(Part 5 of a 5-part blog series on Selling to the Future)

Why walk when you can run, and why talk when you can text.  More and more, younger generations are focused on speed and results, and demand both…yesterday.

Whether it’s advancing in their career, having the highest speed Internet connections, or shopping on Websites that display personalized product selections pages.  This fast-paced, instant gratification-craving lifestyle helps explain the explosion of text messaging as a preferred communication tool. 

Consider the North Olmsted, Ohio teen currently working toward sending 18,300 text messages in one month.  A June 28 Cleveland Plain Dealer article interviews the seventeen-year-old Drew Acklin, who talks about his texting behaviors in the social context, as well as the possibility of establishing a Guiness World Record. 

The article states that as of December 2007, the U.S. telecommunications industry had handled 48.1 billion texts.  The article also refers to surveys from comScore M:Metrics, a Seattle audience-measurement company, that state of those 13 to 17 years old, 52 percent say they text daily, and the number jumps to 56 percent for 18- to 24-year-olds.

According to a March 2008 Pew Internet & American Life Project study, 58 percent of adult Americans have used a cell phone or PDA to conduct non-voice data activities like texting, emailing, pictures, mapping or video.

Of those ages 18 to 29 that have a cell phone or PDA, 85 percent send or receive text messages, 82 percent take photos, 38 percent play music and 31 percent access the Internet for news, sports or other information. 

With the world at our fingertips, it seems nothing is worth the wait.  Understand this and you may start to understand the popularity of the Twitter social network.  Twitter answers the question "What are you doing?" by keeping people connected through the exchange of short and frequent messages. 

 

When it comes to selling to the future, keep it simple, keep it relevant and keep it coming.

 

Part 1 - Connect to convert

Part 2 - Learn your XYZs

Part 3 - Facebook is life for college students and beyond

Part 4 - Blogging in business

Part 5 - Don't call us, we'll text u

(Part 4 of a 5-part blog series on Selling to the Future)  

Teenagers and young professionals of Generation Y are the true ambassadors of the blogosphere.  Not only are blogs vital for a strong inbound marketing campaign - increasing your search engine visibility through inbound links to your Websites – but also a great way to share content and create discussions.

A 2007 report, Teens and Social Media, highlights creative content sharing as a growing trend.  The report is based on a national phone survey of 935 youth ages 12-17 conducted in November 2006.

• Content creation by teenagers continues to grow, with 64 percent of online teenagers ages 12 to 17 engaging in at least one type of content creation, up from 57 percent of online teens in 2004
• 39 percent of online teens share their own artistic creations online such as artwork, photos stories or videos.
• 33 percent of online teens create or work on Web pages or blogs for others, including friends, groups they belong to or school assignments.
• 28 percent of online teens have created their own blog, up from 19 percent in 2004 - almost completely driven by the popularity of blogging among girls.
• 27 percent of online teens maintain their own webpage.
  

Making Blogs Work For You
Blogs thrive on two-way communication – publishing interesting content, and communicating directly through comments, linkbacks, and social bookmarking through StumbleUpon, digg and more.

In a Seth Godin blog post titled “The wealthy gardener,” he states:

“The best bloggers make money, but mostly as a side effect, not as a direct result of setting out to use a blog to make a profit…If it makes you happy (and your readers happy) it's a great place to start. Step by step you get better at it, and then you discover the ancillary benefits. But the benefits kick in best when you don't set out to achieve them...”

A great place to start is to search where your target markets are hanging out in the blogosphere by doing a blog search on Technorati or Google Blogs.  This will help you get a feel for what’s already being said and where you can fit in.  

In addition to using blogs to connect with customers, corporations are also seeing the benefits of internal blogs as employee communication tools.  

How organizations are using blogs in business

• Establish professionals as experts, thought leaders and innovators.
• Educate employees, customers, prospects and the media.
• Manage crisis situations.
• Optimize Websites for improved search engine rankings.
• Publish company news, information.
  

Not sure if blogging is right for your business?

Check out the Corporate Blog Creative Brief posted on the PR 20/20 Blog, or contact a PR 20/20 Internet marketing consultant today.

With 1.4 blogs created each second, and 22 of the top 100 Websites being blogs, maybe it’s time your business thought about blogging.

 

Part 1 - Connect to convert

Part 2 - Learn your XYZs

Part 3 - Facebook is life for college students and beyond

Part 4 - Blogging in business

Part 5 - Don't call us, we'll text u (coming soon)

 

(Part 3 of a 5-part blog series on Selling to the Future) 

Supporting the instinctive trait of gathering in groups, Facebook is a social utility and virtual society complete with social hierarchy, friendship, competition, and user-generated online groups, events and applications.  

To a marketer, it’s a demographically and psychographically obvious place to target efforts.

Facebook also has more than 600 million searches per month making it one of the top 20 search engines.

According to a January 2008 HubSpot.com webinar, “Facebook for Businesses,” Facebook has more than 59 million active users, averaging 250,000 new users each day since January 2007.  More than half are out of college with the fastest growing demographic 25 or older. More than half of active users return daily.

Business Uses for Facebook

• Create a profile, recruit friends
• Create a business group, recruit fans
• Use News feeds to make announcements, show activity, gain friends/fans
• Buy Facebook social ads
• Conduct Facebooks polls
• Participate in the Marketplace
• Schedule and promote events, invite attendees
• Build your profile and make connections with consumers
• Viral marketing, generating traffic and creating links
  

Facebook Marketing

• Facebook has a virtual shop of graphic gifts to purchase and send to friends.  Companies have harnessed this gift-giving power to promote brands, Website products, events, film and TV releases and more, usually offering free gifts as opposed to the typical $1 cost.

• This prom season, Sears used Facebook for friends to share fashions and recreate the dress shopping experience online.  Sears supported the effort to recreate the mall experience for today’s social networking teen through Facebook ads and retail signage. Click here for full article.
  

• According to an article on The Baby Boomer Entrepreneur Website, 41 percent of the teens that use MySpace, Facebook or other social network sites say they send messages to friends via those sites every day. 
  

The first step is to visit the site and build from there. The very life of your future Internet marketing strategy may depend on it.

Social Networking Continued

Facebook is currently the number two social networking site behind MySpace, but the landscape of social networking is constantly evolving and segmenting.  Google has recently entered the ring with its beta “Friend Connect,” which lets the sites of musicians, political campaigns and others incorporate profile data from several social networks.  And you can’t overlook the wildly popular, and recently $1 billion valuated,  LinkedIn for professionals social networking site.  Plus, Ning allows you to create your own free social network!

Keep a pulse on what’s next in social networking and who’s ahead in the fight for top social status.  

Sources: Facebook.com, Hubspot.com, Thebabyboomerentreprenuer.com, retailmarketingblog.com, Wikipedia.com, Google.com

Part 1 - Connect to convert

Part 2 - Learn your XYZs

Part 3 - Facebook is life for college students and beyond

Part 4 - Blogging in business (coming soon)

Part 5 - Don't call us, we'll text u (coming soon)

 

(Part 2 of a 5-part blog series on Selling to the Future)

Tools such as search engine optimization, pay-per-click campaigns, online ads and viral marketing are important elements of a company’s Internet marketing strategy. 

However, the emergence of social media, including forums, blogs, social networking, wikis and more, has given businesses the chance for dialogue — in the figurative online sense — with both current and potential customers. 

But for your voice to be heard with online generations, first understand whom you’re talking to.

GENERATION X (Born 1965-1982)

• The MTV generation of divorce, social problems and economic strain
• The generation between the baby boomers and their children
• Digital adaptives — technologies began to emerge (in a mass sense) largely during the teen years of Generation X 

GENERATION Y (born 1980-1994)

• The Net Generation, The “Millennials” of the work place
• Represents more than 70 million consumers in the U.S.
• Peer oriented and seek instant gratification
• Heavy users of Internet forums, email, Wikipedia, search engines, social networking sites, etc.
  

  

 

In a survey of 7,705 college students:

• 97% own a computer
• 94% own a cell phone
• 34% use websites as their primary source of news
• 28% own a blog
• 44% read blogs
  

Generation Y is a prime target for Internet marketing. According to the online article, “Why Gen Y is going to Change the Web,” Generation Y doesn’t care about advertising: they care what their friends think.

The article continues: “Because they are immersed in media, both online and off, Gen Y'ers are marketed to left and right. But when it comes to making decisions, Gen Y tends to rely on their network of friends and their recommendations, not traditional ads…They're also somewhat distrusting of ads, which is why grassroots efforts can also work.”

Source: Wikipedia reference - Connecting to the Net.Generation: What Higher Education Professionals Need to Know About Today's Students, Reynol Junco and Jeanna Mastrodicasa (2007).

GENERATION Z (born 1995-present)

• Today’s children and students, and tomorrow’s employees and leaders
• History's first 21st Century generation
• The digital natives, the dot com kids, Generation Media
• The 'Multichannel Teens' — super-communicators who have a host of technology options for dealing with family and friends
  

Sources: Wikipedia.com; Marketingvox.com, Marketingcharts.com

Where the wealthy are

According to The Luxury Institute’s latest WealthSurvey, “The Wealthy and Web 2.0,” the participation of wealthy online consumers (average of $287,000 income) in social networks dramatically increased to 60 percent in 2008, from 27 percent in 2007.  The wealthy average membership in 2.8 social networks, with an average of 110 connections.

Selling to the Future Blog Series Links

Part 1 - Connecting with Younger Audiences

Part 2 - Learn your XYZs

Part 3 - Facebook is life for college students and beyond (coming soon)

Part 4 - Blogging in business (coming soon)

Part 5 - Don't call us, we'll text u (coming soon)

(Part 1 of a 5-part blog series on Selling to the Future)

As time marches on inside Web 2.0, the future looks bright for marketing to younger audiences. Everyday, more opportunities are presented to reach multiple generations online, and the more segmented social networks become, the better chances you have to connect with consumers in niche markets, and convert them into sales leads. 

Establishing a clear Internet marketing strategy is essential to remain competitive: it’s all about communicating the right things, to the right audiences, in the right places.  All with the speed and accuracy that younger generations demand. 

To market to your future consumers, treat them as a friend, share knowledge, give advice, seek opinions, and most importantly, speak their language. 

Stay tuned for a series of posts on Selling to the Future:

Part 2 - Learn your XYZs

Part 3 - Facebook is life for college students and beyond (coming soon)

Part 4 - Blogging in business (coming soon)

Part 5 - Don't call us, we'll text u (coming soon)

Google takes a number of different factors into account when ranking Websites for specific search terms, including: content, page titles, descriptions and navigation.

However, the number one thing Google looks at is how many other Websites link to your site (i.e. inbound links). It considers each link an endorsement of your site to other Internet users, and the more you have from legitimate Websites relating to your subject matter, the higher you rank.

For this reason, when optimizing a Website, generating inbound links must be a top priority. Paul touched on this topic in an earlier post titled – Tools to Build Inbound Links, Website Traffic and Leads.

Well, in a recent post on Ramblings About SEO, Eric Enge shares a transcript of his interview with Matt Cutts, head of Google’s Webspam team.

In it, Enge asks Cutts to describe what makes a good inbound link and to explain Google’s take on several inbound marketing strategies, including article publishing and reciprocal links. Below are a couple excerpts from the transcript:

On What Makes a Good Link:

Matt Cutts:  So, what are the links that will stand the test of time? Those links are typically given voluntarily. It is an editorial link by someone, and it’s someone that’s informed. They are not misinformed, they are not tricked; there is no bait and switch involved. It’s because somebody thinks that something is so cool, so useful, or so helpful that they want to make little sign posts so that other people on the web can find that out.

On Article Publishing:

Eric Enge:  ... writing a really good article, placing it in an online magazine site somewhere. I mean, that’s a pretty solid strategy as well, right?

Matt Cutts: Yeah absolutely; because someone is choosing to put that article up.

If you think about it as a freelance journalist, it is exactly that situation where they are getting their article placed in a magazine and in return they get credibility. And, a journalist is actually paid as well, but getting well-known, whether it’s through networking or through writing articles that you are expert about, or even doing a guest post on a blog are all important to journalists who are trying to get their name out there and have people know more about them.

On Reciprocal Links:

Matt Cutts:  ... that’s another place where not so long ago [we] improved our documentation, because at first we said avoid the reciprocal links. Really, what you need to do is avoid the excessive reciprocal links.

Click here for the full transcript. And for more from Matt Cutts, check out Google's Cutts: Good directions drive traffic to your Website from USA Today.

Less than a week after the Tribune Company announced plans for significant cuts to staff and page counts at its 12 papers, RealNEO blogger Roldo Bartimole broke the news that big cuts are in the plans for The Plain Dealer, Cleveland's major daily newspaper.

According to Roldo, "the paper plans to cut 35 pages a week from its news pages and 20 percent of its workforce." And that's in addition to the 17 percent of its editorial staff lost to recent buyouts.

Read more about the planned changes at major dailies across the country:

RealNeo.com — June 10, 2008
Big Cuts in Planning at Plain Dealer 

Chicago Tribune — June 9, 2008 
Tribune Co. faces big cuts, fast 

The New York Times — June 9, 2008
Tribune Co. Plans Sharp Cutbacks at Papers

Los Angeles Times — Feb. 14, 2008
Tribune Co. to cut staff by 2% 

 

The public relations industry is rapidly evolving. Technology is redefining the profession, and Web 2.0 — the new online world of mass collaboration and consumer-generated content — has given unfiltered access to the opinions and perceptions of target audiences (i.e. employees, customers, prospects, competitors, media, etc.).

Plus, through the use of blogs, optimized press releases, podcasts, videos, forums, social networks and other Web 2.0 tools, companies now have the ability to connect with their audiences in a more authentic, human voice.

For the PR industry, which traditionally has relied on pitching stories to mainstream media (i.e. TV, print, radio) in the hopes of landing editorial coverage and generating impressions, Web 2.0 has given us the ability to consistently produce a more measurable outcome — inbound links.

Through social media, search engine optimization (SEO) and self-publishing, wired PR firms are building inbound links, driving qualified Website traffic, generating leads, directly influencing consumers and having a measurable impact on the bottom line.

Here’s a snapshot of three public relations trends changing the industry:

1) Social Media

This is the most obvious and talked about trend in the public relations industry. PR professionals are communications specialists, and blogs, forums, online video and social networking offer the ability to communicate more affordably and efficiently than ever before.

2) Search Engine Optimization

Placement of targeted keywords throughout your Website, as well as generating inbound links to your Website, play an essential role in how your site ranks on major search engines, and in turn, directly impacts the quantity and quality of Website visitors. While SEO is not a traditional public relations practice, PR firms that don’t quickly integrate SEO principles into their services will become obsolete.

3) Self-Publishing

Press Releases, blogs, eBooks, white papers, by-lined articles, newsletters and online magazines are now being written with keyword-rich content and distributed with the goal of building Website traffic, inbound links and leads.

 

Web 2.0 has leveled the playing field for many organizations. It’s no longer about the size of your marketing budget, or how many impressions you can generate, rather it’s about how intelligent and innovative you can be in adopting emerging online technologies.

By concentrating on the activities that build inbound links, drive Website traffic and convert visitors into leads, your organization can grow smarter and faster than the competition.

Underdogs and innovators are looking beyond traditional, outbound marketing (e.g. mainstream media advertising, trade shows, telemarketing, direct mail) and discovering the ability to influence consumers through inbound marketing (e.g. search engine optimization, pay-per-click, blogging).

One of the most powerful inbound marketing activities is optimizing your Website for local search, also referred to as geographic keyword optimization.

In his May 30 blog, “Winning the Local Search Battle,” Gregg Stewart of Search Engine Watch says that, “. . . consumers are becoming better and smarter searchers, moving from simple one- and two-keyword searches to more specific four- and five-keyword searches.”

Stewart goes on to say that, “. . . the more specific a consumer is in the search query, the higher propensity to purchase. The consumer is shifting from 'what to buy' category searches (e.g. plumbing, drain cleaning) to 'where to buy' phrases (e.g. draining cleaning in Austin, Texas).”

Getting Started with a Keyword Analysis

The foundation of every successful inbound marketing campaign, including those built to drive business through local online search, is a highly targeted keyword analysis.

It’s important that the software used (by you or your Internet marketing firm) to build your keyword database goes far beyond search volume. Keywords should be graded and prioritized based on relevance, search volume, competition and difficulty.

On average PR 20/20 monitors 300 - 500 keywords at all times for each client, but concentrates keyword optimization activities on 25 - 50 favorites that are the most relevant. These keywords are segmented into four categories for tracking and reporting: Brand, Product/Service, Industry/Division and Geographic.

Generate Website Traffic and Increase Leads 

Once your keyword analysis is complete, it's time to start generating qualified traffic and leads. Keywords should be continually evaluated and used for both on-page and off-page optimization, including:

• Website content
• Landing pages
• Meta data (i.e. page titles, tags, descriptions)
• Blog topics
• Product/service naming
• Optimized press releases
• Pay-per-click campaigns
• Social media tagging
• Anchor text
• Content publishing (e.g. by-lined articles, case histories, white papers, ebooks)

Define Your Internet Marketing GamePlan 

Request a complimentary Internet Marketing GamePlan from PR 20/20 to learn more about keyword optimization and how to grow your business online.

Welcome to crisis communications 2.0.

For those corporations and professionals who have not figured it out yet, everything you do online, whether under a real or fake name, is traceable.

As we continually reinforce to our clients, social media can be a powerful communications and branding tool, but your participation must be authentic.

Those who don’t adhere to this basic principle will eventually get "flame broiled."

Burger King is the latest example of a corporation failing to grasp the power of social media. A May 18 Miami Herald article, Burger King's virtual missteps `a cautionary tale', tells the story two employees fired for ''unauthorized activity'' on public websites that didn't “reflect the company's views.''

Plus, according to the Miami Herald, a Burger King Vice President posted comments under his daughter's screen name attacking the Coalition of Immokalee Workers, a farmworker advocacy group. The comments accused the coalition's leaders of pilfering pay increases they had negotiated for migrant workers and “reaping millions in cash from unknowing or duped supporters.''

According to a May 13 Associated Press story, “Burger King is in a public relations feud with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers over how to improve wages and working conditions for Florida's tomato pickers.”

So what can we learn from Burger King? Every business must take social media into account when building its crisis communications and management strategy, starting with the Big 3:

1. How can social media create crisis situations?
2. How can social media be used to manage crisis situations?
3. What actions should we take to understand & integrate social media?
   

Then, drill down to the primary social media channels, and consider their potential impact on your organization. For example:

Blogs & Crisis Communications

• How can your business utilize corporate blogging - both internal (private) and external (public) - as a crisis communications tool?
• What damage can be done to your brand if you are not proactive about monitoring and contributing to blogs?
• How can influential bloggers impact perceptions about your business?

Social Networking & Crisis Communications

• What new crisis scenarios may arise as a result of employees, customers and businesses participating in social networks?
• What are employees doing, saying on social networking sites? Is it even your business?
• How can social networks be used to manage crisis situations?

Online Forums & Crisis Communications

• What forums should you monitor? Participate in?
• What’s being said about your business in forums now?
• When your organization chooses to participate, who has the authority to be the “voice?”

Relevant Links:

Associated Press: Burger King fires 2 after blog controversy
Miami Herald: Burger King's virtual missteps `a cautionary tale'
PR Junkie/Ragan.com: Is Burger King the new Wal-Mart? Let's count the ways