Chris Messina from Google kicked of the Saturday sessions at SXSW Interactive with a scene from the movie Fight Club, in which Ed Norton's character is talking about his Ikea
obsession. He stated that the items we buy and the actions we take provide a huge amount of data that is now hitting the social web. The news feed in Facebook
is the most classic example of an activity stream, but the future has much more potential. The reason that marketers' activity streams have so much potential in the future is because consumers can get data about their actions from businesses and then interact with them on the Web.
Activity streams are powered by technologies like RSS and ATOM feeds to transfer information from one site to another. Sites like Friendfeed
were started as a way to improve the way we all get and share information. The problem with these sites is that in order to support data from hundreds of web services, it takes too much time and money. Messina suggested that there needs to be a universal format for sharing activity data across the Web.
He pointed out that Foursquare does a great job showing activities and making it easy for people to understand.
He went on to say that people connect on the Web around shared objects. These objects such as brands, places and products are the glue that connects people online. He pointed to Flickr, saying they have done a good job using pictures and creating roles to build online communities. Looking at a page on Flickr, you can quickly see lots of activity options like groups, sets, people and other information that builds relationships.
Messina
pointed out that activity streams are a way to show and document time and even allow us to look to the future. He talked about an example from Kevin Rose, who talked about how his children, 10 years from now, will likely go back and look at his Foursquare checkins to see what he used to be like and where he liked to go. Messina also used FitBit as an example of emerging data sources for activity streams.
Activities online are about helping people better understand their lives and how events in life have caused changes in behavior. Messina
suggested that we add more information to ATOM feeds to create robust activity streams across the Web, which will make it easier for everyone to understand data.
Inbound Marketing Takeaway
While the social web is about people, the catalyst for social connections are made through actions and objects. Marketers have an opportunity to, instead of advertise and interrupt potential customers, create objects and content that cause desired actions that facilitate communities that drive leads and support business opportunities. It also means that user-generated content that drives interactions and recommendations is an important factor for companies looking to scale online marketing and word-of-mouth. Activity streams mean that having a compelling content strategy with clear points of engagement for potential and current customers is critical for inbound marketing.
If you are attending SXSW, be sure to check-in to HubSpot's Virtual Booth and check out our full SXSW content feed at http://blog.hubspot.com/sxsw.
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Walking by the Austin convention center, I saw a group of people huddled near one of the doors. As I got closer, I saw people were playing the game four square, then I got even closer and saw they were playing it with one of the founders of Foursquare, Dennis Crowley. This game of four square had people lined up to play and everyone walking by was talking about it. This is the type of buzz companies invest a lot of money to achieve. The total investment for Foursquare? Around $5.99 for a box of sidewalk chalk.
At South By South West, some companies spend hundreds of thousands of dollars in marketing to reach attendees. Foursquare, the hottest social network on the Web, spent $5.99.
Major brands like Pepsi, Microsoft and Chevy have lavish booths with chairs, flat screen TVs, and an army of staff members inside the Austin Convention Center. Foursquare has a CEO playing foursquare outside with potential users.
Inbound Marketing Takeaway
Being different wins in inbound marketing, whether it is online of off. People often ask how inbound marketing works offline; this is a perfect example. People walking by this game of four square who didn't know about the application, are likely going to search for it on the Web.
Inbound marketing isn't about outspending the competition, it is about being more compelling than them. Getting executives and people who have authority interacting with potential customers can often create a winning combination.
For more, check out this video of people playing four square outside of the convention center:
If you are attending SXSW, be sure to check-in to HubSpot's Virtual Booth and check out our full SXSW content feed at http://blog.hubspot.com/sxsw.
Photo Credit: Jeffrey L. Cohen
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It's 2 p.m. at SXSW, and the sessions are packed. Today is the first day of the annual interactive festival that brings developers, social media experts, film mavens and more for five days in Austin, TX where spring and sunshine are in the air.
Despite the amazing weather outside, this session is standing room only. This talk bills content strategy as a way to design a comprehensive user experience. Margot Bloomstein discussed the idea of content strategy from the perspectives of all the different stakeholders you might have in a content or web project.
First, a definition.
Content Strategy is "the practice of planning for content creation, delivery, and governance."
Second, a premise.
Margot stresses that creating a messaging architecture will save you time and money in virtually any project. Whether you spend the time asking yourself what your priorities are before you hire a consultant or ask your creative team to start creating comps in Photoshop, either way, if you are not starting out with a unified understanding of the message, you'll have costly rework on your hands. Because it is easier for most humans to communicate in words before they dive into the creative process, you should always start with the core message.
Via a few examples of websites -- ranging from the Harvard Club in Boston to National Financial -- that were both on message and ‘on creative,' Margot shared how content strategy can direct the rest of your communication efforts. The most interesting element was when she dove into how different professionals on a team might use content strategy:
SEO Practitioners
Q: In a world where the content on a page is always changing, how can you optimize meta content to reflect the right message? And where should the ‘user experience' really begin?
A: If all members of the team are using a single content strategy, then changes to the page may not dictate changes to your SEO or SEM ad copy. Your brand and macro messages should be incorporated into your meta content to draw a user in from the time they look you up on a search engine. In this way, content strategy can both save time and reinforce your key messages.
Social Media Folks
Q: How do you get your clients to stop talking about themselves & really engage?
A: Work on a content strategy that sets the baseline for core message, tone and priority thinking about what your audience is interested in. Then apply an editorial calendar to make it a reality. Margot's example here of EcoBags chronicled a move from tweets that were all about ‘what bags are on sale' to a total social media strategy that highlighted the company's wisdom and experience in all things eco. EcoBags is now a clearinghouse for environmentally friendly information and also drives additional traffic and conversions for their bags.
But how do you create a content strategy? Do you need a consultant to help you?
I would argue no. There are a few key, hard questions that you should ask yourself.
- What is most important as a message? What do you want your company to be known for?
- What are the goals of your communication?
- How does that drive the hierarchy of your message?
Finally, the inbound marketing takeaway:
Even a one-person shop needs to have an idea of what they want to communicate, and revisiting your content strategy helps you stay true to that message and to the content your audience wants. As soon as you have more than one employee, this becomes even more important. Content strategy may sound like a fancy term for ‘having a plan,' but developing one is a real and valuable exercise that makes you really think about your business and the value you bring to your customers.
Find more of our coverage of SXSW at our HubSpot at SXSW content feed.
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Brian Solis is principal of FutureWorks, an award-winning new media marketing and branding agency in Silicon Valley. He is also the author of the new book, Engage. Today, at one of the first sessions of South By South West Interactive, Solis along with Jeremiah Owyang, Frank Eliason and Dennis Crowley from FourSquare gave key insights for businesses looking to succeed on the Web to a pack room of marketing and public relations professionals.
The social web has changed how businesses interact with customers and has raised the bar for customer expectations. Solis believes that individuals are defining a new era of society and how we ultimately communicate with one another. The Web has brought a new level of transparency to business. Offline and online interactions combine to serve the overall brand of your business.
Solis says social media is causing corporate change from the bottom-up within organizations. Social media gives businesses the opportunity to check perception and reality related to brands. The social web democratizes the influence and how brands are perceived. Solis referenced his conversation prism to illustrate the conversations that can happen on the social web.
Social media is more about sociology and psychology than technology according to Solis. Understanding how people communicate with each other is a key to marketing success, and social media provides insight into what people care about and information they want from businesses. People become fans of businesses online because brands offer and continue to provide value.
Solis says that companies must have social media style guides to help the brand thrive on the social web. Having a clear voice online is important to engaging potential customers. Some companies using social media to market their businesses are missing an opportunity because they are driving people from social sites to boring static websites that don't offer a valuable experience for potential customers.
Solis highlighted research pointing out that women dominate usage on the social web and that they must be considered when marketing to influencers and helping information to spread online.
Cases of Success
Solis brought panelists onto the stage with him to point out examples of companies using social media well to improve their businesses.
Foursquare:One example that was given: local businesses earlier this year started rewarding customers for using social network Foursquare. More than 1,500 businesses are currently providing offers to customers for visiting their business and using Foursquare by providing discounts and free goods. Dennis from Foursquare shared that by their one year anniversary, they now have 540,000 users. He defined Foursquare as a place where people connect with people they want to meet in real life. As a marketer, Foursquare
suggests that you leverage features that have an impact on customers such as providing relevant tips, like social bread crumbs.
Comcast:
Frank from Comcast addressed that social media gave Comcast the opportunity to learn from its customers in order to improve its service. Comcast
has 11 people on their customer service team to help monitor and address customer issues that are shared online. Frank points out that improving service can help to improve marketing and public relations because it has an impact on all facets of business. Measuring customer service should not be about the lowest handle time; it should be about solving problems. Frank says that companies need a chief customer officer to change the approach of how customers are prioritized within a business.
Altimeter Group:
Jeremiah Owyang
talked about the need to scale customer interactions for businesses. He noted that social media customer management software that will integrate social conversations into CRM
data will help companies scale online interactions. Customers don't care about what department you are in; they want their problem solved. Jeremiah argued that customer support should report to marketing instead of technical services. He also mentioned a post he wrote about brands who got punked by social media. Companies need to get the organization ready from a policy and organizational standpoint. Social media empowers customers not to make mistakes when making purchasing decisions, meaning companies need to pay attention to word-of-mouth.
If you are attending SXSW, be sure to check-in to HubSpot's Virtual Booth and check out our full SXSW content feed at http://blog.hubspot.com/sxsw.
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I was looking at Salesforce.com a bit today, and its market cap is nearly $10 billion. Well done to Marc Benioff and friends. Here are some things that impress me about Salesforce.com that I think all marketers and entrepreneurs can learn from:
1. Courageous: From the very start, they were courageous. They went up against the entire software industry and basically stuck a finger in its eye. Their logo has had the word software with an "X" through it from the early days onward. Are you courageous enough in your business?
2. Polarizing: The best way to get attention is to polarize an argument. One of the reasons they were able to break out is that their message/product was so incredibly polarizing that they were often written about and talked about. Are you polarizing or do you sound like everyone else?
3. Consistent: In the face of massive criticism from the software industry and every security wonk on the face of the planet, they stuck to their SaaS guns, winning over one customer and skeptic at a time. Every time Benioff is up on stage, he beats a consistent drum. Does your positioning float like a leaf, or is it steady like a tree?
4. Hard Swingers: Like David Ortiz from my beloved Red Sox, the Salesforce.com crew swings for the fences every time they are up at bat. If my math is right, Salesforce.com "burned" over $80 million prior to getting cashflow positive and was burning over $2.5 million per month at some points in their lifecycle. It must have taken serious intestinal fortitude to spend that way and to get the board's head around it every couple of months. If you have a good idea, are you going fast enough?
5. Aggressive marketing tactics: In his book, Benioff talks about how they would stage fake strikes outside their competitors trade shows and get the cops to show up. He knew if he followed the tried and true rule book he'd be dead by definition. Are you following conventional wisdom too much?
6. Good product: The product isn't the prettiest thing in the world, but it works really well. At HubSpot, we have over 40 sales reps and 20 service people who "live" in it all day. We get fantastic reports out of it (I call it "data porn") every month that we pour over to find counter-intuitive insights to help us take it to the next level. Does your product solve the problem you set out to solve?
If you are interested in learning more about Salesforce.com, check out Marc Benioff's book Behind The Cloud -- it is very good.
All of us in the SaaS industry owe Benioff and his friends at Salesforce a debt of gratitude for spending and convincing their way through the skepticism to create this new industry. Companies like HubSpot, Constant Contact, SuccessFactors, and a whole host of others are riding on their model.
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