Social Media News

In an end-of-the-year survey, ad:tech and MarketingSherpa asked online marketers what marketing tactics worked for them in 2006 and what they expected to concentrate their time and spending on in the months ahead.

One of the things the report shows is that blog, RSS feed, social network and video ads lead the way as emerging marketing tactics in 2007.

If you are not yet using RSS feeds to syndicate your content, 2007 would be the time to get on this fast moving bandwagon.

Why are marekters putting their money where the consumer’s mouth is?

“The Web has taken Word of Mouth, which used to be restricted by geographic realities, and exploded it outwards in all directions,” writes Enquiro head Gord Hotchkiss. “For word of mouth to be truly powerful, it has to live close to the ground, come from real people, and not have the faintest whiff of commercialism about it.”

“When News Corp. bought MySpace and when Google swallowed up YouTube, many questioned things like measurable returns, profitability, and business models,” write Jason MIller in WebProNews. “But those critics missed the boat: it’s not about money, it’s about influence and reach, both of which turn into money later.

 

Technorati Tags: content syndication, RSS feeds, social media, word of mouth, marketing

 

 

There is some very interesting data in the latest Simultaneous Media Usage Study of over 15,000 consumers from BIGResearch. 

When asked which are the top media influences prior to purchase, consumers looking for cars and trucks say

1. Word of Mouth
2. TV
3. Read an article
4. Newspaper
5. Magazine

For electronic purchases the list is slightly different

1. Word of Mouth
2. Read an article
3. TV
4. Newspaper insert
5. In store promo

Now we know that two-thirds of all purchases, whether online or off line, are first researched online.  (Shop.org)  and now we know what most influences them online:  word of mouth – peer reviews, blogs, chats, forums, testimonials – and articles.

If you are not generating informational and educational articles about your product or service and syndicating this content in an RSS feed, youre missing one of the top ways to reach and influence your audience.

 

Technorati Tags:   content syndication, social media