Posts Tagged social marketing
Stats Say We’re Watching Videos A Lot!
I found some interesting statistics online that demonstrate that viewing videos online is a popular trend. The statistics here reinforce what many in the Web business will tell you, that video is a key component of an effective online marketing campaign. The reason for this is that your users will want to interact with your website in the way that they are most comfortable: some by reading the content that you provide, some by watching videos, and some by looking at pictures. A good website will keep this in mind and cater to all types of users.
Here are the stats on how we’re watching videos online:
- In July 2009, there were 11.2 billion video streams, which means that the average viewer watched 82.4 streams.
- YouTube attracted the most viewers, with 7 billion total streams and about 104 million unique viewers. This is a flip-flop from last year, when Google sites attracted the most viewers (92.1 million), who watched an average of 55 videos per person.
- Hulu is very popular, with 383.7 streams, and 10.3 million viewers.
Clearly, the statistics demonstrate that if you are not participating in the YouTube community, you should be!
5 Ways For Nonprofits to Get the Most out of Social Media Efforts
Posted by Mary in Uncategorized on October 2nd, 2009
Build Relationships and Increase Donations
Research demonstrates that nonprofit organizations are adopting social media tools at a faster rate than most Fortune 500 companies, but that many nonprofits struggle to interact with these tools to increase awareness, donations, and 
engagement.
Harnessing social media tools is key to maximizing reach and exposure online, and, ultimately, raising awareness and donations.
Here are 5 ways for nonprofits to get the most out of social media efforts:
1. Cross-pollinate. Make sure you have an active, up-to-date presence on two or more forms of social media.
2. Ask, listen, engage. Having an online presence is about building relationships. Start conversations, ask questions, listen to what your community is saying.
3. Remember, this isn’t your Mama’s PR. Spin doesn’t work in social media. The key here is to communicate your message honestly, and then release your need to control the conversation.
4. Go the distance. Like all good relationships, social media marketing takes time. Measure initial success not in increased donations, but in how solid your relationships are. Build a foundation of trust first. The financial support you need with naturally follow.
5. Inspire. Why do you do what you do? Be passionate about your work, the lives you touch, the greater good, and it will come across in all of your relationships. Ignite the social media stratosphere with passion for your cause, and watch it spread like wild fire.
Nonprofit administrators, keeping in mind these five points, how would you rate your nonprofit’s social media efforts? I’d love to hear feedback about what your nonprofit is doing in social media and whether or not it’s effective.
* Special thanks to my collegue Pamela Schott for authoring the 5 ways. Pamela’s blog is at http://pamelaschott.blogspot.com/. Check it out!
Social Media Buzz… My $.02
Posted by Mary in communication on September 15th, 2009
Maybe it’s just an occupational hazard of my current position of Director of Social Media for an online digital media agency, but it seems like all I hear these days on conference calls and in board rooms is “How do I measure social media campaign effectiveness?” and “What should I be doing for social media for my company?” and (my personal favorite *she sighs sarcastically*) “I’ll just manage my brand’s social media initiatives in-house.”
Is this just hype, or is there something to all the buzz that surrounds social media and its effectiveness in establishing and promoting a brand online?
The short answer is that any online or offline enterprise, whether it be for-profit or not-for-profit, must leverage the almost unlimited audience potential that social media offers in order to succeed in today’s marketplace.
But how to do this?
In the coming days, I’ll be writing about how to plan, execute, and measure an effective social media campaign. In the meantime, here’s a great blog post that I read today that talks about the social media marketing mistakes that companies make. I don’t know the blogger personally, but she’s right on!
http://www.biztipsblog.com/2009/09/five-social-media-marketing-mistakes-companies-make.html
Lessons Learned – Do Your Research
Posted by Mary in Recommendations on August 4th, 2009
Yesterday I took some of my dying plants to the plant shop and asked the plant expert (horticulturist?) to diagnose and fix what was wrong with them. They were wilting and brown, and looking all-around pathetic. Turns out there was no drainage for the poor guys, and they were drowning. The friendly plant person drilled holes in the bottom of my pots, and I walked away with the hope that my plants would recover from a month of suffocation.
Poor Guy!
I didn’t pay for the drilling service, because – as it turns out – it was this same shop who sold me the non-draining pots that would eventually drown my plants.
Seems strange that a plant shop would sell pots that could kill their plants, but that’s what happened. The very same thing happens in the world of Web development and social marketing. Since many of the tools on the Internet are free (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn to name a few) and online tutorials on how to use them are abundant, it’s easy for a less-than-honest person to make claims of expertise that only years of experience can justify.
As a consumer, you need to do your due diligence when hiring someone to design, build, or market a website or other online presence. Check references, view a portfolio of work, ask for a rate sheet, whether there are any guarantees on the work, and what is included – and not included – in the scope of the work that will be done.
It’s important to research the company or individual who will be working with you. Web developers, designers, marketers, and managers are a dime a dozen. Good ones who know what they’re doing are hard to find!
Follow Me