From the category archives:

Social Media

What Did Yahoo Really Buy Today?

by Tim on May 20, 2013

in content marketing,Engagement,Marketing,Social Media,social strategy,Strategy

So, the ‘net is all a-twitter (if you’ll pardon the phrase) about Yahoo’s acquisition of Tumblr today. But what did Yahoo actually buy?

Normally, I don’t get too hung up on tools (remember: they really are just tools). But Tumblr is much more than just a tool.

As I alluded to in an interview with Ragan a few months back (paywalled, sorry), Tumblr is a social network first and foremost. It’s where the cool kids hang out. And it’s access to those cool kids that Yahoo actually bought today.

Which might be the fatal flaw in this deal for Yahoo.

In a discussion with TechTarget, I’d referred to Tumblr as “…the world’s biggest underground thing.” The young demographic Yahoo so desperately wants to attract and retain with this acquisition aren’t altogether thrilled about Yahoo poking into “their” space. As one teen noted,

“It may seem strange that a site bringing together strangers from points around the globe can create a space for interactions that feel more real than those with people at school and at home, but that’s how it actually is.
Tumblr is so much more than a website at this point. It has grown into such a huge community, one that could be easily destroyed by the sort of reckless marketing that Yahoo must be about to unleash.”

If Yahoo’s smart, they’ll treat Tumblr the same way Google treated YouTube for a long time: leave it alone. CEO Marissa Mayer hinted that might by Yahoo’s strategy in a blog post when she said, “We promise not to screw it up.”

I do think this is a good move for Yahoo, but only if they execute correctly. At its core, social is people. And, as a result, all marketing is social. If you want to get in your customers’ heads (or pants… pockets), you’ve got to start by satisfying their needs first. Tumblr today represents a safe, happy place where like-minded individuals can congregate and share stuff they like. It’s a community, not a commodity.

And If Yahoo can’t hang on to the audience that makes Tumblr so attractive in the first place, they’ll find that instead of purchasing prime Internet real estate, what they really bought is a vacant lot.

Interested in more? Register to receive a free copy of my new special report, “Digital Hotel Marketing in a Multiscreen World,” produced in conjunction with Vizergy, here. And you might also enjoy some of our past coverage of social generally and Tumblr specifically, including:

Tagged as: Marketing, marketing strategy, social, social commerce, social is people, social media marketing, tumblr, Yahoo

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What’s the Future of E-commerce? Look to the Past to Find Out

by Tim on April 24, 2013

in content marketing,E-commerce,Social Media,social strategy

Consider this: according to the Guardian, the first “e-commerce” transaction… was a pot deal. As the article notes:

“In 1971 or 1972, Stanford students using Arpanet accounts at Stanford University’s Artificial Intelligence Laboratory engaged in a commercial transaction with their counterparts at Massachussetts Institute of Technology. Before Amazon, before eBay, the seminal act of e-commerce was a drug deal. The students used the network to quietly arrange the sale of an undetermined amount of marijuana.”

Now, think about these 5 sites:

eBay
Etsy
TripAdvisor
Yelp
Angie’s List

Notice anything in common?

To talk about “social commerce,” as if it’s a new thing, is patently absurd. The ‘Net facilitates communication, conversation, and, yes, commerce. Always has. Always will.

And your customers are going to use these connections to find out the answers to their questions. Even if the product that interests them is, um, questionable. For example, I recently stumbled upon a site that gives people all the details they could possibly want about a product that isn’t even legal in most states (for obvious reasons, I’m neither linking to it, nor naming it):

If that ain’t social commerce, I don’t know what is.

Your customers talk about your products, at least when they need them (not your brand, necessarily, but your products). They ask their friends, whether on Twitter or in their town square. They find reviews. They dig. They read. They ask.

I’ve repeatedly noted that “all marketing is social.” I’ve also noted that “it’s all e-commerce.” And it logically follows that all commerce is social, too.

It doesn’t matter whether your customers use exchanges like eBay and Etsy, review sites like TripAdvisor, Yelp, and Angie’s List, custom sites like the others mentioned above, or simply walk into your store. They’re connecting with the information they want/need/must have to make a purchase decision. Always have. Always will.

So, the question for you is this: Are you making it easy for your customers to get the answers they need, no matter the channel, no matter the site? Because they’re going to find what they need to know.

And it’s up to you to help them get there.

Or expect the sale to go to your competition.

Want more? Sign up for our free newsletter to get more information on how to build your social, local, mobile marketing strategy. You might also enjoy some of our past coverage of e-commerce, including:

4 Fundamental Truths About the Future of E-commerce

And 4 E-commerce Changes Worth Watching

The Future of E-commerce

The Future of Real-World Mobile Commerce

Is E-commerce Destined to Win?

Tagged as: E-commerce, e-commerce sales, e-commerce strategy, ecommerce, ecommerce merchandising, ecommerce strategy, social, social business, social commerce, social e-commerce, social ecommerce, social is people

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The Key to Social Media Success (Travel Tuesday)

by Tim on April 23, 2013

in Marketing,Social Media,Travel Marketing

This week’s Travel Tuesday post over on TravelStuff highlights The Key to Social Media Success including a number of tips from me and others in this month’s Travel Agent Magazine. As I note in the piece, travel agents face enormous competitive pressures due to the growth of online travel.

But those who’ve survived and thrived in this environment have done so by paying close attention to the needs of their customers. Which, as it happens, is a big part of what social’s all about.

So, check it out if you get the chance.

Oh, and if you’re interested in more, sign up for our free newsletter to get more information on how to build your social, local, mobile marketing strategy. You might also enjoy some of our past coverage of social, including: