Topic 12 - What does the future hold?

The only thing certain about the future of digital marketing is that it will involve huge change. It is an exciting time. I think the most exciting time in marketing history. Rather than trying to be all things to all people, there will be an increasing need to hone specialist skills, but to be aware of what is tried and true, and what is brand new and worth trying. Mistakes will be made, and indeed are being made every day. There will sometimes be a need to control damage, so PR and communication skills will become even more important than they are already. The market is filled to capacity already with noise, so being heard above the din will be paramount and copy writing skills will also be in high demand. Copy has always been required for print, but increasingly it will be required for audio, video and any other mix of media.

Augmented reality and virtual reality have been hyped for a decade already but the emergence of mobile as a platform of choice in the last few years may well see them explode in the near future. Fasten your seatbelts and get ready for a rough but exciting ride. Technical skills may well be outsourced throughout the world, but the need for home grown innovation, creativity and project management skills can only grow. Marketing has always been a conversation, now there is a need to listen, engage and analyse the conversation like never before.

TED Talk: Matt Mills: Image recognition that triggers augmented reality

Its hard to even guess where technology or future innovations will lead within all market segments.

Topic 11 - CRM and Analytics

The Salesforce video below is light hearted, but it is also a promo for one of the largest CRM companies in the world and the message is good.

What are web analytics?

This is the tracking, collection, recording and analysis of data which is used to help increase business results. Various tools are available on the internet to track data with the three main areas being;

-Aggregated: this is all traffic

-Segmented: subset of traffic

-Individual: single visitor

Define in relation to a website -

Objectives: These are aligned with the strategic outcomes of a organisation.

Goals:The defined actions that visitors should perform on a website.

KPI's (Key performance indicator): A metric that indicates whether a website is achieving it goals.

Objectives: Offer choice, Speed of access, be the first search engine used.

Goals: To keep growing, To stay one step ahead of competitors.

Your customers in some ways now manage you, what you need to do is lead your customers to you and you can do this through several marketing techniques. Social media is dramatically changing how we connect, share, and collaborate with all people including the end consumer. Social media must be embraced to engage in new ways with customers, employees, and everyone that matters to your organisation.

Topic 10 - Web PR

In the present time it is important to build a voice and strong presence online through blogging, press releases, online articles and social media.

The following video by Seth Godin ‘this is broken’ makes you think about every context of digital marketing. You will now find yourself always on the lookout for ‘this is broken’ and you ways to potentially fix it.

Seven kinds of broken:

- not my job

- selfish clerks

- the world changed

- I didn't know

- i'm not a fish

- contradictions

- broken on purpose

 

Having a good online reputation is vital to expanding and growing your name or business. Once tarnished it is very difficult to regain and retain consumers as once it's online it is there forever and you no longer have any control over where it may end up. Therefore it is extremely important to grow the brand name and continue to keep the reputation positive as word of mouth is a very powerful and uncontrollable tool for any organisation.

Topic 9 - New Media and the Brand

This is an example of a bold advertisement used online to draw consumers to entering a competition yet also draw traffic to the website. They might not enter the competition but every view still has a chance of leading the viewer to the main website.

The Article : Comment on the relevance of the comments today...

1. Everyone’s got to stop looking at marketing and branding in terms of Web v Ad.

These two are now linked heavily in regards to marketing. With technology these days and the ongoing use and growth of social media it has become a very important relationship which web and ad has become. Web these days is a very successful, fast way to advertise and access a mass audience. There are literally billions online today and it continues to grow so for the marketer it is vital to keep up to date online.

2. Advertising on MySpace is like sending a postcard to Brazil: Entirely ineffectual.

Myspace is a thing of the past. It's audience has dramatically declined in the past few years as Facebook, Twitter and other social media outlets have grown due to the easy functionality of it.

3. Big/bold/authentic works.

Marketers need to capture a possible consumers eye and draw them into their add. Having a boring add will decrease the chances of people taking notice of the advertisement. That's why something eye catching and bold/different will draw them in, if they don't purchase the item they have still seen the item and could return. The ad may also therefore prompt positive word-of-mouth advertising among viewers.

4. It’s Not About Polish.

It isn't always about polish, some companies spend thousands on failed advertisements then some spend very little and have success. An example of a cheap option may be as simple as a Youtube video going viral, therefore it comes down to being creative and connecting with the consumers and target markets successfully.

5. Here comes the evolution of the closed network.

If your going to use the internet in any way prepare to respect, engage and inspire. Otherwise your not using it to its full potential.

Topic 8 - PPC and Video Search

The task this week was to try and make a short video on any topic and then upload it. The main reason for the video is to discuss how it can be shared on the internet, to as many viewers as possible.

This is a video i recently took on a golfing bucks day of one of my friends which i chose to promote as we found it quite funny.

There are many ways that this video can be promoted on the internet for example:

- Blogs as it can be seen by individuals that are reading or following the blog page. Such as these Emarketing blogs.

- Social media sites such as Facebook as this can be seen by many individuals through friends and family or by them sharing the link. The video i have uploaded has also been uploaded previously to facebook.

- YouTube is one of the most obvious as this is the most used website for video search (This is where i uploaded my video to).

Topic 7 – Search engine marketing and optimisation

There were no questions this week due to the test. However here is a quick overview of the topic:

Having a great website is useless if no one uses/views it, therefore there are many ways to optimise this: Google adworks is the ad result that comes up when you do a Google search this will appear at the top and to the right of the page. Therefore this is essential to enhancing the usage and comsumption of your website.

Topic 6 - Advertising and Affiliate Marketing

1. Define the following:

- Optin: give organisations/companies the consent to send emails to you.

- Opout: the option for you to stop emails from being sent to you also known as unsubcribing.

- Spam: receiving emails that you did not sign up for.

- CPA: (cost per action) this is when a new customer is attained in which the advertiser is only paid upon when a certain the goal is achieved.

- CPC: (cost per click) advertiser only pays when an individual clicks on the advertisement which takes them to their website

- CPM: (cost per mil) this is the amount paid for every 1000 clicks on an advertisement.

- Google Adwords: allows advertisers to place their ads on Google's content and search results.

2. Think about your own behaviour when browsing online. Do you pay attention to display adverts? Is there a difference between the ones that catch your eye and those that don’t?

When I browse online I don't usually notice adverts on the screen as most of the time they do not interest me at all. The ones that annoy me most are the ads that you accidentally click on and open up another screen even though you do not want to visit the site. Along with ads that 'pop-up' over the current window are extremely frustrating.

Ads that do catch my eye are generally ones in which i am interested in; such as sport, if i have no interest in them i generally don't notice them.

3. What is the difference between the mindset of someone responding to a display advert and someone conducting a web search?

Someone who is responding to a display advert may or may not have been looking in particular for that product. They may have been looking for something else and came across the ad and decided then that they may need the product.

Someone conducting a web search is more likely to have a more specific mindset and will be looking for something more specific. Which they are more likely not to stray from their goal.

4 . What is the link between this video and email SPAM?

The link between this video and SPAM is that SPAM has taken over the internet. In the video it is seen that SPAM had taken over the menu with some individuals not liking SPAM at all. This is exactly how it is seen on the internet as SPAM now has a regular (unwanted) presence in emails today with not many people appreciating this; as it can be very annoying and also can contain viruses and scams if people are not careful.

Topic 5 - Mobile Development

 

WEEK 5 EMARKETING BLOG

 

Consider the headings Monitoring, Updating, Entertainment, and Problem solver. Would you expand the headings from a marketing point of view?

The possibility of adding one heading of 'Navigation' may be beneficial as I don’t believe the use of GPS apps would be included underneath these headings. Mobile phones currently now have the ability to navigate off GPS signals through these new apps. This also could help ensure ease of access for all users.

 

Do you all receive similar updates and are they welcome or not welcome?

 

I often receive emails or notifications from Fantasy Sporting competitions entered, which is accepted as it is a friendly reminder to either check this or information maybe warranting changes. However when you sign up for something for example an online competition your sole purpose to entering is to win something. However the company will gain personal information such as your phone number and email address. At first they may have sent you texts or emails on store specials or updates in which you are eligable for; however unless they are contacting you informing you of winning something I believe they are just annoying.

 

 

What would your top 10 app list be now?

 

In no particular order my top 10 app list would be:

- Facebook

- AFL footy live

- Commbank

- Google
- Ebay

- 'yes' optus - my account

- Viber

- Weatherzone

- Hotmail

- Instagram

Topic 4 - Writing for the web

This week the task is to choose any type of blog and write a guest post that would suit that style of blog, I have chosen the blog:

http://www.sportsgrid.com

 Sports lovers rejoice, don't miss a beat with Sports Grid!

Sports grid is the site for everything sport with smart phone capabilities and an abundence of components ensuring ease of access.

SportsGrid is the site for news, information and smart opinions about sports. The blog is set up with suitable components such as our  “Power Grid” which objectively ranks sports figures across a multitude of categories based on their real-time relevance. Power Grid rankings rely on an array of metrics — including (depending on the category) fantasy league rankings, Twitter followers, web buzz, franchise value, and total viewership.

This allows user friendly categories to ensure you are all up to date with all the sports news desired. Trending through twitter allows us to post popular tweets by celebrities and sports stars worldwide ensuring you won't miss a beat through using this blog.

Want to break big news relevant to any sport? Post it with us and it will be published and go viral within minutes!

Topic 3 - Web Development

Web Development

Case Study: 4.10 Happy Cog and Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation

1. What role did navigation and usability play in the redesign of the website?

One of the major changes was that three main areas were identified these were selecting a destination, building an itinerary and obtaining information about the city. Usability of the site was also upgraded with keeping the information on the front page to a minimum and also choosing colours that worked well. Through the adding of links to theire social media sites also makes it easier for individuals to stay in touch with the content. Along with this a great new asset to the website is the change in URL address as this gives it more visibility in the search engine and more chance of reaching mass' yet also greater chances of individuals clicking on the link.

2. Why was the addition of social layers important in the redesign?

It was important to add the social layers of facebook, twitter etc as this brings in a whole new audience and can attract a whole new demographic to the website which previously may have been unaware it even existed.These pages also offer discounts and keep up to date information which might entice previous visitors back for another visit. With the excessive use of social media these days they would have be crazy not to add them on their page as it is free and a great chance to reach a wider audience/gain publicity.

3. Why did the developers decide to consolidate the content management platforms?

They consolidated the content management platforms because they had to migrate hundreds of entries manually before hand which could lead to mistakes and failures in the website.

The process of utilising one sole content management platform (EE) meant that they could code it all together to make sure the real copy of the website wouldn’t breakdown once it had been coded. It also minimised time on making the site as tasks could be distributed greater by working on the front and back end of the pages at the same time.

4. Having considered the case study, discuss in general terms what role you now understand a website plays in an overall digital marketing strategy.

The internet has so much power in getting across to all individuals and audience types. The website is usually the first place an individual will look when trying to find specific information therefore can and should be used as an anchor point for any business. This shows why it is so important that the website is clear and easy to navigate and understand yet also be visually appealling as it is as easy as a click away to go to another website. A successful website will be able to convert some website viewers into customers and repeat customers as through market research they should understand and aim to reach their viewers desired wants and needs from the company.



Week 2 Crowdsourcing

Crowdsourcing

1.What is the definition of crowdsourcing?

Crowdsourcing is taking a job traditionally performed by a professional and distributing it to an undefined, generally large group of people in the form of an open call.

2. What is the difference between the wisdom of the crowd and crowdsourcing?

Wisdom of the crowd is when the overall crowds ideas are used for their knowledge, skills and opinions instead of just one individuals. The difference between this and crowdsourcing is that with crowdsourcing individual ideas maybe chosen from the crowd and then those specific individuals are then rewarded for their contribution.

3. What are the benefits of crowdsourcing for both consumers and brands?

There are many benefits to using crowdsourcing as a form of receiving information about products and certain solutions. Some of these benefits can include;

• Lets the consumers have their input
• It lets the consumer feel involved and apart of the organisation
• It brings with it new ideas
• Can be low cost for the organisation
• Can help build a positive relationship with the consumers
• It can reach consumers/mass' all over the world
• Its quick and easy

4. Examples of crowdsourcing:

The example found was Poptent, the link for this is http://www.poptent.net/ . This was attention grabbing as it is a video advertising site which presents concepts of crowdsourcing. This seems quite successful as it can incorporate creative and attention grabbing posts.


5. Explore the 99designs site: http://99designs.com.au/

What is your opinion and do you think there are any ethical considerations?

I think this website is very worthwhile for the person wanting a design as it gives them the chance to receive many designs all at a low cost instead of just one. The other side to it though is with the people who are actually creating the designs. They only will get paid if they win the competition and they also lose their copyright privileges once the product is accepted.

Week 1

Task 1 - Seth Godin Preface

"I don’t think you’ll learn much from this textbook.
It’s nothing specific–I actually don’t think you can learn how to market from any textbook. As marketing textbooks go, this is a very good one, but still, it’s not going to work."

The quote above is the preface of Seth Godin's book 'eMarketing' he therefore writes that he believes that marketing is not something you can learn from scratch from a textbook and that it's all about passion, nuance, experimentation and experience.

What are your thoughts?
I think what Seth is saying is that simply studying marketing and reading text books does not make you a good marketer, you need to have a passion for it and be willing to get out there and experience what marketing really is. He isn't saying that you can't learn anything from a text book, he is saying that the only way to become a great marketer is through experiences in conjunction with and to reinforce theory yet also have a passion for it and gain experience in the field yet also experiment within marketing.

5 terms that are new to me:

-Online Reputation Management (ORM): monitoring your reputation on the Internet by measuring and tracking mentions of your product or organisation and then being able to respond quickly.

-Cluetrain Manifesto: a set of 95 theses organised and put forward as a call to action for an organisation who is operating in a market place who is only newly connected.

-Crowdsourcing: is the actions of collaborative information sharing and collaborative approaches to problem solving.

-Search Engine Optimisation: Is used to improve and change a websites ranking within a search engine and the results it generates.

-Pay Per Click: An online advertising scheme on search engine websites where the advertiser only pays when someone physically clicks on their advert.

 

Task 2 - Case Study: The Best Job In The World

1. Why do you think this campaign garnered such impressive media coverage? I believe that this campaign received such impressive media coverage because of its unique aspect and innovative promotion methods such as the use of social media. It's title and ability to reach such mass audiences created such a buzz amongst the whole population especially amongst applicants and in the end basically advertised itself as thousands of applicants posted videos and blogs all over the internet.

 

2. How did Tourism Queensland and SapientNitro approach the challenge of marketing across eight international markets? They used the internet and techniques such as small display ads and links from employment websites. Mainstream press and blog articles also aided in the marketing.

 

3. What role did flexibility play in this campaign? The job decscription didn't contain any high level of qualifications or experience needed, the person simply needed to be outgoing and enthusiastic. This meant that it was flexible in the way that almost anybody could apply for the job and have a chance to get it and the process to applying was as simple as posting a video meaning it was available worldwide as a face-to-face application was not required.

 

4. How did the strategy leverage social media as a tool for engagement? People could send links to their friends via social media such as Facebook (of the webpage) and invite them to like or vote for their audition videos. This means that the website can be advertised to millions of people either directly or indirectly through the use of social media and viral advertising. This prompted more advertising agencies to embrace social media as a marketing tool through its ease of penetration to mass markets.

This is my new blog for the subject Emarketing i am completing at The University of Ballarat. I am new to blogging which could make this very interesting. Enjoy!