'Net Features : social influence marketing

BlogFrog Jumps to Active Analytics

Michael Garrity — Tue, 23 Oct 2012 14:00:00 GMT

You may not be aware of BlogFrog yet, but as social influence becomes a more highly sought after commodity on the Web, marketers may be interested in this influencer marketing technology provider.

BlogFrog offers a Social Influencer Marketing platform that brands can use to identify and then mobilize topic-based social media “influencers." These are users who create content for blogs or social platforms, such as Facebook, Twitter and others. In theory, these influencers can be used to initiate and distribute valuable content to engage millions of target consumers within one technology platform.

This system automates these so-called influencer marketing campaigns to more easily aid marketers in establishing social conversations to increase awareness, drive engagement, support brand initiatives and improve ROI.

In order to make this system more effective, BlogFrog has added new Integrated Analytics capabilities that come with an online dashboard that presents a “comprehensive view” of a campaign’s effectiveness. It also monitors real-time influencer reach and content impressions and provides a detailed analysis of the brand’s social engagement. All of this data is presented through a series of graphical reports with details about who reviewed content and took an action based on it, in addition to tracing how that content was shared across various social networks.

The addition of Integrated Analytics moves the BlogFrog platform from simple traditional reporting techniques to more active analytics by looking at a series of measurement dynamics.

It starts by tracking everything an influencer does across the social Web, such as posts and Facebook shares to tweets and Pinterest pins and beyond, but it also looks at earned media by an influencer’s audience, which includes things like comments, Likes, re-pins and retweets.

Next, the platform will measure these figures to provide insights about an influencer’s reach, like the number of readers, fans, followers, impressions and actions that they can provide. Once that happens, Integrated Analytics sends reports that come chock-full of real-time cumulative data gathered across different time resolutions (e.g. seven days, 20 days, start-to-end dates, etc.), along with aggregated data about the individual pieces of influencer content created in the program. Of course, this all comes with access to visual reporting techniques (e.g. charts and tables), as well.

Finally, BlogFrog’s Integrated Analytics will then analyze this social influencer data so marketers can point out key trends to help them set up and measure their program performance against their pre-defined targets across a variety of key performance indicators (KPIs). This will help highlight those influencers who provide the most value to marketers looking to spread the word about their brands across the social Web.

ShopIgniter Starts Measuring Commerce Influence

Michael Garrity — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 21:00:00 GMT

The hot new trend in online metrics seems to be the incredibly hard-to-measure and largely situational statistic of influence. ShopIgniter, the social commerce software provider, is trying to take it a step further with their introduction of a new solution for measuring commerce influence across the social Web.

This new feature is made for enterprise brands and retailers who want to identify and nurture their most influential customers by tracking the social impact that each of them develops by doing things like sharing, linking, or referring, or by the referred revenue they generate and friends they can reach.

What makes ShopIgniter's influence measuring system different from others on the Web, like the very popular Klout, is that it is not meant to be calculated as a generic statistic across various industries and customers, but rather it is a system that is geared towards specific retailers or brands and in the context of their specific business. As an example, a Starbucks customer who may have a low Klout score but shares about products or promotions in their network will have a much higher commerce influence score. The opportunity to purchase products within one's network will also affect his or her influence score.

Commerce influence scores are determined by over 10 social, product and commerce-related activities, such as one's quality of sharing and his or her direct impact on revenue generation.

It's also not only applied to individuals, but also products, coupons and promotions.

This product promises to give retailers and brands insights into who their most influential customers are (and how to create rewards for them), what their most viral products are (and adjust their stores and collections to reflect that) and test and optimize the virality of their promotions.

Click here to check out ShopIgniter's new social commerce software.

Marketing To Moms Online

Pete Prestipino — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 16:48:00 GMT

A new two-part marketing report (Digital Mom by Razorfish and CafeMom) indicates that moms' digital behaviors change remarkably when their children hit 12 years old and that mobile browsing and social media channels are increasingly affecting moms' buying decisions.

In its half of the study, Razorfish focused on how 'digital moms' are adopting emerging technologies. Of those using social networks and blogs, almost half (47% and 40%, respectively) monitor their children. Likewise, digital moms of children 12 and older, versus moms with children under 12, are more likely to watch online video, (40% vs. 34%), game (57% vs. 51%), read online consumer reviews (38% vs. 30%), and watch or listen to podcasts (13% vs. 9%); This trend can be explained by different leisure time patterns among women with older children and a compelling interest in understanding their teenage children's digital lives.

The second part of the study (conducted by CafeMom) found that moms are spending more time on social networks that ever before. CafeMom identified five distinct segments of socially connected moms and suggested how marketers leverage their activity:

- The Self Expressor typically has a preschooler at home and is eager to chat with other moms about parenting and shopping-related matters. She spends a lot of time building her personal profile page, so marketers should explore ways to be included on her virtual real estate and take advantage of viral pass-along.

- The Utility Mom typically has the most children at home of all the segments, yet spends the most time online each week and enjoys relaxing with games and quizzes. To reach the Utility Mom, marketers should align with entertaining widgets and send brand messages through influential women in her circle.

- The Groupster is a dynamic builder of online communities and seeks purchasing information and advice from her wide social circle, which includes moms she does not know offline. Marketers can reach her by associating with groups, blogs and other message centers and enlisting her as a brand advocate.

- The Infoseeker usually has a young baby at home and is hungry for information on parenting and related products. Brands that can tie their messages into the information she is seeking, especially via the voice of other moms, will be the most successful at connecting with the Infoseeker.

- The Hyperconnector, typically the mother of older children, is no longer aggressively seeking parenting information and advice, but rather uses social media as a way to chat with others and learn about new products. As an active social network member, she is comfortable expressing her opinions and would be an excellent candidate for brands to tap in social marketing campaigns.