Create Your Own PR

The aim of any modern business is to grow a community. An army of loyal followers that will not only buy it’s products but will also help spread “the word”. These advocates help to effectively multiply the reach of the companies marketing message.

Apple are probably the prime example of this type of company with disciple like customers willing to promote and share the Apple way of life without question.

What creates this type of loyal following?

One explanation can be found in Simon Sinek’s book, Start with Why. The basic premise being that companies like Apple sell on the reason of “Why” they do what they do, not the “What” of what they do.

“1000 songs in your pocket”, the tag line for the iPod, as opposed to a “5GB MP3 player”.

This didn’t then tie Apple down to producing MP3 players, in fact as long as it worked towards the goal of putting “1000 songs in your pocket” they could make anything, a phone for example!

How do you spread the word?

For companies like Apple big PR announcements are still the order of the day, and all news flows from there. Even the anticipation of such an event drives enough discussion that the impetus keeps even the most ordinary of announcements in the headlines for days.

For the rest of us the PR machine is a much harder fought battle. The advent of channels such as Twitter, Facebook and Google+ allow for easier magnification of our message, but the effectiveness is limited by the following we are able to obtain on each platform.

The vital component being the ability to multiply your messages as they are released.

Message Multipliers

Some business models have been created to fill this space. They are a middle ground between your own network building efforts and full fledge PR offering.

Here are some examples of current message multipliers. They all vary in how they work and what they cost

1. Ebuzzing

A platform that works similar to an Affiliate Network allowing you to publish your campaign into their system. They will then find relevant publishers to write about and promote your product or service on their blogs and web sites. You pay for each article published typically around £50 per post or £0.04 per play for video. As you would expect you receive full analytics and tracking for your campaigns.

2. GaggleAMP

Once signed up you recruit your own team of influencers, whether they be from within your company, existing customers or brand advocates. Your influencers are able to selectively choose which messages they wish to promote and on which networks, Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn. You can create rewards based around networks activity. Plans start from $25 per month.

3. Triberr

Triberr takes a slightly different approach based around area of interest rather than brand advocates. The idea is to create or join a “Tribe” that are interested in a related topic, you then agree to share each others posts. There is no cost for the basic account, but if you wish to spread messages, leveraging members outside your tribe you can pay to have your message shared without reciprocating.

None of these solutions is perfect. They are all relatively new and continuing to develop features, but you can be sure to see more of these network multipliers enter the market. As the demand grows from companies wishing to increase conversations around their product, service or brand without the effort of doing it themselves.

These are no substitute for building your own network, but they can be a good way to magnify your reach for little cost.

Do you use any of these services, or know of any others?

Timekiwi Timeline

It seems there is a new social media platform launching every week. Staying focused becomes more difficult as you want to ensure you don’t miss the next “big thing”.

Even when you do maintain focus you often find you have content spread all over the web on multiple platforms.

Sure you have your blog as the hub of your activity but it doesn’t account for your photos on Instagram, Polls on Facebook, numerous interactions on Twitter and videos on YouTube.

Services like Klout and Peer Index track your activity across the web gauging your influence, but they don’t display your actual activity. Then there are other services like About.me that present a social style calling card, but these just have links to your social profiles.

Your Public Timeline

Timekiwi is a service that pools your online activity to one central location, presenting it in the same manner as Facebook’s Timeline. Though the Timekiwi Timeline is a log of your complete public social activity, rather than just your Facebook activity.

You connect up and authorise your social accounts then Timekiwi pulls in the content presenting in date order fashion.Currently you can connect Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, Instagram, Flickr, Foursquare and an Overblog feed if you have one. With more services to follow.

You can see my Timekiwi Timeline here.

A Social Portfolio

Whilst influence measurement by a 3rd party site gives some guide, seeing someones activity gives you true insight into who they are and what they do. In this way Timekiwi becomes your Social Portfolio, curating everything you’ve created and shared across the web.

The service was created in 2010 by entrepreneurs based in Palo Alto and recently acquired by leading European blogging platform OverBlog. Timekiwi is evolving and as well as being able to integrate other social platforms, you’ll have the ability to customise your timeline. Allowing you to centralise your social activity into one beautiful timeline.

Create Your Timekiwi Timeline

No need to wait, you can create your Timekiwi Timeline for free now. Just click this link and sign in using your Twitter or Facebook account to create you’re own Social Portfolio.

Timekiwi

Steve Jobs

A lot of the ideas I have through the year are inspired by what I read. My reading is not restricted to Twitter, Facebook RRS feeds, blogs, web sites and white papers.

I have always loved books, and since the advent of the Kindle I horde books, although electronically, more than I ever have. The ability to acquire a book instantly can be an addiction and my Kindle is full of unread books bought on a whim. I also have numerous sample books where I’ve managed to reign at least little control, leaving my wish list for those books not available electronically yet.

In addition I have an Audible subscription, allowing me an audio book a month to accompany me on my daily commute.

These books are my core inspiration, study and sometimes entertainment. I read widely everything from Gary Vaynerchuck to Voltaire, each book adds it’s own unique attributes to my daily learning. This year has been the one in which I have been inspired most, more news on this after Christmas, for now I thought I would share my picks of 2011.

Poke the Box by Seth Godin

I first came across Seth Godin in the late ’90s following the release of the Idea Virus, which is still available free online. A prolific writer he has now turned publisher, helping others achieve their dreams of publishing their first book. Poke the Box was his first book as part of the Domino Project. The book is all about “shipping”, following through on ideas and completing the work we started out on. Seth has the ability to take the obvious and see it from a different angle, nothing he highlights is new or unique, it’s just a change of perspective he brings to the world around us. This book began my theme for 2011, an idea I try to live up to every day, following through on everything I start. Seth has many books I could recommend, but if you just read one, make it this one.

On Writing by Stephen King

Stephen King is my all time favourite author and The Stand a fantastic book that still has pride of place on my bookshelf. As a teenager I grew up on King’s horror and twisted stories; much of which inspired me to try writing my own book. When I saw this 10th anniversary addition of On Writing I wondered how I had missed it the first time around. An insight into the writer and his techniques; what it reveals is the hardwork and passion that King put into his writing. His addiction to drugs and alcohol, his return from the depths of Hell’s cauldron to his own near death experience. What ever you want to write, fact, fiction, blog posts or ebooks there is inspiration for all in this gritty guide into the mind of one of the best modern writers alive.

The Thank You Economy by Gary Vaynerchuck

Although I had used Social Media prior to finding out about Gary and Winelibrary.tv it really was his book Crush It! that inspired me to to probe deeper into this fascinating world, uncovering all sorts of opportunities. Where was almost an autobiography filled with passion and reason, The Thank You Economy presents Social Media on a firm business footing. With plenty of samples of success Gary reasons that by just by building relationships with your customers, you can exalt your business way beyond the competition. If you ever needed a reason for Social Media being part of your business you’ll find it in this book.

The Accidental Creative: How to Be Brilliant at a Moment’s Notice by Todd Henry

We often think that creativity is for designers, artists, performers, but if you’re in business you need to be creative. Finding time for that creativity to evolve into something useful is a struggle in todays world of hyper-connectivity. We are expected to produce brilliant ideas in an instant, yet expected to also spend time on our Board Reports and Spreadsheets; activities that are at odds with each other. Todd describes a way you can align your tasks to maximise your chances of being “ever creative”. More than just thought provoking, we are provided with a framework to deliver creatively more often, improving the way we feel about what we do to the benefit of everyone.

Uncertainty: Turning Fear and Doubt into Fuel for Brilliance by Jonathan Fields

Have you ever wanted to do something in life but been afraid to follow through? Jonathan Fields helps you identify the cause of that fear and how you can use it to push you forward into a better future, rather than let it hold you back. The book does drift into a discussion of meditation and it’s benefits, which can feel uncomfortable when you expect more business reasoning. It did lead me to research the subject more fully only to find many of the great business people of our time used meditation in some form to create quiet and force focus into their lives. Overall this book was just extra encouragement for me in the direction I was looking to take anyway.

The Flinch by Julien Smith

Available for free on Amazon Kindle at the time of writing, The Flinch is a short study of why we shy away from things we should embrace. The natural fight or flight instinct that protected us in a evolutionary past can now do more harm than good as we get too comfortable with our lives. Julien invites us to take a cold shower, talk to a stranger and give away the largest monetary note in our pocket on a whim. Having tried all of his suggestions I can honestly say I was at least, entertained, if not enlightened. My talk with a stranger was one of the weirdest conversations I have had in my life. If you read only one of these books, make it this one, and let me know what you think.

Losing My Virginity: How I Survived, Had Fun, and Made a Fortune Doing Business My Way by Richard Branson

A true business rebel Richard Branson inspired many entrepreneurs to fight the system, stand up for themselves and build companies their way. I grew up alongside the Virgin brand name, but never really knew much about it other than exploits reported in the press. It was great to get the inside story from the man himself, growing up in an age of discovery, fighting against the machine, his autobiography brings to life what is really possible if you’re prepared to front it out. Buying his own island for under a tenth of it’s asking price is just one example in this book of how you make your own luck in life.

Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson

No book list of 2011 could be complete without this revealing biography of a man who just should not have succeeded or achieved much in life if it wasn’t for his single vision and the awesome “Reality Distortion Field” he applied many times. A big book that reveals a man that was insecure, yet determined, selfish, yet grateful; Steve Jobs devoted his life, to ensuring ours was a pleasure, when using Apple products of course! I’m not sure you will learn much that can be applied in life or business, only because, could anyone other than Steve get away with the things he did? There is one sentence in this book that resonates, the full quote is below, but for now just have in mind, “Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life.” Must be read.

This is just a selection of the 20 or so books that I read in 2011, a year of coming of age for me. A realisation that if I want something in life, I have to go get it before it’s too late. This won’t be my last post of 2011, but will be my most poignant, I publish it now, rather than hold it back until year end as I want to “Ship”, “Deliver”, “Inspire”, “Create”. Above all I want to say “Thank You”; if you’ve ever read a word I have written, shared a Tweet or commented on my blog you have made a contribution to my future. With that said, I leave the last word to a great man who left his mark on the world and will be missed; admired by some, despised by others, but was at his best when he was “creating enjoyment” for others…

“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of other’s opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.” – Steve Jobs’ Stanford Commencement Address, 2005.

Sean's Week On Twitter

This week I was asked how I manage to fit so much into my day; reading, Twitter, writing, running and my day job.

I have already given a glimpse of how I manage my day in this post about my daily schedule and another which shows how to use Google Reader and Twitter with BufferApp.

If you are to analyse your day honestly most of us can find a few hours that we could put to better use. Now you should always allow for some downtime and don’t cram your day to a point where you are feeling stressed. Balance is always the key.

There were two parts of my day where I turned wasted time into something more productive. The first was TV time.

I do still watch TV, I love re-runs of the The Simpsons and The Big Bang Theory, Mad Men was fantastic, as is the current hot series Homeland. But watching these according to my schedule, not to the TV Guides demands; using them to wind down at the end of a busy day.

Soaps and Reality TV are the two biggest offenders. In the UK Eastenders, Coronation Street and XFactor can easily suck up 9 hours a week. That’s a whole days work!

In addition to controlling TV consumption, you can easily grab at least an extra 30 minutes a day by getting up early. This is where I fit in my running, but you could use it for writing, reading, meditation, or any other creative task. Once you get used to rising early it becomes a habit, and you don’t notice it.

These examples alone gain around 12 hours a week, this is without being too prescriptive. Have a think about your week, I’m sure you could find those extra hours if you really want them.

And just to save you a little more time here are some of my favourite links with Sean’s Week on Twitter. If you have any comments about SWOT #22 please leave them below:

Twitter Just Made It a Whole Lot Easier to Embed Tweets

There have been a few significant changes to Twitter this week. For me this was one of the more useful ones from a blogging perspective. Until now it’s been a bit awkward including Tweets in blog posts. Now Twitter has made it as easy as pie.

Google Contacts Integrates With Google+

In an attempt to make Google+ as natural as brushing your teeth, Google are slowly integrating more of the platforms functionality with their other services. Google+ Profiles are now being automatically included in Google Contacts, in addition to the new face recognition functionality, Google+ is growing up fast.

‘The Flinch’ by Julien Smith

Do you shy away from difficult tasks, or have trouble changing the direction your life is taking. According to Julien this reaction is The Flinch. A natural reflex with us from birth to protect us from danger, it has seeped into other parts of our lives, sometimes limiting our ambitions. Julien’s new book is direct and inspiring can be read in an hour; it is part of Seth Godin’s Domino project and available, free from Amazon in Kindle format.

ASOS reduce checkout abandonment by 50%

Sometimes we spend far too much energy on acquiring new customers, when a look at processes closer to home can have the biggest impact on our bottom line. Whilst you cannot just copy the changes ASOS have made and expect to come out a winner, certainly a look at some of the changes they made are inspiration for improvements you could make to increase ROI.

Google’s Updates and the Effects on Blogging in 2012

As the social world online matures expect some changes as we move into the New Year. Not many will be as significant as Google’s indication that social content will be a key indicator when it comes to search. If you do not regularly update your web site, take part in Social Media or interact online expect no rewards from Google in 2012.

Show Me The Money - photo by Darwin Bell

Here comes that cry again, “Show me the money”!

Following a recent conversation with a more traditional Marketing Consultant friend of mine, it became apparent that many are still not convinced of the value of Social Media.

And whilst you may think that is a given, I was surprised at the vigour to which it is being resisted, or even advice that is being given to brands that they should not bother with it. A myopic view, that is dismissive of a medium that could compliment rather than replace existing campaigns.

The Problem with Social Media

The problem wasn’t with Social Media itself, but the belief that it didn’t offer a trackable return on investment. Using the argument that many marketeers are happy to use offline media which is infinitely harder, and more costly, to track didn’t win the case either. The weaknesses in one system do not make up for the lack of belief in another.

Some of the resistance comes from the lack of understanding of the costs involved. David Taylor argues that the impact on sales from Social Media are negligible. What he fails to note is the very low cost of engaging on these platforms, compared to running a campaign using more traditional methods. Every click is trackable, every like or follower a further opportunity to engage and influence.

Let’s Cut To The Chase

Engaging in Social Media has far more long term benefits than short term ROI, or sales as many like to measure it against. But there is no getting away from it, companies want to know that their time is as well spent as their money, and so they should. For all the rhetoric:

“People are talking about you whether you’re there or not.”
“Your competitors are in the space, so should you be.”
“What’s the ROI of your Mum.”

These are all great, but not reason enough for a company to divert budget from tried and tested forms of media.

As Well As

Firstly, we need to establish the fact that Social Media is an “as well as” medium rather than “instead of”. It’s cost of entry is very low in comparison to other forms of marketing. The pay off is that it can be time intensive. The rewards significant.

It’s not a one channel affair either. Just doing Twitter or having a Facebook page is not enough to drive a campaign in most cases. The number of Followers or Likes are not as important as the engagement, and that engagement will only come as a byproduct of offering content deemed of value. The successful campaigns all featured rich and engaging content worthy of comment or sharing.

Show Me The Money

Okay, so now I suppose you want some proof?

Adnams plc – using blogging combined with Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, podcasting and Flickr – online sales up 48% with 84% directly attributable to social content.

Procter & Gamble – Old Spice campaign in 6 months sales were up 27%

Domino’s Pizza – 29% surge in pre-tax profits to £17.5m attributed to its use of promotions on location-based mobile application Foursquare and social media.

IKEA – Facebook, photo tagging, creating recommendation and advocates all over the world and a +15% lift in sales.

Moonfruit – Twitter and Blogging campaign – Overall, the campaign delivered a 600% increase in traffic and doubled sign ups for Moonfruit’s easy online website creation product trial.

These campaigns all vary in Brand size, implementation, cost and results. Hopefully they go someway to show that Social Media does offer an ROI, but that it takes creativity and ingenuity rather than buying power to make them effective. Marketeers of all types have an opportunity to get really creative and produce exciting campaigns for clients; campaigns that will get noticed, generate PR as much for them as it does the Brand itself.

Still not in agreement? Tell me why below.

Sean's Week On Twitter

We, you and I, live in the future. Not far in the future, but the future nonetheless.

If you’re reading this, you are way ahead of much of the population. Not because my blog is anything special, but because many ordinary people just don’t read blogs, or use services like Twitter and Google+.

Every day we are exposed to new and emerging technologies online. Even if the technologies are not that new, the way they’re used is often ground-breaking. We get in discussions over the value of Google+, when many users are happy to use Facebook as a way to chat with friends and family, and no more.

Does this mean what we are doing lacks business value? Certainly not; of those that are using these newer services, the early adopters, many have high disposable incomes. Some are key influencers in their own right, they are certainly valuable people to engage with.

What this does mean, is that we have the opportunity to be part of this future as it emerges into daily life. We can even influence it. More importantly we can be aware of it’s impact on business and the market before our competitors.

The future is the basis for this episode of Sean’s Week on Twitter. SWOT #21 has some of the best articles I’ve come across this week on this theme. If you have others please leave them in the comments below:

How Apple’s Siri Could Destroy Local SEO

Does anyone really use voice enabled search? Apparently Siri, the voice enabled technology in the new iPhone 4S, has been growing more intelligent by the week. It’s accuracy and usability are growing. To the point where discussion has now risen over it’s potential to disrupt the search market. If this article is right the way your business is found online could be severely affected.

iPad conversion rates twice as high as desktop: stats

If you have any kind of analytics available on your web site you are bound to have noticed the increased use of mobile devices by visitors to your web site. More significantly is the fact that people are using these devices to make purchases and more readily than other web users.

What Google+ Needs To Do

Is it or isn’t, will it of won’t? Be a significant player in the Social Networking sector. Well as those that are using it argue over the readiness of Google+ Pages, this article gives one possible future. As an added bonus two more Google+ related links: Google+ confirms Pages getting multi-admin and ownership transfer and Hootsuite to Test Google+ Page Management

More Than 8m Britons Have Never Been Online

I thought I would include this one so you could get an idea of how many people don’t use the Internet at all, let alone the concepts we discuss or read about everyday. This is 13% of the UK population!

Starcraft finals live streamed on YouTube

Korea’s most popular multi-player game Starcraft makes a YouTube’s new gaming channel. Part of their live TV venture, this shows how niche the web is able to get. Could you run an online TV Channel for your business sector?

Online video viewers watching longer on tablets

Not only are they starting to visit web sites and spend more when they get there; tablet users are now watching video on them too. They are not just watching though, they are watching for longer; they’re are more engaged. More engagement means more opportunity to gain trust, build loyalty and sell to them. Are you starting to see a pattern?

So there is a sneak peak at the future. I’ll be writing some more interesting stuff for my fellow time travellers soon. Do let me have your point of view, especially if your reading this on an iPad;)

Value of an Existing Customer

You spend so much time working on increasing your followers. Tracking for keywords, following relevant people hoping they will follow back.

Your followers grow but it still all feels a bit empty? Don’t worry, it’s quite natural.

We all have a tendency to focus on the numbers.

It doesn’t matter whether it’s Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+ or even our Email List, we are always working on acquiring more subscribers. Is this really what we should be doing?

Existing Customers Spend More

There are many studies that show existing customers spend more. The cost of getting further sales from an existing customer is much lower than that required to aquire a new one. The same goes for subscribers and followers. It’s much easier to get existing followers to convert into customers and advocates than it is to convert new ones. Yet we tend to put little emphasis on this.

Banks as an example; you’ll see an offer like:

“Sign Up Today and Get 5% Interest”

Note: Offer Applies to New customers Only!

What happened to the existing loyal customer that has been with the bank for 25 years? Where is their reward?

It’s this drive for larger numbers that has us missing the point.

Engagement is the Key Metric

The hub to your success in Social Media is all based around engagement. The interaction between you and existing followers or subscribers. As your engagement grows all other metrics will increase. You’ll gain authenticity, grow trust, build advocates, leading to sales (or whatever end result is your ultimate aim).

Scott Stratten, known as @unmarketing on Twitter, is a fantastic example. He has over 100k followers and has sent over 80k Tweets. The thing is that 75% of those Tweets are @ replies; that is, they are Scott engaging with someone else in a conversation. Taking an interest in others leads people to taking an interest in you.

Now I have talked a lot on this blog about building a following by posting regularly and sharing information. You should still do this, especially so if you are starting out; you do need a certain amount of followers to gain traction in the first place. What you mustn’t do is forget the conversation. It’s here you will build strong relationships from which you can grow your business.

Have a Conversation

So try it. Next time you fire up Twitter, go on Facebook or read someones blog, pass comment. Make sure you’re sincere, and no, saying “Nice blog post here’s a link to my site” does not count. Get in a real conversation about a real issue, suggest a solution or another perspective. Remember to come back. A conversation isn’t a one time deal, to really engage you need to keep coming back for as long as necessary.

This is where scale is an issue. And why large numbers of followers mean nothing. It’s those you engage with regularly that will become your advocates, customers or fans. You can only do this effectively with so many people. Therefore when you do engage you need to put the whole of yourself behind it. You can even test this. Find a person like Scott with a large following, wait for him to be online and try to say “Hi”. Chances are you won’t get a reply; if you prove me wrong let me know in the comments below.

But if you monitor his conversation and comment on a topical point, you’ll probably get a reply. Once you have the reply, where you take the conversation is up to you, but we now have an “Existing Customer”.

Now what are you going to do next, look for a new one or work with what you’ve got?

Sean's Week On Twitter

Another busy week online and off; when we are busy it can be hard to keep focus. With so much to do it’s easy to get caught in a procrastination loop that sees us achieving little. This can be deadly when it comes to Social Media and blogging in particular.

Quite timely then that I happened to be reading a book called Uncertainty: Turning Fear and Doubt into Fuel for Brilliance by Jonathan Fields. Whilst the books main theme is about finding a way to control the fear that prevents us from being creative or innovative in our business or personal lives. One of the key solutions is achieving focus when performing particular tasks.

This week also saw the release of Steve Jobs biography which I obtained in audio format. Listening to this during commuting time it became obvious that Jobs used many of the principals that Jonathan Fields promoted in his book. No accident then that the trait of one of the most creative technologists of our time was the ability to intensely focus on his objectives.

These two books are quite complimentary, I would even go as far to say that one is the theory whilst the other demonstrates the implementation of a focused approach to achieving what we want in life. Though I wouldn’t advocate going as far as Jobs did, there are certainly learnings to be gleaned.

Therefore in the coming weeks I will look to apply this new found knowledge in my own life, which reminds me I was writing this weeks SWOT wasn’t I!

Five links from Sean’s Week on Twitter for you in SWOT #20; any comments or additions please add them below.

Social Media Success Is About Purpose, Not Technology

Finding your purpose in life can be difficult, in business you need to look further than profit. Now if you combine Social Media and business then success is all about that purpose. The reason many businesses fail in Social Media? Lack of purpose behind it’s implementation.

Retail sales over mobile have exploded from 0.4 to 3.3% since 2010

The world is going mobile of that there is no doubt. Looking at analytics from the web sites I run I can see increased visitation and sales from mobile devices. Online retailers now need to ensure they are ready for the mobile marketplace and not lose out to the more agile competition.

5 Reasons Google+ Could Win the Social Enterprise Battle

Could this be it? Could Google be after the Social Enterprise market rather than the personalised world of that Facebook lives in? It would certainly make sense and with the tools available to them this is an are they could easily dominate.

Haunted House Uses Social Media to Generate 10,000% More Web Traffic

A fantastic Social Media case study that could give you nightmares. It’s great to see how other businesses have successfully leveraged Social Media, it’s even better if you can adapt it to use for your own business. Can you?

Custom Reporting using Google Analytics and Google Docs – The Ultimate Analytics Mashup

I could spend days digging around in Google Analytics, there is so much to discover. Now I don’t have to. Once you know what reports you want, you can have it in real-time through Google Docs. Even better you can then share this information easily with others in a format more easy for the to understand.

Ed Vaizey MP at IAB Engage 2011

I attended yesterday’s IAB Engage conference in London this year for the first time.

A chance meeting earlier in the year with Amit Kotecha, Mobile and Networks Manager at the IAB, we co-presented at Brand Republic’s Social Media Strategy 2011, introduced me to the IAB.

From an advertisers perspective it’s a fantastic organisation with training and many conferences on offer, for free.

IAB Engage is the event of the year for online marketeers, this year a celebrity interview with Dara O Briain,  and guest speakers from AOL, Google, Microsoft and many more, it’s a not to be missed event.

All of the presentations were solid, even Ed Vaizey MP gave a good performance, once he was able to get off his formal speech the Twitter feed finally gave him a break. The controversial EU Cookie Directive played a major part of his delivery, with a clear message that we need to find a way to implement this act, like it or not. (Sorry, I don’t).

Andy Hart & The Socks

Other than the Twitter discussion around Andy Hart’s socks and the fantastic presentation from futurologist Roman Weishäupl, the underlying theme was heavily mobile.

Social Media is by no doubt a major force in online, and offline, marketing. It’s also here to stay. But implementation in a mobile environment is to be the golden egg.

Much of the technology demoed, Lego’s Augmented Reality App, the Junaios App,  RexBox’s Epic Win and the exciting Goldrun used by fashion retailer H&M featured mobile devices as the central component to offline activity in marketing campaigns.

The huge Smirnoff campaign, presented by Michelle Klein, Vice President of Content, Digital & Communications, Smirnoff, Diageo, included location based elements as leverage for engagement.

Pete Robins at IAB Engage 2011

Yet many agencies are not geared up for this mobile invasion, or the integrated campaigns that gain traction with consumers. The reliance on trying to ‘crow bar‘ existing ad campaigns into the online and mobile space will just not translate.

As Pete Robins, Managing Partner at agenda21, put it, “We need to look at mobile in a new way. We need to discover unique ways to engage with users whilst delivering ROI for advertisers.”

Many mobile marketing models rely heavily on check-ins, QR Codes, SMS or other forms of simplistic communication. The answer is often seen in an App, yet undefined, and unoriginal. We could do worse than to create think tanks within our companies or our agencies, it’s that important.

We need to, urgently device ways to leverage mobile as the consumer expectation to be fulfilled moves to the streets. One big hurdle is connectivity. I have spoken in the past about WiFi access for all and at IAB Engage it was obvious that this loop hole hadn’t been considered by many. As many agencies are based in city centres, they don’t experience the lack of connectivity that we experience in rural locations.

Once we have connectivity resolved, or rather at the same time, we need to ensure we can deliver content in a mobile friendly format. Users expectation will be to see, not only content relevant to them, but also relevant to their location. QR Codes are almost a dirty form of promotion requiring the printing of a splodge on the item to be scanned, much better is the image recognition of the Junaio App; the challenge letting the user know they can scan the item in the first place.

Apps are everywhere and there were certainly no shortage of them presented at the event. Costly to produce and multiple platforms to consider, there must be a better way. Technically HTML 5 may offer some answers, but it will remain an obstacle if we insist users download applications to view our marketing genius.

As conferences should, for me IAB Engage 2011 raised as many questions as it did answers. What was clear was that the rate of change in technology has Microsoft, Apple and Google on it’s toes, so smaller, less technically advanced brands are going to need help.

Innovation will come from those that focus on it, investing time and money. The rewards are many. Failure to stay with the market will result in bland, mediocre marketing, delivering the same messages just on different platforms.

Looking forward to IAB Engage 2012 I hope to see many of these mobile issues realised and applied. I hope to have answers myself, maybe even be one of those helping to provide the answers.

Were you at IAB Engage? Or do you have a vision of a mobile future? If you have an opinion please let’s discuss it below.

Photo’s attributed to the IAB

Klout Graffiti

My first reaction to seeing my Klout score plummet overnight was disbelief. What had I done wrong?

Apparently nothing, Klout scores have been re-calibrated across the board. Like the poor performing Euro the value of a Klout point has been downgraded. But why?

Could it be that median scores were getting too close to 100? There’s no value in a scoring system where you have too many people near the top end!

Calculating Klout

Klout calculates scores based on the following:

• How many people you influence
• How much you influence them
• How influential they are

Their blog post attempts to explain the changes, but other than saying they think they are now more accurate, I cannot extract a definitive explanation, can you?

Interestingly they also state that the majority of users will not be effected or will even see an increased score. Well looking at the reaction online and many of the people I regularly engage with online, all I can see are scores being adjusted downwards.

A majority of users will see their Scores stay the same or go up

Why Should You Worry?

Really you shouldn’t, but in a world where everyone is trying to apply a measure to what you do, Klout has proved a useful reference. Many have worked hard to increase their Klout scores and there are perks for doing so.

Explaining an overnight score drop, of 16 points in my case, can be tricky if you’ve been using it as a business reporting index. A Board that is still not fully sold on Social Media doesn’t take well to sudden downturns in metrics. Luckily I haven’t relied on Klout metrics, but some have.

It’s the Results That Count

Regardless of scores, charts and comparisons, it’s how you perform that matters. The results you bring in for your clients, your company, yourself or for others, that matter. Not what virtual stick some start-up decides measure you with.

In all I think Chris Brogan brings us back to reality with his Tweet last night:
“Instead of worrying about Klout, why not worry about making an impact? Easier to track, too.”

How’s your Klout, and do you care?