Wen Fang’s Digital Marketing

According to TODAY Singapore, almost half of the influencers in Singapore is actually using artificial methods to increase their likes and followers.

This study was actually conducted by HypeAuditor, an online Instagram and YouTube audit tool that uses AI to detect social media fraud engagements.

47% of influencers uses different tactics to increase their statistics (some using more than 1 technique).

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Some of the Unethical Techniques are:
– Buying followers
– Buying likes and comments
– Comment pods (groups set up to enhance engagements)
– Follow/Unfollow strategy

Watch how Xia Xue and Dee Kosh ‘exposed’ fellow Singaporeans Influencers on their Instagram accounts.

Isn’t interesting to see how the graphs have sudden peak and drops??

Especially Yutaki James (8:30), his was literally the heartbeat / ‘skyline’ graph that they have mentioned. Just look at the graph below!

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Yvette King (15:54), Ming Bridges (17:15) and Samantha Chan (18:13), they are graphs shows increases which most likely is due to them buying followers.

I agree with Xia Xue that to be seeing their number of followers, likes and comments decreasing can be a sad thing as it is their source of income as well. It is like a drug that even normal users can be addicted too just that they are less likely to head out and buy followers for their own accounts. Normal users like us will than use different ways and post more content that will gain more likes and followers too.

But having large amount of likes, comments and followers why are they so important?

For influencers, these numbers are able to generate sponsors, established their base price for a sponsored post, basically a need to monetising their Instagram account. The large numbers ‘shows’ the engagement rates which brands and companies will look at before working together with the influencer.

However, in long term, if most influencers are using such tactics, there is sure to be a loss in their followers’ confidence and support towards them. Brands and companies will also stop collaborating with influencers that uses such artificial methods to boost their statistics as it will definitely not produce the desire results that they want. What’s more is that brands and companies will be over-paying the influencers to promote their product which is a big no no for them.

What’s your take on influencers that artificially boost their statistics? Have you stop supporting influencers that does such a thing? Leave a comment down below to share your thoughts with me!

Search Engine Marketing
“Promoting an organisation through search engines to meet its objectives by delivering relevant content in the search listings for searchers and encouraging them to click through to a destination site” (Chaffey et al, 2012)

Search Engine Marketing have 2 different techniques. Paid Search Marketing and Search Engine Optimisation.

Paid Search Marketing can be sponsored listings and pay-per-click advertising.
You know how when we do our search on Google and the first few are always the advertised post and we have to scroll through them before we are able to get what we really want.

As you can see all I did was to search for “Hotel” and the first few are all filled with ads that are trying to be the first result that you are searching for. (look at the small box before the link)

But often this method is useful and successful just like how you are able to see that I have actually click on the ads before (purple link).

Next, Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)
“A structured approach used to increase the position of a company or its products in search engine natural or organic results listings for selected keywords or phrases” (Chaffey et al, 2012)

So previously I have mentioned about how the search results show the paid advertisements first, the natural or organic results will only show after the paid ones as you can see below.

To skip all the fights for the organic search results, companies would pay for their sites to be advertised. This is a very costly method but effective as long as you have managed to grasps onto the keyword consumers will use/type.

So, there are 7 Steps to SEO Success
1. Goals
2. Keywords
3. On page SEO
4. Content Marketing
5. Off Page SEO
6. Metrics
7. Learn

In short to summarise, you have to make sure that the keywords that you have used are what your customers are searching for. The content of your page should consist of quality content but also making sure that it is not too much that it will be considered as spamming. Quality is basically the key here!

However, others can also try increase the position in a search result by using ‘dirty’ methods which defeats the purpose of other sites creating high quality content and links.

Redirecting and placing in hidden content in the website such as comment tags, small font or white text on white background are all sneaky ways to increase the search position. These methods often will hinder with your search result and its not often what you would want to search for.

Now you’ve learnt how Search Engine Marketing works and how the “black hat” uses different method to catch your attention, make sure that you don’t fall for it and of course not to do or support such sites as well!

Have you know about this before? Let me know your thoughts and if you have a different opinion!
– mswwf 🙂

I’m sure everyone have heard the term Big Data and IoT (internet of things), but do we really know what does it mean and how does it help marketers?

Big Data is defined as extremely large data sets that may be analysed computationally to reveal patterns, trends, and associations, especially relating to human behaviour and interactions.

Internet of Things (IoT) is defined as the interconnection via the internet of computing devices embedded in everyday objects, enabling them to send and receive data.

According to TreasureData, 51% of the world’s top marketers see IoT revolutionising the industry by 2020. This is just next year! Also, it is estimated that 127 new devices are connect to the internet every second and 75 billion devices are expected to be connected by the year.

IoT is essential to companies as it will help them to better understand consumer’s expectations, create more personalised experiences and of course increase their profits as it allows marketers to use their marketing budget more efficiently and develop more efficient marketing campaigns.

Here’s an example of how Walmart actually uses Big Data and IoT to increase their sales and market to their customers.

Facial recognition and behavioural analysis technologies are used to help analyse customers’ shopping behaviour and how they are when waiting in lines for payments. In the case that the customers are getting frustrated or seemed to need help, Walmart is able to take note of it and send their staff over to the customer, ensuring that the customers will have a happy experience with them.

Also, they use cameras to capture the majority of the shopper’s path which helps to elevate customers’ engagement by placing products at the correct shelvings to attract their attention increasing the sales figures.

Operational efficiency was tracked as well and other than finding out more about the customers, they also use the data to find out more about how their own staff are performing that will help to increase the customer satisfaction as well.

This have definitely helped Walmart greatly as their profit had a rapid growth by 65%.

In addition, Big Data and IoT is able to help marketers in a lot of different ways such and here some other benefits.

1. Consumer behavioural signals
   The data will allow marketers to capture the interactions, collect datas and to predict the consumers’ behaviours then link them to their purchase-intent data.
   
2. Deliver timely, personalised message
   The marketers can improve the customers’ experience and determine when they should send marketing messages to attract and retain their customers. Personalised message will be done to target the different customer’s need at that point in time to assist with their decision.
   
3. Product Development
   Using past datas together with newly found information, companies is able to use that to develop and find out more about what their consumer is looking for. Constant upgrades and development can be done in accordance to their customer’s needs.

I feel that Big Data and IoT is really essential in our lives and for the marketers. Marketing will be very personalised for each and every individuals and not only in the marketing world but with other aspects of our lives such as how stores’ concepts and layout will be in the future as well.

However, with all these personalised messages, advertisements target to us individually, how will the world look like in the future? Are we still able to resist our temptations in making certain purchases or will we give in to them? But that’s all for another day’s topic.

Leave a comment below to share your thoughts with me!
-mswwf 🙂

I believe everyone that is reading is guilty of being overly attached to your own mobile devices to the point that you might bring it everywhere you go. From the moment you open your eye in the morning to the moment before you sleep, you are constantly using and checking your phone knowingly and unknowingly.

It is realised that as many people are on their phones all the time, advertisers found out that the traditional advertisement methods on the newspaper, magazines, radio and televisions are no longer as effective to engage their audience.

A little out of the topic but an interesting read and video where Dunkin Donuts actually use this ‘Flavour Radio’ marketing way to allow consumers on the bus to be reminded of Dunkin Donuts’ coffee. A machine would release the coffee scent into the air on the bus whenever the company’s advertisement would play. When the radio advertisement ends, the bus would conveniently be stopped close to a Dunkin’ Donuts store. They actually combine the traditional method of advertising while incorporating a new scent factor to capture the consumer’s attention.

Okay let’s go back to the topic.

According to Singapore Business Review in 2018, there are 4.3million active mobile social Singaporeans, making up 75% of the population. 91% uses their smartphones to browse the internet and spends 7 hours and 9 minutes daily browsing on average.

So, since the usage of mobile devices is so high, mobile marketing tools have been used to provide customers or potential customers with personalised information so that they can get what they need.

There are many different mobile marketing tools such as mobile ads, mobile coupons, mobile apps, location based mobile marketing and mobile payment.

Below is an example of how mobile advertisement is used to target their potential customer.

So XiaXue was actually seeing this specific bag on Net-A-Porter’s App but after which when she was scrolling through social media platform such as Instagram, she saw the ads for about 5 times. After seeing the bag for so many times, it actually increased her interests level in getting the bag too! What an effective way isn’t it!

The next one that amaze me is the Mobile Payment. It literally make our lives more convenient!

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Everything with a tap, a scan and your payment is done. It solve your problem that if you enter a specific store and do not have enough cash on hand to make the payment, you are still able to make your purchase because you have your card(s) stored in your phone. It is easy to add your card into your mobile devices and absolutely easy to pay with.

We have many different mobile methods such as NETsPay, GrabPay, DBS PayLah!, PayNow, Google Pay, Apple Pay and Samsung Pay. Everyone is jumping on the bandwagon to introduce such payment methods to their own store.

Some of you might have heard before that hawker centres have also introduced and accepting mobile payments. Even the hawkers also find that mobile payments are easier for them as they do not need to constantly switch from cooking the food and collecting the cash from their customers. It speeds up the whole process and especially during the peak hours, they are able to serve more customers. Read this article to find out more!

Sooner or later, the amount of people that will bring cash out will decrease and mobile payment will take over. Let me know in the comments if you agree that mobile is the future of marketing and your share your thoughts as well!

-mswwf 🙂

Talking about viral marketing, we can’t miss the most recent incident!

Huawei decided to launch a promotion in Singapore to celebrate the 54 years of nation-building by giving back to the generation that nurtured our country.

HUAWEI Y6 Pro for just $54 (U.P. $198) if you’re aged 50 and above.

So why did this became viral?

Looking at the principles of contagiousness, Social Currency, Triggers, Emotion, Public, Practical Value and Stories (STEPPS), Huawei have these principles that helped them in their campaigns.

Just the price of it alone of $54 for a smartphone will get people to share with their friends and family members and talk about the ‘upcoming’ promotion. It triggers excitement in those who are able to purchase the phone at the promotional rate and for those whom are below the age, they will share the post as it have practical value in it.

Their Facebook post have gain about 740 reactions from users and 534 comments and 329 shares in total.

Sadly, although the marketing was very successful in getting thousands of people’s attention all over in Singapore, they have not managed to cater to the thousands that they have reached out to as they did not have enough stocks shortly after the store open. This puts a ‘bad’ image to the company itself as well.

Even so, Huawei has tried to salvage the situation by getting the customers’ contact details and will be presenting with a $100 smartphone voucher (approx. 50% off to purchase a Y6 Pro) which is a relatively great discount as well.

Although this incident have happened, I personally feel that Huawei have done a great job to reach out to those whom did not managed to get the phone. I also believe that if Huawei or any other mobile companies whom wants to have such a promotion will learn from this incident and will give in more preparation work for a smooth and successful experience for all.

Tell me what do you feel about this incident or your thoughts on Viral Marketing!
-mswwf 🙂

Social Media is defined as the websites and applications that enables users to create and share content or to participate in social networking.

Many of us are guilty of spending lots of time using some of the popular social media websites such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube because of the interesting content it offers and the ability to create our own content as well. It have been integrated and plays a significant big part in our lives be it for entertainment or for us to connect with our friends and families.

For people around my age group (20s), we have grow up together with the changes of the Internet. We saw how it changed and advanced through the years and here is an interest short article which I have the same opinion about.

Relating to the article I have linked above, here comes the current issue that we are all able to experience.

Nowadays, wherever you go, take a look at your surroundings, is almost everyone focused on their mobile devices? Are these people just purely Social Media Consumers or have they been consumed by Social Media? Are they all trapped?

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There are four types of social media consumers.

1. Entertainment Chasers (Low creation, Low consumption)
2. Connection Seekers (Low creation, High consumption)
3. Attention Seekers (High creation, Low consumption)
4. Devotees (High creation, High consumption)

Although the different consumers have different levels of creation and consumption, are they all addicted to using social media?

I personally think that Connection Seekers are consumed by Social Media, in another words, addicted. Taking myself for an example, I gravitate more towards the entertainment chasers and the connection seekers. However, I often find myself mindlessly scrolling, tapping, swiping through the different apps on my phone. From heading to the kitchen to have a cup of water to trying to do an assignment, I will have my device with me even though I do not need it for that task and find myself back on the Social Media Platforms after a few minutes of doing homework.

Well, the above are just my personal thoughts about the consumption of Social Media, even though it is still hard to gauge if one is consuming or consumed. Let me know what do you think about it in the comments!

-mswwf 🙂

Hello! I’m Wen Fang. Currently a student in SIM-RMIT, taking a Digital Marketing course. This blog is to give my two cents worth of thoughts on Digital Marketing.

Feel free to drop a comment on my posts, it will be much appreciated and I will reply to it. Thats all, bye.