Monday 5 November 2012

Digital technologies in retail: House of Fraser 'online concept store'


Retail is always keen to harness new technologies in order to sell more. While for some companies this just means an e-commerce branch of their real-world shop, the real cutting edge innovations are occurring where retailers try to combine the two.

Tesco made the headlines last year for it's innovative tube station virtual shop in Korea, where customers could scan images of products on a giant billboard using their smartphones and add them to an online shopping list. As well as being a media grabbing gimmick, the idea also appeals to the time-poor communter who wants to make use of the frustrating time spent waiting on the platform (although something gives me the impression that train services are pretty regular in Korea!).

Although we are clearly light-years behind this level of innovation in the uk - widespread wifi on the underground would be a start - there ars till some companies who are looking to merge the physical store with the virtual. House of Fraser has been steering its attention towards digital, yet professes no desire to reduce the number of stores. Instead they have opened two 'concept stores' with display-only merchandise and portals from which to browse and buy online.

Image Courtesy of Harpers Bazaar
So, I'm sure you're asking, why would you bother to go out to a 'shop' if you can do the same activity at home on your PJ's with a mug of tea or glass of wine? Harper's Bazaar answers this with:

Here’s why; the store has been designed around a hotel concierge experience, so help with a lost order, a late delivery or an unsuitable item will be instant – and personal.
If something doesn’t suit, get a refund there and then, if an order hasn’t arrived, the store will take care of it. Plus there’s a complimentary coffee bar, which of course you won’t get at home.
I'm not quite sure I understand what they're offering here. If my order (that I've already placed elsewhere) is lost, late or unsuitable, I want to talk to customer services, not go to a room full of computers. The same with a refund. Finally, if an item hasn't arrived I'm not sure how they will "take care of it" if they don't house any physical stock.

The coffee bar sounds nice I must admit, but other than that it seems House of Fraser have created a bizarre hybrid between a customer services desk and an internet café!

However if, rather than a place for online shopping, what does emerge is a dedicated team that understand online orders, can track them and resolve any issues, and be an in-person point of call for online customers needing help, then that's a really positive development. This is something frustratingly absent from ecommerce as a whole - the only options are an email address, a call centre, or a Twitter account that will direct you back to either of the above in a friendly tone of voice. This usually just leads to elongated miscommunications and an ongoing saga of order numbers and non-returned calls.

When online orders go wrong there is all manner of heartache trying to to sort them out, but I for one would be very happy to incorporate speaking to a specialist e-commerce adviser into my next trip to the High Street and maybe even be supplied with the product which was absent from in my late/lost/missing delivery. We seem to be getting closer to this, but for now it will remain wishful thinking...
  

Tuesday 23 October 2012

LinkedIn endorsements

Following on from my last post about LinkedIn endorsements, the other day I got email notifications out of the blue from LinkedIn saying a few people had endorsed me (thanks guys!) so this functionality must now be live in the U.K! Heading over to my profile I found the following box at the bottom with images of people who had recommended me, next to the expertise they agreed I had:



There was initially also a box featuring many of my contacts, and asking if I would 'endorse' certain skills for them, but this seems to have now gone. To endorse people now I can click the plus button at the side of thier professed skill when on their profile (this can apparently also be undone if necessary!).

It all seems very simple so far and because the skills are sorted from top to bottom by how many people have 'endorsed' them, it may be an attempt to counter the claims that many LinkedIn profiles are fabricated.

But does a one-click endorsement really have any value? There is the option to hover over the endorser to see their details and click through, but you can't see their relationship with the person they are endorsing.

From a first look I think it's a good way to highlight individual skills and abilities but it isn't as strong as a personal recommendation - there is no way to expand on the 'endorsement' and say why or how they are good at this skill or give any annecotes. It would also be a shame if strengths lay unrecognised at the bottom because no-one who has experienced your skills in that area is on LinkedIn for example, so we may see people working harder to gain endorsements for skills that are important to them.

What do you think? As a recruiter or employer would you trust an endorsement? Are you busy endorsing contacts?

Monday 1 October 2012

LinkedIn Recommendations - online endorsement pitfalls

LinkedIn has announced the launch of 'Endorsements' in the U.S, a way to recommend someone with just one click. This isn't live in the U.K yet so I can't trial it, but it got me thinking about the various pitfalls of online professional recommendations. Certain issues should be considered and a 1-click endorsement may not always be a good thing!

When used properly, LinkedIn recommendations are a powerful tool for advancing your career but if you don't use them with care they can give a negative impression about you, your contacts and the company you work for. It's helpful to think of them as a 'reference' from a  previous or current employer, but they're not exactly the same, so below are some things to think about.

Consider carefully who you ask. Offline, a great reference might come from someone well respected within the industry and their endorsement of you would add something extra to your application. This is no different on LinkedIn - do not just ask your friends to do it! Before requesting a recommendation ask yourself the following questions of the individual:

- Does he/she have an established LinkedIn account with lots of connections? (it may be assumed that a new account is fake)
- Is it obvious that you know the individual in a professional capacity? (avoid anyone with the same surname for example!)
- Is this person your junior? (If you want to highlight your management skills, you may ask for a reference from someone who has previously worked under you. Note that a reference from someone currently working under you may have the opposite effect, as it shows you have put your junior in an awkward situation!)
- Have you already recommended this individual? Reciprocal recommendations do not look genuine!




You should also consider the impression this gives within your current position:
- Most HR teams and management are aware that individuals updating their LinkedIn profiles may well be looking to move
- Colleagues may wonder why you want a recommendation from them and it may indicate you feel insecure in your position.
- Business development roles can be the exception to the rule - if the company employs you to find new business through LinkedIn they won't be suspicious if you are trying to improve the credentials on your profile!

Even so, a good recommendation from the right person at the right time may well mean you are considered for a role, so follow the guidelines and don't be afraid to get recommended. I'll blog more about 'Endorsements' when they become available to U.K users - watch this space! 

Tuesday 18 September 2012

Social Media Tips 2 - Tweetdeck Pros & Cons



TweetDeck is twitter’s own twitter ‘client’ - a program which acts independently of the website itself, yet pulls in twitter content and allows you to interact with it. It also acts as a sort of social media dashboard for other platforms such as Facebook, allowing you to view aspects of all your accounts at a glance and post across them all simultaneously.

It is a popular social media management tool for companies, agencies, community managers, or even just individuals with many social media accounts. There are many benefits of the platform, but it isn't for everyone, so I have summarised the key points below:

 Pros

  • Notification pop ups - you can adjust settings so that Tweetdeck will run in the background but still alert you via a pop up window when your brand is mentioned.
  • Scheduling facility - this function allows you to ‘schedule’ a tweet, which will post automatically at a set point in the future, so you needn't worry about missing optimal times to tweet.
  • Customisable - its quick to set up customised columns within the 'deck' layout. You can then create a 'control panel' with columns displaying search terms, mentions, messages etc. how you would like them.
  • Relatively easy to use - support documents and video tutorials exist and because Tweetdeck has been around for a few years there are plenty of free tutorials and articles online.
 Cons

  • Speed - whilst generally quite fast the Tweetdeck platform can slow down when dealing with large volumes of tweets, which can make it harder to monitor multiple search terms in real-time.  
  • Installed locally - Tweetdeck has to be installed locally on your machine, meaning all functons (including scheduled tweets) cannot work unless Tweetdeck is actually open and running on your computer. Not ideal for those 4am tweets to your followers overseas! 
  • No analytics - Tweetdeck has no inbuilt analysis package, meaning that to analyse the success of your social efforts you will need another application. This is a big negative point for Tweetdeck as most users not prefer the simplicity of being able to create and analyse posts from within one platform.

Thursday 30 August 2012

How to be a good client: 5 tips for working with digital agencies

An interesting trend I've noticed - as digital 'know-how' becomes more commonplace, companies are increasingly hesitant to work with a digital agency.

"It will cost how much?"

"really? It would take a fortnight?

This attitude isn't helpful, as in some cases an agency is often the best and cheapest option. It's a shame to let a lack of understanding - by both parties - get in the way of what could be a really exciting project with great results, so here are my top 5 tips for working with agencies:

1.  Pick the right one - it may sound simple but think hard about who you want to do the work. It will cost you time and money to hire another agency to unpick and redo a botched job. Let many agencies pitch, but don't be bullied into giving the contract to the agency with the most persistent Account Manager or Business Development guy. Mutual trust and respect is key here and you can tell a lot about their attitude to a project by initial conversations. Go with an agency that listens to your requirements from the outset, but also one who can contribute and build on your own ideas - it is this expertise and added value that you are paying for.

2. Write a good brief - even the best agencies aren't psychic and digital projects can be an especially tricky to verbalise if you're not at home discussing technology. If the end result is nothing like what you had envisaged, the chances are you haven't conveyed your ideas properly so it's worth taking the time to explain in writing (and face-to-face if possible) exactly what your aims are at the beginning. Clearly stating your desired message and target audience, your expectations and (at the risk of sounding wanky) 'what success looks like'. Don't be afraid to tell the agency how you expect this project to make you money!   

3. Agree costs and timings in writing upfront - ask for a written timeframe and a breakdown of costs. Any good digital agency will be doing this as standard, so be wary of one that tries to skip this bit! For larger projects there may be initial costs involved in a 'scoping' phase which is a legitimate request. The agency will need to dedicate man hours to planning and technical investigation to find out how best to implement your brief so if you decide not to go ahead with the project after this has taken place they will be out of pocket. Costs and timings are designed to help both parties, so it is also important not to erode trust by not sticking to agreed timeframes at your end, or quibbling over the bill later.

4. Respect experience - ultimately, an agency will do as you ask: you're the one paying the bill. The way to get the most from your money, however, is not to browbeat them into submission even when they advise against something. Account management will be fighting some arguments for you behind the scenes ("I don't care if you don't like the colour, it's our client's branding, work with it!") and they know how to pick their battles, so when they do take issue with something, it's for a good reason. They will tell you not to broadcast mass emails on a Friday afternoon (no-one reads them), not to use tiny fonts (it's against accessibility guidelines) and to place unsubscribe links at the bottom of things (its a legal requirement). They tell you this from years of research, experience and best practice so do take note.

5. Get good at giving feedback - once you have the first designs or wireframes in front of you is the point where you really get to show your worth as a client. The agency are twiddling their thumbs until you sign it off or send over amends, so you need to be prompt, but resist the temptation to dismiss with a "looks good" until you've fully appraised the work. I can say from experience - the most annoying thing a client can do is drip feed amend after amend, changing their mind several times and giving ambiguous instructions. Not only is it annoying it can be costly, undermine the relationship and prevent top quality work. Your job now is to give full, crystal clear feedback, within the agreed timeframe. Often it's easiest to annotate screengrabs of a website to avoid writing indecipherable directions like "in the top right bit of the second box there's a typo".If there are to be several rounds of amends set up a shared document such as an excel file with all the changes, which can be ticked off as completed or comments added.

If you've followed the above you should be on the way to a great and hopefully lasting relationship with your digital agency. If you don't follow the above you might find yourself on here.




Monday 6 August 2012

Menshn'd in Despatches

I'd thought about doing a post on Menshn back in June when it launched, but at the time the new social network - created by Louise Mensch - was only available to people living in the U.S.

The network was set up by the (then) Conservative MP, with the aim of filtering out the 'noise' found on Twitter and focussing debate around selected topics. Louise Mensch has now resigned from her seat in Corby and East Northamptonshire to spend more time with her family. Good for her - every woman makes tough choices about parenthood and I wholeheartedly support a woman's decision to bring up her children how she sees fit.

What does concern me, however, is the suggestion raised in this article that she might use this time to work on her new social networking business.

This should be another 'good for her' moment, surely? Women in business - yeehaa! But the problem is, I really don't like the concept of the network. It's based on the premise that there is a lot of 'noise' on Twitter, tweets that Mensch thinks aren't sticking to the point and therefore shouldn't be heard.

Her ideal would be to keep the discussion slick and filter out anything off topic, which (she has been keen to point out) would also create the perfect engaged environment for advertisers and marketers. Sometimes that does seem very tempting. I agree it can be infuriating trying to make a point and that point hitting a wall of spam and trolls.

But surely the point of Twitter is that it's democratic? Everyone has a voice and everyone is free to listen to (or follow) whoever they choose. If you take away the destractions, the random input, the humour, you lose some of the beauty of Twitter and a lot of the character.

There are already a lot of constrained discussion forums on the internet and none of them are as popular as Twitter, possibly because they lack the human factor. It's that very human factor that is keeping the less talented advertisers and marketers at arm's length, because they fear the openness, transparency and freedom of speech that are the common currency of the Twitter crowd.

Just like a clued-up live audience, Tweeters have the capacity to praise the skilful and heckle the inept into submission, getting right to the heart of the matter. If you silence the 'off topic' jibes or the seemingly irrelevant comments, you risk missing something that will take the discussion to a whole new level or alienating a would-be supporter.

Perhaps the answer lies not in focussing the discussion, but focussing the interactions. Giving people more ways to find and follow people and conversations that might interest them. Maybe providing more more ways to avoid those that won't. I wish Mrs. Mensch all the best, but unless she addresses the issues above, I can't really see her network being a rival to Twitter. If it does succeed of course, I'll be sure to Menshn it here ;)

Tuesday 24 July 2012

The Foursquare Special

Many predicted that the introduction of Facebook places would be the death knell for Foursquare, but the network is still going strong.

With 20 million users worldwide (although probably only a portion active), Foursquare is a popular geo-social  network, and brands look to make the most of this. When the network first became popular 'specials' were quite common. These offers were created and managed by brands and venue owners to try and attract custom, and were free to the promoter.

I have seen less of these offers in the last year or so - perhaps indicating that they weren't particularly effective in terms of RI - however this collaboration between Amex and EAT caught my eye.

Check in to Eat, pay £5 and you get £5 credit! Sounds good doesn't it?

Unfortunately I think it's another case of 'no such thing as a free lunch'. I think the offer is a bad idea, for both brand and customer, for two main reasons:

User Experience: The process requires you to 'synch' your Amex card. Forms (which will probably be filled in on a smartphone due to the nature of Foursquare meaning you are on the go), and handing over credit card details. Everyone knows this is a big turn off for the online customer, and will likely put off the majority of punters.

The process was also pretty clunky, having to synch, then check in to EAT, then use your amex to pay in EAT, then click load or something (I had lost interest by this point).

Proposition: Let's think about what the customer is actually doing here, and also take a look at the small print. You are paying for your lunch with a credit card. I personally don't usually do this. I will get out cash or pay with a debit card, but to me credit is something to be used in emergencies, or when I need protection guaranteed for a large online purchase. The small print says 'credit is usually issued 3-5 business days, may take up to two billing periods'.

So let's get this straight. We owe Amex £5 for up to 2 months, before our balance is restored. If just 1%  of Foursquare users took up this offer, that would be a credit card debt of £1,000,000. Perhaps I'm being too cautious about this, but considering how we got into the current economic climate should we really be encouraging the 'stick it on the credit card' culture? Why not just pay with a fiver from the cashpoint? I think Amex and EAT got this one wrong to be honest...

Monday 23 July 2012

HTC Elevate

Good news - For everyone fed up of me prattling on about my phone, I now have a different forum in which to do it!

I saw a random tweet asking for 500 people to join the HTC Elevate program, and, given my geeky obsession with the little green robot, I signed up. They are (were?) after people to be part of a community, who share tips, beta test, give feedback and enter competitions. 

Unfortunately there was a confidentially agreement as part of the signup forms, so don't expect any exclusives here, but I will still keep the blog updated on anything that's in the public arena, and any handy hints and tips that I learn.


I think it's a great way of rewarding natural brand ambassadors and also very a good move for HTC itself. The community is giving them honest insights into the product's strengths and weaknesses and even suggesting improvements. It has the feel of market-research-meets-think-tank and members are engaged on a personal level, rather than disintrested focus groups. 

HTC is a company that's really listening, in an honest yet professional way, yet they aren't constantly shouting about it either. Quietly brilliant....



Monday 16 July 2012

Social Media Case Study: Shell

EDIT: It turns out (thankfully) that this campaign is a hoax orchestrated by Yes Men. Very clever!

It's at times like these you might hear me say that social media just isn't for everyone. A company whose actions are generally quite contentious, would do well not to draw attention to them, no?

Not so for Shell, who thought it wise to open up one of their least popular ideas to the social sphere. 

They asked members of the public to design an advert for Arctic energy production, using beautiful pictures of Artic scenery and overlaying their own text. Here's what happened:


shell social media case study

"Turn the power on, it's time to melt some ice"
"You can't run your SUV on 'cute'"
"Some say catastrophe, we say opportunity"

People wrote what they really thought on the posters. In an ironic twist the social voting system (usually employed to encourage users to filter out inappropriate content by voting it down) has meant that those who don't want to destroy the environment, are able to keep their views in the spotlight by others affirming their messages.  

It really couldn't have worked less in Shell's favour if Greenpeace had orchestrated the campaign.

I honestly don't know what Shell were thinking, and the PR department must be panicking now as the site is still currently showing these messages at the time of posting.

Where to go from here? I honestly don't know. They have a few options:

  • Remove the website entirely - Not a very 'social' response and would lead to ridicule online and possibly from the press, but would blow over (relatively) quickly.
  • Engage with the public, asking them to stick to the advert's intended messaging - although asking people politely to stop is the usual first response to trolling (and a good one) it doesn't really work here because what is being said isn't offensive, and the public have the moral highground.
  • Remove the page and replace with a conciliatory message saying something like "we have listened to your concerns and are taking them on board. Please bear with us while we evaluate the best course of action" - Ha! Yeah right. Again, other companies may be able to make this approach fly, but when you're an oil company trying to drill the arctic we're not going to fall for it... 
Moral of the story? If your proposal is going to upset the majority of the general public then don't put it to them publicly via social media. Definitely don't give them a chance to respond. Oh and don't ever, ever, try to con them into creating an ad campaign for you and your morally dubious campaign! 

Wednesday 18 April 2012

Camera filters (on, you've guessed it, the HTC One X camera!)

So I keep banging on about this phone. But honestly, there's a reason. Apart from the growing kudos from owning this beautiful piece of design ("what is that? Looks like a mini-tablet!") it's got some great functions too.

First up, the camera effects. Bringing up this little screen below lets you choose from a variety of effects

HTC One X Camera Effects Screen

The Solarize setting is one of my favourites and can be stunning at night: 

St. Paul's Cathedral taken on the HTC One X in Solarize mode

And distortion can create some pretty quirky effects with the right composition (or just a friend's face, your choice!).

Street in Portsmouth taken on the HTC One X in distortion mode

For anyone doubting that mobile photography is a legitimate method of producing art, the HTC One provides a pretty good (8mp) argument. If you're still not sure, here's a picture of a book I saw at the Tate Modern at the weekend, and a link to the book on amazon. It's a bit out of date though, as One X doesn't seem to feature...

Sunday 8 April 2012

HTC One X camera review




Today was a great excuse for an Easter stroll, and to try out the One X's 8mp camera.

It behaved well (and once I have the right shortcuts setup, will be very easy to use) although quite disappointingly, after opening the application a few times it did freeze on a black screen and had to be restarted. Considering the immense processor power behind it, and the advertised camera capabilities (including 'best shot' - take lots in quick succession and choose the best) I was upset it crashed so soon, but time will tell whether it's a regular thing.

Otherwise, the photo quality was good, and I'll let you judge for yourselves below :)




Saturday 7 April 2012

HTC One X review - pretty damn good so far!

I'm writing this review from a brand spanking new HTC One X on O2. So new, in fact, that the shop in Portsmouth hadn't seen one 'unboxed' (cue great excitement from shop staff). They also hadn't got any of the new HTC accessories set up on their till system, probably a blessing in disguise for my bank account anyway ;)
So, first impressions:
- fast. Very, very, fast. Given that my last phone was an HTC hero circa 2009, I was expecting to see good things from the quad core processor. What I wasn't expecting, was the phone to synch all 260 something of my contacts in well under a minute. Having tried everything in great excitement once it charged, it still hasn't crashed or hung, and all the apps are very responsive. This thing's got power!
- user friendly. The lovely cursive HTC font floats over all the functions the first time you use them, explaining what to do. I also wasn't expecting to be gently guided through transferring contacts, but after selecting my old phone's make and model, detailed instructions followed and contacts and texts were sent across via Bluetooth.
So it seems pretty damn good so far. My only current gripe is that O2 claimed it would take 2 hours to connect my account, and so far it's been 7 and still no signal. Thankfully I have WiFi at home so can still play, and will report back again soon...

Sunday 26 February 2012

HTC One

HTC have just announced their new baby, and it's not called Edge, or Zeta as previously thought, but perhaps uninspiringly dubbed the 'HTC One'. The specs and design are anything but uninspiring however (if the rumours are true), and I'm really excited about this ground breaking quad core. I'll let you see for yourself:



Specs include:

  • 8-megapixel camera
  • 4.7-inc LCD display
  • 1080p video recorder - with the ability to take photos whilst capturing HD video (!).
  • HTC Sense 4 UI
  • Tegra 3 quad-core processor 
According to Techcunch there are 3 versions - The 'One X' on AT & T, the 'One S' (similar specs but on T mobile) and the lower end 'One V' with no front facing camera, 3.7 inch screen, and 'unibody' design.

Sunday 15 January 2012

Social Media Tips 1 - Some LinkedIn Pros and Cons



Pros


Professional information. Of all the social networks, LinkedIn is the most focussed on professional interests.
Cons


Smaller Audience. Although LinkedIn has a huge user base, it is still not as popular as Facebook or Twitter.


Aids offline networking. After a networking events you can add people you've met on LinkedIn, reinforcing the relationship. Some people even have LinkedIn details on their business cards.

Lacks a personal touch. Online 'introductions' lack the depth of a personal meeting, and some people may prefer not to be put in touch without having met first.

Creates a forum for expertise. Taking part in LinkedIn discussions is a good way to demonstrate individual expertise.

Not as suitable for B2C/leisure&lifestyle As a more formal/professional environment, users are less susceptible to marketing and advertising concerning leisure time products and services.
Highly targeted professional advertising. People on LinkedIn are already in work mode so it's more acceptable to advertise B2B products. Adverts can be targeted by age, gender, seniority, job title and even company.

Not as fun! No farmville to see here people...move along now. As the most professional of the networks, LinkedIn lacks appeal for those who want  entertainment.

Competitor Intelligence Despite a general tightening of employee social media policies sensitive information can sometimes be gathered from CV's on LinkedIn.
Charge for some services  Some 'extra' services such as Jobseeker Premium, ask for a subscription fee.

Analytics Company page admins get data on visitors by industry, title, function and company, page views over time, clicks on jobs, clicks on employee Profiles, and clicks on job "Apply" buttons.









Sunday 8 January 2012

HTC - leading with an Edge?

You may not be surprised to find that I'm still deliberating over which mobile phone handset to get next. My HTC hero is lovely, but after 2.5 years it's dying a slow death, and the hunt is on for a replacement.

Of course, there is the great iPhone vs Android debate I had a few posts ago, and thought I might finally be leaning towards apple...but a part of me doesn't want to give up on android just yet. I'm proud to have been an early adopter and have a certain amount of brand loyalty for the geeky underdog. 

So before I make any hasty decisions, I'm just going to hang out for new releases announced at the February Mobile World Congress. A little digging around has unearthed rumours about quad core processors and I found this on techleash.com:

The first high-end smartphone to be announced by HTC at Mobile World Congress is going to be dubbed Edge. Among the HTC Edge’s features analysts suggest a 1.5 GHz quad-core Tegra 3 processor, 1GB of RAM, a 4.7 inch touch-screen and an 8 mega-pixel camera.
HTC Zeta is supposed to be the second release that HTC will present this year to the market. Some analysts suggest that due to the leap in performance compared to HTC Edge, Zeta cannot be unveiled at the same event and a later release would be more reasonable. HTC Zeta is expected to feature a 2.5 GHz quad core processor, 1 GB of RAM and 32 GB storage space, a 4.5 inch touch-screen and an 8 mega-pixel camera.

Not sure I can hold out for the Zeta but the Edge already sounds like a giant leap from the antiquated Hero and I so I looked into it a bit further:

  • No micro SD slot (but 32g on board memory)
  • 1080p HD camcorder
  • Additional 720p front facing cam
  • NFC (near field communication) capacity (TBC)
  • It's PRETTY

Altogether now...oooooh! Put it in your diaries people 27th February 2012 the Edge is revealed at the MWC, and android may be firmly back on my list.

Saturday 7 January 2012

When to tweet and post - are you missing your market?

Social media marketing is still a dark art. Some do it well, some do it badly, and some are opposed to the very idea. For those trying to hone their social media marketing technique, there is a lot of guidance out there on what to tweet and post. What there hasn't been much focus on is when to do so.

The infographic below from Argyle Social got me thinking...




According to their research, B2C Facebook campaigns get better engagement at the weekends. When you think about it, that's not surprising - the majority of consumers are at work themselves during the week, no?

Does this mean Facebook marketing needs to embrace the weekends? Just as retail has seen the opportunities in staying open at the weekend, should marketers be tweeting and facebooking their way into a Tuesday-Sunday working week? If that's when the audience is most receptive, then perhaps they should.

But we need to be careful abut generalising. Does this apply to all sectors, not just retail? Should recruiters, for example, try to market new positions online at the weekend? This strategy might not apply here, as people are perhaps not thinking in a work mindset and would show less interest. Also, from a recruiting perspective, is it a case of quality over quantity? The people who are responding at the weekend are perhaps more conscientious workers. Would you put someone forward for a job if they were on Facebook replying to an advert at 10am on a workday? 

Additionally, the B2B data shown above may not be as straightforward as it seems. Many people have different work and personal accounts, and who is to say that the same individual that B2B's are trying to sell to during the working week, isn't more receptive from a personal account at the weekend?

Analysing when to post is great, but only if you're very clear on your target market and what they will be doing at that time. You need to ensure the audience is there, willing to engage, and engaging in the right capacity. This may mean not only adopting weekend and evening posting, but also adopting a different strategy for posts and tweets published at this time, compared to those posted during the working week.