陽光馬戲團

2010年網路使用觀察
2010年許多科技的發展與突破不僅影響了民眾的生活習慣，也對網路使用的行為有相當的影響。透過創市際ARO系統觀察，台灣網友使用網路的習慣也隨著時代在改變。
ARO觀察2010年台灣網路
2010年台灣網友造訪各產業類別仍是以入口網站到達率最高，平均到達率為98.58%，使用人數有1251萬人，平均使用時間為371分鐘，或6.2小時。社群網站緊追在後，平均到達率是93.5%，平均使用人數為1187萬人，使用時間為470分鐘，或7.8小時。雖入口網站為網友廣泛造訪的網域類型，但網友使用社群網站的時間卻較入口網站高出1.6小時，可見入口網站需豐富其提供的服務，以提升網友使用時間。

整體而言，入口網站與社群網站在三個指標皆是最大贏家，但休閒遊戲類別雖平均到達率位居第20，平均使用時間卻是54分鐘，取得平均使用時間的第五名，表現不容忽視，也是值得關注的產業類別之一。

觀察平均到達率前五名產業類別在過去一年的趨勢，入口網站到達率保持穩定，社群網站、搜尋引擎與個人網路服務的造訪在2010後半年小幅提升，而線上影音則是在第四季出現微幅下降的狀況。

2010年個別網站使用人數的表現，Yahoo!奇摩在台灣網路市場稱冠，平均到達率高達97.68%，每個月份平均有1240萬人使用；其次是台灣本土社群網站無名小站，到達率為80.76%，每月平均1025萬人造訪；第三名則是Google，到達率有77.61%，每月平均有985萬人造訪，第四則是Facebook，到達率有77.18%，每月使用人數為980萬人。由此看出，Facebook雖無名小站到達率高，但網友瀏覽Facebook的頁數卻較多，可能因為Facebook上有較多吸引網友瀏覽的社交工具，例如聊天功能、休閒遊戲等等。

2010年平均網路廣告曝光率類別排名，線上學習網路廣告投放率最高的類別，平均每月份曝光人數有1203萬人；食品次之，有1164萬人。觀察平均曝光率排名在前的五項產業別過去一年的曝光率趨勢，線上學習幾乎每個月維持曝光率第一的位置，食品、銀行、教育類別則是競爭較激烈，但可看到食品與銀行類別的曝光率有提升趨勢，尤其銀行類別更是在近幾個月曝光率成長，可能因增加網路廣告投放量有所影響。


2010年熱門話題、網路搜尋關鍵字
台灣本土社群網站無名小站發表2010年爆紅的部落格，除了美女的部落格以外，插畫、美食與旅遊的部落格皆上榜，可見得食衣住行仍是台灣網友最愛觀看的內容。而社群網站Facebook與Twitter將2010年網友最常使用的文字統計，發布最熱門的關鍵字則發現，網友關注的話題與時事有極大關聯，例如世足賽、海地地震、墨西哥灣漏油事件、iPhone/iPad，還有Justin Bieber小賈斯汀也是社群網站的網友喜愛討論的話題人物。

Google 與Yahoo!發表的台灣與美國2010年網友搜尋的關鍵字，發現除了蘋果電腦的產品iPhone 與iPad製造熱門話題外，網友搜尋世足賽的狀況也明顯；而台灣網友較美國網友偏好在Google上搜尋人物；利用Yahoo!搜尋話題人物則是美國網友較台灣網友高。不論在哪個平台，台灣網友搜尋的關鍵字皆較偏向與台灣生活較貼近的內容；美國網友則是使用Google搜尋其他服務的狀況較多。

熱門話題：3C類別
2010年許多3C產品發表與上市，首先蘋果電腦的iPad帶動觸控型平板電腦市場，許多其他廠商如華碩、宏碁、三星也緊隨iPad的腳步，推出此類型商品。智慧型手機與軟體市場也因智慧型手機的風潮而有大幅變動。透過ARO數據發現，3C產業在網路上的廣告曝光率有近9%的成長，也因此帶動3C類別網域的到達率提升。

而3C類別網域因為許多科技市場上的變化而對到達率有所影響，可見到多數網域到達率皆因為科技事件而出現微幅波動，例如Microsoft網站在6月發佈Office2010並開放免費試用版下載，因而在此月份到達率顯著提升、蘋果電腦網站也因許多新產品上市而提升網站到達率、另外台灣網友偏好的3C討論區Mobile01的到達率整體增長了6.7%。

熱門話題：運動類別
台灣網友也相當關注運動類型活動，如6月在溫布頓為台灣爭光的盧彥勳、6月中在南非舉行的世足賽、春夏開始的美國職棒、11月底在中國廣州進行的亞洲運動會。ARO數據也發現，在此些活動進行期間，運動類型的網站到達率也顯著提升，顯示此時期內網友對造訪此類型網站的興趣較高。

熱門話題：天氣以及放假訊息
另外，民眾生活作息與天氣息息相關， 由ARO數據也看出，在颱風來襲期間中央氣象局與行政院人事行政局的到達率也出現增長狀況，顯示民眾利用網路資源瞭解天氣與是否上班上課狀況受到影響。

熱門話題：政府行政相關
報稅為每年必進行的過程，財政部稅務入口網與財政部電子申報稅務服務尤其顯著的看出5月份報稅期間網友使用此兩個網站的情況高漲。五都選舉則是台灣歷史上一個重要的改變，網路上有許多五都選舉相關網站，但觀察政府的中央選舉委員會網站即可發現，選舉官網11月的到達率大幅提升，顯示網友對此事件的重視。而在11月初開幕的台北花博為台灣在世界發光的重大事件，由於行銷模式因此在之前即已吸引許多網友到達網站關注此活動，但可看出在開幕前後網站到達率顯著提升。

由ARO觀察網友的網路行為可以發現，網路上的活動與民眾的生活環環相扣，人們在現實生活關心與重視的話題，自然也會上網搜尋資訊。

網路發展趨勢—行動上網
隨著科技發展，連線上網的方式一直在演變，由最原始的電話撥接到ADSL，到現在普遍的無線上網。而手機裝置與無線上網的普及，讓行動上網成為現在連線上網的走向。根據美國網路調查公司comScore之Mobile Metrix，偵測美國行動上網使用狀況發現行動上網在過去2年內大幅成長，2009年4月與2010年11月相較有428%的增長，顯示美國使用手機上網的人口急速增加中。

手機上網的潮流也吹到台灣，根據國家通訊傳播委員會（NCC）的資料，2010年第三季台灣每100位台灣民眾就持有118.9個手機門號，顯示有許多民眾持有一支以上的手機門號，行動裝置為台灣民眾有高需求的工具。此外，台灣民眾手機裝置可進行行動上網功能的數量在2010年第三季持續成長，較上一季成長2.5%，有此功能的用戶比例為台灣全體行動通訊的69.5%。其中利用3G上網的比例則為整體具行動上網功能裝置的83.5%，顯示3G功能行動上網的裝置已相當普遍。

根據創市際IX Survey在2010年12月執行關於手機加值服務使用的調查，有近17%的受訪者在近3個月內曾經使用行動裝置上網，其中上網時最常進行的活動以「瀏覽網頁」(35.6%)比例最高，其次是「收發E-mail」(33.7%)與「瀏覽社群網站」(30.7%)，另外有2成的受訪者會「下載遊戲/應用程式apps」。進一步詢問有下載應用程式的網友通常下載的應用程式類型，又以「遊戲類」(70.8%)比例顯著高過其他類別，「地圖/導航」(33.9%)次之，「影音類」(30.8%)與「工具類」(30.7%)並列第三，「社群」則是以29%位居第四。

此外，為深入了解行動上網使用狀況與趨勢，創市際與芬蘭Zokem公司及產學夥伴世新大學在2010年第四季合作，透過在智慧型手機中安裝測量應用程式，在台灣進行智慧型手機使用行為的研究。調查結果發現，智慧型手機使用者使用智慧型手機的狀況在平常日較高，週末較少。

此外，根據智慧型手機使用者的使用狀況發現，其主要使用的功能以網頁瀏覽、簡訊與Email為主要，但社交網站是網友使用率與使用天數相當高的功能之一。

同份調查也發現，適地性服務(Location-Based Service)是目前黏性最高的服務，顯示此功能有相當吸引使用者使用的因素，是行銷者可納入規劃的方向。

手機瀏覽器業者Opera在2010年12月發表的手機上網購物報告發現，2010年12月有7.4%的美國使用者透過Opera Mini造訪Amazon.com，2010年1月僅有3.8%，而此趨勢在美國購物大季(感恩節與聖誕節期間)尤其顯著，顯示使用手機上網購物的狀況有增長趨勢。

而科技的發達提升民眾生活上的便利，民眾凡事講求迅速，手機是現代人不可或缺的產品。手機是最貼近民眾的媒體，與其他媒體相較之下，可能是使用者最常查看的媒體，因此也有較高的行銷影響力。且由於行動裝置經常不離開使用者的身旁，也最能即時且有效的達到訊息傳遞的功能。


行動裝置上網為潮流，IX小調查又發現，網友使用行動裝置上網除了瀏覽網頁外，造訪社群網站、找地圖/商家資訊也是網友經常瀏覽的內容；而應用程式的下載則是以遊戲為主，社群的功能也不容忽視。看好行動上網的趨勢，行銷者要如何抓住此商機呢? 除了設計適合在行動裝置上瀏覽的網頁外，將文字、篇幅、影片等類型的廣告或優惠資訊傳送到行動裝置、製造應用程式或地理位置服務主動在適當的時機傳送相關訊息給消費者，皆能有效的吸引網友造訪與使用。

手機上網人數持續大幅成長！根據2010年8月份最新一期的Opera手機上網報告顯示，網頁瀏覽量較上個月增加超過14%，數據資料傳輸量增加10%，並且有超過400萬的新使用者加入，成長幅度是過去半年最高的一個月。
Opera手機上網瀏覽行為報告每月發佈，提供行動上網的全球性整體趨勢，完整的報告(英文版)可上網參閱http://www.opera.com/smw/ 。本次的報告公佈Opera Mini全球前二十大使用國家，並針對台灣用戶手機上網的情形作一分析。
全球手機上網趨勢
台灣手機上網趨勢
- 8月份手機網頁瀏覽頁數年成長百分比: 265.9 %
- 8月份不重覆使用者年成長百分比: 115.0%
- 每人平均瀏覽頁數: 213
- 每人上網數據傳輸量 (MB): 13
- 每頁平均傳輸量 (KB): 12
2010年8月份台灣手機上網前十大受歡迎網站
1. google
2. 雅虎奇摩
3. facebook
4. 無名小站
5. 聯合新聞網
6. 噗浪
7. Mobile 01
8. Youtube
9. Mobileapps.opera.com
10. 蘋果日報
2010年8月份Opera Mini使用者最多常用的前十大上網手機
1. Apple iPhone
2. Sony Ericsson W800
3. Nokia 2730c
4. Nokia 5800d
5. Nokia 2720 fold
6. Nokia 6500s
7. Nokia 5610d
8. Nokia 5130
9. HTC raphael
10 Sony Ericsson u10i
已發佈的Opera手機上網瀏覽行為報告存檔(英文版)：http://www.opera.com/smw/archive/.

1 comment

As part of the initial research I conducted for this article I made stops at Wikipedia, Google and Twitter. I used the same search term on each platform and was able to find some valuable information, but this took quite a bit of time. Wikipedia and Twitter didn’t have much information at all and it wasn’t until I dug deep into Google’s results that I found what I was looking.

This is a perfect example of how the integration of multiple channels could have saved me time and perhaps given me more complete insights. In the Analytics world, this is known as “Unified Analytics”.

Unified Analytics is the ability to access visitor/user data from multiple channels (Social, Mobile and Web) in a single interface. From this aggregation comes the ability to correlate and compare data that would otherwise be found in isolation. Being able to easily intertwine multiple sources of data has many distinct benefits What follows are four insights into how Unified Analytics can help an Analyst perform their work.

1. Unified Analytics allows the Analyst to monitor traffic peaks and dips from one platform or site to another. For example, if the customer has a mobile, a web and a social destination it is possible to observe how and when traffic moves from one property to the next. This is especially helpful for content sites to know when and where to publish certain pieces of media.
2. Having access to Social, Mobile and Web Analytics gives the Analyst the ability to apply demographic data to otherwise anonymous traffic sources. For instance, having access to demographics through Facebook and Twitter allows the Analyst to apply this information to otherwise vague traffic sources.
3. Through the use of Unified Analytics the value of Path Analysis becomes increasingly valuable as traffic moves and consumes/shares content from one platform to another. This is especially true for a login system that is able to identify users over multiple channels.
4. Unified Analytics also implies new KPIs for visitor metrics such as length of stay, average page views and others.

In addition to providing new insights there are open ended questions that I think are important to consider when contemplating the value of Unified Analytics.

1. Does the term “Unified” really imply a single interface for accessing all the various Analytics channels?
2. Does the value of being able to identify the individual become more or less important as a result of Unified Analytics.
3. If  Unified Analytics does imply a single interface, then which factors would determine the importance of one Analytics channel over the other?

Unified Analytics are emerging as a powerful tool for both Analysts and customers. The ability to understand how multiple channels are interacting with each other is increasingly important to the inquiry process for developing a multiple-channel strategy.

Are multiple channels important to you? How do you measure them?

http://blogs.webtrends.com/blog/2011/07/19/what-does-unified-analytics-mean-to-you/

 

BuzzCity has grown into one of the largest global mobile ad networks by focusing on the vast Asian mobile market, before tackling the crowded US market. Few people have a better view of the largely untapped potential of the mobile Web audience in developing countries such as India, Indonesia and China. Dr Lai shares his tips and insights on the worldwide mobile Web.

In 2010, there were a whopping 52.8 billion mobile ads served on the 2,500 mobile sites on the BuzzCity network – that’s an increase of 93 percent compared to banners served in 2009. Top countries for ads served for Singapore-based BuzzCity in 2010 were India, Indonesia, USA, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Kenya, China, Turkey and Vietnam. This gives BuzzCity – and company CEO/co-founder Dr Lai Kok Fung – a more objective perspective on the global state of mobile than networks that are mostly focused on the US.

• Catch Dr KF Lai at Mobile Marketing Forum: APAC (mobiThinking readers can claim a 10 percent discount for MMF using the code: MMAF/mobiThinking10).
• Download for free the latest BuzzCity Report.
• See the mobiThinking guide to mobile ad networks, for a full profile of BuzzCity

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Q1. What is the one thing that gets you most excited about mobile Web, mobile services and/or mobile marketing?
This is just the start of it. There’s so much more that can and will happen in mobile as more types of devices get connected to the Internet – i.e. more than just phones, tablets and e-book readers. As price wars continue in key markets, usage of these devices will create a new always-on reality – it will be a significant cultural shift.

Q2. What are your favorite (and least favorite) mobile Websites? What can the rest of us learn from these?
There are too many bad mobile sites because companies do not put enough thought into their development.
An example of a good site that has been adapted to suit the mobile audience is The New York Times mobile site. The New York Times has done its due diligence to ensure that its content is served in a way that suits the audience whatever medium they are using (Web, mobile Web, apps). This has been achieved without removing or editing down the original content – it’s more a matter of adjusting the way in which that content is presented.
The take-home point is that you need to have a proper strategy to address the requirements of your customers. The mobile Internet attracts a wide variety of user groups, who all exhibit different types user behavior.

Q3. Who is the new kid on the block – the mobile site/business to watch for the future?
Cell Bazaar has been around for a while, but doesn’t quite get the recognition it deserves. It’s a classified adverting service, a bit like Craigslist in the US, for Bangladeshi mobile users. Mobile services such as these will surely change the way smaller companies in all countries conduct business in the future.

Q4. What (vertical) sectors would you say is furthest ahead in mobile Web/mobile marketing? Please give some examples.
The financial and travel sectors in particular have responded well to the opportunities mobile has presented in reaching to underserved markets.
• Crédit Agricole launched the jeunesactifs.mobi mobile site in 2009 to promote financial services to the youth market in France. The site generated sales leads, as consumers entered their details to take part in contests and opted-in to find out more about Crédit Agricole services.
• Sri Lankan Airlines ran a mobile ad campaign in India in between December 2008 and January 2009, featuring the text banner ad: You visit SriLanka. Kids go free!. Initially, the ads attracted 700 – 800 clicks per day quickly rising to 1000 clicks per day. The campaign experienced a click-through rate of 4.3 percent – that’s more than double the typical click-through rate for an Indian mobile campaign.

Q5. What’s the most exciting/inspirational country/part of the world for mobile Internet/mobile marketing? What can the rest of us learn from there?
Indonesian consumers demonstrate an insatiable demand for content and services, but this demand isn’t being met by local companies. In the absence of local services, international sites such as Twitter and Facebook are meeting the demand of a huge blogging culture.
Mobile Internet usage is growing rapidly in Indonesia, even outside the main urban centers such as Jakarta – Indonesian companies need to wake up to the potential of one of the world’s largest mobile markets.
Similar lessons need to be learned in all under-served markets, including many countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America. The mobile Internet provides a way to engage a huge demographic group that previously was unreachable via mainstream media. Companies need to repackage product information to make it easily accessible via the mobile Web. One of the first sectors to address this is Financial services, for example, the insurance company Old Mutual ran a mobile campaign to promote their insurance plans in South Africa last year.

Q6. What technology or initiative is most likely to revolutionize mobile Web/marketing?
This would have to be the mythical technology that will magically bring to an end the increasing fragmentation in mobile… the fragmentation of mobile platforms that makes it harder for companies to develop an all-encompassing mobile-marketing strategy. The problem is that for now this technology remains mythical, and the reality is that fragmentation is here for the foreseeable future.

Q7. If you could wave your magic wand and change one thing, what would it be?
Before I end fragmentation, I’d be sure there’s only one charger for all cell-phone batteries!

Q8. What's the biggest mistake in mobile Web/marketing?
Mobile marketing is not just about reaching the youth market. Mature users make up a substantial and active demographic, too.

Q9. What are the most useful resources – sites, must-read books, associations etc for mobile marketers?
Textually.org has been around for a while and documents all the different ways mobiles are used. Plus, it’s easy to read.

Q10. Which mobile-marketing guru would you like to do our five-minute interview next?
Emily Turrettini, Textually.org - I don’t think she’s fashioned herself as a mobile marketing guru, but she obviously has a deep interest in how mobiles affect everyone’s lifestyle.

http://mobithinking.com/interview-transcripts/interview-dr-kf-lai-ceo-buzzcity

The Most Trusted Information Comes Not From You, but From Your Customers

By: Rob Fuggetta Bio
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Published: May 18, 2011

Marketers currently face a barrage of challenges and shifts in the way consumers engage with their brands. But earned media is gaining momentum, and for good reason. Today, it's earned media impressions that are building brands and paving the way for an open dialogue between companies and their customers.

If you've been ignoring this trend, then you're missing a critical piece of the revenue puzzle.

Here are five reasons to start thinking about it.

1. Earned media is the most trusted and credible form of content for a brand
The most trusted source of information about your company comes not from you, but from your highly satisfied customers -- otherwise known as your brand's advocates -- in the form of the content they create such as reviews, recommendations, ratings and stories about their experiences.

• Up to 92% of consumers trust word-of-mouth recommendations, but only 24% trust online ads.
• A recommendation from a trusted friend conveying a relevant message is up to 50 times more likely to trigger a purchase compared to another recommendation.
• 25% to 40% of all traffic and lead generation comes from earned media.
• Shoppers prefer retail web sites that feature online ratings and reviews over ones that don't.

But why does earned media pack such a powerful punch? Customer opinion can't be bought, which translates into a credibility that exists no other way -- and probably never will. The bottom line is that shoppers trust each other more than any other source when making a purchase, and that's something brands can't afford to ignore.

2. Social media has amplified the sheer quantity and reach of earned media
Earned media has always held value, but in the always-on social world, consumers' experiences with each other can make or break your brand almost immediately.

According to the "Introducing Peer Influence Analysis: 500 billion peer impressions per year" blog post released by Forrester Research in April 2010, we now know that people in the U.S. generate more than 500 billion online impressions on each other regarding products and services. And if around 150 people view each of these posts (a conservative estimate, based on our research), that's another 250 billion-plus impressions. In short, earned media is a powerful channel and social media has made it even stronger.

The best earned media is created by your brand's advocates. Every brand has them; they're your highly-satisfied customers, and they recommend your brand and products without being paid to do so. Thanks to social media, it's easier than ever to get them creating content for you by finding and engaging with this base of your customers.

3. Conversion rates are higher and ROI is undeniable
Earned media offers the highest value to both brands and consumers due in part to its trust-ability and growing reach, which we've already discussed. This, in turn, drives conversion rates and ROI. Let's take a closer look:

Conversion rates: When compared to traditional paid media, which yields conversion rates of 1% or less, companies that replace their paid media with trusted, highly effective earned media see conversion rates of 5% or higher.

Still, many companies are spending a significant chunk of their marketing budgets on paid media in order to generate leads and clicks via paid search and other traditional digital marketing tactics. When you consider that companies are paying $5 to $250 per lead, and the effective rate they're paying for clicks can be as high as $2 to $6, it just doesn't always seem worth the investment. While lead generation has improved via traditional marketing tactics, the truth is that much of this investment yields low results. Overall, only about 1% to 2% of leads are qualified, and companies continue to feed the Google money machine, even though only a tiny fraction of that investment ever turns into sales.

Return on investment: Higher ROI is possible because earned media is cost-effective in the sense that companies don't pay directly for the content like they do with paid content. Instead, the investment comes from building a relationship with your customers -- and by identifying and rallying your brand's advocates to spread word-of-mouth.

Remember, earned media yields ROI because it is authentic, so giving customers an incentive to create branded content isn't needed. Your brand's Advocates are already spreading positive word-of-mouth. Think about it. When was the last time you recommended a favorite product, hotel, or restaurant? Did someone pay you for that honest recommendation? In fact, the number one motivation for consumers to recommend products or services is that they want to help others.

4. Earned media lasts
Earned media has both reach and staying power: While offline word-of-mouth reaches just a handful of people, online word-of-mouth can reach millions -- and will continue to live on through searches and indexed content indefinitely, and your highly satisfied customers will continue to create earned media for your brand for years to come.

Earned media in a crisis: Toyota is a great example of an effective use of earned media -- in this case, to repair its image after the recall of millions of cars due to "unintended acceleration." Toyota has always had a large presence on Facebook and other social networks. After heavy media backlash, the automotive company turned to Twitter to organize conversations around their brand. Amidst the negativity, there remained a positive brand standing and a lasting trust among its Advocates that still surrounds the brand.

5. Earned media is measurable
There are dozens of tools that enable marketers to calculate quantity and quality of earned media. Now, advanced analytics enable brands to go beyond measuring buzz to measuring business and marketing results from word of mouth. These tools can track the impact of earned media on open rates, click through rates, and conversion rates, and this enables marketers to harness the proven power of word of mouth and track its impact as precisely as a pay-per-click or email marketing campaigns.

Case in point? In March 2010, Chili's tapped into the authentic enthusiasm of its highly satisfied customers to spread positive word of mouth, help drive traffic into the casual dining chain's restaurants and increase sales. And the results are clear. By making it easy for their customers create earned media for the brand, Chili's positively influenced 25.5 million diners by identifying over 750,000 advocates (and counting) -- who in turn have created over 75,000 reviews to-date.

Earned media is changing the way we view our brands and business models.

While earned media should be central in your marketing efforts, it doesn't mean that other forms of media should be ignored. Earned media should be used in tandem with paid and owned media for the best possible outcome. Many companies are already using earned media content within their paid or owned media channels by highlighting online ratings in advertising or by streaming Twitter content on their web site. And paid media can act as a catalyst for earned media by fostering awareness and engagement.

Though you can't buy earned media, that doesn't mean it's free. The rules for building a successful brand haven't changed. Your products or services must speak for themselves and that requires commitment and effort. And by shifting attention to earned media, brands can build deeper long-term relationships with their most-engaged customers, which will have lasting benefits in terms of ROI, rewards, and revenue.

By David Rogers | July 11, 2011

The most common mistake I see businesses make as they embark on a digital strategy is to start by thinking about the technology.

They decide they need to “get on Facebook” or other social networks, or launch a blog, or an online video channel, or something with mobile or apps, or maybe a wiki or a private community. Or they get caught in this week’s latest buzz about new technologies: location check-ins, QR codes, augmented reality apps, or Google+. But simply jumping on the latest trend, or copying the tactical approach of another company, is a surefire way to waste your time and marketing resources.

The first step to developing an effective digital strategy to fit your business is to know what your objectives are. Are you trying to reach new customers? Drive sales to current customers? Reduce your operating costs? Or introduce a breakthrough product or service? Today’s digital tools can be used for a wide variety of marketing objectives.

Here are 14 digital marketing objectives, with case examples, to jump start your own thinking:

1. Increase brand awareness. When Ford was preparing to launch its Fiesta in the U.S., it enlisted 100 social media savvy volunteers to drive the car for 6 months (for free) and share their unedited experiences online, generating tremendous buzz and a 38% brand awareness pre-launch among the target audience.

2. Improve brand perceptions. The American Express OPEN Forum acts both as an online magazine for small business owners (with great content on everything from marketing to franchise management), and as a powerful branding opportunity for Amex. Procter & Gamble’s Old Spice campaign on YouTube helped cement the new image for an old fashioned brand turned hip and relevant to young consumers.

3. Influence key stakeholders. Business blogs that demonstrate thought leadership in a subject area are commonly used to influence key industry leaders. G.E. Reports and Cisco’s news site “The Network” (where I also write) offer industry analysts a broader array of content than a single blog.

4. Generate new customer leads. Many Facebook campaigns are built around attracting new “fans” and virally reaching their friends, in order to find new customer leads. IBM has built an interactive videogame that has become the number one lead generator for its leading business software product.

5. Increase customer retention. The SAP Community Network bring together 2.5 million partners, employees, and customers in an online forum where the sharing of insights and expertise adds great value for SAP customers, thus increasing their incentives to continue to invest in the company’s software.

6. Drive retail purchase. Kraft built its iFood Assistant mobile app to help busy grocery shoppers plan meals on the go, and direct them to recipes that called for Kraft brand ingredients. Home Depot’s YouTube channel has given millions of viewers the instructions for simple projects around their home, and the motivation to stop by Home Depot for the materials required.

7. Drive digital purchase. Twitter has been used by Dell to advertise and sell excess inventory. Luxury brands like Bulgari are driving e-commerce sales through tantalizing product displays on Facebook. E-tailers like Net-a-Porter are using catalog apps for the iPad to entice shoppers with a new browsing experience.

8. Differentiate your products. Online customization tools allow Nike to offer customers the chance to design and wear their own unique Nike ID shoes and clothing. And of course, digital innovation is at the heart of new product competition in categories like smartphones, and gaming consoles.

9. Differentiate your services. Retail banks like Bank of America are competing on more flexible and ubiquitous service with a variety of online tools and mobile phone apps. Zipcar reinvented the car rental category by connecting its cars to an online network so they don’t have to be returned to a lot.

10. Gain customer insight. Drug maker UCB helped launch an online community for epileptics within PatientsLikeMe, in order to gather data about comparative effectiveness of different therapies, understand quality of life for patients, and measure drug safety and side effects.

11. Enhance product innovation. Companies like DuPont and Procter & Gamble work with innovation network Innocentive to tap into the brainpower of 175,000 technically skilled “solvers” around the world, in order to expand their R&D capacity and solve technical product questions their own employees couldn’t answer.

12. Enhance business model innovation. Cisco’s I-Prize generates new business ventures for the company to invest in by inviting outsiders around the world to compete to develop new business plans. Other forms of Idea markets have been used by Motorola and G.E. with their own employees.

13. Mitigate reputation risks. After complaints about Comcast’s customer service went viral online, the company launched an @ComcastCares Twitter channel that turned used rapid-fire, responsive answers to customer questions to help turn around the company’s reputation.

14. Reduce costs of customer service. After Intuit built an online community for customers of its Quick¬Books product to interact and answer each other’s product-related questions, it was able to slash customer service costs because 90 percent of users were able to get their questions answered successfully by the community rather than calling Intuit’s call center.

This list is incomplete, but should give a sense of the range of familiar, old-fashioned marketing objectives which you can consider for your own digital marketing.

Setting Objectives Helps at the Start and the End

Once you know your objectives, you can figure out the right digital strategy to fit.  And once you have a strategy in place, you can develop appropriate metrics to see if you are achieving those objectives.

Without a clear vision for how your digital strategy will affect the business’s bottom line, any efforts will become unfocused, lack impact, and be impossible to measure. But setting business objectives at the start will ensure the time you spend on digital media is delivering real value to your business.

****
David Rogers presents over 100 cases and a practical framework for planning and implementing digital strategies in his new book, “The Network Is Your Customer: Five Strategies to Thrive in a Digital Age.” He teaches Digital Marketing Strategy at Columbia Business School, where he is Executive Director of the Center on Global Brand Leadership. Rogers has advised and developed marketing and digital strategies for numerous companies such as SAP, Eli Lilly, and Visa.  Find him on Twitter at http://twitter.com/david_rogers

 

Posted on May 10, 2011 in Actionable Marketing 101, Marketing Plan, Social Media | 4 Comments

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Content, Communication, Community & Commerce

Digital marketing is any marketing delivered via an Internet, mobile or tablet device. It’s complex and has many elements that must be integrated into your overall marketing plan. Therefore, organize your plans and related strategies around the four pillars of digital marketing, content, communication, community and commerce.

Content. Online content is king. It’s the lure that attracts both readers and search robots. With social media’s evolution, your marketing message’s context has increased importance. As a result, content marketing, as a core element of a digital marketing strategy, has increased importance as well.

• Website is traditionally the home of your business’ online presence. It’s the marketing hub for product display, content distribution, e-commerce and/or sales leads and corporate information. As an alternative, use a blog, Flickr or YouTube channel.
• Search is online content’s directory. It’s one of the ways consumers navigate the Internet using services like Google and on-site search.
• Social media content can be created by a company and/or customers and/or the public. Among the dominant formats are blogs, videos (like YouTube), photographs, audio or podcasts, Q&A sites (like Yahoo Answers), wikis (like Wikipedia), product ratings and reviews (like Amazon and TripAdvisor), and slide sharing.
• Apps are used on smartphones and tablets and provide an entry to your content. Often, they’re created to leverage the special functionality of these devices. With an ever-expanding universe of apps, the challenge is getting target users to download your app and use it regularly.

Communication. On digital platforms, messages can be delivered one-to-many as it is for traditional media, one-to-one as it is for direct marketing and many-to-many as it is on social media networks.

• Email is the workhorse of online communications. While many businesses only focus on push promotions, they overlook leveraging behaviorally targeted emails. Email is still the lifeblood of corporate communications where employees are tethered via their blackberries. Email also drives social media interactions. Additionally, email is the dominant use of the mobile Internet. Therefore ensure recipients can read and respond to your communications on-the-go.
• RSS are better known as feeds. They provide another conduit for content distribution. Most consumers don’t realize that they use RSS on news sites like Google News.
• Chat is an exchange channel like email for business and personal use. Businesses use chat for customer service since it’s more cost effective. Some chat clients incorporate advertising options.
• Social media provides communications via messaging on social networks like Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. Also, social sharing can be considered a way of communicating useful information to friends, colleagues and followers.
• Texting is often considered the territory of teens. Develop a permission based opt-in list of prospects and customers for time sensitive communications like banking notices, media alerts and sales.

Community. While people formed groups online before the public Internet, the introduction and expansion of social media platforms facilitated the process and broadened usage.

• Social media networks, most notably Facebook, provide the platforms for individuals to engage and interact with their family, friends and social graph. These platforms provide the tools to extend engagement and sharing, particularly on a many-to-many basis. Due to the time people spend on these platforms, businesses find it useful to be where their prospects and customers are in order to engage and build relationships as well as advertise.
• Online forums. Online bulletin boards continue in a variety of formats on public forums and company websites to provide additional product help and information. Yahoo Groups and Twitter chats can be included in this category. These forums allow people to interact asynchronously.
• Offline activities. Social media tools (like Meetup ) provide online tools like forums and messaging to facilitate offline events.

Commerce. Regardless of where the purchase is made, most shopping starts with online research and purchase-related content. Therefore have a digital presence to ensure that your firm is included in the consideration set. Further, mobile content is needed since customers continue to research products and prices while they’re in your store. Since consumers don’t trust advertising, incorporate customer ratings and reviews with your product information or they’ll go elsewhere to find it!

• Website provides product information and purchase ability. Use of video among merchants is increasing because it shows customers a more realistic view of the product. A mobile website is important for online and offline retailers to ensure you’re present when and where prospects look for you.
• Social media options likes Facebook enable retailers to sell directly without requiring participants to leave the social media platform.
• Social commerce is online shopping meets social media, content and collaborative tools. Among the options are social shopping sites like Kaboodle and group coupons like Groupon. Companies like Threadless are testing other collaborative tools to engage customers.
• Mobile commerce enables consumers buy via their smartphone. This nascent market has huge potential as how we use credit cards and pay for products changes. Additionally, overlook the use of smartphones to check product and prices at retail at your peril.

Digital marketing’s four pillars are interrelated and support each other. Marketers must ensure each of these components works independently as well as collaboratively to achieve overarching business goals. While categorizing these elements is useful for planning your marketing efforts, realize that in real life, there’s overlap in how some of these elements behave.

Is there anything else that you’d add to these four pillars of digital marketing? Alternatively is there anything that you’d change? If so, what would it be?

Happy marketing,
Heidi Cohen

台北，2011年8月5日 – 創市際市場研究顧問公司於今日公佈台灣地區Facebook應用程式使用狀況。

社群概念帶動社群遊戲的成長，遊戲業者如Zynga也都因為成功推出火紅的遊戲而快速獲利。此趨勢吸引許多網路經營者相繼投入此市場，例如Yahoo!奇摩在本周與台灣遊戲產業龍頭遊戲新幹線合作，推出社群遊戲頻道，讓使用者可以透過玩遊戲進行互動。創市際ARO觀察帶動社群遊戲風潮的Facebook使用狀況，Facebook網站使用人數在2009年下半年急速成長，在2010年成長趨勢較為穩定，目前有近9成到達率，使用狀況相當高。其中使用Facebook的應用程式頁面(apps.facebook.com)的使用人數則是自2009年底起成長率較平穩，顯示使用人數日趨穩定。

觀察2011年6月網友使用各Facebook應用程式的到達率排名發現，在台灣造成Facebook轟動的遊戲開心農場與開心水族箱目前仍是網友到達率最高的兩個應用程式，第三名則是Tetris Battle。與2010年7月數據比較，開心農場與開心水族箱的到達率呈現短縮的狀況，Tetris Battle則是相反，使用的網友大幅成長。一年前也相當得到網友喜好的Restaurant City，今年排名下滑至第十名。而其他應用程式則是去年7月尚未有其數據，可能為在Facebook上較新的遊戲。

整體Facebook應用程式使用狀況步向穩定階段，表示已有固定的使用者族群。而個別應用程式到達率微幅下降可能反映出有新遊戲的推出或更多獨立遊戲網頁可供選擇，瓜分市場狀況顯著。因此要成功打入此市場除了善用社群特性來吸引更多網友使用，進而累積使用者人數外，更需觀察市場需求與遊戲發展趨勢，提供多元化的遊戲持續吸引網友使用，才能有效地鞏固使用者。