Brands On Facebook And Twitter Favored By Consumers
March 18, 2010
People who are Facebook fans and Twitter followers of a brand are more likely to buy the brand's product or recommend it to a friend, according to a new study by Chadwick Martin Bailey and iModerate Research Technologies.
The study of 1,500 consumers found that 60 percent of Facebook fans and 79 percent of Twitter followers are more likely to recommend those brands since becoming a fan or follower.
More than half (51%) of Facebook fans and 67 percent of Twitter followers are more likely to buy the brands they follow or are a fan of.
"While social media is not the silver bullet that some pundits claim it to be, it is an extremely important and relatively low cost touch point that has a direct impact on sales and positive word of mouth," said Josh Mendelsohn a vice president at Chadwick Martin Bailey.
"Companies not actively engaging are missing a huge opportunity and are saying something to consumers - intentionally or unintentionally- about how willing they are to engage on consumers' terms."
The study also found that people view brands not engaging in social media as out of touch.
When asked the question "What does it say about a brand if they are not involved with sites like Facebook or Twitter?" they said the following:
* "It's EXPECTED that a company have some digital face - whether it's on FB or Twitter I don't know - but they need a strong electronic presence or you doubt their relevance in today's marketplace." Female 50-54
* "Either they are not interested in the demographic that frequents Facebook and Twitter or they are unaware of the opportunity to get more exposure in a more interactive method." Male 35-39
* "It shows they are not really with it or in tune with the new ways to communicate with customers." Female 18-24.
* "If they're not on Facebook or Twitter, then they aren't in touch with the "electronic" people." Female 55-59
Droid Beats iPhone In Sales Comparison
March 16, 2010
There's good and bad news for Google this morning with respect to Android and the mobile market. In terms of how many units were sold during their first 74 days of availability, it seems the Droid beat the iPhone to the million-unit mark, but the Nexus One is lagging far behind.
That's the state of things according to Flurry, which claims that applications using its analytics tools have been embedded in more than 80 percent of iPhones and Android devices. And anyone who's suspicious of the firm's stats should know that Goldman Sachs has used them as the basis for some forecasts, too.
So on to the comparison. You can see the results below. FYI: Flurry picked a 74-day period because that's how long Apple said it took for one million iPhones to sell.
Flurry noted that the Droid enjoyed several advantages here. First, the iPhone had already taught consumers about the benefits of smartphones. Verizon also boasted more subscribers than AT&T, and the Droid launched towards the start of the holiday shopping season.
Android can definitely compete with the iPhone, then. The Nexus One's lack of success just makes it hard to judge what sort of circumstances are needed to even the odds.
Twitter Location Features Rolling Out
March 11, 2010
Last fall, Twitter started including geolocation information in its API, but it was not available through Twitter.com. That appears to be in the process of changing now.
This week, Twitter has been rolling out (it appears to still be in the process) geolocation info on tweets at Twitter.com. Various reports from users have been circulating, with those who have access to the feature pointing to a little blue icon by the tweet source on individual tweets, which when clicked, shows location information on a Map (powered by Google Maps).
The feature (as most new Twitter features do) is already receiving some criticism from users who have access to it. For example, Kim-Mai Cutler with VentureBeat says Twitter's geotagging is "far from what Twitter needs to be a real player in location."
Cutler adds, "First, the new maps feature isn’t turned on for Twitter’s search results. The whole point of location-based search is to be able to find what’s actually happening around you right now. Instead, Twitter tosses a few such tweets into a wash of noise..."
Earlier this week, news of Facebook readying location features surfaced. The company is expected to launch something along these lines at its f8 conference in May. Location players getting the most buzz currently are Gowalla and Foursquare. They you have Google, of course. This may be the most interesting space to watch as the year progresses. It will be quite interesting to see how mainstream location sharing becomes when it comes to consumers.
Are you seeing the geolocation information showing up at Twitter.com? Do you intend to share your location when tweeting?
eBay Says Buying Used Is Being Green
March 9, 2010
eBay announced today the launch of the eBay Green Team Challenge, a program aimed at turning green shopping into a tangible environmental impact.
Under the program, the first 250,000 people to pledge to reuse on eBay, the company will protect an acre of rainforest in their name through a new collaboration with Team Earth, a coalition of non-governmental organizations, private sector companies and individuals convened by Conservation International.
Along with the launch of the Green Team Challenge, eBay has introduced a new green shopping site, designed to help people access green products.
The new shopping hub is a result of the requests of eBay Green Team members, a community of nearly 150,000 individuals committed to making greener lifestyle choices.
To promote the challenge, eBay is teaming up with Hearst Magazines for the second year in a row, for their month long "30 Days of Green" program. The collaboration features a three-page ad insert that will run in the April issues of all 15 Hearst magazines. The ads will feature a variety of eBay items and will aim to educate consumers about being green.
"We at eBay are constantly looking for ways to show our community of 90 million users that their shopping decisions can have real environmental impact," said Amy Skoczlas Cole, Director of the eBay Green Team.
"This year, through our collaborations with Hearst and Team Earth, we have the opportunity to not only educate millions of consumers about the green value of shopping used, but translate that action into tangible environmental impact."
