Social Media Roundup: November 10, 2015

Google to Advertisers: Respond Quickly to Ad Blocking

Speaking at the Wall Street Journal's WSJDLive 2015 conference in October, Google senior executive Sridhar Ramaswamy urged the advertising industry to respond quickly to the rapid adoption of ad blocking software, inspired by fed-up consumers. Since Apple announced its decision to allow ad blockers on its iOS devices, debate has raged around the issue. Some online publishers predict dire consequences for the availability of quality content as a result of the lost revenue they predict when ad blockers become widespread. But consumers have already made up their minds and advertisers will have to adapt: digital ads must use less of consumers' bandwidth, be less obtrusive in their browsers, and become more respectful of their privacy. This WSJ article notes that Ramaswamy is senior vice president of ads and commerce at the Google unit of Alphabet Inc., where he oversees a business that generates more than $60 billion annually - accounting for 90% of Alphabet's total revenue.

LinkedIn Groups Offers New Features, iOS App

Conventional wisdom has it that LinkedIn is useful only for B2B companies. But even if your company is in a B2C niche, you still need to build a local network of all kinds of neighbor businesses, many of which will be active on LinkedIn. Then there are the benefits of participation in relevant LinkedIn Groups. Your area may have a LinkedIn Group, and there will certainly be Groups for your industry where you can ask questions, learn from others, and make connections. LinkedIn has recently refreshed Groups and introduced a new mobile LinkedIn Groups App for iOS. Minal Mehta, writing on LinkedIn's official blog site, explains the new features of Groups and how they can help your business.

15 Email Marketing List-Building Errors

Email marketing continues to be an effective strategy for many brands. Everyone has email, and announcements, newsletters, and personalized special offers are proven ways to reach customers and drive sales. However, many brands still struggle with building useful lists, and are unable to take full advantage of email marketing. Pam Neely, blogging on the Heyo website, provides a list of 15 mistakes list builders make, along with tips on how to avoid them. Three examples:

1. Buying email lists. It's against the rules at quality email service providers, and consumers on bought lists often have been contacted excessively by marketers.
2. Lacking an incentive to opt in to the list. Give something away: a coupon or a free report gives people a good reason to sign up.
3. Putting "Subscribe" on your opt-in form. "Sign me up" or "Get weekly updates" have been proven to be much more effective for most brands.

Marketing to (Male)ennials

Looking to reach the lucrative Millennial male demographic? "There are 80 million Millennials in the U.S. who are projected to spend $1.4 trillion annually by 2020. This demographic is the largest and most valuable market for marketers. And yet, half of this group has proved tremendously difficult to reach - we're talking about Millennial males," writes Janice Pollard in a blog on HelloWorld, and provides some valuable insights about how to market to this group. Millennial males span the ages of 18 to 34, so there are large differences between segments of this population. As a rule of thumb, the dividing line is about 25. Older Millennial males tend to have jobs but have not yet started families or bought houses, so they have significant amounts of disposable income. Younger men, naturally, are more constrained in buying power, but are similarly unencumbered. A key to success with all members of this demographic is to offer value. Appeals to "Buy American," successful in the past, will fall on deaf ears. Also, brands that prove that they share values with their customers, like Airbnb has done with the issue of transgender equality, are finding success with Millennial males.

Daniel Lieberman is the founder of Daniel Lieberman Digital ("I speak Geek - You don't need to"). Based in Shelburne Falls, Mass., he helps companies, organizations, and individuals learn to use the Internet to communicate, market, and brand themselves using the most up-to-date tools and techniques. Contact him at 413-489-1818 or daniel@daniellieberman.org.