Now that the NYE champagne has been emptied and your resolution resolve is already dissolving faster than an Alka-Seltzer, let’s look forward to 2012 and identify some steps for planning your brand’s social program calendar. At a high level, we want to assess a) the business objective(s) for the year, b) what those objective(s) translate into for [...]
Here we go; the big 2011 wrap-up of changes to the social landscape. Dive in, remember, and look forward to 2012, as this year has been one filled with massive changes to the space, and the next promises to be just as big. For the rest of the year, check out Q1, Q2, and Q3. Enjoy!
Designers of these social experiences need to build programs that exist on multiple platforms and devices, based on location and demographic, and a deep analysis of the consumer and their digital habits is required for the program itself to be a success.
Now that we’ve had some time to absorb the changes in the space during Q3, let’s take a look back at the big announcements, compare the new landscape to the changes from the second quarter, and project what will have the most impact for Q4 of 2011. In a sentence, Facebook’s f8 developer conference contained more sweeping changes to the largest social platform (now 800 million users) since its launch in 2004.
At Dachis Group, we have a framework for developing branded experiences that are social by design, and we leverage it every single time we concept one of our programs.
The launch of the Social Business Index (SBI) was exciting enough last week; add in my first ever Austin City Limits, and you have a giant ball of awesome in a seven-day span. The fact that they occurred in the same week aren’t the only things that these two events have in common, though. I was actually witnessing the Spring of performance brand marketing and the Winter of the massive, blind brand sponsorship.
Let’s take a look back at the social landscape from Q2 2011 so we can paint a picture of what Q3 has in store.
When new social networks pop up, normally one doesn’t invest too much time in taking a deep-dive into functionality until there is significant adoption, suggesting that it is more than just a flash in the pan, and that it may have an impact on the social and digital space. With the release of Google+, we have just that; it has already hit 10 million users, has pinpointed and addressed some of the glaring “weaknesses” of Facebook, and has taken an active stance in the incorporation of business tools from the outset.
Quick response (or QR codes) are 2D barcodes that allow the consumer to decode text, a hyperlink, photo, video, or other data using a scanning application on their mobile device. It is a form of pull marketing, rather than push, which allows the consumer to request more information. However, nobody wants more information. Matter of fact, the consumer wants as little information as necessary; they want more value. So when experimenting with QR codes, as with any form of subscriber-model marketing (much of the social space), ensure that you’re providing added value, not just a URL with more information. Over the past few years, there has been a mixed reaction to leveraging QR codes as a marketing tactic.
After many shifts in the social landscape during the fourth quarter, Q1 proved active but provided few monumental changes. Let’s take some time to look back at what the last three months have brought to the social media space.
