5 Marketing Technology stories you might have missed 1-7-12


Marketing Technology 5

Marketing Technology Stories you might have missed

MT5 – #20

Stories this week: Spotify unlimited streaming no longer free, Ultrabooks are fake technology, huge Google+ growth, Klout picks up $30mm and learn to code.

1. Get Ready To Pay For Spotify Music Service

[link] Spotify launched with 6 months of free desktop streaming. If you signed up when it first released you can expect to get an email soon regarding upgrading to a paid service.  It’s reported that users will be able to stream 10 hours per month for free. In looking at the pricing plans, it appears free users will have to pay $5 to continue to get unlimited streaming.

My Take: Spotify’s product launch has been pitch perfect.  They used klout to launch to influencers and early adopters and their product has worked as advertised.  People are hooked and I expect a number of people really enjoy the service and will gladly pay $5 a month. However, I ALSO expect many to jump back to ad supported (free) services like Pandora.

2. Ultrabook Laptops – Are they “Technology” or “Marketing”?

[link] This Fast Company asked if the laptop is dead, drawing comparisons between the marketing strategies of the once hot, now marginalized, netbook and the Ultrabooks that are set to light up CES next week.

My Take: Here are Ultrabooks being announced at CES. Do they look much different than a typical high-end business laptop to you? To me it seems Ultrabooks are a Marketing ploy, not a new category of laptops.

Google+ Growth in Dec 2011

Google+ Growth in Dec 2011

3. Google+ Sees Massive Traffic Growth in Dec.

[link] Google+ visits jumped 55% in December.

My Take: Maybe a lot of people had time on their hands over the holidays…maybe people are taking Chris Brogan’s advice and setting up their Google+ profile…in any case, Google+ is not a Facebook killer.  It will continue to grow in 2012 because Google is going to use it as a mechanism to unify all it’s properties, but will the sum be greater than the parts?

API Billionaires Club

API Billionaires Club

4. Klout Picks Up C Level Funding

[link] Klout secured $30 in funding.

My Take: Klout gets so much attention for things it is and isn’t. It’s neither savior nor devil – but it is hot.  Look for klout to look past the super influential and focus more on the “kinda influential” in 2012. There are also rumors of a mobile app.

5. Learn To Code

[Code Academy] [Code Year] Sites are popping up that teach you to code. Basic programming is a great skill to have and here are great ways to get started. Since I haven’t used these sites, I don’t know if they are free or freemium.

My Take: It saddens me that I have a Computer Science degree but I don’t code. I’ve forgotten so much that these services are highly attractive to me.  Yet, taking on yet another obligation is against my 2012 resolutions…speaking of which I need to write that post before 2013 hits.

How I use Bufferapp

Buffer App

http://bufferapp.com

How I use Bufferapp

Jeff Cutler asked “How can someone get the most out of Bufferapp?”  I started and stopped using Buffer two times before it took hold, now I’m an avid user. With that in mind I’ll try and answer Jeff’s question. If you think I missed something, hit me up in the comments.

What is Buffer?

From the website:

We designed Buffer to offer you a both personal and yet more efficient solution to handle twitter.

Buffer makes your life easier with a smarter way to schedule tweets. Work out all your tweets at one point in time during the day. Then fill up your Buffer with your tweets and Buffer schedules them for you. Simply keep that Buffer topped up and you will then be tweeting consistently all day round, all week long.

How I use Buffer?

I use buffer in two ways:

  1. During my commute on the train I scan hundreds of RSS feeds. Articles I want to share I add to my buffer. Usually I find 10-20 articles worth sharing. Without Buffer these articles would all be tweeted all at once – very annoying to my followers and since I’m an early bird, most people wouldn’t see what I’ve shared since they’re still eating their Cheerios. With my Buffer schedule set up, (one time set up) my tweets trickle out through the day.
  2. During the day, if I see something interesting come out during the day I can share content with two clicks. Easy peasy.

Why I like Buffer:

  1. Simple and easy to use
  2. Posts to Facebook and Twitter
  3. Allows me to schedules tweets
  4. Straight forward analytics (see image)
  5. Integrates with Bit.ly Pro so I can use my custom domain shortener (reff2.me)
  6. When installed on an Android phone, sharing is a snap
  7. On an iPad, where integration is less straight forward, I can still send articles to my buffer via email or via a Bookmarklet.
  8. Browser extensions make sharing super easy
  9. Socialbro integration allows my to find the best time to tweet and set that schedule for my buffer

 

Buffer Analytics

Buffer Analytics

 

What I don’t like about Buffer:

  1. Free version only allows you to put have 10 items in your buffer at once
  2. The paid version is $10/month when a more suitable price point is $3

Sign up for Buffer here and I get an extra post in my buffer!

5 Marketing Technology stories you might have missed 12-31-11


Marketing Technology 5

Marketing Technology Stories you might have missed

MT5 – #19

Stories this week: Twitter demographics, B2B Marketing in 2012, Social Media in America and MORE!

B2B Marketing: 6 lessons learned in 2011 from 7 marketing experts

[link] Article has a focus on lead generation tactics.

My Take: If you look at their experts, you’ll see it contains true leaders like Jay Baer so I think you’re getting some valuable insights here.

Marketers Look Beyond Social Media Experimentation

Factors Driving Further Use of Social Media

Factors Driving Further Use of Social Media

[link] Marketers are becoming more mature when it comes to their social media marketing, and many in the US say they hope to move beyond the experimentation phase in the coming years.

My Take: This makes sense. As Marketers are learning to use social they are feeling more comfortable with the medium and how best to use it.

Analyze Your Twitter Followers with “Schmap It”

[link] Provides interesting demographic information at an aggregate level for free. Paid versions provide more data points.

My Take: There’s an arsenal of free analytics tools available for twitter, add this to the list.

8 Ways Digital Will Improve B2B Sales in 2012

[link] Here are the 8 Ways

  1. Social Selling Will Go Mainstream
  2. Companies Will use Facebook as a Sales Channel
  3. Sales Executives Will Adopt Big Data
  4. Customer Engagement Becomes a Top Priority
  5. Outside Sales Reps Will Use iPads
  6. Most Sales Tools Will Move to the Cloud
  7. Sales and Marketing Will Converge
  8. More Companies Will Offer Free Trials

My Take: Some of these things, such as Sales use of iPads certainly will happen in 2012, however I don’t think Sales & Marketing will converge organizationally in the next 12 months.

9 Surprising New Facts About Social Media in America

[link] For example, super socials love twitter, but most brand interactions happen on Facebook. What does that mean? Engage with influencers on twitter and market to potential customers on Facebook.

My Take: I saved the best for last, Jay cuts through the noise with some simple truths

The WordPress Progression (with Tom Catalini)


Blog guru, Tom Catalini

Blog guru, Tom Catalini

Blog Technology: The WordPress Progression

Tom Catalini blogs about People & Technology over at tomcatalini.com (http://www.tomcatalini.com/). He runs that and other sites on the WordPress platform and has shared lots of WordPress tips in is Website 101 blog post series (http://www.tomcatalini.com/category/website101/). He’s presented at WordCamp and PodCamp on similar topics. In this post Tom takes us through the WordPress progression so that those looking to get started with a blog can get a feel for what WordPress has to offer.

The WordPress Progression

WordPress is a popular blogging platform – and for good reason. It’s very, very, very easy to get started yet there is also virtually no upper limit to features and functionality. You can easily use WordPress as a foundation for a complete website, even if you need to manage complex interactions, conduct financial transactions, and build communities. 

But, let’s not get ahead of ourselves just yet. Let’s go back to the beginning and step through some key progression points for WordPress.

Level 1 – Get Started with WordPress.com

If you’re just starting out, you want things to be easy. And you need to focus on the content you’re going to create more than the technicalities of getting it published to the world. The first step in on the WordPress path meets that need.

WordPress.com is a free site for blogging, and it only takes a minute to setup an account. Once you’ve done that, you can start blogging immediately. The software is pretty intuitive and there are plenty of tutorials to help get you started. The point is, you really have no excuse anymore. So get started!

Level 2 – Customize Your WordPress.com Blog

Once you’re over the initial hurdle of deciding on a title for your blog and getting some content out there, you’ll probably want to make some tweaks. Again, there is no need to look further than WordPress.com. On the site you can choose different themes to adjust the look and feel of your site. You can configure how the basic layout will work, and you can easily plug in some predefined functionality like including updates from your Twitter feed, adding a search bar, or incorporating a photo album.
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One big (and important) customization option is to use your own domain name for your blog, right on WordPress.com. You’ll pay a small fee for this, but it’s worth it. Once you establish your own domain name, you begin to build up search engine value for your content. Your domain, rather than WordPress.com, will be the target of links and search results. This is valuable, and it’s portable.

 

Level 3 – Take Full Control with WordPress.org

WordPress.com, configured with your own domain name, will take you a long way. There are tons of things you can do to customize your site and to add functionality. Eventually, though, you’ll run into a situation where something you want to customize just isn’t possible on the shared platform of WordPress.com. Not to worry, there’s an easy answer – WordPress.org.The name is confusing, but the WordPress.org site is the next progression on the WordPress path. WordPress.org is a site that allows you to download the WordPress software – the same software that powers WordPress.com sites – for free. 

Now you can install it on your own hosting site (this will cost a few more bucks, and require a little more maintenance – but you’re progressing to a more sophisticated and savvy user, so that’s ok). Here, your options for customization become virtually limitless.

Rely on the WordPress Community

Going out on your own is a little scary and intimidating. It’s great to be able to have full control over the software platform, and to push the envelope further. But that means there will be more issues and that the problems will get more complex. 

Not to worry – WordPress has a thriving community. There are millions of people using the platform and the community is extremely active in creating software modules you can use (most for free) to add functionality, themes that can give your site a really custom look and feel, and advice on solving common – and not so common – problems.

No More Excuses, Start Blogging!

WordPress can get you started and go to any level you like. As your needs get more sophisticated, you’ll need to dedicate more time to the technicalities – but the software won’t hold you back, and the community will help you every step of the way. 

Go and get started. I look forward to reading your blog.

 

Photo credit: Adria Richards

5 HOLIDAY videos you might have missed 12-24-11


Marketing Technology 5

The hell with Marketing Technology, Here Are 5 Holiday Videos

MT5 – #18

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I Hope Santa Checks in to My House

Mortar Holiday Card 2011

Puppy Christmas

Apple – iPhone 4S – TV Ad – Santa

Angry Birds Christmas Light Game

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