a legitimate concern about privacy now that fb is connected to the rest of the world. (Oh BTW, data can now be cached for more than 24 hours.)
From the Developer's perspective:
Facebook created specs for meta tags that can be added to sites to integrate the content with facebook, allowing users to "like" the content and create a social experience.
Facebook is launching with 30 partners, including CNN, ESPN, Pandora, and IMDB.
This is huge, people. Stay tuned.
Monday, April 26, 2010
The Jumbo: Law & Order: Blogger Unit
1. Newspaper sues for linking. In an unprecedented show of support for loyal readers and promoters (read: sarcasm), a newspaper is suing sites for linking to their articles. (?!)
2. People of all ages love the blog. In the least surprising headline of the day, millennials are the age group most likely to write and read blogs. (Now don't you feel hip?) More surprising is that a whopping 17% of blog readers are age 62 and above.
3. Court rules that bloggers aren't journalists. A New Jersey court ruled that a blogger who slammed a media company one too many times is not protected by the shield law. (I, for one, am offended. I totally consider myself a journalist. Fancy me.)
2. People of all ages love the blog. In the least surprising headline of the day, millennials are the age group most likely to write and read blogs. (Now don't you feel hip?) More surprising is that a whopping 17% of blog readers are age 62 and above.
3. Court rules that bloggers aren't journalists. A New Jersey court ruled that a blogger who slammed a media company one too many times is not protected by the shield law. (I, for one, am offended. I totally consider myself a journalist. Fancy me.)
The Mumbo: All About Craig's List
It's hard to ignore Craigslist. Back when I working for a vendor, the question was posed to me: How do we compete against Craigslist? My answer: Don't. In some markets, Craigslist should be a part of the marketing plan.
The first rule of marketing is: Go to where your audience is. In markets where the audience is on Craigslist, you should be there. But not so fast! Here are a few cautions for the Craigslister:
1. It takes time. Don't neglect the amount of time required to update your listings. It's worth it to use a content syndicator with a Craigslist tool, such as Rent Engine or Rent Sentinel. (Please feel free to suggest others int he comments.)
2. Check out Craig's TOU. The Craigslist Terms of Use are fair and reasonable, but worth reviewing before use. One to note: "You agree not to post, email, or otherwise make available Content that includes links to commercial services or web sites, except as allowed in 'services.'"
3. Be cognizant of the opportunity cost. Just because Craigslist is free, doesn't mean it's free. You pay for all of the time your staff spends following up with unqualified leads, and it may be costing you more than you think.
4. Track effectively. This is true for every marketing source, but especially true for Craigslist. I am of the mindset that consumers are the worst source of information for marketing sources. They don't remember where they saw your ad, so stop asking! I have heard anecdotally that in some studies "Craigslist" has been highly over-reported as the marketing source. Consumers use it, to be sure, but make sure that's what drove them to you. Track calls and emails, and spot check them for quality.
5. For a good laugh, check out best-of-craigslist. Seriously, there are some good ones in there. Just bookmark it and check out a few every time you need a little chuckle. A couple of my favorites: You Slept in My Bed Last Night and Orange Popsicles. (Free popsicles?! It was totally worth the drive to Lafayette.)
The first rule of marketing is: Go to where your audience is. In markets where the audience is on Craigslist, you should be there. But not so fast! Here are a few cautions for the Craigslister:
1. It takes time. Don't neglect the amount of time required to update your listings. It's worth it to use a content syndicator with a Craigslist tool, such as Rent Engine or Rent Sentinel. (Please feel free to suggest others int he comments.)
2. Check out Craig's TOU. The Craigslist Terms of Use are fair and reasonable, but worth reviewing before use. One to note: "You agree not to post, email, or otherwise make available Content that includes links to commercial services or web sites, except as allowed in 'services.'"
3. Be cognizant of the opportunity cost. Just because Craigslist is free, doesn't mean it's free. You pay for all of the time your staff spends following up with unqualified leads, and it may be costing you more than you think.
4. Track effectively. This is true for every marketing source, but especially true for Craigslist. I am of the mindset that consumers are the worst source of information for marketing sources. They don't remember where they saw your ad, so stop asking! I have heard anecdotally that in some studies "Craigslist" has been highly over-reported as the marketing source. Consumers use it, to be sure, but make sure that's what drove them to you. Track calls and emails, and spot check them for quality.
5. For a good laugh, check out best-of-craigslist. Seriously, there are some good ones in there. Just bookmark it and check out a few every time you need a little chuckle. A couple of my favorites: You Slept in My Bed Last Night and Orange Popsicles. (Free popsicles?! It was totally worth the drive to Lafayette.)
Thursday, April 22, 2010
The Mumbo: What Makes You So Special?
Did you miss me?? Aww, I missed you, too. Sorry about the hiatus, but sometimes life gets in the way of life, and the past two weeks have been like that.
In an effort to expand my network of like-minded folk, I have been meeting with some local search firms in the Denver area. Their reaction to the projects that Multifamily Edge takes on was amusing and reminded me just why we're so great. (Pardon the lack of humility.) Working in industries like multifamily is completely out of the comfort zone for most online marketing agencies. Here are a few reasons why the multifamily industry is so special:
1. Multiple Brands. Multiple Websites. Multiple Locations. Whether or not multifamily companies have a strong corporate brand, they all have community-level brands. Each community is a separate business operation with its own brand, its own name, its own challenges, its own opportunities, its own amenities, and its own address. Each community needs to have presence on the web, whether as a separate website or a subdomain. Each community needs to have a presence on local search. Domain type (corporate, regional, community) needs to be matched to the proper phase of the search cycle. When I tell other online marketers that I work exclusively with website suites of tens or hundreds of sites, jaws drop.
2. Consumer Behavior. One benefit of my background in multifamily is that I know how people search for apartments, and not just because I read articles about Gen Y. When you work with someone outside of the industry, their inclination is to fit multifamily into a box they can handle, like retail. (Ask me later for a list of reasons why multifamily is NOT retail.) Rental search is different in both subtle and dramatic ways than other consumer behavior. Renters tend to use a consistent search path online and offline. Here are a few examples off the top of my head: renters usually look approximately 3 months out and within 5-25 miles. They typically start their search online, then offline (driving around), then online, then traditional (for a certain demographic), then online again. They typically do seven online searches during their apartment hunt. They are more pragmatic and less emotional than home buyers and car buyers. Don't pay (directly or indirectly) for someone to do this research, or find out the hard way that the search strategy doesn't fit search behavior.
3. Keyword Research. A lot of search agencies require that companies use them for a pay-per-click campaign in addition to search engine optimization. Why? Because otherwise they don't know what keywords are effective. We know how to research keyword combinations specifically for multifamily so that the keywords implemented from the get-go are the ones that will bring a high volume of high quality traffic. (Tip: it's not "Miami apartments" or "2 bedroom floorplans"!)
4. Conversions. A typical conversation with an online marketer goes like this. OM: "What kind of sites are they?" Me: "Lead gen." OM: "Ok." And that's all they need to know. But it's not all you would want them to know, is it? Anyone can generate leads. Just make a big, shiny, prominent simple lead form and give away free stuff. Then push a bunch of traffic to it. What you want is leads that will convert to leases, and that's a whole different story. It takes a more sophisticated strategy to drive qualified leads, from traffic to design to tracking.
You're special, multifamily people, and don't you forget it. Don't let anyone try to put you in someone else's box. You won't fit.
In an effort to expand my network of like-minded folk, I have been meeting with some local search firms in the Denver area. Their reaction to the projects that Multifamily Edge takes on was amusing and reminded me just why we're so great. (Pardon the lack of humility.) Working in industries like multifamily is completely out of the comfort zone for most online marketing agencies. Here are a few reasons why the multifamily industry is so special:
1. Multiple Brands. Multiple Websites. Multiple Locations. Whether or not multifamily companies have a strong corporate brand, they all have community-level brands. Each community is a separate business operation with its own brand, its own name, its own challenges, its own opportunities, its own amenities, and its own address. Each community needs to have presence on the web, whether as a separate website or a subdomain. Each community needs to have a presence on local search. Domain type (corporate, regional, community) needs to be matched to the proper phase of the search cycle. When I tell other online marketers that I work exclusively with website suites of tens or hundreds of sites, jaws drop.
2. Consumer Behavior. One benefit of my background in multifamily is that I know how people search for apartments, and not just because I read articles about Gen Y. When you work with someone outside of the industry, their inclination is to fit multifamily into a box they can handle, like retail. (Ask me later for a list of reasons why multifamily is NOT retail.) Rental search is different in both subtle and dramatic ways than other consumer behavior. Renters tend to use a consistent search path online and offline. Here are a few examples off the top of my head: renters usually look approximately 3 months out and within 5-25 miles. They typically start their search online, then offline (driving around), then online, then traditional (for a certain demographic), then online again. They typically do seven online searches during their apartment hunt. They are more pragmatic and less emotional than home buyers and car buyers. Don't pay (directly or indirectly) for someone to do this research, or find out the hard way that the search strategy doesn't fit search behavior.
3. Keyword Research. A lot of search agencies require that companies use them for a pay-per-click campaign in addition to search engine optimization. Why? Because otherwise they don't know what keywords are effective. We know how to research keyword combinations specifically for multifamily so that the keywords implemented from the get-go are the ones that will bring a high volume of high quality traffic. (Tip: it's not "Miami apartments" or "2 bedroom floorplans"!)
4. Conversions. A typical conversation with an online marketer goes like this. OM: "What kind of sites are they?" Me: "Lead gen." OM: "Ok." And that's all they need to know. But it's not all you would want them to know, is it? Anyone can generate leads. Just make a big, shiny, prominent simple lead form and give away free stuff. Then push a bunch of traffic to it. What you want is leads that will convert to leases, and that's a whole different story. It takes a more sophisticated strategy to drive qualified leads, from traffic to design to tracking.
You're special, multifamily people, and don't you forget it. Don't let anyone try to put you in someone else's box. You won't fit.
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