Feb 11 2010
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What are the most efficient ways of improving the impact of your SmartSymbols? Here are 5 fundamental ways of SmartSymbols work for you more efficiently and give you the information about what people are really interested in, directly from their behavior while they look at your product. |
Feb 11 2010
1. Put SmartSymbols into all your online properties
It’s very easy to do (click “Share”, select the format you want, then copy & paste the snippet on the right) and there are two reasons for that: buzz and analytics.
Buzz: every time a symbol set is added to a web property (a web page or a blog) it generates more buzz: people will explore the symbol set and will share it with others.
Analytics: every instance of SmartSymbols will produce a set of analytics (see more here). By comparing traffic from different installations of SmartSymbols sets you will be able to create your next step in the marketing campaign.
Aggregate and Distribute - Click to Enlarge
Feb 11 2010
3. Use SmartSymbols Analytics
Analytics will tell you (more here) what people are actually interested in a straight-forward and blunt way : what readers actually spend time on - what they read, which video clips they watch (you have video clips, right?) and so on. This is more than just analytics - this is marketing data that can be used in many ways, such as creating campaigns.
Icon Usage Chart - Click to Enlarge
Feb 11 2010
2. Share symbol sets consistently with others
Let people - blogger, journalists, your fans and followers - embed your SmartSymbols into their web pages and blog entries. This will benefit them as well - readers and visitors are more likely to explore something interactive and visual, which is a clear advantage of plain text. Every time you talk to a blogger or a reporter - offer your symbol set. It’s very easy to do - just copy & paste a code snippet under the “Share” button.
Click on the diagram below to see code snippet locations.
Sharing SmartSymbols - Click to Enlarge
Feb 11 2010
5. Use icons creatively
Sky is the limit here - you will run out of content before SmartSymbols runs out of space. Things you did not have space to tell before - you can now. And it will not take much space! For example - show pictures of places where your book is taking place, show some illustrations that a book has, or show a map of where your product is being used. (See more here: Secret of the Compass Icon)
Show Where Product is Used - Click to Enlarge
Feb 11 2010
4. Try different campaigns
For example - put “Social Networking” icon in the first place, then a week later swap places with “Reviews” icon, or try different content within the icons. Also, consider what other icons you would like to try - maybe different aspects of the product connect with your customers better than others. All these combinations will help you figure what works best.
Different Icon Combinations - Click to Enlarge
Feb 09 2010
“If you can’t beat them - join them”
- Author Unknown
There seem to be no shortage of bad news and challenges that book publishing industry is facing now. The challenges revolve around the apparent conflict between the traditional print format and the new, electronic media. But if publishing industry embraces the quote at the beginning of this article, it might find itself in a much better position, even better than it was before the conflict has started.
But what are the strategic steps the industry should take in order to become a winner in the new market and technological conditions? Here are some specifics.
Step 1: Lead the Electronic Format
True, some companies have already made an alliance with Apple for the iBook and iPad deals. But what is really needed is for them to embrace the electronic format fully and lead the way. Leading the way is different from the reactive response to new technologies we have seen so far. In Step 1 publishers have a huge advantage over others businesses:
a) they have vast experience in book publishing
b) they have direct connection with authors
c) publishers and authors have an ability to connect directly with their readers
Using these advantages publishers can re-position themselves to become de-facto leaders in any the new format.
Step 2: Add Rich, Multi-dimensional Content
We have written a number of articles on this could be done with SmartSymbols (”Who is the Author“, “Secret of the Compass Icon“, and more), but fundamentally (SmartSymbols or not), new technology allows publishers to aggregate all the marketing and promotional materials and attach it to any book in any format: book trailers and movies based on the book, interviews with authors and book illustration; the list is endless. The key is to figure out what readers really want (here is my tip on that) and make it easy for the readers to access the information.
Step 3: Create Book Eco-sphere
This one is really easy: book fans and book clubs have been around for ages. New technologies, such as SwapTree and GoodReads, makes it even easier for publishers to create very rich book eco-sphere. All publishers really need to do is package Step 1 and Step 2, so we, the readers, can easily access information we are looking for, which is the very foundation of Permission Marketing (probably the most cost-effective marketing approach today).
One Last Point.
Investment in this strategy, or its specific steps, not only addresses immediate survival needs of the publishing industry, but also opens doors to new developments and innovation that will propel books and publishers back to their rightful place as the leaders of one of the most needed and valuable industry in history.
Oct 29 2009
“Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower.”
-Steve Jobs
In the past product makers and marketers could selectively show product information of their choosing. It took an effort for potential customers to find more information - reviews, tests, and other relevant info. Now, all information is available instantly through hyper-accessible channels; consequently there is very little effort needed on the customer’s behalf to find out all there is to know about the product, whether they are shopping online or at the actual store.
(NOTE: Illustrations below have been adapted from the “Secret of the Conversion Funnel“.)
What Does this Mean?
New type of advertising is here, it’s called research and transparency. You have to present all information about your products that you know of, show what social networking buzz our products generate, provide 3rd-party reviews and “how-to” visual guides on product usage and, very important!, keep this information up-to-date.
Is This a Must or a Nice-to-have?
I think it is a must, and here is why: if we don’t provide all the research and transparency information right there, on our site, then others will. That presents one big problem - if there is some OTHER place where our customers need to check or get a second opinion, they will leave OUR site. In other words, we will have the mother of all e-commerce problems: b-a-a-a-d conversion funnel (more on that here: http://bit.ly/6pNos).
What’s more, in the world where thousands of content creators (bloggers, twitterers, etc.) compete for people’s attention, as soon as they find something “unofficial” about your product, it will be posted everywhere, instantly. Why? Because it is a story. It may not be a big story, but it is a story nevertheless, and when “monetizing the eyeballs” any story is worth money, which means people will do it.
The Good News
The wonderfully good news is that both the information and technology are available (sorry, had to plug SmartSymbols here). And if you use this correctly, then you will be ahead of the game and maybe even become a “go-to” site for the product relevant information. Not to mention, people will buy more of your products. After all: more engagement = more customers = more conversions.
Oct 12 2009
“He who wished to secure the good of others, has already secured his own.”
–Confucius
Here is my take on how a brand could create and increase its “Twitter-worth”. The diagram below summarizes the process, gives objectives and provides specific actions. As you can see, the process relies on gradual, organic building of the Twitter-worth and creating brand loyalty. (Click to enlarge the diagram.)
Execution
If we follow the steps outlined in the diagram, we would need to remember the following:
Last Note
While it may seem that we are creating too many accounts, in fact we are not. Remember, these types of consumer communications are very cost effective: a small number of representatives per account can take care of the entire brand communication. Take a look at the diagram again, notice that each account serves its specific function dedicated to a particular brand. As long as we stick with the plan and continue to improve our “twitter-worth” in a way that provides useful info to our customers, we will continue to increase the number of Brand Ambassadors who will in turn increase number of followers and so on.
The Very Last Note (added on October 14, 2009)
I have been asked if the sheer number of followers can be equated to the Twitter-worth. The answer is “it depends”. If the followers are there for the information, and on their path to become customers, then the answer is “yes”. But if the followers are there just to build up their own number of followers then the answer is “no”. Long-term approach is more efficient in this case.
