Ripoff or Revolution? What Social Media Marketers Can Learn from KONY 2012

There is some heated debate circulating the social media and blogosphere about the recent viral video from Invisible Children, a nonprofit organization leading the movement to bring down one man, Joseph Kony. Regardless of whether you support or oppose KONY 2012, as a marketer, what can we learn about this video that has swept the Web?

I first looked into KONY 2012 after a friend posted a picture on Instagram of the bracelet she had purchased to support the cause. In little over 24 hours my Facebook News Feed and Twitter Feed were saturated with reposts of the video along with people's opinions.

Some were commenting about the power of the Internet. Others about all the social revolutions we've seen since 2011. And many made remarks about how that video opened their eyes to the atrocities occurring in Africa every day.

Shortly after the video went viral, a Tumblr account also began to go viral. Visible Children is a Tumblr started by Grant Oyston, a university student. Just another young person who like the rest of us found the video on some social circle. The difference? He started asking questions.

He started questioning KONY 2012 in ways that many others were not. With viewers jumping at the chance to donate and fundraise for the cause, I'm sure it would have been shocking for them to find out that only 32 percent of their funds actually went to towards aid.

I am not going to share where my opinion lies, but instead delve into this topic as an unbiased social media professional.

Some Invisible Children KONY Numbers & Stats

• As of March 9, 2012 and since its original upload on March 5, the video has been viewed 52 million times on YouTube. With 1,106,335 likes, 45,649 dislikes and 422,868 comments. 
• The video currently has 14.6 million views on Vimeo with almost 19,000 likes and 1,062 comments.
• In four days, since the YouTube premiere of KONY 2012, Kony or the #StopKony hashtag has been mentioned on Twitter over 10 million times.
• The video has been shared on Facebook over 2 billion times. 

How did Invisible Children manage to do this?

Though the integrity of Invisible Children as a charity is in question, one thing I know I commend is their strategy and marketing power. From that perspective, IC is gold.

• They created a good product. Between the video, the website and their merchandise, the KONY product is well designed, well developed and well versed. It appeals to their main demographic, the youth.
  
• A video that touched viewers on a personal level. Instead of solely being informative about what their charity was doing it became a matter of why they were doing it.
  
• Invisible Children didn't underestimate the power of the youth. They first cultivated a strong movement by preaching their message at colleges and universities across America.
  
• A clear understanding of how to leverage social media as an effective marketing tool. Reaching out publically to celebrities and politicians who are active on these networks was crucial to this video going viral.
  
• Finally they close their video with a call to action. "ABOVE ALL SHARE THIS MOVIE ONLINE IT'S FREE."

So is this video actually a ripoff? Are people falling for a scam? Or is this actually a social revolution?

I leave that for you to decide. But as marketers I think we should all take some notes here.

Author: Mary Manzo

Source: socialmediatoday.com

Eight Ways to Make More Money as an Affiliate

Every month, I make a few hundred dollars in affiliate sales as a blogger, and those who focus on this form of monetization make even more. When I first started selling products as an affiliate, I was lucky to make a few bucks a month with Amazon. Lots of bloggers have given brilliant advice about working as an affiliate, but today I wanted to talk about some tips that worked for me to increase affiliate sales. You can make a few changes to increase passive sales, like me, or you can really run with these tips to make a full-time income with affiliate sales.

1. Capitalize on search terms bring people to your blog.

Stats come in handy if you’re looking to make a little more money as an affiliate. Check out the search terms that are bringing the most people to your site, and think about what those people are looking to purchase. For example, if people are coming to your food blog using the term “cupcake advice,” try linking to your favorite cupcake tins or decorating products on your sidebar through a well-placed banner.

2. Write reviews.


Lots of bloggers work with brands to review products, but you can really capitalize on these posts by includigoodng affiliate links to purchase at the end of your review. In addition, you can include links to related products, which is an especially good option if you didn’t like the product – link to other items a reader can consider instead.

3. Sweeten the pot on a new product.

This is an especially good tip for informational products, which are often launched with tons of affiliates in the same community. Why should a reader buy from you and not one of the countless other bloggers out there promoting the same new product? Sweeten the pot! For example, maybe if the sale is through you’ll site you’ll send a free copy of one of your ebooks.

4. Don’t be afraid to email you list.

If you try to sell to your list every two days, you’re probably going to see a large unsubscribe rate. However, if you never send out a sales email, you’re not making the most of a great opportunity to connect with people who want to buy what you’re selling. You can use emails to sell affiliate products just like you can use them to sell regular products. I send out a sales-related email about every other month, typically for a product that’s discounted for some reason.

5. Take advantage of buying seasons.

There are certain times of year when everyone is buying, regardless of niche – right before Christmas and Valentine’s Day, for example. In addition, specific products sell well during specific times of the year (for example, right now, weight loss products are hot since everyone’s trying to keep their resolutions). When you talk about products on your blog, using affiliate links of course, time your posts well.

6. Choose affiliate programs wisely.

Sometimes making more money as an affiliate is as easy as signing up for different programs. Some products are available from multiple companies and, thus, are available through multiple affiliate programs. Amazon has just about everything, but the percentage you’ll earn per sale is lower. Other affiliate programs may be more limited, but offer a larger percentage. Compare rates before you insert links, and consider going back through older posts that still receive a lot of traffic to replace links to better affiliate programs.

7. Compare products.

Readers love to learn about products relevant to them, but reviews aren’t your only option. You can also compare products, especially if there are two or three brands all selling similar items. Comparing them is great for search engine traffic, since lots of people look up “vs.” advice before they buy something.

8. Switch the locations of your banners and links.

It really is that simple sometimes. Affiliate links are great to place within posts and emails, but you can also make sales with banners and links on your site. Sometimes, just moving a button above the fold or to the end of a post or somewhere else makes a ton of difference. For example, I saw my sales increase when I added a product carousal to the end of posts on one of the blogs I run. Previously, I had the carousal on the sidebar and it barely got any attention at all. So do some split testing to find out what works.
Now it’s your turn: If you’re an affiliate, what changes have you made that have given you a boost in sales? Leave a comment with your best tip!

Author:Allison Boyer
Source:Blogworld.com