One of our first topics covered was how “the internet of things” is changing the way business works. British technology pioneer, Kevin Ashton, coined the term “Internet of Things” to describe how the Internet could be connected to the physical world through a network of sensors.

The video below is a summary of the thoughts we’ve been researching and the full article, Looking into the future of mobile – the internet of things, can be found on my personal blog. 

Mobile strategy and the Internet of Things

Briefly, mobile technology is shaping our future, and is currently more accessible than running water around the globe. According to Wikipedia:

Today’s information technology is so dependent on data originated by people that our computers know more about ideas than things. If we had computers that knew everything there was to know about things – using data they gathered without any help from us – we would be able to track and count everything, and greatly reduce waste, loss and cost.

We would know when things needed replacing, repairing or recalling, and whether they were fresh or past their best. The Internet of Things has the potential to change the world, just as the Internet did. Maybe even more so.”

According to Andy Stanford-Clark, UK-based IBM Master Inventor:

The vision of billions and trillions of connected devices can now come true. The implications are huge. We can help solve the energy crisis and improve agriculture, transportation and healthcare. It will make getting things done easier, cheaper and more efficient.”

originally posted by Mike Saunders on DigitLab | Social Media Marketing

Photo © Social Media Today

The hashtag signifies a collective thought across multiple platforms, whether it be on Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram,  or any of the hundreds of other platforms out there.

At it’s core, a hashtag is simply a # symbol followed by a relevant word or a series of words. Hashtags make it easier for users to quickly search for tweets, status updates, or images. When searching for or clicking on a hashtag, platforms display content that has been tagged with the same phrase.

In theory, only those interested in a specific topic will be using the same hashtag.

Facilitating search and conversation

In it’s essence the hashtag is a discovery tool developed by Twitter (and adopted by the rest of the social world) to aid users in finding like-minded individuals to follow. Because Twitter is a public network, the hashtag serves as a powerful tool in engaging users and encouraging conversation.

The viral nature of hashtags have opened up opportunities for brands and marketers, extending a company’s web presence beyond websites and social profiles and into the consumer’s conversation space. Branded hashtags (for example MTV’s #FollowMeMTV) are becoming commonplace and businesses are beginning to see the value in putting resources into hashtag strategy.

© agent-x.com.au

Hashtag campaigns are about creating a platform for consumers to converse about and with the brand, while being able to monitor the conversation using the hashtag. Hashtag strategy isn’t necessarily about creating a marketing campaign centered around the hashtag itself, but rather about creating hashtags that center around a brand’s message. Unlike an advertising campaign, hashtags do not die out over time.

Branded hashtags and hashtag strategy

Hashtag strategies are not limited to branding hashtags. One of these alternative strategies is hashtag marketing. The Washington Post found value in using hashtag advertising to promote their own content, by sponsoring the hashtag #Elections as a trending topic on Twitter during the last US elections. As a result, the newspaper’s tweets appeared first when users searched #elections on election day.

Another hashtag strategy, common to bloggers and news aggregators, is to use hashtags as a means of crowdsourcing. By having fans and followers share content with their company’s hashtag, brands are able find and share content that’s relevant and shareable. Other common hashtag strategies include gaining follows and linkbacks with hashtag competitions and using hashtags to create buzz at events.

The hashtag is a powerful tool when used correctly, but can also agitate followers when used incorrectly. Below is a list of hashtag practices that are guaranteed to skyrocket you to being a #HashtagExpert!

Using hashtags correctly

1. Remember that hashtags are public – anyone searching for that tag will be able to see your content.
2. #Don’t #hashtag #spam #every #single #word. There is nothing more unpleasant than having to sift through an over-tagged update.
3. Only hashtag relevant topics (a lesson learnt from Kenneth Cole’s #Cairo scandal).
4. Use capital letters (#SociallySpeaking reads easier than #sociallyspeaking).
5. Avoid using long hashtags. You will find great difficulty in facilitating conversation around something like #StevensLatestDigitLabBlogPost, as it leaves more room for error.
6. Avoid abbreviations. #SS could be Socially Speaking, but could be a thousand other things too, which makes monitoring conversation nearly impossible.

originally posted by Steve Ilbury on DigitLab | Social Media Marketing

Now you have an opportunity to work with us. We are looking for a young, dynamic, student who loves social media and wants to be a part of the best social media marketing team in South Africa!

Have a look at our Instagram and Harlem Shake on YouTube to find out what it’s like to work for us.

We are looking for a student to assist with the day to day activities in managing and executing social media and digital campaigns. This is a junior position and ideally suited for someone who is studying advertising or marketing. We will happily negotiate your work schedule around your study schedule.

Job Description

1. Monitor social media platforms for clients.
2. General admin related to social media and community management.

 Requirements

1. Energetic, positive outlook, with a good sense of humour!
2. Studying towards BA or similar in Marketing, Communication, Advertising, PR or related field
3. Excellent writing and communication skills
4. General tech savvy
5. Interest in digital marketing, new technologies, and social media
6. Attention to detail
7. Active in social networks like Facebook and Twitter
8. Must thrive in a team environment
9. Driven by productivity
10. A proactive approach and ability to take initiative

Please note this is an office based position in Kloof (Durban).

Apply for this position

Apologies – applications for this position are now closed.

originally posted by Tammy Dennekamp on DigitLab | Social Media Marketing

Now you have an opportunity to work with us. We are looking for a young, dynamic individual who loves social media and wants to be a part of the best social media marketing team in South Africa!

Have a look at our Instagram and Harlem Shake on YouTube to find out what it’s like to work for us. 

Position Summary

To Develop backend systems for websites, mobile applications and other related digital media projects. The position will require a good to excellent  knowledge of the programming involved in the above mentioned projects. The jobholder may also be required on occasion to be involved in the front-end design and or development of the above mentioned projects. The jobholder may be required to administer the office hardware and software. The jobholder may also be required to field telephone calls.

Key Performance Areas

• Develop the backend systems for websites and other related digital media projects
• Integrate design with backend programming
• Test completed projects
• Internal system support
• Growth

Develop the backend systems for web sites and other related digital media projects

• Work in an editor of choice to create the programming for the Backend systems for web sites and other digital media projects
• Have an excellent knowledge of PHP
• Have an excellent knowledge of Database design principals and a good knowledge of MySQL
• Have experience with Content Management systems preferably Drupal or WordPress

Integrate design with backend programming

• Have a good understanding of HTML(5), CSS(3) and JavaScript
• Have a basic understanding of Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign
• Integrate Front-end design with backend programming
• Have experience creating themes/templates for Drupal and or WordPress

Test completed projects

• Systematically go through completed projects as a user and identify bugs

Internal system support

• Look after the company network
• Administer the develpoment servers (Ubuntu)
• Help with desktop problems (Hardware & Software)

Growth

• Be proactive in developing personal skills
• Identify external courses or workshops that will improve required skills

Required competencies to do the job

• Basic knowledge of the Macromedia suite of products especially Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign
• Excellent knowledge of programming techniques and languages used in digital media development including PHP, Javascript, HTML, and CSS
• Excellent knowledge of database use and design
• Good knowledge of computer networking and hardware
• Good knowledge of Linux
• Organised
• Ability to work to deadlines
• Methodical
• Desire to grow and learn with or without external support
• Ability to build good relationships
• Ability to talk to people at all levels

Please note this is an office based position in Kloof (Durban).

Apply for this position

Please fill out and submit the online application below along with a copy of your CV and we will get in touch. If you don’t hear from us by the 24th May 2013, please consider your application unsuccessful.

originally posted by Tammy Dennekamp on DigitLab | Social Media Marketing

Over the past few years, we’ve been working hard at refining a number of digital marketing strategies.

We’ve found three fundamental strategies that can be used in isolation or integrated…

Inbound Marketing

This is a tried and tested strategy that has been adopted across many industries and businesses. Hubspot marketing have probably done the best work at making this a popular marketing strategy.

In essence, inbound marketing techniques aim to drive interested people to your website through interesting and informative content. This content is then structured in such a way to achieve a ‘call to action’ from the reader. In some way, this strategy is criticised as being too ‘sales orientated’ or a ‘hard selling approach’.

We’ve found however that the principles of Inbound Marketing can be successfully used to build consistent traffic to a website of interested buyers of services and products. The way you handle your content strategy will then depend on if you come across as ‘sales orientated’ or ‘hard selling’.

Social by Design

A big part of digital campaigns is designing social concepts that build communities of interest around the work you’re doing. Understanding Social by Design is key to designing social media strategies.

A strategy becomes social when it leverages the social aspect of life rather than merely using a social network. There are three primary social elements that we should be thinking about when we develop a social strategy.

1) Personalisation

A social strategy will look to customise a campaign with a personalised interface for the user that enhances their experience by highlighting what’s important to them. The users identity then defines a large part of what their experience becomes. This is easily achieved by integrating with existing social networks, and by designing space on your online platforms for personalised content.

2) The reason to share

Viral campaigns become viral because they have something that people want to share. The trouble is that people don’t always share content in the same way all the time. People are more complex than that. Sharing is dependent on the content, the emotional context of consuming that content, and so many other uncontrollable factors. When designing for social, we should not ‘hope’ that people share content. We should design the strategy to encourage the sharing action.

3) Connecting community

Remember that a social strategy aims to connect your company or brand to the community of people who ‘like’ you. In other words, a focus on your community is important but needs to be balanced with a serious focus on connecting to the communities of your fans. Sharing content often introduces you to your fans’ community but there needs to be a strategy design to connect their community to yours. Connecting community has more to do with empowering ambassadors to build new communities than to add people to your database

Mobile First

As my fellow colleague, Steve Gardner, says:

The mobile space presents brands with an unprecedented opportunity to engage both existing and potential customers, but the way customers see their mobile devices is very different to how they see other forms of media such as websites, television, and print.”

We’ve noticed that digital strategy needs to be re-thought in many ways. The challenge is not to include mobile in your existing strategy but rather to “mobilise” your strategy. To lead with mobile, to make sure your platforms, ideas, creative, and social are all mobile. On a marketing level, this is very important. Even more critical is looking at your entire business model, product design, and business systems to ensure they are mobile.

Mobile is simply too integral to the way people work, play, and live in the future not to include as a central component to marketing and business strategy.

originally posted by Mike Saunders on DigitLab | Social Media Marketing

It’s pretty difficult to take what anyone says seriously, even if they are an internet conglomerate. Many people got taken for a ride with the likes of Google and YouTube taking the mickey and playing everyone for a fool.

Here are some of my favorite pranks in tech this year, and if you were taken for a ride, this should clear things up a bit for you!

Google launches Gmail Blue

Google is always looking for ways to innovate and change the game, so it’s not that farfetched to believe that they would be looking at ways to improve their email service, Gmail. Introducing Gmail Blue.

Google released a video announcing the launch of Gmail Blue claiming that the technology to implement Gmail Blue took 6 years to develop. Google went so far as to state that they experimented with different colour schemes, including orange, yellow, and brown – which was referred to as “a disaster“. Google apparently changed the colour of all aspects of the Gmail interface: “everything from the compose button to the font formatting will be blue”.

Check out the video below released by Google, proclaiming the launch of Gmail Blue. As Google’s project manager, Richard Pargo, says: “It’s Gmail, only bluer.”

YouTube to shut down – it was just one big competition

In honor of April 1st, YouTube announced that after 8 years, no more new videos would be accepted to the social media platform. According to Mashable, the company teamed up with The Onion to create a YouTube-star-studded video explaining how the site was set up as part of a contest to find the best home video on the Internet.

YouTube stated that each video on the site would be reviewed by a panel of judges and predicted that it would take them 10 years to watch them all. YouTube would then be making its ultimate comeback in 2023 when the winner would be announced.

“We are so close to the end,” Tom Liston, communications director at YouTube, says in the video. “Tonight at midnight, YouTube.com will no longer be accepting entries. After eight amazing years, it’s finally time to review everything that has been uploaded to our site and begin the process of selecting a winner.”

‘X’ marks the spot on Google Treasure Maps

Google Maps released a video explaining that a map belonging to the infamous pirate William “Captain” Kidd had been found on a recent expedition in the Indian Ocean while the team was expanding their underwater Street View collection. The video announced that users will be invited to “help crack the code” and find the treasure with hidden clues. Happy hunting!

Google Nose improves your search – smell your way through the web

As if Google hadn’t done enough to prank users this year, the company then went on to announce the launch of Google Nose Beta. Taking its lead from our four-legged friends, Google claimed to be integrating a search tool allowing users to search from the Google Aromabase, as well as the option to smell and share the scent. How it apparently works it that when users click on “smell”, a pop-up will prompt them to “Bring your nose as close as you can to the screen and press Enter.” A progress bar will then indicate that it’s transmitting the scent.

Users can then use the tool to search for other aromas, from the likes of delectable treats (smells like “chocolate deliciousness“) to the repellent smell of a teenage bedroom  (smells like “old socks and sweaty t-shirts“) and even more quirky scents, like Granny’s  lounge (smells like “potpourri  mixed with Earl Grey tea and lavender“).

Google Nose is even said to emulate scents that users likely can’t experience in real life, such as ghosts, which smell like “an eerily gassy smell of antiques and forgotten pasts.” When searching the 15 million scentibyte database, users can be sure that they always practice caution and can enable the “SafeSearch” feature if they are hesitant of what they will find!

Were you an April Fool? What prank or joke took you for a ride?

originally posted by Megan Bernstein on DigitLab | Social Media Marketing

They’re part of my family, and much to my husband’s frustration, their needs are often put above our own. But let’s be honest, I’m not the only one! A quick Google search shows that 72 million US homes own a pet, and an estimated 13 million UK households owned a pet in 2012.

South African data is more difficult to come by, but I trust that there are a few million of you out there who are like me! With my love of animals in mind, I’ve recently been on a search for all things digital to make looking after my animals easier and more fun … if that’s even possible!

Below are the top five apps I would consider downloading or using…

1. Really? You called your ginger dog, Ginger?!

Well, not only am I offended because I’m a ginger, but I ask you – could you not think of something a little more creative? Unless your four-year-old got naming rights, there’s really no excuse for calling your pet “Blackie”, “Whitie”, and so on et cetera.

If you’re ever thinking of naming your pet the colour that they are, I urge you to stop, drop, and download one of the many apps out there for finding a pet name. The apps are pretty self-explanatory; use them and don’t punish your new addition to the family with a lousy name.

Apple | Android | Blackberry

2. Sit Ubu sit, good dog

Once you’ve decided on a name, it’s time to start thinking about training your pet, unless it’s a cat – all the training in the world won’t help you change a cat’s nature! All the apps that follow are for training your dog. They give you tricks and training tips, so when you leave puppy class, you can go home and continue that training with these handy apps.

There’s nothing better than an obedient dog and with the help of these apps, your puppy will always look to you for instruction, making you feel like an animal whisperer!

Apple | Android | Blackberry

3. Say Cheese!

I’m one of those annoying people who load quirky and fun pictures of my animals onto my social profiles. A great app that I stumbled on is “PetSnap” for your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad. What’s great about this camera app is, rather than trying to get your animals attention by snapping your fingers, singing, dancing, or really just looking like a fool to get them to look at the camera, this app makes a noise to get them to look directly at the camera.

You can choose from 32 different sounds from barking, meowing, and even bells ringing. It will help you take a ‘picture perfect’ snap to share on all your social profiles. 

Apple

 4. Help! I think my dog swallowed a sock!

You may think that sounds ridiculous – but I kid you not – my spaniel ate a sock, and one trip to the emergency vet, a drip, and 24 hours later, we realised that was the most expensive sock we’ve ever owned.

There are apps to help you with what to do in some emergency situations (although I’m not sure swallowed socks will be one of them). Of all the apps I’ve suggested, these will probably be the most useful!

Apple | Android | Blackberry

5. Feel like you’re losing your mind?

When it comes to looking after your animals, there’s an app for keeping on top of their care. You can capture their weight, their last vaccination, when they’re due for the next vet visit, and even what medicines they’ve been on in the past. These apps are so useful, especially if you have more than one animal. With these apps you can have all your pet’s information at the touch of a button – also helpful if you have an emergency (see sock drama above) when you’re not thinking clearly and can give the vet any relevant information they need without having to think about it.

Apple | Android | Blackberry

6. Can’t be trusted with a living breathing pet?

Of course, if you’re not an animal lover, then maybe you should start out with a Pet Rock? Some apps even let you choose the mood of your rock and some leave messages of unconditional love on them! It will be the most economical animal you’ll ever own…

Apple | Android

For me of course, I’m going to stick to my real live fluffy friends, or furry children. While most of these apps are really just for fun, there are definitely ones out there that can make us more organised and educated pet owners…

originally posted by Tammy Dennekamp on DigitLab | Social Media Marketing

Businesses need to get creative with ensuring their workers are happy. You’ll kick yourself later if you avoid this simple task; just get cracking with some new ideas! When employees have low levels of wellbeing and job satisfaction, they’re more likely to quit their job – which is a loss for you. You’ve invested time and money in training them and getting them up to speed – losing them now is actually a financial loss, as well as a talent one.

Here are a few vital ways to keep your employees content…

Health benefits

Employees enjoy feeling that they are being ‘looked after’ in the workplace. Offer health risk assessments, biometric screenings, common medicines like aspirin in the office, maybe even psychologist visits.

This can reduce stress and help make employees feel happier and healthier at work, not to mention valued. So says a recent study by Towers Watson in Canada and Wendy Poirier, the health and group benefits leader:

We are seeing employers increasingly realize the importance that health and productivity programs can play in their efforts to control health care costs and maintain a productive workforce.

The evidence overwhelmingly shows that effective health and productivity programs can make a real difference to an organization’s bottom line.

There are unrelenting pressures on employers and employees today, but improving employee health is an opportunity for a true win-win.”

A good office ‘vibe’

Employees are generally happier if the office is a happy place. Make sure morale is as good as it can be – play music, play games, whatever it takes! Communicate regularly with your employees; be genuinely interested in their lives. Take five minutes out of your day to converse with the new guy!

Another great idea is to reduce the length of meetings; don’t drag meetings on and on, making employees bored and uninterested. Rather have shorter, more regular meetings. Once in a while, provide food or treats for the whole office such as Pizza Thursday or Fat Friday once a month.

Recognise and reward

Make sure you recognise and reward your employees with compliments when a job is well done. Either face to face, via email, or even in a written note – make your employees feel appreciated. But don’t just stop there. A bonus shows employees that they’re values and has been shown to increase loyalty to a company.

Employees also need to be motivated – they’ll perform better if they feel trusted to do their work their way, without a manager hovering over their shoulder. Recognise their autonomy and reward them with trust.

Some work, some play

All work and no play makes your business a pretty dull place. Make sure you do social things with your workers e.g. set up a team-building event every few months, where employees get to get to know each other better as well as have fun. This can benefit the organisation in the long run as employees may end up working better as a team in the office.

Here’s a perfect example of how DigitLab recently had fun as a team doing something as a team that had nothing to do with work…

Be social

In case you haven’t realised, employees will try sneak onto Facebook or Twitter when the boss is out the office. So why not just set up times for them to use social networks? Even 15 minutes twice a day is better than nothing in an employee’s eyes. It’s a healthy way to get employees to refocus themselves after working for long hours, and you’ll get more productivity out of a worker who’s happy and taking intermittent breaks.

Training and mentoring

Ask employees which areas they feel they need more training in, or if you recognise they need improvement in certain areas, set up a a platform for them to be trained. New workers should be sent to training in the early stages of their employment,  making sure the work will be done properly and employees feel more equipped and confident in what they’re doing. They should see you as a mentor encouraging constant improvement, rather than a judge on the lookout for mistakes.

According to Jamie Gruman, a professor at the University of Guelph, in Guelph, Ontario:

Simply throwing newcomers into a job and letting them fend for themselves results in their being socialized by default rather than design. Companies benefit from boosting their employees well-being. Helping new hires adjust at the start empowers them to achieve their potential later on.”

A balanced life

A balance between work and personal life is something every employee should have. When they’re under the weather, give them the option to work from home. When their children are involved in important concerts or events, allow them to attend these activities during work hours and catch up on work in their own time.

Make employees feel like they have some sort of balance in their lives. Recent research by the  American Psychological Association shows that that 67% of workers would stay at a company because of the balance it offers them in their life. Some companies offer personal and professional perks to keep workers happy with their work-life balance, such as child care or housekeepers.

Space to thrive

Offer employees room to grow in the company. Employees who come to work every day with little or no room for future growth are often unsatisfied with their jobs and end up being less productive than the ‘growing employee’. They’re also most likely on the lookout for other jobs. This can be prevented by offering opportunities for advancement in their careers within the company.

Here’s something to always remember, whether you’re running your own business now or in the future:

When employees are happy, they are your very best ambassadors.” ~ James Sinegal

Read the original Business News Daily article here.

originally posted by Justine Brophy on DigitLab | Social Media Marketing

Photo © www.etown.edu

I for one only watch TV over the weekends when I’m visiting my folks at home, which is a small town almost in the middle of nowhere, so what else can I do?

You know that person that reaches for their phone before brushing their teeth, or having their first cup of coffee? That’s me!!! I couldn’t possibly imagine my life without my mobile phone, it’s my BFF after all. It’s my source of news, entertainment, my calendar, and a means of keeping in touch with friends and family of course.

The habits of South African internet users

A new report examining the habits of South African’s Internet users shows that non-digital media are losing ground to online channels; this is according to a report commissioned by the Digital Media and Marketing Association. The survey was conducted among 2,263 South African Internet users between 21 September and 5 October 2012.

The report is meant to assist advertisers in understanding South African online consumers better. A full 95% of respondents said they used the Internet mainly for e-mail, while 84% used it for web browsing, and a whopping 78% made use of social networks.

Infographic © http://moonstudio.co.za

70% said they accessed the Internet at home, while 47% accessed it at a place of work. The most popular web browser was Microsoft’s Internet Explorer, with 63% of those surveyed saying they used it, followed by Google’s Chrome at 40%.

Online consumption

Asked whether the Internet displaces other media, most respondents said it did, with the bulk reporting a decline in their consumption of newspapers and magazines. A sizeable 45% of respondents said they watched less television and 28% said they listened to less radio because they had Internet access. Nearly 60% of those surveyed said they found advertisements on websites most relevant, followed by social networks (36%).

Mobile advertising clearly has a long way to go in SA, with only 3% saying they found adverts in mobile applications useful. For mobile websites, the figure was even lower. Facebook is by far the most popular social network, with 88% of respondents claiming to be members of the site and 20% of Facebook users claiming to spend five or more hours a day on the service. Only half of those surveyed used Twitter and only slightly more than a third used LinkedIn.

So in essence, the survey shows e-mail is the main reason South Africans go online, followed closely by web browsing and social networking.

With that said, how is your business using the internet to generate leads, communicate with customers, and monitor what’s being said online about your brand?

originally posted by Neo Mokoena on DigitLab | Social Media Marketing

Date: Tuesday 26 March 2013
Venue: The Pepper Club Hotel, Corner of Loop and Pepper Street, Cape Town
Time: 08h00 – 12h30
Cost: R 1,200.00 per person
Discount: 10% for bookings of 5 or more people
Presenter: Megan Bernstein

Social Media has changed the way brands and consumers communicate, and is something companies can no longer afford to ignore. According to a recent study by TNS Surveys, social media has become the main reason that people access the internet. 80% of South Africans online have a Facebook account and on average they visit it twice a day. Over one million South Africans are on Twitter, and YouTube ranks among the top five most visited websites in South Africa.

As a result, consumers now have free rein to say what they want about your brand. Organisations need to take the initiative to create positive online experiences for their customers and employees, or risk losing touch with them.

How does #SpeakSocial help?

If you or your company isn’t quite up to scratch, join us at the next #SpeakSocial bootcamp. The workshop is a morning session, covering the following topics:

• An Overview of Web 2.0: Explains everything from Facebook to podcasting and the mobile internet; how it fits together and what its uses are.
• Inbound Marketing: The process of inviting people to your website and turning those people into business leads.
• Online Advertising: Why online advertising works and how to use if effectively.
• Measuring Online Statistics: How do you measure the value of your online communications strategy?
• Dealing with Social Media Overload: Described as the point where all your time is spent online, but with no business return; we discuss methods of combating social media overload.

• A stronger understanding of how the internet works
• A blogging plan
• Tools to measure your success
• A strategic approach to online communications

#SpeakSocial is a quick, to the point, affordable way to get you, your brand, or your employees up to speed and get people within your organisation thinking socially. If you’re interested in attending, or sending one of your employees, please submit the form below.

originally posted by DigitLab on DigitLab | Social Media Marketing