Forget the Facebook IPO and the billion-dollar buyout of Instagram, because there’s a new high-value commodity in the social media world. Pinterest, the latest darling of Silicon Valley and much-praised new social networking site, has recently been valued at a whopping US$1.5 billion. While earlier valuations had it pinned (boom-tish!) at about $200 million, an injection of funds to the tune of $100 million has sent the price soaring.

If, like many people, you’re wondering how a self-proclaimed ‘virtual pinboard’ could be worth so much money, here are a few stats for you, presented in an analysis by RJMetrics back in February:

• Pinterest is retaining and engaging users as much as 2-3 times as efficiently as Twitter was at a similar time in its history.
• Pins link to a tremendously large universe of sites. Etsy is the most popular source of pin content, but it only represents about 3% of pins.
• Over 80% of pins are re-pins, demonstrating the tremendous virility at work in the Pinterest community. To contrast, a study done at a similar time in Twitter’s history showed that only about 1.4% of tweets were retweets.
• The quality of the average new user (as defined by their level of engagement and likelihood to remain active) is high but declining.  Users who have joined in recent months are 2-3 times less active during their first month than the users that came before them.

According to The Wall Street Journal, it was the injection of funds from Rakuten Inc, a Japanese commerce company, that sent the valuation soaring. But the $1.5 billion price tag means an outright acquisition (a la Instagram) is less likely than a Facebook-style IPO. Whatever the outcome, though, Pinterest has more than proven our earlier predictions about its success, and is showing no signs of slowing down.

The moral of the story? Anything that appeals to young women planning a wedding is a goldmine.

A Tick Yes digital and social media blog

For some time now, TV has known that the fight against social media is pointless. Why? Because in every clash that traditional media has had with new media, the former has invariably come away bruised, battered and embarrassed to the point of pretty much admitting defeat.

But if the writing is on the wall for the likes of newspapers and magazines, television seems determined not to go down without a fight. In a classic example of sleeping with the enemy, television has joined forces with its erstwhile enemy – in a move that is proving to be incredibly fruitful.

A few months ago, we blogged about the need for television to become more social if it was ever to hold its own in the attention economy. It seems that in the past year or so, the idiot box has become surprisingly less idiotic, and has come up with a model that not only allows social media into the picture, but also relies on it for success.

Take Channel Nine’s recent ratings sensation The Voice, for instance. After years and years of the public being inundated with TV talent (sic) show after TV talent show, you’d be forgiven for thinking it was destined to fail. After all, that same old formula had been dragged across the rocks so many times that what was once a profitable enterprise had become an industry embarrassment that would make Simon Cowell even grumpier than usual.

Imagine everyone’s surprise, then, when the ratings were revealed and The Voice turned out to be an astronomical success. So (surprisingly) successful was it, in fact, that it was the main news story the day after its premiere.

Social media buzz drives the ratings

More importantly, its ratings have since stayed strong – again driven by a strong social media buzz. Popular blogs such as Mamamia have been quick to capitalise on the action, realising the popularity of the show and quickly providing faithful readers with their very own platform to talk about what happened during – and after – the show.

John Steedman, CEO of Group M, had this to say about the recent marriage between social media and television in an article for The Australian:

‘By some estimates, 30 per cent of web browsing is done while watching TV. According to Nielsen, 60 per cent of online Australians have used the internet while watching TV, with multi-screen behaviour becoming a daily habit for many: 75 per cent of online Australians consume more than one medium at a time, with 36 per cent of internet and TV multi-taskers doing so daily. In the US, an estimated 84 per cent of Americans watch TV with a second screen in their hands.
‘The trend has led to the rise of social TV companion apps such as GetGlue, IntoNow, Previiw and Zeebox, and in Australia, Fango. While their features vary, what these apps have in common is the ability to engage in social TV viewing. Through the Seven Media Group’s Fango app, viewers can “check in” to a TV show and let their friends know what they are watching. They can chat about programs, participate in TV trivia and polls, and win badges and points.
‘Seven used Fango to great effect with My Kitchen Rules.
‘Fears that viewers are distracted by their second screens are unfounded. They’re merely enhancing their experience and becoming more engaged with the content. Just take a look at the current TV sensation, the Nine Network’s The Voice, which uses social media to drive its record-breaking ratings. Blind singer Rachael Leahcar’s Twitter followers jumped from 162 to 2400 in a matter of hours, and her rendition of La Vie en Rose went to No 4 on the iTunes charts, just behind [‘The Voice’ judge] Delta Goodrem at third spot.
I’ll even hazard a guess that viewers are taking fewer bathroom breaks and giving their remote a rest during the ads. This is fantastic news for advertisers. The strongest currency in today’s fragmented media world is engagement and social TV delivers this in spades.’
Shows like The Voice have rammed it home to TV execs that the most important voice of all in the equation is OURS. As long as television continues to embrace social media and the opportunities it gives viewers to make their voices heard, it will continue to have a place in our homes.

A Tick Yes digital and social media blog

If you haven’t heard of Social Media Week, it’s time you did. This bi-annual worldwide event explores ‘the social, cultural and economic impact of social media’.

Which perhaps sounds like yet another talkfest (yawn), but when you consider that within the next 10 years some three billion people are expected to be connecting with each other through social media, it’s a talkfest content marketers and creators need to be part of.

Social Media Week aims to capture the conversation brands need to be having and sharing them with the community. And it all looks something like this…

This blog post originates from the Tick Content blog

There’s no denying that vanity plays a huge role in the success of social media. The entire concept of sharing, connecting and engaging is largely based on the desire to present a certain image of oneself to the world – or at the very least, see a reflection of yourself in others.

Marty Weintraub, author of Killer Facebook Ads and CEO of AimClear, well understands the role vanity plays, and reflected recently on the fact that using social media to sell or promote something is in fact the latest manifestation of a tried and tested marketing approach. He writes:

‘Imagine my surprise to see my daughter on television this morning! Her school’s choir was singing on the local CBS affiliate’s Sunday morning news show. There she was! The show featured choirs from a number regional school systems. Awesome! My kid was on TV. I reached for my cell phone and started calling local family and friends.

‘“Tune in now,” I encouraged! “She’s on TV!” My fatherly buttons were bursting as I called, tweeted, DM’d and otherwise recruited viewers for the local weekend morning news show, realtime. Then it hit me:

‘In 1995, in my job as Creative Director of the very same CBS affiliate, KDLH, I conceived and produced the first show in years that assembled local choirs to sing at holiday time.  The memory is vivid, of the 1995 conference room crew as I pitched the show to the station’s General Manager.  My thinking was that, if we invited a half a dozen choirs from around the DMA, each singing group would have at least 10 kids in it.

For each kid, there would be parents, grandparents, sisters, brothers and friends who would tune in. The schools would take pride also. Teachers, fellow students and the entire school system would likely take note. Videos would get recorded on VHS and Betamax, Christmas and Hanukkah video gifts would get shipped to interested friends and family and the entire event would generate buzz that helped promote and brand our station. I called it “Vanity Bait.” Little did I know that more than 15 years later, long after I worked in television, that I would get hooked by my own vanity bait.’

Leaving a social media mark

In the age of social media, we are even less immune to ‘vanity bait’ than we were 15 years ago. The potential for instant fame, coupled with the accessibility of huge databases of our friends and colleagues mean that the effort required to generate buzz about our favourite subjects – ourselves – has never been easier.

And while you might think that girls with pouty, bikini-clad profile pictures (or, worse, compliment-fishers) are the main offenders when it comes to the sin of vanity, it is in fact much more commonplace than many people would like to admit.

The recent Tick Yes/Nine Rewards Social Media Brand Interaction Survey found that over 68% of people have Googled themselves. But before the chorus of ‘damage control for my career’ and ‘wanting to assess my public image’ starts up, let’s cut the crap – we all secretly hope that something we’ve done, at some point in our lives (other than set up a Facebook profile) will be Google-worthy. It’s the same fizzy, childlike pride that we got when the school newsletter printed our name for coming first in the athletics carnival, only on a much, much bigger scale.

It’s not that people are vain per se, it’s just that we like to know we have made a mark on the world – even if it’s just a virtual one – and social media thrives on this desire. The only issue arises when we forget that our ‘vanity’ is being baited, and that we ourselves are the product.

A Tick Yes digital and social media blog

The over-55’s set is the fastest-growing Facebook demographic, and with Mother’s Day fast approaching, many of you are probably thinking of sending your mum a quick tweet, post or pic to tell her just how special she is.
In honour of those beautiful creatures we call mothers, we thought we’d create a brief guide for maternal etiquette while using social media. In truth, it’s more of a cautionary tale for anyone out there with a mother prone to the odd embarrassing comment – which is pretty much everyone…

Just like the first time you had to iron a shirt, bake a cake, tend to a sick child or do any of those other things mothers just seem to be born knowing how to do that leave you feeling all at sea, poor old mum is probably still trying to navigate the intricate twists and turns of how to act while connecting online.

Feel free to print out this guide, decorate it with love hearts and slip it inside her card this year. You won’t regret it.

4. Your mum should never friend you until she knows it’s actually you and not someone with the same name as you.

As you can see, things can get awkward pretty quickly…

3. Your mum should always make sure she’s writing on YOUR wall, and not her own…

2. Your mum should never air your dirty laundry in public.

Comments like ‘How is the gastro darling?’ or ‘Your sister tells me you have a big crush on your new housemate’ or even ‘You left your n’sync tee-shirt at our place so I washed it for you’ should be kept solely within the confines of a text message or phone call.

(Alas, all three are genuine comments that have been aired by well-meaning mothers in very public social media forums.)

1. Your mum should never start a smear campaign against you on Facebook.

Sure, 13-year-olds can be tough, but we’re betting that teenager Ava Abbott, whose mother took to Facebook to punish her for being disrespectful, will need a fair bit of therapy in the coming years!

Happy Mother’s Day from everyone at Tick Yes! May your mum have a wonderful day free of embarrassing social media gaffes.

A Tick Yes digital and social media blog

Edgar Wright is responsible for some of the funniest, best British movies in recent films – notably Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz. Bill Gates is responsible for a little company called Microsoft, which is in turn responsible for a Web browser called Internet Explorer.
Now, in the best ever example of how great content IS content marketing, Wright (along with renowned comic book artist Tommy Lee Edwards) and Internet Explorer have joined forces to create a new entertainment experience – one that we’re likely to be seeing far more of in the future. Particularly as they want YOU to help them tell the story.

The Random Adventures of Brandon Generator has been called ‘part interactive movie, part comic book, part game’, with the audience influencing the outcome of the story. ‘Interactive’ content is nothing new, of course. Films and even books have tried it – more as a gimmick than anything else – and computer/video games have more or less nailed it.

But until now, the technology hasn’t really existed to enable the three mediums to combine in a fresh, new and possible groundbreaking way.

Here’s the teaser trailer for the project, or you can watch an interview with Edgar Wright about all things Random and Brandon here.

How it works

The pitch to wannabe collaborators is simple: ‘Brandon is a would-be writer whose world unravels as he seeks to break the dam in his head and let ideas flood out. He needs inspiration. He needs an intervention. He needs your help.’

His first random adventure is already available on the website, with episodes two and three set to follow this month. You can go there just to watch, like in the movies. Or you could write a story for future use, draw a creature, listen to ideas and more.

It’s cool, it’s clever, it’s inventive, it’s enticing and it will got a lot of people (from geeks to budding writers to general creative types) interested. And above all, it is fantastic content marketing.

The Random Adventures of Brandon Generator uses content – much of it user-generated, which is the Holy Grail of social media and content marketing – to keep people coming back to a site that is produced in partnership with Internet Explorer and that politely but constantly suggests site visitors ‘consider switching to Windows 7’ in order to ‘access exclusive content and have Brandon’s story within easy reach’.

Clever, Microsoft. Very clever.

This blog post originates from the Tick Content blog

Like the crazy but beautiful woman that keeps men guessing by refusing to let them get too comfortable in a relationship, Google has changed things once more, this time by releasing an algorithmic change – yep, another one – to their search product.

While some companies are still reeling from the changes brought in last year with ‘Panda’, it appears that the new version, known as ‘Penguin’, is just as ruthless in terms of penalising websites that don’t cut the search mustard. (It also seems that in the fight between what it has called ‘black hat and white hat SEO’, Google has decided that black-and-white animals are best suited to represent its battle.)

While Panda focused on the quality of written content and aimed to increase the overall relevance and user experience of websites, Penguin focuses on reducing link stuffing and keyword-heavy anchor text.

Here’s an excerpt from Google’s blog post on the changes:

‘The opposite of “white hat” SEO is something called “black hat webspam” (we say “webspam” to distinguish it from email spam). In the pursuit of higher rankings or traffic, a few sites use techniques that don’t benefit users, where the intent is to look for shortcuts or loopholes that would rank pages higher than they deserve to be ranked. We see all sorts of webspam techniques every day, from keyword stuffing to link schemes that attempt to propel sites higher in rankings.

‘The goal of many of our ranking changes is to help searchers find sites that provide a great user experience and fulfill their information needs. We also want the “good guys” making great sites for users, not just algorithms, to see their effort rewarded. To that end we’ve launched Panda changes that successfully returned higher-quality sites in search results. And earlier this year we launched a page layout algorithm that reduces rankings for sites that don’t make much content available “above the fold.”

In the next few days, we’re launching an important algorithm change targeted at webspam. The change will decrease rankings for sites that we believe are violating Google’s existing quality guidelines. We’ve always targeted webspam in our rankings, and this algorithm represents another improvement in our efforts to reduce webspam and promote high-quality content. While we can’t divulge specific signals because we don’t want to give people a way to game our search results and worsen the experience for users, our advice for webmasters is to focus on creating high quality sites that create a good user experience and employ white hat SEO methods instead of engaging in aggressive webspam tactics.’

Ironically, with every algorithmic change comes an onslaught of fluffy online articles trading in panic that offer advice on ‘The Ten Things You Can Do To Survive Google’s Algorithm Changes’.

But instead of offering bland, predictable advice on how your company can avoid getting penalised, we will simply reiterate what we have been saying for years: Focus on the user experience. Focus on the content, making it engaging, enriching and worth reading rather than being inane nonsense stuffed with keywords. That way, the end result will take care of itself.

Treat informing, entertaining and enlightening your consumers with the same importance as getting their money, and Google’s changes won’t impact negatively on your campaign at all. In fact, they’ll probably help your cause.

A Tick Yes digital and social media blog

 
Marketing research firm AC Nielsen has recently released its Australian Online Landscape Review for March. It makes interesting reading for content creators and content marketers alike.
Some of the Nielson findings support those of the recent Tick Yes/Nine Rewards Social Media Brand Interaction Survey, particularly the conclusion that an overwhelming number of Australian online consumers ‘trust earned media, such as word of mouth and recommendations from friends and family, above all other forms of media and advertising.’

So to the Review findings…

In March 2012, there were 16.1 million Australians online for 27 billion minutes in which they viewed 42 billion pages. Staggering numbers – albeit largely consistent with the previous month’s figures.

Interestingly, the 50+ demographic represents the biggest chunk of online Australians (30.5 per cent), followed by the 35-49 age group (28.4 per cent) and 25-34 year olds (17.6 per cent). Perhaps surprisingly, 18-24 year olds only make up 8.4 per cent of online Australians.

The most popular brands come as no surprise, with Google and Facebook leading the charge. As a result, ‘Search Engines/Portals and Communities’ is the most popular category in the section of most interest to content marketers. Rounding out the top 10 are:

♦ Entertainment
♦ Telecom/Internet Services
♦ Computers and Consumer Electronics
♦ News and Information
♦ Multi-category Commerce
♦ Finance/Insurance/Investment
♦ Travel
♦ Government and Non-profit
♦ Family and Lifestyles

In terms of social media, it was boy band One Direction’s appearance at the Logies that, predictably, generate the biggest buzz, although an honourable mention also goes to the Queensland Election.

And notably, there was a 19 per cent growth in mobile page views from February to March 2012, showing the impact Smartphones (and, to a lesser extent, tablets) have had on Australians’ Internet-access habits.

For online and social media content creators and marketers, offer yet more proof of the potential of the medium.

This blog post originates from the Tick Content blog

If it feels a little like the buzz has been all about Skype in recent weeks, that’s because it has. The company’s recent marketing blitz in which it declared war on the likes of Twitter and Facebook by urging the people of the Internet to ‘come back to humanity’ and replace their social media interactions with face-to-face (through a screen) meetings.

Skype’s campaign just got a little cleverer (and a whole lot more ironic), as it has used a Facebook app – yep, you read it right – to create a series of ‘humoticons’ to replace the humble emoticons.

And what is a humoticon, you might ask? Here’s what Skype blogged last week…

‘The Skype Humoticons app allows you to mimic classic emoticons by capturing images of your own facial expressions (from an existing photo or by snapping a picture with your webcam), which you can then post in our Humoticon gallery or share on your Facebook wall. And if you really want to fully express yourself, make an animated Humoticon by taking up to five pictures to show others how you really feel. Once you’re done, you can also download your Humoticon, or copy its URL, to share it in an instant message.
Most importantly, Humoticons are meant to be fun. Try creating classic faces such as wink  , big smile  , sad face  , tongue out  , or thumbs up  , as well as some more unusual options. Or just freestyle it and do whatever you want to express the way you’re feeling. Because nothing can replace the look on your face.’
We have a feeling that the resounding ‘humoticon’ face from the masses will be a confused one, but nonetheless it’s a clever merging of gimmick and message that’s likely to catch on – at least in the short term.

A Tick Yes digital and social media blog

The Sydney Morning Herald’s MySmallBusiness section recently ran an insightful article by Nabi Saleh, the founder and executive chairman of Gloria Jean’s Coffee. In it, he talks about how having ‘a strong vision and valuing the input of those who serve and buy your product is vital to success’.

It’s a message that all small businesses – in fact, businesses of any size – would do well to keep in mind, but Mr Saleh’s points also have specific relevance and resonance for content marketers.

On success

‘The question that we get asked the most is “How did you create your success and what did it take to get there?” Our response is always the same – we set a clear vision, agreed on the values that would underpin the vision and stuck to it.’

On forming partnerships

‘Establishing [the vision] before the business started also helped us be very clear on the kind of people we wanted to form partnerships with.

‘When we refer to partners we mean our employees and our franchisees – they are the business and they are also responsible for its success. So we actively looked for partners who were aligned to our values – people with passion, commitment, ownership and purpose.’

On learning from mistakes

‘We opened our first two stores two weeks apart based on the American model, which was take-away style with no food or seating and a gift shop selling coffee merchandise. We quickly realised that this was not working.

‘Our guests told us they wanted tables and chairs and snacks to go with hot drinks. So we revisited the whole model, removed the gift shop and made coffee our hero.

‘The result is the style of coffee house you see today. The shocking reality is that we could have been out of business if we didn’t listen to our guests.’

On striving for improvement

Nabi Saleh (Image from smh.com.au)

‘As a company we make a conscious effort to regularly connect our vision and values. At business planning time our leadership team are challenged to review how aligned their part of the business is to our vision and values. This process always uncovers areas for improvement plus reconnects everyone with our purpose.

‘It also results in our leadership team working on the business to ensure that all those employed in our teams are enjoying themselves. We encourage the leadership team to always look for the best in people – focus on their strengths, recognise them for the good that they do and never belittle them for their mistakes. This has been a key factor in our success, as it brings out the best in people and also creates an enjoyable workplace.

On having a focus

‘As a business owner and a leader you must stand for something, otherwise it is very easy to fall for any new idea – and a lack of focus creates confusion within a team.

‘Our values have shaped our focus on the community and our belief in people, building and changing lives. To be respected and loved you need to have an impact that is more than just yourself – what you do must have a greater impact.’

On laying solid foundations

‘Starting and running any business has an element of risk, so it’s important to lay a good foundation. A clear vision, mission and values along with an understanding of the culture you intend to create supported by a business plan, budget and cash flow will help set you on a path to success.’

So let’s see how those points apply to content marketers…

Success in content marketing

Having a clear vision is crucial. You need to know what you want to achieve and how you’re going to use your content to do it. If it’s increasing traffic to your website or social media sites, create engaging content that your audience will want to read or see and, better yet, interact with.

Fun, interesting articles, polls, questions, seeking feedback, competitions, requests for user-generated content and the like show your consumers that you not only work on their level, but you’re genuinely interested in their thoughts, opinions and suggestions.

As a result, you’re engaging them – and people want to do business with people they like.

Forming partnerships through content marketing

Content marketers need to form partnerships – with clients, with company employees who can help get the message across and, most importantly, with the consumers who will be receiving that message. Engage with them all and find out what they want to be in the best position of ensuring you – and your product – is able to give it to them.

Learning from mistakes in content marketing

Everyone makes mistakes; the trick is to learn from them. Look at the way Qantas mishandled last year’s plane-grounding debacle through its online and social media content. It seems the airline is yet to learn from its mistake, but others certainly can.

Not that mistakes have to be as large – and as public – as Qantas’. If you’ve posted content that doesn’t attract many reads or comments, consider why it hasn’t hit the mark with your audience and adjust accordingly. Similarly, learn from the content that has worked. And, when necessary, a genuine mea culpa can ensure lasting damage is not done.

Striving for improvement in content marketing

Laurel-resting may have worked for Roman emperors (although history would suggest otherwise), but it has no place in content marketing. A successful strategy has to keep evolving and simply repeating what was done before isn’t going to cut it in the ever-changing online and social media worlds.

The goal should be to attract new customers, not simply retaining existing ones, and that demands constant evaluation and not being afraid to try something new.

Having a focus in content marketing

Nebulous content serves no purpose. It has to be relevant to your audience, creating the engagement that will translate into sales or increased traffic or a larger market share. In other words, all content must be created with a clear goal in mind.

Solid foundations in content marketing

You must know your audience and you must be able to engage with them on their level. This is what the best writers, musicians, filmmakers, advertisers and marketers have always done. Your personal tastes are irrelevant – it’s the tastes of your audience that counts.

Hit the sweet spot that tantalises their metaphorical tastebuds and makes them wanting more and you’ve got a recipe for content marketing success.

This blog post originates from the Tick Content blog