Epicenter Network Blog

After some months of canoodling, the social networking giant and Microsoft decided to take their relationship to the next level. The two announced yesterday that MySpace will be available for Windows Mobile this summer and that MySpace will be supporting Microsoft’s new Silverlight platform.

While this is exciting news for some, it may be leaving a bad taste in Google’s mouth. This relationship adds a new dynamic to the rivalry that exists between Google and Microsoft and puts MySpace in the middle of a technology-sharing love triangle.

Currently, Google holds a multimillion dollar deal with MySpace and handles their search and other FIM properties. This relationship was formed in 2006 and cost Google around $900 million.

To make matters more complicated, Microsoft also has a $240 million deal with Facebook that was formed back in 2007. This deal gave Microsoft extended control over Facebook’s advertising and took claim to a small portion of their ownership. Google competed against Microsoft for this position, but ultimately lost out in the end.

Will MySpace’s double deal making cause even more problems between Microsoft and Google? Will this new relationship between MySpace and Microsoft break the bond between MySpace and Google? What about the relationship between Facebook and Microsoft? This technology soap opera could end with some big break-ups as each of the players keep bouncing between partners.

The deal between Google and MySpace will expire in 2010, leaving the social network to decide if they will continue the search deal or perhaps move everything over into their partnership with Microsoft.

Watch out MBA graduates, there is a new kid in town – the Masters of Social Media. You may have gone to graduate school for marketing, but these students are experts in social networking, possess an untouchable friend base on Facebook and can Tweet like no body’s business.

These are the future graduates of Birmingham City University’s new master’s program in social media.

The masters program is set to launch next year and includes a one year course in social media, teaching students how to use social networking sites as marketing and communication skills. This program may be of special interest to students with an undergraduate degree in journalism, communications, marketing or public relations.

It’s not surprising that this day would come where a degree would be offered in social networking. Using social media to grow business, improve branding and reach out to customers is starting to play a bigger role in marketing plans and many online advertisers are using the power of social networking to bring in more revenue.

I wonder, however, if paying $6,239 U.S. dollars to learn how to optimize Sites like Twitter and Facebook is really worth it. Social networking sites were created as spaces for people to connect and network, so they were designed to be user-friendly and simple to understand. Then when you do have a question on how to use something, there are forums and user guides posted on search engines and other networking sites that you can read or download for free.

While I sound like a bit of a killjoy here, I do think it is an interesting concept. I think the same benefits could be attained by offering this as a single course within another degree, such as journalism or marketing. I’d be interested to know where they will find the social media experts that are more knowledgeable than their students who have been using social networking for years.

This week Video Professor filed suit against Amazon for trademark infringement for using the phrase “video professor” in their pay-per-click ads on Google. They claim that the search phrase was directing visitors to a site that sold instructional videos by Professor Teaches and was misleading to the consumer.

Oh Amazon, don’t you know you shouldn’t do that?

VPI (Video Professor, Inc.) explained in their complaint that once the user clicks on the Amazon.com link for the search term “video professor” they are taken to a page with the name Video Professor at the top, but are mislead as the page only sells Professor Teaches CD-ROMS. They claim that the consumer may purchase the Professor Teaches product under the assumption that it is created by Video Professor.

I wonder how well this will hold up in court, since it is a case based on assumptions of the consumer’s behavior. Someone may have Googled “video professor” simply looking for instructional videos, not videos specially made by VPI. Additionally, they may use the same search term to view similar products and to do a little comparison shopping.

Another issue that may work in Amazon’s favor is the fact that both products, Video Professor and Professor Teaches, are featured on the same landing page. Therefore, Amazon could argue that they used the search phrase for legitimate product placement and accurately placed the consumer on the correct page.

When I Googled “video professor” this morning and clicked on the Amazon ad, I landed on a page with Video Professor as the title but didn’t see a Video Professor product until I scrolled down to the 12th item listed.

We’ll have to see who picked the better lawyer.

Amazon isn’t the first to make this mistake, here are some similar lawsuits.

• Geico vs. Google
• American Airlines vs. Google
• Heartbrand Beef vs. Yahoo

A California courted ruled this week that dentist Yvonne Wong can continue her lawsuit against a couple who posted a negative review about her services on Yelp. Wong is suing for libel and emotional distress.

Libel law is a familiar friend of mine, as it was a key portion of my media law courses and I have even had the pleasure of being personally threatened with libel and defamation suits myself. Only threatened because libel can be hard to prove, journalists have the right to report the truth and I got a picture of the guy clearly breaking the law.

If anyone needs a refresher on libel law, here is a definition: Libel is an untruthful statement about a person, published in writing or another form of media broadcast, that injures that person’s reputation or standing within the community. It is a civil wrong, so the injured party has the right to file a lawsuit against the person making the “wrongful” statements.

This pertains to online media as well, especially for review sites and blogs, not just print media.

With that being said, it is a law that protects citizens’ reputations and helps prevent others from casting a false negative light on others. However, when libel law crosses over in First Amendment rights, you find yourself on a slippery slope.

The couple who posted the negative review on Yelp did so after their son left Wong’s dentist office with alleged lightheadedness from too much laughing gas and received a filling contaminated with mercury.

Lightheadedness from laughing gas? Of course, he was on laughing gas, which makes people loopy and keeps them from caring about the painful procedure they are just about to undergo. The couple’s son may just have a very low tolerance. However, a mercury contaminated filling is something to complain about, especially in a child’s mouth.

I’m not sure how the couple determined that the filling was contaminated with mercury, but if it is indeed contaminated, this is of public importance. The couple plans on appealing the judge’s ruling and will try to get the case dismissed under California’s anti-SLAPP law (definition).

Here is Dr. Wong’s Yelp page. I couldn’t find the review the couple posted, but there are some comments defending Wong’s expertise.

Whether this dentist is wrong or right to sue this couple depends on whether there actually was mercury in the filling, and this will be decided in court. A ruling that has already been made is that the dentist’s lawsuit against Yelp was dismissed as the site is protected by the federal Communications Decency Act.

This is good news for online review sites and sites that allow for user comments. I am pleased to see that part of this case was thrown out so quickly and that the Internet can remain an open source of information sharing. I’m eager to hear how the libel case is judged and will post a follow-up once the case is closed.

Don’t worry about getting behind your refrigerator or moving the furniture around, that is not the type of cleaning I’m talking about. This is spring cleaning for your marketing strategies and campaigns.

Now is a good time to stop and take a look at what you’ve done so far this year, what has and hasn’t worked and plan your next moves. Before you start cleaning things out and changing strategies, take a look at your past programs and strategies and their outcomes. Take note of all the things that worked and also how your audience has changed. Consider the current market trends and how your past programs can be incorporated into your current plan.

This is also a good time to reflect on changes in your customer behavior and reconnect with them. How are they responding to your newsletters? Review your content and make sure that you are sending engaging material and the right value message. You may also want to try putting a survey on your site to get a better idea of what they are looking for and how you can make your site more valuable to them.

Which leads into the next area to clean up – your web site. How recently was your content updated; is this something you do on a regular basis? Also make sure that your messaging is aligned with company branding strategies and meets your audience’s needs and fulfills their needs and keeps them coming back.

How functional and user-friendly is your web site? Try to make the purchasing path as fluid as possible and run through how easy or difficult it is to navigate your site. Take a look at your layout and design – are there any obvious areas for improvement? This may be a good time to revamp it a bit or add some new graphics.

In addition to “cleaning” out your web site and reconnecting with customers, you may also want to consider adding some new marketing channels to your strategy, such as social networking or blogging. This is a great way to stay in touch with current customers, attract new customers and help to further brand your company or product.

Once you have sorted through your strategies, customers and websites, catch up on the latest online marketing trends and take a stab at something new. This is also a good time to make adjustments to your budgeting and look for places to cut back on spending or where to put more money.

Once your marketing strategies have been reorganized, you may want to take a look at your work space and see what clutter you can remove from there as well.

For those of you who consider themselves to be social media “experts” and who love socializing online more than human interaction, brace yourself for what I am about to say. Social media is not a good place for advertising. Some may even go as far as saying that it is the worst medium for advertising.

I am not one of those people. However, I do agree that your product is not going to start flying off the shelves by simply Twittering about how it holds 12 times its weight in water, is machine washable and is made in Germany (this of course is the ShamWow! And it is pretty great).

Social networks were created as a place for people to connect online and share ideas, resources and pictures of their weekends. People don’t log in to their accounts for shopping, so advertisements either have to be extremely convincing or be targeted toward a very specific audience. This isn’t to say that Facebook and MySpace ads are not effective, because many online marketers are successful at driving revenue from them.

Jason Calacanis, CEO at Mahalo, believes that advertising through social media may not work. He compares sites like Facebook to online parties and during parties people don’t pay attention to advertising. The real way to succeed, he says, is through search.

In pay-per-click ads the customer basically comes to you and is actively seeking information. This raises your likeliness of a conversion since they already have an interest even before you pitch your product to them.

Calacanis says Twitter should be considered a one-on-one direct marketing tool and called it the new Super Bowl commercial. I agree with his point and would go on to say that Twitter, and similar sites, are also great for studying your audience and collecting data. You can tap into what your consumer is interested in, what they are unhappy about and maybe even figure out how to get them to buy your product.

If you feel differently about this and successfully advertise and convert through social media sites, I want to hear from you.

When it comes to email marketing, one of the most important things to keep in mind is your audience. You need to identify them and determine what they are looking for and how to keep them satisfied.

Jeanniey Mullen, chief marketing officer for Zinio, recently gave a presentation on “The Future of E-Mail” where she identified four new email marketing segments. Mullen says it’s important to be aware of these 4 types of subscribers and to keep them in mind while creating your messaging.

Segment 1: The Social Influencer
This group contains the “cool kids”. These people subscribe to your e-mail, but don’t frequently respond because they are spending most of their time in the social networking scene.

So how do you grab their attention? Send them something really impressive, entertaining and unique. This may not convince them to make a purchase, but they may post it to their online profiles. This gives your content great exposure, as it displays your content and messaging to all their friends and contacts in the social networking world.

Segment 2: The High-Value Customer
This group contains the repeat shoppers. These people frequently click through your e-mails and make regular purchases, but don’t provide any additional promoting or branding.

Think of these subscribers as your short-term revenue drivers, but not your most important e-mailing group.

Segment 3: The Wannabes
This group contains the deal seekers. You present them with a sale item or a featured product and they will make the purchase.

This group can account for around 80% of your mailing list and are looking for the most direction. Give these people a nudge toward site specials and inform them of how to become more engaged in your site. They want to be more involved and keep investing in your product, you just have to show them the way.

Segment 4: The Unsubscribers
This group contains the people that click “this is spam”. They subscribed to your e-mail at one time, but now feel that it isn’t relevant to them or they aren’t getting the deals they were looking for. Sometimes they unsubscribe and sometimes they simply click “this is spam” to end your mailings.

So how do you benefit from this group? Re-evaluate your content and messaging, ask yourself how you can make your e-mails more beneficial. Then start the sweet talking and try to get them back. Not all PR is good PR and you don’t want one unsubscriber telling their friends how lame your product or web site is.

If you can identify these segments in your mailing list and optimize accordingly, expect for your open and click-through rates to improve. Also keep in mind that every customer is valuable in different ways and take advantage of every opt-in you receive.

This morning I came across a study conducted by Bazaarvoice and richrelevance that looked at the behavior of today’s online shopper. The take away points were that 48% of online shoppers said they will spend less this year and those that will be making purchases will not be making them hastily.

What does this mean for the online marketer? It’s time to turn on the charm, play up the product, add some reviews, recommendations and sweeten the deals.

The study also shows that consumers are more likely to make a purchase from a site that provides that with content tools connecting them to the opinions and behaviors of other shoppers. This may be because they are looking for more validation in their purchase and if Joe from Virginia says he can’t remember life before he bought his Snuggie, then maybe you can’t live without one either.

I think a good example of this can be seen at one of my favorite shopping sites, SteepandCheap.com. This site promotes one product at a time at a discounted price and offers the deal until stock runs out. Under the image of the product there is a description and product features section and below that a review section. I tend to trust reviews more than product descriptions, as these are testimonials from people who have actually used the product outdoors and comment on the comfort and functionality.

Not surprisingly, the study also said that online shoppers cutting back the most in the automotive, travel and consumer electronics sector – the big ticket items. They are also visiting 3 sites or more to compare prices before making their purchase.

To keep the consumer on your site and get them through your purchasing path, there are a few things you can do. The first is to provide compelling content for your product. The content needs to connect them to the product and build their confidence in making the purchase. Then provide them with previous customer reviews, ratings and testimonials to the products quality.

Another suggestion is to recommend additional products based on the consumer’s purchasing behavior and on other consumer’s behavior. This is a great up-selling technique and you’d be surprised how much more likely people are to buy things when they see how many other people are.

The average online web user can be a bit ADD and has a short attention span when it comes to finding information online. When a visitor enters your website, you have only a matter of seconds to grab their attention and provide them with the information they are looking for. This is when video comes in handy.

Would you rather read a 500 word product description or watch a 15 second video of user testimonials and a visual display of the product itself? Personally, I’d opt for the video. And if it’s true that actions speak louder than words, then the power of video wins in this situation.

I’ve read that today’s “younger crowd” – ages 18 through 24 – are spending a greater amount of their time online watching videos and television shows, getting their news and doing some shopping. This is the same demographic that bookmarks sites like YouTube, Hulu, MySpace and Facebook. They aren’t the only demographic turning to video, as the more mature crowd is tuning in too.

So how do you cash in on this trend? Start making or posting videos to your site, blog, company profile/group page or social network. If you are selling a product, replace a lengthy description or testament to its quality with a video that shows someone actually using it.

The best part is that making the actual video is the easiest step. Ever seen those new PC commercials with the little kids making videos? If they can do it, so can you. There are software programs you can purchase or you can pay someone to make it for you. Once the video is created, you can start posting on YouTube and creating your own channel or try MetaCafe.

I found this video by Michael Jantze on how to get featured on YouTube.

A simple guideline to a video marketing approach is outlined here by Michael Pick:

1. Get your video seen – make it visible and eye-catching on your landing page
2. Let them know it’s a video, a short video
3. Make your video “zing” – Keep it short, sweet and catchy
Get a good soundtrack going, keep it fast paced and give them something cool to look at

Sending out newsletters is a great way to keep connected with your audience and keeps them updated and interested in your business or organization. It is especially a good idea for affiliate networks to send out weekly newsletters to inform affiliates of new offers or promotions to check out.

However, at times it can feel like you are spending so much time writing content that only a handful of people will actually read. If this is the case, don’t get discouraged, there are some ways to increase your readership and your past e-newsletters content will get read.

One of the first ways to increase your readership is to think outside your mailing list. Seek out special interest groups and organizations in social networks and post a link to your newsletter. A couple places to start are Linkedin and Facebook, but you can also try Stumbling your newsletter or adding a link in Newsvine.

Also be sure to increase readership in your archived newsletters by including links to past editions. You can do this by adding links, a sidebar or a section that lists the past editions and articles of interest. By linking back to past newsletters, your hard work seems to pay off more and your great ideas from weeks back will reach more people.

If your site or organization has a blog, stick a subscribe link on the homepage. All you have to do is state you have a newsletter and ask for a first name and email.

One more thing you can do is add a forwarding link (“send to a friend”) at the top of your newsletters. If you’ve got solid content in your newsletters, readers will be more likely to share it with their friends and colleagues. And as you can imagine, this can lead to a much larger opt-in list.

If you have any additional ideas for increasing e-newsletter readership, I invite you to share them below!