Thursday 28 August 2008
Digital Marketing & Social Networks
One of the common misconceptions about digital marketing, social networking and sharing applications is that they are chronic wastes of time and their use results in lost productivity, as employees waste hundreds of hours and employers lose millions of dollars.
In fact, digital marketing is becoming a major consideration for firms as they develop their marketing mix. Firms such as Coca Cola, Billabong and V have already recognised the potential of digital marketing and consider it to be a vital part of their mix.
The AIC also understands the value of digital marketing and has recently begun trialing several of these tools on our new website www.ausicom.com.
With more than three million unique visitors per month, Facebook is fast becoming a giant killer, eating into MySpace’s stranglehold on the market, already owning more than 35 per cent of the Australian market share. Within Facebook, the AIC has created an AIC Interest Group and membership is growing to include not only employees but also stakeholders, clients and other interested parties. In the group there are links to the newly launched AIC website, newsletter, upcoming events and discussion boards where members can comment on a number of relevant commercialisation topics. To join the AIC Facebook group click here.
The AIC is now also an established entity within LinkedIn, a professional networking engine, which allows users to manage and interact with their contacts and networks. There, users are free to join and network with other members of the group with similar interests. To become a member of the AIC’s LinkedIn group click here.
In addition to these tools the AIC has also made its first post on YouTube. The unique part about YouTube is that is not only lets someone post a video and have people view it, YouTube also acts as an external host. This means that one can embed a YouTube video into one’s own website without having to host it.
Google Maps, which incorporates Street View, offers a similar hosting service to the one provided by YouTube. Simply stated, Google Maps are interactive street maps, which allow the user to insert directions, places of interest and land markers. With the introduction of Street View users are now able to virtually walk up and down a street and literally see the building where their meeting is held or the door they need to walk through to get to an appointment. Once a map has been created, the user simply takes the embedded code, which is provided by Google and inserts it into their website. To find the AIC using Google Maps click here, then simply click on the maps.
You can now also follow the AIC on Twitter, you can find us here http://twitter.com/The_AIC and follow us!
The AIC has also begun using sharing applications. Sharing applications are “buttons” at the bottom of the page, as seen at the bottom of this article, that allow readers to share the article with their friends on Facebook, LinkedIn, Diggit or MySpace. All readers need to do is find an article of interest, click on the sharing icon and (provided they are a member) post the news article to their page. Why not give it a go – click on the sharing buttons at the bottom of this story.
If you are interested in digital marketing and would like to learn more, the AIC will present a Digital Marketing case study at the upcoming Associations Forum seminar in late September. To find out more about these workshops and to register click here.
To go back to the AIC Newsletter click here.
