Digital media: Why your brand has to learn faster or suffer
It has been quite a rush, this new year! New products and services being launched left right and center in the digital space. Phew! Each time I was about to make a 'successful' return to the blogging space some new entrant showed up demanding quick and detailed attention.
Starting with the smartphone wars which raged in the first half of the year amongst OS makers (Apple iOS, Android from Google, Symbian, BlackBerry) but also among handset manufacturers. Who moved the most smartphone units so far? For now that title goes to Apple with over 20m units for now with Samsung a close 2nd with +19m units and Nokia playing 3rd for the first time in years. Check out the Smartphone Stats and you will also find that Android OS by Google is marching on swiftly like a true cyborg, happily crushing all other OS to become the top OS (operating software for mobile phones) of choice globally.
Just before leaving the smartphone sector I should make a quick point about RIM, owners of the BlackBerry product. Great product but dying out in relevance in most parts of the world except a few places like Africa where it is enjoying a late resurgence thanks to telco networks willing (who wouldn't) to make very cool bucks from the high value that accrues from blackberry subscription.
Enter social media! Naturally, we have to mention the + factor now driving social media positively crazy thanks to the never say die never attitude of Google who seem to have found a formula that works for social media with Google Plus which has skyrocketed beyond most peoples expectations by hitting 10m users within 2 weeks of launching (check out the Larry Page announcement update at the end of the article)
Ok..just what does all this have to do with YOUR brand?
You still have Facebook right? I mean you have not even gotten round to understanding how to optimize your Twitter account and we are talking about Google Plus? Give me a break you may say. Well, we hope you notice when some of your target audiences start to say "Gimme a break ye old fashioned, brand" (In my next post: What old fashioned means in today's digital branding world - I'll share my cold thoughts on the re-definition of Old fashioned. Watch out!) So, you may be one of a few brands currently getting plenty good bang for your bucks as you use Facebook and you may not have found the right way to use Facebook, so why can't we just leave you alone and give you some time to perfect what you have learned about and on Facebook? Come on..you even paid some good money to attend pretty useful marketing courses, seminars on social media marketing with Facebook as lead subject.
GOOD NEWS!
Your money was not wasted.
Starting with the smartphone wars which raged in the first half of the year amongst OS makers (Apple iOS, Android from Google, Symbian, BlackBerry) but also among handset manufacturers. Who moved the most smartphone units so far? For now that title goes to Apple with over 20m units for now with Samsung a close 2nd with +19m units and Nokia playing 3rd for the first time in years. Check out the Smartphone Stats and you will also find that Android OS by Google is marching on swiftly like a true cyborg, happily crushing all other OS to become the top OS (operating software for mobile phones) of choice globally.
Just before leaving the smartphone sector I should make a quick point about RIM, owners of the BlackBerry product. Great product but dying out in relevance in most parts of the world except a few places like Africa where it is enjoying a late resurgence thanks to telco networks willing (who wouldn't) to make very cool bucks from the high value that accrues from blackberry subscription.
Enter social media! Naturally, we have to mention the + factor now driving social media positively crazy thanks to the never say die never attitude of Google who seem to have found a formula that works for social media with Google Plus which has skyrocketed beyond most peoples expectations by hitting 10m users within 2 weeks of launching (check out the Larry Page announcement update at the end of the article)Ok..just what does all this have to do with YOUR brand?
You still have Facebook right? I mean you have not even gotten round to understanding how to optimize your Twitter account and we are talking about Google Plus? Give me a break you may say. Well, we hope you notice when some of your target audiences start to say "Gimme a break ye old fashioned, brand" (In my next post: What old fashioned means in today's digital branding world - I'll share my cold thoughts on the re-definition of Old fashioned. Watch out!) So, you may be one of a few brands currently getting plenty good bang for your bucks as you use Facebook and you may not have found the right way to use Facebook, so why can't we just leave you alone and give you some time to perfect what you have learned about and on Facebook? Come on..you even paid some good money to attend pretty useful marketing courses, seminars on social media marketing with Facebook as lead subject. Your money was not wasted.
ALSO GOOD NEWS!
Learning however cannot stop. The social dynamic, this massive interconnected construct that we are all creating in which billions of data are shared across the globe simultaneously would have made the Architect in The Matrix Trilogy proud but it is the very reason that you can not stay with what you learned yesterday and ignore what you have to learn today. You have to grab your testing boots, strap them on and get a good guide or two (including common sense of course) and explore.
2 TOP THINGS TO EXPLORE BETTER THIS AUGUST 2011
Mobile platforms
You just cannot ignore a platform estimated to have reached 5.3 billion mobile subscriptions by the end of 2010 Wikipedia Jump in but with a proper adoption strategy for you to make sustained entry and not just because your friend in another industry says mobile apps are guaranteed to create ROI. Think clearly about what your marketing and sales process are, what are YOUR own ROI's and company capabilities before coming up with a fancy QR code campaign. I love QR by the way.
Google Plus
I have to assume you already know about social media - surely even the yet-to-be-discovered life on Mars must know all about it by now. Despite experiencing some social media fatigue (ignore the 18 months it took to convince your CMO or CEO to allow your brand 'test social media') Google Plus is a top consumer magnet that you have to try to understand. Soon Google+ will roll out custom account profiles for businesses on its platform. Already some brands like Ford Motor Company have dipped in a toe or two to test out the features.
2 TOP G+ FEATURES TO TEST
- Hangout with your customers/marketing team/brand ambassadors via video
- Curated content sharing with better managed groups of customers via CIRCLES
DO YOU HAVE TO DUMP FACEBOOK OR TWITTER FOR GOOGLE PLUS?
Nope. Think of them as complimentary. 2011 promises to end with a few surprises in the mobile world and the social media world and I will be there to share it with you via my g+ account.
Join me on g+ for top insights and commentary on where social media and digital marketing are headed.
Dayo Adefila is a pioneer digital marketing practitioner in Nigeria and is Chief Operating Officer of HotSauce a leading digital marketing firm in Nigeria.
The target customers must be attracted to sell your products and services and you should avoid the platforms that don’t have presence of your active potential customers. Well, I am using multiple platforms and have been using the sms marketing too along with online options. Getting very good results.
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