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Twitter Gives A Peak Under the Mobile Nest

Written on September 3, 2010 by admin

Filed Under: book, marketing

Twitter has made some strides to get the mobile experience working better as of late. They have been very successful in this area which is critical since the geo-location movement promises to make mobile even more important in the not so distant future.

Evan Williams, co-founder of Twitter, gave some telling stats on the Twitter blog

Mobile users have jumped 62% since mid-April

16% of all new users to Twitter now start on mobile (it was 5% before Twitter started doing branded mobile clients)

46% of active users use some sort of mobile Twitter experience

78% of people who interact with Twitter still do so through twitter.com — though that number includes people who use more than one app

m.twitter.com is the second most-used Twitter interface at 14%

SMS and Twitter for iPhone are tied at 8%

Here is a chart showing the most used ways to access Twitter. One thing I will note that while the post started out concentrating on mobile numbers it becomes less and less clear which numbers are about overall Twitter usage and which are about Twitter use overall (at least for me that is).

Of note as well, there are now more than 145 million registered Twitter users that use some 300,000 registered applications to get the most from the service. Remember the days of being excited about hitting 20 million users? Those are getting smaller and smaller in the rearview mirror for sure.

Twitter keeps rolling along but there was no talk about making money. That might ruin the mood of the celebration.

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Twitter Gives A Peak Under the Mobile Nest

Google’s New Mobile Ads Take Users From Search To Store

Written on September 2, 2010 by admin

Filed Under: Object

Earlier this summer Google rolled out Expandable Map Ads for mobile devices. These ads appear on the mobile web and in apps. To participate advertisers must enable location extensions and be opted in to the content network for mobile.
They begin as a banner that expands when clicked into a map with the option to [...]



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Google’s New Mobile Ads Take Users From Search To Store

Mobile Continues Its Rise To Prominence

Written on August 31, 2010 by admin

Filed Under: marketing

I am very excited. I stand on the precipice of truly entering the mobile age in a few short days because I will rid myself of the “smart phone” I currently wrestle with on a daily basis and move to the next level by becoming an Android user of some kind. It’s exciting because now I may actually be able to get something from my smart phone vs. the level of frustration I currently encounter as a BlackBerry Storm user.

It looks like my transformation is coming just in time too. According to an eMarketer survey, mobile content is growing by leaps and bounds and the revenue attached to it is growing as well.

eMarketer predicts mobile content revenues will rise from less than $1.15 billion in 2009 to more than $3.53 billion in 2014, a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of nearly 20% over the period.

“The continuing advance of smart devices—including tablet-style computers, led by Apple’s iPad—and the growing ubiquity of mobile broadband networks mean that consumers have to make fewer compromises when it comes to the consumption of games, music and video,” said Noah Elkin, eMarketer senior analyst and author of the new report, “Mobile Content: Games, Music and Video Take to the Cloud.” “An improved user experience, and the ability to access an ever-expanding variety of content from the cloud, will attract many new mobile content consumers in the next five years.”

For those of you who like pictures the one below will tell the story of what might be to come in the near future.

There is no denying that mobile is on the rise. Of course, if you decided to just read Internet marketing blogs and other sources you might believe that it has spread to the four corners of the earth. That’s just not true. Smart phones represent upwards of 40% of the mobile phones in use in the US depending on who you read and believe.

While that’s a big number it’s still not even half so the majority of mobile users can’t really access mobile data. Couple that with a crap economy and that number could very well stall for a while with people simply not being able to afford the cost of the phones and the data plans required to access the content.

So what am I trying to say here? I think that the success and the growth of mobile is certainly real and inevitable but the degree to which it happens is very much up to more circumstances than many are willing to recognize. As a result, marketers will continue to measure where they will get the most bang for their limited bucks and for many mobile may be seen as a luxury vs. a necessity.

So how do you view it? Is mobile going to grow despite economic pressures? Is it that important and has enough critical mass to truly push the smart phone craze to the real masses? What are the factors that will either keep it growing or slow it down?

Tell us how you feel.

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Mobile Continues Its Rise To Prominence

Mobile Marketing at the Mall: An Interview with Sam Feuer of FastMall

Written on August 26, 2010 by admin

Filed Under: Advertising, marketing

The Mall of America has 4.2 million square feet of gross building space, 4.3 miles of storefront footage, 520 stores and 40 million visitors annually. Now try to remember where you parked, let alone find a bathroom when you need one. Sam Feuer, CEO of Mindsmack has the solution. It’s a smartphone app called FastMall which is as helpful to advertisers as it is to consumers.

I spent some time with Sam this week talking about FastMall and the rise in mobile marketing.
Let’s begin with a short description of your product and how it came about.

Sam Feuer: FastMall is the world’s only true turn by turn navigation for shopping malls and areas around the globe. Our navigation works without the need for GPS, instead it uses a system called MapOS or Map Operating System which we have developed from scratch. Once the user downloads the map to their device, no Internet signal is needed for any route desired including multi-level, elevator only routes. It began as my wife’s idea when we could not find a restroom at our local mall and has spawned into truly useful technology that can be used anywhere in the world for any structure or venue indoors or outdoors.

FastMall is a true advertising platform that can be utilized in many ways for the retailer, mall owner, sponsor, user and of course, venues outside the shopping area including hospitals, museums, universities, airports, conferences and anywhere else around the globe.

Local is the big buzz word in marketing these days. First the internet was about reaching the global market place now we’re using geo-targeting to go local. Your thoughts?

S Feuer: Lets go with globally local, in our case, if that makes sense. We are currently in 21 countries and reach the local shopping malls that the public attends. The idea in our case is to make a significant impact to ensure users can navigate the indoors or areas where a GPS/Internet signal may not be prevalent. Also, in an emergency if there is no Internet, our maps will still work and we are able to even black out the map and find emergency exits in an upcoming release. Our application will also come in multiple languages starting with Spanish and we have just finalized the ability to let those who are visually impaired on any level including completely blind utilize our navigation to feel confident in their ability of navigating a structure or area.

Mobile is the next big thing in marketing. Would you talk about how you see this trend progressing in the future.

S Feuer: Mobile marketing is pretty awesome if we can all harness it effectively. Obviously the idea long term for retailers and tourist areas is to give users of applications an incentive for being there and even doing something. I know 1000′s of times I would have bought something if I was offered something a bit more significant at the point of sale. Even if it was a ploy by the store and sounded good, for the way I shop, I feel a deal will push me over the top. Exclusive deals to make the user feel like a VIP is integral for success as we progress with mobile marketing.

Most mobile marketing requires a smartphone but not everyone has one. Is that a concern?

S Feuer: Not really because on the whole all of this is still in its infancy. As we progress just about everyone will have a mobile device capable of handling technology like our FastMall application. We will all continue to work at enhancing our technology, applications and ability to hit as many people as we can to enhance their lives for the better by saving them time and money through technology.

What would you say is the most important thing a business needs to think about when building a marketing campaign.

S Feuer: Distinguishing the difference between you and the competition through some type of fun/exciting/powerful/memorable visual experience. At the core level though, I am a firm believer that if you build something truly special that solves important problems in our societies and also helps people save money and time, the people will take note and discover you through word of mouth. While running MindSmack.com over the last 12 years, I have paid for advertising 2 times, the rest has been word of mouth.

To download the application or to get information about advertising your business with FastMall, visit the website at www.FastMall.com.

Pilgrim’s Partners: SponsoredReviews.com – Bloggers earn cash, Advertisers build buzz!

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Mobile Marketing at the Mall: An Interview with Sam Feuer of FastMall

5 Actionable Takeaways from SES San Francisco 2010

Written on August 24, 2010 by admin

Filed Under: book, chat, marketing, seo

Posted by jennita

Last week I covered SES San Francisco for SEOmoz. Every time I attend a conference, I try to go to sessions that will have information I can bring back to the community. Sometimes I look for sessions that aim to answer questions we see a lot in Q & A or that I notice popping up in comments on the blog. Either way, my focus is usually to find information that will be helpful to the community.

Now and then I get a little greedy though, and attend sessions that will benefit me in my job. Luckily I hit the sweet spot at SES and found a little of both. Rather than straight up regurgitate what speakers presented, I thought I’d take their insights and show some examples specific to SEOmoz.

1. Who are the specific people sending you traffic?

At SES I was reminded about my problem with A.F. (analytics forgetfulness) and a few things that I personally should be doing to not only be better at my job, but to help the company and community. Marty Weintraub from aimClear was the one that initially got me thinking in the “Deep Dive Into Analytics” panel on the first day.

How often do we look at traffic sources and focus on which sites are sending traffic… ok always. But what about looking at the actual people from those sites that are sending traffic. Let’s take Twitter for example. When most people are tweeting they’re usually either in an app or they’re on the web looking from their own page, which shows up as “/” for most referrers.

But sometimes, people are viewing a specific person’s twitter page and THEN click your link. In those instances, Google Analytics will show the actual twitter user page as the referrer. This is a quick and easy way to find out WHO is sending you traffic. This person is also probably someone who is an influencer in your community. Finding who the top referrers are is the first step, next you’ll want to use Klout (or another service) to see what their actual reach is. This doesn’t only work for Twitter though, check out the example below that I found looking at delicious referrers.

This is a list of referrers from delicious.com. Let’s see what Chris Brogan, an influencer in the Social Media space bookmarked.

Consumer Reports Concerned About Mobile Payment Safety

Written on August 24, 2010 by admin

Filed Under: marketing

Fresh off its success in helping to take the Apple Antennagate fiasco to a new level, Consumer Reports may be trying to make a name for itself in the world of the mobile Internet.

According to the LA Times the group is now making some waves in the area of mobile payment security.

{Consumers Union} the nonprofit testing and information organization, which publishes Consumer Reports, called on regulators Tuesday to implement protective standards on mobile payments.

Federal law currently shields credit or debit card holders from many charges associated with lost, stolen or misused cards. But without industry-wide rules for “digital wallet” providers, consumers could risk losing money through fraud, merchant disputes or processing mistakes, the group said.

Existing regulations are piecemeal, said the Yonkers, N.Y.-based group. Mobile payments linked to credit cards are the most protected, with limited liability for unauthorized transactions and the right to argue about certain charges.

Phone purchases hooked up to debit cards have fewer safeguards. But mobile payments would likely increase the number of charges funneled through prepaid cards and phone bills, which are even less protected.

The reality is that anything done online carries some inherent risk. Because of the relative newness of mobile purchasing in the US there are a lot of concerns about consumers and companies alike being protected. Since most people will assume that the same protections that apply to credit cards in more traditional setting will also apply in the mobile space there are bound to be some tough lessons learned in the early years of the mobile era.

There are efforts being made to make these transactions safer and more secure but it will be some time before we get a real feel for just how much a hacker is capable of doing in the wireless space.

Are you concerned about purchasing items through your smart phone? Do you have greater concern about this method of payment than you do about other online payment offerings? Are you holding back from making purchases on your phone or do you just figure it’ll be fine?

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Consumer Reports Concerned About Mobile Payment Safety

Mobile Ads Make Politics Even Flimsier

Written on August 24, 2010 by admin

Filed Under: Advertising, book, marketing

In case you haven’t noticed, I am not a big fan of politics or politicians. It doesn’t matter which side of the aisle they come from or claim to have allegiance to, to me a politician is a politician is a politician.

So what is happening in Florida Democratic primaries today doesn’t help me feel any better about these folks. According to ClickZ, some folks running are using mobile ads to help them get the vote during the ‘last mile’ to the ballot box (or whatever it is in Florida these days).

Mobile advertising is often a direct-response marketing tool, something focused on a call-to-action, but for one Florida Attorney General candidate, it’s all about persuasion. Today, as Democrats queue up to vote in their party’s primary – quite possibly with mobile devices in pocket – Dan Gelber’s campaign aims to reach them there. The AG hopeful is running Google mobile ads targeted to Floridians in the hopes of convincing them to vote for Gelber if they search for more information about the candidate while en route to the polls or waiting in line.

“The point is, it’s really just the last ad people will see when they’re getting ready to vote…. It’s the last way some voters will look for info,” said Josh Koster, managing partner for Washington, DC-based Chong + Koster, a digital consulting firm working with the Gelber campaign.

Now don’t get me wrong. I realize this is what advertising is all about. The trouble here is that we are not talking about which brand of deodorant you are going to be buying. No this is about persuading people through a blue text ad to make a decision that could impact a lot more than if they smell nice.

Think I’m over-reacting? What’s your take on this comment from the agency that put together this campaign?

The Gelber campaign has one message to get across to voters searching for information about the candidate and his opponents: He’s been endorsed by several major Florida newspapers.

“Gelber Gets Endorsements,” reads a mobile ad running today. “Every Major FL Newspaper Endorses Dan Gelber for AG. Learn more,” it continues. The St Petersburg Times, Miami Herald, and South Florida Sun Sentinel are among papers that have given Gelber the nod.

“It’s pure persuasion at this point,” said Koster. Indeed, though the ads link to the Gelber campaign site, the campaign isn’t necessarily concerned with people clicking on them. Rather, the goal is to convince them to vote for Gelber after reading the brief ad copy itself. “These are very, very highly valuable persuasion impressions…Very few times do you have a persuasion message that can be boiled down to one [short ad message],” said Koster, calling the Gelber situation “a somewhat unique case.”

How lame is this? Trying to persuade people to vote for someone because a dying industry (the newspapers) have decided that they will back a certain candidate. If you are basing your vote on which paper endorsed what candidate that’s not research, that’s just lazy, especially if it is a last minute decision. Oh and aren’t the newspapers supposed to be unbiased? Oh, sorry, that hasn’t been the case in, oh, let’s say forever.

If we have gotten to the point where it’s only about the last message anyone sees before they make a decision does that mean that many people will stop thinking and just do what they are told right before they need to act? I’m sure you are shouting “No way!” but maybe you should stop giving people so much credit. After all, if that wasn’t the case why would these ads appear?

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Mobile Ads Make Politics Even Flimsier

100 Million A Month Using Google Maps for Mobile

Written on August 20, 2010 by admin

Filed Under: marketing

It’s the “Year of Mobile” v. 2010 remember? Whether it is or isn’t officially is irrelevant. What is important is just how much mobile is continuing to influence the lives of many Internet users. While not as ubiquitous as many in the industry would like us to believe, it is still a very strong component of the online world and one that has seemingly limitless upside for years to come.

Evidence of just how influential the mobile world is comes from Google who announced that they have hit the 100 million users per month using Google Maps in some form. No matter who you are, that is a big number. From the Google Mobile Blog

Almost five years ago, we launched Google Maps for mobile to help you get where you needed to go from your phone instead of a paper map. Today, more than 100 million people a month are now using Google Maps for mobile to get from point A to point B, find nearby places, and more.

Below is an infographic (notice the use of the hottest Internet marketing buzzword) that shows the evolution of Google Maps for mobile until this point.

What is happening today with this Google service is even more important as the usage continues to rise. The trouble is that the vast majority of the businesses that could benefit from this service don’t even have a clue that it exists let alone how important it could be to promoting their business.

Lately, we’ve been especially focused on helping you find the right place at the right time. With recent additions such as Place Pages, you can now pick a nearby place by browsing information such as opening hours and review snippets for the places around you. It’s easier than ever to find those places with Search by voice or the new Places icon on Android. With this latest Android version, we’re happy to see that you’re now searching for places almost three times as often, doubling how many Place Pages are seen a day.

Place Pages are going to be more and more important to the local player and to the BtoB space as well because they will are a supplemental source of data that may actually be used before a web site or even, gulp, instead of one, by people looking for whatever it is they need.

I believe though that unless Google becomes a better marketer themselves this service will not be fully utilized in the way it could be. Google unfortunately just expects people to know this stuff then even puts the following at the end of this post

If you’re a business owner, help millions of people find you by claiming your free Place Page available in Google Maps and our most used mobile “app” — Google Search. Get started at places.google.com/businesses.

It’s a nice touch but the actual numbers of business owners reading any Google blog are likely to be pretty low. Most readers of Google’s blogs are the industry / tech geek type that can get the word out for sure, if that was their job. In most cases it’s not the business owner reading this so these ‘notifications’ are nice but they are not getting the word out……at all.

Even despite that, a lot of people are using Google Maps though, right? Imagine what it would be like if those people using it had even better information to retrieve because the people they were trying to find were there (and in control of their information) too.

One can dream, can’t one?

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100 Million A Month Using Google Maps for Mobile

Retailers Seek First Mover Advantage in Mobile (At Least They Say They Do)

Written on August 11, 2010 by admin

Filed Under: marketing

Mobile is growing. We can all agree on that. Whether it’s the actual ‘year of mobile’ doesn’t matter one bit because there will never be such a thing. Why? Because the mobile world and how marketers approach it will be a process that will happen over many years no matter how the industry writes about it.

One of the areas where mobile is getting more traction than most is in the retail sector. It only makes sense since many people use their mobile devices while they are shopping to get more information or look for bargains. As a result, retailers are concentrating on getting a true ‘first mover advantage’ over the competition in this increasingly important space.

Forbes | Insights report “Retail’s Mobility Imperative: A Measured Approach to the Emerging Channel” highlights this movement and shows that retailers are taking mobile seriously by jumping in but they are also being cautious to test the waters. The chart below shows that of the retailers surveyed for this report mobile is more of a reality than a theory.

As for actual tactics, here are the results of what retailers are using today as their mobile tools to carry out their strategy.

In the end though, it appears that there may be more pressing marketing matters for retailers as shown here. Note where mobile falls in the overall scheme of things.

So what is it? Is mobile really important or is just a buzzword that is more about being cool than it is about driving business? Will the real ‘year of mobile’ happen when it moves up the priority ladder for marketing executives or will it be when someone writes that it is? Wouldn’t you think that getting a ‘first mover advantage’ in this growing space would push its importance up the marketing food chain a bit more?

What are your thoughts?

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Retailers Seek First Mover Advantage in Mobile (At Least They Say They Do)

Tweets Without Twitter: Twitter Launches Fast Follow

Written on August 11, 2010 by admin

Filed Under: marketing

Yesterday, Twitter announced a new service called Fast Follow that allows anyone to receive tweets on their mobile phone without benefit of a Twitter account. You set up the service by sending ‘on [username]’ to 40404 in the US. You turn off the tweets by substituting off for on in your text to the same number.

Fast Follow is kind of a gateway drug to full-blown Twitter usage. The idea being that once you see how fun and helpful tweets can be, you’ll want to have them on your phone all the time.

For you, the marketer, Fast Follow allows you to send your social media message to a wider audience. For example, let’s say you’re a cupcake baker at the county fair. You have your Twitter name printed on cards and flyers that are passed out to the crowd. Now, throughout the day, you send tweets alerting people every time fresh cupcakes arrive at your stand. With Fast Follow, everyone at the fair can get your alerts on their phones, not just people who have Twitter accounts. They “follow you” while they’re at the fair, take advantage of your fresh cupcakes and your Twitter coupons codes, then turn off the tweets when they pack the kids up in the mini-van and go home. Since no signup or logins are required, it’s a fast process and fast means more people are likely to give it a try.

Now here’s a Twitter tip? Don’t want to be bothered by tweets while you sleep? You can go to the mobile settings part of your profile and tell Twitter when you want it to be quiet. Or you could just turn your phone off during the night. How’s that for thinking outside the box? Want to do more with your phone? You’ll find a list of mobile Twitter commands right here.

Time for some brainstorming. How could you use Twitter’s Fast Follow to help advertise your business?

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Tweets Without Twitter: Twitter Launches Fast Follow