How To Be A Social Media Self-Righteous Jerk

February 9, 2012

Posted by David Armano

Edelman Digital, Chicago

http://darmano.typepad.com/

Follow on Twitter @armano

This post was originally published on David Armano’s blog Logic + Emotion.

The scale below shows the many stages one has to go through in order to become a bona fide self-righteous jerk in social media. Still, there are many people who aspire to reach this peak, but fall short in executing against it. Given this observation, I thought it would be worthwhile to piece together a few best practices which will ensure your status as a social media self-righteous jerk (or SMSRJ). In no particular order:

1. Join The Klout Gestapo

All social media SMSRJ’s know that Klout is simply evil incarnate and requires a organized force to take on this evil axis of influence wherever it resides. A true SMSRJ will never-ever create a Klout profile and lash out against anyone who dares do so. If Klout is the Devil, then Klout Perks is the Devil’s spawn. Perks are to be shunned, banished and those who recieve them should be branded with a scarlet “K”.

2. Unfollow Offensive Twitter Followers In Public

Only seekers un-follow people or companies who they no longer derive value from quietly. It is the true SMSRJ who announces it out loud in some fashion or another. Tactics here can range from a thinly veiled post or an all out campaign. Make sure you get a few social media gurus on your side to link to your public posts and shout your discontent from the rooftops. A SMSRJ really knows how to make a public spectacle of their personal dissatisfaction.

3. Target Social Media Gurus

While on the topic of social media gurus, ignore the fact that while almost no true social media gurus actually call themselves that—they are the conduit to becoming a guru yourself. Take them down, one by one. Call them social media gurus every chance you get. Make sure all your social networks know you are doing real work. Tweets like “I’m still at the office knee deep in spreadsheets” will establish your credibility as a non guru. On your non-guru social media blog, write at least one post a month taking on a clearly identified guru in any subject you wish to establish authority in. If you’re really lucky, they might even link to you.

4. Analyze Social Media Influencer Lists

A new social media influencer list comes out about once a week. Make sure you find them and when you do, interrogate the creator on their methodology. Be sure to use your own made up metrics to throw them off the fact that you’re actually upset that you’re not on the list.

5. Use The #Humblebrag Hash Tag At Will

If it looks like a humblebrag and acts like one—it’s a humblebrag and any SMSRJ has the responsibility to use the hash tag to combat this perverse social media behavior. After a few good uses, be sure to celebrate on your next vacation by relentlessly publishing pictures of beaches, mountains and gourmet food on Facebook. Hey, everybody’s doing it #humblebrag.

6. Take Up The Cause Against Personal Brands & Corporate Cheerleaders

A true SMSRJ creates social media feeds which reek of authenticity. However, shameless promoters are out there at every corner. They need to be dealt with. Let them know when their personal brands have gotten out of control. Or even worse, if they talk about their jobs and promote the companies who support their families. Take a zero tolerance stance pointing out that neither is acceptable. A handful of SMSRJ’s have even built successful personal brands pointing out how dangerous personal brands really are. Learn from this and you too can be internet famous in an ethical, respectable and admired fashion.

7. Call Out The Book Promoters

Let’s face it. Every author out there is using social media to promote their books. Unacceptable. Out them, blacklist them and once you have enough material to write a book yourself, make sure you mention your book in one out of every five social media posts. Just enough to promote it, but not enough to arise suspicion from non-author SMSRJ’s.

8. Engage (And Let Everyone Know How Engaging You Are)

So many people are out there using social media as a broadcast channel—they never even talk to anyone else. Blasphemy! Make sure that you spend most of your activity engaging with others. Make sure they know you’re engaging them. Remind them to engage back. Engage to the point where you risk work deadlines or real world relationships. Social media requires sacrifice. Bring your offerings to the alter of engagement and make sure everyone knows it.

9. Embrace Two Colors: Black And White

Nuance is for the weak. The SMSRJ sees only two shades—black and white, right and wrong. There is only one way to do social media right—see steps 1-8 for instruction.

10. Direct Your Energy Toward The Unenlightened

Spend the majority of your time watching others. Obsess over their social media habits and dissect their transgressions. It takes ten thousand hours to perfect any craft and this goes double for the committed SMSRJ. Don’t be distracted by your own initiatives but stay focused on what others do and allow their behavior to drive your mission in social media—to rectify social media injustices around the world.

*This post designed to make you think. Social media guru not required.

Image credit: MattersOfGrey

The Power of the Mamás Latinas

February 9, 2012

Posted by Edelman Digital

Follow on Twitter @edelmandigital

The following post is an excerpt from Edelman Consumer Marketing’s 12on12, a compilation of twelve essays from some of our consumer marketing leaders around the globe. This is the fourth and final article in a sample series of essays from the compilation. To read more essays from the 12on12 series, visit the Edelman Scribd Channel.

The old image of the traditional sweet mama walking around with several children clinging her skirt, always cooking or cleaning something, is no longer a reality for modern Latin moms. Today, mamás Latinas are becoming protagonists in their societies, recognized as the center of Latin America and Caribbean development, gaining more power, and leveraging important changes in the consumer industry.

Latin Moms & Technology

Latin households’ buying power will be $ 1.4 trillion by 2013, and mamás Latinas are the key decision-makers and influencers of 80 percent of all purchases made in their homes. There’s no doubt how attractive this segment can be for many marketers. But Latin moms’ influence isn’t confined to within the limits of their home. Social media plays a role in influencing the Latin mom’s buying decisions:

More than 90 percent of Hispanic moms consider the recommendation of a family member or a friend as a primary influence in their purchasing decisions.

60 percent of Hispanic mothers qualify as word-of-mouth influencers based on their recommending behavior and the size of social networks.

In Brazil, more than half of respondents have purchased a product based on social network indications and 21percent rely on feedback from people they know.

Along with that, more and more bloggers, favorite celebrity websites, or trusted brand portals became great source of product indication and validation.

Latin “mami” bloggers are one of the fastest-growing blogging demographics (five-fold increase in 2010 versus 2009). The social nature of Latin moms finds a true space in social media, where they share everyday issues and ideas about their lives and their children.

A survey conducted by Baby Center – one of the largest global interactive parenting networks – among 4,000 Latin moms living in the U.S. and Latin America countries found that Hispanic mothers are also very receptive to Internet ads: 33percent claim to have learned more about products and brands from online publicity than from traditional media. They are also more open to companies’ content: 57 percent claimed to read emails that brands sent them – meanwhile, only 19percent of U.S. moms do so.

Latin moms are one of the fastest-growing demographics online:

82 percent of mid- and high-acculturated Latin moms are online.

90 percent of Hispanic moms online are engaged in social networking.

84 percent of Hispanic moms are on Facebook.

Their presence in MySpace is around 40 percent.

These moms rely on family and peer advice, and social networks let them extend their circle of trust.

68 percent trust word-of-mouth conversations related to brands and marketing activities.

Busy Latina moms are taking advantage of mobile connectivity. They are also heavy users of social media on-the-go (40 percent more than total women in the U.S.). Sixty percent of them access the Internet from their phones, and for one out of four, their smartphone is their primary online connectivity device.

A Latin Mother Will Always be a Latin Mother

The concept of motherhood evolves like everything else in life. The 21st century model mother in Latin America, and in the rest of the world, has changed: they can be great business executives, online activists, or choose to stay at home and take care of their kids. But, no matter what the circumstances and how society may change, Latin mothers will always be the center of the family and a vital member of their community.

Please visit the Edelman Scribd Channel for more.

Image credit: Robert Crum

Why Should You Care about Data Privacy Day?

February 8, 2012

Posted by Natalie Hereth

Edelman, Seattle

Follow on Twitter @nhereth

This post was originally published on Edelman’s Data Security & Privacy blog.

The average person doesn’t give a second thought to privacy. They just want their technology to be accessible, simple to use and convenient, paying little attention to what they are giving away in the process. However, this sentiment is starting to shift with highly publicized privacy issues swirling around the likes of Facebook and Google, causing the “average person” to stand up and take notice. It’s with this in mind that the National Cyber Security Alliance – along with companies like Intel, eBay, Microsoft, Facebook and Google – recently celebrated Data Privacy Day, which culminated on January 28.

Fourth Annual Data Privacy Day

By definition, Data Privacy Day is “an annual international celebration designed to promote awareness about privacy and education about best privacy practices.” Since its inception in 2009, the day has steadily been gaining momentum, demonstrating the increased importance of companies engaging consumers on privacy issues as a way to create trusted online experiences and trust in their brand. It’s currently observed by the United States, Canada and 27 European countries. Across the globe, privacy is quickly becoming a way for companies to differentiate themselves from competitors. It’s no longer something to be ignored.

With that said, let’s take a look at some of the activities from this week:

Microsoft* put its muscle behind helping people manage their online reputations, finding 56 percent of adults don’t actively think about the consequences of their online activities. In some cases, this has led to losing employment and health insurance, as well as being denied a mortgage. Microsoft has a variety of resources regarding privacy available here. You can also check out the below infographic, detailing survey results for Data Privacy Day.

Intel sponsored and participated in several events across the world from Washington, D.C. to Brussels, encouraging industry dialogue on leading privacy issues. The company also made privacy educational material available to a network of 15,000 teachers through Intel Engage. For a full recap of Intel’s involvement in Data Privacy Day, visit their blog here. You can also view a message from Intel CEO Paul Otellini below.

Events are also taking place across Europe in Belgium, Denmark, United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Hungary, Germany and Spain. There is a European Privacy Day booklet with a forward by international human rights expert, Paul De Hert, which you can browse online ordownload. For a full overview of European Privacy Day, visit their website here.

As parting words of wisdom, privacy is one of the hottest issues facing the online world. The momentum around Data Privacy Day reinforces the importance of engaging consumers, policymakers and regulators in a way that encourages trust and transparency. It’s essential for doing business today and maintaining brand integrity. So don’t be left behind; “Stop. Think. Connect.”

*Microsoft is an Edelman client.

Does a Social Business Always Deliver the Best Customer Engagement?

February 8, 2012

Posted by Michael Brito

Edelman Digital, Silicon Valley

Follow on Twitter @Britopian

Originally published on Michael Brito’s blog Britopian.

A few weeks ago, Peter Kim wrote a post about his trip to Ford. He mentioned a few different times that Ford’s initiative of inviting external influencers – several different bloggers from countries including Canada, Germany and China was a bold move and that it was a great example of how Ford delivers on being a social business. I agree.

Opening the doors behind the firewall to external people and being open to feedback is certainly one attribute of a social business along with operational elements like communication, connections and culture as Peter mentions.

External Engagement Initiatives within the Auto Industry

I have always had this philosophy that a social business enables a brand to communicate more effectively with customers, partners, employees etc. and as Peter says “scale” programs such as Ford’s initiative earlier this month. That being said, a natural conclusion of Ford being a social business is that their external engagement initiatives are second to none.

However, a recent report by Visibli, a real-time analytics platform shows otherwise. Visibli analyzed the top 5 auto brands to see which one of them is most engaging on Twitter, and how they do it. Some of the findings include:

Honda is more engaging on Twitter than Ford and rest of ‘big auto.’
Honda does it by targeting the right followers — 45% of their followers are interested in auto-related content, higher than any of the other brands
Contrary to popular ‘best practice,’ almost 100% of Honda’s tweets are auto-related. Zero variety … but it works!

Further Social Business Considerations

Other than owning a Honda Civic many, many years ago, I have zero visibility into Honda as a company. Are there social business initiatives happening behind the firewall? Are teams collaborating and engaging internally? I really don’t know and I don’t know anyone who works there. But here are a few considerations:

This is one study from one vendor; and one could argue that a retweet is not an accurate measure of engagement OR at least the the only measure of engagement
Perhaps Ford is still early on in their journey of social business transformation per Chris Carfi from Ants Eye View.
It could very well be that Honda just has a stellar marketing team (or agency) and utilizes real-time analytics to provide extremely relevant content to the community – the right content, at the right time, in the right channel to the right customer.
Increased customer engagement is only one output of a social business – other outputs include an increase in employee engagement, increase in employee productivity, efficiency and sales; innovation, collaboration, etc.

Image credit: planeta

The Implications of Paywalls – Part 1: SEO & Social Sharing

February 6, 2012

Posted by Emma Gannon

Edelman Digital, London

Follow on Twitter @emgan

In today’s post, Emma Gannon analyzes the impact of paywalls on the online media from a perspective of SEO and Social Sharing. Part Two will study Monetizing Content and Content Curation. Look for the second part next week.

As the media world continues to evolve with new communication platforms, traditional outlets are increasingly making the transition to digital resulting in a shift in user consumption behavior. While the significance of print media is diminishing, the robust environment of digital content creation and sharing has driven search to become a major player in terms of media power.

Social media now plays a huge role in how we search for content, with the unveiling of Google’s Search Plus Your World proving that web search engine is not just serving index search results but increasingly based on personal preference and social history. Content that sits behind a paywall and thus cannot be shared out is missing a chance to strength SEO as it is lowering the opportunity for discovery as it inhibits the ease of social sharing.

But You Didn’t Charge Me Before?!

As consumers, for years we grown accustomed to the fact that many online information points do not normally charge us for their service. Instead of buying a magazine for a product review many consumers will turn to trusted blog source for advice or opinion pieces. This said, there is still a line between ‘freebie’ content and the value of something you should pay for. In recent Forbes article: ‘No you can’t pick my brain, it costs too much’, a blogger spells out why it is not fair that “people automatically assume that you have to provide information for free”.

This raises the question, should we be paying for information we once paid for when offline? And if so, what must these companies do to convince us that the content is worth paying for? We have seen an increasing amount of content move online: novels going straight to e-books, national newspapers increasing their digital presence, most magazine articles ending with an obligatory ‘read more online’ and other media channels such as TV and radio moving continuously towards onto online streaming and downloading.

We cannot deny that the digital world is currently our oyster in terms of internet browsing, but if so much content is moving online, how long can we expect it to be given away for free? If more sites do start charging for their content, what does this mean in terms of user engagement and consumption?

Thoughts from the Crowd

To get a sense of what people thought about the implications of paywalls I asked the people of Twitter what they thought and the response was a rather mixed one: Edelman colleague @LukeMackay said “paywalls aren’t the problem. Users need to be convinced of the value of the content then the experience has to be easy (e.g. iTunes).” Another example of a successful pay-for-content method is Spotify, whereby users are offered content tiers and can pick which specifically suits them.

Fellow digital friend @marcelloalessi said he’d “happily pay but not, say, for a whole issue when I’m interested in one particular article. Micro-payments would help.” It appears that many don’t mind paying for content if it is exclusive, easy to access and they are given a level of choice to how much or little content they sign up for.

On the other hand, social media marketer @ChelseyJo made the point that “If people have to pay, they will look elsewhere to get it for free. Might as well keep them on your page.” This raises the point that user engagement should be valued as much as the hard cash.

Exclusive Content

The only way in which paying for content makes sense is if the content is exclusive or you are paying for something that you can’t easily get anyway else. For example, a customer would not buy a book and if they had already read parts of it elsewhere for free. Paywalls work for people who have a particular individual they follow (such as Caitlin Moran’s articles for The Times) which asks the question whether users are following sites based on the overall content, or individual contributors. Due to individuals really making their mark online by freely publishing their content in other places as well as the traditional media houses, the ‘value’ or exclusivity of content on a specific websites may be down to the byline of the author, not the website itself.

Edelman colleague Marshall Manson made a similar point on the Edelman podcast ‘SOPA & content rights’ that discusses how the information marketplace is changing. He gave the example that if business editor Robert Peston was to move elsewhere from the BBC, he would probably continue following his posts, as it is Peston’s own POV that brings the value. This suggests that individuals can now publish their own content and amass their own followings independent of the organization that used to pull in the audiences.

We Create Content Too!

An issue that comes hand in hand with paywalling content is the fact that as individuals we co-create, share and are often the inspiration behind content. Take Huffington Post bloggers for example; these bloggers go unpaid, however are a main source of content providers. Clay Shirky’s TED Talk on ‘why SOPA is a bad idea’ brings up the issue that comes with bills such as PIPA: ‘we don’t like only to consume…. We like to produce and we like to share’. Paywalls inhibit the consumers’ right to share and produce. This puts a barrier up between ‘site’ and ‘user’ and does not allow for any sort of collaboration or sharing. These media sites are therefore missing out of opportunities for users to be carriers of the content and to share with their wider networks.

It’s All About Engagement

The key issue with paywalls is that it inhibits the natural instinct for users to share what they have read. Reading something and then wanting to pass it on is a key part of how people behave online, not to mention increasing engagement levels via organic user activity. Clicking on links on social networks that have paywalls may end up deterring users from clicking on that particular site again. ‘Sharing’ is a metric that is being monitored with greater frequency, the ‘share’ button on Facebook has just as much, if not more kudos on Facebook as the ‘like’ button on wall posts. ‘Sharing’ means getting further into the users newsfeeds. In terms of Twitter, millions of links are shared daily and studies show that links are shortlived showing that links in fact have a “half life of 2.8 hours.”

The social media editors of paywalled sites are also changing their online engagement strategy. Instead of being able to share best content with all readers, Chris Snider makes the point that they have to start acting ‘more like marketers than journalists’ as they try to convince the community to pay for the content instead of just sharing engaging tweets.

Image credit: Allanran 917

Book Review: The Science of Social By Dr. Michael Wu From Lithium

February 6, 2012

Posted by Michael Brito

Edelman Digital, Silicon Valley

Follow on Twitter @Britopian

Originally published on Michael Brito’s blog Britopian.

Recently, the good folks over at Lithium hosted a dinner to honor Dr. Michael Wu and the release of his book, The Science of Social: Beyond Hype, Likes & Followers. I was like the ugly guy in high school that went to the prom without a date — I was just happy to be there.

I was surrounded by some super smart industry influencers — Paul Greenberg, Sameer Patel, Mark Fidelman, Brian Vellmure, Chris Carfi, Sean O’Driscoll, Sean McDonald, Todd Shimizu, Susan Etlinger, Esteban Kolsky,Kare Christine Anderson, Becky Carroll, Steve Farnsworth, Charlie Isaacs, Brian Blau, Christine Crandell and of course the wonderful team at Lithium – Lyle Fong, Katy Keim, Dan Ziman and Erin Korogodsky.

Here is my attempt at reviewing Dr. Wu’s book, The Science of Social.

Chapter 1: The Science of Social

The first chapter is really about a brand needing a deep commitment to community building. Dr. Wu starts of the chapter highlighting 7 myths:

Myth 1 – Being there is enough: a brand needs to do more than just “be there” for the sake of “being there”. Community building is a commitment to listen, to engage, to act – just like a marriage.
Myth 2 – Social channels are an opportunity to broadcast direct, outbound marketing campaigns to a massive audience: most brands start off with this mindset but learn really fast that broadcasting marketing messages is grounds for community abandonment, lack of trust, and complete failure in social media.
Myth 3 – OMG, going social means I have to make every customer my BFF: finding a small set of “superfans” or advocates is the key to driving community growth and meaningful conversations.
Myth 4 – I am the authority on my company, products and services: the recent issues with Netflix, Bank of America and Verizon Wireless prove this time and time again to be false.
Myth 5 – If we go social, we must be on every channel: brands need to be smart and prepared to scale before they create a multitude of social channels. Listening to the online conversation will help determine which networks a brand should spend time in.
Myth 6 – Influencer campaigns don’t work: they do work if they are a part of a meaningful community
Myth 7 – Social media are all the same: social media encompasses more than just Twitter and Facebook; and Dr. Wu breaks down the difference between communities and social networks.

Chapter 2: Warning to toe-dippers: Being online ≠ going social

This chapter is about cultivating superfans and influence. Much of this chapter explores what makes superfans tick; and the underlying nature of influence, trust and relationships. According to Wu, superfans account for 1 – 2% of the community and can create real business value:

Lower support costs by answering questions from the community
Helps a brand scale and manage a multitude of fans
Helps with marketing because superfans will serve as evangelists and tell others
Contribute to ideation, co-creation and constructive feedback
Spend time with the brand, in the community (essentially becoming the brand)
Generate content on the site (articles, tutorials, Q&As)
Quantify ROI

Dr. Wu continues to analyze the 1% (or superfans) and examines their behaviors, the way they interact, act and influence others to act. He then goes into detail about the six factors of influence:

Domain Credibility
High Bandwidth
Content Relevance
Timing Relevance
Channel Alignment
Target Confidence

And, he points out that it’s not enough for someone just to be popular. It’s not even enough to have a big, influential, talkative following. Someone who is truly influential for the brand needs to have all six factors listed above.

The chapter concludes on the basis of trust and Dr. Wu even cites Richard Edelman, “Trust is no longer a commodity that is acquired but rather a benefit that is bestowed.”

Chapter 3: Cultivating Superfans & Influence

Chapter three is about gamification and motivation. The biggest takeaway for me was that people buy products and services. But they crave experiences and that’s what gets them to come back time, and time and time again. Throughout this chapter and the entire book, Dr. Wu gives quick nuggets and case studies that validate his thinking.

What also stood out for me was the concept of motivation; and Dr. Wu’s explanation that the goal of dynamic gamification is to create lasting engagement. And, that the job of game mechanics is to reliably, predictably and repeatedly drive customer behavior.

Chapter 4: Gamification and Motivation

Chapter number four is about a deeply engaged community. This is where Dr. Wu starts to bring all the points from the previous chapters together in one cohesive thought process – the power of the 1%, what motivates them and the altruism principle.

Dr. Wu also illustrates the characteristics of a well designed community:

prioritizes and ranks good feedback
acknowledges the most useful contributions
allows anyone to earn a good reputation
awards privileges to community members who have provided value to others within the community (i.e. writing blog content, early visibility into new products, co-creation of products, processes, etc.)

On the contrary, Dr. Wu also illustrates the problems with siloed communities:

offers little incentive for members to engage with others
decreases overall participation levels
prevents the influx of superfans

This book was very enjoyable to read. It’s full of insights, wisdom and key learnings that will help marketers, support professionals, executives or anyone else wanting to learn how to create meaningful communities on the social web. Dr. Wu is the ONE social media scientist and yet too humble of a man to even admit it, much less put it in his Twitter bio.

I highly recommend reading this book.

Friday Five: The Web, Global Business, and International Governing Bodies – An Evaluation of Five Sites

February 3, 2012

Posted by Phil Gomes

Edelman Digital, Chicago

Follow on Twitter @philgomes

Perhaps the most under-utilized Web resources in the communications world are the Web sites offered by international governing bodies. Therein lies a wealth of information that often goes overlooked.

For a project in my MBA program, I recently did a very quick review of ten such sites against the following criteria:

Accessibility/Navigation: The degree to which a visitor can get around the site and find important information easily.
Depth: Does the user get a sense that the site offers rich historical and current data?
Contact Direction: Does the site make it clear how to get answers beyond what the site provides?
Language Support: How many languages does the site support? Is the number of languages supported equal to its mandate? I paid particular attention to the top 10 languages used on the Internet—English, Chinese, Spanish, Japanese, Portuguese, German, Arabic, French, Russian, and Korean—inasmuch as appropriate to the mission of the site.
Clarity of Mission: Put simply, is the “About” page meaningful? Arguably, this page is the most important one of nearly any site.
Search: Does the search function allow users to go “an inch wide and a mile deep,” allowing visitors to retrieve exactly the information desired?
Social Integration: This criterion examines whether the organization has a presence on the social Web and whether it appears to be part of their outreach and mission.

Here’s my view of five of these sites after the jump. The area graph plots the sites’ scores for the above criteria on a 1-10 scale (10 is maximum) against the average for all ten sites studied.

Note that I’m not making a judgment about the respective missions of these organizations or their effectiveness, just the usefulness of their Web sites to communicators and in general.

1. World Trade Organization (WTO)

Average Score: 7.57

The WTO’s site has a lot to offer for international businesspeople, though it takes some level of commitment to master the site’s navigation. The most useful items, I felt, were under “Documents and Resources” and, particularly, the information on international trade statistics. Taking the 2011 report as an example, the site offers much of the data in Excel so that you can do your own analysis. For instance, here’s six years of merchandise and services trade data by region and economy (XLS).

Do you want to contact a WTO representative through the site? The contact page is comprehensive, sure, but a tacit “don’t bug us” (however politely delivered in red text) is never the best way to be seen as a useful international body. (Yes, I know they’re busy, but there are ways to communicate this kind of thing and still be seen as useful and cooperative.) That said, the “WTO-and-you” area tells various stakeholders (from politicians to journalists) how to at least get the conversation started.

2. World Bank

Average Score: 8.14

Do yourself a favor: bookmark data.worldbank.org immediately. An empty Web page on this subdomain is more useful than 90% of the sites you probably visit on a given day. Here, you can get an incredible amount of summary information by country, topic, and indicator.

Also, many international organizations would want you to reference their data, but how many international organizations offer an API? The World Bank could not possibly state it more clearly than on the “Use Our Data” page. Head over to the Developer section to learn more about how the World Bank data could be put to work for your next mashup or Web tool.

As for the rest? Well, any time the description of your organization relies on defining five other organizations with acronyms that aren’t immediately familiar, it’s probably time to rethink your messaging.

We are not a bank in the common sense; we are made up of two unique development institutions owned by 187 member countries: the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) and the International Development Association (IDA).

[SNIP]

Their work is complemented by that of the International Finance Corporation (IFC), Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA) and the International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID).

Did you get that? Good. Now on to #3.

3. International Monetary Fund

Average Score: 8.43

The IMF site does a good job of looking almost like a journalistic enterprise, which makes it more engaging to navigate. The site gets its depth of information primarily by the third party sources and sub-brands on the Web that it makes accessible through its own pages. Under the “Data and Statistics” tab, you can access PrincipalGlobalIndicator.org (e.g., GDP, gov’t expenditures, short- and long-term interest rates), Financial Soundness Indicators (a kind of SWOT analysis for financial systems), or the Financial Access Survey (e.g., global access to basic financial services).

As of this writing, the most-accessed materials are the 2011 Global Financial Outlook and the Global Financial Stability Report, both of which offer generous amounts of source data in Excel-friendly CSV format.

4. European Union

Average Score: 9.57

The Eurostat database is another must-bookmark resource. The “nested tree” format of the database is also very intuitive, allowing me to get the documents I was looking for.

As someone who counsels companies with regard to online engagement, it’s interesting to see how the EU has so pervasively embraced social media in order to spread its message and, presumably, preserve its reputation online. In fact, the site makes it pretty easy to find the social destinations for not only the various EU bodies (e.g., Facebook pages for the European parliament and the Economic & Social Committee) but certain delegates as well. The blogs by the EU officials are also surprisingly up-to-date for an organization like this.

5. North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)

Average Score: 4.57

NAFTA’s Web site scored among the lowest of the ten sites I analyzed. It’s either a strategy or a status that this Web site has little to offer visitors who seek more information on this controversial agreement.

Search was a comedy of errors. I submitted queries for “commodities,” “corn,” “wheat,” and “soybeans.” For the most part, the search engine would give me any answer I wanted… so long as it was the full text of NAFTA.

The site gets some grade-curving points on language support given that it need only support English, Spanish, and French to service all signatories.

I also looked at the U.S. Trade Representative, the Export-Import Bank of the United States, ASEAN, and others. The Friday5, of course, is an exercise in the art of compression. I invite you to comment about these sites in this post and to visit the others.

Image credit: Mariano Real Pérez

Writing Content for Search Engines

February 2, 2012

Posted by Ben Cotton

Edelman, Dublin

http://socialwebthing.com/

Follow on Twitter @bencotton

This post originally appeared on Social Web Thing as Part Three in a series exploring search engine optimization and content creation. Part Two can be found here.

This post is the third and final in my series looking at writing content for search engines. With a break from the previous format and to bring the series to its conclusion, I’ve written in more depth about less topics in this post and it contains some tips to consider, rather than immediately act upon. Nonetheless, I’m confident the issues covered will provide PRs with food for thought.

Incidentally, it seems fitting that in the middle of penning this guide, the BBC’s Rory Cellan Jones asked if mastering Google’s search algorithm and Wikipedia’s editing system are essential skills for the modern PR executive or lobbyist? Rory is nearly right. A solid grasp of search and an understanding of how to go about ethically editing a Wikipedia entry are two attributes in the ever-expanding digital skill-set. Whilst, these are standard skills for digital PRs, I’m unconvinced if they will become more widely adopted.

However, it’s hugely significant that Cellan Jones mentioned both Google and Wikipedia. They are interlinked. If Google is the first place people go to search, then Wikipedia is often the first thing people find. And I remember back in 2008 Stephen Davies proclaimed Google as ‘your new corporate homepage.’

Understand the Long Tail

To really make the best use of keywords and search budget, you need to understand the Long Tail. Ian Lurie, CEO of Portent hits the nail on the head when he describes the Long Tail as: “specific, niche search phrases, usually more than 2 words in length, that offer a low competition, low search volume and high searcher intent.” In short, it makes good business sense to understand and focus on Long Tail keywords to increase search visibility. There are several reasons for this.

Firstly, the couple of keywords you aspire to rank #1 for are likely to be very competitive and therefore more expensive.
Secondly, Long Tail searches are more specific and the lower volume actually adds up to a larger figure than the Short Tail – a widely quoted statistic from SEOMOZ says Long Tail comprises 70% of all search queries.
Thirdly, given the descriptive nature of Long Tail phrases, they often convert better into sales as people know exactly what they are searching for e.g. ‘jacket with red stripes’ is much more specific than just ‘jacket’.

Recognise the growing relationship between social and search

For the last couple of years we’ve been hearing about the impact social media is going to have on search results. The starting pistol to deepen the relationship was fired when Tweets began appearing in Google results and Facebook ‘Likes’ on Bing, but Google’s recent ‘Search Plus Your World’ which integrates normal search results with content that has been shared on Google+ represents the biggest convergence of social and search to date.

The full impact of Google+ on search is yet to be felt, but this play by Google shows the definition of search (or at least what it encompasses) is expanding. Future SEO campaigns will need to be more social with a focus on great content, as well as incorporating traditional (perhaps fundamental is more apt) search techniques, such as page names, meta tags, headings, anchor text etc.

Social is important for search as it provides the most natural platform for humans to link, vote, and endorse content and its inclusion into search algorithms adds a layer of human verification that is more difficult to game, resulting in better results for users, as Google continue their search for the perfect search engine.

Image credit: MoneyBlogNewz

Compelling Branded Content is not an Extended TVC

February 2, 2012

Posted by Edelman Digital

Follow on Twitter @edelmandigital

The following post is an excerpt from Edelman Consumer Marketing’s 12on12, a compilation of essays from some of our consumer marketing leaders around the globe. This is the third in a series of essays from the compilation. To read more essays from the 12on12 series, visit the Edelman Scribd Channel.

Now, more than ever before, there are opportunities for brands and organizations to create meaningful relationships directly with their target audience through compelling content. However, there are historical lessons to consider in determining what comprises compelling content.

Creating branded content is not a new concept. For a long time, brands and organizations have developed content, but it has been firmly in the province of marketing. The content that brands have traditionally created is short form; be that a television commercial (TVC), a print ad, or radio commercial. In order to engage audiences today, and to create the type of content that will be shared by consumers, simply extending the traditional marketing style content into a longer form will not work.

Today we are seeing brands like Red Bull through their creation of sports properties, KFC restaurants in Indonesia that host live music performances, and McDonald’s in the U.S. and Quiksilver France launching their own TV networks, creating the kind of quality content that, traditionally, we have associated with traditional media players. They have done this by focusing on what the audience wants first, and how they can benefit as a brand second.

To understand the opportunity for brands and organizations with regard to content, it is worth spending some time looking at what content consumers have traditionally engaged with, and looks at the evolution of content up to today.

Where We’ve Been

Traditionally, content was created by a few people. The delivery systems and the means of production were expensive. Only a few very wealthy individuals had access to the type of investment required to run huge print machines, or to buy the licenses and the studios required to deliver content via broadcast. This scenario meant that those who did create content had enormous power. The scarcity of content producers meant the content that was produced was highly valuable to the audience. There wasn’t much of it, so what was created was seen by many. This was the era of mass audiences, grouped together due to the scarcity of quality content.

What Changed in the Late ‘90s

Like the arrival of the printing press in the 1400s that dramatically changed access to printed content, the self-publishing phenomenon that arrived in the late ‘90s revolutionized content once more. No longer was content creation limited to the few with great means or great connections; now anyone could publish materials and gain an audience very cheaply and simply. The outcome of this was a mass fragmentation of the audience. No longer were audiences forced to watch a small amount of mass content, but could indulge in their favorite niches that were no longer controlled by geographical borders or high barriers to entry. There was, however, a yawning gap between the quality of content that was made for niche audiences, and those created for the masses. The mass audience content was still superior in quality and still attracted larger audiences.

Fast Forward to Today

Most of the formerly niche platforms have gone mainstream, and there are now very few discernible differences between the likes of the new-media Huffington Post and traditional media outlets in the U.S.; political opinion blogs like Crikey in Australia and traditional political publications and Rue89 in France share readers and media space. Further, the arrival of Facebook pages, branded YouTube channels, Google+ pages, and Twitter has meant that brands are doing more than merely creating content directly for their audience – they are talking with their audience like peers.

Traditionally brand content (or ads) was seen jammed between the bits of content we are really interested in. We watched them only through sufferance. They were a nuisance that paid for the stuff we were really interested in.

However, in order to gain traction in a world with more content and a fragmented audience, brands need to evolve their content. The content needs to be less about marketing messages and be truly entertaining, informative, or educational. In short, it needs to resemble much more the content that brands used to buy ad space around, and a lot less like the ads they have traditionally created.

Tips for Brands Wanting to Make Content Today:

At Edelman, we believe there are five simple tips that brands should keep in mind when planning and creating content. We call these the “Five Cs of Content.”

The 5Cs of Content

Creativity: Compelling storytelling is still the core component of all successful content. If we don’t care about the characters, aren’t interested in the story being told, or aren’t compelled to watch until the end, then it is unlikely the content will be successful.

Context: To create great content, you need to understand what your audience wants, needs, and desires. But you also need to take into account the platforms you audience uses to consume the content, be it print, video or audio; also, when they want it, and how often they are prepared to engage.

Connectivity: There is great value in creating content that connects members of your target audience together. By doing this, you create a mutually beneficial scenario that creates a virtuous circle of connectivity around your brand.

Continuity: There is a reason that soap operas like Neighbors, Derrick, Columbo, and The Bold and The Beautiful are successful. They have long-established audiences who know there will be a new episode on a regular basis. The same goes for content that brands create. There is great value provided by sustaining efforts over time, ensuring that an audience built around your content. Though remember, no audience will be built overnight.

Collaboration: Gone are the days of one-way communication with an audience. Today your audience is unlikely to want to sit idly by and consume the content you have created for them. They will want to be involved, have an impact on the direction of content, and be recognized for their contributions. What’s more, if they are involved, they are more likely to share their efforts – we all have egos, after all.

12 Social Media Trends Australian Companies Should Look Out For This Year

February 1, 2012

Posted by Trevor Young

Edelman Digital, Melbourne

Follow on Twitter @trevoryoung

This post was originally published on Trevor Young’s blog PR Warrior.

For companies and organisations already reeling from a year in which Australian consumers embraced the social web in massive numbers and with greater levels of intensity, 2012 promises more of the same but with some potential break-out trends.

So how should marketers approach 2012?

What should the leadership teams of large organisations be looking for in terms of building and protecting their corporate reputation in a hyper-connected world?

Below is a snapshot from a detailed paper I’ve written about how I think 2012 will roll out in terms of PR, communications and the social web.

BETTER USE (AND INTEGRATION) OF SOCIAL MEDIA – Brands that have experimented with the social web will go back to basics and start thinking more strategically how to leverage new media technologies for their business, including better integrating with other marketing and corporate communications.

ADOPTION OF QUICKER RESPONSE TIMES – As more and more Australians become heavier and more frequent users of social media, so too their expectation brands will respond in a timely manner will grow. Thus companies will need to factor in quicker response times in line with today’s ‘real-time’ marketplace.

LEADERS WILL ADOPT PRINCIPLES OF SOCIAL BUSINESS – Forward-thinking organisations that put ‘social’ at the heart of their enterprise will become the new leaders in an era where everyone is connected and two-way collaborative communication trumps ‘top down’ broadcast of polished messages.

INCREASED EMPHASIS ON CONTENT MARKETING – The notion of brands becoming media companies in their own right will hit home locally; expect more use of the term ‘content marketing’ not to mention a growing trend for companies tapping journalists, PR people and bloggers to create content on their behalf.

THE RISE AND RISE OF THE POWER BLOGGER – Blogging in Australia will continue its impressive growth but the big shift will be in the rise of the power blogger – the ‘multi-dimensional storytellers’ who will continue to increase their sphere of influence on and offline as the popularity of their ‘personal brand’ grows.

CONTINUED DEBATE AROUND ROI – The debate over social media ROI will continue to be a hot topic but more reasoned voices will come to the fore as decision-makers better understand and appreciate what can and cannot be achieved in today’s new media world.

GROWTH IN CONTENT CURATION – Not everyone is a content creator; with so much information flying around the web, the public will increasingly rely on filters (people, tools or apps) to edit and package information for their consumption e.g. Flipboard, Zite, Storify etc. Expect to also see a rise in influence of people who develop a reputation for content curation.

THE RISE IN STATUS OF THE COMMUNITY MANAGER – Once the domain of a digitally savvy but inexperienced ‘junior burger’, organisations will start paying more respect to social media by appointing more knowledgeable and senior people in the public-facing role of community manager; expect this person to take on increased importance as their connection with the community deepens.

COMBATING FACEBOOK’S CLUTTER – Facebook will continue its dominance;brands will need to become more creative and look to provide unique user experiences if they are to stand out from the crowd.

TWITTER’S GROWING INFLUENCE – Twitter will continue to break into the mainstream consciousness as even the laggards start to wonder what all the fuss is about and join up.

TRACKING THE RISING STARS – Keep an eye out for Google+, Instagram, Pinterest, Flipboard, Tout. How could your brand leverage these platforms?

WHERE TO FOR SOCIAL INFLUENCE MEASUREMENT & SCORING SYSTEMS? – One of the more controversial talking points among marketing and PR folk this year has been the use (and validity) of online reputation and social influence measurement systems e.g. Klout, Kred, PeerIndex et al. Expect more of the same in 2012!

What do you think 2012 holds in store for Australian PR professionals and the brands they represent?

Image credit: gerlos