CRM - December 2007 - (Page 30)

USER-GENERATED CONTENT NOT JUST YOUR KIDS’ WEB Once thought to be an exclusive club for youngsters and early adopters, the Web has flung its doors wide. While it seems sexier to target younger generations, older audiences are just as likely to engage online. In fact, 93 percent of Web-goers 45 and above use email, compared to 83 percent of the 18-to-24 set. More than half the users of social networking site MySpace are above the age of 35, according to comScore, a Virginia-based Internet marketing research company, and The New York Times recently reported that more than 40 percent of active Facebook users are now over the age of 25. It’s clear that UGC’s on the rise: According to the Pew Internet and American Life Project, 35 percent of adult Internet users have posted some of their own content online—1.5 billion pages of UGC each year.“So much care is taken in presenting [businesses’] message and controlling their marketing message that there’s no way [businesses] can be as voluminous as amateur marketers or consumers,” Rollins says. YouTube, an online video-sharing site owned by Google, receives approximately 65,000 video uploads daily; 3,807 photographs were uploaded to Flickr, an online photo-sharing site owned by Yahoo!, in the minute you spent reading this paragraph. Users want to be a part of the online world—and while they’re not Indicate your OVERALL LEVEL OF TRUST in the following forms of advertising. Recommendations from consumers Brand Web sites Email I signed up for Consumer opinions posted online Newspaper Magazine TV Radio Brand sponsorships Search-engine ads Ads before movies Product placements Online banner ads Text ads on mobile phones 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% Trust “somewhat” Trust “completely” SOURCE: FORRESTER cations. Now, a movement called citizen journalism has allowed amateurs to upload their own photos and post their own content without the red tape typical of a formal publication. MSNBC.com recently acquired Newsvine, a Seattle-based online news channel driven by community participation, similar to other “social rating”sites such as Digg and del.icio.us. MSNBC.com says it intends to gain from “the power of unmoderated user commentary and ranking of the news,” while Newsvine will benefit from MSNBC.com’s “audience and distribution power.” User-generated content is usually the product of customers who should clearly be a top priority: They’re not only influential, they’re usually high spenders and repeat purchasers. necessarily marketing products, they are influencing the marketing world through their ideas, skills, and experiences. Indeed, other media outlets have made similar moves. A BusinessWeek editor recently blogged that his magazine’s then-pending redesign would utilize what he called “open-source aggregation.” By including “blog items, quotes, and content from unusual, global sources surrounding stories,” he wrote, the magazine can stir conversation with its audience; BusinessWeek, he stated, sees the new model as not only exciting, but the best way to share information and intellectual LET ME DO IT “The greatest impact on the online user,” Rollins says, “has been the availability of digital tools, the do-it-yourself tools.” She describes how five to 10 years ago, the path to becoming a journalist required going to college, getting a journalism degree, and slowly working up through various publi30 opinions with readers—which, in the magazine world, translates as “advertisers’ target audience.” Similarly, a Newsweek redesign set aside more space for readers’ letters, emails, and online contributions. There’s also been increased interest in consumer content in other realms. George Lucas noticed that StarWars.com was receiving noticeably less traction as fans were seeking other venues to create illegal video mashups and sharing them on sites such as YouTube. In response, Lucas amped up StarWars.com, created “Star Wars MashUps,” and hosted a video contest. Thus armed with high-quality Eyespot.com video-editing technology and more than 200 movie clips, fans had the means to do what they enjoy right at the home base. This not only improved site traffic, but strengthened brand affinity and stimulated creativity. Giving consumers open rein, however, does not ensure that UGC is professionalcaliber; instead it should be viewed as a fantastic way to collect consumer insight. UGC is typically subjected to diligent editing and fact-checking—but not by the corporate overseers who control traditional marketing. When users make mistakes, the community of fellow users is often ready to pounce and offer corrections. That principle underlies the concept of “crowdsourcing” at the core of sites such as online encyclopedia Wikipedia. www.destinationCRM.com CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT | DECEMBER 2007 http://MSNBC.com http://StarWars.com http://del.icio.us http://MSNBC.com http://MSNBC.com http://Eyespot.com http://www.destinationCRM.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of CRM - December 2007

CRM - December 2007 Contents Front Office Reality Check Customer Centricity SAP’s Midmarket Design A Shift in SAP’s Growth Strategy: Buy Big to Get Bigger The Buyer Is Your Owner Prime Time for Streaming TV The Word on the Floor Market Focus: Energy/Utilities: Speaking Truth to Power (Companies) The Pulse Required Reading It’s All Coming 2.0gether Power to the People Speak Up! Document Management That's a Breeze Customers Gain Traction With Off-Road Vehicles Getting Connected With Surveys Mobile Data Gets Better Reception Secret of My Success Re:Tooling The Tipping Point Pint of View

CRM - December 2007

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