For some time now we have employed Tumblr as the host for our blog offerings, and we've been lucky to enjoy wonderful interaction and engagement as a result. That success has allowed us to implement a variety of upgrades to our official website... including a dynamic new stage for the information, knowledge and recommendation we've offered here.
We look forward to sharing more of our thoughts, findings and recommendations on brand engagement, social media, digital marketing and much more via our new home at Wayin.com.
Play It Safe ~ 5 Simple Actions To Help Avoid Twitter Hacks
The rise of headlines related to hacked Twitter accounts over recent weeks - from MTV to Burger King to Jeep to the Associated Press to The Guardian to The Onion - has reinvigorated the debate of internet security and caused concern for many doing business via 140 characters.
While Twitter is working to enhance your abilities to combat attack, these stories all result from poor decisions made by members of these organizations, and each should serve as a potent reminder of the responsibility we carry to reinforce sound judgement and practice in supporting a safe environment for our teams.
Twitter has shared a thorough list of recommendations with journalists in an effort to support security. Here are five simple actions you should utilize to bolster security efforts today.
1. IF YOU DON'T KNOW IT, DON'T CLICK IT.
The vast majority of hacks result from information gathered via "phishing" campaigns - fraudulent links sent via tweet or email asking users to click, an action that results in unwanted sharing of private information (like Twitter passwords and emails). Do not share private information via email or direct message. Do no click links you don't research/obtain yourself (even if sent from accounts you know... they may have been hacked).
2. UTILIZE YOUR RESOURCES.
Many users believe third-party password managers aren't safe. To the contrary, these applications (such as LastPass or 1Password) are designed to auto-fill passwords ONLY on approved sites. Many hackers obtain access using veiled sites masked as the site you desire. Utilizing these applications will help you identify fraudulent sites, and most will assist in creating a worthy, strong password for your account.
3. BEWARE MOBILE DEVICES.
Smartphones and tablets are common targets for thieves for a reason: not only are they easy to confiscate, but they are often loaded (and logged in to) various accounts. Make a habit of logging out of accounts via mobile devices. Utilize applications and settings to insure your device is locked and secure from strangers. Do not keep sensitive information in unprotected areas of your mobile device.
4. CHANGE YOUR PASSWORD. OFTEN.
Quarterly change is suggested by Twitter. We suggest as often as you can comfortably accept. Utilize both letters, numbers and symbol characters. Take advantage of case-sensitive options. Consider using random password generators. Utilize longer passwords when available.
5. BE ACTIVE AND READY.
By staying active, you may recognize you've been hacked before substantial damage can be done. Pay particular attention to your activity both via public stream and direct message. Keep a close eye on your account settings, bio, and email attached to your account. Take time to review the apps authorized on your account, removing any you no longer utilize or don't recognize. Changes in these two areas will often signal reason for concern.
Follow those simple tips and you should enjoy a safe, productive relationship with Twitter and all who interact with you via 140 characters... and if we can help with additional insight, don't hesitate to ask!
Didn't make it to #JazzFest? Check out what happened with this cool visualization axs.tv/jazzfest/ by @axstvconcerts via @wayinhub
— Brandon Beeken (@brandonbeeken)
May 6, 2013
Empowering your abilities to engage the moment, Wayin Hub is the Twitter self-service microsite assembly platform used by companies to maximize social interaction. To learn more about the opportunities Wayin Hub can open for your organization, contact our Sales Team today to schedule a demonstration.
6 Seconds To Impress ~ A Sample Of The Best Vines Via Wayin (Thus Far)
It's Visual Friday... to be fair, it's not an "official" title. It's been (at best) a running theme without a name, but today we're making it official.
It's Visual Friday.
Today we focus on the latest in Twitter stimulation for the eye: Vine video offerings posted by Wayin staff. And we start with the best to date, posted by the tremendously-talented Milan Klusacek (graphic designer) and shared by Peter Greenberg of Twitter (thanks, Peter!).
You'll find more after the break.
More great #vine work from #wayin RT @milanklusacek #wayin + cutie. vine.co/v/bQw52aKvmDv
— Peter Greenberger (@pgreenberger)
May 3, 2013
(Here's the break, btw.)
#Vine meets #WayinHub vine.co/v/bnELeE532Un
— Wayin (@Wayin)
February 8, 2013
The real children of @wayin -Take your child to work day. vine.co/v/bPQpYLEzF3a
— Elaine Feeney Wood (@FeeneyWood)
April 25, 2013
Here's @wayin Chairman @scottmcnealy discussing how @wayinhub empowers #Twitter for brands. @galvanize vine.co/v/b2lquIvqQ10
— Wayin Enterprise (@WayinEnterprise)
May 10, 2013
first concert vine. money shot at 5 sec. vine.co/v/bxi2VL6ZFTw
— Elliot Goldwater (@EBG1080)
April 28, 2013
#wayin + TicTacs. vine.co/v/bQwjzPBdU5d
— Milan Klusacek (@milanklusacek)
May 3, 2013
From you to #Twitter to Hub to @scottmcnealy & @jtcarolan back to you - now is the time. #EngageTheMoment @wayin twitter.com/WayinHub/statu…
— Wayin Hub (@WayinHub)
May 10, 2013
If you and yours are active via Twitter, you will discover immediate and gratifying benefits via Wayin Hub, the ultimate self-service Twitter microsite assembly platform. To learn how the Hub can help you, contact our Sales Team to discuss a demonstration today.
Get In The Game ~ What Journalists Can Teach You About Twitter
Research internet offerings focused on Twitter behavior and you'll find a multitude of options. For the most part, they offer the same advice: establishing your profile, finding friends and follows, building your audience and supporting your business are all general topics of concern, and all are typically addressed with similar recommendations and guidelines.
One of the most common assertions relates to frequency of tweeting and profession, and the general rule of thumb is this: Unless you are a reporter or member of the media, less if often best. Media members are expected to tweet much more often than any other professions utilizing Twitter, an undeniable fact of the job.
In fact, the view of "best practices" for this sector of the community strays so far from the norm, Twitter offers unique assistance and advice to the media community.
While the typical Twitter user seeking support for business would be wise to avoid the media approach to the platform, there are lessons worth learning from that community.
We often sing the praise of the Twitter Advanced Search, one of the most powerful tools offered by the platform. The utilization of many search functions - users, topics, keywords, hashtags - should be obvious to any internet-savvy business owner.
However, there are potent secrets available to those who go looking for more from search. For instance, by adding "pic.twitter.com" to the end of a search term, you'll be presented with tweets touting images associated to your search. Regional search may be the most beneficial for small business owners. Enter "near:[CITYNAME or ZIPCODE] within:(A # of miles)mi" and you'll be presented with tweets geotagged within that area.
There are a multitude of unique methods for specializing advanced search and leveraging those offerings to interact and connect. Learn and put them in your social toolbox.
The ability to utilize a tweet in multiple places is enabled by embed codes. Twitter has offered this feature for individual tweets for some time, and they continue to improve the service. If you run a blog or provide news updates on your business website, this visual tool can not only improve your efficiency, but also your efforts to build audience at both locations and leverage the real-time benefits of the time spent on the internet's best real-time community.
It's a simple process. Viewing the individual tweet, click the "...More" link found next to the "Favorite" button (see the image above). Two options appear: Email Tweet and Embed Tweet. Clicking the second option introduces a pop-up window, providing a true-to-life visual check of the tweet as it will present on your site as well as the HTML code needed to complete the task.
(We also recommend you consider the widgets provided by Twitter, integrating your full Timeline on your site. You'll find examples on any reputable media site as they've become a regular feature across the industry.)
If you absorb our blog offerings with regularity, you recognize the power of visual stimulation. Twitter has been diligent in developing platform-wide support for such offerings - Twitter Cards, the updated image controls via the Twitter mobile app, and Vine, just to name a few - and the release of Wayin Hub amplifies those innovations.
Media-rich offerings are a staple for media members doing work via 140 characters, and all indications suggest they will bolster a brand's effort to connect as well. The media guide referenced throughout this post notes media members enhancing tweets with images or video will see (on average) 3-to-4 times the engagement compared to posts without. Now, consider the numbers of other recent surveys focused on brand engagement...
- The average Twitter user follows six brands.
- As of March 2013, 50% of Americans will witness a reference to Twitter during the day.
- Twitter users suggest they are 53% more likely to purchase after seeing a promoted tweet.
- Mobile Twitter users are 78% more likely to retweet a post from a "brand" rather than a traditional user.
If the business owner learns anything from the media community on Twitter, THIS is the lesson we would submit and affirm: the rise in engagement associated with Twitter activity is clear, and the media efforts via visual applications suggest more is available and waiting.
You can review a full guide of suggested media practices for 140 characters from Twitter today. Wrap your head around the secrets waiting there, then return to Wayin and let us show you an amazing opportunity to turn those lessons into action.
If you and yours are active via Twitter, you will discover immediate and gratifying benefits via Wayin Hub, the ultimate self-service Twitter microsite assembly platform. To learn how the Hub can help you, contact our Sales Team to discuss a demonstration today.
Four Reasons Your Business Should Utilize Social Media (and Choose Twitter)
Over the weekend, as I was enjoying the New Orleans Jazz Festival on AXS TV (an amazing event I cannot recommend enough), I was catching up on market research and reading for both pleasure and profession. Included in the stack of links I've been saving for review was a wonderful piece from Jeff Bullas titled, "How To Choose The Best Social Media Platform For Your Company". Bullas, recognized as one of the top influencers for business on social media, often provides unique and potent insight worthy of attention from both the social media beginner and those who have called social media "work" for some time.
While Bullas addresses many factors you should certainly consider - your goals, your time, your audience, your tools - I noted several questions he failed to put forth. More importantly, I noted the article seems to suggest you should be making a choice between the two giants of the industry, and I am left with one suggestion of my own.
There is no decision to be made. Any social media effort you design MUST include Twitter.
There are a number of reasons why we believe this is true. Today, we present four of my favorites.
Twitter and Facebook (the other giants of social media) both work to support business efforts on their platforms. Both offer unique sites providing assistance, service and support specific for businesses, both have developed applications and features specific for businessess, and both continue to evolve in that direction.
One forces you to open, construct and manage TWO accounts - a personal account to establish an admin structure for a company page - to establish and realize full potential of a business presence. One has established a structure designed to keep your audience on THEIR platform, rather than opening and driving traffic directly to yours. One has established a simple process for creating a presence, encouraging a focus on marketing and audience rather than self. One makes you and your people work to recognize the benefits, while the other works to bring them forward.
There's no mistaking which "one" we appreciate.
As technology advances, it is often pushing forward via mobile tech. A growing number of the social media audience connects on the go. In 2010, approximately 30% of users were engaging with Facebook via mobile device... versus 37% for Twitter. In 2012, that number rocketed towards 60% for both platforms (just a touch over 60% for Twitter, versus 56% for Facebook).
You can find any number of reasons for this rise in mobile audience - second screen applications, improved geotagging opportunities, event engagement, and more - but the advantage held by Twitter is undeniable. Since it's birth, Twitter has been designed as a mobile portal. Facebook has held a decisive advantage in terms of age, yet Twitter has been much more progressive in mobile app design, integration in various platforms, and work with third-party developers working to advance the cause.
If you want to be basic about it, consider this: Android, one of the fastest growing mobile technology brands on the planet, has ALWAYS been a consideration for Twitter. For Facebook, the arrival of Home - released less than a month ago - is the FIRST dedicated attempt to pursue mobile Android loyalists.
A recent study from Crowdspring indicates 64% of Twitter users are more likely to purchase from brands they follow, versus 51% of Facebook users. It might seem the difference (13%) is trivial, but it points to a fundamental difference in the communities active on both networks.
Many join Twitter specifically seeking a deeper connection not only with the brands they love, but also with others who feel the same. Many who are active on Facebook are there to connect with the people they already know, many of whom are not in their community to connect with in other ways, and the opportunity to connect with a brand (much less a local community of brands) is an afterthought.
The engagement between customer and business is rising on both platforms, but as we witnessed during the Super Bowl, the comforts of that relationship are clearly established and accepted on Twitter (while the others are working to get there).
Look forward and consider the future not only of your business, but your audience. Whatever you envision, Twitter is both capable and, in most cases, preparing to work there with you. As technologies and hardware evolve, the platforms need to evolve with them.
A short list of the advantages Twitter already holds over the competition - real-time interaction founded in the power of direct connection, advancing visual applications with matching advances in presentation, integration innovations designed to build and encourage the audience (rather than restrain and control) as well as the developers serving them - justifies the evolutionary chain above.
A longer list can be found using Google. Review recent headlines associated with releases, case studies and innovations for both and you might agree... one carries an undeniable feel of progress while the other continues to address issues.
We could go on, but these reasons alone provide the support you need to insure your business is represented via Twitter... while other options leave more questions to be answered.
If you and yours are active via Twitter, you will discover immediate and gratifying benefits via Wayin Hub, the ultimate self-service Twitter microsite assembly platform. To learn how the Hub can help you, contact our Sales Team to discuss a demonstration today.
We don't like to toot our own horns too often... but it's Friday. Friday is the traditional venue for Show-and-Tell, a wonderful right of passage commenced by the progressive kindergarten teachers in American history in which the children are asked to bring a unique item to class... an item connected to a story you must also share with the class.
Today, we want to show our gratitude to the staff at Gartner Inc. Known and respected as one of the world's leading information technology research and advisory companies, Gartner is in the business of data and is constantly searching for unique methods of gathering and analyzing analytic information for the various needs many find in operating a business.
This week the content team at Gartner released an intriguing report titled, "Cool Vendors in Data-Driven Marketing, 2013". Seeking insight and innovation in digital marketing strategy and technology, Gartner looks at companies providing opportunities to "explore how analytic partners can help refine segmentation and targeting strategies to reach the right prospects with the best messages in relevant contexts."
Lofty goals to say the least... and to say the least again, Wayin is honored to be included in this year's list (the first of many annual "cool data-driven vendors" lists to come).
You can read the full report by clicking the hyperlinked title above (or by clicking HERE if you're feeling lazy). Speaking on Wayin Hub...
Wayin's "Twitter microsite assembly kit" allows marketers to quickly and easily create and deploy Twitter-powered community experiences on their own Web properties, combining the reach and immediacy of the social network with the branding, control and focus you can get only on your own site...
The Hub's polling feature is of particular interest to research-focused marketers, as it represents a flexible and efficient way to collect ad hoc attitudinal data while reinforcing brand engagement and loyalty by empowering fans and followers to express themselves...
Tapping a willing supply of crowdsourced opinion can provide a decisive competitive advantage in a world where consumer expectations and market responses are accelerating relentlessly.
It is an unbelievable honor to be included in this report, and we struggle to thank Andrew Frank (the Garnter analyst responsible for the report) and the rest of the Gartner staff properly.
Other firms listed in the report include:
Anametrix - Anametrix provides a real-time marketing analytics platform combining cloud-based streaming data with reference data and corporate data to help marketers visual performance, improve campaigns and discover new opportunities.
Media6Degrees - Although they work in a competitive field of analytics, m6d applies data science and machine learning to generate signals that indicate a prospect's propensity to respond to a marketing message or offer, leveraging those indicators to identify new customers in real time.
Again, a tremendous vote of thanks to the staff at Gartner. When you come into Denver, dinner and drinks are on us!
If you and yours are active via Twitter, you will discover immediate and gratifying benefits via Wayin Hub, the ultimate self-service Twitter microsite assembly platform. To learn how the Hub can help you, contact our Sales Team to discuss a demonstration today.
Learn By Example ~ Lessons Learned From Twitter Certified Products
Many of us find inspiration in the efforts of the successful. The question you must ask first: What is success, and what can I learn from it?
For those playing in the world of social engagement, success can be defined in many ways. For a small and select few, success is (and should be) defined by recognition. The Twitter Certified Products Program awards unique respect and admiration to companies addressing innovation via Twitter, helping millions pursue, explore, evolve and share the benefits of social engagement.
The honor has been bestowed on few. We find inspiration - and lessons worth learning - from them all. Here are two of our favorites.
GNIP
We start with an admission: we are a bit partial to our fellow Colorado inhabitants. Gnip works out of Boulder, billed as "the largest provider of social media data to the Enterprise." Twitter recognized this firm as a Certified Data Reseller, offering the "firehouse" (a term of affection for those working in analytic circles) of public Twitter info for those working to improve benefits of the platform.
We are particularly fond of the decision to include the "enterprise"... our own efforts are heavily rooted in the passion for enterprise controls and aspirations attached to social communities. The evolution has just begun, and Gnip has been a powerful partner for those pushing the industry.
LESSON: Identify and research all of the innovations available. Support, opportunity and (in some cases) inspiration are there and waiting.
TOPSY
We continue to focus on analytics, but we take a sharp left to invite a universal appreciation for visual stimulation to the discussion. Topsy has been recognized in two of the Certified Product categories - Data Resellers and Analytics - an honor earned via unique, customized analytic engines providing clients with the potent opportunity to create, visualize and share any form of Twitter exploration you can imagine.
At Wayin, we've enjoyed Topsy offerings in support of our own adventures in Twitter engagement and education, and we would be honest in noting their support has been a direct and tangible influence in some of our most progressive moments.
LESSON: Education - no matter how you define it, who it is for, and how it is utilized - is worth the investment... for everyone involved.
You can review and learn about all of the organizations included in the Twitter Certified Products Program via the Twitter Developers blog. You may find lessons and inspiration of your own.
If you and yours are active via Twitter, you will discover immediate and gratifying benefits via Wayin Hub, the ultimate self-service Twitter microsite assembly platform. To learn how the Hub can help you, contact our Sales Team to discuss a demonstration today.
Change The Game ~ Wayin Hub Brings The NFL Draft (& Social Tech) Forward
The best offseason weekend in sports has come and gone. The NFL has welcomed the Class of 2013, and while the throngs of fans leave New York and return to the struggles of time without professional football being played, we are reviewing the results and focusing on the hope of tomorrow.
Tomorrow will be one day closer to the first day of training camp, it will be one day closer to the first day of the NFL season, and it will be one more day to advance the social scene for the league.
Wayin made such an impression on the NFL fans in Atlanta working towards tomorrow, they put us on the news.
Atlanta News, Weather, Traffic, and Sports | FOX 5
Working with the digital staff for the Falcons, Wayin developed a unique engagement platform aimed at connecting the fans at home with the experience unfolding in real time at Radio City Music Hall. As the selections were announced, fans were interacting via Wayin Hub, bringing a customized, self-service Twitter environment to the Falcons' home community at AtlantaFalcons.com.
Ken enjoyed it so much, he cam back to it for Day 2... and who can blame him? It's a virtual pool of instant sentiment on the here and now, dolloped with rotating/updating images and video.
Atlanta News, Weather, Traffic, and Sports | FOX 5
It's easy to enjoy the spotlight, but it's much more rewarding to support it. Ken and the staff at Fox 5 focused on the fan interaction and response to the events throughout their coverage of the NFL Draft. The Hub made that easy, dynamic and interactive throughout the weekend, and the Twitter masses of #RiseUp Nation continue to enjoy the NFL Draft today.
You can review the results of the Falcons' draft pick by pick, complete with updated Twitter interaction, bios and images highlighted with reaction from the players themselves...
... stop through and RT each, sending your personal welcome message to the rookies and adding the follow to track their interactions as they grow into NFL stars.
It was an amazing experience, and we're still in the depths of the offseason! With training camps just around the corner and another exciting season ahead, we can't wait to see what's ahead... for the Falcons, for the league, and for the fans.
We're looking forward to sharing it with you.
If the experiences shared here intrigue, we’d like to share the benefits of Wayin Hub with you and yours. Contact our Sales Team today to schedule a demonstration. You can also contact us via Twitter, Facebook or email ([email protected]). We’re looking forward to it!
Leading The Way ~ Atlanta and St. Louis Evolve NFL Engagement
When we turn the discussion towards the world of sports, the vast majority will choose to share their passions for the NFL. At Wayin, we are proud to admit guilt… we adore the NFL, and our efforts to evolve the culture of engagement have provided unique opportunities to share that passion with the football world.
As the NFL faithful settled in with family, friends and fellow die hards to enjoy the world’s most illustrious non-playing sports event - the NFL Draft - we were working with two of the league’s innovative clubs to introduce their communities to a new era of social engagement.
The Atlanta Falcons launched their Social Hub just hours before the NFL Draft commenced, using an original design built from Wayin Hub technologies to interact with fans throughout Round 1, including an amazing collection of displays focused on each of the team's selections, including the selection of Washington cornerback Desmond Trufant…
It was an amazing experience, and the Falcons community will continue to engage and interact throughout the NFL Draft via the Hub. (Click the image to check it out.)
The Falcons appreciate the opportunity as well...
“As a high-profile, emotional brand, the Falcons are always looking for ways to harness the torrent of conversation surrounding major events and present it to our fans in meaningful, digestible ways,” said Dan Levak, Falcons Director of Digital Media. “Wayin Hub’s flexible and powerful platform allows us to provide visitors a unique mix of insider perspective and fan sentiment as the NFL Draft drama unfolds.”
The St. Louis Rams have been experimenting with Wayin technologies for some time, and shortly before the first team went on the clock, they surprised their supporters with a Hub geared towards joys of the NFL Draft…
The Hub provided an ideal, interactive environment for St. Louis fans across the globe to congregate and share the undeniable joy spread by a trade agreement making West Virginia receiver Tavon Austin - the most coveted offensive weapon in this year’s rookie class - a Ram. (Again, click the image to visit the Rams’ Hub now.)
It was a phenomenal evening, and we’re just getting started. Fans of the Falcons and Rams can enjoy this experience throughout NFL Draft. If you’re a fan of any one of the remaining NFL squads, we encourage you to check it out and share with your team of choice.
It’s time to get in the game.
If the experiences shared here intrigue, we’d like to share the benefits of Wayin Hub with you and yours. Contact our Sales Team today to schedule a demonstration. You can also contact us via Twitter, Facebook or email ([email protected]). We’re looking forward to it!
Mistaken Identity ~ Twitter, Brand Engagement and Defining 'RTM'
Many of us are readily aware of the influence technology has on our daily lives. We carry computers in our pockets, we interact on the go via text and SMS (short messaging systems), we stream movies online and we watch television while engaging others who do the same via second screen.
That second screen is as much to blame for the evolution of this generation as any piece of tech on the shelf, and its influence in the world of marketing may be as powerful as any we've seen to date. Brand engagement has replaced brand awareness, and the 140-character portals of Twitter serve as the stage of perpetual growth.
While many are focused on the best practices of Twitter engagement, brand innovators are already established as the benchmarks of social marketing. They are working on the next phase of the game, and they are changing the definition of popular acronyms before the masses can catch up and make them... well... popular.
Joel Lunenfeld, VP of Global Brand Strategy at Twitter, recently spoke to the second screen experience during his address at the 2013 SES Conference in New York, and in doing so, shared several potent results coming from internal Twitter studies. According to Joel, the average Twitter user chooses to interact with six brands during their 140-character posts. However, in moments of second-screen engagement - utilizing a mobile device to enjoy Twitter during an event - that number jumps to 11.
This opportunity has evolved "RTM" - the common acronym for "real-time marketing" - into a new definition for RTM: "Reaction-Time Marketing". Here's how it works.
REACTION TO THE MOMENT
Second screen becomes an opportunity for brand engagement during popular events that thrive on sponsorship, mass appeal and the short windows of intense, passionate interaction. The ability to leverage the unique moments of that experience to create a connection with a loyal, engaged audience can turn RTM into the coveted viral campaign.
Oreo is responsible for the best example to date. During Super Bowl XLVII in New Orleans, a power outage halted the game and left football fans wondering and waiting for a significant portion of time. That unique moment gave the marketing team at Oreo (manned for such an occasion) the opportunity to create a simple-yet-potent connection with an expansive audience, all enjoying the Super Bowl together via Twitter.
The "You Can Still Dunk In The Dark" campaign became THE marketing headline of THE event for the marketing year. Millions upon millions of dollars were spent on television advertising during the game... and Oreo used that single, unpredictable moment to react and steal the show.
REACTION TO THE AUDIENCE
Reviewed in brilliant fashion by the iconic Jeff Bullas, full details of this Old Spice campaign featuring Isaiah Mustafa - displaying manly brilliance through a ridiculous (i.e. humorous) manly lifestyle - reveal one of the most comprehensive social marketing plans we've seen thus far. Of the various components pushing Mustafa to pop icon status, the quick-reply YouTube videos sent in response to Twitter interaction turned this into a story of triumph. Bullas reviews many of the lessons learned, but those 80,000 Twitter users who hit "follow" over 2 days and the 286 million YouTube hits were the result of reaction to the audience.
Within 24 hours of the first ad spot, Old Spice recorded 116 YouTube videos in reply to tweets, creating an illustrious collection of quick-hit, humorous interaction giving the audience a direct tie to the campaign, drawing in celebrities and major media who marveled at the innovative effort, and insuring the viral opportunity was maximized via audience participation and sharing.
By planning the reaction to the audience, Old Spice built a campaign many have tried to copy... but if you fail to recognize the gifts of the new RTM, you're coming up short. Reaction to the audience - from fans, to customers, to media, to potential customers - turned this story into legend.
REACTION TO THE COMPETITION
The third opportunity provided by RTM - no matter your definition of the "R" - has yet to plant firm roots in the typical eBook offered by those giving social advice... but if you give as much attention to the industry as you do your own efforts, you've noticed those guiding the big dogs are planting seeds.
The brave are beginning to react not only to the moment, not only to the audience, but also to the competition. A recent offering on Forbes from the CMO Network puts the spotlight on two campaigns translating "interaction" as "rebuttal", including the growing feud between two automotive powers of social. Audi and BMW are recognized as two of the most active corporations via social tech in their field, and each has developed a full-fledged social campaign built on a reaction to the other's initial efforts. The latest chapter of that feud is pictured above, bringing a local slant (those billboards take residence in California) to a global digital alley fight.
It's an exciting step forward for the social community, and soon it will be an exciting step forward for countless others seeking similar engagement on behalf of their enterprise efforts. These examples and more may provide inspiration, and we'd love to help you put that inspiration into action.
We'd like to introduce you to Wayin Hub. Contact us via web, Twitter, Facebook or email ([email protected]) to request demonstration with a member of the Wayin Sales Team today. We're looking forward to it!
If you work in social space - as a developer, as a marketer, or as a manager - you are certain to have seen the recent news announcing the release of three new Twitter Cards, designed to enhance the 140-character experience via expanded/enhanced tweet features. If not, there's a link (that bold spot above)... take 2 minutes to check it out.
These new features - the App Card, the Product Card, and the Gallery Card (joining the Summary Card, the Photo Card, and the Player Card) - bolster's Twitter's potency for those looking to advance digital cause via user-created content distributed from websites or a humble list of approved applications.
While app developers were quick to realize the power of the new Cards (driving business to their products), others capable of finding benefit from these advances may not recognize the opportunity.
We're here to shine a light and insure you aren't one of them.
Twitter notes "more than 10,000 developers, mobile apps and websites" are utilizing Cards. Putting the developer and the effort to promote an application aside... how are these users leveraging Twitter Cards, and why?
AUDIO MEDIA
The arrival of the new Twitter Music app has put the social potential of music at center stage. Artists are enjoying increased exposure, fans are enjoying increased access and sharing capabilities, and three particular sources of music - iTunes, Spotify, and Rdio - are enjoying new applications and portals provided by Twitter.
However, the Player Card - one of the original offerings - has provided unique space for music lovers for some time. Often associated with video (one of the more popular media offerings on Twitter), the Player Card has allowed users to share streaming media via expanded tweet. These displays allow users to create a visual presentation of their music linked directly to a media player, a specific URL or to the direct source of the media.
If you include audio media (or video) as part of your effort - as many brands both big and small do - the Player Card opens doors not only to share via Twitter, but also to drive traffic back to your site, the home of our music service or your artist.
PRODUCT BLOGS
It's easy to fall in love with the visual gifts of these Twitter advances, but those working in the world of content have just as much to gain via these tech opportunities.
The Product Card - one of the members of the Twitter Card new school - provides a number of automated features any market/content team can appreciate. Seemingly inspired by the RSS traditions of widgets built for website integrations, the Product Card allows the user to implement markup tags to mold the behavior of activity initialized by your existing Twitter buttons. If you offer your visitors the opportunity to create tweets from specific pages of your site, this Card enhances those tweets with imagery, product descriptions, pricing, and location... all provided without compromising the 140 characters your visitors utilize to comment.
For extra incentive, the Product Card also allows users to deep link their own mobile apps, and like all Twitter Cards, it drives those clicks back to the native app for presentation.
USER-SHARED PHOTO CAMPAIGNS
The vast majority of viral marketing campaigns earning praise from the industry of late are tied to images. Oreo's take on the Super Bowl power outage, any and everything associated with Grumpy Cat, Chevrolet's effort to provide the SXSW enthusiasts with a ride: all were laid on a foundation of images and unique platforms to present visual stimulation and drive interest.
The Gallery Card is the perfect enhancement of Twitter-driven effort for such an occasion. This application allows users to represent collections of photos presented via enhanced tweet. Users can select up to 4 images from the collection for the tweet presentation, laced with photographer credits, easy click access to the full gallery (again, driving traffic back to it's native application) and a deep link to the host website.
With the growing number of brands seeking innovative ways to associate events, crowdsourced images and audience engagement, it's easy to grasp and appreciate the growing number of tweets leveraging this application.
Innovative utilization of enriched Twitter content evolves as quickly as the technology, the platform and it's audience. Consider how you might benefit from Twitter Cards and improve your 140-character powers today.
If you and yours are active via Twitter, you will discover immediate and gratifying benefits via Wayin Hub, the ultimate self-service Twitter microsite assembly platform. To learn how the Hub can help you, contact our Sales Team to discuss a demonstration today.
Earlier in the week we came forth with recent analytical gifts of Twitter joy, grabbing three stats noted on a recent infographic suggesting the typical "best practices" may be in need of review.
Today, we return and take an immediate left, leaving practices in the rearview to switch focus towards behavior. The importance of engagement for brands, both big and small, is often understated and, at times, completely ignored.
We found three new Twitter infographics offering three new stats to suggest this may be the most damaging behavior of them all.
We begin with the recently-released visual results of a study by Brandwatch, focused on social media communities and the behavior of Twitter users in the UK (shared by MediaBistro)...
The vast majority of the people taking to the bird are looking to converse, share and interact. The numbers are rather powerful, suggesting the group produces almost as may replies to tweets as original offerings... and those tweeters aren't shy about retweets, either.
Now consider what they are talking about...
The masses taking to Twitter in the UK are looking to talk about their diversions, joys and passions. That's Brand Central Station, focused heavily on three endeavors supported, driven and associated with brand sponsorship and marketing.
It's an excited audience, it's an interactive audience, and it's an engaged audience. Combined, it's the perfect playground of opportunity for brand engagement and appreciation.
Pew Research was utilized for one of the more recent Twitter infographics posted by SocialMediadd.com, including this breakdown of typical activities for the 140-character post...
Consider the second number in... 62% of Twitter users are posting work updates. While many companies are active and functional on Twitter, very few are engaged with their staff and employees. The more informed may have someone searching keywords or tracking the activities of high-profile representatives of the logo. Progressive companies are using Twitter to track customer sentiment. The number of companies combining the two - tracking staff and employee sentiment - is minimal (at best).
Your staff is active on Twitter. Many are capable of becoming your brand's best ambassadors, and your efforts could be improved with their contribution. You can get there via engagement.
Last but certainly not least, we find a social media visual at Wired (created by WebHostingBuzz) covering a multitude of popular platforms with a few updated observations about Twitter...
The platform is up to 200 million active users (over 500 million users overall), but more importantly, 40% of users are there "primarily to consume content". This number is up significantly from those seen in 2012 studies.
That's right... 40% of the community rarely tweets. Why is that good? Consider the big picture: the overall audience on Twitter is growing in rapid fashion, the number of active users is growing, and the number of people coming Twitter specifically seeking content is growing. It's becoming a reliable search option for everyday internet users... and the rise of brand engagement available and content associated with those brands on Twitter is part of the reason for this growth.
This number proves one undeniable fact: Twitter is gaining respect and appreciation with EVERYONE. Over time, more and more of those users will find comfort in engaging, and when they find the same folks giving them content are there to discuss it... they will love it even more.
Wayin Hub - our latest and greatest, a self-service Twitter microsite platform - can help your team with all of the applications and many more. Visit Wayin for details, contact information and a few more offerings of visual stimulation today.
We'd like to introduce you to Wayin Hub. Contact us via web, Twitter, Facebook or email ([email protected]) to get in contact with our Sales Team to learn more. We look forward to it!
With our own version of Twitter taking unique forms across the internet (you can find an example here... or here... or here... or here), we spend a ton of time tracking analytics, not only from our own endeavors but from those across the blogosphere. With 500 million users and growing, it's not a difficult to task to find a variety of sources pitching a variety of advice, and as more brands and organizations jump in and put their own spin on the platform with their own definitions of value, we'll see more.
The early submissions from April - in particular, this post from Expanded Ramblings - contains some numbers you may recognize... but we found three metric interpretations of particular intrigue, all capable of changing the way you go about your 140-character business.
(Click the link just before the turn - or if you prefer, just after the bird - to enjoy the full infograph.)
The vast majority of us would assume the rules of common sense should apply in finding your audience and their peak hours of engagement on Twitter. However, more than a few of the prominent sources of advice may be getting a bit too comfortable with traditional analysis.
As noted in the same infographic that brings this note above, the bulk of the community is up and active from 8am to 7pm, Monday thru Friday... like punching a clock, we come and go throughout the day and return to regular life to close it out. However, with more focus on engagement (replies, retweets, link clicks) rather than simple activity and log ins, we find the Twitter audience tends to surge during so-called "off" hours in ways brands would appreciate more.
Thus far, the correlation of brand activity doesn't match the opportunity. We anticipate that will change.
When most brands focus on the creation of tweets, they focus on two of the most prominent and easily-understood features: the hashtag and the character count. Leaving room for comment via retweet has become a regular practice for many who have used Twitter for any length of time, and the search to incorporate proper hashtags and leverage that connection to an identified audience is daily routine for most digital leaders.
The number in the middle catches our eye. We often consider the ability to humor, to inform and to reflect as the most powerful skills utilized by the top personalities on Twitter. While this is true, you might consider the vast majority of account holders rarely (if ever) tweet. Studies show those users prefer to track family and friend, to search for information, to make a direct connection to sources of information. They enjoy visual stimulation, exclusive deals and rewards. Those are tweets offering links, and those are links most users enjoy sharing.
Most folks assume you are on Twitter to follow people/groups and what they do on Twitter... in truth, we are on Twitter to follow no matter where it's taking place. Twitter is a convenient (and often entertaining) portal to share it all.
This particular note was - without question - mind blowing.
It may be the uninitiated will recognize the fully-spelled version and thus be easily led to click "Retweet" just below it. It may be the Twitter community values the ability to use the limited space of 140 characters while still wasting several of them to spell "Retweet". Almost every stat we've seen from the analytics-sphere orbiting Twitter can be explained, either with practical view of the scenario or in tandem with other statistics.
For this one... we are without comment of insight or explanation of value. If you have space, don't be shy in asking your followers to share, ESPECIALLY if you have to spell it out.
Happy tweeting... we'll see you there!
If you and yours are active via Twitter, you will discover immediate and gratifying benefits via Wayin Hub, the ultimate self-service Twitter microsite assembly platform. To learn how the Hub can help you, contact our Sales Team to discuss a demonstration today.
As we put another bow on another productive week, we find a few videos worth sharing on our desk... and with the weekend coming, it seems like a perfect opportunity to kick back and enjoy the show.
First and foremost, we offer our latest enticement for Wayin Hub, our unique Twitter microsite engagement platform powered by one of the most powerful self-service construction systems available today.
If we've wet your appetite through information we've offered here, via Twitter or other social media channels, or on the site... this may give you hunger pains! Take a look...
Wayin Hub from Wayin on Vimeo.
Earlier in the week you may have received (if you are wise enough to follow) the "inside" Vine from the Wayin office posted by Kelsey Cullen... we work hard, but we know how to celebrate and honor the effort!
Last but certainly not least, we were all a bit surprised to find The Chairman, our own Scott McNealy, paying homage to The Masters via a discussion with Bloomberg... focusing on his intriguing views that could improve the game of golf for a new generation.
Thanks so much for joining us this week. As always, we invite all of your comments, requests, complaints, suggestions and praise for the blog (you can contact the fingers on the keyboard via Twitter or email - [email protected]) and we certainly encourage interaction, inquiry and interest in all Wayin services (again, via Twitter or via the "Contact Us" available via click at the top right of every page on our ave a wonderful weekend!
If your team is seeking an opportunity to leverage the power of social engagement via Twitter, our team can help. Wayin Hub provides the power you desire in molding, hosting and distributing your social efforts. To learn more, contact the Wayin Sales Team and schedule a demonstration today.
The Value of Evolution ~ 4 Blossoming Areas of ROI for Enterprise Social Networks
The evolution of technology often earns blame as the catalyst for the evolution of society. New tools are birthed from new ideas, those new tools are integrated via experimentation, leading to an entirely different set of new ideas, leading to the evolution of those tools… it’s a process that unfolds time and again, and many are correct in noting the that process begins with the introduction of the technology.
However, it would be fair to note the technology is, much more often than not, the foot that allows that journey to begin. The advance of that technology represents another step in that journey. Put your best foot forward, examine the value of that step, improve and then put your new best foot forward.
Without value, the next step may never come. The technology may be the catalyst for the journey…
… but it is the value that carries the journey forward.
In the world of enterprise social networks (or ESNs), the journey has just begun. We’ve seen the early steps of that journey take form via the rise of social media, the transformation from public to private platforms, and the evolution of tools integrated into those services. Still, the journey has yet to take flight as we continue to assess the value, and that value is often expressed in return on investment (commonly known as ROI).
Establishing potential ROI creates value. Establishing value creates support. Establishing support creates evolution.
For ESNs, we believe potential ROI, value and evolution will be advanced in four areas of your business, as recently reviewed by Dion Hinchcliffe of the Dachis Group via Computerworld.
ENTERPRISE RESOURCE PLANNING (ERP)
In leveraging ESN technologies, companies are capable of facilitating a variety of process with simple integration and transaction events that have proven much more taxing (and costly) via traditional methods. An organization with an established process can build unique systems to not only improve the management of that process, but also to automate various events of that process via data filters and response mechanisms. Also, ESN technologies can assist an organization in the effort to identify potential waste in the process while providing easy solutions to those issues, streamlining and reducing the effort, conflict and cost of transaction processes while improving response times, enriching information resources and limiting the opportunity for miscommunication or error.
BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE (BI)
Utilizing social technologies - designed not only to enhance and encourage interaction, but also to distribute that interaction through a variety of channels - companies are learning to share the information gathered across the board, providing new insights and benefits to members of the team who have struggled to identify communication flow in the past. Companies are not only capable of identifying sources of information and gathering that information, they are now (via ESN technologies) capable of insuring that information is available to each and every member of the effort who can put it to use.
SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT (SCM)
With improved communication, improved recognition of demand/need, and improved flow of process comes the ability to identify new opportunities in addressing each. Companies are turning their ESN efforts not only towards their team (see above) and their customers (see below), but they are also putting them towards vendors, suppliers and contractors tasked in providing the goods and services needed to achieve the goals you’ve identified analyzing the rest. Improving schedules, quantity expectations, distribution routes, emergency response and plans for all of the above and more are all becoming viable goals added to the list of other improvements we’re discussing here.
CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT
The effort to identify your customer base, engage them to communication needs and desires, and to carry the conversation forward to analyze the success of your efforts is a clear and established benefit of social networking. Enterprise technologies can allow an organization to reach directly into free-flowing forums of public interaction to start, engage and document that interaction while providing easy integration back to the business process. In other words, it’s allowing a business to come to the customer with ease, allowing that customer to interact with comfort, and allowing the business to put that interaction into action.
(And the same can be done with a variety of group resources, including employees, vendors, partners, potential customers and more.)
At Wayin Enterprise, we’re developing social enterprise technologies to enable the pursuit of excellence in each of these endeavors with ideas and aspirations to discover more. We’d like to help you begin the journey, and more importantly, we aim to help you realize the ROI, value and new ideas to create evolution.
Whether you seek connection with your loyal customers, your potential customers, your team or anyone in between, Wayin provides unique solutions to achieve your goals. Contact our Sales Team today to discuss your hopes and aspirations, and to learn how Wayin can make them reality.
Redefining ROI ~ Small Business, Information Asymmetry and Twitter
Much of our time at Wayin headquarters in Denver is dedicated to efforts supporting corporate goals, formulating a variety of social solutions for both public engagement and enterprise goals. As such, we understand the importance of predicting, evaluating and pursuing metric analysis of return on investment (commonly known as "ROI").
While there are growing numbers of case studies reporting the ROI typically associated with brand engagement via social media, it's often the small business owner who struggles to find support. The prominent reports are often produced by those with the financial freedom not only to gamble, but also to invest in ways that improve the odds of success.
As such, you can understand our excitement when Tom Spano, Events Manager at Twitter, shared this...
Corporate tweeting benefits little-known companies, study says zdnet.com/corporate-twee…
April 1, 2013
The link leads to a fantastic report filed by Andrew Nusca at ZDNet, and with the release of Wayin Hub and our goals of changing the Twitter game for any and all who appreciate those opportunities, we wanted to share.
On April 1st the Stanford Graduate School of Business released the results of a study started measuring Twitter data over a two-year span from 102 different information technology companies, tying that information over that span to the company's performance in the stock market, uniquely focused on what is known as big/ask price.
The "bid" price represents the highest price a buyer will pay for a service/good. The "ask" price represents the number a vendor states they will accept. For market evaluation, the goal is to get those two numbers in close proximity. The narrower the difference, the more liquid (i.e. financially stable) the company.
The results of the study showed smaller companies choosing to tweet news, information and activity were able to narrow that margin much more rapidly than those that did not. The study also indicated the evolution of narrowing that margin moved much more quickly for the smaller companies than those with known, established reputations.
Smaller businesses were not only advancing their growth... they were quick to compete with the big dogs.
To explain, the group from Stanford submits:
If a company announces its latest earnings over the PR Newswire, for example, the traditional view is that the information reaches everybody in the market immediately. Many analysts had already found that the real world was messier than that. In the real world, investors get much of their information from the news media - the Wall Street Journal, news services such as Bloomberg, and television networks such as CNBC. And new organizations pay much more attention to high-visibility companies because those are the ones that attract bigger audiences.
Researchers at Stanford term this trend as "information asymmetry", a phenomena in which new sources of information - like Twitter - are giving small biz efforts the opportunity to match large-scale marketing practices.
They may not get the immediate boost via wide-distrubtion press release, but those small businesses are capable of reaching those same media members, investors and market players directly via Twitter... and when they are dedicated to that effort, they make up ground quickly and compete on the corporate stage.
That opportunity alone should represent the kind of ROI a small biz owner needs to get in the game.
We'd love to help.
If you and yours are active via Twitter, you will discover immediate and gratifying benefits via Wayin Hub, the ultimate self-service Twitter microsite assembly platform. To learn how the Hub can help you, contact our Sales Team to discuss a demonstration today.
