Mad 4 Blog

This week, Advertising Age spotlighted a curious inconsistency from Google execs regarding Google+ brand pages. Immediately, companies accustomed to business pages on Facebook and Twitter tried to create standard profiles in their names, though there isn’t yet a distinct niche on the platform for organizations. One by one, Google suspended these accounts – since profiles are meant to be for individual users on what is perhaps the most promising social network to come along recently.

As Ad Age notes, it’s as if Google wasn’t expecting this to happen – which is odd, because it seems as though the mega Web presence would have anticipated the demand. If Google looks at its competitors and still feels the need to confirm the popularity and the call for brand profile pages, it’s either missing something huge (worrisome) or has something up its sleeve (far more likely).

Just to make things more confusing, Google went on to allow and maintain a Ford brand page, allegedly for testing purposes. Then it asked for applications from outside companies, and accepted a slew of them to analyze – purportedly to select a small number of brands who could begin building pages. But then it was announced that this tactic of applying for brand profiles also wouldn’t remain, and the idea was dashed with an announcement that public brand profiles would be rolling out within a matter of months. It’s been so broadly confusing that Google reps have even made statements admitting its poor handling of the situation.

Google+ remains in Beta, with users still testing out features and personally inviting friends through limited invitations (much like the halcyon days of Gmail), but analysts predict that it has what it takes to be major competition for Facebook, which has all but monopolized the market in recent years. As of July 2011, Ad Age reports that Google+ has 20 million users, compared to Facebook’s 700 million worldwide.

The most recent word is that business accounts are still being developed by Google+, while there’s been no clear answer about why Ford was chosen as the sole supported brand profile. In the meantime, Google continues to promise interested businesses that they can take advantage of the enhanced analytics and tracking available through Google+ — an area it clearly recognizes as lacking from Twitter and Facebook. So apparently they have done some homework about what businesses want and need from social network sites after all.

An increasing number of colleges and universities are updating their business school curricula to include social media training. These changes are reflected both in undergraduate programs, such as a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA), and graduate-level programs such as the Master of Business Administration (MBA). It seems that those in charge of preparing the next generation for success in the business world at large are formally acknowledging the growing importance of social media. It’s not just something that would be good to know, or a field of specialty–it’s necessary for all grads going forward into the modern business world.

According to BusinessWeek, Columbia and Harvard are among the prestigious schools strengthening their social media agendas. This, of course, is in response to the growing demand by employers that their incoming hires have social media backgrounds. Harvard University’s program cuts straight to the chase, offering a course called “Competing with Social Networks”–after all, it’s all about standing out in a viral crowd. Students not only learn the basics about social media–they find out how to do it better than the guy sitting next to them. This also helps those who expect to compete in a global market. And the U.S. isn’t the only one with this bright idea–leading business schools in such competitive markets as London and Paris are also developing social media business school plans.

Schools don’t just teach Facebook and Twitter. Students prepare to use emerging digital tools to stay at the forefront. Throughout their studies, they complete co-ops and internships wherein they work with leading businesses–ranging from Coca-Cola to Google–to analyze and implement social media ventures and gain real-world experience. They also study how people think about social media, how it affects decision-making and its changing role in society. They analyze psychological and historical perspectives as well as simply mastering what one INSEAD professor called ‘the new media landscape.’

What does this mean for business?

First of all, it means that a bulk of pressure is being taken off 20-something interns, upon whom the heft of social media helming often falls. “They’re young, they must know technology, right?” Instead, more businesses will have in-house specialists who understand the basics to launch a comprehensive social media platform. Major corporations like Sears, AT&T, Panasonic and Citigroup have already hired full-time social media directors. Another important benefit is that businesses will be interacting more with their clients and prospective customer base. They’ll have greater access to the thoughts and wishes of their audience, without only reaching out in order to sell. Building relationships and securing long-term involvements is easier than ever—and based on responses from worldwide business schools, it’s also simply status quo. That’s why the single most important value in learning about social media in business school is the fact that it introduces tomorrow’s leaders to foundational terminology and techniques to keep up with technology as it continues to evolve. This is a clear-cut message that social media is no longer considered the cutting edge—it’s the baseline to professional survival.

Your website may serve as a full-service e-commerce interface through which you sell products and services. Or it may simply be a place where people can learn more about your business. Either way, viral marketing can help you increase website traffic––and therefore brand awareness and sales––at a very low cost, with minimal effort.

What is Viral Marketing?
The phrase ‘viral marketing’ refers to almost any means of using word-of-mouth campaigning to pass along your message. Typically, marketers target individuals or groups who are likely to pass along or share a given campaign message. For example, a funny YouTube video is likely to be shared with friends and it is easily forwarded to colleagues; therefore, putting your business message in this format and getting it out to people who are likely to share it with others can create a big buzz for your brand with little effort. In many cases, key message sharers may even be given incentive for their efforts. Many contests which are hosted online offer extra entries or added prizes for fellow bloggers or website owners who use their own forum to promote the contest.

How Can Viral Marketing Promote My Website?
By making your website the centerpiece of your viral marketing campaign, all of your advertising efforts will have one single call to action: visit us online. Although it can be coupled with other media to really strengthen your campaign, online viral marketing is key for websites because viewers of your message will be able to click straight through to your web address once they’ve interacted with your ad. Once your audience is at your website, they can further engage with your brand or even complete transactions.

The best part is that even non-conversion visits can help you strengthen your website’s presence, because increased traffic to your page and more interaction with it will make it rank higher organically in a search engine, such as Google. When your rank rises, your website will be even easier to search and locate for people who are specifically interested in what you have to offer. This begins a cycle of increased traffic begetting increased traffic, which will ultimately impact your website’s success. Because such little cost is needed in the first place to initiate a viral marketing campaign (compared to other online marketing tactics such as a pay-per-click campaign) it’s easy to achieve high ROI.

What Comes Next?
Viral marketing campaigns may occur organically. Sometimes a website becomes an overnight sensation with very little work on the part of its owners. But that’s not something you can rely on when planning to put your business online. One of the best things about viral marketing is the fact that it’s completely accessible to everyone, and you don’t even need a ton of insider information to kick off your campaign. All you need to do is create an easy-to-use website, and then utilize social media tools that you probably already know, such as business-relevant discussion forums and Facebook.

However, to ensure that your efforts have a huge effect, you may want to consider a professional viral marketing team. These experts can help you come up with the unique creative needed for this kind of campaign to launch. Viral marketers are also familiar with a myriad of potential vantage points from which to target and approach your audience, to keep your message moving. This team of professionals can not only determine where your efforts will have the biggest impact, but they can also help you collect and analyze the results of your campaign. By tracking responsiveness and user data, you can sharpen and hone your viral marketing strategies. This will enable you to build even stronger platforms in the future.

Curious to learn more about viral marketing? Ask Mad 4 Marketing how we can help you create a buzz about your business without breaking the bank.

As we’re all aware, typing a keyword into Google not only displays the most relevant information in the organic search, it also displays the most relevant ads targeted towards those keywords.  We are so accustomed to getting exactly what we are seeking on the internet, thanks to Google.

Now Google is making online advertising even more targeted by using information from the web sites people visit.  They have launched something called “interest-based” advertising on their partner sites and on YouTube.  These ads are displayed based on categories of interest.  For example, if you visit web sites about fishing or hunting, then you may see ads displayed for fishing poles or hunting equipment.  Google also allows you to choose your categories of interest, or you can tell them which categories in which you do not want to see ads.  This helps advertisers reach people who are actively interested in their products or services.

This type of customized advertising does bring up the question, “Is big brother watching us?”  Some users first reaction includes a feeling of invasion of privacy.  However, Google provides three explanations that demonstrate their commitment to transparency and user choice:

• Transparency – Ads are clearly labeled that they are provided by Google.

• Choice – They built a tool called Ads Preferences Manager, which lets the user view, delete or add interest categories associated with the user’s browser.

• Control – Users can always opt out of the advertising cookie.

At Mad 4 Marketing, we feel this will be a successful new tool for users and advertisers alike.  It will enable users to view more relevant ads, which will help generate higher ROI for advertisers.