Internet Marketing Project Social Networks

Internet Marketing Project

Social networks are revolutionizing how students, professors and how business communities globally interact with and serve one another (Bernoff, Li, 2008). The intent of this analysis is to analyze the key demographics of students who would find the MarketNet Facebook group of the most value, and then define a series of marketing strategies to reach them on a global scale. In addition, three websites are recommended as a core part of the resources delivered to students globally through the group. These include the CIA Fact Book, Stanford University Entrepreneurship Corner, and the Wall Street Journal. The logic and reasoning behind selecting each of these websites is explained in the analysis. Each is well-known globally for delivering exceptionally well researched information and intelligence used in global academic communities. An assessment of the survey completed to determine how best to survey existing group members and attract new ones is also provided. The fact that any Facebook group can quickly become global needs to be kept in mind as the marketing strategies and planned and executed from this study. The impact of social networks on academic communities is growing rapidly and leading to open collaboration-based research studies (Kemp, 2010). The long-term implications of creating and maintaining the MarketNet Facebook group globally has definite implications on the long-term retention of key concepts by business and marketing students (Smith, Mitry, 2008). Participating in online communities is as much of a research effort as it is a personalized learning exercise (Najjar, 2008).

Table of Contents

41.0 Introduction

52.0 Target Market Analysis

83.0 Web Traffic Plan for MarketNet

93.1.

Facebook MarketNet Group Web Traffic Plan Objectives

123.2. Facebook MarketNet Group Web Traffic Plan Strategies

143.3. MarketNet Blog Content Strategy

153.4. MarketNet Analytics Strategy

164.0 Website Selection and Justification

164.1. Stanford University Entrepreneurship Corner

174.2. CIA Factbook

184.3. The Wall Street Journal

194.4. The Sydney Morning Herald

195.0 Survey Development and Justification

214.1 Copy of Survey

211. How useful have you found MarketNet in your day-to-day study and research?

222. How easy was it to integrate MarketNet into your existing study and research?

223. Do you have any suggestions for improving MarketNet?

224. Would you recommend this Software to your colleagues?

225. How did you become aware of MarketNet?

236. Did you visit CQU website for more information about MarketNet?

237. What is your reasons for using MarketNet?

235.0 Conclusion

1.0 Introduction

The use of social networks as a means to stay connected has become the fastest growing area of the Web over the last three years. Social networking platforms have emerged as a means to create online communities of people who share common interests. Facebook's dominance in this area of groups can be seen from the over 120 million accounts that exist on the social networking site today (Dunay, 2009). Colleges and universities have found the ability to quickly create groups for students interested in a common field of study and share information and market intelligence with them. Often these groups become global in scope given the how pervasive social networks are today.

The intent of this analysis is to create a marketing strategy for gaining more members of the MarketNet group on Facebook. As a first step in this analysis, college students' Internet usage habits are analyzed from the context of the Pew Research Center's data and research (Gordon, 2003). Based on this research a series of marketing objectives and strategies are defined. The use of additional social networking platforms including LinkedIn, social networking websites and YouTube are all included in the strategy recommendations. The entire marketing strategy is based on social networking sites and strategies that have little cost yet will require intensive levels of effort. The end result is to have an integrated marketing campaign that can scale globally as the information and market intelligence needs are comparable across students from all colleges and universities.

2.0 Target Market Analysis

Central Queensland University's undergraduate and postgraduate students in marketing and business are the primary target audience for the MarketNet Facebook Group. As of May, 2010 there are 404 MarketNet members, with the demographics indicating the majority are undergraduate marketing and business students. The intent of this target market analysis is to analyze the graduate and undergraduate business and marketing students using MarketNet on Facebook. This analysis will serve to provide a foundation for a web traffic plan, contributions to content for the site, and development and analysis of a Web-based survey.

The median age of the international graduate and undergraduate students is between 20 and 24 while the age distribution of domestic students being much more evenly distributed between the age ranges of 20 to 24, 25 to 29, 30 to 34, 35 to 39 and 40 to 49. This data has been obtained from the CQU Registrar. In addition to these demographics from CQU additional studies by the Pew Center for Internet Research also provide insights into Internet usage by college and post-graduate students (Gordon, 2003). These studies indicate that nearly one in five college studies first began using PCs between the ages of 5 and 8 and many by the age of 16 had already created at least one website, learned how to manage e-mail, social networking and online services sites, and also perceive the Internet as more useful than access to a traditional library.

The Pew Research studies have also shown that 86% of college students globally have gone online for research, socializing and seeking employment versus 59% of the general population. In addition, 85% of college students have a computer and 66% have one or more e-mail addresses as well. As a result, the majority of college users check e-mail at least once a day or more (72%) and 26% use Instant Messaging (IM), which is over double the equivalent usage rates globally of the general public. As can be seen from these figures, college students have exceptionally high levels of activity online, achieving an expertise in its use.

As a result, Central Queensland University's undergraduate and postgraduate students in marketing and business also share a highly positive perception of the Internet as a learning and research platform as well. Extrapolating the results of the Pew Research study to CQU, the dominant perception of college students of the Internet having a positive effect on their collegiate academic experience (79%) is seen in the rapid adoption of the MarketNet group on Facebook. Consistent with this finding is the fact that nearly half (46%) of college students globally agree that e-mail enables them to express ideas to professors they would not have shared in class. This enables a much higher level of collaboration that over time can be transformed into trust. The progression of collaboration to trust can in turn lead to higher levels of long-term learning and knowledge retention as well. This is certainly the case with Central Queensland University's undergraduate and postgraduate students in marketing and business as one in three (37%) commute to the university and do not live on-campus.

The Internet has also replaced the library as the research platform of choice for the majority of university students globally with nearly three-quarters (73%) stating that it is more convenient and valuable compared to the library as it is on 24/7 and has greater depth of information. In many respects the Internet has now replaced libraries as the means to research topics in greater depth.

Further supporting the demographics of Central Queensland University's undergraduate and postgraduate students trusting the Internet as a viable communications, collaboration and learning platform can be seen from the Pew Research studies on Internet use. In the Pew Study, well over the majority of students report they use one or more academic-oriented mailing lists (68%) to stay current on their studies. Many students who were respondents in the Pew Research study also report that e-mail is more effective than telephone conference calls to get coordinated and in sync with their fellow students on complex projects. In addition, e-mail is the most preferred approach to managing conversations with instructors on the subject of grades (58%). Consistent with this finding is the predominant use of e-mail as a means to communicate with instructors regarding grading and progress towards learning objectives (65%). According to the Pew Research study 48% of students in the respondent base also are required to use the Internet as a means to collaborate with the instructor and other students on projects. This is certainly the case with the MarketNet Facebook Group as well.

The demographics obtained from the Pew Internet study indicate that the Internet has become the dominant collaboration and communication platform of choice for undergraduate and graduate students globally (Gordon, 2003). This is certainly the case with the development of the MarketNet Facebook group which continues to have exceptional growth in the near-term. In the Facebook group MarketNet are lessons learned in terms of making the Internet an effective platform for instruction and teaching. The ability to communicate collaboratively and also share valuable content are critical, as is the ability to send and receive personalized or private and broadcast messages is crucial (Matsuo, Barolli, Xhafa, Koyama, Durresi, 2008). The use of the Internet and social networks will continue to accelerate in their use of learning platforms as a result. The design principles of Web 2.0 technologies as shown in Appendix a will also continue to have a significant impact on how social networks used in society in general and in education specifically (Kraemer, 2009). The long-term effect will be the accelerating adoption of Internet technologies to support higher education at the graduate and post-graduate levels.

3.0 Web Traffic Plan for MarketNet

In devising a Web traffic plan to boost the awareness, interest, desire and action (AIDA) for the MarketNet Facebook networking group, the precise definition of objectives is critical. These objectives must be global in scope to maximize the reach of MarketNet for students in other colleges and universities as well. The objectives must also be measurable and quantifiable to determine the extent they are attained. They also must be flexible enough to allow for a change in approach or direction depending on the lessons learned from implementing the Web traffic plan and also from feedback gained from students globally who use the MarketNet Facebook group. Lastly the goals must have stages of accomplishment to sequence the completion of strategies. All of these attributes need to be included in the objectives to build traffic to the MarketNet Facebook group page and also support its continued use.

3.1.

Facebook MarketNet Group Web Traffic Plan Objectives

Creating objectives for the MarketNet Facebook group that have precision, global reach and appeal, measurability, flexibility, and staging of results is critical if the full potential of group globally is to be attained. The following are the objectives for building traffic to the Facebook group site:

1. To broaden the distribution of content contributed and posted to the MarketNet Facebook group site by creating and actively maintaining Digg, del.icio.us, Friendfeed, SlashDot, StumbleUpon, RSS feeds and Twitter accounts that automatically syndicate all content posted. This will have a multiplicative effect of distributing content from the MarketNet group and also drive up the search engine rankings for the group on Bing, Google and Yahoo.

2. To create a MarketNet Facebook group blog within 30 days and actively promote blog posts about news of interest to undergraduate and graduate students in marketing and business courses globally. Blog content will be syndicated through the channels as are mentioned in objective #1. The blog will be on a sub-domain of the main university site to further increase its performance in search engine results quickly.

3. To define a search engine optimization (SEO) strategy for the MarketNet Facebook blog and post at a minimum of a blog post every forty-eight hours. Each blog post will be SEO optimized for the specific keywords defined for the Facebook MarketNet blog to optimize the blog's location on search engines over time.

4. To create a YouTube channel for the MarketNet group and have student and faculty members regularly produce video that explains a core concept or idea they have been working on for the benefit of the group and its subscribers globally. The goal of the YouTube channel is to produce three videos a month to educate and help the subscribers to gain greater insights into key business and marketing concepts.

5. To define an online learning agenda of twenty four webinars hosted by the founders of the MarketNet Facebook group where guest speakers on specific business and marketing topics host a webinar every two weeks. These webinars will be presented live and also recorded for playback on the MarketNet blog and also made available on the MarketNet Facebook group page. The intent of this objective is to create interest in the MarketNet group, a desire to potentially join it, and also create exceptionally valuable content for the benefit of group members.

6. To create a LinkedIn group specifically dedicated to MarketNet users and their needs to transition from being undergraduate and graduate students to their professional careers. The intent of the LinkedIn group is to assist group members globally find positions and attain their professional objectives in the short- and long-term.

7. To provide all members globally access to the blog for posting their ideas, insights, and lessons learned in the area of business and marketing. Contributors to the blog would have the opportunity to contribute content and have their own picture and contact information provided. Each blog entry would be evaluated by the blog administrator team for appropriateness and to make sure the posts were not blatant in terms of self-promotion or the promoting of a product or service. Giving blog readers the opportunity to contribute their own content to the blog would also make the blog more active, thereby increasing the potential for higher SEO performance over time as well.

8. To devise a comprehensive Web analytics strategy that has the ability to track Facebook, social networking bookmarking, blog traffic on WordPress, YouTube Channel, and LinkedIn traffic. This analytics platform will be used for determining which specific content areas resonate and interest the group globally. In addition the medium used to deliver the content (Facebook post, blog or video) will also be analyzed every month to determine which strategies are leading to the highest levels of performance. Analytics for Facebook, blogs, YouTube and LinkedIn will be organized into a report group administrators and key contributors will use to further refine and plan content.

9. Stretch Objective for Phase 2: Create a Key Influencer Strategy that concentrates on the top twenty business schools globally and initiate collaborative content, video and link-sharing programs with them to further increase the value of group through these influencers.

10. Stretch Objective for Phase 2: Implement Google AdSense on the blog site and also on all associated independent content sites within the first ninety days. The goal of doing this is to gain incremental revenues that can be used to fund a Google AdWords campaign.

11. Stretch Objective for Phase 2: After gaining up to $100 from the Google AdSense objective being attained, initiate an optimized Google AdWords strategy to further promote the unique content and value of the blog and associated sites. The combination of objectives 9 and 10 are self-funding to promote the group and its supporting structure of online properties.

3.2. Facebook MarketNet Group Web Traffic Plan Strategies

In defining strategies for the attainment of the eleven objectives of the Web Traffic Plan, the need for having them in chronological order is critically important. The investments in attaining one objective serve as the foundation for each subsequent objective over time. With this foundational focus in mind, the following strategies are recommended. While the Facebook group MarketNet has been created there is significantly more work that needs to be done to assure future growth.

First, the Search Engine Optimization (SEO) keywords and terms need to be defined. These are the keywords and search terms that will permeate the postings on Facebook, MarketNet blog, YouTube channel, LinkedIn group, and also be used for defining the content for online webinars posted on the blog. This is a critical first strategy as the MarketNet group can quickly gain search engine rankings on Bing, Google and Yahoo through the consistent and continual use of keywords (Anderson, 2009). Long-term this is also a strategy that will attract new group members across all platforms that MarketNet content and membership access. Using Google Analytics and analytics plug-ins for the MarketNet blog which will be created on the WordPress platform, the MarketNet team will be able to quickly determine how effective each search term or keyword is in attaining the needed results (Lawrence, Melville, Perlich, Sindhwani, Meliksetian, Hsueh, Liu, 2010). Second, there needs to be a more strategic approach to creating a community and also fueling content for the site. Creating accounts on all major social bookmarking sites including Digg, del.icio.us, Friendfeed, SlashDot, StumbleUpon, RSS feeds and Twitter is critically important

(Barnes, 2010). These social bookmarking sites serve to propagate content across the Web and also contribute to SEO efforts as well. In addition to these social bookmarking sites, it's critical to create a LinkedIn group, YouTube Channel that MarketNet leaders post short videos on, and also create a MarketNet blog on the WordPress platform. Facebook can be used to promote the LinkedIn group, YouTube channel and the MarketNet blog. The strategy of creating a LinkedIn MarketNet group is that all students are concerned about their future employment prospects given the economies in many nations of the world (Strehlke, 2010). The LinkedIn MarketNet group is aimed at the needs students have in transitioning into the workforce and gaining recommendations, providing an online resume and building support for themselves. The strategy of the YouTube Channel for MarketNet centers on providing valuable, useful content for students who are subscribers globally. Professors and students can recommend YouTube videos and submit short ones up to 2 minutes long. This is a strategy to increase participation on the site and also keep the site fresh with video content. As social media marketing is becoming increasingly reliant on video, creating a YouTube Channel will help to grow the Facebook MarketNet group as well.

3.3. MarketNet Blog Content Strategy

Another aspect of the social media platform build-out strategy is the development of and continual posting of new content to the MarketNet blog. It is highly recommended that a MarketNet blog be created immediately on the Wordpress platform, which is free to use. Wordpress also has excellent plug-ins or software components for creating real-time analytics reporting and SEO techniques to increase traffic. For a nominal fee any WordPress platform can also be upgraded to its own URL, which in this case would be Marketnet.edu. It is highly recommended as part of this strategy that several URLs be acquired for less than $5 each through GoDaddy.com to further increase SEO performance of the blog and Facebook group as a result. Using the multi-domain support in WordPress which is easily configured in seconds, all of the secondary URLs would also point to the MarketNet blog, further driving up Web traffic and increasing SEO reach across search engines. The MarketNet blog would have links to the Facebook, LinkedIn, and YouTube groups in addition to links to social bookmarking accounts as well. The galvanizing effect of the blog on overall search engine performance and global reach will be monitored through the use of Wordpress analytics plug-ins which is free for downloading with any WordPress site.

Starting with SEO keyword and concept definition followed by the creation of social bookmarking, LinkedIn group, YouTube Channel groups and the MarketNet blog, the strategy needs to next focus on getting contributors to provide content. The blog is the best platform to begin these efforts. Opening up the blog for any group member to contribute can significantly increase the "stickiness" or value of the community over time (Flatley, 2005). In addition, Facebook has a limitation in terms of content length so having a MarketNet blog will also make it possible to provide more informative and insightful information to group members. From the content standpoint a blog is critically important. The benefits from an SEO standpoint are equally valuable as well. In conjunction the MarketNet blog, the MarketNet YouTube channel will also be open for contributions as well. Subject to screening, the content once approved, will be posted on the YouTube Channel. The combined effects of posting blog entries and videos from contributors, both processors and students, will also serve to drive up loyalty to the MarketNet group as well.

3.4. MarketNet Analytics Strategy

In order to track the effectiveness of this concerted social media marketing strategy, Google Analytics will be used to track by URL of each social platform's overall performance. Google Analytics is a free service offered by the search engine provider that tracks a series of metrics and KPIs by URL (Reynolds, 2010). It is completely customizable and easily used to track the performance of these strategies as they relate to the MarketNet groups. The stretch objectives of creating a Key Influencer Strategy, implementing Google AdSense to pay for AdWords will be scheduled and attained after the initial accomplishment of the multi-platform group strategy is attained.

4.0 Website Selection and Justification

The three websites that are recommended to be added to the Facebook MarketNet group and related sites are the following. These three sites deliver exceptional value for business and marketing students and professors globally and will serve to make the Facebook MarketNet group more valuable from a learning standpoint are the following.

4.1. Stanford University Entrepreneurship Corner

First, the Stanford University Entrepreneurship Corner is an excellent site that is rich with video content and downloadable lectures on business and marketing topics. The site can be found at http://ecorner.stanford.edu / and is regularly updated by the management teams running the Stanford Graduate School of Business and its related Stanford University Technology Ventures Program. This is an excellent site to include in the MarketNet groups as it also provides updates on the most discussed areas of business and marketing, including the impact of social media and social networks on the ability of companies to compete long-term. The value of the content of this site is also underscored by the fact that industry leaders and CEOs including Steve Ballmer of Microsoft, former CEO of Intel Craig Barrett and others regularly participate and share their insights. It is an exceptionally valuable and useful site for processors and students alike.

4.2. CIA Factbook

Second, the CIA Fact Book is essential for any researcher, professor or student as it is one of the best online resources available for researching specific countries and regions of the world. The United States Central Intelligence Agency has invested heavily in revamping the content and navigation of this site https://www.cia.gov/index.html which makes it one of the very best on the Web for business and marketing researchers, professors and students globally. For each nation there are sections devoted to the geography, people, government, economy, communications, transportation, military and transnational issues that each nation has. Within each section there are also comparisons of each country's key economic and consumption indicators relative to global ranking and indices. The site also supports RSS feeds so that when content on countries of interest is published by the CIA, the content is delivered in real-time via RSS Readers to subscribers to this site. There are also downloadable reports in PDF format free from the CIA and the entire site is organized to support learning and online research. The CIA has also organized the site to make it possible to navigate through countries from a location standpoint as well. Compared to the previous generation of this site, this current edition (as of May, 2010) includes more intuitive navigation and use of selective updates by area and country. All of these features translate into a more efficient, higher performance website that is one of the richest from an international marketing and business standpoint there is.

4.3. The Wall Street Journal

The third website is the Wall Street Journal (http://online.wsj.com/home-page). The reason this website is included in the top three is the fact that is has a portal-based approach to presenting and managing information, has real-time stock feeds, and is global in scope. This website also has extensive research tools for the researcher, professor and student. There is also support throughout the site for RSS Feed configuration and support. Down Jones has also acquired several online properties and has also invested in online video. All of these properties and the online video sources have all been linked to the main Wall Street Journal website page. All of these factors taken together have created one of the most extensive collections of business, finance, marketing and global business available on one site. There is also an enterprise search function built directly into the site as well, which makes it possible for researchers, professors and students to seek out the information they need quickly.

Taken together the websites of the CIA Fact Book, which provides an intensive analysis of each country and region of the world across several different dimensions, the Stanford University Entrepreneurship Corner and the Wall Street Journal form an excellent learning foundation for the MarketNet group. All of these resources taken together form a platform for long-term learning while also providing inspirational and insightful videos from Stanford and their many founders, executives and CEOs who regularly speak there. Another benefit of combining these three websites is the fact that each has ancillary and secondary links to additional research services and sources; each has been designed as a hub of research activity. In conclusion, these three websites have much to offer the members of the MarketNet group globally.