Gamification, is it a game changer?

fbendall@smartcompany.com.au — Wed, 22 May 2013 14:00:00 +0100

The hype of gamification has been built on the potential powerful engaging responsive design that gaming induces on cognitive behaviour to grab attention, memory, perception and high levels of engagement.

Great examples of gamification includes Foursquare, Empire Avenue, eBay and Facebook with its multitude of apps [...]

Digital disruption still bites

fbendall@smartcompany.com.au — Wed, 15 May 2013 14:00:00 +0100

Even now after 3,099,585 presentations loaded to Slideshare.net on 'Digital', 'Online', 'Mobile' and 'eCommerce', there is still reticence in regard to all matters digital in the boardrooms of companies large and small.

Whole industries have been impacted, a long time ago!

Record industry
Camera and photo [...]

The true, personal dangers of social media

fbendall@smartcompany.com.au — Wed, 08 May 2013 14:00:00 +0100

I was horrified by the news recently that Brown University student Sunil Tripathi, falsely linked to Boston bombings on Reddit, had been found dead, his body dragged from a river.

It is shocking that a bunch of anonymous Reddit users can cause such huge damage. Anonymous posts should be ousted. It is not acceptab [...]

What makes someone a 'digital expert'?

fbendall@smartcompany.com.au — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 14:00:00 +0100

I have come across many imposters in my time; many of them claiming to be 'digital experts' who make promises and just don't deliver.

I am able to spot an imposter, although for the non 'digital expert' an imposter can be hard to recognise, especially when they talk the talk and have you hanging off every word they say.

What is 'dark social' and why should I care?

fbendall@smartcompany.com.au — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 14:00:00 +0100

'Dark social' is a term that has been doing the rounds and was featured in October by Alexis Madrigal of The Atlantic in his article 'Dark Social: We have the whole history of the web wrong'. Getting straight to the point of all this, read on.

What is 'dark social'?

The term is now being used to refer to we [...]

It's not a matter of if you go mobile... you have to do it now!

fbendall@smartcompany.com.au — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 14:00:00 +0100

Wherever you look there are surveys throwing big figures around about small business and mobile marketing. Here are just a few that I've come across:

How many mobile apps do small businesses use regularly? Seven productivity apps and four business apps
Small businesses equip 83% of their workforce with mobile devices
Average spend on app development for SMEs? In 2012, $14,244 and in 2013 it's estimated to be $17,947
Average spend on mobile management for SMEs? In 2012, $1,940 and [...]

Digital roundup: What's the world coming to?

fbendall@smartcompany.com.au — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 14:00:00 +0100

This week we may well ask what has the world come to, as Twitter turns seven, Google Plus is now the second largest social network in the world, and kids are becoming millionaires by developing apps and selling their IP and soul to Yahoo!

While people are still getting fired over social media, with the latest doozy being an airport security fella in the UK who got fired for FB posting a photo of himself with a celebrity while on duty. Ellen is still happily employed – with no such [...]

Emotional arcs help your social networking engagement

fbendall@smartcompany.com.au — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 14:00:00 +0100

There's one absolute in social communications. It is often overlooked in a rush to publish the sales message first. The absolute is that emotion works.

It can be good emotions, enthusiasm and humor. Or it can be challenging emotions, emotions that make us see red, that make us shout, or yell out a strong call to action for purpose and social good.

The second absolute in social communications is people.

People online aren't all trolls, most "normal, sane" people onli [...]

Content strategy? FAQs answered

fbendall@smartcompany.com.au — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 14:00:00 +0100

The world of publishing and creative has been challenged by the dawn of the online publishing model.

You are a publisher if you have a website, if you have a blog, if you tweet, if you write a Facebook post, if you respond in forums or participate in discussion groups. You are publishing content and to get the best action or reaction out of that content, you need a strategy.

Magazine and newspapers structure their content by category: features, opinion, breaking news, vide [...]

Social outreach is more than just spruiking bloggers

fbendall@smartcompany.com.au — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 14:00:00 +0100

There were 2.4 billion internet users recorded in 2012. That is enough to change the world we live in, and it has.

Social outreach and social connections matter, whether you are a government or a big company, people power expressed through these connections is a valuable currency and often small niches of connected people can make a big noise.

We have observed WikiLeaks and classified documents spreading around the world regardless of the US government, mass-hacktivism has [...]

How videos go viral

fbendall@smartcompany.com.au — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 14:00:00 +0100

There is no red button on the wall that you can press to send a video viral. However, there are common attributes to videos that have been shared a lot and considered a viral success.

Theme

Humour, usually in an ironic, parody style
Incident, what happened next
Shock
Sweet, just too cute for words

Viral videos don't just happen, they are made

Viral videos are mostly choreographed carefully
They are surprising, engaging and experiential not advertising/sales [...]

One of the oldest online marketing channels still delivers: Your guide to affiliate marketing

fbendall@smartcompany.com.au — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 14:00:00 +0100

I ghost wrote this piece in 2006 and it is still totally relevant today. I am still astonished that so many people still don't know about affiliate marketing or use it, especially small business owners. A model where you only pay when a sale has been made! Perfect!

Which online marketing channel is older than search engine marketing? It delivers millions of consumers monthly to household brand names in Australia, costs money only when you have sold a product and has been one of the [...]

Mobile strategy tips for SMEs

fbendall@smartcompany.com.au — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 14:00:00 +0100

With mobile firmly established, there is nowhere to hide in this phase of the technology boom. Google are predicting 40% of smartphone owners are researching their purchases via their mobile and 46% of tablet owners do the same.

SMEs are just starting to feel comfortable with Google AdWords and social media, and now mobile! However, it does not have to be as daunting as you think and it is critical you adopt mobile elements into your business planning.

Here are a few tips to [...]

Why crowds and networks are smarter than most companies

fbendall@smartcompany.com.au — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 14:00:00 +0100

Since the advent of the internet, the power of the crowd has been foremost in the changing society.

We have leaderless collaborations, such as Wikipedia; we have organised social movements like Get Up! that have emerged to challenge government and organisations; and we can share knowledge in whole new ways that help us grow personally and professionally.

Steve Johnson's Future Perfect book is a fascinating insight into this "peer progressivism". Johnson even suggests that i [...]

The dark art of data: Facebook is delving deep into your mind

fbendall@smartcompany.com.au — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 14:00:00 +0100

Reading an article from The New York Times, 'For Search, Facebook had to go beyond "Robospeak"', the article struck me on a number of levels; one being, there is a general acceptance that computers and software can't read context or sentiment.

One of Facebook's linguists admitted, "Computers are bad at context," he said. "They're bad at real world knowledge".

This means when you read all about the various software tools to set up your "listening post" it is flawed. It means [...]

Why can't Gillard do this? New York launches digital tool kit for small businesses

fbendall@smartcompany.com.au — Wed, 23 Jan 2013 14:00:00 +0100

Ok, let's face it, the USA is pretty much in recession hell and they launch this initiative with Mashable. All at the same time that the Australian government withdraws, or should I say defers, any interest, payments, grants and pretty much everything from SMEs, a sector that produces more than 50% of gross domestic income for our country.

It makes me mad, because technology levels the playing field. It allows small businesses to grow up and participate. Small business is the life- [...]

Mobile challenges smart TV industry: It's about value-add not replication

fbendall@smartcompany.com.au — Wed, 16 Jan 2013 14:00:00 +0100

Reported in AdAge from CES in Las Vegas, the consumer electronics companies were touting their new interactive smart TVs while debate emerged about whether consumers even want them.

It does beg the question about how much UX has been conducted into the Smart TV industry. Do consumers want to Tweet or Facebook on their TV when they are sitting in front of the TV with their mobile and/or iPad in front of them? The whole concept of Social TV has emerged due to the consumer happily mul [...]

Digital strategy 2013: Predictions from the industry gurus

fbendall@smartcompany.com.au — Wed, 19 Dec 2012 14:00:00 +0100

It was a big year for social media and digital strategy in 2012 and industry experts are predicting plenty more on the horizon for 2013. Here are some of the more interesting forecasts making the rounds.

Business and social to blur

Deborah Sweeney, CEO of MyCorporation, which provides online services for entrepreneurs and businesses, says: "2012 was definitely a year of growth, with 66% of small businesses surveyed by Vertical Response saying they spend more time on social [...]

No excuse – like it or not, you have to be tech savvy

fbendall@smartcompany.com.au — Wed, 12 Dec 2012 14:00:00 +0100

Today we live at home, in business, on the bus, on the train, in the sky, wherever we are in a tech-driven world. You cannot ignore it; you cannot run away from it, you have to get with it.

By not doing so you render yourself obsolete, you risk falling fast behind. Your career will falter as technology and its concepts permeate everything we do, in business, from supply chain management to HR, to legal, to accounting, to marketing, to sales, to customer service, to everything. It w [...]

Online retail predictions for 2013

fbendall@smartcompany.com.au — Wed, 05 Dec 2012 14:00:00 +0100

Take a look at overseas markets and you get a big insight into what’s ahead for Australian retail. Currently, online sales for UK department store John Lewis are up 55% on last year.

There are a large number of mutli-channel orders flowing through UK retailers, where busy consumers are booking online and collecting in-store.

Mobile shopping is going through the roof. Consumers are now far more comfortable shopping on a mobile device than in the past. This comfort factor wil [...]

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