“How will social media change business?”
BusinessWeek’s Stephen Baker threw this question out to his readers, who gave some pretty outstanding answers in the comments.
One reader, Brent Terazzas, pointed out that “businesses are no longer held down by the more ‘traditional’ PR methods of releasing company info”; for instance, through a public relations or advertising firm. Instead, companies can now speak directly with consumers, whether it is via a blog, Twitter, Facebook, Myspace or some other social network.
Another reader, Shany Seawright, pointed out that “the number of print publications is significantly decreasing.” Businesses that some refer to as “old media” (newspapers, magazines, etc.) are feeling the pressure to keep their product current, and that means moving it online.
Social media can also be used as a weapon. Last month, Miller Brewing Co.’s “Brew Blog” broke a story about rival Anheuser-Busch’s new brand of beer, Budweiser American Ale. By beating their competitor to the punch on the announcement, it allowed Miller to spin Anheuser as a “copycat” - Miller claimed they had thought up a similar brew in 2006.
There are likely many more examples out there of how social media has, for better or worse, changed the way business is done.
How has social media impacted your business?
Let’s face it - most companies love to see business referred through their web site. When this occurs, it indicates that someone tried to solve a problem (need to find a plumber, need a new car, etc.) and that company’s web site seemed to provide an answer. That person then chose to do business with the company.
The web site became an advertisement for the company.
I’m currently reading a great book by Andrew Griffiths titled, 101 Ways to Advertise Your Business. In Section 1 of this book, Andrew offers up five important things everyone should know about advertising. While reading, I realized that these points adapt quite well to the web, particularly web sites.
So what are these five important things you should know? Instead of copying Andrew’s list verbatim, I’ll instead paraphrase his five points and tailor them to web sites:
- Know what message you’re trying to deliver. Don’t confuse your potential customers with irrelevant information. Be quick and to the point.
- Know your target audience. Being too broad could mean losing business to a competitor.
- Make your web site stand out. A great design that’s easy on the eyes does wonders for your company’s credibility.
- Make sure people visit your web site. List your web site on all your advertisements and business cards.
- Let your web site work over time. Don’t expect results overnight.
Back in the 1990’s, simply having a web site was good enough, and it showed. Many businesses designed a simple one-page site with a phone number and uploaded it for the world to see. In this day and age, those types of pages look old and out of date, and businesses using them come off as “behind the times”. That perception could mean the difference between “new customer” and “no customer”.
Long story short - take your web presence seriously.
Mull over these five points and ask yourself - “Is my company’s web site advertising our business? Or is it just going through the motions?” If you answer with the latter, there’s no better day than today to change course.
Being an English major, my first instinct when beginning this post was to research the topic and then write about it. However, the more I thought about it, the more I realized that I didn’t need to. This is one of those topics I can write about solely by observing what goes on around me.
My discovery? Traditional businesses near my campus (Indiana University of Pennsylvania) are employing social networking sites on a daily basis, and no offense, but Indiana, PA is certainly not the tech hub of the universe. Wired (and wireless) college students have taken over this small town and the businesses here have realized that potential customers are only a friend request away.
Here are a few examples of traditional businesses employing social networking technology:
- Wolfendales, a popular bar for IUP students, sends Myspace friend requests out to pretty much everyone in the area. I got one my first semester on campus. They write bulletins informing patrons of special events and post comments inviting everyone to come out.
- Copper Beech, a community of townhomes (mostly occupied by students) sends Facebook friend requests to IUP students. They keep those who accept updated on open houses and other special events.
- The Penn (our college newspaper) runs a web site where the print stories are posted. They invite readers to comment and discuss the stories after they’ve been published.
If businesses are embracing the social web with success here, imagine what could be done in Harrisburg! A vast population of Central Pennsylvanians are on Facebook and Myspace. Some write blogs. Many are also starting to flock to Twitter, a mini-blogging/update service. Traditional businesses would be wise to establish an online presence for themselves on all of these platforms, blogs especially. A company blog allows a business to become more transparent and show that there are, in fact, humans running the show. When you become more personable, you earn more trust.
If you’re still unsure, ask yourself these three questions:
- “Do I want my business to interact with current and past customers?”
- “Do I want my business to reach out to potential customers and the community in general?”
- “Do I want my business to keep up with the times?”
If you’ve answered yes to all three, it’s time for your business to devise a serious social networking strategy.
Top Web Site Mistakes
The Internet has billions of Web pages, and to compete in this market, you must be able to avoid common Web site mistakes. While creating your Web site, there are several things to keep in mind. Above all else, it is important to have a site that caters to your clientele, is easy to operate, and is aesthetically pleasing. Also, you must make sure that your Web site is free of errors, does not require a high degree of user interaction, and does not annoy your visitors. A word of warning: If you make these mistakes, your Web site will not stand up to the competition and may even hurt your company or business.
Cater To Clientele
When you have a Website, it is important to focus on your clients. One of the biggest Website mistakes is organizing your site in such a way that it benefits the company but confuses the client. Do not focus on what your company or employees need from your Website. Instead, pay attention to what your clients want, and attempt to make a Website that caters to your them. Catering to your own employees, yourself, or any party other than your clients is a big mistake.
Easy To Operate
Many times, people who are creating Web sites sacrifice ease-of-use for new technologies. This can lead to a confusing Web site that might look impressive but is difficult to operate. If you have a complicated design or poor navigation, this is a big mistake. It is especially important that your site does not require instructions or tips on how to use it. Any person who visits your Web site should be able to use it intuitively.
Aesthetically Pleasing
Without a doubt, the look of your Website is important. Have a color scheme on your Web site, using quality fonts, graphics, and design elements. Use colors which integrate, rather than harshly contrast. Be sure that your fonts are readable against your background as well as your graphics, fonts, and other information. Keep in mind that you should be testing your fonts and display elements to ensure compatibility.
Also, think about the Web browser that your visitors will be using to view your Web site in, along with the screen resolution. Make sure that your Web site shows up properly and is easy to read. Having a site that is difficult to explore is one of the biggest Website mistakes that you might be making.
Free Of Errors
Another common Web site mistake is to have a Web page with errors. Broken links, poorly written code, and graphics that do not load all make your page look amateur and unprofessional. If you are including Flash or other Web programs, be sure that they are working correctly. Double check all of your links, and confirm that absolutely everything on your site is working perfectly. Do not tolerate code-level errors or display problems. Remember, your site should work well in all major Web browsers: Internet Explorer, Firefox, and Safari.
Do Not Require Users to Download
Some Websites make the mistake of requiring users to download applications in order to use the Website. Having special programs that must be downloaded before your site can be viewed is a huge Website mistake. Studies have shown that people simply do not want to download items onto their computers in order to view a Web page.
Additionally, do not create a Website that requires users to register in order to view the site. This is a major turn off for clients, since most people are concerned about privacy and fast information access. An important motto when building sites is: Keep it simple, and keep it easy to use.
Nothing Annoying
Lastly, be sure that your Web site does not annoy your customers. Overuse of Flash animations, music, videos, and moving graphics can irritate and confuse your visitors. Few Internet users want to spend time trying to figure out how to make a song quit playing or stop an animation from flashing. These are all huge Web site mistakes because they create a situation where some people may want to leave your page as soon as they can without becoming your customers. Be sure that while you are creating your Web site, you are considering ways to make it as inviting as possible, not annoying.
Top Web Site Mistakes: The Final Word
When creating your site, one of the best ways to avoid any Website mistakes is to look at the site with fresh eyes. Pretend that you have never seen the site before, and that you know nothing about your business or company. Make sure that all of the information is clear, that the Website is easy to navigate, and that there are no unanswered questions or points of confusion. If you are able to avoid the above Website mistakes, you will have created not only a great site, but a strategic marketing tool for growing your business.
In my opinion the acquisition all boils down to Microsoft’s inability to challenge Google mainly in Search and secondarily in web application innovation. Google currently owns 58% of Search industry which is expected to surpass $23 Billion in spending by 2010. As Microsoft’s 10% market share continues to dwindle, they are even increasingly being shut out of the fast growing and lucrative Search market. Hence, the Yahoo acquisition would boost their Search market share to over 30% of Search and give Microsoft a legitimate shot at taking on Google, giving both Microsoft and Yahoo engineers a common enemy. Overall we would be happy to see a legitimate challenger to Google and their near monopoly in the Search marketplace and think that consumers and searchers would benefit from the acquisition. Microsoft AdCenter and Yahoo Search Marketing PPC could use an overhaul too, so here is hoping their combined Ad Systems streamline the process of setting up PPC ads on both of their networks.
In addition to taking Google on in Search the combined company would control a vast amount of web traffic.
Here are the most popular affected websites in the US:
1.) Yahoo
2.) Google
4.) Windows Live
5.) Microsoft Network (MSN)
This is very significant, and controlling 3 of the top 5 most popular destinations on the Internet in the US will allow Microsoft to continue to build up strategic Internet marketing alliances. Building on momentum of recent deals with Facebook and Digg.
Many challenges remain and new bidders for Yahoo might emerge, but in my estimation Microsoft is the best suitor and we expect the deal to be completed. The combined company would have many cultural obstacles and technical (Microsoft shuns Open Source vs. Yahoo has embraced it) but the combined companies would clearly provide a challenge to Google.
As of 12JAN08 all Google data centers have been updated with a new Google PageRank update. The Google PageRank update is beginning to become a little bit of a yawn around the SEM community, since it has little affect on the traffic that Google drives websites via organic web searches.
The most recent PageRank update brought little change to the overall WebpageFX website. The one exception being that our blog home page lost its page rank which is irregular since many posts range from a PR1 to a PR3. One would think in 2008 that GoogleBot would have mastered how to crawl a WordPress blog. We even setup our robots.txt file in a manner to assist GoogleBot along it indexing way.
All this leads one to ponder if Google PageRank should go away entirely. If PageRank is mainly being used by SEOers and marketers to set the prices for paid links which Google has now launched a crusade against, what’s the point of fueling the fire with PageRank updates which have no bearing on SERPS (Search engine results page)?
Here is a good post by the Google mage himself on the importance of PageRank: Matt Cutts Blog - PageRank
Riley, Duncan. “2007 In Numbers: iGoogle Google’s Homegrown Star Performer This Year” TechCrunch. 21 Nov. 2007