Tarek Reda

How Can Facebook Get On The "Search" Wagon

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 16:36:00 +0000

The great social network has been busy lately; filing for IPO, introducing Timeline for pages, new ad units, Premium on Facebook, Reach Generator, Facebook Offers, etc.

You can imagine, a network with this size (expected to hit a billion members this year) has to constantly to develop and improve.

One area that Facebook hasn't been giving enough attention to is Search. Here's what I think Facebook should be doing to get on the "search" wagon.

What are you talking about?

We all know that Google is the king of Search. You're looking for ANYTHING, you search it on Google. They have left a mark so deep that the word "google" is actually a verb for searching/knowing/finding, etc.

But with today's ever-growing social connections and user generated content, people are becoming more interested in relevancy and context. They want to find content that their friends are sharing, content that people with similar interests are sharing, content that is "regionally" relevant to them.

That is why, Google is dying to achieve what Facebook has; Social Connections.

Google has been trying to add a social layer to its search results; their social network Google+ however has been described as a ghost town, Search Plus Your World has also been receiving some criticism. So it seems like Google is not quite getting their social mojo.

Facebook on the other hand, has a better chance to get the best of both worlds; Social and Search.

Look at the amount of content being generated on the network daily, Facebook can use that and turn it into the biggest content discovery platform. And with the immense data they have on each user, they can provide contextual relevant content.

This way instead of being just a social network, they are adding a significant "search" and content discovery edge.

Google has the content but lacks the social edge, Facebook has the content and the social edge. They just need to facilitate the method to search.

How can Facebook do it?

I see three main areas where Facebook can effectively deliver in search; Content, People, and News.

Content

Think StumbleUpon with a twist of social.

People share different types of content daily on the network; images, videos, and articles. Facebook can categorize content that is being shared on the network by topics (music, movies, politics, etc.) where the user can filter by the type of content (images, videos, articles). And maybe show you the hottest content on the network (most liked, shared, or commented on).

Obviously this will raise some privacy concerns, hence the user should be given the option whether to share publicly when posting. And by default you should be able to search content generated by your connections with that same depth.

This will also extend a new arm for advertisers, besides showing their ads in news feeds, profiles, etc. they will also have their ads served on Facebook Search Results (just invented the term!) similar to ads on Google's Search Engine Results Page (SERP).

People

Wouldn't it be nice to look for people who share similar interests? And maybe add a location layer to it? Let's say you're new in town and looking for some like-minded individuals, I'm pretty sure out of the 800+ million members, there's a big chance you'll find someone interesting nearby.

This applies to all the other interests in life; music, cooking, photography, dancing, etc. Finding people who share the same passions in life sounds good, doesn't it?

Other applications to searching people would include couch-surfing and of course dating. With the amount of detail and data each user has, you can search singles in your area who are interested in salsa dancing and sushi ! The interest in this case is determined by the users' likes, groups they've joined, etc.

With the rise of Ambient Social Networking and services like Highlight, Facebook should also give more attention to connecting its database and allowing for people to search in such a location-aware method.

News

This one is quite obvious, there is no doubt that social media (including Facebook) has become the source of information on the latest news for most of us.

But what if you can search the entire network for the latest news happening around the world instead of randomly coming across news showing up in your news-feed? Imagine the amount of real-time news you'll be able to get your hands on!

With some regional filtering and social twist (trending news or most shared news), Facebook could seriously become you're one and only source of news, taking out news sites and Google News in one hit.

Facebook has built a huge population and has given advertisers an incredible amount of data for targeting. It's about time they gave some of that reach and flexibility to users, it will only make the network even more interesting to them, thus more interesting to advertisers.

What do you think? Do you see Facebook as more than just a social network? What other areas can Facebook improve? Let me know in the comments section below.

SAVE THE INTERNET !

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:40:00 +0000

Please help stop SOPA and Protect IP bills from happening. If those bills pass, the internet as we know it will be drastically changed!

Watch the video below to understand what's this all about.

Take an action below.

SPREAD THE WORD!

How To Use Twitter For Your Personal Branding

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 20:53:00 +0000

I’m sure most of you have been using Twitter for a while now, to follow your favorite celebrities, tweet about stuff that you do throughout the day, or simply answer Twitter’s call “what’s happening?”

But there is a very lucrative side of Twitter if you look at it from a personal branding perspective, be it business related or whatever online persona you’re trying to build.

I will outline some of the guidelines and will be using my experience with Twitter as an example for using the platform in a purely personal branding fashion.

Let’s do this!

Objective

First and most important step is to decide what exactly will be the purpose of your Twitter account. As you might have noticed I work in digital marketing, that is why I’ve decided to use Twitter as a medium to show my knowledge and expertise in the field as well as to use my tweets as a database of information. So that later when I need some info on a topic that I know I tweeted about, I can look back at my tweets and find it.

It’s essential that you clearly show the objective of your account in the description, so that potential followers would know what to expect from your tweets. Make sure to include a link that also serves your branding, for example I included a link to my Google Profile which has all the links to my online accounts including my blog and my LinkedIn profile.

Follow the Right People

Following relevant accounts with similar interests, helps in empowering your brand. Not only would they provide your Twitter feed with relevant information but they will most likely find your tweets valuable to them as well.

When I first created my account, I was fascinated by following celebs and verified accounts until I realized that it’s not really serving my objective, it’s simply bombarding my twitter feed with irrelevant tweets.

A simple search with the right keywords using Twitter Search can yield some relevant results. Listorious is another place where you can find and follow relevant accounts and lists. The one that I really like is WeFollow, it allows you to search by different categories for the most influential accounts or the ones with most followers.

Manage your Account

With all the third party tools out there, you can seamlessly manage your account in a way that would make your life easier and make your Twitter usage more effective.

Personally I use TweetDeck which I think is wicked! Once you download it to your desktop, you can start doing awesome things like adding columns and scheduling tweets. I have 5 columns; Mentions, a list of experts that I created, Direct Messages, New Followers, and Scheduled Updates. You can also filter each column using special keywords.

Scheduling tweets is another cool feature in TweetDeck, but it makes sense only if you know when to tweet. Ideally you should be tweeting at the time when others are on Twitter. I use Tweriod to give me a better insight into when exactly is the best time to tweet based on my tweets as well as my followers’. This helps in extending the reach of your tweets.

Build your Following

Consistency is key to building your following. The more active you are, the more followers you will get. People don’t want to follow dead accounts that tweet once a week. Try to tweet on a daily basis and rest assured your efforts will pay off with a dedicated following.

A clever way of reaching out to potential followers in a valuable - less spammy way is using TweetQA or InboxQ. Those sites allow you to search for users asking questions using keywords related to your field and answer them. Most likely those users will follow you because you added value to them.

Another method that I find quite useful if your branding is more business oriented is using LinkedIn “Twitter” discussions. Some LinkedIn groups have those discussions asking members to post their Twitter accounts to follow. If you are on a relevant group, the members will most likely be the kind of following you’re looking for. You might not get all of them to follow you, but a couple of quality relevant followers are not bad.

If you have profiles on other networks that have the same purpose of your Twitter account, link them. For example I have linked my Twitter account to my LinkedIn profile, so whenever I post a tweet, it shows in the LinkedIn news feed of my connections extending the reach of my tweet.

Signs of Success

This is the part where you reap the fruits of your hard work. Nothing is more delightful than a re-tweet from a stranger who thinks your tweet is worth spreading. People will start adding you to their Paper.li newspaper because your tweets provide them with valuable information. If people start adding you to relevant authoritative lists, that’s also another sign that you’re on the right track.

One of the tools that give you some nice graphs for your Twitter activity is TweetStats. It shows your tweets’ frequency by month and your tweets’ density by hour, day, and week.

Twitter is one of the most powerful platforms for building your online persona and brand. It is a matter of utilizing it in the right way to serve your goal.

Have you been using Twitter for personal branding lately? How was your experience? Let me know in the comments below.

The Future of Amazon?

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 25 Jun 2011 19:25:00 +0000

What do you know about Amazon? I used to think they were simply a retailer, but I was wrong. Amazon is much bigger than that, it involves a much broader range of services. Do you know what Amazon Fresh is? It’s a delivery service of almost everything you want to buy from fresh products, meat, and seafood to diapers, DVDs, and toys – currently in the States. Do you know what Amazon Instant Video is? It’s a place where you can watch over 90,000 movies and TV shows online. I bet you didn’t know about Amazon Cloud Player that lets you play your music from the cloud on any Android device, PC, or Mac.

Amazon has built an eco-system that cements its place in the world of digital and physical goods. I believe their business model is to become a one-stop shop and the only place for people to buy and consume anything online and offline on multiple touch points. In this article, I will outline some of the future opportunities that either correlate with market trends or provide potential opportunities and commercial benefit for Amazon.

Mobile Payments

Amazon can get its millions of customers to use its mobile payment system and make use of Near Field Communication (NFC) technology. This will bring a much wider scale of data giving more insights into customers’ buying behavior and make the shopping experience for customers more convenient. It would be advisable though to wait for the mobile payments market to be more established and see how the public is responding to this technology.

Geo-located Deals

Amazon may enhance its presence in the deals market by providing its customers with relevant offerings and add location to it. Think of it as Groupon and Foursquare in one app. This brings in more data to understand the “commercial profile” of customers, and ensures Amazon keeps its customers and retailers from going to competition deals sites. In general, mobile will help in bridging the gap between the presence of Amazon online and offline.

The Kindle Tablet

Digital media is a critical element of Amazon’s eco-system. By creating a tablet version of the Kindle, Amazon would bring the interactivity of tablets to its digital media usage. This will create an extra, more interactive channel for viewing digital media content provided by Amazon such as video and music. The tablet would run on Android – judging by the fact that Amazon already has a Kindle app for the operating system, along with an app store and a cloud service that supports it. Amazon could undercut competitors by selling its tablet below cost and making up the revenue from sales of its digital content. However, this requires further research and investigation of the feasibility and cost of creating such tablet.

Where do you think the future of Amazon is heading? Let me know in the comments below.

Data - The Holy Grail of Online Retail

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 14:30:00 +0000

Data rules the digital world. It helps in identifying problems, creating new value propositions, and discovering unique use cases that customers show by their queries or questions. Without data, moving would require guess work and success is impossible to measure. The biggest advantage that digital offers for retailers is measurement, and data is the key element to effective measurement.

Digital is a data-enabled environment but to make the most out of it, analysis and optimization of data should be the main focus; retailers should be able to make use of data to give commercial insights and make decisions accordingly. We are moving from the age of information to the age of insights. Information is everywhere, but it's only valuable if you can draw insights from it to help you.

How can retailers use this data to produce better, more relevant customer experiences? What information do retailers need at each touch point to improve the experience and effectiveness? What’s the “value of knowing” versus the cost?

Data coming from media and advertising, including ad servers like Doubleclick tell us what creative and messages users have been exposed to, how many times, where have they seen it and if they have clicked to find out more.

Site analytics data coming from web analytics tools such as Google and Omniture tell us everything from how long people spent viewing content, how often they visit the content, what content has been viewed the most, and what they are searching for.

Social data from platforms like Facebook and Twitter can tell us who is in a consumer’s social graph and what brands and content they and their friends like and follow. Finally, mobile provides a new dimension to data capture through location and payments. These are all insights that can be used to drive richer experiences and better return on investment.

Oracle Retail has released its new data analytics tool “The Oracle Retail Merchandising Analytics” which can be used by companies to monitor sales levels, store performance, stock levels and efficiency of promotions, allowing them to manage logistics and better understand their operational problems and act accordingly.

Multichannel retail is becoming more and more important to the industry. The integration of data across multiple channels is becoming more challenging. Retailers need to understand the importance of linking data across inventory, prices, supply chain, stores and marketing activities. A report by dotMailer had a closer look at how retailers use data on existing customers to tailor email campaigns. The report revealed that many large brands such as Sainsburys and Play.com are struggling from the lack of personalization in their email marketing activities. This is due to the poor integration of social and mobile data with email.

It’s not surprising that today’s shoppers are becoming increasingly digitally savvy. Adoption rates for smartphones and tablet devices are continuing to explode. That is why; the new mobile and social media technologies are becoming essential to any retail brand’s strategy. Tools like the iPad have changed the game for retailers. Using the iPad for personalized selling provides retailers with the ability to view the customer’s shopping history, product preferences, past purchases and favorite items –- and use this data to suggest relevant accessories.

Retailers now have the ability to integrate data from Point Of Sale store systems to view customer data, sales history, inventory management and product availability. By linking these aspects of retail technology, devices and store systems are now connected to each other and can easily identify customer data with inventory and product information.

Top retailers are already bridging the gap between offline and online data. Tesco is trying to gain insights into customer loyalty and draw data from social media. Sainsbury’s has taken its first steps into using customer data to encourage more content creation. It’s using data from its Nectar Card about in-store purchases to contact customers and ask them to add reviews to its website.

Just like consumers, marketers are facing information overload. The data that consumers are creating, paints a picture about what is relevant to users. Marketers need to break down and manage this information by creating persona information and segments of customers with personalized messages. Data gathered during the online registrations, purchasing process, social graphs and mobile if utilized effectively can drive repeat sales and increase customer retention and satisfaction.

What do you think are new ways retailers can make use of data? And what are the challenges of obtaining it? Let me know in the comments below.

SEO in a Nutshell

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 03 Jun 2011 08:35:00 +0000

I am writing this post for those who are entering the world of SEO. This should give you a brief framework and some key tactics to consider for a successful SEO strategy.

Remember it's not an overnight process, it requires consistency to reap the fruits.

Before we get into the details, you need to keep an eye on some major changes happening in the search marketing industry now. This article talks about Google's new algorithm changes and how it affected search engine results.

Alright, lets do this! Basically there are two sides of SEO; On-site (stuff you do on your website) and off-site (stuff you do off your website, in other words "link building"). I will highlight some main points and tactics in each section.

On-site SEO

Keyword research for the website, every page would have a set of keywords with main focus on one or two key-phrases. For that you can use tools like Google Insights and Google keyword tool. Also consider keyword variations like singular vs plural, word order, and US/UK variations.
Do some competition analysis, see what keywords your competitors are using and generate ideas from there. They most probably did some research, use that.
Ensure those keywords are placed in page titles, meta tags, headings, body content of the page, anchor text, alt tags for images, and in the URL.
Create robots.txt file and sitemap.xml
Work with Google Webmaster Tools to make sure you are on the right track.
Validate the site using Markup Validation Service to make sure it's free of errors.
Make sure URLs are user-friendly for search engines as well as users. An example of a user-friendly URL would be http://econsultancy.com/uk/reports. Example of a non user-friendly URL would be http://econsultancy.com/f=83&t=475723.

Off-site SEO

Get your website on relevant directory listings (consider Google's new algorithm).
Post articles to relevant article sharing sites (consider Google's new algorithm).
Post press releases to press releases sites (consider Google's new algorithm).
Competitor backlinks using tools like Open Site Explorer and Yahoo Site Explorer.
Submit whitepapers, reports, and case studies to document sharing sites like Slideshare or Scribd.
Interact on industry relevant forums with links back to your website.
Post job vacancies on high traffic job sites linking back to your website.
Blog and interact on other blogs with links back to your website.
Search engines are now giving weight to social signals (links from social media), you have to consider being active on social media.

Monitor Performance

Measure progress in your search engine rankings and inbound links using tools like Advanced Web Ranking, SEO Quake, and SEM Rush. Also measure your performance compared to your competitors using tools like Compete, Open Site Explorer, and DoubleClick Ad Planner.

You don't have to be a super technical IT guy to do all of this but you need to have a good understanding of SEO from a marketing viewpoint as well as technical to a certain extent.

Have you worked in SEO? What other clever tactics you can do to boost your rankings? Let me know in the comments below.

Key Elements of a Successful Content Strategy

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 30 May 2011 15:22:00 +0000

Having a strong content strategy, whether it is a blog, a newsletter, whitepapers, webinars or podcasts, is central to your online presence. Content is one of the good business growth strategies (it helps to increase awareness and brand equity) and if executed correctly, it can help with creating competitive advantage.

So, what are the elements of a successful content strategy? I have outlined some of the tactics you should consider when it comes to content.

Know Your Audience

It is critical to define your audience and their needs because this will reflect on your content. Why would somebody subscribe, like, or follow your content? It’s because your brand offers them something. Make sure you deliver what they need.

Know Your Platforms

As I mentioned in my previous post, people are diversifying in the forms of channels they use. You need to find out which platforms are most appropriate to your niche. For example, your business might get more use out of LinkedIn and Email than Facebook and Twitter. Or a big percentage of your audience might be using iPads, so you need to make sure your content is effectively delivered there.

Be Valuable

Providing superior quality content is the key. You need to be relevant and valuable to your readers to build a sense of loyalty and credibility to yourself. Your content should prove that you are a reliable source of knowledge and information.

Be Consistent

If you cannot be consistent there is almost no point in doing it unless you are doing it just for your own pleasure. Planning is the key to keep the content flowing; know when to write about the certain topic. It also builds a habit in the mind of the reader and keeps him engaged.

Don’t Forget SEO

Google has tweaked its algorithms to reward good content. Don’t forget to focus on keywords and encouraging those with a high PageRank to link in your direction. Consider SEO for different forms of content; text, video and images.

Monitor

Check your analytics regularly to see how your readers are reacting to your content and where they go after reading each piece, and optimize accordingly.

Have I missed other factors for a successful content strategy? Let me know in the comments below.

7 Channels Consumers Are Using To Access Digital Information

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 27 May 2011 14:16:00 +0000

I’m sure you would agree with me if I said that the way you consume information has drastically changed. We’re not any more concerned about getting the newspaper in the morning (unless you’re on your way to work and don’t have a smartphone).

Traditional sources of information are now continuously replaced by digital channels. As bloggers, publishers, producers or people working in media, we need to understand how consumers are accessing information in the digital age. How are people accessing the things we write? What is their path and method to get there? How can we make it easier for them to access our information?

I will discuss some of the most prominent channels that online readers are using to consume content and how to approach them for your benefit.

RRS

It’s true that RRS Feed Readers like Google Reader is being over taken by social media such as Facebook and Twitter. But that doesn’t mean it is dead. RSS is a technology that provides a backbone to syndicating content, not feed readers.

Many iPhone apps, Android apps and other mobile platform apps make use of RSS structured data to display it in a customized format. I still believe it is a convenient way to pull together different sources of “relevant” content in one place.

Aggregators

News aggregators like Techmeme and Digg pull information from a variety of different sources. The main advantage of news aggregators is that all the contents are fresh and top in their niche. Their websites pull the data from popular blogs, news sources and social media websites. These sources of info provide content ideas for you to publish on your blog as well.

Twitter

There is no question that social media has affected how we consume information. More people are using Twitter as a means to accessing information. That is why if you’re not using Twitter to publish your content then you are missing out on a big chunk of audience.

Reading habits are now affected by what it is that people think is worth bookmarking and sharing, therefore recommendations from people in one’s network play a big role in what content the reader decides to consume.

Now aggregators and news sites are even using Twitter as a platform to publish their content. That is why Twitter is considered one of the most prominent sources of information and news on the web. Personally, I see it more of an information network than a social network.

Facebook

Facebook has a growing role as a platform for journalists and publishers to use for social storytelling and reporting. It offers content producers an arsenal of content types beyond Twitter’s 140 characters, an alternative destination to connect with new sources of information, and a network of more than 600 million users.

Facebook makes it easy for readers to connect and engage with one another. Some of the posts on Al-Jazeera English Facebook page get a lot of feedback, often receiving more than 600 comments.

LinkedIn

LinkedIn is essential to any business engaging in digital media. It is the professional profile of record for your business. The company also provides a primary source for professional insights.

Tools like LinkedIn Today provide social news source for business professionals. It is a professional news product that aggregates and delivers a personalized news experience to each user based on what stories a user’s network is sharing.

Other tools like LinkedIn Signal essentially combine LinkedIn and Twitter updates into a single newsfeed. These tools are all sources of information that consumers find online.

Quora

Quora is known as a “social network for knowledge”. Certainly, there is an abundance of resources that appeal to a range of tastes on this platform. It might be more relevant to businesses and non-profits rather than regular online readers but still it is considered a wealthy source of information. Users have been flooding onto the site in search for high quality information; it is a platform that shouldn’t be missed.

Mobile Devices

Undoubtedly, there is a rapid increase in mobile search. Consumers are increasingly using their mobile devices to search for news and information on-the-go. According to Airwide Solutions, social networking accounts for 50% of all mobile internet traffic.

And now with the rapid growth of iPads, you should be thinking about how you can deliver your content via the iPad and other tablets. You need to ask yourself questions like: Are you integrating any special features for touch screen users? How does your website appear in Flipboard? Do you really need to develop an app or should you just have a mobile version of your site?

If you are a blogger and using Wordpress, you can use tools like Onswipe that transforms your website into a tablet-friendly magazine-style website.

Takeaway

Whatever the channels you are using to deliver your content, you need to consider the following points:

People are diversifying in the forms of information sources they use. You need to find out which sources are most appropriate to your niche. For example, business websites might get more use out of LinkedIn, Quora or Readers rather than Facebook.

Use sharing buttons to make it as easy as possible for users to share your information.

Measure how people are consuming your content using tools like Google Reader and PostRank (a tool that analyzes how well your posts are doing).

What are other different ways that online readers are accessing information through digital channels? Let me know in the comments below.

Case Study: Levi's Social Media Strategy Analysis

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 25 May 2011 16:09:00 +0000

Now more than ever, retail brands are engaging consumers on social networks to offer deals, allow users to socialize around purchases, and more. Levi’s Jeans was one of the brands that used Facebook as a tool for sales and marketing initiatives and has launched a number of compelling campaigns using Facebook. I will analyze Levi’s strategies, tools, and activities undertaken by the company to leverage social media on a variety of channels.

Analysis

Levi’s allows Facebook users to like products on Levi’s online store and its Facebook page (which has nearly 4,328,095 likes) and share their favorite items with their friends. Levi’s promotes retail offerings with geo-targeted event advertisements on Facebook.

They also have a Twitter account with around 7,020 followers. They use it to post up to the minute information on their latest products, deals and exclusive events.

Let's review some of their creative social media campaigns that generated a more engaging experience for their customers.

Levi’s Guy and Levi’s Girl

Levi’s introduced a “Levi’s Guy,” 24-year-old USC graduate Gareth who engages consumers on twitter. He has around 8,100 followers and is responsible for responding to and engaging in conversations about the Levi’s brand on Twitter. He also posts announcements about competitions and promotions on his YouTube channel which has over 31,550 views.

The company also introduced the first Levi’s Girl back in 2010, which served as a female counterpart to Gareth. She acted as the new face and voice for Levi's Women in the digital space. She won the role after submitting a video showing off her unique style and personality.

Recently Levi’s opened it up to residents in the UK. To win a six-month paid position at the Levi’s HQ in San Francisco as the official spokesperson, social media coordinator and community manager for Levi’s Women, entrants had to submit a 1-2 minute video of themselves explaining why they should be the face of the brand. The contest was featured as a tab on Levi’s Facebook page. Adding this human voice to the brand’s communication has proved to be more interesting and engaging for the users.

Levis Curve ID

Levi’s is also getting consumers to try on some jeans — virtually — in a new in-app promotion with the Facebook game Mall World, designed to promote the Curve ID brand. For Levi’s, which introduced Curve ID jeans in the fall of 2010, Mall World was a “perfect fit” with the new brand’s targeted 18- to 24-year-old demographic.

Waterless

Another notable campaign was a Levi’s and Water.org partnership offering a branded app that taught users about saving water. The goal was to engage the users, provide more network exposure, promote the page, and eventually increase product purchase. The idea was a WaterTank game developed by Levi’s to support Water.org efforts to save water and support the organization’s clean water projects across the globe. By playing the Levi’s WaterTank game, users can complete a series of tasks to unlock water for Levi’s to donate $250,000 around the world as part of Water.org’s mission. The game included tasks such as:

1) Like Us

2) Visit a Levi’s store

3) Pledge to wash my jeans every 2 weeks instead of each week

4) Tweet Us

5) Visit water.org to answer questions about water

6) Find a Watertank QR code in any Levi’s store and scan it to show I’ve checked out a pair of Levi’s Waterless

7) Make a donation to water.org

8) Ask two friends to join me in playing Watertank

The game helped in increasing the number of likes, unlocking more than 66 million liters of water, and generating a feed story for each challenge completed resulting in more exposure for the brand.

Levi’s Film Workshop

Moreover, Levi’s launched The Levi's® Film Workshop - a place for collaboration and creative production that celebrates the craft of filmmaking. Everyone is invited to access the Workshop's equipment rentals, edit suites and other resources free of charge. It is promoted as a tab on their Facebook page.

They also have a Levi’s Workshops Twitter account which posts updates and responds to users’ tweets about its series of community-based venues for collaboration and creative production.

Juxtapoz x Levi’s

Levi’s has also teamed up with Juxtapoz, in the spirit of street art and graffiti to bring an enhanced version of what you have come to expect from Juxtapoz magazine. One of the brilliant art works done was The Levi’s Sculpture by Ian McChesney.

Levi’s FreeForm

Levi’s promotes on its Facebook page Levi’s FreeForm - a place where the users can share their stories about things and people who inspired them. This was also reflected on the Levis Guy youtube channel which shows the integration of their social media strategy across different channels.

They also use their Facebook page to promote new job openings, polls, manage community discussions, and allow the customers to write reviews of Levi’s.

Downsides

Levi's is clearly active on social media; however one potential threat could be the fact that they are leaving their social media efforts to a few people, rather than it being part of its culture's DNA. The Twitter link from their official website links to TheLevisGuy twitter account and not the company’s official account. Levi’s CEO - John Anderson - for example does not have any social media existence although I think he should be out in front, at least on Twitter.

Success Factors

I think personalization was a key success factor in Levi’s social media activity. A number of high profile campaigns have utilized the personal engagement of a particular character or person and proved to be quite successful, most notably Old Spice. It has been proven that having a 'Human Voice' in social media helps build customer relationships and positive word of mouth.

Their creative campaigns on Facebook are the fuel that drives their social media activities. Levi’s integrated engagement strategy with Twitter, Facebook and Youtube has a huge impact on creating and informing brand ambassadors who help drive sales through their own actions and word of mouth.

Are there other clever social media activities done by Levi's? What do you think of their social media strategy? Let me know in the comments below.

Six Controversial Pricing Models For Digital Publishers

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 23 May 2011 12:38:00 +0000

Users are now more used to receiving “free” content due to the immense amount of free information available online, and of course piracy. Unfortunately, this is bad news for publishers who are trying to monetize their digital content.

I have compiled six pricing models and trends that I think provide lucrative opportunities as revenue streams for publishers in the digital space.

1. The Agency Model
This model is based on the idea of moving from the ‘retail model’ of selling e-books (publishers sell to retailers, who then sell to readers at a price that the retailer determines) to the ‘agency model’ (publishers set the price, and retailers take a commission on the sale to readers). This approach gives publishers the ability to control how much digital books are sold on a per-book basis. It gives the control to publishers, similar to how music publishers sell certain digital tracks or digital albums for around $0.99 per track/$9.99 per album standard.

2. Contextual Upsell
E-books allow publishers to interact with their customers in new ways. This interactivity can be used in a way to cross-sell products that are relevant to the publisher’s content. For example, users who are trying to learn music theory and get stuck on a particular point, they can click a help button, which points them to the publisher site where they can download relevant tutorials about specific music theory aspects for $2.99. They choose the one they need and get a new learning tool, which helps them progress in their learning. Multiply this by hundreds of thousands of users who share similar learning gaps who will purchase through the book. The combination of commerce and content provides an interesting new marketing opportunity.

3. Social Media Following
Yes, social media could eventually be a revenue model for some publishers. Building content outside the paywall to attract followings within commercial social environments is one way of building readership and an alternative way of generating revenue. Rather than trying to directly build subscribers to its paywalled content, The Sunday Times attempts to build its social media following through its Social List as a participatory, fun and engaging piece of social entertainment which eventually increases the number of paid subscribers.

4. Virtual Credits
Earlier this month, Facebook announced it was tying up with Dealspot to let US users earn Credits in return for watching branded videos. This might work well with news sites publishing exclusive teaser videos on Facebook. Users will be willing to pay for such content.

5. Paywall / Freemium
You probably know this one; it has applied by a number of publishers so far including Econsultancy, New Media Age and others. This model allows site visitors to view the majority of website content for free, while unlimited access requires a weekly or monthly subscription. This works mostly for news and other general-interest content that is widely available on the Web. The New York Times' paywall represents a freemium model where users are asked to subscribe after viewing a predefined number of articles a month.

6. Pay-What-You-Want
This model has been applied by some including Radiohead who decided to let buyers name their own price for the band’s “In Rainbows” album, and Panera Bread who opened a restaurant in which customers can pay however much they think the food is worth. The “pay what you want” strategy works best when it allows companies to share social responsibility with consumers. When buyers are able to set prices in a way that directly shows their support for a cause, it proves to be successful. However, I don’t think this concept is commercially sustainable, it might be a good temporary route to follow. Besides, it requires strong relationship and loyalty between the customer and the brand.

These are tough times for publishers to try and make sense of their pricing model, but it should be noted that success is directly related to the quality of content. According to a study by eMarketer, if the publication has content that the consumer believes is of quality and worth paying for, they will. The publisher then has to figure out how much that consumer is willing to spend and develop a reasonable pricing model. It all goes down to two interconnected points; the monetization strategy and the quality of the content.

What other pricing models provide opportunities for publishers in the digital environment? Let me know in the comments below.

Niche Social Networks - The True Facebook Rivals?

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 20 May 2011 20:00:00 +0000

We all know how dominant Facebook is. Good thing for us as users to have a place online we call “home” but kind of frustrating for rival networks as it is now almost impossible for them to create a network as big and powerful as Facebook.

But we shouldn’t forget that a small business has the advantage of personalization and relevance. For example, a small business targeting male teenagers playing blues guitar has a greater potential in that segment than a big business targeting guitar players. That’s why Facebook’s dominance has forced rival networks to focus on niche interests. Sites like Air BnB and Patients Like Me have successfully followed this approach and were able to secure a niche relevant active network of users. Diaspora is another social network that allows you to share what you want with a smaller, more intimate network of users. Myspace is now trying to change its branding from being a social network to a social entertainment destination focusing on entertainment and music only.

It's also worth noting that most social networks make their money through paid advertising, and a niche network is an advertiser's dream because it's a readymade target audience. For example, a social network for surfers would provide a good ad space for a company selling surfing boards.

What do you think of niche social networks? Let me know in the comments below.

My Daily Media Consumption [infographic]

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 16 May 2011 20:46:00 +0000

I thought I'd share with you my daily media consumption. It is mostly free online media, as you will notice from the infographic I don't consume much offline. I included the media channels I use the most ranging from social to blogs to RSS and email.

Tarek Reda - Daily Media Consumption

What is your daily media diet? Let me know in the comments below.

Creative Advertising Concept for H&M [video]

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 14 May 2011 20:00:00 +0000

Last month me and my friend Suraj, took part in Future Lions advertising contest. The brief was to advertise a product from a global brand in a way that could not have been done five years ago, to an audience of our choosing. We had around 3 days of intense brainstorming and finally ended up with an idea for H&M.

Have a look at the video...

What do you think of the concept? How can it be improved? Let me know in the comments below.
UUPCXACTSJC3

The Evolution of Digital Publishing

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 09 May 2011 17:00:00 +0000

Publishing will experience a transformation in structure of the industry as well as in the consumption behavior of consumers. The publishing industry is now concerned with questions like what types of information and from which sources, really produce value for the individual in his/her social environment.

The future of digital content is increasingly influenced by personalization of data and the ability to offer it in an “as you want it” way. Publishing companies need to grasp the fact that the market is and will continue to grow away from print. Print is dying not because it isn't nice, but because the new market wants information on demand, in their preferred format and medium, and with the ability to access information without the boundaries of traditional print methods (e.g., issue, year, etc).

Some companies view digital as "competition" that works against their print sales. Other examples, as mentioned in Juan Señor and John Wilpers research, show that magazine professionals are willing to experiment with new storytelling styles, platforms, formats and revenue streams. The research outlines that magazine publishers’ role should be focused around producing as well as curating and filtering valuable content for the users.

Another course of evolution for publishing is that now consumption is becoming more local which urges publishers to consider aspects such as location-based and personalized search. Publishers need to be the trusted intermediary between a locally-aware user and the stuff around him/her at the time that he/she finds useful.

It could be that print will become a luxury quality product compared to digital which will be offered for the mass market, but then again this goes back to how consumers will react to changes in the eco-system; so far the consumer behavior is championing a more personalized social digital publishing experience.

What are your thoughts on the future of digital publishing? Let me know in the comments below.

Case Study: Ziff Davis Digital Publishing

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 08 May 2011 06:00:00 +0000

Continuing my digital publishing blogging frenzy, I have decided to develop a brief case study for Ziff Davis.

Ziff Davis, Inc. is one of the world’s best-known publishers of leading technology-based digital content products. Brands within the Network include ExtremeTech, Gearlog, Appscout, Smart Device Central, GoodCleanTech, DL.TV, Cranky Geeks, and PCMag. The Network’s content is delivered worldwide to readers across a multiple platform of Web sites, e-newsletters, Webcasts, broadband video, software downloads and RSS feeds to users in more than 20 countries.

Ziff Davis, Inc. has abandoned print and went all digital in January 2009. Today the former magazine publisher is focused on digital content, data and commerce.

The company I would say does have quality content; one of its brands, PC Mag, probably is the most trusted buying recommendations for technology products and services across the globe. Other brands in the network as well are highly credible and provide means for the company to curate information from its network. The company however doesn’t give much space for consumers to engage and interact with its content. If you look at the website, it’s pretty much static with no social elements what so ever.

The website is also not very well optimized for mobile devices, besides there is no app neither for smartphones nor tablets.

Individual sites within the network though do have much better presence online; the websites are much more engaging and user-friendly. What Ziff Davis can do is try to filter and curate data from its individual sites within its network, and provide this information for users on various mediums. This way it will tackle both valuable content and medium. It also needs to incorporate more social signals on its platform whether it is a website, blog, or app.

Let me hear your thoughts on my case study in the comments below.

Publishing Redefined

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 07 May 2011 20:00:00 +0000

Two days ago, I came across an interesting article by John Battelle redefining publishing and talking about how brands should become publishers in today’s digital media. John discussed the impact of new conversational media on the way brands interact with consumers. I agree with most of the points highlighted in this article especially the notion that brands are shaped by what people say about it online. In an earlier post, I mentioned that today consumers are offered with so many tools and platforms that provide easy ways for them to express and share their thoughts about anything, which includes brands.

Consumers are becoming powerful players in the publishing eco-system. Publishing is becoming more of a collaborative activity between publishers and consumers; this corresponds to what John Battelle was saying in his article about the viral impact of being social and having a powerful voice in social media conversations.

The article also pointed out the fact that publishing is tied by two main aspects; the message (what is being said) and the medium (how that message gets into our minds). In order to successfully create content in today’s digital media, a publisher needs to bring something of value to the consumer and provide this valuable content in the most relevant and convenient mediums in order to facilitate word of mouth, sharing and going viral.

It can be said that publishers are becoming more of community managers; their main responsibility is to facilitate a conversation among various audiences. The nature of their work is not anymore about spoon-feeding information to the consumers but rather collaborating with them to deliver relevant and valuable stories.

How do you define publishing? Let me know in the comments below.

You Are Controlling The Future of Digital Media

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 05 May 2011 22:23:00 +0000

Much of the web experience, particularly in the way we consume content, is becoming social and personalized. The public re-use of stories and the ability of consumers to share content online allows for the piece of content to be read by hundreds of other consumers.

Clay Shirky notes that the aggregation of news sources has gone to the consumer side. The decision about what information to receive and bring together into a bundle is now made by the consumer, not the publisher. People now don’t go to the New York Times homepage but they go to the story because someone has tweeted it or put it on Facebook or emailed it. People are now assembled by other consumers, not the news source.

Consumers are also no longer consuming digital content on a single device. Instead, they tweet on their laptops while viewing a TV program, watch another show on their tablet during a commercial or look up lyrics on their smartphones while listening to a song on the radio. This new behavior will force content producers to adapt to it. That is why publishers will have to incentivize viewers to discuss content on social networks and applications.

Moreover, the way users engage content is becoming more of stories that have deep social integration and crowdsourcing nature. Social platforms are shared spaces and so the stories there are more open and collaborative, which challenges journalists to abandon their traditional “we write, you read” approach.

Intersect is one of the companies that is trying to add context into the equation. They are enabling the community to share stories that are attached to a time and a place and showcase that information on a timeline that intersects with people’s stories. Such concepts are a product of the changing behavior of consumers which ultimately forces publishers to become multimedia storytellers, community builders who can facilitate conversation among various audiences, and bloggers and curators of good quality content.

Do you agree users are the drivers of future digital media? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

How Can Old Media Survive In The Digital Space?

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 03 May 2011 21:29:00 +0000

Social media has penetrated nearly every aspect of our public and private lives, from the White House providing access to its official photostream to a coffee shop that takes orders via Twitter. Because the digital space allows for social media commentary and easy social sharing of content, making the content more engaging and participatory, media is being created and consumed more than ever before. That is why it is an exciting time for content owners and distributors. With this drastic change in the eco-system, traditional media companies might not be able to stick to their old forms of media. They will have to embrace the new eco system, which I think has got many opportunities for them.

In a survey carried out over May and June 2010 by PR network Oriella, many respondents said that publishers were considering new online sources of revenue, such as paywalls, membership plans, and premium mobile content for phones and tablets. This may be due to the fact that, over the past two years, publications have been reporting significant loss of readership/viewership as well as ad revenues to online media. The figure below shows the percentage of respondents willing to explore the digital media.

If you look at the front page of nytimes.com, you will notice it has recommendations from users’ Facebook network alongside stories chosen by their editors. Visitors can navigate to the “Most Popular” tab to find stories that are the most popular among bloggers and readers. This is another example of a traditional publishing organization embracing the potential of digital.

Though many news organizations would like to engage readers across many social platforms, they’re eventually looking for ways to monetize it. Mostly, the justification behind social activities is an increase in traffic. But there are some examples such as Minnpost.com‘s “Real time ads,” which sells businesses widget space to display their Twitter feed where the business directly controls what is displayed on the site and also the advertising has the potential to be more effective because users can engage it. Another opportunity that has good potential is “in-stream advertising” from companies like Ad.ly, which is mostly known for celebrity-endorsed tweets, but also includes an API that enables publishers to monetize their mobile apps through targeted in-stream ads.

Because digital has offered advertisers with a wider range of options and alternatives, experimenting with platforms to social advertising provides a huge opportunity for publishers which I believe have a really unique opportunity in the digital space.

What other digital opportunities are there for traditional publishers? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Five Digital Media Disruptions That Have Knocked Down Traditional Media

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 01 May 2011 20:26:00 +0000

Digital media is evolving at a rapid pace. Traditional media is being (to certain extent) replaced by new social tools like Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, and many others. Over the past decade, we have witnessed a growing shift in readership and advertising from traditional media (print, radio, and TV) to digital. I have outlined five of the most notable digital media disruptions that reflect the shift from traditional to digital.

1. New Aggregation Models

Digital has offered new models for aggregating, curating and delivering content on the web and on mobile devices. RSS, Twitter and Tumblr are popular for aggregating content in an individual way, while more formal aggregators such as Techmeme let third-party editors do it for them. Not to forget the much hyped iPad, a number of news-reading apps such as Flipboard and Pulse aggregate news from RSS and social networks and present them in a magazine-style format.

2. Reporting and Distribution

Digital has disrupted the way news is distributed among users. Platforms like Twitter, Youtube, and Facebook have long been playing significant roles in news reporting and distribution. These tools help journalists tell stories, engage audiences and expand their reach. Needless to say, the role Facebook and Twitter have played in helping journalists in North Africa and the Middle East gather relevant sources of information.
News organizations such as The Atlantic and Newsweek are using Tumblr to tell the stories, start conversations with readers, and curate and share third-party content. Other tools like Photo-sharing iPhone app Instagram is used widely to distribute topical images, while Storify is helping news organizations tell stories by pulling together a variety of different sources in a single, embeddable format. A noteworthy example is the way TBD.com, a news startup in Washington D.C., has integrated social media and enlisted a community of bloggers into the newsgathering and production process, creating a collaborative reporting environment.

3. Brands are Becoming Media

Brands are now offered with so many platforms and tools that have made it easier and more affordable for them to create and distribute their own content, and in turn becoming their own media. Brands are now keener on announcing their news via their Twitter accounts and blogs, rather than through formal press releases. Lady Gaga premiered her latest music video not through VH1 or MTV, but on Vevo.

4. Social Networks are Editors

Platforms like Twitter can actually become our editor. Previously newspaper editors were the ones who decided what the public should read. Now people can turn to their social networks to find out.

5. Multi-platform Subscription

Because consumers are using content on various devices from laptops to smartphones to tablets, publishers are now offering subscription packages that allow users to access content on all of those devices for one fee. The Economist, for instance, currently offers access to its iPhone and iPad apps for free with a print or digital subscription.

What are your thoughts on this matter? Let me know in the comments below.

Master of Digital Marketing at Hult [video]

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 20:00:00 +0000

I'm pursuing a Master of Digital Marketing degree at Hult International Business School in London. During my application phase I took part in a video contest to show "creatively" how this degree will benefit my CV and career.
I was fortunate enough to win and got myself a free round-trip ticket to London!

Check out the video!

Let me know what you think in the comments below.

How To Handle Today's Online Communities

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 00:42:00 +0000

Word of mouth is for the most part responsible for the online success of many big names such as Hotmail and the early days of Amazon. Online channels are constantly emerging; LinkedIn, Quora, Facebook and Twitter, all providing easy ways for users to express and share their thoughts about anything. What’s very interesting is that your brand could be the subject for those conversations!

I've outlined some of the basic steps that would help you make the most of online communities and leverage it to your business benefit.
There are basically 2 sides when dealing with online communities; the side where you listen, and the side where you interact.

Listening

Start by using Google Alerts to monitor mentions of your brand online. Enter your “company name” as a search term and Google Alerts will alert you every time someone mentions your brand. Other tools include SocialMention, MonitorThis and Netvibes.
In order to monitor the actual promoters of your brand, you need to measure ‘satisfaction’ because this is what drives a customer to recommend your product/service. For example, do not just ask “Would you recommend us to a friend or colleague?” but rather go for “How likely are you to communicate about your experiences?” and give them a scale from 0 to 10.
Thank people who would say positive stuff about your brand and reward this behavior. You need to be active in addressing issues that people complain about and don't like.
A good way for a company to get consumers to take part in a conversation 'around' its brand is to facilitate a discussion on a branded forum on its website and keep an eye on the conversations happening. Listening to the on-going conversations helps define the emerging trends and future ideas.

Interacting

Make a list of the top 5 to 10 relevant forums/communities to your industry and rank them by their Alexa rank and Google Pagerank.
Logon to the chosen forums/communities and start answering specific industry questions to demonstrate that you are an expert in your field.
Don’t be a spammer by advertising for your business because then people will lose interest in your posts. You are there to interact and provide useful content, not to sell your products.
Submit tips and advice, and people will like to know more and actually refer you to other users.
Post on a regular basis, e.g. weekly, to develop credibility and consistency.
Manage your time e.g. half an hour every week.
Do not buy recommendations by providing incentives to do so. What you’re looking for is ‘earned recommendation’ not ‘bought recommendation’.
Always remember to include links back to your website. Search engines are now giving more weight to inbound links from social media.
Make sure your links include your main keyword phrases to be optimized for search engines.
Your posts in the community should be of value so that people would be interested to visit your website.

In conclusion, online communities if leveraged wisely can provide a very lucrative element to your overall marketing campaign especially that the only cost your paying is time!

Do you have other valuable tactics for community engagement? Let me know what you think in the comments below.