Archive for the ‘adopter’ tag
New Uses for Your Old Tablet [Repurpose]
The tablet market is just heating up, but chances are if you were an early adopter you’ve already upgraded at least once. Even if not, plenty of people have purchased a tablet only to realize they don’t have a really good use for one. So, what’s that old touch screen good for anyway? Let’s take a look at some of the more clever uses. More »
How to kick-start a culture of innovation
The innovator’s conflict
Having had the opportunity to meet with hundreds of brand marketers over the last few years, I’ve noticed some commonalities in how they think about innovation — mainly that they crave it. These marketers want the spotlight for their product and for their personal brand. It is how they emerge from the pack. Everyone has visions of creating the next Old Spice campaign and they often ask questions like: How can I be the first marketer in my category to do something? How can I be the first brand in my company to launch something new? These questions are usually followed by: How can I be certain it will work?
This is what I call the “innovators conflict” and it freezes marketers in their tracks. If you want to be an early adopter there are no guarantees. If there were, your partner wouldn’t be pursuing business with you, but rather answering their phone to take orders.
When brands can’t be assured of a very specific success the conversation often ends for many.
When you have more specific data points please come back to me. My gut tells me this would work, but I need to show my boss data to get buy in to move forward.
Waarom je webcare niet kunt copy/pasten
Zo langzamerhand raakt webcare meer en meer ingeburgerd. Early adopter UPC bijvoorbeeld viert dit jaar z’n 5-jarig lustrum online. Grote organisaties als ABN Amro en Vodafone hebben inmiddels hun eerste vliegjaren achter de rug. Er zijn goede tools beschikbaar en marketeers raken steeds meer overtuigd van het nut van webcare. So far so good, zou je zeggen. Ja en nee. Lees meer
Eight Tips to Improve Your LinkedIn Profile
I admit it; I was late to the LinkedIn game. While my early adopter friends were creating professional profiles and joining groups, I took the “set and forget” approach for my profile because initially, I didn’t “get it.” That was until I began using LinkedIn as part of client’s marketing messaging distribution. Adults learn by doing, so I began to “do” and became more familiar with its purpose and reach and saw the powerful force it was for networking.
I read about LinkedIn tips and watched advice videos and started to see first hand how engaged and committed LinkedIn users are. Recently, I came across a great article in Forbes by Molly Cain titled Eight Things You Do Wrong On LinkedIn that after reading, motivated me to give my neglected profile a tune up. This post is meant to help others to optimize theirs.
For people (like me) who have done little since creating a LinkedIn profile, the article gives insight into using LinkedIn correctly and to your advantage. Here are the eight things you might be doing wrong and how best to fix them: (source of tips: Molly Cain from the Eight Things You Do Wrong On LinkedIn article)
- No recommendations on your profile – For people viewing your LinkedIn profile such as potential clients or employers or hiring managers, recommendations give you credibility.
- Too many recommendations posted at one time – Posting many recommendations at once looks bad and could tip off an employer of your ready to hit the exit. According to the article, the trick is to always look for recommendations, even if you’re satisfied with your job – just be strategic about posting them.
- You lied on your profile– Today, it’s so easy to check facts that lying on your profile or posted resume will most likely come back to haunt you. See info on former Yahoo CEO Scott Thompson for proof of the damage. A true self-representation always wins.
- Contacting someone for unprofessional reasons (i.e. flirting) – apparently men do this more than women, and since LinkedIn is not a dating site but rather connects professionals, the recipient of your attractions will most likely frown upon your advances.
- Your job description is not detailed enough – If you list your title as a “specialist”, make sure the description below it explains what you do on a daily basis.
- No photo is posted – Posting a professional image is as important as your resume and job descriptions. I was guilty of not having a good photo and was reminded often by one of my LinkedIn guru friends who e-mailed me a good photo of myself with the subject line: post to your LinkedIn profile.
- Not listing “other” things such as organizations and hobbies – We all have lives outside of work. Why not let profile readers such as clients or employers know what we are up to during our “off hours.”
- Making massive changes to your profile at one time – For those who want to “spring clean” their profile, you should resist the urge to do your updates all at once as your employer might think you are leaving with potential employers thinking the same. Gradual updates are also easier to accomplish.
I am committed to making at least one positive change to my profile per week until my LinkedIn friends give me a thumbs-up. People are turning more and more to LinkedIn to know who they are doing business with. Having a tip top profile is good for personal satisfaction and good for business!
Next profile objective: Obtain a recommendation.
While it’s a work-in-progress, I invite you to check out my LinkedIn profile and let me know your thoughts. Also, share any tips you may have, I’m willing to learn!
Web Marketing Related Posts:
How 10 apps became indispensible to moms
These days, moms and mobile apps go together like peanut butter and jelly. If that’s news to some app developers, it shouldn’t be: Moms may not be the classic early adopter demographic, but they are a powerful force when it comes to mobile…And the numbers are impressive.
Last year, eMarketer and Baby Center, a network of interactive properties geared to the mom demo, teamed up to study how moms were using smartphones. The report found that 60 percent of moms were smartphone users, compared to just half of the general population. More importantly, moms were actually using the capabilities of their smartphones at a higher rate.
“Mothers were significantly more likely to access games, social media, and health information, and somewhat more likely to check the weather, listen to music or shop via mobile,” eMarketer reported.
But while moms are certainly heavy smartphone users — spending an average of 6.1 hours per day with their phones — their use patterns aren’t the same as other demographics.
“[Moms] underindexed on accessing content like maps, productivity tools, and financial and business information, suggesting they’re sticking to activities to help — or help occupy — their families,” eMarketer reported.
Of course, that information begs the question, which apps do moms really love? We found ten examples that really speak to the mom set. Some are mom-specific, while others may surprise you. Some are branded and some aren’t. Either way, if you’re a mobile marketer and you’re not thinking about the mom demographic, it’s time to start, and these ten examples will help you nurture that big idea.
How 10 apps became indispensable to moms
These days, moms and mobile apps go together like peanut butter and jelly. If that’s news to some app developers, it shouldn’t be: Moms may not be the classic early adopter demographic, but they are a powerful force when it comes to mobile…And the numbers are impressive.
Last year, eMarketer and Baby Center, a network of interactive properties geared to the mom demo, teamed up to study how moms were using smartphones. The report found that 60 percent of moms were smartphone users, compared to just half of the general population. More importantly, moms were actually using the capabilities of their smartphones at a higher rate.
“Mothers were significantly more likely to access games, social media, and health information, and somewhat more likely to check the weather, listen to music or shop via mobile,” eMarketer reported.
But while moms are certainly heavy smartphone users — spending an average of 6.1 hours per day with their phones — their use patterns aren’t the same as other demographics.
“[Moms] underindexed on accessing content like maps, productivity tools, and financial and business information, suggesting they’re sticking to activities to help — or help occupy — their families,” eMarketer reported.
Of course, that information begs the question, which apps do moms really love? We found ten examples that really speak to the mom set. Some are mom-specific, while others may surprise you. Some are branded and some aren’t. Either way, if you’re a mobile marketer and you’re not thinking about the mom demographic, it’s time to start, and these ten examples will help you nurture that big idea.
Ars gear: 2008 triple-headed "Harpertown" Mac Pro
Welcome to Ars Gear, where we highlight our favorite hardware, whether it’s what we use professionally on a daily basis or on our own time. This week, I explain why I haven’t bought a new desktop for over four years.
A big part of the reason I work at Ars is that I love technology. I tend to be an early adopter, and when I can afford to, I upgrade (hopefully not before I really need to). In the old days of the megahertz race, that meant buying a new desktop as speeds shot ever upwards. (As a Mac user, it also meant being stuck at 400MHz for what seemed an eternity.) But when it comes to my desktop—the machine where I do 95 percent of my work for Ars—I’m really happy with my four-year-old machine. In fact, I’m so content with it that I have no plans to upgrade in the foreseeable future. There are three reasons for my reluctance to drop some cold, hard cash on a new tower, but before I go into those, here’s the hardware I’m working with.
Read the comments on this post
French President Sarkozy Is On Pinterest. Well, Maybe.
Typically, when I think of an “early adopter,” French President Sarkozy doesn’t come to mind. The man who announced his intention to run for reelection on February 12th didn’t even have a verified Twitter account prior to that date. Fortunately for him and his campaign, he now has a verified account with over 97K followers. He has even made it clear that he signs his own tweets with NS.
After signing-up for Twitter, he went on to reveal his Deezer music playlist. His account reveals his taste for everything from Elvis Presley to Carla Bruni (his wife, duh)…and also mentions that he joined the music streaming platform on February 21, 2012. Talk about a late bloomer.
But even if Sarkozy is finally catching on to social media, his social strategy may need a little fine-tuning. In just hours following his announcement to run for reelection, numerous Twitter accounts parodying the French president were suspended for impersonation. Accounts that had existed since September 2010, like @_NicolasSarkozy, were informed that they needed to change their username and avatar. While some may argue that impersonation on Twitter is an issue – as was the case with @ceoSteveJobs – Twitter offers verified accounts for that very reason. Now that Sarkozy finally has one, I can’t really wrap my head around what all the fuss is about (other than a lacking a sense of humor).
So far, Sarkozy is the only French presidential candidate to take on such an anti-social strategy. His opponents, including socialist candidate François Hollande, are yet to take a similar stance. Check out one of his parody accounts:
But just because Sarkozy has managed to silence the parody accounts on Twitter doesn’t mean that he’s silenced them all. For one, there are still some remaining accounts on the micro-blogging platform that are still up and giggling (see below) – though I’m sure his team will crush them soon.
That said, he’ll have to go well beyond Twitter if he wants to stop all the impersonation entirely. Here’s a parody account on Pinterest that includes some fabulously-titled, boards including ma meuf or “my woman” (obviously featuring pictures of his wife, Carla Bruni), babioles or “trinkets” (featuring images of fancy pens that he “stole” and expensive watches) and yachts.
The person who is behind this fake Pinterest account knows that it may have a short lifespan – which he or she has clearly noted in the byline. So be sure to enjoy it while it lasts
Credit: Thanks to Pierre Lafon for the tip.
This is a guest post by former TechCrunch France Editor, Roxanne Varza
GoPro focus on buyer personas sells millions of cameras
Back in 2007, I enthusiastically gushed about the GoPro digital camera, which I had purchased to take photos and videos while surfing. I was a very early adopter (the product had only been out a month or so). Here is a link to that post: Marketing 1-2-3: 1) Find a problem to solve 2) Build a product that solves it 3) Encourage your customers to tell your story.
In my post, I said: “[GoPro] should focus on user-contributed photos [and videos], but the product was only introduced a few weeks ago, so I’m sure that with a product like this, more will come very soon.”
Let your customers tell your story in social media.
Wow, have they ever tapped the crowd! The GoPro Facebook page has nearly 1.7 million “likes” and many people post photos and videos to the page. For a taste of the sorts of things people post, check out this awesome video (direct link on YouTube here.)
Buyer personas
GoPro excels because they are focused on the problems people are willing to spend money to solve (in my case, someone who wants to shoot photos and videos while surfing).
Not long after my original post, I interviewed Nicholas Woodman, founder & CEO of GoPro for a story in the book Tuned In I co-authored.
“The larger camera companies are building product on such a massive scale that it is not interesting to sell to a small niche market,” Woodman told me then. “GoPro’s cameras are more specialized and compliment your regular camera. You still take your Canon to a wedding, but out in the surf or on the mountain you need something else.”
What’s so fascinating about this example is how different buyer personas articulate problems. Photographers said, “How can I protect my camera in the water?” But surfers asked, “How can I take photos while surfing?”
Buyer persona research yields surprising information and when you are tuned in to a problem people are willing to spend money to solve (in this example, the desire to shoot photos while performing an already difficult task). When you build a product that solves it, you are on the road to success.
Since my original post, the company has expanded way beyond surfing.
Soon, Woodman tuned in to buyer personas representing other extreme sports.
“Because surfing is so demanding from a usability and environmental standpoint, our product also worked very well for other adventure sports,” he said. For other sports, the core camera is the same, but the associated accessories and mount is different. For example, GoPro adapts to mount onto bicycle handlebars and onto helmets and other body parts for sports like rock climbing and kayaking.
When adapting the camera to a new sport, Woodman told me that he has several prototypes built and then goes into the field to ask people to use the product, beat it up, and give feedback. “One of the great things about the markets we sell to is that they are made of passionate people,” he said. “The things that we think of could never be thought of in a boardroom. Ideas come when we are out playing. We go straight to the source. We don’t ask our grandmother what she thinks about our motorsport mounts apparatus; we ask race car drivers.”
So how is GoPro doing now, five years after I first spoke about them?
In an article on the front page of today’s Boston Globe Helmet cameras grab the slope action is this: “Sales tripled from 2010 to 2011, to 1.3 million units, according to Chris Chute, a research manager with the Framingham office of International Data Corp., a global market research firm. The devices, known as hands-free or wearable video cameras, generally retail for $200 to $400, depending on the model and accessories.”
Holy cow. That’s hundreds of millions of dollars. From zero five years ago. All based on buyer personas!
Are you focused on your buyers?
By breaking down buyers into distinct groups (such as surfers, race car drivers, sky divers, and others in the case of GoPro) and understanding what problems each one has and how to solve them, you make it far easier to create breakthrough products like the GoPro camera and its associated mounts.
Buyer Personas also make it much easier to market your products. Rather than web content that is simply an egotistical spewing of gobbledygook-laden corporate drivel, you actually create content that people want to consume and are eager to share.
However, this approach is utterly different from what most organizations do: either not segmenting the market at all (creating nonspecific marketing for everyone) or segmenting based on their own product-centric view of the world.
It is so exciting to see GoPro’s extreme success.
What, say you?
Why I love Instagram
It's rare that I get really, really excited about a new social network, but that's happening to me with Instagram. My friend Ann Handley introduced me to it last month and I am loving it.
Since there are already ten million Instagram users, I'm certainly not an early adopter, so forgive me if you're already an Instagram pro.
Instagram is a photo sharing iPhone application that makes it easy and fun to manipulate a photo with various filters and turn it into instant art. Then with a few clicks, you can share your photo with a caption via Twitter, Facebook, and other social networks.
Here's what my photo Sunset over Florida and the wing of a 757 looks like on the Instagram site. Here it is on Twitter. And on Facebook. It took about a minute to snap, filter, and update my social sites.
I love that Instagram makes it so easy to create content. In my travels, one of the first things people push back on is how much time they think it takes to create content and publish it on the Web. Instagram is easy. It takes a minute or two. Others say they cannot write so they are hopeless on social sites. Well with Instagram, you aren’t writing (except maybe a caption) so even word-challenged people can create awesome content.
Check out the Instagram blog post on the recent NYC Marathon to see how they showcase some user photos. It's fascinating to see the different ways people have captured the event.
There are tens of thousands of social networks out there. Many are copycats of existing networks or add just a tiny incremental feature to another network. They don't succeed.
True new ideas as social networks are rare – I can count on one hand the social networks that I felt that "wow" factor that I had found a new way to create and share content. YouTube makes video sharing easy. Twitter is for sharing short messages. Facebook for connecting with friends, Foursquare on my whereabouts, and now Instagram for photos.
Instagram is cool because it allows content sharing but with a twist. It is photography turned into instant art and it is addictive (at least for me).
When I have a few minutes of downtime, I like to pull out my iPhone and scroll through the photos of the people I follow on Instagram. It is like a stroll through an art gallery.
It was really cool that as soon as I jumped on Instagram a few weeks ago, some of my friends found me and started following. It was so quick. I am now connected to people in a new way.
Are you an Instagram user?