The Synergy of Search and Social Media

Two is better than one

Research has shown that display ad exposure can lift consumer response to paid search. Data from comScore, GroupM and M80 indicates searchers are also more likely to keep a brand in mind if they have seen a combination of paid search ads and social media.

The research firms found a 19-percentage-point lift in searches on the campaign brand among users who saw social media relevant to the brand in addition to the campaign’s paid search ads compared with those who were exposed only to the search placements. And there was a further 13-point lift among those exposed to social media influenced directly by the brand.

“Every day consumers express their intent via search. Now, we better understand how that intent is established via social media and the interplay between the channels,” said Chris Copeland, CEO of GroupM Search—The Americas, in a statement.

The effect was even more pronounced when it came to searches for product terms rather than brand terms. Users were almost three times as likely to search after seeing influenced social media plus paid search, compared with paid search ads alone.

Consumers exposed to paid search along with influenced social media also had a 50% increase in click-through rate on paid search ads. Organic search click-through rates were higher, too.

“This finding provides strong evidence that investing in social media marketing can both increase initial brand consideration and drive higher conversion rates once the consumer has decided to purchase,” said Graham Mudd, vice president of comScore.

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Luxury carmaker Land Rover has tapped YuMe to launch a new video ad campaign featuring the video ad platform's new PowerRoll DataConnect feature.

PowerRoll is supported by interactive overlay or graphics -- GIF, JPG, or Flash -- on top of existing video. YuMe's new DataConnect feature lets advertisers pull in any xml data feed, like auto retailer locations, and in real-time display this information to viewers of in-stream video ads.

With Land Rover's campaign, an interactive overlay appears along with their video ad asking viewers if they want to locate a local retailer by entering in their ZIP code. Once the viewer enters their ZIP code, the ad pauses and the address and phone number of the three closest locations is displayed.

The idea behind the ads is to drive more traffic to Land Rover's local retailers, according to Finbar McFall, VP of marketing for Land Rover North America.

"The ability to tie into our database is an opportunity for us to dynamically control the creative message," said McFall. "This ad placement allows us to leverage the immersive power of video together with the engagement of an overlay all in one ad unit."

The viewer can also click and visit the local retailer's Web site. Once the viewer closes the expanded creative, the ad resumes playing. Additional interactive features available within the expanded creative include data collection, such as the email address and polling.

PowerRoll DataConnect is part of YuMe's ACE video ad platform. It follows the recent launch of its InSynch Video Takeover ad placement. Brands that have recently launched an InSynch campaign include Axe, Dove, VitaminWater, Universal Pictures and Kellogg's.

In July, ScanScout Network ranked as the Number 1 video ad network with a potential reach of 80.1 million viewers -- or 50.6% of the total viewing audience, according to comScore Video Metrix. Tremor Media ranked second with a potential reach of 71.1 million viewers -- 44.9 percent penetration -- followed by YuMe Video Network with 68.1 million viewers, at 43%.

Land Rover was recently acquired by Tata Motors Limited, India's biggest manufacturer of trucks and passenger cars.

Short, interesting article about the best times to post to client’s Facebook Fan pages.

Tuesday Tops for Brands on Facebook

Found this interesting article today: SocNets Serve 20% of Online Display Ads

Do we do a lot with MySpace? Or is it like out FB banners we’ve seen, where they are part of network?

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 SPECIAL TO SEATTLEPI.COM

 Find out on Twitter, sign up on Facebook and show up in person.

 That's the mantra for Puget Sound Blood Center's new social media campaign, designed to recruit blood donors where they spend most of their time -- online.

 On Thursday, seven people donated at Tweet-up Blood Drive 2.0, the center's second blood drive organized entirely through social networking media.

 "Social media is not about people being cooped up inside," said Sean DeButts, social media coordinator for the blood center. "It facilitates real life action, and that includes blood donation."

 The online campaign launched earlier this summer, and already the blood center has about 400 fans on Facebook and 1,200 followers on Twitter.

 And the blood center has a YouTube site for its online generation donators/

 "This is just one more way to reach people," said Michael Young, the blood center's communications director. "This is the way people are communicating today, and it's the way people will be communicating in the future."

 Joe Kennedy, an entrepreneur from Bellevue who donated during Thursday's tweet-up blood drive, used social media every step of the way. He signed up for the blood drive on Facebook, put an update on Twitter as he went to donate and shot a YouTube video as he gave blood.

 "Social media is not a scene," Kennedy said, using his hands to put air-quotes around the word "scene." "It's a way of life."

 Kennedy said it was "very unlikely" that he would have donated if the blood center hadn't approached him on Twitter.

 And he's not the only one.

 "I never thought about giving blood till I first started following the Puget Sound Blood Center on Twitter," said Joshua Wong, an editor from Bellevue.

 Wong gave blood for the first time in July and credits the blood center's social media accounts for giving him the idea. Now, he tries to spread the word by copying the blood center's posts onto his own online profiles.

 The blood center needs 900 donations every day to manage blood supplies for hospitals throughout the Northwest. "It's a bit of a numbers game," said Jeff Shuey, a technology consultant and blood donor.

 Shuey, who has about 6,000 followers on Twitter, and Wong, who has about 400, say they inspiring just 10 percent of their followers to try to donate blood would make a big difference.

 The "numbers game" was threatened during last month's heat wave, when Type O supplies dropped to critical levels as blood drives scheduled for un-air conditioned venues were canceled.

 Blood center officials relied on social media to find new donors to combat the shortage. "Social media is viral," Shuey said. "You can get the word out faster to a much broader audience, to people who may not have thought about (giving blood) before."

 During the week-long heat wave, the number of people interacting with the blood center on social media doubled, DeButts said. So many people used their online profiles to get the word out about the shortage that DeButts created a separate Twitter account just to thank them.

 "They take the initiative because we've given them the tools," Young said about the blood center's online followers. "You don't find a better group of people. To be a blood donor, you have to be a fairly altruistic person in the first place."

 From 5 to 33 percent of donors at blood drives over the last three months said they scheduled their appointments because of social media, and DeButts said he expects that number to skyrocket as school starts up and students organize drives through Facebook.

 "This will evolve as we evolve," said Young. "And the great thing is, we don't know what's next."

 Rock band The Used releases their latest album, "Artwork" today in the US and the UK. As a way of building buzz and giving fans and potential buyers a chance to hear the new music, the band's label, Warner Bros. Records, has teamed up with Culture Jam Labs to launch what they call "the first ever Twitter Listening Party."

 This is how it works, go to twitter.theused.net and click on the pre-populated Twitter message. This will take you to an OAuth screen that will add @wearetheused to your Twitter account and send out a tweet with a link to the listening party.

 That tweet will let you listen to the entire album "Artwork," including two B-side tracks. The listening party will be taking place for 24-hours.

 If this tactic sounds familiar, it might be because back in June , Travis Barker and the late-DJ AM used a similar move to promote their latest mixtape. Tweeting a link promoting the mixtape enabled fans to download it free of charge.

 I think that using Twitter () to promote a listening party/album release is a pretty cool way of using social media. What do you think?

E-Mail Marketers Fail the Test

Testing…1, 2, 3…

In this down economy, where marketers are under increasing pressure to wring out as much value as possible from of each dollar, measurable ROI has become critical. Testing and optimization mean more bang for the buck.

Still, e-mail marketing agency eROI found in a May–June 2009 survey that 37.1% of US e-mail marketers did not test their e-mail campaigns at all.

Among marketers who failed to test campaigns, the most common reason was that they simply did not know how (nearly 33%). Another 27.4% reported not having enough time to do so. A few (8.5%) said they did not actually see the value in testing.

More than 85% of those marketers who tested their e-mail campaigns scrutinized subject lines. Far fewer (54.8%) tested calls to action, and around one-half made efforts to optimize design and body copy.

In addition to content, e-mail marketers also tested the best timing for their campaigns. Almost one-half considered midday the optimal time to send marketing messages, followed by the start of the business day.

Respondents also reported that Tuesday was the best day of the week for marketing e-mails, with Wednesday coming in second.

eMarketer estimates $392 million will be spent on e-mail advertising in the US in 2009. Campaign testing may determine how wisely those dollars are put to work for marketers.