For most internet users, Google has become much more than just a ‘verb’ (“Let’s Google that!”), it's a much-loved information powerhouse which is part of our daily lives.

So when Google launched social media platform Google+ a little over 6 months ago there was a lot of interest, instantly. The early adopters proved to largely be highly technical individual users.

But then, more recently, Google+ launched brand pages, giving brands a valuable tool to help them connect with customers socially. The number of users leapt to 62 million (according to PC Magazine, 29 Dec 2011). While that may be a mere scab on Facebook’s 800 million users, Google+ is proving to be a particularly valuable platform for brands looking for some serious potential – more streamlined and with many more features than its Facebook counterpart.

Here are just a handful of ways Google+ can make a difference to a brand:

1.       It’s easy to set up the profile page how you want it – particularly the photo strip across the top. Add as much or little detail to your profile. After that, it’s fairly straightforward to drive viral growth. Start by asking employees to share your page within their circles, and see it grow from there.

2.       You can interact and share with one or more groups of people as you have defined them. Each person can be added to one or more circles by a simple drag and drop. So when you map the circles you want to set up, instead of creating one circle called ‘customers’, why not segment your followers how you want them, such as by product affinity, preferences, etc

3.       Learn more about your Google+ audience – what type of content works best, when do you get the most number of +1s? Look at the streams to see the social activity from each circle. Use Google Ripples to see how people share your content and to identify any key influencers.

4.       Following point 3, make Google+ content different – don’t assume Facebook ‘likes’ are the same and are interested in the same content. This is a brand page after all, so use it to express your brand personality, keeping in mind that it is different to any other social media channel. The best thing about posting to G+ is that posts can be edited once they’re up.

5.      Make the most of the features on offer – it’s pretty easy to add a +1 button around your website, try ‘hangouts’ and connect directly with your customers via a video chat (we here at Bullseye use hangouts every day at stand-up meetings around Australia and with Indonesia). Other features include Screensharing, Sketchpad, Google Docs in Hangout and Custom API. There is also a feature during hangouts where people in the hosts circle can communicate via instant messaging and photo sharing. Try it all and see what you can adopt into your business flow to make your life easier.

6.       As with all social media, it makes sense to re-evaluate your strategy frequently. Google+ is still in its infancy, you’ll need to see how it changes and evolves to keep up with it. YouTube is now integrated, what other changes are coming next?

And in case you need some inspiration to see the potential for your brand and what can happen if you put some time into it, here are the top 10 most ‘circled’ brands on Google+ (as at 22 December, 2011 according to Mashable)

1. Android: 235,742 followers
2. Mashable: 131,208 followers
3. Google Chrome: 127,611 followers
4. Google+: 113,355 followers
5. Coldplay: 106,791 followers
6. H&M: 99,116 followers
7. New York Times: 93,397 followers
8. Marvel: 93,384 followers
9. Google: 91,636 followers*
10.Gmail: 89,564 followers

References:

http://mashable.com/2011/12/21/google-plus-brand-strategy/?WT.mc_id=obinsite
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2398114,00.asp

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With the recent unveiling of one of the big banks new-style branches, it got me thinking about what other changes consumers can look forward to this year. Personally I’m struggling to get right brain and left brain happily working in tandem after the holidays – but I’m impressed by their focus on improving consumer experience and getting right down to business.

They’re removing security screens and being more open plan, installing digital displays, creating a kids corner, having iPads to hand and embracing aromatherapy (jasmine and grapefruit was the scent at the media preview).

And it’s not only the banking sector that is jumping up and down to improve consumer experience and, in return, their competitiveness. There has been a growing Australia-wide buzz around consumer experience and it looks like digital will be the channel businesses embrace to make a competitive difference in 2012.

According to telecoms.com the telco sector is also making lasting change and 2012 will be a real decider as to which players will dominate. They predict one major change area will be data sharing and getting more creative and generous with sharing data across multiple devices – as well as the death of the notebook and the continued rise of tablets. We are yet to have a date for the launch of iPad3 but it can’t be too far away.

Even the government are doing something actionable and standing behind the recommendation that all Australians would be online by 2020. This, according to a report at the end of 2011, would be to give all Australians a fair go in the digital era. Can we take it, then, that access to being online has become a vital requirement for all Australians, not just a 'nice to have'?

It’s exciting to see consumer experience improving as more and more businesses realise that in the growing world of digital technology and social networking, the consumer has never had so much power.

-Caroline Herrman

Reference: http://www.telecoms.com/38181/customer-experience-predictions-for-2012/

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Step 1. Update your social media profile photos

Step 2. Polish your Facebook and Google+ business pages and your Linkedin profile

Step 3. Review where you up to with your social media strategy

Step 4. Make sure the reindeer can find your place. Update your listing in Google places

Are you naughty or nice?

Step 5. Familiarize yourself with Facebook’s new page insights

Step 6. Switch to the new version of Google Analytics and filter out internal traffic

Step 7. Review your other social media stats

Step 8. Review your site’s top visited content

Find your inner Santa...

Step 9. Start to plan 2012 by asking yourself honest questions around how you will improve customer relationships, innovation and collaboration

Step 10. Sketch out a 6-month calendar for your blog, newsletter, and social media content based on what’s been popular this year

Bring good tidings –

Step 11. Set up keyword searches in Tweet Deck or Hootsuite to monitor what people are talking about in your industry, and join the discussion

Step 12. Thank your supporters for a great year. Spend time reading their blogs and posting comments and retweeting.

And just to ensure you are totally ready for Christmas try one of these. Depending on your tastes, either a glass of mulled wine at http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/20197/mulled+wine

or for a traditional eggnog recipe visit http://www.eggnogrecipe.net/traditional-eggnog-recipe.html

Thank you to all our fabulous Bullseye supporters – have a great break and we look forward to another wonderful year together in 2012.

-Caroline Herrman

Bullseye will be closed from noon Friday 23 December, reopening Tuesday 3 January with bells on!

Reference: http://www.boxcarmarketing.com/blog/

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A decade ago, if you were asked what defines decadence, you may have said the smell of a new car, popcorn at the movies in the middle of a sunny day, the anticipation of unwrapping a new perfume, snuggling under the doona on a rainy day.

Now it seems, just going online is one of our most innocent pleasures.

A new study from Pew Research Center’s Internet and American Life Project found that of all adults over the month-long survey who use the internet, nearly three quarters say that they surf the web for no particular reason. On any given day, 53% of 18-29 year olds go online just to have fun or to pass the time.

So if half of us surf the internet just for fun, it’s not hard then to make a leap about what happens when we do have a reason.

Consider, for a moment, the possibilities for online shopping.

Online shopping merges two things we do for pure fun plus ticking things off the to-do list, saving time and possibly snaffling a bargain in the process. It feels good!

E-Bay vice-president, Deborah Sharkey, is reported to have said that Australian consumers had “stepped up a gear” in the past 12 months and had become an “army of savvy online deal hunters” trying to track down the best prices.

With reference to Christmas she said: “With more than 10 million Australians now shopping online, smart shoppers can get the best deals on gifts and save time and energy to spend on the most important ingredients of the festive period - friends and family.”

Regretfully, while Australia has experienced rapid growth in online shopping, there remains a lack of local big brand retailers selling online and enticing shoppers to stay local. It seems most of us end up buying from overseas. So perhaps what we do for fun is in fact a guilty pleasure after all.

-Caroline Herrman

References:

http://pewinternet.org/Reports/2011/Internet-as-diversion/Report.aspx

http://www.smh.com.au/technology/technology-news/shoppers-to-go-online-in-a-f...

http://dejanseo.com.au/online-shopping-statistics-in-2011/

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Released to the media 12 December, 2011. Today Bullseye and STW are announcing that STW has gained a 51% majority position in Bullseye, one of Australia’s leading independent integrated digital marketing and technology services businesses, with the largest integrated digital production facility in Indonesia.

Co-founded by Jim McKerlie and Jason Davey in 2000, Bullseye has a team today of more than 100 around Australia and in Indonesia. Clients include Austrade, Blackmores, Lend Lease, Goodman Fielder, Westpac, Bupa and Roche.

Bullseye’s Executive Chairman Jim McKerlie said, “We have been pursued for many years by large communications groups but STW was clearly the best for us. We will retain our unique ‘Bullseye Way’ of servicing clients and we plug into the wealth of expertise and experience of a diversified communication group. We saw the road to Asia several years ago and we plan to travel this journey with STW.

“Since we opened our doors we have taken pride in being independent but as digital is becoming mainstream, it is important that clients can access a full service offering where digital and traditional channels are managed in a fully coordinated way. This works two ways for us. We will be working closely with the numerous agencies in the STW group to leverage our digital expertise and capacity where it may be needed and our clients will get access to the depth of offerings from STW.”

Bullseye first opened a Bali office in 2006, and built it as an integral part of the Bullseye service delivery model. The facility today has a team of 60, housed in a modern, secure production facility and with an established market position as an employer of choice. A Jakarta office opened last year.

“Bullseye offers us the best of both worlds,” Mr Connaghan said. “First, a leading, highly competitive and fast-growing Australian-based digital marketing leader to add further firepower to the market leading STW stable of digital companies. Second, Bullseye brings a proven, large-scale integrated digital production hub in Indonesia.”

”We have always put our clients and our people first,” said Managing Director Jason Davey, “and STW provides a fantastic opportunity to offer a full service offering to clients and for our people to grow as part of Australia’s leading communications group.”

In Australia, Bullseye has a staff of 40 in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. The Sydney office will relocate to STW’s St Leonard’s campus in January.

Jim McKerlie, Executive Chairman

Jason Davey, Managing Director

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Let me take you back to the magical 1990s – the dawn of the age of information. Just after the cold war, yet before the War on Terror; we had the ‘browser wars’. Back then it seemed there was a new online start-up launching every 10 minutes – and some shot to stardom in just a matter of months (and then crashed in about the same time). The most visionary businesses such as Amazon and Google survived.

And here we are again. Another revival in digital technology. The vision of the 90s has become reality: new start-ups are springing up and challenging traditional business models. But TV is not dead. The ‘browser wars’ have become the ‘social media war’, and we now have glorious 32-bit colour – and on a smartphone. This time round though, there will be no bust and there is no turning back. What comes next will be the most exciting…

Bullseye’s Managing Director Jason Davey ...Today’s level of innovation and competition reminds me of the 90s when the first internet boom occurred – but this time there will be no bust.

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There is no doubt that Apple and iTunes have changed the way we consume music. But for me the experience hasn't been without frustration. 

The ability to only sync with one computer and the confusing nature of the process has left me with steam coming out of my ears at times. I have lost libraries of music, struggled to get back previous purchases, battled to get album covers and generally not enjoyed the experience. 

I have noticed however that they are making a concerted effort to take on board customer feedback, with more personalised email responses and the addition of the "purchased" section amongst other things.

But today as I read about new Google Music, I wonder how many punters there are like me who would happily move to a more open music experience.

Google announced that it is opening its Music service (essentially a Music Store to rival iTunes available in the Android Marketplace) to everyone (although it isn't available in Australia yet) for free for up to 20,000 songs. Tracks will be available on the Android marketplace, adding a catalogue of millions of songs.

Image source: https://music.google.com/music/listen

Google + will play a big role in making the experience "social" and recommendations will also form an important part of the model with the system recommending tunes from your favourite artists and suggestions from your friends (via Google +), Google also has a staff of music critics who will be giving reviews and recommendations. I like the line they use in their promo video “Sharing is caring, and caring is awesome”. 

Interestingly, users will be able to put iTunes music into their music lockers, and the Music Manager is even supposed to retain users’ playlists and ratings. ITunes in the Cloud charges you for non-iTunes songs. They are also heavily pushing their “no syncing, no wires” approach which definitely taps into my prior frustrations with Apple.

Image source: https://market.android.com/details?id=com.google.android.music

Google actually released the first iteration of the service as an unfinished beta in May to about a million people in the U.S by invitation only. That version allowed you to upload your digital songs for online storage and allowed playback on computers and Android devices. Testers were streaming music on average 2.5 hours every day (source: Washington Post).

To take the Google Music tour click here

It will be interesting to see what this new Beta version offers and how it compares to iTunes, I will definitely be trying to out (when it comes to Australia) and it adds further weight to my consideration to switch to an Android device.

Android is rapidly gaining market share of Smartphone sales in Australia which will be crucial to the take up of services such as Google Music when it launches here:

Image source: http://www.zdnet.com.au/android-winning-mobile-os-war-in-australia-339320723.htm

By Coops (@coops)

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I was lucky enough to be a guest at a 2-day conference only about Social Media. Lucky because I didn’t have to turn off my mobile – in fact it was encouraged. You could hardly see faces save for the mobiles, tablets and laptops everywhere tweeting, emailing, facebooking. Lucky also because how often do you get to sit back, hear the best of (and worst of) case studies and consider your own brand. Now onto some learnings …

Learning no. 1: Have a plan.

Despite the temptation to fire up a corporate Facebook page, be all over Twitter, Google+ and have your own YouTube channel, those in the know say: stop and think. Work out the ‘why’ before you work out the ‘how’.

Learning no. 2: Having ideas is easy. Focus on doing.

The aim is to have a realistic plan for blogging, ebooks, video, social media, etc. This is not about putting in a huge effort for a couple of weeks then sitting back or moving on to something else. This is about chipping away, slowly, methodically, to regularly have conversations with your audience.

Learning no. 3: It’s called Social Media because it is Social.

The idea here is to encourage feedback and conversation. According to some big brands in the know, followers/fans are a great source of marketing, creating content themselves which marketers can then incorporate. One big name mobile business said they’ve totally turned around business processes internally and the social media team has become part of the customer world. They are now open some 15 hours a day for social media conversations and complaint management.

Learning no. 4: Share the love.

Social Media should represent more than just one person or one team in your organisation. While there is a need for consistency and some guidelines, the richness of different voices will appeal to a more diverse group of followers – likely to build even greater support for your brand.

Learning no. 5: Social Media Marketing must hold hands with marketing.

While we hear all about the great success of some social media campaigns, it’s not a panacea for marketing everything. It’s notoriously difficult to control what the (at times) big bad world says about you and can be complicated to measure the exact ROI. All marketing and advertising needs to go hand-in-hand with social media.

Lastly, remember that the technology is new for everyone so if you’re giving it a crack, no one else out there is more expert than you.

-Caroline Herrman

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Adobe put the brakes on its iconic Flash Player yesterday, in a company-wide restructure which looks set to benefit iPhone and iPad users who struggle to view Flash-based sites.

Adobe has admitted HTML5 is now the favoured standard for building tools for mobile browsers. The deceased Apple CEO, Steve Jobs, would be smiling in his grave over the decision, which had been the focal point of a bloody battle since Apple’s launch into the mobile market.

Interestingly, HTML5 is not exactly “new” territory for Adobe, who boasted a 12-month engagement with US publisher Conde Nast to deliver the technology to its digital magazines.

Over and above its Dreamweaver and Illustrator software tools that already utilise the technology, Adobe plans to integrate HTML5 technology across its entire product line.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/technology/technology-news/adobe-surrenders-to-apple-in...

Photo credit: http://www.hispanicallyspeakingnews.com/notitas-de-noticias/details/just-in-g...

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So you’ve sat down to write some online copy – maybe a blog, a tweet, or some web content. If you'd like some advice, the first trick is … it’s best not to think about it as the written word.

Caption: Captions have the highest recall rates plus more than 50% of people actually read them (you and me included it seems)

Step 1: It’s a conversation

Think about your own spoken voice and write it the way you would say it. Hands down, that is the best way to achieve cut-through and an authentic voice free from BS and the forced ‘being had’ feeling that can come with pushy sales copy or over-zealous advertising (think 'free steak knives' then run the other way).

And, yes, while we learn to talk before we learn to read and write, it’s not actually easy to write conversationally as an adult. We've been taught to write in a more formal way – but I’d suggest that online copy is about peeling back to being a real human being, digitally.

Step 2: Tell a story

It’s the same idea as at the pub on Friday night. We were once kids and the love of stories hasn’t left even though we are well past pimples and proms. Stories are entertaining and engaging. You’ll stay for a good story.

Now I’m not suggesting you can only tell actual stories because that would be kind of weird, but the idea is you take the reader through an idea in a story-telling kind of way where your online copy is a narrative.

Start with a compelling heading, move through the opening and set up, the main body which progresses the story, then the climax and conclusion. Story-telling will give your copy the framework it craves.

Step 3: Don’t forget the benefits

So you’ve got the first two steps down – you’re conversational, you’re using a narrative style. You’re now outlining the various features of what you’re selling … but stop a moment. The most important thing is ‘why’ your product/service is a stand-out and what it will do for your audience. Why do I need to read this? What do I need to know about this? Will someone buy ‘the latest in digital encryption’ or will they buy ‘peace of mind’ knowing they won’t be hacked.

Step 4: Remember how we read online

Most people scan. Chances are you’ve scanned some of this blog. In fact stats show that 79% of people on the web don’t read, they scan. You need to use ‘hooks’ to keep your ‘fish’ from swimming off the page. By hooks I mean:

·         graphical devices just like these bullets,

·         succinct and eye-grabbing sub-headings,

·         short paragraphs,

·         images or infographics.

Step 5: Be your own editor

So you’ve finished your first draft and … it feels good! Do not click ‘publish’ just yet. Anyone who has studied copywriting in detail will tell you that you need to spend almost the same amount of time editing your own work as writing it. Plus if you know at the start you’re going to scribe then edit, your ideas will flow better and you will naturally create a more creative piece.

-Caroline Herrman

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As Nostradamus-like bloggers spew “Facebook’s peaked” rhetoric, and brand-marketing gurus sweat bullets en route to programming definitive code to unlock the digital secrets to Pandora’s lucrative box (Old Spice, anyone?), evidence supporting the might of social consumerism continues to mount.  

Research released this week by Beyond and M Booth paints a vastly different picture to the bleeding-edge soothsayers, fortifying the strength of catchy content targeted to the correct online channel is a vital link in the purchase chain.

Fifteen hundred US consumers took part in the recent study examining social-networking sharers. The report, titled “The Science of Sharing”, highlights how the power of sharing across online channels has propelled a paradigm shift toward the “social consumer”.

The term “social consumer” attempts to quantify how online channels, in particular social media has penetrated the buying-and-selling product pipeline.

Critical to the report’s finding is the fact high social sharers, “prove to be the most valuable to brands as they recommend products 3X more often and influence others’ purchases”. Furthermore almost one in three people are prompted to purchase a product after engaging in an online action such as interacting with a brand via Facebook.

Search Results, Brand Websites, Ratings and Review sites, News Articles and Online Ads were the king-pins. Interestingly, Twitter, Foursquare, Wikipedia, Blog Posts and Facebook Comments ranked further down the list.  

Facebook did win, however, the battle for being the most influential on baby brands and YouTube, not surprisingly, took the gong for being the most influential on music brands.

Lessons from the data underline the need for marketing sage’s to attach sharable content in popular digital locations, which act as swimming pools for high sharers. In turn this can cause a domino effect in the social consumer’s cycle of “recommendation, loyalty and purchase”.   

Graph/images courtesy of Beyond and M Booth.

Full report click here: http://mashable.com/2011/10/25/social-consumer-sharing-infographic/

-          Roghan

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So you've got a new online advertising brief... time to bang out a Landing Page, an MREC (medium rectangle sized) ad and a leaderboard. Make it this wide, this high, this file size and this frame rate...

Stop. Do not grab for the easy solution. There's more to display ads than a 15-second marketing message.

Check out the Mediamind Creative Zone at http://creativezone.mediamind.com

Here are some examples to get you thinking:

• The Tee Box Derby (3D Gaming) http://creativezone.mediamind.com/?ItemName=3D%20Golf%20Cart%20Game%20for%20San%20DiegoIllusion#ItemName=3D%20Golf%20Cart%20Game%20for%20San%20Diego A 3D Golf Cart game is contained within the banner. San Diego Convention & Visitors Bureau are promoting the city as a premier resort and golf destination in San Diego’s North County with 'The Tee Box Derby'. Race your buggy through the obstacles on three of San Diego's finest golf courses. Features include: 3D Gameplay and a High-Scores table (they call it a "leaderboard", but that's just going to get confusing).

• Live Chat to an eCommerceExpert http://www.mediamind.com/creative_zone/Talkback/index.html Rackspace Hosting allow consumers to chat live to their experts within a banner ad.

• Do something Spanish with Nivea http://origin.demo.mediamind.com/Europe/Spain/demos/nivea/wp_msn_datacapture/So, I have to disclose "No hablo Espanol". But I'm PRETTY sure that 'gana' means win, 'newsletter' means newsletter and 'Estudios Completos de Imagen' is a native species of amphibious rabbit. From this I am pretty sure that Nivea are collecting newsletter subscriptions in the banner and giving visitors the chance to win 1 of 10 amphibious rabbits (actually it’s a little more targeted that that … one of 10 imaging studies valued at 435 euros each, learning about colours and types of clothing that most suit.)

There are loads more examples and features, including file uploads, map integrations and mobile messaging. Why not consider something outside the box for your next online ad campaign?

-Grant Price

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Here's an idea, a budget and some people who can execute it. Well what happens after the idea has been created, the budget been spent (and sometimes blown) and the job has been delivered? There doesn’t seem to be thought about longevity and enduring value.

Some online marketing activity can be like getting digital fast food. Everyone consumes in different ways, and sometimes individual preferences aren’t served up. The set menu approach doesn’t work anymore: customers more and more want a custom digital diet with a choice of ingredients, homemade recipes and would you like hand-crafted fries with that?

A single holistic solution, executed across multiple platforms, devices and environments, is certainly a good start. However longevity must come through customised and personalised connections, alongside integrated feedback and continual improvement.

It's more like, “Here's a shared strategy to success – now and for the future.”

And where do you think the digital industry is heading?

Online and offline have traditionally been quite separated, almost divorced from each other. There are signs that the line between them is blurring, and a marriage is inevitable at some point. And it’s already happening, with the most influential offspring being born in the medical, real estate and retail spaces.

For me, digital social 'meeting places' will continue to grow as they become even more of a Customer Relationship Management and mobile-focused space. Connections will have to be made directly between consumers and brands to ensure brands become part of their consumers’ social circles. This is especially pertinent with the emergence of social platforms like Google + and the use of face recognition technologies – identifying who you are, how you're feeling and have you had enough sleep today?

Mobile and tablets are literally the tip of the iceberg. The next growth is web apps, flexible pliable interface and touch devices (developed by the likes of Samsung and 3M). The invention of transparent batteries will add to what might be the beginning of the next revolution – the device and no device revolution.

How do you see advertising changing as customer behaviour changes?

Everyone has more choices than ever – in mobile, digital, TV and offline. What, when and how many times will soon be in the past – it’s up to consumers to decide what they want to see rather than advertisers. Sure, there will be a place for advertising; however it will evolve into another personal preference; just like choosing your next holiday, custom meal or digital experience.

-Marcus Brooke

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Picture this: I came home from work one day and my wife informs me that she has bought a brand new kitchen from Ikea, and that it’s going to be delivered, flat packed, on Friday. Oh yes, and she’s off for the weekend with the girls and would like it all set up by the time she gets back on Monday. Great!

So, I get up nice and early on Saturday morning and make a start. First thing I do is take everything out of the box and stare at it with excitement and trepidation. It’s clear from the instructions that this is indeed everything I need to make a kitchen, so what could go wrong?

Getting rid of the existing kitchen was pain free, simple and a lot of fun. Have sledgehammer, will smash. Then it was on with setting up the new kitchen. I started, as instructed, with the main cabinets, followed by the cupboards, centre-island, drawer units and all the other basic features. Everything so far appeared to be exactly as the assembly instructions and the full colour picture on the box described: a kitchen.

Next I had to start slotting things into place. This is where I started to hit a few issues. The dimensions of all the various parts weren’t a perfect fit for the dimensions of my kitchen. It started to feel like a jigsaw puzzle. Surely my wife took dimensions into consideration when she chose the kitchen. Well, actually, as I discovered that was not the case. However, long story short: I did it. I put all the pieces together, not quite as it shown in the picture, but at least it all fit. We now had a new kitchen.

Of course, as soon as my wife sees it she hits the roof! Nothing is as she expected: the oven sits 3 inches above the counter top; our great big double door fridge-freezer didn’t fit perfectly into its designated slot; there wasn’t a cupboard deep enough to fit some of her kitchen appliances; and the crockery drawer was too small for all the crockery. Essentially, this lovely new kitchen wasn’t fit for purpose.

I asked her how that could be: surely she measured everything up before choosing this kitchen; surely she wrote everything down, took it to the nice man at Ikea and said, “Give me a kitchen that will do everything on that list, and fits my requirements exactly”. Sadly, no! She browsed the kitchen section at Ikea, liked the look of this one, got the nice man to demo all the nice features, asked some probing questions like, “Does this kitchen really come complete with cupboards, drawers, centre-island, slot for my fridge-freezer, slot for my oven, a drawer for all my crockery?” The nice man said, “Absolutely. Look” and he shows her everything she asked for. Sadly, some major requirements were not met and as a result we ended up spending a lot more money on a new fridge, new oven, replaced most of the appliances and threw out a lot of “spare” crockery. All of which could have been avoided.

Ok, so this is not a true story. It is, however, the methodology some companies use to choose their CMS. The kitchen absolutely came with all of the right features, but were those features exactly what was required for my house? Clearly they weren’t. When you are out to buy a CMS it’s not simply a case of looking at the feature list and saying, “Yep that does everything I want it to do.” In all likelihood it doesn’t implement a feature exactly the way your business requires. If you are not a skilled carpenter or kitchen fitter then perhaps you’re not the right person to decide what’s right for your kitchen. Get an expert who understands how to analyse your real business needs and they will translate that into a solution that is fit for your business; someone who will design and install the kitchen that is perfect for your house.

-Duncan Keir

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Say what you will privately about the tsunami of social media – waste of time, it’s a fad, it’s for the youth – but people in marketing could be making a monumental mistake not to get on board.

What this all means is, if consumers give your products and services an authentic, positive review through their networks online, you could gain greater market share, offline.

Australians in particular it seems are very good at researching online before they step out to buy something. And more and more, they’re connecting to social media to help make their decision.

Social networks and blogs are now taking the lion share of our internet time; 80% of active internet users in the US connect to blogs and social networks. In fact they spend 23% of their online time on social media, double that of the second most popular category, online gaming.

In these times where there are Facebook ‘like’ requests from favourite brands and LinkedIn invites to connect, our advice – in terms of extending reach and uncovering new marketing opportunities – is to turn to the popularity of social media.  There are certain consumer segments who regularly use and share online content.

As Jason Davey, Bullseye’s Managing Director, says: “Four out of five internet users are on social media. One of five minutes spent online is on social media. When you think about the rapid evolution and acceptance of social media, it’s awe-inspiring.”

So how do you work out who to target? In terms of gender, females make up the majority of visitors to social networks and blogs. In fact they dominate 9 of the 10 major networking sites.

And in terms of age profiles, the 18-34 year olds are still the most active social networkers.

What about men? They are more likely to visit Linked In or Wikia. And research shows that while more women than men download YouTube video, men who do download video have more staying power to watch it through.

And while many think that Gen Y are the only digital driving force, the Nielsen report show that over 55 years are more ‘mobile’ than you might think. Over twice as many plus-55s visit social networking sites on their mobiles than this time last year.

They aren’t the only ones. In fact, 2 out of 5 people access social media from their mobile phones.

So if you’ve been scoffing at Facebook, ignoring Twitter or shelving  plans for an app … you may just be missing the gravy train.

-Caroline Herrman

Reference: http://blog.nielsen.com/nielsenwire/social/

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Last night Bullseye went along to the 3rd annual AMBER awards ceremony at Sydney’s Customs House. These awards only go to the best of the best of Australia’s online commerce sites. Covering 15 categories including fashion, travel, retail, banking and insurance, the place was abuzz with big brands and much-loved household names.

As an AMBER Awards sponsor, Bullseye was asked to present the first award of the evening to the best online auction site … ebay.com.au.

Other winners included JumpOnIt, NRMA, Apple, NAB, CommBank, SurfStitch, Dymocks, Dan Murphy’s and Wotif. Highly commended were Scoop On and Spreets, proving that online discounts remain highly attractive to so many of us.

The awards didn’t only go to competitive industries.  The winner of the best online government site was the Bureau of Metereology with their site at bom.gov.au. They may not always see the clouds rolling in, but seems their e-presence is sunny and fine.

And this is all pretty interesting timing in the context of the recent internet usage report out of Swinburne University of Technology which shows that Aussies love to shop online. On average Australians spend $206 online a month – shopping online more regularly than people in most other countries. Plus almost 60% of Australians pay their bills online.

Given Australia’s love of all things online, we can’t wait to see what next year’s AMBER finalists have on offer.

-Caroline  Herrman

For more information visit www.amberawards.com.au

Reference: http://www.theage.com.au/technology/technology-news/just-popping-to-the-onlin...

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Apparently Year 12 English exam markers spend on average just 4 minutes per paper – so it’s important to get it right from the very start.

Students can get an individual subscription to a business called Makebook Campus, giving them real advantage three-fold: learning from the best papers in the past, learning the theory of what makes a great essay, and actual insights from real markers to what they are looking for and how to better tailor answers.

A collaboration with Macquarie University, the Makebook service will help year 12 students get a higher mark; possibly the difference in opening the door to the career they want versus the unattainable.

Just think about the exam proprietary knowledge kids can now access, and the scale this offers to Australian kids. No matter how geographically remote someone is, they can now all access the same level playing field online. Well, in compulsory English anyway.

Particularly given the government’s plans for the NBN and 93% of Australian homes, schools and businesses being able to connect to a high-speed fibre network capable of providing broadband speeds of up to 1 gigabit per second.

And it gets me thinking, what effect could this kind of progress have on the evolution of the role of teachers? As the quote says, “If the child is not learning the way you are teaching, then you must teach in the way the child learns.” (Rita Dunn)

O captain! My captain!

Sources:
http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=8292570
www.makebook.com.au

-Caroline Herrman

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So what do you do with your time after being the brains behind the creation of Twitter, the world’s most well-known online social networking and microblogging service. The only way is … up.

Twitter co-founders Biz Stone and Evan Williams have announced their first project since leaving Twitter – an app designed to unlock human potential. It’s called Lift and is described as “an interesting new application for unlocking human potential through positive reinforcement”.

It’s the first project of Obvious Corp, the organisation they established post-Twitter to focus on “helping people work together to improve the world”.

The Lift app is still in development phase so it’s all a bit hush, hush … but what we can take from this announcement is that the success of Twitter and, it seems, online in general is set to build and build – and with players and motivations like this, there’s a positive energy about what’s to come.

If some of the world’s most successful choose to partner up and solve global problems through online ideas, rather than relaxing on some remote tropical island enjoying financial success, there must be something pretty attractive about the online space and doing your bit for society.

It seems that social media ideas are flowing from the tap, and that’s one faucet that won’t be turned off any time soon.

-Caroline Herrman

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Did you know that companies and their directors can be held liable for public comments on social media sites? Sure, they have to own the Facebook or Twitter sites in question, but it’s hair-raising legislation all the same considering the uptake of businesses now flirting in the space.

Check it: Allergy Pathway was recently fined by the Federal Court for misleading testimonials written and posted by clients on its Facebook wall, website and Twitter pages. Allergy Pathway had failed to delete comments from members of the public including a claim that the product can cure or eliminate any allergies or any allergic reactions. The court found that in knowingly neglecting to delete these false or misleading comments, the firm / director becomes the publisher.

"While it cannot be said that Allergy Pathway was responsible for the initial publication of testimonials (the original publisher was the third party who posted the testimonials on Allergy Pathway's Twitter and Facebook pages) it is appropriate to conclude that Allergy Pathway accepted responsibility for the publications when it knew of them and decided not to remove them. Hence it became the publisher of the testimonials."

Certainly Allergy Pathway’s $7,500.00 fine may appear to be nothing more than a gentle wrist slap by the government, nevertheless companies would be stupid not to heed the warning.  "Many corporations now use Facebook fan pages and Twitter accounts to promote their businesses,” explained the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission chairman Graeme Samuel in response to the court ruling. “This outcome confirms that any business that decides to leave public testimonials or other comments on their Facebook and Twitter pages will be held responsible if they are false, misleading or deceptive."

The lesson is obvious, you’re damned if you don’t drive your business into the ever-growing social-networking environment, but don’t be a damn fool and neglect to delete misleading comments.

Roghan

Source: http://www.accc.gov.au/content/index.phtml/itemId/972417/fromItemId/142

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Felines built like heroin addicts have dominated modelling’s topography for decades, right? In spite of this, a lightning-bolt of PC consciousness that would’ve made Harry Potter proud struck the industry a few years ago when it welcomed the arrival (or re-arrival) of the plus-sized model. Golf-claps followed as girls with… well, err… flesh pouted their way down the runway.

Uber-cool designers Jean-Paul Gaultier and John Galliano jumped on the plus-sized gravy-train in 2006 with showings in Paris, but five years on and the Kate Moss look-a-likes continue to take the lion’s share of catwalk mullah.

So let’s redraw our Legolas* long bow and take a peek at Google’s plus-sized attempt at re-entering the social network landscape. It’s not the first time the search engine giant has dabbled in the space. Turn back the clock and Google’s Buzz was the “chicken” launch of 2010; much like the plus-sized model it looked tantalizing but simply never took off.

The fact of the matter is to your average Joe blow comparing the two juggernauts is like splitting the difference between Coca-Cola and Pepsi. Yet, key additions to Google+ make it a unique proposition. The most notable is its ‘circles’, which allow a user to share things with different segments – friends, workmate, and family members. Not a bad option if you don’t want the boss to know about your tequila sunrise-induced pash-and-dash on the weekend.

‘Sparks’ is a further key selling point in favour of Google+. ‘Sparks’ creates a smoother and quicker user experience when looking for content that gets you champing at the bit. Moreover, such content can then be pooled with any of the ‘circles’ you chose.

Yet, the coolest element to Google+ may be its ‘Hangout’, allowing online video chats. "Google+ should give Blekko, Skype and a gaggle of group messaging companies a pause," explained award-winning industry journalist Om Malik in a recent interview printed in the UK’s Guardian.

According to Comscore Google+ achieved 25 million visitors by its first birthday; a feat that took Facebook almost three years, Twitter two-and-a-half, and MySpace just over two year. "I'm mainly trying to put Google+’s exceptional growth in context by showing that Facebook is today the clear market leader even though it took longer than all its key competitors to reach 25 million," said Andrew Lipsman, a vice president at Comscore, recently in Computerworld.

The numbers are mind-boggling, especially in light of Google+ still operating in its limited-release. But how many of the early members (now at 10million) are just curious? While the experts believe 18 million punters will have signed up by the end of August, some statistics suggest the bubble may’ve already burst. 
 
A disputed report from Hitwise claims traffic to Google+ is dipping. What’s more, Hitwise has reportedly captured a 10 per cent drop in the time people are spending on the site to five minutes and fifteen seconds from five minutes and 50 seconds. (Interestingly, Hitwise believes Google+ appears to be a male-dominated social network with almost 60 per cent of visitors’ men.)

Only a fool, or George W. Bush, would ride off Google+ on the back of this evidence. Not surprisingly Google CEO Larry Page is justifiably confident the product will be a big success. But will it reach the lofty heights of Facebook’s 750 million users? What’s more, the plus-sized question nagging the Don Drapers* into downing another Dalwhinnie is how they can get the jump on this molten-lava of Google radness and capitalise on the opportunity for their clients if it erupts?

Funnily enough, in the same way senator Bob Brown holds the balance of power in Australia’s current minority government, Microsoft, who also owns a stake in Facebook, may hold the trump card.  "We are going to see Facebook work with partners to try to circle the wagons against Google," explained Garnet analyst, Michael Gartenberg, in a recent interview. "It does become a little of 'the enemy of my enemy is my friend.' Could Microsoft and Facebook find themselves in competition down the road? Sure. But right now they have a common enemy in the guise of Google."

Enemies can quickly turn to friends in this biz. (Remember when Google launched videos.google.com, which flopped, and led to the $1.65 Billion purchase of its competitor YouTube?) And if the gurus from Google HQ could be tempted to drive north of So-Cal* and meet with the Facebook whiz-kids heading south of San Francisco bay then a world-changing 10-course degustation would be enjoyed at, say, Santa Barbara. But let’s leave that plus-sized fantasy – or nightmare – for another day.

- Roghan

Image:  © Glenn Francis, www.PacificProDigital.com

Google+ v.s. Facebook comparison

* Lord of the Rings, come on people!
* Don Draper = Mad Men? Surely you picked that one.
* Southern California! Are there no Blink 182 fans left?

Image Credits:
Kim Karashian image courtesy of http://www.hdwallpapers.in/kim_kardashian_10-wallpapers.html
Kate Upton image courtesy of http://kateuptonblog.blogspot.com
Don Draper image courtesy of ©AMC http://www.amctv.com/shows/mad-men
Google+ v.s. Facebook features list courtesy of PC Mag http://www.pcmag.com/

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