Social media marketing, when done correctly, is a great way to gain insight on your clients and prospects.  But are you using that insight to boost your ROI? 

Listen to what your customers and prospects are saying, and tailor your campaigns to directly address their needs.  Another good way to gain insight is by investigating their search habits.  Do your online marketing campaigns directly address the needs of your audience?  Acting on consumer insight goes a long way in boosting ROI.

Tweet of the Month

From our follower @pchaney: I'm wondering if I even need a real Web site for my book; would a Facebook Page suffice? Pondering options.

@pchaney—kudos to you for understanding that search has changed and social media marketing is here to stay.  We would recommend a website for the book, just in case people want to buy it when they find it.

“Our customers rock because when they get amped about amazing results it feeds back into the atmosphere here and revives that good feeling about what we're accomplishing for our clients.”

– Mike, PPC Project Manager

Photo bags, the possibility of marital scandal and Bonanza's biggest star.

Google Top 3 Searches:

Bags by Chilli

Jesse James Singer

Michael Landon

Yahoo! Top 3 Searches:

Jon and Kate Plus Eight

Annie Duke

Mother’s Day

We say it all the time, and if you’re paying attention you know it’s true—Marketing Has Changed. (So has search.) It takes some outlandishly brilliant campaigns to get your brand noticed these days. But how far can you take it without crossing the line? We want you to tell us, are these campaigns side-splitting funny or just plain foolish?

• What does dating and shirt tucking have to do with Bruin’s hockey?  Hilarious or ridiculous, you be the judge.
• We’d never considered what might happen if beef jerky teamed up with creativity—but throw a Sasquatch into the mix and we quickly changed our minds.  Check out the JackLinks Beef Jerky  “Living as Sasquatch”  video contest and tell us, will this leave a lasting footprint?

Be sure to check out next month’s Oneup Low-Down to see the results and cast your vote.  Have a crazy campaign you’d like us to include?  Send it our way.

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Besides the annual return of green grass and sun here in Traverse City—we’ve got great things to share.  From dancing birds to dodge ball, and a national award or two in between, it’s been a good month.

• Thank you AdAge! For the third year in a row, Advertising Age has named Oneupweb one of the nation's Top 25 Search Marketing Agencies as part of their 65th annual
  Advertising Agency Report.
• Our Office Survival Kit has been awarded a Best of Division BMA Pro-Comm award and will be advancing to the national Silver Sledgehammer Awards. Proof that business to business marketing doesn't have to be boring.
• A group of students at Michigan State University were asked to answer the question: how can we cultivate a society of entrepreneurship and innovation in Michigan? In their quest for the answer, they started "Spotlight Michigan" and we were honored to spend a few days in the limelight.
• Our first company dodge ball game was a complete hit (no pun intended). There's a lot of talent inside these walls.
• Skippy has mastered the moonwalk. And he's surely not the only one tweeting. Don't forget to check out our corporate Twitter page and drop in for a chat with our CEO, Lisa Wehr.

Is it possible for a conference at the Bellagio in Las Vegas not to be a success?  Especially if there’s a presentation covering Twitter?  We were there and we’ve got all the details.  Plus, find out where to join us in June.

Director of Client Services, Duncan White and Client Services Representative, Teal Murley represented Oneupweb at the 2009 Multi-Unit Franchising Conference April 15-17 in Las Vegas.  With over 500 attendees, it’s safe to say that the event was a success.  (Holding the event at the Bellagio Hotel surely didn’t hurt either).  To learn more about Duncan’s presentation on how to use Twitter for business send us a tweet @oneupweb or email info@oneupweb.com.

Coming in June, join us at the 2009 Internet Retailer Conference and Exhibition at the Boston Convention Center.  We’ll be discussing the power of Relentless Optimization™ June 15-18.  Will you be at the show?
Let us know.

Because if you would have, you’d already know that women are responsible for 85% of the purchases made in the US—but they aren’t on Twitter to buy things.  And that search marketing is the most effective tactic for customer acquisition, and email marketing is best for retention.

• Something to consider. According to a study released by BlogHer, iVillage and Compass Partners, 53% of the women surveyed use social networks; however, 75% said their participation in social media consists solely of keeping in touch with friends and family and not as a resource for making purchase decisions. Plainly said, a majority of women aren’t using Twitter for business purposes. A startling statistic considering this half of the population is responsible for 85% of the purchases made in the US.
• Good news for SEM. Despite the turbulence that has recently rocked our economy, SEMPO State of the Market Survey forecasts that SEM spending will increase in 2009 and continue this upwards growth trend until 2013—where the projected total spend will be nearly $26.1 billion. SEMPO deems the efficacy of search advertising as responsible for this upward growth trend.

Here's Looking at You.

Dear All Things Renewable,

Making the planet a greener place should be at the top of everyone’s to-do list. Here at Oneupweb, we appreciate that you’re making this ambition feasible by empowering consumers with sustainable and recycled products for everyday life.

From your all new Worm Factory™ to your hip VLING jewelry—we think your company is absolutely brilliant and would love the opportunity to make your online marketing campaigns more powerful than the force of gravity. So give us a call at 877.568.7477, send us an email or tweet @oneupweb. We’re ready when you are!  (And by all means, if you’re flattered and would like to send a gift—we’d be delighted with the Zapino Electric Scooter in lime green, and promise one of us will ride it to work each day).

Sincerely,
The Oneupweb Team

In the (edited) words of Oneupweb...stuff happens. In lieu of the recent Domino’s Pizza YouTube crisis, let’s take a look at the lessons learned:

• Social media is powerful and fast.  But not private.  Like all powerful forces, it can be used for both good and bad, and with it—word spreads quickly.  The stomach churning video produced by two employees of a North Carolina franchise was uploaded to YouTube, and within days, garnered more than a million views.
• Be proactive.  Don’t wait until it’s too late to have the necessary response mechanisms in place.  Having a blog would have afforded Domino’s an additional vehicle for prompt response to the incident.
• Be social.  If the crisis at hand is running rampant on social channels—launch your response on those same social channels in addition to traditional press and live media.  And don’t forget to optimize all of your content.

Learn more about the Principles of Crisis Management in a Viral Age with our whitepaper.

The shift from traditional to digital is here.

Hot Off the Desk of Oneupweb CEO Lisa Wehr.

While the hottest thing to come across my desk this month wasn’t a pepperoni hoagie, the crisis that erupted from the infamous YouTube video of two Dominos employees doing dishonorable things did spawn some important issues to be covered this month.  In an ideal world, this type of behavior would never occur.  Unfortunately, we all know it does.  And with the mass adoption of social media—this type of behavior spreads wide and fast and can damage an iconic brand and all of livelihood it supports in a matter of days.   In the event that your company does become the center of a viral crisis, these three pieces of advice can help you pull out of it—or at the very least, wade through it while keeping your head above water.

• Prevention is key. While social media has the potential to make a business, it also has the potential to break one. Using a proactive approach to your company’s reputation management on social sites is critical. Waiting until it’s too late can prove to be devastating to your company—so jump in and get involved in the conversation.
• Breathe deep and stay calm. You tried all the preventative measures but there was no predicting this one. You wake up one morning and find your company submerged in a social media crisis. No, this isn’t a nightmare. You’re not going to wake up and find that everything is suddenly okay, and whatever you do, don’t go back to sleep and ignore what is happening. The key is to survey the situation (quickly), remain calm and decide how your company is going to approach the issue.  Then, act.
• Use well optimized social channels to spread the word. Decide how your company is going to respond. Once there is a plan intact, use social channels to spread the response quickly. YouTube, Twitter or your company blog can all be valuable outlets to distribute your company’s response.

If you have further questions about how to respond in the event of a viral crisis, Oneupweb’s Principles of Crisis Management in a Viral Age can provide you with additional information about how to keep your head above water in the event that your company ever falls prey to one of these potential disasters. And of course, feel free to shoot me an email at info@oneupweb.com, send me a tweet @lisawehr or give me a call at 877.568.7477. I look forward to talking with you.

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