Mike Rynchek
Spyder Trap Online Marketing

Show of hands, who predicted the rapid growth of Twitter or the sudden vernacular snafu of trying to market “like pages” rather than “fan pages”? I can tell you, like most marketers, I didn’t see it coming. So where do we go from here? What’s next for us as tech junkies and rapid consumers?

Before I dig in, let me first preface that I am willing to be wrong. The predictions below are mainly based on the feedback I have seen with client relationships and observed by engaging with consumers.

Social fatigue is going to be a more frequently used term as people continue to feel the weight of constant connectivity. Staying connected is only one factor. The question becomes how does one manage the vast amount of virtual relationships over time. As marketers we need to constantly find new ways to reward advocacy through quality content, incentives, new benefits, etc.

Techno stress is another term that today’s workforce should be familiar with. It’s the feeling you get when Twitter is down for a half hour or your e-mail is down for the afternoon. When technology works it’s amazing, when technology fails it can feel like the world is grinding to a halt. Techno-stress is our response to technology and how we are changing due to its influence.

The average worker can handle 50 e-mails a day. Now think about the fact that 90 trillion emails went through cyberspace in 2009, or 247 billion emails a day. When people are constantly being inundated with information and interruptions, their focus is not operating at full capacity and can lead to stress related problems like “information fatigue syndrome.”

Micro-communications are now, and will be the future, how information is corresponded to people. They are bit-sized pieces of information that get messages across as efficiently as possible. Micro-communications combine elements of blogging with instant messaging and social networking. There are multiple channels that allow diverse audiences to view a broad range of content at the virtual water coolers.

Because it’s much easier to talk than to type, eventually, people will be able to micro-communicate audibly. Think about traveling to a conference, you’re stuck in traffic, and you just found out that your business has made a huge discovery; you will be able to talk into your smart phone, which will subsequently put your announcement on Twitter, Foursquare, Google, etc.

The future by definition is unknown, but the future is right in front of us. Technology will always be evolving and coincidentally becoming outdated. The more we can learn to harness all the capabilities of our technology, and accept the stress that comes with it, the sooner we will be able to take full advantage of what it can do for us.

This article was originally featured in the Minnesota Business Magazine’s Expert Forum.

Jason Douglas
Spyder Trap Online Marketing

Recently, the web version of Twitter rolled out their ‘Who To Follow’ suggestion tool. This tool is exactly like Facebook’s ‘Recommended Pages’ or ‘People You May Know’ suggestion tools, where Facebook, based on your conversations, preferences, and current friendships, recommends pages you may like, or people you may want to connect with. Twitter does the same thing by scanning through people you are already following and finding similar users you may be interested in.

I rarely pay attention to the recommendations given to me by Facebook because the pages recommended to me are usually loosely connected to my current interests, and my friendship recommendations are often ex-girlfriends or people I do not want to be connected to. Sometimes, if you are not connected with someone, there is a good reason why and Facebook does not recognize that.

I have found the ‘Who To Follow’ tool very useful in connecting with people I consider relevant. The majority of my followers are from the Minneapolis/St. Paul area. Twitter has done a great job of recommending numerous local Twitterers, many of whom I was familiar with via retweets or public conversations.

Conversely, I have noticed my follower total on Twitter increase by 25+ in the last week. Most of these people are people I have either been following already or have followed back immediately.

The fact that I am using the Twitter suggestion tool often and am disregarding the Facebook equivalent is interesting, but not surprising. It is a perfect reminder that the rules for interaction are different on Facebook and Twitter. We can save that for a future blog post

I want to hear about your experiences with the new Twitter ‘Who To Follow’ suggestion tool. Have you found relevant people to follow? Have you noticed more people following you that you are now connecting with?

I hope your experiences have been positive like mine and we can connect soon.

Follow me on Twitter at @jasondouglas

PR: wait… I: wait… L: wait… LD: wait… I: wait… wait… Rank: wait… Traffic: wait… Price: wait… C: wait…

Brad Wellman
Spyder Trap Online Marketing

Today I had a phone call with Foursquare, and after a great conversation about their current capabilities and what they’re working on, I’m very excited for what the future holds for them.

Due to confidentiality I can’t say much, but analytics, information sharing and a more streamlined process for business partnerships with Foursquare are on the horizon.

Looking forward to the future roll-out of new tools and business applications.

Brad Wellman
Spyder Trap Online Marketing

Last night, Facebook dropped a bomb on social media marketers, small businesses and developers alike: Facebook Pages need to be “authenticated” in order to have landing tabs.

What does this mean?

Any new visitor to your Facebook Page will not able to land on a custom tab, unless your Facebook Page has greater than 10,000 fans or the Page administrator has been working with an ads account representative. The problem with this is that it requires Page administrators to spend money on Facebook ads (and you need to spend a pretty penny to get an account representative), or have a large traffic base to build a large following.

Less than 24 hours later, and after a frenzy of disapproval from the marketing and developer communities, Facebook removed the “authentication” requirement for setting custom landing tabs on Pages. The following was posted to the Facebook Developer Forum at 10:44am this morning:

Hello,

As of last night, we’ve removed the recently-added authentication requirement for setting custom landing tabs on Pages. The requirement was instituted as part of a Pages quality initiative, and we apologize for the inconvenience this caused to our developer and business community. We are re-investigating the situation, and will not make any further changes without first giving our community standard notice and lead-time.

Thanks for all your feedback,
Matt Trainer

The problem that Facebook continues to inflict upon itself is that they fail to be transparent with their audience regarding changes to their platform/services/privacy. This Facebook Pages incident isn’t the first time Facebook hasn’t acted in a social manner.  Also, given that Facebook has more than 400 million active users and it is the 2^nd most popular global website (according to Alexa), I’d think Facebook might think twice about doing whatever it pleases and forcing the community to obey its will.

Facebook, like any other social destination site, is not impervious to being abandoned by the community it helped create. Continuing to roll out drastic changes as they please, they may realize this sooner rather than later.

In this second part of our Google Analytics series, Spyder Trap’s online marketing wiz, Jason Douglas, dives a bit deeper into Google Analytics by giving us a look at what he sees when solving problems for clients.

Stay tuned next week as we go “Behind the Wisdom” to learn more about how other marketers are using social media, and be sure to check back every Wednesday for another video posted to our Minneapolis Online Marketing blog, Facebook fan page, and YouTube channel!

Happy Web Wisdom Wednesday!

In this first part of a two part Google Analytics series, Spyder Trap Online Marketing’s Jason Douglas discusses why businesses should take advantage of this valuable tool and a few key statistics to keep track of inside Google Analytics. Stay tuned next week for a deeper look into Google Analytics, screen shots, and how one can use it to boost traffic to their website. Happy Web Wisdom Wednesday!

Stay tuned every Wednesday for another video posted to our Online Marketing Blog, Facebook Fanpage , and YouTube channel!

Jason Douglas
Spyder Trap Online Marketing

While the rise in participation in social media channels has increased greatly for individuals and brands, one area where social media has become useful is for professional sports.

Why is social media right for sports teams? As with anyone using a social media channel, it is another opportunity to connect with people inside and outside of your network. You can keep the loyalists connected, and connect with disengaged fans.

Locally, there are teams using social media better than others. The Minnesota Timberwolves, for example, are using social media closer to its full potential than our other local teams.

On Twitter, the @MNTimberwolves provide injury updates, in game updates, and behind the scenes insight for the casual fan. For the serious fan, the Timberwolves are good at responding to followers, and following back fans as shown with their 7,574 followers and by following 3,357 back (as of the time of this post). The Timberwolves also integrate social media with their traditional and other online marketing tactics by promoting their social media channels as part of Wolves Nation prominently on their website and with in-game promotions.

One team that is not using social media to its fullest potential is the Minnesota Twins. Their job should be one of the easier Twitter campaigns to manage, as they have a brand new stadium, a great product, and of course, Joe Mauer.

However, the @MinnesotaTwins have chosen to establish their channels, especially Twitter, as an elite club. Despite more than 9,000 followers, the Twins have chosen to only follow back 20 users comprised of Major League Baseball accounts, other local sports teams, Twins player accounts, and Andrew Zimmern.

The Twins have largely pushed their own content on Twitter, and they have handed out tickets to users who follow them, but by not engaging or following their fans back, they are essentially shutting the doors on them. Are Target Field’s stands only full of MLB representatives, Twins players, and celebrities?

On the Minnesota Twins’ Facebook page, it is more of the same. While their reach is significantly larger with more than 280,000 fans, the same behavior is taking place. On their wall, it is just the Twins pushing out their own content, and not responding to the numerous likes and comments on each status update.

Now this may not hurt a brand like the Minnesota Twins now, as they are enjoying great success. But, what happens if – or when – the Twins experience a long term losing streak like the Minnesota Timberwolves? It is very possible that the fans they chose to ostracize may not be there in tough times.

It is critical that any brand using social media take advantage of the connectivity that each channel allows. For some, this may be the closest one comes to connecting with the brand. If that person reaches out to them, and receives no response, it will most likely leave a bitter taste in their mouth.

What are your expectations when engaging with a brand? Do you want a response? Do you want to be followed?

What makes you feel connected to a brand?

Happy Web Wisdom Wednesday!

In our sixth edition of Web Wisdom Wednesdays, and the second episode of our two-part Foursquare series, Jason Douglas of Spyder Trap Online Marketing shows you how to use Foursquare and how you can benefit from Foursquare.

How have you benefited from Foursquare? We’d love to hear your stories!

**Videos are posted every Wednesday to our Spyder Trap Online Marketing blog, our Facebook Fan Page, and our YouTube channel.**

Late last week we celebrated our 2nd anniversary in business. We have come a long way and have grown immensely. We have great clients, wonderful partners, and loyal supporters. We truly appreciate all of you, because without you we wouldn’t be where we are today. To all who have been there for us along the way, we say THANK YOU!

In this first part of a two part Foursquare series, Spyder Trap’s Jason Douglas and Brad Wellman discuss Foursquare and how businesses are utilizing this popular social media tool. Stay tuned next week, when the dynamic duo explain what benefits Foursquare offers the independent user.

Happy Web Wisdom Wednesday!

**Videos are posted every Wednesday to our Spyder Trap Online Marketing blog, our Facebook Fan Page, and our YouTube channel.**

Happy Web Wisdom Wednesday! In this week’s installment, Luke Kuhlman and Brad Wellman discuss Facebook analytics; using Facebook Insights to assess your Facebook Fan Page.

Be sure to check back on Wednesday each week for the newest installment of Web Wisdom Wednesdays. You can also view our past episodes of Web Wisdom Wednesdays on our YouTube channel.

Glenn Seaberg
Spyder Trap Online Marketing

Email marketing is the foolproof way to build a business. Just listen to companies like ConstantContact that market directly to business owners touting the simplicity and beauty of do-it-yourself email marketing.

I disagree. I believe email marketing can be loaded with dangers that can harm the reputation of otherwise solid brands. So before you take on email marketing as a do-it-yourself activity, here’s just a few questions you need to answer:

What do you hope to accomplish via email marketing?

If your goal is to find new customers, email marketing is probably the last thing you should consider. Email marketing is about creating customer loyalty and goodwill among your current customer base. There are far better options for lead generation.

Are you certain that your email list is in compliance with opt-in best practices and the CAN-SPAM act?

There are no shortcuts to building an opt-in email list. Plenty of seemingly reputable vendors will sell you an email list. My advice is to stay far away! In fact, most email marketing services like ConstantContact and Vertical Response will not let you to use purchased lists. If you are planning on sending messages to a purchased list from your own server, you will probably wind up being blacklisted. That is an ugly mess you can’t afford.

How will you represent your brand as unique and superior?

Successful business owners invest a lot in their unique brands. So how will you address the design and layout of your email messages so that it conveys your brand correctly? Every major email marketing service provides dozens of nifty templates. But doesn’t the brand that you’ve worked so hard to build deserve something better than a template designed by someone who’s never even heard of your brand? I bet it does.

How will you reach different segments of your list with uniquely appealing messages?

Unless you plan on speaking to your email audience in the broadest terms, chances are a single message will not appeal to your entire list. Have a plan for segmenting your list so that you can reach different types of customers with messages that directly appeal to them.

How will you track the success of your program, and how will you use tracking to improve it?

It’s very easy to track an email campaign. But without an accurate frame of reference, the numbers contained in these reports are meaningless. The difference between a good open-rate and a great open-rate could mean the difference between a profitable campaign and a time-waster.

My point here is this: Email marketing services have made it easy to physically execute an email marketing campaign. Unfortunately for the do-it-yourself business owner, great email marketing is not so easy. It requires specialized skills and experience.

I’ve been on the receiving end of messages form some otherwise great businesses, but because they bought into the DIY email hype, their campaigns actually harmed their brand and reputation.

That’s my opinion. What’s yours? Have you ever received an email message that made you wonder if it had been prepared by a first grader? Or are you a business owner who can shred my contention? Either way, let me know.

Ed Knowles
Spyder Trap Online Marketing

This is the first installment of our weekly Web Wisdom Wednesday series, in which we will cover topics ranging from social media, email marketing, sponsored search, SEO, and more! Each video will aim to inform and educate you on simple tips that you can use for your own online marketing efforts!

Stay tuned to the Spyder Trap blog, the Spyder Trap YouTube Channel and the Spyder Trap Facebook Fan Page each Wednesday at noon for a new video!

Happy Web Wisdom Wednesday!

Mike Rynchek
Spyder Trap Online Marketing

As a fellow marketer you likely wonder, “How can I better appeal to my target audience?” Better yet, “How can I produce more appealing/compelling content to drive a desired reaction?” I’m asking myself these questions as I write this post. The good news is help is just around the corner.

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

Most marketers have studied or at least heard of Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs (to the right) but few have related it to more current marketing efforts such as social media. As you read this post keep in mind that although technology evolves, people’s basic needs remain the same.

First, the premise: For the purpose of this post, I will keep my analysis related to social media. In some respect, Maslow’s theory explains the massive draw and assimilation to social media channels. The top three most psychologically complex needs are all easily obtained using social media (Self–actualization, esteem, love/belonging). Some people I suppose receive all five, but for the most part, social media allows for the authentic release of creativity, esteem personified by the ability to become a thought leader and, of course, belonging and contributing to a community is all at your fingertips.

The application: How can we use this information to become better social media marketers? Well, first understanding what people are seeking from a physiological standpoint empowers us to better optimize our marketing channels, messaging and calls to action in order to evoke a desired response. For example, creating channels for people to collaborate not only with your brand but one another might be considered an essential need for your audience. The theory is basic enough yet the application is often lost in the shuffle of day-to-day activities. Comments and reviews are all means to connecting with your consumer at a higher level. Creating compelling copy and messaging to appeal to people on an emotional level help to create a deeper bond between your brand and your brand’s consumers. More advanced opportunities are found in attracting “like minded or like needed” people while exposing them to your messaging.

With this application in mind, below are several basic emotion evoking tips that apply not only to social media channels but also apply to general marketing practices.

1. Facilitate – Allow people to creatively participate with your marketing efforts. Encourage and ask for opinions, feedback and collaboration
2. Be Authentic – No auto DMs! People are looking for real human connections, whether they are on the computer, phone or in person
3. Respond- Being heard and having one’s ideas validated by others is a basic need that all people share

What do you think about this analysis and application? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Brad Wellman
Spyder Trap Online Marketing

NBC has made it easier to follow the pulse of the Olympics by developing the Olympic Twitter Tracker, which categorizes tweets for each sport in an interactive, visual interface.

The tool works by indexing tweets related to each Olympic sport every minute, and showcasing the most popular sports in a given time period by the size of that sport’s image.

A similar zeitgeist (a tool used to capture “the defining spirit or mood of a particular period of history as shown by the ideas and beliefs of the time,”) was created during the 2009 SXSW event, through which users could keep tabs on all the happenings of the event, from what people were saying about particular restaurants in the area, to using location based devices to help people find each other.

The coolest feature – in my opinion – about the NBC Olympic Twitter Tracker is the ability to change the time frame, and see the change in popular trending sports, minute-by-minute.

What do you think of the NBC Olympic Twitter Tracker? With the pervasiveness of social media, are these zeitgeists becoming a necessity for coordinators and hosts of major events to develop?

Jason Douglas

Spyder Trap Online Marketing

I have had many conversations with prospects and new clients revolving around the same few questions. If you are someone who is new to the concept of using PPC for their business, or a business who has been burned by bad service or under-performing campaigns, asking the questions I listed below will help ease your confusion. Here are the top five I encounter and am always prepared to address in any type of meeting:

• What is the first step to give you control of your account?

This is a common question is one I usually get from prospects or new clients who are already dealing with an agency. The process can be as simple as sharing the login information. The first step to this is changing the password to prevent any nefarious activity from anyone who was managing the account. It is very important to also document all measurable metrics and benchmark where the campaigns currently are, which allows for the new agency to continuously measure against each of these metrics to gauge success.

• What kind of reporting will you provide?

Every agency has a different way to report to the client on successes and shortcomings. I have seen updates shared in a simple email through bullets. I have also seen client reports as long as twenty pages. Which are more effective? That depends on what you’re measuring and what the objectives are for the campaigns. Clients may like large reports, but is that what is best for the client? I like to provide all important metrics along with a recap, analysis, and recommendations which I will implement in the following reporting period.

• Will I have access to my accounts?

This seems to be a no-brainer to myself. Being that this is one of the most common questions asked, it means that clients have not had access to their own accounts in the past. Why wouldn’t an agency give access to the client? What is the agency trying to hide? We always give access to our clients, with the caveat of them not changing anything within the accounts. If a client makes changes to their PPC campaign that the agency is unaware of, that may skew the strategy we are implementing and significantly impact the results of the campaign.

• What is the communication process?
  

This is dependent on the client’s schedule. Often, the reason a client is seeking an agency is because they lack the time internally to manage the account effectively. If this is the case, a monthly call or meeting suffices along with email updates when necessary. If the client claims a lack of knowledge about PPC, but has the desire to learn and be hands-on in the process, a bi-weekly call or meeting along with email updates usually works.

• How can we be sure that you are exhausting all opportunities for us?
  

Unfortunately, when pursuing a new account, often times the opportunity is there because they are unhappy with the service received from their current agency. This is where we explain why we are different and how we are going to prove that. Business, especially now, is all about the relationship, and building, maintaining, and nurturing that relationship. Every client for me is not another transaction; they are not faceless. We do the best work possible not just because that’s what we’re paid to do, but because we enjoy the people we work with on the client side; we appreciate the product or service they provide and the value that it provides to their consumers.

As a company looking for PPC help, these five questions will help the conversation greatly, and should help you make a decision on which agency to go with. If you’re interested in starting that conversation, please contact us. Are there other questions you’ve come across with regard to beginning a Sponsored Search campaign?  Any stories you’d like to share?

Brad Wellman
Spyder Trap Online Marketing

News has just been released that Facebook is rolling out its new Ad Conversion tool for Facebook advertisers to track not only how ads are performing, but also to “track activity that happens on your [the advertiser's] Web site as a result of someone on Facebook seeing or clicking your Facebook Ad.”

Sound familiar? If you answered “yes,” you’re correct!

This is all-too-similar to Google Analytics and AdWords. By allowing advertisers to assign specific values to actions on their Web sites, advertisers can get a deeper understanding of a user’s involvement with a particular ad, optimize ads more effectively and determine ROI more effectively.

Currently the tool is in Beta form, but will steadily be rolled out to everyone. This is huge for Facebook, as this will allow it to compete more toe-to-toe with Google in the multi-billion dollar online advertising market.

How do you think this will affect Google?

Mike Rynchek will be representing Spyder Trap Online Marketing as a guest mentor at Ad Fed’s Mentorship Circle Event at 5:30pm tomorrow at Spill the Wine in downtown Minneapolis.

“We are happy to be involved with Ad Fed and are looking forward to connecting with some of the young talent in the Twin Cities.” said Rynchek, who will be discussing interactive and marketing topics with the group.

The Ad Fed Mentorship Circle program is designed to allow members to individually interact with industry mentors by meeting them in an informal group setting called a Circle Group. These Mentorship Circle Events are held four times a year and allow participants and industry professionals the chance to talk one on one and in a group discussion setting. It is a great opportunity to learn from the best and the brightest in the industry, network with professionals and learn from your peers.

The Ad Fed Mentorship Circle program does not facilitate the match between an individual mentor and a mentee, however, these events are designed to allow a mentor and potential mentee to make a connection, and possibly develop a mentor/mentee relationship outside of Ad Fed. Participants can also choose to simply attend quarterly Circle Events where mentorship will happen via group discussions.

To meet Mike at the event, and to see the other mentors attending the event, visit the Ad Fed site for more details.

Jason Douglas

Spyder Trap Online Marketing

Yesterday, I was fortunate enough to attend Reupations with keynote speaker Chris Brogan, and panelists Beth LaBreche from LaBreche;  Gabby Nelson from Select Comfort , Paula Prahl from Best Buy, and Brian Vanderah from Quality Bike Products.

Brogan kicked off the event with a Zulu greeting ‘Sawubona’, which translates to ‘I see you’, which means ‘I know that you’re there and I acknowledge you are another person’. His presentation was a nice mix of random thoughts, dry humor (even a Star Wars reference), and serious points.

The main takeaways from Brogan’s presentation and the panel discusion:

-There are three main parts of social media: Listening. Connecting. Publishing.

-Brogan said that we should ‘connect with the verticals that aren’t yours’. He was critical of the Minneapolis and St. Paul social media community. He cited Pittsburgh as leaders in social media everything. What the MSP group needs to do is not be so exclusive, but learn how to work together. He added ‘it’s a lot easier to go to battle with a large army.’

-Brogan called Vanilla Ice a social media prophet, citing the line ‘Stop. Collaborate, and listen!’ That gained a fair amount of laughter, but was an interesting take.

-Beth LaBreche discussed how she invited her clients to the Reputations event and even sent out copies of Brogan’s Trust Agents to out-of-state clients. One client responded very negatively to the book and said ‘they’re not ready’ for this. This was very apparent in the attendance of this event. One of my first tweets from the Spyder Trap account: ‘good crowd forming for #reputations #broganmpls. A lot of familiar faces.’ Events such as this one wasn’t necessarily for social media professionals like myself and companies like Spyder Trap. It’s the businesses who have a fear, a hesitation, or a lack of knowledge about what social media can do for a business that need to be at these events. The question: how do we get them there?

Overall, this was a very fun event. I ran into some familiar faces, and was lucky enough to talk with him for a while, and even snap a picture with him. Look for more with Brogan and Spyder Trap in the near future.

For those who  attended, following the hashtags, or watching on UStream, what were your thoughts on Brogan’s presentation and the panel discussion?

Brad Wellman
Spyder Trap Online Marketing

Recently, the Spyder Trap Online Marketing team sat down with with Kim Opitz of Rribbitz Creative Communications and had a free-flowing discussion about our agency’s background, how we’re working to put Minneapolis (and the Midwest for that matter) back on the map… and food.

Take a peek at this clip highlighting some of our conversation.

Thanks again for the fun and casual conversation, Kim. We’re looking forward to doing it again soon!