THINKing

Twitter Lists: Twittering Journalists

Finally, Twitter is offering a lists function. None too soon.If you need more info on Twitter lists, Mashable is a good resource.

We set up the My Creative Team Twittering Journalist wiki last year in order to develop a directory of journalists who were using Twitter. This was not an ideal solution, but it was good enough at that time. With the new Twitter list, we can move that wiki online. This makes it easier on everyone to follow twittering journalists.

We have established a USA Twittering Journalist List and a Canada Twittering Journalist List. They are not yet complete, but feel free to begin following them, and let us know if there are other journalists you are following who should be on the list. Next on our agenda, media outlets using Twitter.

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Reading List

What are you reading today? Here are a few items we are checking out.

Newspaper Online Traffic Heads Up

Google Fast Flip Speeds Online News Reading

iPhone App Helps You Find Guinness

Measuring The Business Effects Of Web 2.0

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Old Media Drives New Media

The average American’s Internet use has nearly doubled in the past two years, according to a MediaPost article. This means that the Internet now accounts for 1/3 of the average US consumer’s media day. So, how are you going to get those Americans to your website, hmmm? By the way, did I tell you that your website is one of about 186 million?

Google Adwords can help, but it doesn’t drive the volume of web traffic most local businesses would like to see. If you have your own email list, superb. Nothing like email to drive current customer traffic. But what about for customer acquisition?

If you haven’t noticed, there is a fire sale going on at the old media store. Newspapers are struggling, so, too, are many radio and TV stations. Rates are down and so is competition for eyeballs. It’s a great time to increase your share of voice and take market share from weak competitors.

In my mind, a local business should be looking at these media opportunities. In particular, I’d look at my local newspaper, especially if it has a solid web presence. You can pick up packages that include both print and web options. For instance, according to the same MediaPost article:

The report further reveals that seven daily newspapers have achieved a net unduplicated reach of 80% or more when the past 30-day website visitor figure is combined with the past month print readership figure. Among these newspapers are the:

• New Orleans Times Picayune with a total unduplicated reach of 85.8%
• San Antonio Express-News (80.6%)
• Post-Standard in Syracuse (84%)
• Buffalo News (83.3%)
• Democrat & Chronicle in Rochester (80.9%)
• Peoria Journal Star (80.4%)
• Omaha World Herald (82.2%)

Says  Bob Jordan, President of The Media Audit,

“Daily newspapers were the first to embrace a multi-platform distribution strategy amidst a period when consumers were spending more and more time with the Internet. And as a result, newspapers followed the way of the consumer. By doing so, they have broadened their reach to include younger consumers. And these consumers are buying new cars and driving sales for retailers who represent a significant portion of the newspaper industry’s revenue… ”

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Connect With My Creative Team

Are you connected with My Creative Team? Here are the ways to get and stay connected:

Facebook

Friendfeed

Think (our monthly enewsletter)

THINKing (RSS Feed)

Twitter

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Undiscovered Gems

There is a ton of content on THINKing that has not yet been discovered by our more recent followers. So, I thought I’d serve up some of those undiscovered gems today. Enjoy.

Creativity & You

Shallow Brands

Remember, You Are Naked Online

Content Marketing On Steroids

Leadership 101

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Why Coupons?

We talked recently about using online coupons to spur consumer action. Now, let’s take a look at a company which is using coupons strategically and successfully.

I talked with Jim Deitzel (@rubbermaid) and Lauren Spahr (@rubbermaidtwo) about how Rubbermaid’s organizational products line is using coupons.

It turns out, Rubbermaid is no Johnny-Come-Lately to the online coupon. The company has used them for about four years, initially placing them on the company website. Recently, with some tweaking to the program, redemptions have increased. Part of that, say Deitzel and Spahr, is due to greater reach offered by News America’s online coupon service, Smart Source.

The strategy behind using coupons is fourfold:

- Augment offline coupons

- Attract website traffic

- Acquire email addresses

- Add value to email club membership

The online program is a real value, according to Deitzel. He says FSI (free standing inserts or paper coupon) programs can cost into the six digits, whereas a very strong online program can be implemented for around $20,000. Now, this doesn’t mean small companies can’t take advantage of online couponing if they don’t have $20,000 to spend. They can develop their own coupons and send them out via a house email list.

Are you using online coupons? I’d like to hear about it.

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Coupon, Get Your Coupon

Marketers have long known the power of a coupon, and they are rapidly discovering how much more powerful an online coupon can be than a paper one. Emarketer reports that US retailers are moving rapidly toward the online coupon to help out during the recession because they have discovered that they perform better than paper in terms of redemption,

Although studies show that most Americans still get their coupons from a paper source, online coupons have posted a 140% growth rate over 2007’s previous high. Coupon processor, Inmar, says that recessions always boost coupon use. Data from Comscore regarding online search backs this up.

And Americans, resilient as they are, are seeking ways to save money, as evidenced by the increase in the number of searches for “coupons” (up 161 percent to 19.9 million) and “discount” (up 26 percent to 7.9 million).

If you are going to use coupons, you have to be careful. Quizno’s got into a kerfuffle when a number of its franchisees refused to accept coupons for the chains one million free subs campaign.

Here are a few coupon sites you may want to know about to help out your own wallet. Coupons, CouponCraze, Coupon Album, and Fat Wallet.

Are you using coupons? What is your strategy? How are they performing? I’ll follow up on this post later with comments from retailers and manufacturers who are using coupons effectively.

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Retool Your Content Marketing

Content marketers looking for a way to keep their communities informed now have a free tool for that purpose. Conduit now offers a build-your-own toolbar in which you can feature - and update - your best content. This is a great way to make sure your best content is a click away from your community members.

I’ve already built one for My Creative Team. If you download it, please let me know how you like it.

It’s simple: a step-by-step wizard walks you through the process. Says Conduit,

Whatever your users do on your website they can do with your community toolbar — from shopping to social networking to making reservations… you name it. Whole applications can even be put on the toolbar! Imagine your users always signed–in and engaged.

Advanced XML can be used for personalization and other database–driven content. Our easy API will assist with advanced features.

Keep your subscribers’ attention with exclusive new features like Community Alerts and u–Page. Choose from thousands of fun gadgets and tools, including e–mail notifier, local weather, pop–up blocker, message box, and more.

Let me know if you build one, and we’ll let the THINKing community know about it.

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Small Business Needs To Go Digital

Small business needs to get on the stick when it comes to online presence and marketing spending. Only 44 percent of small businesses have a website, according to MarketingCharts, which puts them out of sync with their consumers,

Though 63% of consumers and small business owners turn to the internet first for information about local companies and 82% use search engines to do so, only 44% of small businesses have a website and half spend less than 10% of their marketing budget online, according to research from Webvisible and Nielsen.

This disconnect between small business and consumers - which Webvisible calls “the great divide” - could not come at a worse time. You may survive a good economy if you are less than visible on the web. In a downturn, perform last rites for the digital invisible. Says MarketingCharts,

An overwhelming majority of searchers (92%) say they are happy with the results they get when using search engines, despite the fact that 39% report frequently not being able to locate a particular known business. Webvisible said this means that while searchers don’t always find the specific business (no online advertising/no website, etc.), they may choose to contact a similar business with a stronger online presence.

How strong is your online presence?

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The Land Of The Free

America, digital America in particular, has become the land of the free. So many online services are offered at no charge that now it is hard to get anyone to pay for anything online. Newspapers are circling the drain because of this phenomenon.

A MediaPost article addresses this problem,

“Over the past decade, we have built a country-sized economy online where the default price is zero — nothing, nada, zip,” writes Chris Anderson, editor in chief of Wired magazine, and the author of the upcoming “Free,” which one presumes will not mean that you are encouraged to do an Abbie Hoffman and “Steal This Book.” But the gravy train is coming to an end as sites come to realize they’ll never attract enough advertising to pay their bills (although who knows, you could always get overpaid by AOL in an acquisition). Even the try-the-trial-version-and-upgrade-to the-pricier-more-full-featured-version could be an endangered species.

Print readers are aging out and those who visit newspaper sites don’t want to pay for content. Newspaper website visitation is climbing, but media companies still can’t find a way to monetize their product. The New York Times is considering charging for content again. Good luck with that.

A few news organization, the Wall Street Journal comes to mind, seemed to have figured out how to produce both print and online content and make some money on it. But even the WSJ is having its troubles.

I must admit that I am part of the Land of the Free crowd. I will not pay for newspaper content online. Somehow we will always be able to get the information we want for nothing. That’s at the root of why newspapers are on the endangered species list.

Would you pay for news content? Speak up.

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