Facebook is still the largest social network with over 1.06 billion people logging in every month. Remember that is not registered users who have created an account but people who do go and check their Facebook profile every 30 days.

Facebook has reached a saturation point in most developed and English speaking countries. This is because they have run out of people to connect to their network who are not already users.

This becomes more obvious when you look at the fact that 82% of their monthly active users come from outside the USA and Canada.

Growth for Facebook in the future will come from developing and non English speaking countries.

Facebook is a mobile company

The growth of smart phones has had a significant impact on Facebook. This led to Facebook making the acquisition of the mobile app company Instagram for a breathtaking $1 billion.

This came from the realisation that they needed mobile traction and fast.

The following statement from Mark Zuckerberg which precedes the latest announcement of Facebook’s fourth quarter and full financial year results, shows how important they consider mobile in their future.

“In 2012, we connected over a billion people and became a mobile company,” said Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook founder and CEO.”

It also led to the focus on development and launchof Facebook for Android 2.0, completely rebuilt to deliver improved stability and faster performance and opened Facebook Messenger to anyone with a telephone number.

What is also significant is that these latest figures show that mobile advertising is now 23% of advertising revenue which is up from 14% a year ago.

Facebook is making progress on mobile.

Significant moment

The web is driven by two major factors and they both start with an “S”

• Search
• Social

Facebook launched Graph Search Beta (a significant moment), a structured search tool that enables users for the first time to find people, places, photos and other content that has been shared on Facebook. This recent announcement is important because it puts Facebook on a collision course with Google.

Google with its Google+ platform launch is trying to become more social. Facebook with its launch of “Graph search” is  wanting to make search more relevant for its social network users.

Both of these events will have significant impact on the evolution of the social web.

The Facts and Figures

1. Monthly active users were 1.06 billion as of December 31, 2012, (an increase of 25% from last year)
2. Daily active users were 618 million on average for December 2012, (an increase of 28% since 2011)
3. Mobile monthly active users were 680 million as of December 31, 2012, (increase of 57% year-over-year)
4. Mobile daily active users exceeded web users for the first time in the fourth quarter of 2012
5. Mobile revenue represented approximately 23% of advertising revenue for the fourth quarter of 2012, up from approximately 14% of advertising revenue in the third quarter of 2012
6. Revenue for the fourth quarter totaled $1.585 billion, an increase of 40%, compared with $1.13 billion in the fourth quarter of 2011.
7. Revenue from advertising was $1.33 billion, representing 84% of total revenue and a 41% increase from the same quarter last year.
8. Payments and other fees revenue for the fourth quarter was $256 million.
9. The music trivia game SongPop was the crowd favorite during 2012 (thankfully not Farmville), with social mobile games Dragon City and Bike Race coming in at second and third.
10. The number of Facebook employees stood at 4,619 as of December 31, 2012

Source: Facebook

What About You?

Do any of these facts surprise you? What are other facts you would like to find out about Facebook?

Where do you think Facebook is heading and will it challenge Google in the future?

Look forward to your comments and feedback.






































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Once upon a time, you could launch mass email campaigns with the assumption that a significant portion of the emails would find their way to a desktop computer. But no longer.

Smartphones have changed the game. To better understand the challenges you now face, let’s carefully consider the perspective of the smartphone user.

Enter Pete, your typical smartphone user. Pete is a thirty-something male who purchased an iPhone last October. He uses it frequently to change his Facebook status, upload vacation pictures, tweet witty opinions, check the weather, browse YouTube videos, text his friends, and check his email—all while he drops off dry cleaning, picks up a latte, walks to the office, and eats a burrito for lunch.

As you can see, your message in Pete’s inbox has a lot of competitors for his undivided attention. In fact, there are so many competitors that nothing wins Pete’s sustained attention for long, and you have to be smart to get a slice of it. This is the new game.

Here is what you need to know to play it well.

#1: Pete Will Read Your Pre-Header

When Pete receives your message on his smartphone, he is going to see three things, one right after the other. The first is the sender (you), the second is the subject line, and the third is the preheader (the first few lines of your email). If you don’t make the most of it, the preheader may be all that Pete reads of your email before deleting it.

Your goal is to get Pete to open the email based on what he reads in the pre-header. Come up with something catchy, or link a plain-text version of the email in the preheader (remember that not all mobile devices can read HTML). The preheader does not have to be fancy, but it should be inviting.

#2: Your Email Is Under Pete’s Thumb

After Pete has read the preheader and then opened your email, he is open to encountering any number of frustrations. Maybe that important cheeseburger image didn’t load. Or maybe your double columned newsletter is difficult to navigate now that it has been shrunk to microscopic proportions. Or maybe you stacked three links right next to each other and his giant thumb can’t open the middle one.

You do not want Pete to face any of these problems. The best way to avoid them is to check what your email will look like on a variety of mobile devices. There are websites that will provide demo versions for different mobile devices. Find one and test your design before you send out a mass email. In short, your email should be understandable, readable, and clickable no matter what screen Pete uses to read it.

#3: Pete Is Probably On the Go

This means that he doesn’t have time to read a novel on his phone while running to catch his flight to Chicago. In other words, keep your email short and sweet. Have a tightly focused call to action to which Pete can easily respond. Make it simple for Pete to go to your landing page (which should also be compatible with his iPhone). Make it even simpler for Pete to share your product through his social media networks.

After all, Pete is not just another potential customer. Pete represents a highly connected network of potential customers. He’s compulsively addicted to Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube—they never leave his thumb or his pocket. By reaching Pete with your mobile email marketing campaign, you can possibly reach his friends too. But only if you play the game.





































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Considering all the attention it gets, mobile advertising is still a pipsqueak in the industry, accounting for just $1.6 billion globally in 2011.

Compare that to the overall $498 billion global ad market and you might wonder what all the fuss is about. Even newspaper revenues, which hit their lowest mark in 60 years in 2011 were 129 times higher than those for mobile. True, mobile advertising is a fast-growing category — that 2011 figure is triple what it was in 2009 — but even if the category nearly doubles, as it’s projected to do by 2014, we’re still talking about a $3 billion market.

At the moment, though, the mobile advertising segment is known for its destructive power — it’s a vampire, sucking the net worth out of Facebook and, to a lesser extent, Google. Investors, who calculate the value of a company based on how they think it will do down the road, see a future in which users are accessing Google and Facebook products and services more via mobile devices. In that scenario, falling ad revenues are inevitable.

Of the two, Google is doing the best; CEO Larry Page claimed a $2.5 billion run rate for mobile ads last October, which appears to give the company more than 100% of the global market. However, even that’s not enough for investors, who fret that Google’s cost-per-click keeps falling as mobile ads become more prominent.

Facebook, meanwhile, has only offered mobile advertising for a little more than a month. During the company’s second-quarter earnings call with analysts, the company claimed it was making about $500,000 a day off its mobile ads, which would amount to $182.5 million over the course of a year. However, you’d assume that the figure would increase as adoption rises.

This did nothing to please investors, who pummeled Facebook’s stock price until it hit a new sub-$24 low on Thursday. Is Facebook really screwing things up that much?

Led by Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook appears to be giving mobile the single-minded focus that you would expect. The company has some of the best minds in the business attacking the problem and it’s solution so far — Sponsored Stories on mobile — isn’t bad. Multiple reports have found that the ads perform much better than standard desktop ads. David Williams, CEO of Blinq Media, says he’s seeing click-through-rates as high as 8.5% on mobile Sponsored Stories ads “which is pretty much unheard of.” The only problem with the ads, in Williams’s view is scale: The ads depend on an interaction with the brand by someone in your network. If none of your Facebook friends has interacted with a brand, then you won’t see the ad.

Of course, novelty might account for much of the ads’ efficacy. “New ad units always perform better,” says Nate Elliott, a Forrester Research analyst. “That will decline over time.”

But even if the ads are the silver bullet that Facebook hopes, the company has to grapple with a situation that’s affecting everyone in digital media: The transition to mobile, which, so far, is much less lucrative. How much less? Michael Wolff of The Guardian estimates that media companies that used to make $4 on advertising on a webpage only make $0.25 on the equivalent mobile page.

Shrinking screen size is a major reason: You simply can’t cram as many ads on a 3.5-inch iPhone screen as you can on a the 15-4-inch MacBook Pro screen. That means saying goodbye to Facebook’s unloved, but lucrative Marketplace ads (the direct-response ones that run in the right column.)

Some investors believe that Facebook can only solve the problem by making its own mobile devices — as Google does now — to better control the experience. However, Facebook put the kibosh on such speculation on Thursday.

But, as we’ve seen, even Google’s not immune to the trend. In its most-recent quarter, the search giant disclosed that the price advertisers pay for clicks on Google ads fell 16% year over year. Yet Google is less threatened by mobile since it has a lock on search advertising. Facebook doesn’t have the equivalent.

That’s too bad. Without a mobile device of its own or a proven method of maintaining its overall ad revenues despite the transition to mobile, Facebook is in a tight spot. Unfortunately, Facebook’s not the only one

1. The Facebook Phone

A Facebook smartphone concept on Yanko Design -- and created by designer Michal Bonikowski -- gives us a look into what the device could potentially look like.

Image via Yanko Design

2. Front Look

Featuring a sleek case in Facebook’s signature blue, the device is made from metal and touts a 4.2-inch screen.

Image via Yanko Design

3. Back View

It also features a 5-megapixel camera in the front and an 8-megapixel rear-facing camera.

Image via Yanko Design

4. The Full Concept

A look at both sides.

Image via Yanko Design

5. Docking Station

Bonikowski also included in his design a docking and charging station.
Image via Yanko Design






































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Winning in sport or business is imagined by almost everyone. What child hasn’t dreamed of being a star athlete or a millionaire.

Imagination is a powerful force that can motivate us to succeed in life.

Imagination is also one of the keys to enjoying a book as our mind takes us on journeys that suspend us from reality. Children are fabulous to watch as they save damsels in distress, leap tall buildings in a single bound or fly to faraway galaxies. All done while wearing pyjamas and from the safety and comfort of  the family home.

As a child I constantly imagined my self as having super powers that bent and warped my world the way I wanted. Cartoon books helped maintain that illusion which provided constant entertainment for me without the iPad or Xbox to be seen. Flying was one of my favourites.

Magical and marvellous powers are something the comic series “Fantastic Four” had in abundance and were a dysfunctional yet loving family who possessed super powers that saved the world day in and day out.

The Fantastic Four received their powers after being exposed to cosmic rays during a scientific mission to outer space.

“Mister Fantastic” who is the leader of the “Fantastic Four”, is a scientific genius who can stretch his body to incredible lengths and shapes. The “Invisible Woman” can render herself invisible and project force fields. The “Human Torch” can generate flames and can fly. Monstrous “Thing” possesses superhuman strength and endurance.

Now as a marketer, who wouldn’t want magical powers that make your brand and ideas spread magically and strongly at lightning speed?

Maybe being invisible though, is not something that business owner would want to invoke.

Building the Online Assets

Before we summon the super powers of the “Fantastic Four” of  digital marketing you need to have established the businesses online assets.

It is not hard to place value on our bricks and mortar assets whether it is your shop or office and all that is contained within those walls. A business has real physical objects and value that accountants love to count and stack. Things that you can see and touch are easier to place a value against. What is not often valued properly are the intangible online assets that are now vital to  every business.

• How do you value a website that receives 300,000 page views a month and 170,000 unique visitors?
• What is the financial value of  a Facebook page with 100,000 fans that provides customer feedback and crowd sourced  research worth to a business?
• What is a Twitter tribe of 100,000 worth that allows you to spread an idea or a promotion in an instant?

These are assets that are hard to value but their importance is usually and “vastly underrated” because your accountant doesn’t know how to.

1. The Website Assets

Websites fall into three broad categories. The corporate content website, the online store and a blog.  A well designed website that makes it easy for customers to navigate and use is worth gold.

2. Social Network Assets

Building a tribe and network of loyal customers on multiple social that you can engage and communicate with is now mandatory. These assets give your brand reach and leverage and should continually be built and invested in. How to do that efficiently and well is the challenge.

3. The Mobile Assets

Mobile “Apps”. Building mobile apps that make your content and products easy to view are starting to become an essential part of  a businesses online presence. Also “optimizing for mobile viewing” requires building websites that are easy to read on  a Tablet or smart phone and can now make a big difference to obtaining that lead or inquiry or sale for your online store. Last year nearly half a billion smart phones were purchased and their users are buying and sharing information in their billions every day with these little devices that are adictive and portable. There is now nothing to stop people buying on the bus or on the beach..and they do!

There are two addictive trends in digital. One is social media the other is smart mobile devices. Don’t ignore them. Build mobile assets.

The myth of “build it and they will come”

There is a myth about building your online brand circulating which spreads the fable that if you design and build a great website then traffic will just “turn up”. The reality is much starker. Once the online assets are built then the hard work begins. Marketing and promoting with email and social media marketing, writing contagious content and optimizing your online assets for search engines are all essential activities that need to be resourced.

This activity needs to be relentless and persistent. It is not “set and forget”

How to Win in a Digital Economy?

The Fantastic Four of Digital Marketing

The digital marketing landscape can seem like a morass of noise and confusion. Essentially though there are 4 core types of digital marketing that will provide your business with digital marketing super powers if you are prepared to focus and apply the right resources.

1. Paid digital marketing

If you want to fast track being found online then paying for Google ads that appear when potential prospects perform a Google search is a great catalyst to accelerate your brand awareness when first establishing or launching an online store or website. If budget allows it can produce a ROI that pays for itself as part of the continual marketing of your business.

Also a Facebook ad that targets a city and audience demographic that suits your business can also work well.

These tactics can help you from achieving a super power that no business wants which is “invisibility”

2. Optimising your websites for search engines

Two things are important here. Firstly designing and building websites that make it easy for Google’s spiders to crawl and find, especially for the key words and phrases that customers will use to search for you online.  These key words and phrases need to embedded in your website. This is called “Onsite SEO” (Search Engine Optimisation). There are also other important elements that a good web designer developer will implement to achieve this.

Secondly, the other important strategy to invest in that requires active SEO investment and resources usually by an SEO consultant and expert is “Offsite SEO” this includes researching and building inbound links and other tactics that makes your  website appear on page one of a Google search.

3. Email marketing

Despite the shiny new toy of social media blinding everyone, email marketing is an absolutely vital part of a digital marketing strategy that should be invested in from day one by every savvy business. This includes B2B and B2C companies.

Do this well and you will build up a valuable “Optin” database of subscribers that are an asset that you own and control. This is a list you can email whenever you like and are usually looking forward to receiving your educational and inspiring content.

4. Social media marketing

Social Media marketing done well can provide your marketing with leverage and marketing velocity. Nothing like the many to many multiplying effect of social media where your brand receives exponential sharing as people share your businesses ideas and content with friends,family and colleagues on social networks. I like to call it “World of Mouth”

The real power of social media is that people can create more stories and share them online than you can ever hope to achieve on your own whether paid or not. Allow the crowd  and tribes online to share your storys. This is crowd sourced marketing and it is free. To do that you have to have a presence on social media and do it well.

What About You?

How many of these four are you implementing in your business? Have you tried paid digital advertising. Is SEO in your marketing mix. Could you do email better?
What has been your experience with social media for your business?































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Going mobile with your SEO can make your business sharper, quicker, and more responsive.
As more and more businesses realize the value of SEO, defending and improving client’s visibility increasingly demands constant vigilance.

With these smartphone apps, you can keep an eye on multiple variables at once, and get a better idea of what is working for your clients and what isn’t.

These apps will keep you on top of your game at all times, whether youíre on the subway or stuck in the waiting room at the dentist.

1. Raven Tools

Raven Tools mobile app is a must-have if youíre already a Raven user; it ís easily the most comprehensive toolkit on this list. While the app is free, the subscription cost makes this something of a luxury alternative to Google Analytics or other free tools. Raven covers many SEO indicators that others miss, like social mentions and a clearer connection between marketing expenses and their impact on revenue. If you’re willing to take the plunge and make a big investment, Raven Tools is the obvious choice, and this app is the only one you need.

Cost: Free

Operating System: Apple (iOS)

2. iSEO

This app allows you to skim dozens of rankings, including Blog Worth, Google, Technorati Authority, Alexa, MSN/Yahoo! Indexed pages, and Google Indexed pages. You can also get a snapshot of a pages social media activity, as well as its keyword density. iSEO allows you to examine these indicators over time, so you can isolate the content that generates buzz from the flops. You can also use these indicators to monitor competitors movements, and learn from their successes and failures. The interface is otherwise fairly sparse, but the app does provide email functionality, to share results with partners so you can strategize based on your findings.

Cost: $1.99

Operating System: Apple iOS

3. Ego

Ego is a great way to streamline your analysis if you or your clients use more than one analytical tool. The app aggregates all your information in one app, so you don’t have to constantly switch between SEO apps and sites. While this app provides only broad, shallow analysis, itís a good way to get a birds-eye view of Twitter followers, feed subscriptions, and pageviews across multiple platforms.

Cost: $1.99

Mobile Operating System: Apple  iOS

4. Google Analytics

If you’re looking for free tools, this app is the whole package. From one screen, you can take in a broad, detailed picture of whatís happening on your sites, including average time spent on your site, pageviews per visitor, percentage of repeat visitors, where visitors come from, and who referred them. For a smartphone app, the Google Analytics app is easily the deepest standalone tool you can find; and it is free. Analytics features many ways of comparing your sites data, including measuring different timeframes side-by-side, assessing performance compared with goals, and correlating revenue with SEO expenditures. This app also stands alone on our list as the only option for Android users. Accordingly, performance is shakier on iPhones and some Android devices. Users of Samsung phones reported the fewest errors, while HTC users appeared to have more trouble.

Cost: Free

Moibile Operating System: Android, Apple iOS

5. Link Juice

Link Juice can help you locate and diagnose top-performing pages to make sure that you duplicate successful practices and discontinue failing ones. By comparing your big success stories with your flops, it ís easy to discern where your effort should be focused to improve sites PageRank and draw in more traffic. When you know where to direct your efforts, your expenditures and time can be used much more effectively.

Cost: $1.99

Operating System: Apple iOS

What About You?

How are you using mobile apps as a marketer. Do you use any of these tools?
What are apps that you have found useful to ensure that you are aware of what is happening on your websites?
































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