This is a follow up on my previous post “Bing & Google in a Race to Conquer Social Search“.

According to Search Engine Roundtable amd Reuters report, Yahoo is reportedly in similar negotiations with Twitter as well and it is clear that all the search engines find the content within Twitter to be valuable.

• Yahoo Search To Mine Twitter Data Even Though Bing Does Twitter
• Google, Bing & (Yes) Yahoo Buy Tweets From Twitter

Thanks to @seroundtable & @rustybrick

Only a few hours after Microsoft announced deals with Twitter and Facebook to integrate real time data into Bing’s search results, Google’s Marissa Mayer announces at the Web 2.0 Summit that Google Social Search will be launching in the coming weeks.

There has been so much said about this in the last 24 hours, and it is hard to keep up with all the blogs, news and article mentions. Let me try and summarize quickly…

Yesterday Microsoft announced sealed agreements to access real-time content from social networking sites Facebook and Twitter to boost search engine results in Bing. According to Microsoft executives at a presentation at a San Francisco Internet conference, Bing is hoping to take on current dominant search leader Google in the sphere of Social Search and will have access to Twitter’s entire store of public data in real time as well as content from social networking site Facebook. At the same conference, it was also announced that a standalone Twitter search service will be offered at Bing, with some ranking technology other than sort by date involved, and that shortened URLs will be expanded. And finally, there would be some integration within the regular Bing service itself.

Only a few hours later, Google’s Marissa Mayer announced Google Social Search will be launching in the coming weeks. This feature will allow you to see results for queries from people in your social network and will work only via your own Google Profile. In your profile, if you add add links to social networks you’re a member of, such as FriendFeed or Twitter, Google will scan who you are connected to and give your results from those people which will then be integrated in to regular results. Google emphasised their goal of creating the most comprehensive, relevant and fast search and believe that their search results and user experience will greatly benefit from the inclusion of this up-to-the-minute data, looking forward to having a product showcasing how tweets can make search better in the coming months.

There has been such talk for some time and even though Bing (MSFT) beat Google to it by first announcing the integration of real-time data into search results, it is clear that this move from both indicate what the future of Search holds for us. Social Integration. Real-time data in Search results! This indicates the importance of consumer perception and the value of comments made by the average consumer and the trust they have regarding brands and products.

This is somewhat confirmed by Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg saying that The Future is Social, Not Search. While Google is by far Facebook’s biggest rival in terms of Paid Advertising, it was clear that no love is lost between Google and Sheryl Sandberg, an ex-Googler. Sandberg said that Facebook is leading the net from the information age to the social age, where people will be finding their important answers not through Google but through their friends. As for search, Sandberg said Google would still have a place in the future, even if it’s not very big.

The face of search is indeed going to change and the race to be there first is definately on. The next days, weeks and months will be very interesting.

How will consumer behaviour affect search and the ranking relevance of brands and products in the SERP’s?

My personal prediction is that this affect won’t be seen immediately, but that it will slowly take affect as both Search Engines integrate real time data over the coming months.

For me, the future of Search will neither be Search, nor Social. The future of Search will be “Social Search” – Integrated Real-Time Search, (hopefully) relevant, updated results, as it happens.

How Bing and Google will control what is included in the search results will be interesting to see, but this can only be a good thing for companies doing Online Reputation Management. Hopefully businesses and corporates will be forced to operate in the social spaces more to not only control the conversations, but also add to it, or respond.

Resources:

• Facebook and Twitter Now More Important to Search Rankings?
• Microsoft’s Bing seals Facebook, Twitter deals
• RT @google: Tweets and updates and search, oh my!
• Bing To Do Deal With Twitter, Launch Its Own Twitter Search
• Google Social Search Is Coming & More On Google-Twitter
• Microsoft, Google in deals with Twitter, Facebook
• Google’s New Social Search Is A Big Chess Move Against Facebook
• The Future is Social, Not Search, Facebook COO Says

Twitter

Twitter is a social networking and micro-blogging service that allows you to answer the question: “what are you doing?”, by sending short message 140 characters in length, called “tweets” to your friends or “followers”.

Why do people use twitter?

It keeps you connected with:

• Your community

• Your industry

• Your friends

• Your world

How do businesses use twitter?

Twitter helps businesses to:

• Raise awareness

• Offer proactive customer service

• Answer questions

• Promote events, products and services

• Network and partner

How Sandwich Baron have utilized twitter as an effective sales resource:

Sandwich baron is a company that produces fresh snacks and sandwiches on order and holds no ready-made products in stock. They target companies with the supply of basic lunchtime platters and other food stuffs enjoyed by that market. The uniqueness of their concept coupled with the layout and overall service given by Sandwich Baron to their customers has led to them being the fastest growing lunchtime supply chain of its type in South Africa. Sandwich baron have jumped onto the social media train and started daily promotional product “tweets” on twitter, which allows their followers to attain large discounts on their meals. They do this by asking certain general knowledge questions which relate to their menu and brand, a “follower” who then answer these questions correctly and first is offered a discount on their order. This promotional product push has been highly successful for the company who now has over 200 followers on twitter and nearly 1000 fans on their Facebook page! This goes to show that any company large or small can definitely use social networks like twitter to promote their products and brand! With millions of twitter uses the opportunities are endless!

Twitter – terminology and tools

• Jargon:
  • Tweets                 =  140 Character updates on twitter
  • Follower              =  A user interested in your updates
  • Symbols:
    • @                            =  Public conversations
    • #                             = Adding  a tag to a tweet
    • RT                           = Retweeting is sharing tweets with others
    • D                             = Direct message, similar to an email

Top 10 Twitter tools:

1.  Autopostr

-  Integrates your Flickr account with your Twitter account.

-  Automatically post a new tweet in your Twitter account

-  Whenever you have added new images it appears in your Flickr account.

2. Twiddeo

-  Update your Twitter via videos instead of words.

-  Upload your video and a short description about it.

3. Twit Wall

-  Got frustrated with 140 limited characters.

-  Login with your existing Twitter account.

-  Now you can write Tweets that are over 140 characters.

4. Twhirl

-  A Messenger- like software, free to download and install.

-  Post Tweets like sending messages using instant messenger software.

-  Also see Tweets from those whom you’re following on twitter.

5. Group Tweet

-  Allows you to set up a Twitter group, get your friends, customers etc.

-  Broadcast your Tweets visible to your group members only.

6. Twellow

-  A Yellow Pages like service for Twitter.

-  A Search engine for Twitter.

-  One is able to add other social links like Facebook, Linkedin, Digg etc, which they belong to.

7. Twitscoop

-   Find the hottest topic people are tweeting right now.

-   Allows allow you to either enter a keyword or a person’s twitter name to track a conversation,topic               or conference.

-   Results refreshes every 20 seconds.

8. Twitterless

-  Tells you who stops following  you and graphs your follower history overtime.

-  See all of your followers or friends on one page. Filter them by keywords in their description.

-  See where your followers are in the world on a Google map and find out where your follower base is strongest.

9.  Mr.Tweet

-    Get relevant followers  by recommending you to them.

-    Discover great people relevant to your current needs.

-    Improve your Twitter usage via useful statistics.

10. Tweet Deck

-    Personal browser for staying in touch with happening around the world.

-    Update Facebook and follow your Facebook friends.

-    Columns to create personal dashboard.

“Those who criticise use of Twitter at work haven’t seen the tectonic plates moving…

…social networks such as these are the way businesses will be run in the future…”

Victor Keegan, The Guardian

The Journal of Marketing; Advertising; Media; and Branding is the official publication of the Marketing Association of South Africa MA(SA) and provides cutting edge reporting on all issues pertaining to the important marketing discipline.

Recognizing the increasing importance of being part of an online network, The Journal have decided to increase their online presence by utilizing popular social networks. They can now be found on Facebook , Twitter, LinkedIn, Flickr and YouTube.

Now all those people who are interested in the marketing discipline can follow The Journal and keep up to dates with the latest marketing trends, events and innovations. The Journal will be holding a breakfast’s next month, on the 17^th September. The breakfast will have 5 Brand category winners who will present their success story regarding to their brand. They will then be quizzed by the panelists. These panelists include the likes of

Jeremy Maggs – Host
Jeremy Sampson - Group Executive Chairman, Interbrand Sampson Group
Andy Rice - Chairman – Yellowwod Future Architects
Dr Thomas Oosthuisen - BrandWealth
Enver Groenewald – GM Advertising Revenue @ Strategic Communications, Avusa Media LTD

This is sure to be a very exciting event where the latest trends and topics in the marketing world will be discussed, a must in every marketing guru/fanatics diary!

Our team will be at the event once again so if you can’t make it be sure to follow our live tweets and blog updates.

Although many of us are aware of the enormous growth of the internet and we constantly hear how social media is increasing and people are interacting more and more online. I don’t think we always appreciate the numbers that are associated with this. A recent slideshare presentation brought this concept home for me. For instance did you know that?

• It would take 412.3 years to view every video on YouTube
• That there are 100, 000 000 YouTube videos viewed per day
• 13, 000 000 is the  the number of articles available on Wikipedia
• 3, 600 000 000 is the number of archived photos on Flickr.com as of June 2009
• 3 000 000  is the average number of Tweets per day on Twitter.com

Here is one sure way of marketing your small business through Twitter. The author of a blog named Understanding Marketing says that “successful marketing is all about customer engagement“, and I wholeheartedly agree.

It brings people into your story, it motivates them to buy, and of course, it’s what brings them back again. If there’s one word that you must always think of first when you’re developing a marketing program, it’s “engagement.”

I like his thinking. You have to read the full blog on this so visit Using Twitter For Local Marketing

Today, my inbox has been inundated with articles all related to Twitter. About 70% of the newsletters and RSS Feeds I’m subscribed to is covering this topic. Twitter has gained much ground as a social networking tool and with Twitter profiles now included in search results, it is a major tool for marketing yourself or your company online.

If you’re not familiar with Twitter, Wikipedia explains Twitter as follow:

Twitter is a social networking and micro-blogging service. It enables its users to send and read other users’ updates (known as tweets), which are text-based posts of up to 140 characters in length. Updates are displayed on the user’s profile page and delivered to other users who have signed up to receive them. Senders can restrict delivery to those in their circle of friends (delivery to everyone being the default). Users can send and receive updates via the Twitter website, SMS, RSS (receive only), or through applications such as Tweetie, Twitterrific, and Feedalizr. The service is free to use over the web.

Not only is it fantastic to stay in touch with friends or being updated about what they do, but if your content is interesting you can really use it as a tool to market yourself, your company or your services. If you do not Twit(ter), you should try it, but be careful, it can become addictive – you have been warned!

Here is a few helpful tips, articles and news items regarding Twitter

How to Twitter

• Newbie’s guide to Twitter
• A Guide to Twitter
• How To Use Twitter

Conversations have shifted to Twitter and third-party developers are creating tools making Twitter more extensible, so whether you’re using Twitter for personal, corporate use, or to manage the brand of a client, you’ll need the right tools to find and engage the discussions.

Twitter Tools

• Twitter Tools for Wordpress
• TWITTER TOOLBOX: 60+ Twitter Tools
• 9 Twitter Search Apps : Better Than Twitter & Google
• TwitterFall: Keep Tabs on Hot Twitter Subjects

Twitter Marketing

• Harness The Power Of Twitter For Local Marketing
• Optimizing Twitter Tweet Titles
• 7 Ways Marketers Can Use Twitter
• Guide to Twitter as a Tool for Marketing and PR
• The Golden Rule of Twitter Marketing
• How to Use Twitter for Marketing & PR

Twitter Security
Safekeeping Twitter Accounts

Twitter News

• Twitter To Start Serving Local News To Users?
• Will Twitter Be Google’s Next YouTube?
• Facebook, Twitter and blogs more popular than email, report says
• Politicians twitter while the country burns
• Did the earth move for you on Twitter?
• Six weird and wonderful things people have built with Twitter