Guest post by Chris Beck of 26DotTwo

You allocate increasing amounts of budget, time and resources with social media to connect one on one. What about the other 90% of your budgets? What learnings can be cross-pollinated to increase your impact?

The focus in social is on the 5th P (people); communities, niche groups, and influencers. Traditional media consists of the 4Ps; product, price, promotion, and place. Consider integrating the 5th P into traditional; not just a ‘Follow us on Twitter’ or ‘LIKE us on Facebook,’ but deeper learnings that can create significant impact.

Here are 6 social insights you can and should start applying to traditional…

TARGETING

Chances are your social campaigns are highly geo and contextually targeted. What about your traditional? Does it mirror your segmented user targets? Or is it a commoditized plan reaching broad demographic groups, using essentially the same creative?

Highly targeted ads create much higher consumer connection. You can see this clearly with social. A hyper targeted campaign on Facebook will generate upwards of 0.1% CTR’s with 60+% Fan Click Through Rate (FCTR). A broadly targeted demographic campaign may only generate a 0.2-0.3% CTR and 25-30% FCTR. Thinking the same way about traditional can dramatically increase your impact and ROI.

How are you customizing your outdoor and place based messaging? Do you use wild postings in urban areas and day-parted messaging with digital out-of-home? We do. In fact, we even use different messaging for men’s and women’s locker rooms. Do you have broad demographic targets for your radio and TV, or separate campaigns and music beds for your different segmented groups? The more traditional is customized, the greater your ROI will be.

CREATIVE OPTIMIZATION

Is your creative approach focused on the big idea? Or are you using a series of smaller ideas designed to resonate in specific markets and within specific niche groups? Typically the same traditional creative may be running in all markets for several weeks. However, traditional can learn lessons from social’s top creative, where top performing social ads may only perform for 36 to 72 hours before needing to be optimized. In the case of the Facebook Ad Server, it will save you from creative burn out because it will just stop serving your ad. However, your traditional could keep running and running…

LISTENING

Are you listening to conversations and then attempting to tap into them to promote the next deal period or sale? Looking at consumer insights for the 4th of July, it became clear that BBQ recipes and cupcakes were the most searched for items historically. Thus, we integrated these topics of interest into our creative to better join in the conversation and fulfill actual wants and needs.

MEDIA MEASUREMENT

Most of the media analytics applied to traditional are decades old and primarily mechanisms of commoditizing a buy to broad demographic groups. Effective social campaigns are focused on reach and frequency.

GRPs and IMPs mean nothing in terms of actual reach and frequency; 100 GRPs can be a 50 reach and 2 frequency or a 10 reach with a 10 frequency. They also do nothing to indicate the environment that the message is being showcased in. Are you looking at GRPs and CPPs or reach and frequency with different consumer segments? If not, you could be entirely over-reaching logical frequency levels with one group and entirely under-reaching another.

ENGAGEMENT

Think about the amount of time devoted to strategizing your 1 or 2 daily Facebook posts. Think about the analysis of the timing and content of when your tweets are most amplified. Could your traditional use the same analysis to better engage? The first step in the process is an understanding of how the consumer is actually consuming media and what other media is being used simultaneously.

Pandora Web is used mostly in-office and Pandora Mobile is generally used in the car. Won’t your messages engage more effectively if you take advantage of where people are consuming media? That’s why we’re huge advocates of heavy use of day-parting; it engages better. Drive time radio may have slightly higher usage, but much lower consumer attention spans and receptivity. A well produced :05 or :15 might better engage people in drive time, while an engaging :30 is a more effective messaging tool middays and weekends.

CROWDSOURCING

Think of crowdsourcing as the focus group of the future; it can offer much deeper information than a series of “controlled” focus groups ever could. It’s the next level of listening, by actually reaching out and having on-going insights on your creative, product mix, line-extensions and promotions. It’s no longer what you or your agency is thinking “back to school” may or may not represent, but what your segmented consumer groups want and will engage with.

Consumer’s media consumption, adoption of new technology and increased reliance on social elements will only continue to explode. Astute marketers will see that this translates into much less value to the “old days” of traditional commoditized media plans, siloed strategies and one size fits all creative. Integrating best practices from social can help your traditional better connect and create higher ROI.
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Chris Beck is a 30-year marketing veteran and is the founder and Chief Vision Officer of 26 Dot Two. The company works with leading brands, including Whole Foods Market & Popchips. He can be reached at chris@26dottwo.com
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Image Credit: Shutterstock

Social Networks are among the most powerful examples of socialized media. They create a dynamic ecosystem that incubates and nurtures relationships between people and the content they create and share.

As these communities permeate and reshape our lifestyle and how we communicate with one another, we’re involuntarily forcing advertisers and marketers to rapidly evolve how they vie for our attention.

Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, Yelp, and other online communities transformed the regimen and practice of marketing “at” people into an opportunity to engage and interact with us – on our terms. It is the zeitgeist of socialized media and it’s manifesting into an obsession for branding, advertising, “viral,” marketing, and communications experts and professionals worldwide.

But, the people who define each network are reticent to the hollow attempts of faceless friending and in-network marketing. Many businesses are building social channels to broadcast messages in a one to many, top-down practice that not only prevents relationship building, but impedes any hope of cultivating communities and empowering brand ambassadors.

As marketers, it’s your responsibility to peel back the layers of each network to observe and eventually interact with the very people you wish to reach. Each network possesses a vibrant culture and ecosystem that is powered by context and connected by influential social graphs.

While nothing beats anthropological fieldwork and observation, let’s take a look at numbers behind the top social networks to get a better picture of network engagement and user demographics. Remember, it’s how you interpret these numbers combined with an understanding of the real world needs and experiences of the people you’re attempting to engage that determines the success or failure of your social media program. They are not demographics, they are not statistics, they are not avatars, nor are they waiting with baited breath for you to friend or market at them and their network friends. This data represents whole numbers and is not representative of the individuals that are looking for resources and guidance, and in turn, will help you participate as a community member, and not as a traditional marketer.

So, how will you use this information to engage more effectively and genuinely?

Unique visitors provided by compete. All remaining numbers provided by Google Ad Planner.

Facebook

30-day traffic, Country, Worldwide

Unique Visitors – 73 M, 250 M
Reach – 31.5%,18.1%
Page views – 22 B, 84 B
Total visits – 1.5 B, 4.5 B
Avg visits per visitor – 21,18
Avg time on site – 1100s, 1200s

Gender

Age

Household Income

Children in Household

Education

Twitter

30-day traffic, Country, Worldwide

Unique Visitors – 5.1 M, 13 M
Reach- 2.2%, 1.0%
Page views – 410 M, 660 M
Total visits – 52 M, 90 M
Avg visits per visitor -10, 6.9
Avg time on site – 780s, 740s

Gender

Age

Household Income

Children in Household

Education

Flickr

30-day traffic, Country, Worldwide

Unique Visitors -21 M, 81 M
Reach – 9.2%, 5.9%
Page views – 960 M, 2.7 B
Total visits – 80 M, 230 M
Avg visits per visitor – 3.8, 2.80
Avg time on site – 480s, 520s

Gender

Age

Household Income

Children in Household

Education

Digg

30-day traffic, Country, Worldwide

Unique Visitors – 7.5 M, 21 M
Reach – 3.2%, 1.5%
Page views – 190 M, 310 M
Total visits – 41 M, 68 M
Avg visits per visitor – 5.5, 3.2
Avg time on site – 460s, 430s

Gender

Age

Household Income

Children in Household

Education

Mixx

30-day traffic, Country, Worldwide

Unique Visitors – 1.2 M, 6.8 M
Reach – 0.5%, 0.5%
Page views – 8.3 M, 26 M
Total visits – 2.7 M, 8.4 M
Avg visits per visitor – 2.2, 1.20
Avg time on site -170s, 180s

Gender

Age

Household Income

Children in Household

Education

MySpace

30-day traffic, Country, Worldwide

Unique Visitors – 67 M, 130 M
Reach – 28.9%, 9.4%
Page views – 47 B, 57 B
Total visits – 1.3 B, 1.7 B
Avg visits per visitor -19, 13
Avg time on site – 1500s, 1400s

Gender

Age

Household Income

Children in Household

Education

Ning

30-day traffic, Country, Worldwide

Unique Visitors – 4.2 M, 13 M
Reach – 1.8%, 1.0%
Page views – 280 M, 600 M
Total visits – 21 M, 47 M
Avg visits per visitor – 4.9, 3.6
Avg time on site – 820s, 840s

Gender

Age

Household Income

Children in Household

Education

LinkedIn

30-day traffic, Country, Worldwide

Unique Visitors -11 M, 26 M
Reach – 4.8%, 1.9%
Page views – 500 M, 880 M
Total visits – 48 M, 84 M
Avg visits per visitor – 4.4, 3.2
Avg time on site – 560s, 550s

Gender

Age

Household Income

Children in Household

Education

Viddler

30-day traffic, Country, Worldwide

Unique Visitors – 350 K, 1 M
Reach – 0.2%, 0.1%
Page views – 3.8 M, 7.4 M
Total visits – 960 K, 2 M
Avg visits per visitor – 2.80, 2
Avg time on site – 580s, 520s

Gender

Age

Household Income

Children in Household

Education

Scribd

30-day traffic, Country, Worldwide

Unique Visitors – 4.3 M, 31 M
Reach -1.8%, 2.3%
Page views- 26 M, 130 M
Total visits – 9.2 M, 41 M
Avg visits per visitor – 2.1,1.3
Avg time on site – 260s, 310s

Gender

Age

Household Income

Children in Household

Education

Upcoming.org (these stats need verification)

30-day traffic, Country, Worldwide

Unique Visitors – 3.3 K, 7 K
Reach – 0.0%, 0.0%
Page views -11 K, 22 K
Total visits – 5.8 K, 11 K
Avg visits per visitor – 1.8, 1.5
Avg time on site -100s, 120s

Gender

Age

Household Income

Children in Household

Education

Delicious (Factor the switch from del.icio.us to delicious.com)

30-day traffic, Country, Worldwide

Unique Visitors – 1.4 M, 5.2 M
Reach – 0.6%, 0.4%
Page views – 26 M, 68 M
Total visits – 6.2 M, 16 M
Avg visits per visitor – 4.4, 3.2
Avg time on site – 380s, 410s

Gender

Age

Household Income

Children in Household

Education

Ustream

30-day traffic, Country, Worldwide

Unique Visitors – 4.8 K, 11 K
Reach – 0.0%, 0.0%
Page views – 23 K, 36 K
Total visits – 16 K, 27 K
Avg visits per visitor – 3.3, 2.40
Avg time on site – 290s, 240s

Gender

Age

Household Income

Children in Household

Education

Qik

30-day traffic, Country, Worldwide

Unique Visitors – 91 K, 240 K
Reach – 0.0%, 0.0%
Page views – 1.1 M, 2.1 M
Total visits – 230 K, 500 K
Avg visits per visitor – 2.6, 2.1
Avg time on site – 420s, 420s

Gender

Age

Household Income

Children in Household

Education

Friendfeed

30-day traffic, Country, Worldwide

Unique Visitors – 520 K, 2.2 M
Reach – 0.2%, 0.2%
Page views – 11 M, 37 M
Total visits – 2.3 M, 7.6 M
Avg visits per visitor – 4.4, 3.4
Avg time on site – 540s, 560s

Gender

Age

Household Income

Children in Household

Education

Docstoc

Unique Visitors – 690 K, 1.8 M
Reach – 0.3%, 0.1%
Page views – 5.1 M, 10 M
Total visits – 1.3 M, 2.6 M
Avg visits per visitor, 1.9, 1.5
Avg time on site – 290s, 300s

Gender

Age

Household Income

Children in Household

Education

Yelp

Unique Visitors – 6.7 M, 8.1 M
Reach – 2.9%, 0.6%
Page views – 89 M, 97 M
Total visits – 19 M, 20 M
Avg visits per visitor – 2.80, 2.5
Avg time on site – 360s, 350s

Gender

Age

Household Income

Children in Household

Education

YouTube

Stats are not readily available. Information sourced from Quantcast.

YouTube has in excess of 258 million users, half of which visit at least weekly.
An average of 100 million videos are viewed every day. Comscore estimates the number of uploaded videos at 5 billion. Wikipedia states that 13 hours of video is uploaded to YouTube every minute.

Related Posts on PR 2.0:

- Are Blogs Losing Authority to the Statusphere?
- Social Networks Now More Popular than Email; Facebook Surpasses MySpace
- BackType Connects the Conversation Graph
- Tracking Brands on Twitter to Improve How You Listen and Engage
- Top Trends and Apps: How Do People Use Twitter?
- The Ties that Bind Us - Visualizing Relationships on Twitter and Social Networks
- Make Tweet Love – Top Tips for Building Twitter Relationships
- The Battle for Your Social Status
- Twitter Tools for Communication and Community Professionals
- Is Twitter a Viable Conversation Platform
- Is FriendFeed the Next Conversation Platform
- The State of Social Media
- The Social Revolution is Our Industrial Revolution
- The Social Media Manifesto
- Free ebook: The Essential Guide to Social Media
- Free ebook: Customer Service, The Art of Listening and Engagement Through Social Media

As each day passes, we’re presented with new information that documents the decline of traditional media in favor of online counterparts and new media competitors. It seems that newspapers are among the hardest hit with circulation and print advertising down – forcing layoffs across the country.

The Newspaper Association of America (NAA) recently released a study showing newspaper Web sites attracted an average of about 66 million unique visitors in the first quarter, up about 12 percent over the same period a year ago.

The problem for publishers has been turning that online traffic growth into revenues. Online advertising at newspapers grew 18.8 percent last year, according to NAA figures, but that wasn’t enough to offset a 9.4 percent decline in print advertising. Total newspaper advertising last year, print and online, declined 7.9 percent.

Is Social Media to blame for the erosion in traditional media consumption and advertising revenues? Is the appeal of participating in news and relevant stories or the prospect of content creation more attractive to the thin attention span of today’s Web-savvy consumer?

Facebook vs. Youtube vs. Twitter vs. Blogger vs. New York Times

While we hear often about the rise in traffic and revenue at the more popular social networks such as Facebook, Bebo, LinkedIn, and MySpace, we rarely hear about adoption and engagement metrics associated with the evolution of Social Media.

Theresa Houlihan and Tom Smith of Universal McCann, a division of the Interpublic Group, sent over an interesting global study of how Social Media is challenging traditional media supported by numbers.

The survey features the responses from 17,000 people, between the ages of 16 – 54, in 29 countries. The end result, no surprise, is that social media is moving from the edge to the center of global media consumption

In South Korea – the market that’s leading the world in digital trends – 77% of internet users read blogs each week compared to just 58% reading the mainstream press.

Globally 73% of internet users are reading blogs with 48% including these consumer-generated content in their weekly media diet.

Some of the adoption rates are simply staggering:

- 83% watch video clips, up from 62% in the last study in June 2007
- 78% read blogs, up from 66%
- 57% of internet users are now members of a social network
- RSS consumption is growing rapidly up from 15% to 39%
- Podcasts are now mainstream digital content, listened to by 48%

Social media is a global phenomenon, and the U.S. is not leading the evolution:

- Top markets for blogs – China 70% of Web users write a blog, Philippines 66%, Mexico 60%
- Top markets for social networking – Philippines 83%, Hungary 76% and Poland 76%
- China is the worlds largest blogging market with 42m bloggers versus 26m in the US
- Social media is connecting the world and globalising media consumption

I asked Tom and Theresa about the numbers in user consumption vs. creation.

In terms of creators vs. consumers, they shared two examples, one for blogging and one for video:

Watch Video Clips: 83%
Share Video Clips: 64%
Upload Video Clips: 38%

Read blogs: 70%
Leave comment on a blog: 55%
Create a blog: 38%

Of course, no survey on Social Media would be complete without a review of Social Network usage. Like blogs, Social Networks have been instrumental in driving the popularity of Social Media and user generated content. Members of social networks such as MySpace and Facebook are using these platforms as the hub of their online experience:

- 22% of social network users have installed a widget or applications
- 55% have shared photos
- 22% have shared their videos
- 31% have started a blog
- MySpace is the world’s largest social network with 32% weekly reach, Facebook is second at 23%

The numbers are incredibly revealing and insightful. Social Media will only continue to rise, but traditional media should not be ruled out. There is still a tremendous opportunity to leverage years of resources, expertise, and capabilities when combined with a more socially-aware, and adaptable, business model. With economic boundaries vanishing, business seeking to join conversations must look globally as many of their prospective customers may also be the early adopters that are in and outside of the U.S.

For a copy of WAVE3 Report please visit http://www.universalmccann.com/

Connect with me on Twitter, Jaiku, LinkedIn, Pownce, Plaxo, FriendFeed, or Facebook.

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