Web Design & Online Marketing News Recap: April 18, 2014
Maybe you have today off as a holiday—or maybe you’re at work and eagerly anticipating the upcoming weekend. Either way, we can all agree that Friday’s a good day! We’re here to help you wrap up what we hope was a productive week with a quick recap of the latest in web design and online marketing news. Dive in!
Google Revenue Falls Short of Estimates, Ad Prices Drop (Brian Womack, Bloomberg)
It’s always wise to pay attention to what the major players in you industry are doing, and for us (and you), that means Google. This week, an article by Brian Womack of Bloomberg states that Google’s increasing costs and decreasing sales are causing the search engine giant to fall short of its projected revenue. He cites the number of users who are transitioning to smartphone use as one major contributing factor, as mobile marketing placements bring in less money (smaller screens display fewer ads at a time.) Womack also finds that direct competitors like Facebook are presenting an increasing challenge. Google executives remain positive about the long term and aren’t hesitating to unload investments that haven’t proved sound. As always, we’ll keep an eye on what happens next.
US Airways Won’t Fire Worker who Sent Lewd Tweet (Katie Lobosco, CNN Money)
By now, we’re sure you’ve heard about the latest Tweet heard ’round the world—you know, the X-rated photo posted by the employee handling the US Airways Twitter account. Whoops. While amused readers speculated that it was the work of a disgruntled intern, it turned out to be an honest mistake (yes, really!) The employee had intended to post an (obviously!) entirely different link, but instead, he or she posted the URL to the inappropriate photo, which another Twitter user (an annoyed passenger, perhaps?) had initially posted to the US Airways page. Katie Lobosco of CNN Money reported that the employee won’t be fired, since the lewd photo post was completely unintentional.
Stories like this one—and it isn’t the first—illustrate why it’s so important to have a sound social media quality assurance process. Rather than leaving the handling of Facebook and Twitter communications to someone who is inexperienced or lacks the time and resources necessary to devote to a full campaign, it’s best to develop a comprehensive social media marketing strategy. A great place to start is by pairing a professional social media audit with a basic system of checks and balances so that you’re protected against embarrassing hiccups and exploring the possibilities of what your pages can do for your brand. Here’s another social media post from the airline industry that sends a much better message: WestJet’s Christmas Miracle YouTube video. It should serve as good inspiration for what a great social media plan can do for your business and bottom line … and leave you smiling, too!