This week on the Blogosphere we’ll focus on five blog posts that take a look at the latest mobile marketing strategies, how businesses are allocating more of their marketing budgets to social media over the next year and Twitter best practices for encouraging brand advocacy from consumers. Below are some of the highlights from these articles:
- Google now allows advertisers to produce location-based mobile ads.
- VoIP network Vonage now allows users to call their Facebook friends for free (using the Vonage Mobile for Facebook app).
- This year the number of U.S. mobile video viewers is estimated to increase 30%, totaling 23.9 million viewers.
- In the next year, CMOs estimate their social media budgets to rise from 5.6% to 9.9% of their total marketing budgets.
- Brands worldwide send out 75% informational tweets and just 16% consumer-engagement tweets
Google Launches Location-based Mobile Ads
ClickZ | Jack Marshall | 8-2-10
As of this week, Google now allows advertisers to produce ads with embedded maps pinpointing their businesses, which will be displayed across mobile sites and applications within Google’s network. With this new addition, marketers are able to specifically target their mobile ads based on a user’s geographic location. When a user expands a business’ ad, the business location is automatically highlighted on a map, as well as optional directions and a clickable phone number. If the user simply expands the ad, an advertiser is not charged. It’s only when the the user clicks through to call the business or to link to the business’ website that the advertiser incurs a fee. The location-based ads are automatically generated through IP addresses, yet if a user provides more specific geo-location details, Google might be able to offer more advanced targeting for advertisers, according to a company spokesperson. The post’s author suggests that this latest development from Google will probably be picked up largely by local businesses, like restaurants and retail stores.
Main Takeaways:
- Google now offers marketers the ability to generate mobile ads that include embedded maps, which auto-locate a business’ location and specifically target users based on their current geographic location.
- It’s anticipated that local businesses, such as restaurants and retail stores will hop on this offer.
Call Your Facebook Friends for Free From Your Android or iOS Device
Mashable | Christina Warren | 8-4-10
VoIP network Vonage recently announced the launch of their new, free Vonage Mobile for Facebook app, which lets users call their Facebook friends free of charge from their Android or iOS devices. Users aren’t required to have a Vonage subscription, yet both the caller and anyone they choose to call must have the app installed. Even if a user doesn’t have the app open on their mobile device, they’re still able to receive calls via the Vonage Mobile for Facebook app. When a user receives a call via the app, the caller’s Facebook picture will appear, along with their current profile status. Even if a user’s Facebook friend doesn’t have the app installed, as long as the friend is online, the user is still able to communicate through chat and is given the option to send an invitation to download Vonage’s app.
Main Takeaways:
- Vonage now allows users to call their Facebook friends for free, using the Vonage Mobile for Facebook app.
- Non-Vonage subscribers can still use the app, yet both callers must have the app installed in order to use it.
Mobile Video to Double Reach by 2013
According to eMarketer, the number of American mobile video viewers in 2010 will increase by 30% (since 2009), totaling 23.9 million viewers. The 23.9 million viewers only encompass 7.7% of the total population and 9.7% of mobile phone users, yet in 2013, these numbers are expected to double and to climb even higher in 2014. Between 2009 and 2014, mobile video viewers are expected to have a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 22.8%. The post mentions that while mobile video has experienced slow growth over the years due to cost and poor video quality, technological advancements and growing demand have introduced a profitable opportunity for video producers. Between 2009 and 2014, eMarketer estimates mobile video profit to triple from $436 million to $1.34 billion.
Main Takeaways:
- In 2010, eMarketer claims the number of U.S. mobile video viewers will rise 30%, equaling 23.9 million viewers.
- eMarketer predicts mobile video revenue will triple between 2009 and 2014, increasing from $436 million to $1.34 billion.
Social Media Spend to Double This Year
BrianSolis.com | Brian Solis | 7-30-10
In this post, Solis highlights the key takeaways from a 2010 study led by Duke University and the American Marketing Association, which focused on marketing budgets, company spending on social media and the most preferred job skills among marketing hires over the next year. Marketing budgets are expected to see an average increase of 5.9%, with CMOs reporting social media marketing as a major component, according to the study. In the next 12 months, social media budgets will grow from 5.6% to 9.9% of total marketing budgets and are estimated to rise to 17.7% in the next five years. While B2B service companies expect to see the largest jump in social media spending in the next 12 months (from 6.5% to 11%), B2C product companies follow closely behind with an expected leap from 7.5% to 11.6% over the next year, to nearly 19% in the next five years. B2B product and service companies, on the other hand, are expected to see a 15.3% and 18.9% change in social media spending within the next five years.
Main Takeaways:
- According to a 2010 study, CMOs reportedly estimate an average 5.9% increase in marketing budgets within the next 12 months, with much of the focus on social media.
- Social media budgets are expected to increase from 5.6% to 9.9% (of total marketing budgets) in the next year, and to jump to 17.7% over the next five years.
Boosting the Power of Marketers’ Tweets
In this post, eMarketer points out that while it’s important for a brand to focus on content syndication via Twitter, marketers appear to be sending out far more tweets that are focused on information sharing rather than engaging with customers and prospects. According to a white paper from 360i, a digital marketing agency, brands worldwide send out 75% informational tweets and just 16% consumer-engagement tweets. Consumers, on the other hand, send out conversational tweets 43% of the time. There’s research suggesting that consumers desire these information-sharing tweets, however. MarketingSherpa claimed findings that over 60% of people who follow brands online said they do so to learn more about new features, services and products. In fact, 43% of consumers reported that their motivation for mentioning a brand on Twitter was sharing news/information about that brand, and only 21% claimed it was to share an opinion, according to 360i. Additionally, the largest portion of retweets consisted of informational tweets (38%), whereas 34% of retweets shared an opinion.
Main Takeaways:
- In order to encourage brand advocacy from consumers, eMarketer stresses the significance of marketers both fostering conversation and content syndication on Twitter.
- According to digital marketing agency 360i, brands send out 75% informational tweets and only 16% consumer-engagement tweets.
Twitter Best Practices for the B2B Marketer
We hope that you’ve enjoyed this week’s summary and that you’ll share your feedback and questions with us. To get the weekly summary, or any other Optify updates, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn or subscribe to our RSS feed. Here’s one question we’d like to hear your thoughts on:
- What do you think about the research highlighted in eMarketer’s post, Boosting the Power of Marketers’ Tweets? Do you think it’s important for brands to create a balance between information-sharing tweets and customer-engagement tweets? Just because consumers make up the majority of Twitter users, do they set the tone for how marketers (B2B marketers, specifically) should tweet as well?
