Skype is in demand but not from members or users.

Discussions are at the beginning and being totally specific is going to be difficult, but according to reports from good sources, Skype is hot property. There have been no public releases to its members or to the public; however you might not have to wait for long.

A partnership deal for Skype is not something that has been talked about before. This time the reports involve giant businesses. Google and Facebook are considering separate bids to get their hands on the video conferencing service.

If you were Skype what would you do (assuming that the bids were identical)? Would you take the Facebook partnership and combine the instant chat with the additional feature of running live video connection as well or the Google bid and generate more members and more business users using your services.

As we know from previous blogs, Skype has a lot of members, but the percentage of members that actually pay for Skype services is very low. This poor revenue stream may not be solved with a Facebook partnership – it could increase the number of members but not the percentage of paying members. On the other hand Google with the PPC and SEO services that are very business related, could boost revenue when offering conference video calling features to a business audience.

This deal could be very important to both parties (Google and Facebook) particularly as Google is losing ground against Bing and Facebook could continue its domination of the social network. Google could also integrate the Skype services onto its Google Android Phones as well.

As mentioned this is an early report, so we will have to wait and see. In the meant time what, would you do?

Was 2010 the year when businesses discarded online privacy?

Google and Facebook are the two biggest brands in the online world and have been very successful over the last few years. What lengths do large brands and businesses go to in order achieve the top positions? Surely that won’t compromise privacy!

There is evidence that both parties have relaxed other more professional matters in which to achieve their current popularity and usage. You may think that they have got where they are by using good intelligence, a good marketing strategy or a great innovation. This is perhaps so but they have been caught doing something else that is not one of these things.

Starting with the largest social networking website Facebook, that recently made their goals very clear, all of the web should be a social platform. This as it sounds is ok for all of its present registered users, but did you know that they use complex privacy settings to do this. These settings meant people were starting to transmit more information than was initially intended. The benefit for Facebook is that more users were able to discover other users.

There is an argument that the whole idea behind a social networking site is that you can connect, discover, share, and play with others. If your privacy settings are at the highest point – you would be almost undiscoverable and that defeats the point. The privacy settings were introduced in May of 2010 and Facebook state that the settings were accurate, comprehensive and easy to understand. However, there were many industry experts that did agree with the user friendly settings, but there are massive holes left open so that members’ public profiles were publicly visible.

Google on the other hand has a lot of data to run the market leading search engine. This was the beginning of the Google Empire that now includes maps, checkouts and email accounts. Then, Google decided that they were going to have a crack at the social networking arena by launching Buzz. This launch attracted great interest – even from the European Privacy Commissioners.  In Googles attempt to get the Buzz Social Networking off the ground like a space shuttle launch, it linked 170 million Gmail account holders into the launch without their permission, they had not checked that the email account holders wanted to be involved. The Commissioners spotted it and Google moved very quickly to reverse any actions after a mountain of criticism.

Several months later, Google were back in a similar boat again. When generating the Street Map view that is included into the Maps facility, there was a problem. While the vans had been taking the images of the streets it was also collecting personal data that was on thousands of unsecured wireless networks. Google apologised and called their actions a mistake. Much debate then rumbled around the word and Google’s reputation was again tested, but in their defence they stated that the networks should be secure and offered more training to its engineers.

So, is will the privacy monster be woken in 2011?

What benefits does LinkedIn have?

LinkedIn is a social networking site that connects business professionals together. It has been running for 8 years and has over 100 million registered members. The idea is that the service will generate interaction, engagement and a connecting network with colleagues and counterparts in similar industries. So, it is a social networking site for professionals.

Normally when the words social networking are stated we instantly think along the lines of Facebook or Twitter, but LinkedIn is not at the same level as these 2 larger established sites.

There could also be the discussion that offline networking could be a thing of the past, with more avenues to connect to people over the web. While traditional networking is something that we do automatically and is very positive in building relationships with fellow workers and with people from other organisations, social media/networking is still needed to complement this face to face approach.

If you are on Facebook and Twitter do you need to be on LinkedIn? Well, you could do but there is a danger and you may have to proceed with caution. Before all traditional networking disappears, don’t lose the ability to communicate face to face as that is proven to make a better impression. Also, with other social networking sites there tends to be a massive time requirement that makes it work to your expectations. This again is dangerous and time has to be monitored.

With all social activities – that includes online and offline they occasionally need reeling in. This is the same within LinkedIn. As much as a social network can provide a full brand exposure, it will not make sales for you.

In summary, you should be LinkedIn. However, don’t rely on it just because it’s a more professional networking site. This platform needs to be blended into all the others to get a really good network of your industry and other related organisations.

7 Reasons for Putting SEO Before Social Media

Within all marketing plans/budgets, all aspects have to be considered. However, the debate that has been raging for some time is all relating to SEO and Social Media. Occasionally, reports are published that highlight the fortunes that people have earned via a specific SEO plan and the new market audience that is attainable via Facebook or Twitter.

Most experts believe that social media does have a potential to generate new business. The audience is massive with a very low cost to connect to them; you can create your own brand and investigate new opportunities. However, will the social media improve your website? Or is it better to invest your funds and time in SEO campaigns?

Experts believe that social media is not at the moment, a real enhancement to your website for a number of reasons:-

Targeting traffic is a key part of any marketing plan and unfortunately social media is generally not as good as SEO. With social media there is a very high click away percentage. On the other hand with SEO the target market is very focused and defined so enquiries are relevant and convert better in to business. As much as the internet is on all the time, so are the search engines that will provide lots of traffic with good investment. The equivalent time spent on social media will not produce the same results.

In terms of negativity, SEO won’t work against you, even if your SEO technique is relatively poor. Major social media platforms do leave open the door that bad press can walk through that will leave you either red faced, embarrassed or even low on visitors. Also the social media is prone to attacks and so it can’t be considered as bullet proof. If subjected to an attack – a lot of marketing efforts can be destroyed in seconds.

There is a maintenance issue that also has to be considered in this mix – because there are many social network sites including Twitter, Facebook, MySpace and YouTube, you will have to update all of the websites that you decide that you are going to use because the impressions need to be even. There is a multi post option but you will still need to check that the post is accurate. Any none relevant posts could be damaging and leave you relying on good relationships across many forms that can’t be guaranteed. In contrast there are many good search engines and with a good SEO, rewarding rank will be very easy to develop without external factors being in the way.

Social Media is a developing and dynamic, users do spend a lot of time on these types of sites. However, it can be very volatile as users can change between websites almost instantly and so reducing the relevance of the marketing message that is being displayed. What’s in today is not in the next day. SEO should always provide a site with strength, structure and a bold position to improve rank within the main search engines.

 Let’s not get confused, this is not a social media put down. Social media will develop and be more rewarding but as we have seen it should not replace SEO. They are two separate channels and should be kept this way. It needs to be considered but not prioritised.

Google Dismiss Social Network Rumours

Technology blog The Next Web, recently indicated that Google are moving into social networking with the release of Google Circles in May.  The reported also stated that Google Circles will offer video, photo and message sharing.

Google has responded immediately to deny that they are embarking on a new social networking site.  Chris Messina, a developer for Google, said he didn’t know anything about the rumour at the SXSW conference.

Even if the rumour were true, we doubt that Facebook and Twitter will be overly concerned.  Google’s previous social network attempts (Google Buzz & Wave) failed to steal any of the market away from the 2 main social networks.

Due to a lack of take-up Google decided to drop Wave last summer.  Within days of dropping Wave Google announced the acquisition of Slide, a social app company.

Google already operate their Orkut social network which is popular in India and Brazil and has over 100m global users.  However, they have never been able to crack the English speaking countries or Europe.

This follows our article last month in which Google and Facebook were believed to be at war on a buyout of Twitter.

Warner Contemplates Development of Web Revenue with Facebook.

Warner Brothers may become the first major media company to offer movie rentals via a social networking/media website, AKA Facebook. This potential move would put pressure on digital distribution services like iTunes and Netflix, and improve revenue for Facebook.

Warner Brothers have stated that this development idea is at this point, a test. When looking at the results and conclusions – it’s clear to see that the move to social media will affect Netflix but it could re-define Facebook and alienate the existing audience that use it for what it is now. Many experts think that the venture is all about the credit and payment services. This could be true, but users will still need a reason to buy things.

On Tuesday, Warner said that they would allow Facebook users to rent the film ‘The Dark Knight’ directly from the social networking site. One other development consideration is how the Facebook user would pay for the rental. One idea was to utilise the credits for Facebook. These credits will develop into Facebook’s currency, challenging the strength of PayPal and other payment method services.

Currently, purchased credits are used to pay for virtual goods for many online games like Farm Ville and Mafia Wars. So, it would be a normal step to include the movie expansion into the mix. The whole credit system started about 2 years ago predominantly for the virtual games. If the movie rental idea is put into full swing, the company that manage the credit account will upgrade its system to a full payment system for all digital goods. That might worry PayPal a bit. If other movie studios wanted to take part in the adventure then Facebook could have a new revenue stream.

Last year Facebook started selling credits through prepaid cards and vouchers that could be purchased from high street shops. This will then improve online purchases on Facebook and Warner will be the first media company that will use this service to charge for chosen content.

Most Hollywood Studios are facing difficult times including Warner. Two of the main problem areas are privacy and sales. Both areas are not helped by the increasing broadband technology and download speeds. So, the industry does have to be more open and attainable for digital purchases on as many platforms as possible. So, Facebook has a worldwide audience that could make up the difference.

However, ‘Hollywood’ is also aware that other movie purchasing/download services particularly Netflix are gaining in popularity and awareness. This is a concern for Warner Brothers, but they still have an advantage, if the test does prove successful and the sales for Warner increase, Facebook also get a degree of reward, then they will cut-out-the- middle-man and will go straight to the movie fans themselves. This principle is not possible for many movie providers.

Back to the ‘The Dark Knight’ – it will be chargeable for rent at $3 or 30 credits from Facebook.

Importantly, Facebook is not a strong player in the movie rental services and they have stated that they have very little development in place to be one. This lack of interest will not help Warner and no licensing or contacts have been considered. Even if other movie studios step in and complete this type of agreement, Facebook does not have a feature at present to locate or choose a movie.

In the long term Facebook will creep into this market, but it will be done under the radar. This will affect Netflix and other movie distribution groups. Also, Facebook does not have the universal ingredient that will display movies across all devices and TV’s, unlike Apple and to an extent iPlayer.

Warner Brothers have considered another experiment; this idea involves the sale of movies through an App that is downloadable onto the Apple iPad. This will replace the iTunes route (that Apple might not be too happy about) but movies will be streamed thought the App instead. To be a realistic investment idea to increase sales in a more digital online world, Warner will have to consider the number of iPad Owners and the number of App users.

So, if you were involved with Warner Brothers – what would you do to increase sales?

Reaching a new audience via Social Media

The beauty of Social Media is that you can get messages, a link, or even a collection of pictures to a worldwide audience instantly. The budget compared with other online marketing methods is almost nil and you don’t need a recognised brand name. A good eye catching display with appropriate creativity and a good referral/word of mouth campaign will suffice.

The social media activities have to be linked with the company website to generate the enquiries and the sales. The more creative the better, the more customer interaction the better either locally or internationally. No two businesses will be able to generate the same buzz from a social media site.

A key aspect of the social media link is that it can be the link between driving customers to your website but also by catching them if they try to click away. Therefore, the social media link should be filled with an up-to-date blog that highlights key aspects of the business, customer’s positive feedback and activities that are done in house. The blog will increase the creditability and will maintain a strong personal presence.  Filling pages with URLs and promotions does not really work.

Social media sites are designed and geared to be totally interactive and a forum for ideas and innovations. The key multimedia opportunities must be completed and this would include posting images, videos, reviews and almost any positivity that can be found. It’s possible to say that the Social Media Site is an extension of your own website, and when handled as discussed they are a second online presence.

The mobile internet users are very fickle, if the content is not what you want to see or read about, the results will show this. So, the mobile internet must offer what the audience wants. Showing a few special offers and promotions via the mobile internet will not work very well. You will have to engage with the audience, show them what you have got and why, plus why they should want it.

Social media is revolutionised communication on many levels. It is a platform for business and people to share with the world. Ignoring it could be a massive mistake as you may drift away from the digital age and the whole generation of people that are using it. Social media is not a saturated market, there are still opportunities to be had, but the foundations are very strong for it and your

What is Social Media missing when it comes to advertising and revenue?

As popular and engaging as Social Media is there are a number of issues that restrict its development. Let’s be clear, social media has a very strong and sustained future, but the clue is in the title. It’s Social Media not Commercial Media.

To get over the problems preventing its adverting development, it needs to have more connections and friends in the form of advertisers to concrete its place as a good marketing method.

According to research this may change in 2014, advertising spend is expected to grow to over $3.1billion. That is an increase of $716 million. So, surely this is enough investment to grow Social Media Advertising. Well, by the year 2014, 60% of the total online advertising spend will fall into SEO and PPC methods. This percentage is approximately 10 times what the Social Media would receive.

Therefore, the Social Media market may be a limited market hence why it does not receive the same spend as the SEO and PPC campaigns. While $3.1 billion may sound like a lot of money – in respect to the whole picture it is not.

Facebook and MySpace are today’s most prolific social media revenue generators, and these two websites account for the vast majority of social media online spend. The increase of $716 million that is estimated to boost the social media will either land with MySpace or Facebook.

The important key points that we have to make is that if you are looking for a great digital marketing channel that is new and receptive for the next 5 years and unless social media finds a brand new business model that is very streamlined, then your online ad spend will be allocated to either Facebook or MySpace. Unless, we experience a sudden collapse of the online market as we know it.

For today and now, Social Media does host a number of opportunities, potentially more for the local business and not the large commercial enterprises. Despite this, SEO and PPC are still regarded as king in online digital marketing.

Sony Ericsson Fan Base Soars on Facebook

Sony Ericsson had a huge success with social media last year and has no plans to let that slip in the future.  They intend to display product information through rich media using ‘insightful editorial’ to grab customer attention.

Remarkably, Sony Ericsson increased its Facebook fan base from 300,000 to a staggering 3.9 million during 2010, making them the 40^th largest brand.

Ben Padley, VP and global head of online and CRM at Sony Ericsson, said: “Our fan base used to be more male and techie, but now we’re more of a lifestyle brand with universal appeal,” he said. “Our challenge is to engage the superfans at the same time as the new entrants.”

Sony Ericsson plan to profile their fans and match them with specific content and then offer them unique opportunities such as visiting their offices.

Padley went on to say: “Our goal for 2011 is to keep promoting our solid hardware. We’re investigating augmented reality, product tutorials and social media commerce opportunities.”

Facebook Release the Latest Social Chat Feature – Social Eyes

Facebook is currently the largest social networking website, but that does not stop the creative minds at Facebook from adding another feature to the service. This feature is called Social Eyes – and it connects friends together using video chat.

Social Eyes has been released recently and Facebook members can use the Social Eyes feature via Facebook to video chat with their friends that are on their friends list. Plus, also if a friend is not presently online at that time, there is the option to leave a video message.

The social eyes can operate multiple chats, with mute and pause options.  The means you can control conversations that you don’t want people to hear – which might alter your friends list.

There are other suppliers of this type of video chat, including SKYPE, Apple’s Face Time and Google’s Video. Facebook is more geared towards the social element, building a community chat among your friends.

Facebook has seen the interest in face pointing devices such as netbooks and the iPhone 4. So, the social eyes should fit in perfectly. There is a proposal to develop a business version, to capture the business market with a revenue opportunity through advertising.      

The question is, is this service an enhancement to the Facebook social network package or an attempt to take market share away from SKYPE and Apple’s Face time?