Google vs Facebook - the gloves are off!
The roll-out on Google search to reference data from Google +, to personalise a users search results, appears to be driven by a desire to 'out Facebook, Facebook' by Google. Its not looking like such a smart move at the moment, but time and user reaction will tell. See David Moth's, Econsultancy, wrap up of the algorithm updates and his view of the implications.
QR code uptake feedback
Some useful benchmarks for QR code consumer uptake from Econsultancy - one to monitor and test, where it makes sense on a target audience/lifestyle fix.
Growth of TV viewing online now slowing
BARB are reporting that the growth in online TV viewing i.e. via a PC, laptop or tablet, has slowed, from 15% during a period this November compared to the same period last year. The word to note, of course, is 'growth' as 14% growth is still a significant lifestyle change, that media planners needs to take into account. From my point of view, I need to factor in, the consideration that circa 15% of my TV audience are most probably going to surf the web whilst the ad breaks are on, as the ability to do email, facebook and general web browsing is going to be higher when you are watching from this kind of device. Also, I need to carefully consider the call to action and the expectation for an online destination from he TV ad. There is always another dimension to consider, just when you think you have a handle on how technology is being used in real life!
Click to call for mobile search....
....will now be automatically enabled for all phone numbers that appear within Google Adwords copy, closing the 'free call' loophole that has existed over the past year for advertisers that have included their number within ad copy, rather than using the Call Extension feature. Just be aware, that if customers have been trained to call your company, from their mobiles, this will now result in a regular click cost from Google, for any calls generated, and your MI and daily caps, may be altered going forwards.
Social Media & Engagement Explained by UnMarketing
A great presentation by Scott Stratten on the use of technology and how companies should think about their brand.
Foursquare beacon
Given Google's love of all things social at the moment, I can't help thinking that adding the new 'Save to Foursquare' button to your site, will do no harm in search ranking terms, and could generate some useful metrics for online to offline, real world behaviours, influcenced digitally.
Ripples of conversation....
I , along with a few million others around the world, hadn't entered the fray, unitl today, that is Google's +1 social proposition - accounts with a corporate administrator have only recently been able to get inside this tool. In the 100 days since Google +1 went live, rather a lot of data has been collected, and anyone can now get at this via Google + Ripples. This SEOmoz post gave me a head start, and the insight is really quite staggering. Have a play around, get +1 active, and lets work out how brands can use this transparency, to really get inside social media.
Trial, Error and the God Complex
A little while ago I watched a great talk from TED Global 2011 where Tim Harford discusses making use of trial and error in the production cycle and questions our fear of getting things wrong.
Cookie watch
Now that all site owners need to be fully aware of how their site is deploying cookies, to be sure to comply with the revised EU privacy regs, this is a useful tool, for the less techy amongst us, providing a quick snapshot of cookies in play on a particular page. This HttpWatch free tool, will provide a list of cookies that you can assess at your leisure, and is also rather useful for spotting third party tags - publishers and analytics companies - on competitor sites.
Facebook Timelines
Your personal and company Facebook profiles will be getting a make over in the next 2 - 4 weeks, as the established profile pages take on a new look, and significant additional functionality. The creation of a 'Timeline' will enable you to scrap book your entire life, filling gaps as you see fit - then as you download the apps, your viewing and listening will also be passively shared, according to your privacy settings. The benefits for 9 - 19 year olds, who are spending an average of 55 minutes per day on facebook, lie within the ability to prioritise and showcase their favourite photos, music, film choices and to be able to get a peek at what their friends are viewing, REAL TIME, all within Facebook. App partners in The Guardian, Spotify, Daily Motion and Cinemur have already been announced. What does this mean for advertisers and corporate pages? Basically Facebook have lifted the lid on all that behavioural data they have been sitting on, facilitating better realisation of these preferences for targeting. However, the downside is that even if you are currently doing business within Facebook, your marketing strategy will need to be adjsuted to account for the fact that more users will be staying in their own 'walled gardens', self sufficient on their app menu, and less likely to be roaming.