Google Brings Social Search to Life with +1

March 30, 2011 by Leave a Comment

In what appears to be the continued “Facebookification” of Google, and a hopeful giant step forward in search, Google announced the launch of it’s social search service +1. Simply put, Google’s +1 feature is a “like” button for search results. After years of attempting to purchase social networks from Friendster to Twitter, Google has delivered what could be their best social innovation offering in +1.

Social Search +1′s Big Benefit: Voting on Search Results

In a nutshell, Google has been taking criticism for years for their search algorithm, delivery of old link search results, and allowing the gaming of the algorithmic system of search by black hat SEO companies.

According to BusinessInsider.com “The big benefit that +1 delivers is that the service will let users vote on search results, then will use the votes as a factor in ranking results.” Could this be the beginning of a new era where gaming the search algorithm no longer is the focus of search engine optimization? Could this be Google’s social graph answer to their critics?

Get Started Using +1

Although it’s still technically in beta and not available to everyone, here are a few of the steps to take in order to begin using +1:

  • +1 Sign Up: Here is a quick tutorial on how to sign up for +1
  • Google Profile: Users will need a Google Profile to use +1. After you  create a profile, your contacts are accumulated from sources like your Gmail contact list as well as people you follow on Google Reader
  • Experimental Version: once you have created your profile, you will be asked to opt-in to one of the “experimental” versions of +1
Filed Under: search Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Twitter White Paper: Leveraging Twitter as a Prospecting Machine

March 17, 2011 by 1 Comment

We are very excited to announce that our white paper, Leveraging Twitter as a Prospecting Machine, is now available for download.  The research behind this paper began with a Twitter case study, which detailed findings from a project where Twitter was used to identify and drive prospects to a Napa Valley winery. The success of this 1:1 marketing campaign led to the development of the white paper, which discusses the opportunities and challenges of utilizing Twitter as a direct marketing vehicle.

Why Twitter Over Facebook as a Direct Marketing Channel

Although Facebook offers a larger potential reach in terms of numbers, its architecture and culture do not provide a landscape which enables brands to engage with customers and prospects directly in a way that adheres to Facebook rules of use. Brands with a business “page” presence can only engage with fans from the “wall”or on the walls of other brands. This is akin to posting messages to a bulletin board and responding publicly to replies; it’s not a direct method.

Twitter’s Direct Marketing Features

Unlike Facebook, Twitter provides the essential components of direct marketing. Included in Twitter’s features are capabilities to message directly, build and segment lists. Twitter offers brands the opportunity to develop personal relationships with customers and prospects through its @Mentions and Message features.

Used with the right tools, Twitter marketers can execute segmented direct marketing campaigns and measure their results. Although Twitter can be a very effective direct marketing vehicle, the frustrations of not knowing how and not having the right tools hamper the ability of most direct marketers to leverage Twitter’s power.

Download the Twitter white paper.

Filed Under: social direct marketing Tagged With: , , , , ,

Ditto: The Future of Geolocation is Now

March 3, 2011 by Leave a Comment

It is about sharing your intent to do something instead of what you’ve already done -Jyri Engstrom

As a marketer I have always felt geolocation tools were the next great opportunity to grow business, generate leads, and strengthen brand awareness. It was only a matter of time before somebody figured out the fact that tools, like Foursquare and Gowalla, did not capture the most important information for marketers: a consumer’s future plans. That day has arrived with the soon to be launched Ditto.

What is Ditto?

Ditto is an iPhone app built by Co-founder of micro-blogging platform Jaiku and former Google executive Jyri Engstrom. Robert Scoble broke the news about Ditto and summed it up best:

“Foursquare lets you tell friends and businesses where you are. But today Ditto (an iPhone app) lets you tell those same people and businesses where you’ll be.”

Ditto: Leveraging the Future

Here are some of the interesting facts, significant differences, advantages, and benefits of Ditto for marketers:

  • Social Objects: unlike Foursquare, Ditto is not just about location. Social Objects according to Jyri are those things we “hang conversations around and pivot around”
  • Decision Points: people checking-in on Foursquare have already made their choice. Ditto allows marketers to “catch people before they arrive at a location or decision”
  • Discovery: according to Jyri, Ditto is about discovery. “It’s about a book to read, music to play and download, a movie to see, or a restaurant to go to
  • Lead Generation: it allows marketers to provide “advanced offers” that may solidify a future check-in
  • Competition: unlike Foursquare, Ditto allows marketers to compete for consumers and persuade them to change their decisions about a social object or location. Bring people to your product or service
  • Stream: a huge advantage Ditto has over Foursquare is the fact that Ditto allows users to see the stream of their friends and the stream of future check-ins by people they are not connected to in any way. Users can access information of future check-ins by vicinity
  • Partnership: Ditto has a syndication deal with Foursquare where upon arrival at a location of your future check-in, once within a predetermined distance, your arrival will be streamed to Foursquare as a Foursquare check-in
Filed Under: social media and resources Tagged With: , , , , , ,