Our Evolution To A Social Media Website – Who, What, How & Why?
You may or may not have noticed the new website that Authority Domains launched late last week. Awhile back we posted the mock ups of the new site and posted them here. What followed was great. Our users and friends alike gave us feedback on what they would like to see. Most of it entailed user experience, while others gave us ideas on Social Media Channels. Friday was the culmination of 3 months of listening, practicing what we preach, and creating. Here is the who, what, how and why of the new site:
- Solution Color Coding- All of our services are color coded.
- Social Media Buttons- There are buttons to our LinkedIn page, Facebook fanpage, our eBook and a tab that leads to follow the entire Authority Domains executive team on Twitter.
- Share This – Every page is accompanied with the ShareThis tool. This is critical in allowing our users to share our website and blog content in whatever social media channel they choose to surf in.
- Constant Contact- We have started a mailing list/survey solution for those who opt in. This is a key “old school” marketing initiative that has not gone obsolete. Constant Contact is fantastic and is easy to plug the opt-in to any website.
- Simple Contact Form – Complete with a pull down subject option so the user can simply choose which bucket they want to contact us about.
- Testimonials – Past or current customers can give us kudos as they see fit.
- Recent Blog Posts- The recent blog posts widget keeps the page up to date with recent content.
- Recent Twitter Posts- The recent Twitter posts widget keeps the users up to date with what is important to us.
- Bulk Class C IP Checker- A critical tool for our SEO customers.
- eBook- Our eBook is free service that customers and prospects that are new to Social Media to think about what it can mean for their business. It is a great education tool and helps them start thinking about SM the right way.
- Retweet Tool- We attached this to every blog post throughout our blog history.
- Intense Debate Comments- Jeremiah Owyang spoke today about the importance of being able to login using 3rd party application (i.e Facebook Twitter, etc). This comments solution does exactly that. Less typing to sign in will lead to more interactions.
- Poll- We used the Vizu poll on our blog.
Although it is a small sample of time, here are some stats from the last 3 days that we are tracking as ROI for our efforts.
- 1. Time on the site rose from 2.5 minutes per visit to 4.1 minutes.
- 2. 5X as many visitors the last 3 days
- 3. 1/3 more link backs as we had previously
- 4. 25% more traffic
- 5. 50% more registrations for our mailing list
Over the coming weeks I will monitor the stats and ultimately new business. Sorry, we can’t discuss sales-but I will comment and let you know if we are seeing a rise. Also, we are considering using other tools like RSS readers (Netvibes) as well as Tweetizen. I will keep you up to date on that as well.
Props to the Authority Domains staff on a fantastic job. I would be interested in reading your thoughts on the new site.
4 comments July 13, 2009
ROI Of A Social Media Community Slide Presentation 6/30/09
Because some of you asked, here is the slide presentation from the event last week at FELT. Thanks to Mark Wallace and EDR for putting together a fantastic presentation and slide deck. The slide presentation is a great example how organizations think about Social Media ROI. Instead of “return on investment” it is “return on interactions” or “return on innovation”.
Add comment July 8, 2009
#Hashtag Your Personal & Professional Life- Here Is Why!
I spent the better part of my vacation last week looking of at the pitter patter of rain drops on the puddles of my street and wondered- “ I should build and ark?” Alas, I decided that would be too much work and went about my business watching movies and puttering around the house. Sporadically, I would update Twitter with what I was up to. Nothing exciting really! But what was interesting was some of the direct messages I received. Items like; “Do you have a #hashtag for your vacation” and “…what about #DSVaca”. Classifying your Twitter posts under large #hashtags like #SEO, #Social Media or say #Michael Jackson makes sense. But what about something as diminutive as my vacation? Do people really care? Should I really organize my laundry folding activities under #DSVacation?
After thinking this through-I have decided the answer is yes and here is why. For the very same reasons humans are addicted to Tetris are the reasons why #hashtags should be attached to every Twitter post. Humans not only like organization-they crave it and are naturally drawn to crisp organization! For the people who were sincerely interested in my overly boring vacation- it is easier for them to look at a earmarked #hashtag then it is visit my profile and then the profile’s of the people I rubbed elbows with on vacation. #hashtags make Twitter less time intrusive and more organized-a lesson everyone can learn from both personally and professionally.
Metaphorically, #hashtags are going be to the future of your business. Aligning your business now with the particular #hashtags you want to be found for in the future. In fact, I suspect press releases and most market communications will be accompanied by suggested #hashtags. Many new technology apps (Tweetizen) already let you dictate what #hashtags you would like to be found for.
My suggestion is to hash all facets of your life. One, because people actually do care! But more importantly, they help to create the organization we all need in our personal and business lives. In other words, they streamline the information that matters in a product and efficient way.
Add comment July 7, 2009
Did The Use Of Social Media By Islanders Fans Sway The Tavares Pick?
First off congrats to the Islanders fans for getting the best player in the draft. As a long time Islander fan, I can say with certainty that this has been a long time coming. I don’t remember what it is like to enjoy playoff hockey! So maybe in the future John Tavares and company can remind me.
Second, watching from Boston I couldn’t help but notice how Islander fans were pretty adamant about who they wanted the Islanders to take with the first pick. Most of the reports I was reading online said that the Islanders front office was leaning towards Matt Duchesne. Even this morning reports were coming out that the Islander really wanted Duchesne. So what happened?
Take a look at this post from Chris Botta of NYIPoint Blank. He asked the question “Will You Really Be Done With This Team?” – if they don’t pick Tavares. The result? 478 passionate responses with a vast majority saying “no Tavares, no more!” In the days leading up to the draft I noticed Twitter posts, Facebook comments from complete strangers who are also fellow Islander fans pleading with Islander GM to pick Tavares. 10,000 fans showed up at the Nassau Coliseum with one message, draft Tavares. The message became viral and social media channels played a huge part in it.
Today the islanders are applauded by fans and media alike for their selection. The incredible pressure and buzz that the fan base created using Social Media had made it virtually impossible for them to not make the selection. If they had chosen Duchesne-those very same channels would have gone silent and been filled with negative sentiment about the organization.
When you give your customers (the fans), what they want, when they want it – you win their business over and over again! Proven fact! The Islanders front office will have a record day for season ticket sales today. They might even get the back page of the NY Post- something they haven’t sniffed in years. The Islanders are a case study on the use of Social Media from both the customer end as well as the organization listening to its constituent sentiment.
Add comment June 27, 2009
We Are Each A Brand – Twitter Best Practices For Anyone!
I was flipping through ESPN the magazine last night when I was reminded of a disturbing trend. Aaron Curry of the Seattle Seahawks has a Twitter handle of @SeaHawk59. What is worse is Stephen Curry, a soon to be drafted NBA player, has a handle of @classof2027. My question to both would be, how are people supposed to find you if they actually wanted to follow you? How is Google supposed to attach your Twitter feed to your search rankings? As it stands now, when you Google “Stephen Curry” his Twitter address does not appear within the first 50 search results. I gave up after 5 clicks on the next tab. Not good, and certainly not good for his Twitter presence. A SEO nightmare by his own creation!
This got me thinking about how companies can utilize Twitter more efficiently. Really the same way athletes should, but don’t! An athlete’s name is not their brand due to free agency. Sales is nothing more than real world free agency. With that in mind-I have compiled a list of Twitter best practices with an eye on maximizing your companies brand on Twitter, and ultimately driving brand awareness and affinity:
- Twitter users are 37% more likely to be followed when they spell out their full name instead of attaching their brand to their username. With that data in hand, I suggest that your company have one corporate username and all other employees make their user name an extension of the company’s brand. This will allow your company to be able to speak to all business avenues -instead of being pigeon-holed based on his/her username.
- Every piece of content created in blogs, Youtube, Flickr, deep discussions, new events- need to be shared on Twitter. We suggest connecting Friendfeed to the corporate Twitter account.
- I suggest your company share tidbits of knowledge daily. At least 10 twitter posts per day using keywords from a yet to be established keyword list. 60% should be of the thought leadership variety, while 40% of the posts should talk about the Twitter personality’s life. The corporate account should be purely talking about company happenings and posting links for “link juice”, while responding to mentions. Always post an opinion on industry specific news.
- I suggest creating a template thank you note for every new follower. This template will link to the company’s website and be accompanied by a thank you with a clear call to action.
- I suggest your company closely monitors the Twitter members that are talking about the organization on http://www.search.twitter.com. Track the results by simply copying the RSS feed of the results and placing it in an RSS reader.
- Your organization should comment on other posts of interest as much as time allows. This opens up free flowing conversations. The organization can track these conversations by keyword and put the RSS feeds into a Netvibes to follow effectively.
Summary:
- One Corporate Account (example @authoritydomain)- At least 10 Tweets a day (60% business/40% casual & fun- be a human) Attach a trending term: Example #authoritydomains. If you are a Mets fan: #Mets
- Numerous Individual Twitter accounts–For example put http://www.authoritydomains.com in the BIO, spell out full name (example: @derekshowerman). Shot for 10 Tweets a day, 60% business/40% casual & fun- be a human!
- Follow other Twitter folks who mention your business on http://search.twitter.com
- Thank every follower and have a clear call to action.
Suggestion:
Please be sure to engage social media with an eye on fulfilling real business objectives and a roadmap to see real ROI. Please let me know if you have any questions.
7 comments June 22, 2009
A Nine Inch Nails Social Media Strategy Plan- Don’t Give Up Yet Trent!
Trent Reznor’s (from Nine Inch Nails) recent announcement that he is leaving Social Media because of trolls sums up the need for all business to- “have a plan”. Whether you are a musician or a corporate giant – a Social Media marketing strategy with a clear map to real business objective is necessary.
Reznor (@trent_reznor )says: “The reason no record label knows how to market anything to new media is they don’t live there. They don’t get it because they don’t use it. What 
you’ve seen happen with the marketing and presentation of NIN over the last years is a direct result of living next to you, listening to you, consuming with you and interacting with you. Directly. There’s no handlers or PR people here, it’s me and my guys – that’s it. There’s no real plan, even – it’s just trying to do the right thing that respects you the fan, the music, and me the artist. That’s the goal – a mutual and shared respect.”
He is right! In a perfect world he could engage his fans transparently and be free and clear of negative sentiment. But the fact remains- transparency will lead to as much negative as positive. But to combat it, businesses need the resources to answer to both the negative and the positive. Reznor’s comments are nothing more than a call for help- not a white flag!
Here are 5 action items that Trent can do to remedy his troll problem and create a solid foundation fora true Social Media Strategy Plan:
- Hire a Social Media Director – I am sure there are a great deal of recent college grads that would kill to put Nine Inch Nails Social Media Director on their resume. I am also sure this person would work on the cheap! They would be in charge of monitoring, responding, engaging, and consistently push/pulling relevant content to Nine Inch Nails. Essentially being the overseer of the NIN brand in Social Media channels. Instead of Trent doing it, this person will carry out tedious tasks and put the most important content in front of Trent daily to respond to. Everything between the good ideas to negative sentiment! This essentially removes the trolls and lets Trent focus on making great music. Lastly, this person will work under NIN’s PR folks.
- Purchase a Social Analytics tool- these tools help track, reply, document and recognize real ROI. For $500-$750 per month a business can have a birds-eye view of their social media presence. I recommend Techrigy – although the marketplace is becoming flush solutions. I would suggest demoing several and deciding what would work best for a music artist.
- Migrate to Modlife: Because Modlife is fee service for fans to join, it eliminates trolls and allows musicians to create almost their own safe market research community. They can share, test, and interact with passionate fans. My suggestion is to utilize Modlife as a musicians center location, and use Myspace, Twitter, Facebook and Social Bookmarking sites to push information, take information- but most importantly to draw in the “real fans”. The innovators if you will- NIN’s very own market research community. Look no further then what Angels & Airwaves have done here: http://modlife.com/angelsandairwaves Perfect for NIN!
- Create a Recognition Rewards Program- Use meet and greets as a way to build a group of online body guards. Dangling a “meet Trent Reznor opportunity” is a stellar reward for being a pro-NIN presence that pushes the band in the social channels. This is enabling and empowering and can be done with nothing more than a bit of organizing and a brief shining of the spotlight on these do-gooders electronically. It is amazing what a simple tweet from rock star can do from an ego perspective.
- Build a Content Schedule & Engage- Start doing chats on TinyChat. Conduct monthly webinars and podcasts where fans get to hear new material or offer feedback on what artists NIN should tour with. The content schedule should be focused on the business goals of fan feedback and innovation to their voice. When you give your customers what they want, you will win their business repeatedly. Once again, the content schedule is geared towards enabling, empowering and organizing NIN’s own market research community. It is no different then what Barack Obama did to get elected.
My life as a social media consultant consists of creating plans such as these-although much more in-depth than this blog. But every business is different in their needs, desires, and objectives. In fact, how each business measures ROI is vastly different. In Trent Reznor’s case, his ROI is to be able to engage Social Media effectively so he can listen to his customers (the fans) and innovate his music based on their feedback. His desire is no different than a billion dollar corporate empire- to be able to go direct to consumer with new products-thus lowering marketing churn, while having a product that is created based on the voice of the customer. Trent just needed a strategy plan….
2 comments June 17, 2009
Realize The ROI Of A Social Media Community @ FELT 6/30/09
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
6:00-8:30PM
FELT Boston
533 Washington Street
Boston
Come meet up with Authority Domains at this event with our friends at commonground and Metropolis Creative. Hear a live presentation about the ROI, impact and launch of commonground — the global community of environmental and commercial real estate professionals.
Presenter
Mark Wallace
VP, Social Media
Environmental Data Resources
commonground
Mark will share information on why commonground was launched, the importance of a clear and concise business plan to achieving success, and the value online community has for both EDR and its members. A question and answer session will allow you to have your questions answered in a lively and informal setting.
- Felt and Christiana Vodka will provide complimentary appetizers and spirits.
- Authority Domains will offer a gratis social media assessment for all guests
Event Sponsors
1 comment June 15, 2009
Ping Pong Props & Setting Business Objectives/Benchmarks
Thanks to Chris Angus for the props and kind words. He is regarded as one of the Top 100 Online Marketers in the world and is currently ranked at #2 in the UK. Here is what he has to say…
Social Media with a Twist of Business
Social Media is still relatively new and not understood very well and being successful is still something of a “dark art”. I think a lot of “social media experts” consider themselves a kind of artist. They write or build something pretty creative (if it’s going to be successful) and then promote it. If they get the mix of creativity and interest right whilst following the rules that you need to appeal to Social Media geeks then it will probably be a “success” and garner a high volume of traffic.
That’s kind of how these people sell themselves, “We’ll create something awesome and it’ll go popular and get a bunch of traffic and maybe some bloggers will link to it” – and that’s where it ends for most people selling their “Social Media Expert” services.
There is usually one vital element missing: Business. What’s the point or the end game? Well, I found a unique blog which makes sense of all this stuff and actually brings a side of sense and reality to social media.
The blog owner and writer is called Derek Showerman, looking at his blog and playing a bit of email Ping Pong, he seems to be a very switched on kid *ahem* (okay, he looks too old to get asked for ID) with an excellent business grounding who’s going to do great things in this crazy world of Social Media.
Social Media needs good people like this in the industry, this is for two reasons:
1. There are too many people that don’t know how to produce a good ROI for a client.
2. We need people that know what they are doing to produce positive results which will be good for the ecology of Social Media and bring a lot of good work in for the industry as a whole.
Happy Social Media Marketing!
The only items I will add to this post is that it is important to:
- Map to attainable business objectives
- Set realistic benchmarks for success
Most of my work, at the outset, is nailing down the items above-while setting up process and expectation that make sense for the business. Every business is unique in this respect. But the need to do so remains the same every time….without fail!
Thanks again Chris for the kind words.
Add comment June 10, 2009
VIDEO: Every Brand Is A Viral Marketing Candidate
Happy Saturday!
I was introduced to this viral marketing idea this morning and it got me thinking about how every brand is sitting on a viral marketing opportunity. All it takes is a bit of planning and execution.
Exhibit: A dance group of 200 did a rendition of Rodgers and Hammerstein (The Sound of Music) “Do Re Mi”, in the Central Station of Antwerp.
The Results:
4,590,930 views
7921 ratings averaging 5 stars
4,707 overwhelmingly positive comments
Think about the amount of opportunities that dance group received after pulling off this stunt. Your home work for this weekend is for you to think about how your brand can use a viral campaign for exposure, because beleive it…………..your brand is a candidate for a viral marketing campaign! If it can work for a dance group-it can work for anyone!
1 comment June 6, 2009
