In 1993, when Jeff Taylor founded job search site Monster.com, his brand appeared where his audiences lived. Monster advertised during the Super Bowl, had a crop circle ad outside Chicago's O'Hare Airport and flew promotional blimps.
In 2005, when Jeff launched community site Eons.com, he moved where today's crowds live: on social networking sites.
A recent HubSpot TV guest, Jeff shared advice about the power of Web 2.0 and engaging crowds online in the video clips below.
Balance Brand and Metrics
Jeff suggests using a combination of metrics and brand to be successful in online marketing. In the past, Jeff ran his brand marketing campaigns using traditional advertising and Web 1.0. "We didn't actually have all this deep, trenchy measurement that we have today," he said. Now, companies have access to tools and analytics that make marketing, as Mike Volpe said, "more scientific."
Jeff's Eons.com clearly demonstrates this new trend for a more analytical approach in marketing. Soon after its launch, Eons was growing by 100,000 leads per month. "Keep on going. It is working," Jeff would have responded to this data in his old life. But today he considers other measurement factors that play a central role in his marketing. "The traffic, actually, is growing quickly but the engagement is going down at the same rate," he observed.
On Web 2.0 traffic alone is not equal to leads. Marketers need to provide value in order to get results. "There is a big difference between 1.0 and 2.0 in terms of how you grow your business," Jeff said. He believes that there should be a combination between metrics and brand in order for businesses to be successful in marketing.
Engage the Baby Boomers
Find a way to reach out to the Baby Boomer generation as its representatives are increasingly spending their time online. "The reality is that baby boomers are hot on the Web right now," Jeff said. According to his 2005 research, baby boomers up to the age of 65 are actively involved in online activities. In recent years, Jeff noted, his generation has experienced "a huge engagement" in what the Web has to offer.
For instance, baby boomers have been finding and bringing value into the blogosphere and the social mediasphere. Jeff attributed this involvement in web journals and blogs to the good writing skills of his generation. It is not surprising then, that baby boomers also caught up on social networking sites like Twitter. Their involvement in writing, Jeff believes, "is perfect for 140 characters."
Raise the Conversation Levels
Conduct careful research about hiring companies to enhance your communication with potential employers. "Today you are one click away from a massive amount of information about a company," Jeff said. And you need to be equipped with knowledge accordingly. "It is in the job seeker's best interest to be an expert in the company that they are interviewing with," he said.
Companies, on the other hand, should be fully aware of who their job candidates are. Personal blogs, professional LinkedIn profiles and social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter provide great opportunities to meet potential employees. "We need to know a lot more about each other and raise the level of the conversations," Jeff said.
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